The Stripper ** (1963, Joanne Woodward, Richard Beymer, Claire Trevor, Carol Lynley, Robert Webber) – Classic Movie Review 9258

Director Franklin J Schaffner’s 1963 romantic drama The Stripper [Woman of Summer] stars the always-admirable Joanne Woodward, who builds up an ungrateful role as Lila Green, a washed-up showgirl/ struggling actress who is dumped by Madame Olga and goes home to Kansas to live with her old pal and neighbour Helen Baird (Claire Trevor), whose teenage son Kenny (Richard Beymer) falls for her.

Director Franklin J Schaffner’s feature film début is a watchable, soapy movie, based on William Inge’s unsuccessful play A Loss of Roses, which ran for only 25 performances. The Stripper does the job of entertaining while never achieving the class or status it obviously aims at.

Real stripper Gypsy Rose Lee co-stars as Madame Olga.

Also in the cast are Carol Lynley, Robert Webber, Louis Nye, Michael J Pollard, Sondra Blake, Susan Brown, Marlene De Lamater, Gary Pagett, Ralph Lee and Bing Russell.

RIP Carol Lynley, who died of a heart attack on 3 September 2019, aged 77.

The Stripper [Woman of Summer] is directed by Franklin J Schaffner, runs 95 minutes, is made by Jerry Wald Productions and Twentieth Century Fox, is released by 20th Century Fox, is written by Meade Roberts, is shot in black and white by Ellsworth Fredericks, is produced by Jerry Wald, is scored by Jerry Goldsmith and is designed by Jack Martin Smith.

The film was provisionally called Celebration, and then originally titled Woman of Summer, and was released in the US on 19 June 1963 as The Stripper. It was released as Woman of Summer in the UK.

Marilyn Monroe was set to play Lila but died and was replaced by Woodward.

The original New York production of A Loss of Roses opened at the Eugene O’Neill Theater on 28 November 1959 and ran for only 25 performances.

 © Derek Winnert 2019 Classic Movie Review 9258

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