Striptease is a 1996 American black comedy directed by Andrew Bergman and based on Carl Hiaasen’s 1993 novel. Demi Moore stars as Erin Grant, a former FBI secretary who takes a job as a stripper at the Eager Beaver nightclub in Miami after losing custody of her daughter. Her attempts to regain custody become complicated when corrupt Congressman David Dilbeck (Burt Reynolds) develops an obsession with her. The film also stars Armand Assante, Ving Rhames, Robert Patrick and Rumer Willis, Moore’s real-life daughter.
Principal photography took place between September and December 1995, primarily in South Florida. One of the main locations was Solid Gold, a real strip club at 2355 NE 163rd Street in North Miami Beach, where scenes inside the fictional Eager Beaver nightclub were filmed. The club provides the setting for much of Erin’s working life, including her dance performances and the scandal involving Congressman Dilbeck. Solid Gold was subsequently renamed Dean’s Gold and continues to operate at the same address.
Another identifiable location is Swifty Laundromat at 1601 North Federal Highway in Hollywood, Florida. The laundromat appears in a scene featuring Erin and her daughter Angela, played by Rumer Willis, as they remove clothes from a dryer while Herb Alpert and the Tijuana Brass’s «Spanish Flea» plays. The location also has a connection to one of the film’s more bizarre jokes, in which Dilbeck admits to sending his assistant to collect lint from Erin’s laundry. Swifty Laundromat still exists, and a sign above the dryers identifies machine number 29 as the one used by Demi Moore during filming.
The production also used the Miami Seaquarium at 4400 Rickenbacker Causeway on Virginia Key. A scene was filmed there during a dolphin performance, as documented in the American Humane Association’s animal-action report for the production. The aquarium was one of several recognisable South Florida locations used alongside the film’s nightclub and urban settings.
For the climax, filming moved to South Bay, near the southern shore of Lake Okeechobee. The final confrontation takes place at a sugar refinery, where Erin brings Congressman Dilbeck and her ex-husband Darrell Grant (Robert Patrick). The location is significant to the story because Dilbeck’s political career is supported by wealthy sugar producers, whose government subsidies depend on his influence. Surrounded by large quantities of sugar, Erin tricks Dilbeck into making an incriminating confession while secretly recording him. Lieutenant Al Garcia (Armand Assante) subsequently arrives, and Dilbeck is exposed and arrested.
Filming at the sugar factory was not without incident. In a letter published by The Washington Post in July 1996, stunt performer Sean Kelly recalled that Demi Moore suffered a spider bite during the filming of the final sequence. According to Kelly, her ankle became badly swollen, but she received treatment from the set medic and returned to work rather than interrupting production.
The finale also underwent substantial changes after principal photography had finished. The original version featured Dilbeck becoming violent and attempting to rape Erin, but audiences reacted negatively during test screenings. Bergman subsequently rewrote the ending to make the confrontation more comedic, and additional filming was completed in May 1996, shortly before the film’s theatrical release on 28 June.
Swifty Laundromat
In Striptease, Swifty Laundromat is used for one of the scenes showing Erin Grant’s everyday life away from the club world that dominates much of the film.