Thoroughly Modern Millie (1967)

Thoroughly Modern Millie
Directed by George Roy Hill
Written by Richard Morris
1967/US
IMDb link
First viewing/Netflix rental

[box] Miss Dorothy Brown: Oh, I do hope he won’t be an addict. I mean with all that dope.

Millie Dillmount: It didn’t hurt Sleeping Beauty or Snow White.[/box]

The soundtrack was in regular rotation when I was young.  Disappointed in the actual movie.

It is 1922.  Sweet young thing Millie Dillmount (Julie Andrews) arrives in the big city and transforms into a modern flapper within the first couple of hours.  She gets lodgings in a small hotel run by white-slaver Mrs. Meers (Beatrice Lillie.  She soon makes friends with more naive transplant Dorothy Brown (Mary Tyler-Moore).

The girls are romanced by John Gavin and James Fox.  Carol Channing plays Muzzie Von Hossmere, a character apparently created solely so that Channing could play her larger-than-life-size stage persona on screen.  All have many adentures.

This movie starts out promisingly enough but rapidly just became too self-conscious and over-the-top for my taste.  It’s also a long film with an overture and intermission and dragged for me.

On the other hand, the costume and production design are very competent, the music is good, and the performers give it their all.  It was also interesting to think about it as a product of its time with regard to the women’s lib theme.

Elmer Bernstein won the Academy Award for Best Music, Original Score.  The film was also nominated in the Best Music, Adapted category (is this a first?).  It was also nominated for Best Supporting Actress (Channing); Best Art Direction-Set Decoration; Best Costume Design; Best Sound and Best Music, Original Song.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AzMTY80Qbqg