Teaserama Plus Varietease and Buxom Beautease (Blu-ray Review)

• Reviewed by: Tim Salmons
• Review Date: Jan 09, 2025
• Format: Blu-ray Disc
• 

Director

Irving Klaw

Release Date(s)

1955/1954/1956 (June 25, 2024)

Studio(s)

Irving Klaw Productions/Beautiful Productions (Kino Cult #7)

• Film/Program Grade: N/A
• Video Grade: B-
• Audio Grade: B-
• Extras Grade: B+

Review

Teaserama, Varietease, and Buxom Beautease collectively represent an era long-past and nearly forgotten, almost as much as the films themselves. They offer a snapshot of a form of entertainment that doesn’t really exist anymore, not as prevalently anyway: burlesque night club variety shows, where you pay your money to see comedians, singers, dancers, and stripteases, all on the same stage and intermingling with each other at certain times. These films are famous for their leading ladies, especially Bettie Page, Tempest Storm, and Lili St. Cyr, but it’s also a fascinating look back in time before the internet when adult entertainment wasn’t just about the sex.

These films were released between 1954 and 1956 and featured many popular models and stripteasers of the era, as well as comedians (known as “baggy pants” comics) filling in between performances with extremely dated and misogynistic night club humor about women and/or their wives. The most famous figure in these films today is the legendary Bettie Page, who was considered the pin-up queen at the time, but also became a pop culture icon in the 1980s and beyond when she and her works were re-discovered. Other popular performers include the likes of Tempest Storm, “The Queen of Exotic Dancers;” Lili St. Cyr, one of the most popular strippers of her time; and Blaze Starr, “The Hottest Blaze in Burlesque,” among many others.

Appearances by other notable performers include the enigmatic Chris LaChris, the beautiful Dorian Dennis, and the flexible-beyond-belief Trudy Wayne. By far the most interesting performer is Vicki Lynn whom, for those who don’t know, was a female impersonator. This is especially interesting given the time period since queer performers were not exactly a common part of these types of shows, and to see someone who was born a man bravely portraying and identifying as a woman, especially on camera, is both unusual and refreshing. Truly, these shows had something for everybody, whether they would fully admit it or not.

All three films were directed by “Pin-up King” Irving Klaw, who basically took models that posed for his various photo shoots and shot them all in segments. The results, Teaserama, Varietease, and Buxom Beautease, highlight many of the most popular women in print of that era. Though these films are known today for the sexy outfits or lack thereof, they also present a collage of various talents before censorship forced people like Klaw out of business completely.

Varietease, Teaserama, and Buxom Beautease were shot on 16mm and 35mm film (to the best of my knowledge), finished photochemically, and presented in the aspect ratio of 1.66:1. Kino Cult brings all three films to Blu-ray for the first time. In conjunction with Something Weird Video, the Sonney Amusement Enterprises Film Collection, and the UCLA Film & Television Archive, presented are 4K restorations of Teaserama and Varietease from their original 16mm camera negatives, and a 4K restoration of Buxom Beautease from the original 35mm camera negative and other 16mm materials (prints). For Teaserama and Varietease, the option of watching the Something Weird Video edition of each film, which is sourced from the same restoration with VHS standard definition inserts for some of the added material, are presented as separate options.

As these films haven’t had the most perfect preservation, it’s easy to image any restoration topping all previous presentations. That’s certainly the case here as these films have never looked better, but keep in mind that they’re far from perfect. These appear to be somewhat hands-off restorations, meaning that not a lot appears to have been done to really clean them up, mostly just to stabilize the frames and the color, although that can waver at times, as well. In some cases, the quality of the surviving elements are all over the place. Teaserama is the most even-keeled of the lot, while Varitease and Buxom Beautease can sometimes suffer from missing or cracked frames, horizontal and vertical scratches, color and edge fading, instability issues, splice marks, and all manner of speckling and scratches. In Buxtom Beautease, for example, the most visually unappealing segment comes in the form of Lili St. Cyr’s and Tempest Storm’s color short Striptease Revealed, particularly for Cyr whose performance is taken from a badly damaged print element. However, it’s worth noting that these materials may be all that survives, and this is as good as it gets without much more expensive digital restoration techniques. Bitrates for Teaserama and Buxom Beautease, which are presented on the same disc, tend to hover between 25 to 35Mbps, while Varietease sits mostly between 35 and 40Mbps. Why each film wasn’t given its own disc to maximize these bitrates is strange, but these presentations are still a major step up from low grade VHS and DVD print-based masters.

Audio is included for each film in English 2.0 mono DTS-HD Master Audio with optional subtitles in English SDH. Each soundtrack is thin without much push for dialogue or music, but they’re fairly well-presented, despite the obvious issues with hiss, clicks, and crackle, as well as occasional thumps, mostly during transitions. They’re flawed, but very listenable.

The 2-Disc 1080p Blu-ray release of Teaserama Plus Varietease and Buxom Beautease from Kino Cult sits in a blue Amaray case featuring a double-sided insert, with new artwork of Bettie Page on the front (as well as the slipcover), and a poster mock-up of the performers and the films on the reverse. Unfortunately, the Blu-ray discs in this set are mislabeled. The disc labeled Varietease is actually Teaserama Plus Buxom Beautease while the disc labeled as Teaserama Plus Buxom Beautease is actually the disc for Varietease. The following extras are included:

DISC ONE: TEASERAMA & BUXOM BEAUTEASE

• Teaserama (4K Restoration) (HD – 58:25)
• Teaserama (SWV Edition) (HD & SD Inserts – 66:56)
• Buxom Beautease (4K Restoration) (HD – 79:14)

• Audio Commentary on Teaserama (4K Restoration) by Jo Weldon
• Audio Commentary on Teaserama (SWV Edition) by David F. Friedman and Mike Vraney
• Teaserama Trailer (HD – 2:22)
• Buxom Beautease Trailer (HD – 2:12)

DISC TWO: VARIETEASE

• Varietease (4K Restoration) (HD – 67:52)
• Varietease (SWV Edition) (HD & SD Inserts – 71:19)

• Audio Commentary on Varietease (4K Restoration) by Alexandra Heller-Nicolas
• Audio Commentary on Varietease (SWV Edition) by David F. Friedman and Mike Vraney
• Varietease Trailer (Upscaled SD – 1:42)

The first new commentary for Teaserama features New York author, burlesque instructor, and costume historian Jo Weldon, who is definitely a fan of these films and these performers, but also offers plenty of great contextual information about them. The second new audio commentary with author Alexandra Heller-Nicolas is an informative one, as to be expected, as she delves into the background of each of the film’s performers. Carried over from the 2010 Something Weird Video DVD release of Teaserama and Varietease are commentaries on both films from Something Weird’s Mike Vraney and legendary exploitation filmmaker and producer David F. Friedman, whom Mike Vraney describes as “the mighty monarch of the exploitation film world.” Friedman details each film and its performers, as well as the history of burlesque and its jump to the movies, among other topics. The Something Weird Video Edition of Teaserama features several extra minutes with more antics by Dave Starr and Joe E. Ross, joined by Vicki Lynn and Lolly Dorsen, as well as Peppe and Roccio’s performance, which is missing from the main feature. Like Teaserama, the Something Weird Video Edition of Varietease also features a few extras minutes, re-inserting Peppe and Rocchio’s entire performance once again, but also having Dave Starr pop up for a couple of extra yucks along the way. Last are trailers for all three films. Sadly, Buxom Beautease gets the short end of the shrift with no commentary or other extras.

Though this is technically considered the “Tease” trilogy, it would be nice to see somebody re-release other material featured in Cult Epics’ The Bettie Page Collection DVD release, especially Striporama, which features some of the same performers, as well Page in her only known speaking role. In any case, long-time fans should be pleased with Kino’s release of Teaserama Plus Varietease and Buxom Beautease. It’s not perfect on all sides, but neither are the films themselves. If you never managed to attend night club or a burlesque theater performances in the 1950s, this this may be your only chance to do so.

- Tim Salmons

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