Lady of Burlesque

A brilliant woman who happened to disrobe for a living, Gypsy Rose Lee was commonly known as the “intellectual stripper.” Born Rose Louise Hovick in 1911, she had meager beginnings, no formal education, and a mentally ill stage mother who criticized and demeaned her daughter. Despite these hurdles, Gypsy climbed to the peak of every career she tackled: she triumphed as an actress, novelist, playwright, artist, political activist, and, ultimately, a star. Appendices cover Gypsy’s will and estate, the original production and Broadway revivals of her play Gypsy, and complete filmographies and discographies. The book contains many rare and never-before-published photographs.

Robert Strom lives in San Leandro, California.

Robert Strom
Format: softcover (7 x 10)
Pages: 243
Bibliographic Info: 97 photos, filmography, discography, appendices, bibliography, index
Copyright Date: 2011
pISBN: 978-0-7864-3826-6
Imprint: McFarland

Acknowledgments      viii
Foreword by John Fricke      1
Preface      3

ONE. BORN IN A TRUNK      5
TWO. YOU GOTTA HAVE A GIMMICK      7
THREE. YOU OUGHTTA BE IN PICTURES      21
FOUR. STAR & GARTER      46
FIVE. WHO DONE IT?      55
SIX. ON THE ROAD AGAIN      83
SEVEN. BELIEVE IT OR NOT      132
EIGHT. BROADWAY, BROADWAY, HOW GREAT YOU ARE!      154
NINE. HOORAY FOR HOLLYWOOD      173
TEN. VISITING WITH GYPSY      184
ELEVEN. GYPSY THE TROUPER      190

Afterword by Noralee Frankel      197
Appendix A. Gypy’s Letters to Inner Sanctum Mysteries      199
Appendix B. Last Will and Testament      207
Appendix C. The Auction of Gypsy’s Estate      209
Appendix D. Broadway      219
Appendix E. Discography      222
Appendix F. On Screen      224
Appendix G. A Remembrance      227
Bibliography      229
Index      231

“is chock full of photos and fascinating details of the legendary stripper and entertainer’s life”—gaychicagonews.com; “Robert Strom has written the most complete, well-researched account of my mother’s career—a “must have” reference for anyone interested in Gypsy Rose Lee. And the photographs delight. Many of them have never been published; some I’ve never even seen; all will return you to an era of show business when glamour reigned supreme.”—Erik Preminger, son of Gypsy Rose Lee