Blaze (1989 film)

Plot

Fannie Belle Fleming left rural West Virginia for Washington, D.C., hoping to launch a singing career. A promoter named Red Snyder talked her into adding a striptease to her act. She rose to fame as burlesque star Blaze Starr and attracted the attention of Louisiana governor Earl Long. Long invited her to a dinner with his associates, and she later joined him on the campaign trail.

At his home, he had trouble with erectile dysfunction, so she sang to him until he could perform. Long’s staff disapproved of both his relationship with Blaze and his civil rights stance, which included opposing literacy tests for voters of color. He broke house rules by delivering a long speech in the Louisiana state house and was sent to a mental hospital in Mandeville. After his release, he spoke at a campaign rally.

His staff persuaded Blaze to end things, and she visited her family. Long lost the gubernatorial primary. He caused a disturbance at her club, and they got back together. He proposed marriage.

Blaze urged him to run for Congress. He won the election but died from a heart attack. Blaze put a rose in his coffin and relocated to Baltimore, Maryland.

Did You Know?

• Audiences surveyed by CinemaScore gave the film a B+ on scale of A+ to F.
• Blaze debuted at number 9 at the North American box office on its opening weekend.
• Haskell Wexler's nomination for Best Cinematography was his fifth and final; he previously won for Who's Afraid of Virginia Woolf? and Bound for Glory.