She co-produced and starred in Mike Todd's Broadway burlesque-style extravaganza 'Star and Garter' at the Eltinge Theatre.
On June 24, 1942, Gypsy Rose Lee co-produced and starred in Star and Garter, a lavish Broadway burlesque-style revue produced by the flamboyant showman Mike Todd at the Eltinge Theatre in New York City. This production marked a significant expansion of her role in the entertainment industry, moving beyond performing to include producing responsibilities as well.
Star and Garter was designed as a nostalgic, high-production-value tribute to the golden age of burlesque, featuring elaborate sets, music, and comedy alongside striptease elements, blending the raucous energy of traditional burlesque with the polish of Broadway staging. As both co-producer and star, Lee had creative and financial stakes in the show's success, representing a new level of professional authority and business acumen beyond her performing career.
This production exemplifies how Gypsy Rose Lee leveraged her fame and understanding of burlesque as a cultural form to shape her own vehicles rather than simply appearing in others' productions. Her involvement as a producer reflected broader ambitions to control her artistic and financial destiny in an industry that often exploited performers, particularly women, without granting them ownership or creative authority. Star and Garter was a commercial success, further cementing her legacy as both a performer and a savvy entertainment businesswoman capable of shaping the burlesque genre's Broadway presentation for new generations of audiences.