Dorothy Arzner offers a peek behind the curtain of showbiz – and its sordid sibling, burlesque – with this delightfully disarming comedy. Two aspiring dancers with lofty aspirations for the ballet stage instead find themselves on display for the leering eyes of the burlesque hall. Featuring a cynically charming Lucille Ball opposite an angelic Maureen O’Hara, a stridently subversive film emerges from all the feathers and froth. Screen: NFT2. Screening details: 35mm.
