Brilliantly written, triumphantly emotive, flavoursome portrait of the last days of vaudeville, with a complicated plotline that culminates in Britt Ekland (improbably cast as a naive, stage-struck Amish girl) inventing striptease by accident and bringing the era of American burlesque to an end. But the story takes second place to the film's entertaining evocation of the old burlesque shows themselves and Norman Wisdom, in his only American film, shows his co-stars, notably Jason Robards, just how variety acts were done. Bert Lahr, best remembered for his Cowardly Lion in The Wizard of Oz, makes his final screen appearance: his role is truncated since he died during filming and a double had to be used in some scenes.


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