We take going to the movies for granted these days. There was a time when going to the movies was something special. People got dressed up to go. You didn’t drink inside because it might spill. And there were special events with the release of some movies. These were called “road show” attractions. They were star studded spectaculars that didn’t open across the country on the same day but opened in different markets one at a time. Tickets were bought in advance and sometimes book like programs were part of the ticket price. The movies often featured an overture before the movie began and an intermission in the middle. Sadly road show attractions ended in the 70s until Quentin Tarantino opened his THE HATEFUL EIGHT as a road show.
So why talk about road shows? Because this week Kino Lorber is releasing the film THOROUGHLY MODERN MILLIE in a road show format. That’s right, the film opens with an overture, has an intermission and was one of the many movies to open that way back in 1967. Does it hold up? Thankfully yes.
Julie Andrews, 2 years after THE SOUND OF MUSIC, stars as Millie Dillmount, a naïve your woman hitting the big city in 1922. Millie lives at the Priscilla Hotel for single women. As the film opens she takes note of what’s going on around her and changes her look and style. Getting home she runs into Miss Dorothy Brown (Mary Tyler Moore). Dorothy is new to the city and Millie helps her check in, her room being across the hall from hers.
But more is going on in this hotel than they realize. The owner/operator Mrs. Meers (Beatrice Lillie) along with her two Chinese assistants (Jack Soo and Pat Morita) have a side business going on. When an orphan checks into the hotel they usually aren’t there longer than a day. They are kidnapped and sold into white slavery by Meers.
Millie and Dorothy talk about their plans for the future. Dorothy wants to be an actress. Millie plans on getting a job as a stenographer for a wealthy businessman who she then hopes to woo into marriage. Plans never seem to go as intended though. At a dance in the hotel Millie meets Jimmy Smith (James Fox), a happy go lucky young man that she falls in love with. Just when she finally found the perfect job working for the handsome Trevor Graydon (John Gavin).
On a weekend trip Jimmy takes Millie and Dorothy to the home of a wealthy friend named Muzzy (Carol Channing). Jimmy used to mow her lawn with his father and she has a special place in her heart for him. The eccentric Muzzy takes to the two young girls and makes them welcome in her home and at her party. But it’s here that Millie sees something that makes her suspect Jimmy has an eye for Dorothy.
If that news wasn’t bad enough when Trevor sees Dorothy for the first time it’s love at first sight for the two. All of this leaves Millie in a pickle, not sure what to do. But fate intervenes and things happen that lead to some funny moments and a tremendous conclusion.
At the time this film was released madcap or screwball
comedy was still doing well at the box office. The film placed in the top 10
money makers for that year and was a feather in the cap of star Andrews. Even
today it can be an enjoyable romp, especially if you take it in stride and view
it through a set of open eyes for the time it was released.
No way could this movie be made today and I’m surprised it hasn’t been targeted by woke groups. The depiction of Chinese is very stereotypical and the connection to them and the white slavery ring would be found offensive today. Except that this movie is playing on those stereotypes and while a solid comedy is paying tribute to the films of the past. For those who have an issue with it I say lighten up, you’re far too serious.
Kino Lorber has done a great job and the movie looks and sounds fantastic. The film has been fully restored in 4K from Universal Pictures. Few extras are included like an audio commentary track author/film historian Lee Gambin and art historian Ian McAnally and a collection of trailers. If you’re a fan of Andres, Moore or fun loving comedies then you’ll want to add this one to your collection.
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