Gypsy Rose Lee (1911–1970)

While living with W. H. Auden, George Davis, Carson McCullers and a mixed bag of other literary types in an old house in Brooklyn, the burlesque crossover star Gypsy Rose Lee threw herself into writing a murder mystery.

The result is great fun: the mystery is satisfactorily complex, the writing capable. However, the real joy comes from two things: the setting, which is the seedy Burlesque theatres of the thirties, and the language, a powerful cocktail of burlesque slang.

Lee drew on her own show more experience for the characters and situations; her tough girls are honestly and sympathetically portrayed, and the love interest was based on her ex-husband (an extraordinary thing for someone to do; I seem to recall that he was a lousy ex-husband, not a beloved, pined-after type).

This is an indispensable account for someone with an interest in burlesque, and a great read. As I went through it, I kept thinking what a shame it was that it was never made into a movie - I kept hearing the voice of Barbara Stanwyck for Gypsy's lines (possibly prompted by her performance as a night club singer in "Ball of Fire"). Imagine my delight when I found that, back in 1943, someone had gratified my desire; I would like to thank whatever time-travelling genius went back and cast Ms. Stanwyck for me. Hayes office interference or not, I'm eagerly looking forward to seeing it! show less

This was pretty fun. Murder mystery is not a big genre of mine, this has a large cast but aprt from character confusion i was able to follow the plot contortions pretty well.

My main gripe is actually what should have been a positive. This should be a unique look into the world of the 40's burlesque scene but instead i often felt like an outsider. There's a lot slang and references which i felt you would need to know the timeperiod well already in order to fully get.

The best element is the show more humour/sarcasm. It borders on the Scream films at times as the main character seems well aware of the noir film cliches and the whole book has a glimmer in its eye. Overall it has a lot of character (and characters). show less

Before there was Dita Von Tese there was Gypsy Rose Lee, a vaudeville performer turned strip teaser who went on to become a cultural icon with fluctuating media success. According to her son’s introduction, Gypsy Rose Lee was never formerly educated, having spent her whole life travelling for the stage, but had a voracious appetite for reading, individual books becoming her tutors and her windows into different worlds and different lives. Lee is no stranger to the pen, either, and in 1941 show more turns to pulp fiction with her publication of The G-String Murders.

The G-String Murders takes readers behind the scenes of a burlesque theatre, illustrating contentious and complex human relationships between stage performers, which leads to the very real (and welcomed, at times) murders of women with more enemies than back-door Johnnies. Gypsy Rose Lee herself is the protagonist, adding a realistic and identifiable voice to the telling of a series of garish murders, when strip-teasers are found strangled with glittering g-strings in a performance that seems fit for a stage. A classic whodunit, nearly everyone is suspicious, and the animosity between burlesque performers and the police force add a tension to the plot that adds believability to the suggestion that a comic and his dancer girlfriend need to investigate on their own. The scenes backstage and in the dressing rooms are just as grand and engaging as the acts on stage, and the pace runs high and keeps twirling from beginning to end. The G-String Murders will delight fans of mystery, pulp, and cozy-mysteries alike, and would be a real treat for anyone interested in burlesque and strip tease. Strong personalities and an intimate understanding of narrative make this pulp a real winner. show less

Someone is murdering strippers with their own G-strings! Gypsy Rose Lee, author, stripper, and amateur detective is on the case, mostly to try to keep from being murdered herself. The cast of characters are also the cast of the theatre, as well as other employees, and they are quite the colorful bunch! I did have a hard time remembering who everyone was at the beginning, but soon caught on. The language and ambiance of the setting were evocative; I felt quite immersed. The mystery kept me show more guessing, even (especially?) with so many possible suspects! show less