Rusty Warren: Knockers Up! The Lady Behind the Laughs

Largely forgotten today, Rusty Warren was a pioneering comedienne who broke down barriers with her frank comedy act discussing sex, long before the era of Phyllis Diller and Lenny Bruce. Best known for her "Knockers Up" party records, Warren, who now resides in Hawaii, was a clasically trained pianist, who one night while improvising with the audience between numbers as a lounge piano player, came up with the routine she is best known for today. A nice breezy look at the career of this trailblazer, this documentary seeks to position her in the pantheon of great barrier-breaking comics. The core of the film is a late career Stand-up routine filmed in Las Vegas, and though one wishes for some footage of Rusty in her early 1960’s prime, there’s priceless early-to-mid seventies footage of Rusty on various talk shows, including one where she delivers a biographical slide-show. A pleasant reminder of a potent talent. --Kristian St. Clair