Best Performance by an Actress in a Leading Role 1958
Joanne Woodward The Three Faces of Eve 1958
SEX WORKER ROLE
Lila Green in The Stripper 1963
Geraldine Crosby in WUSA 1970
First Character Is A Stripper. The Second Character Is A Prostitute.
Joanne Woodward in The Stripper 1963 and WUSA 1970
The movie “The Stripper” was adapted from the play “A Loss of Roses” by William Inge. Joanne Woodward plays Lila Green, the Stripper in question. She is a down-on-her-luck actress who must turn to this work to make ends meet. Real-life stripper Gypsy Rose Lee also appears in the film as Madame Olga.
Watch clip of the film “The Stripper”
Starring opposite her husband, Paul Newman, this film was based on the book “A Hall of Mirrors” by Robert Stone. The plot involves a right-wing radio station and the propaganda it perpetuates. Set in New Orleans, vibrant characters are abundant. Joanne plays Geraldine Crosby, a hooker who describes herself as “too dumb for the phone company and too old for the five and dime.” The character has nothing to do except support Paul’s character. The film bombed at the box office, as it was during the Nixon presidency. Maybe the American public was apathetic about politics in 1970. Or maybe this movie was ahead of its time.
Watch clip of the film “WUSA”
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