Angelica Huston narrates this TLC-aired story of showgirls through the last century, in which many former showgirls bare their memories (not to mention their bosoms) of life on the stage, fans and all. The best interview subject is Dixie Lee Evans, who got her start in the late 1940s and now lives in the Mojave Desert, where she runs a museum dedicated to the showgirl life and holds reunions for former chorus girls. In addition, viewers are treated to many poignant observations of life as a sex object, from an interview with the author of a biography of Evelyn Nesbit, the fin-de-siècle showgirl whose brief affair with architect Stanford White ended in murder, to a modern worker who reflects that in the end, her job boils down to "taking my clothes off for money." However, despite excellent content, prolix subjects and a golden-voiced narrator, it just doesn't quite work. The video skitters hither and yon, without a historical continuum or any other organizing metaphor, and the last 45 minutes are painfully slow (somewhere in Showgirl Stories, there's a good 30-minute video yearning to break free). While the copious quantities of jiggling bare breasts may or may not be an issue in your library, this one's only an optional purchase even at a stripped down price of $14.95. Aud: C, P. (K. G. Schneider)
Showgirl Stories
(1998) 104 min. VHS: $14.98, DVD: $19.98. Unapix Home Entertainment (avail. from most distributors). PPR. Color cover. ISBN: 1-57523-999-X. Vol. 16, Issue 1
Showgirl Stories
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