New Movies: That Was Burlesque

The Night They Raided Minsky's is a valedictory valentine to oldtime burlesque. In legend, the girls were glamorous, and every baggy-pants buffoon was a second W. C. Fields. In truth, the institution was as coarse as its audiences. Minsky's mixes both fact and fancy in a surprisingly successful musical.

The barefaced comedy is matched by the pratfall plot. Rachel, a chaste Amish girl (Britt Ekland) decides that since dancing is mentioned in the Bible and Minsky's Manhattan burlesque house is not, joining the chorus line must be all right with God. When her...

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