By 1967, Julie Andrews was at the top of her game. Since Mary Poppins came out, she’d been in hit after hit, from The Sound of Music to Torn Curtain, so it was surely a thrill for her to jump into another musical – Thoroughly Modern Millie – with George Roy Hill, who had just directed her in Hawaii. Join us – Pete Wright and Andy Nelson – as we continue our Musicals From the 60s series with Hill’s 1967 film Thoroughly Modern Millie.
We talk about why the film works well for us, even though there are elements within that we struggle with. We compare it to the last film we discussed – The Young Girls of Rochefort – which had some similar elements, but which didn’t work nearly as well for us. We look at how well the cast works here, from Andrews to James Fox, from Mary Tyler Moore to Carol Channing, from John Gavin to Pat Morita. We look at what Hill brings to the table with the direction, and how well he works with cinematographer Russell Metty and editor Stuart Gilmore. We chat about the music – both songs from the past and original songs – as well as the original and adapted scores (and try to figure out who actually did what). And we ponder if the racial stereotypes here are better or worse than those in Gone With the Wind.
It’s a riotously fun film that certainly has issues but is worth checking out. We have a great time talking about it on the show this week. Give it a watch then tune in! The Next Reel – when the movie ends, our conversation begins.
