Dive into more than a century of decadence with this tantalizing look at the evolution of burlesque. Cabaret star Leslie Zemeckis traces the art form from vaudeville-style variety show through its extinction and contemporary rebirth. Vintage photos, film clips and ads illustrate burlesque's resilient history and how the public's sexual appetite kept it alive amid moral and legal ado.

Performances of the greatest exotic dancers are collected here for the first time, from Little Egypt in 1893 to the great striptease headliners of the golden age of Burlesque.

Vineyard owner Randy Minola becomes captivated by the worldly Edella, much to the chagrin of his girlfriend Winnie.

The rise and fall of gang lord Joe Sante. A crime boss appears before a Senate subcommittee. A flashbacks tell his story.

Fighting men in World War II learn the value of courage and quickness at the risk of losing their lives.

Josette of New Orleans

Striptease and burlesque action at the Follies Theatre, 337 S. Main Street, Los Angeles.

Using the frame of an evening of vaudeville, eleven women perform striptease dances. Interspersed are four routines of comedians Joe Young and Gene Doyle.

Legendary pirate and adventurer Sinbad is in single-minded pursuit of two things: beautiful women and a substance called Greek Fire--an early version of gunpowder.

Fed up with the raising crime in Miami, the police chief and the leading members of the city council hire a former Miami gangster, gone straight, to help eliminate the biggest crime syndicate in the city.

The legendary pinup queen Bettie Page stars in a marvelous burlesque show, alongside '50s icons Lili St.Cryr, Bobby Shields, Chris Le Chris Lynn and many others.

Strip Queen Lili St. Cyr magically undresses in the Burlesque Novelty Short: Cinderella’s Love Lesson! (SWV)

Tame as can be by today's standards, but will charm fans of vintage erotica.

Lili St. Cyr is about ready for bedtime, which of course she does in the nude.

Reclining on her chaise lounge in a see-through robe, Lili St. Cyr decides she needs a wash. In a gilded tub fit for Marie Antoinette, she bares all that the law will allow. Then she squeezes into an evening gown and mink coat to paint the town red.

Burlesque film. Leon De Voe sings "Ridin' Shotgun," accompanied by Loretta Miller and a chorus line. Slats Taylor and Clyde Hodges perform a comedy sketch about a young man seeking permission from an aged, deaf father to marry his daughter. Contessa Vera Richkova sings "La nuit pour moi" and performing an dance titled "The Black Angel." De Voe returns with the chorus and Miller to present "Good Bye Mary." Comedian Clyde Hodges portrays a drunk in a foreign restaurant, then dons blackface to impersonate male and female singers as he sings "Big Fat Cadillac." Patti Waggin sings "Something's Going to Happen" to De Voe, who responds with the song "My Baby Likes Fun." Richkova returns in "her spectacular dance ritual of seductive love and hate." The film closes with Lili St Cyr undressing to take a bath and preparing for bed.