The G-String Murders is a 1941 detective novel written by American burlesque performer Gypsy Rose Lee. There have been claims made that the novel was written by mystery writerCraig Rice,[1] but others have suggested that there is sufficient documented evidence in the form of manuscripts and correspondence to prove Lee wrote at least a large portion, if not the whole, of the novel under the tutelage of editor/friend George Davis with some essential guidance from her good friend Rice.[2] The novel has been published under the titles Lady of Burlesque and The Strip-Tease Murders. Set in a burlesque theater, Lee casts herself as the detective who solves a set of homicides in which strippers in her troupe are found strangled with their own G-strings.
Gypsy Rose Lee narrates her way through a tale of a double murder, backstage at the "Old Opera" burlesque theatre on 42nd Street, New York City.
The story depicts a world populated by strippers, comics, and costume salesmen, where crime is part of the norm and where women struggle to earn a living.
The narrative is a "wise-cracking" and humorous tale of murder in a burlesque house, and with the unusual weapon of the title. Eventually, Gypsy discovers that an elderly male stagehand, Stacchi, is the assailant, given that he was traumatised when he discovered that his grand-daughter, Lolita LaVern, was one of the performers. Fortunately, he is apprehended before he can kill Gypsy in his turn, due to a prearranged police trap in which she offered herself as 'bait.'
Charactersedit
Gypsy Rose Lee, narrator
Lolita LaVern, stripper
Gee Gee Graham, stripper
Biff Brannigan, comedian
Siggy, costume salesman
Literary significance and criticismedit
"Anyone keen about sex in fiction will admire this workmanlike job for its account of a performing group, its use of technicalities—if that's the word—about stripping, and its handling of the clues by a likeable lieutenant… This is one of a handful of books about backstage murder that are tolerable. It is not made worse by being told in the first person, or by a bit of sentimental lovey-dovey between the narratrix and one of the cast of characters."[3]
The novel was filmed in 1943 as Lady of Burlesque, directed by William Wellman, starring Barbara Stanwyck as Dixie Daisy (the Lee character), Michael O'Shea as her romantic interest, and Pinky Lee. It is a fairly faithful, if bowdlerized, representation, but notable for the addition of music and songs, including "Take It Off the E String, Play It on the G String", sung by Stanwyck. The film attempts to show what the censors of 1943 would allow with respect to the precise nature of "bumps" and "grinds" as well as the slapdash nature of burlesque shows.
Referencesedit
^Hubin, Allen J. Crime Fiction, 1749–1980: A Comprehensive Bibliography. New York: Garland Publishing Inc., 1984, p. 243
^Tippins, Sherill. February House: The Story of W. H. Auden, Carson McCullers, Jane and Paul Bowles, Benjamin Britten, and Gypsy Rose Lee, Under One Roof in Brooklyn. Houghton Mifflin Company Publishing, 2005.
^Barzun, Jacques & Taylor, Wendell Hertig 1989 [1971]. A Catalogue of Crime. New York: Harper & Row, rev. & enlarged ed. ISBN0-06-015796-8
Sourcesedit
Lee, Gypsy Rose. The G-String Murders. New York: Feminist Press of the City University of New York, 2005, ISBN1-55861-504-0.
March 17, 2024
string, murders, 1941, detective, novel, written, american, burlesque, performer, gypsy, rose, there, have, been, claims, made, that, novel, written, mystery, writer, craig, rice, others, have, suggested, that, there, sufficient, documented, evidence, form, ma. The G String Murders is a 1941 detective novel written by American burlesque performer Gypsy Rose Lee There have been claims made that the novel was written by mystery writer Craig Rice 1 but others have suggested that there is sufficient documented evidence in the form of manuscripts and correspondence to prove Lee wrote at least a large portion if not the whole of the novel under the tutelage of editor friend George Davis with some essential guidance from her good friend Rice 2 The novel has been published under the titles Lady of Burlesque and The Strip Tease Murders Set in a burlesque theater Lee casts herself as the detective who solves a set of homicides in which strippers in her troupe are found strangled with their own G strings The G String MurdersFirst editionAuthorGypsy Rose Lee or possibly ghost written by Craig Rice authorship in dispute CountryUnited StatesLanguageEnglishGenreMystery Detective NovelPublisherSimon amp SchusterPublication date1941Media typePrint Hardback amp Paperback In 2005 Feminist Press of the City University of New York republished the book as one of its Women Write Pulp series Contents 1 Plot summary 2 Characters 3 Literary significance and criticism 4 Adaptations 5 References 6 SourcesPlot summary editGypsy Rose Lee narrates her way through a tale of a double murder backstage at the Old Opera burlesque theatre on 42nd Street New York City The story depicts a world populated by strippers comics and costume salesmen where crime is part of the norm and where women struggle to earn a living The narrative is a wise cracking and humorous tale of murder in a burlesque house and with the unusual weapon of the title Eventually Gypsy discovers that an elderly male stagehand Stacchi is the assailant given that he was traumatised when he discovered that his grand daughter Lolita LaVern was one of the performers Fortunately he is apprehended before he can kill Gypsy in his turn due to a prearranged police trap in which she offered herself as bait Characters editGypsy Rose Lee narrator Lolita LaVern stripper Gee Gee Graham stripper Biff Brannigan comedian Siggy costume salesmanLiterary significance and criticism edit Anyone keen about sex in fiction will admire this workmanlike job for its account of a performing group its use of technicalities if that s the word about stripping and its handling of the clues by a likeable lieutenant This is one of a handful of books about backstage murder that are tolerable It is not made worse by being told in the first person or by a bit of sentimental lovey dovey between the narratrix and one of the cast of characters 3 Adaptations editThis section does not cite any sources Please help improve this section by adding citations to reliable sources Unsourced material may be challenged and removed September 2015 Learn how and when to remove this template message The novel was filmed in 1943 as Lady of Burlesque directed by William Wellman starring Barbara Stanwyck as Dixie Daisy the Lee character Michael O Shea as her romantic interest and Pinky Lee It is a fairly faithful if bowdlerized representation but notable for the addition of music and songs including Take It Off the E String Play It on the G String sung by Stanwyck The film attempts to show what the censors of 1943 would allow with respect to the precise nature of bumps and grinds as well as the slapdash nature of burlesque shows References edit Hubin Allen J Crime Fiction 1749 1980 A Comprehensive Bibliography New York Garland Publishing Inc 1984 p 243 Tippins Sherill February House The Story of W H Auden Carson McCullers Jane and Paul Bowles Benjamin Britten and Gypsy Rose Lee Under One Roof in Brooklyn Houghton Mifflin Company Publishing 2005 Barzun Jacques amp Taylor Wendell Hertig 1989 1971 A Catalogue of Crime New York Harper amp Row rev amp enlarged ed ISBN 0 06 015796 8Sources editLee Gypsy Rose The G String Murders New York Feminist Press of the City University of New York 2005 ISBN 1 55861 504 0 Retrieved from https en wikipedia org w index php title The G String Murders amp oldid 1175889369, wikipedia, wiki, book, books, library,
