Queen of Burlesque

The recently dethroned queen of the show, Crystal McCoy, is Inspector Crowley's first choice as the killer for the simple reason that the girl who was to replace her is found dead in her dressing room. As her alibi is airtight for two more murders, Crowley looks elsewhere for other suspects. Many others in the troupe arouse his suspicions but since the murders are committed in three distinct ways, he's going to need some help from an unlikely source-Crystal's fiance.

Its title notwithstanding, there's precious little female epidermis on display in PRC's QUEEN OF BURLESQUE. Real life stripteaser Rose la Rose is cast in the title role, a burleycue "peeler" named Blossom Terraine, but the storyline is carried by Evelyn Ankers and Carleton Young, as exotic dancer Crystal McCoy and her journalist boyfriend Steve Hurley. When Blossom is murdered backstage, Crystal is suspected of the killing, prompting Hurley to try to prove her innocence. David Lang is credited with the original screenplay, which bears more than a passing resemblance to the 1943 Barbara Stanwyck starrer LADY OF BURLESQUE. The working title for QUEEN OF BURLESQUE was LADIES OF THE CHORUS, which would be recycled as the title of the 1949 musical which served as the starring debut of Marilyn Monroe.