Thoroughly Modern Millie
Encyclopedia
Thoroughly Modern Millie is a 1967
American
musical film
directed by George Roy Hill
and starring Julie Andrews
. The screenplay by Richard Morris
focuses on a naive young woman who finds herself in the midst of a series of madcap adventures when she sets her sights on marrying her wealthy boss.
The soundtrack interpolates new tunes by Jimmy Van Heusen and Sammy Cahn
with standard songs from the 1910s and 1920s, including "Baby Face
" and "Jazz Baby
." For use of the latter, the producers had to acquire the rights from General Mills
, which had used the melody with various lyrics to promote Wheaties
for more than forty years.
The film was nominated for seven Academy Awards
and five Golden Globes. It was also one of the top grossing films of 1967. In 2000 it was adapted for a successful stage musical of the same name
. A DVD was issued in 2003.
era - Thursday, June 2 (according to the calendar behind Mrs. Meers' desk) of 1922 (as stated in the title song's lyrics) (in fact this day was a Friday). Millie Dillmount's (Julie Andrews
) ambition is to find work as a stenographer to a wealthy businessman and then marry him—a thoroughly modern goal. Millie befriends Miss Dorothy Brown (Mary Tyler Moore
) as the latter checks into the Priscilla Hotel. When house mother Mrs. Meers (Beatrice Lillie
) learns Miss Dorothy is an orphan, she remarks, "Sad to be all alone in the world." Unbeknownst to Millie, the woman is selling her tenants into white slavery
, and those without family or close friends are her primary targets.
At a friendship dance in the hall, Millie meets the devil-may-care paper clip salesman Jimmy Smith (James Fox
), to whom she takes an instant liking. However, she carries on with her plan to work for and then marry a rich man, and when she gets a job at Sincere Trust, she sets her sights on the attractive but self-absorbed Trevor Graydon (John Gavin
). Jimmy later takes her and Miss Dorothy on an outing to Long Island
, where they meet eccentric widow Muzzy Van Hossmere (Carol Channing
). Jimmy tells the girls that Muzzy’s former gardener was his father.
Although Millie is falling in love with Jimmy, she is determined to stick to her plan and marry Trevor. One morning, she goes to work dressed as a flapper
and attempts to seduce him, but her effort fails. Eventually, Trevor sees Miss Dorothy and falls in love with her and vice versa, leaving Millie heartbroken.
Meanwhile, Jimmy's attempts to talk to Millie are continually thwarted by no-nonsense head stenographer Miss Flannery (Cavada Humphrey). He eventually climbs up the side of the building and when he finally gets to talk to Millie, she tells him she is quitting her job since Mr. Graydon is no longer available.
Mrs. Meers makes several attempts to kidnap Miss Dorothy and hand her over to her Asia
n henchmen Bun Foo (Pat Morita
) and Ching Ho (Jack Soo
), but Millie manages to interrupt her every time. When Mrs. Meers finally succeeds, Millie finds Trevor drowning his sorrows, and he tells her Miss Dorothy stood him up and checked out of the hotel. Jimmy climbs into Miss Dorothy's room and lets Millie in, and they find all of Miss Dorothy's possessions still there. Millie realizes Miss Dorothy is just one of several girls who have vanished without a word to anyone. Together with Trevor Graydon, they try to piece the puzzle together. When Jimmy asks what all the missing girls had in common, Millie mentions they all were orphans.
Jimmy disguises himself as a woman named Mary James seeking accommodations at the Priscilla Hotel, and casually mentions she is an orphan in front of Mrs. Meers. Mary James is captured by Mrs. Meers and Bun Foo, and Millie follows them to Chinatown
, where the unconscious Jimmy has been hidden in a room in a fireworks factory where Miss Dorothy is sleeping. Trying to look casual, Millie has been smoking a cigarette outside the building, and when she begins to choke on it, she tosses it into a window, setting off the fireworks. As a series of explosions tear through the building, Millie dashes into the factory and finds several white girls tied up and about to be sent off to Beijing
. She unties a couple of them, who then free the other girls, and then bumps into Miss Dorothy. They carry Jimmy out of the building, and head for Long Island and Muzzy.
Mrs. Meers, Bun Foo, and Ching Ho follow Millie and the gang, but under Muzzy's leadership everyone manages to subdue the nefarious trio. Millie then discovers Jimmy and Miss Dorothy are millionaire siblings and Muzzy is their stepmother, who sent them out into the world to find partners who would love them for who they were and not for their money. Millie marries Jimmy and Miss Dorothy marries Trevor.
; "Jimmy" by Jay Thompson; "Jazz Baby" by M.K. Jerome and Blanche Merrill; "Jewish Wedding Song (Trinkt le Chaim)" by Sylvia Neufeld; "Poor Butterfly
" by John Raymond Hubbell
and John Golden; "Rose of Washington Square" by Ballard MacDonald
and James F. Hanley; "Baby Face" by Harry Akst
and Benny Davis
; and "Do It Again
" by George Gershwin
and Buddy G. DeSylva. Also heard in the film as an underscore are "Stumbling" by Zez Confrey
; "With Plenty of Money and You" by Harry Warren
; and "Hallelujah Chorus" from Messiah
by Georg Friedrich Händel.
Elmer Bernstein
composed the incidental score, for which he won his only Academy Award. (Ironically, none of his music for this film has ever been released.) The songs were arranged and conducted by André Previn
.
of the New York Times called the film "a thoroughly delightful movie," "a kidding satire, in a rollicking song-and-dance vein," "a joyously syncopated frolic," and "a romantic-melodrama
tic fable that makes cliché
s sparkle like jewels." He added, "Miss Andrews is absolutely darling — deliciously spirited and dry . . . Having had previous experience at this sort of Jazz-age
hyperbole
in the British musical, The Boy Friend
. . . she knows how to hit the right expressions of maidenly surprise and dismay, the right taps in a flow of nimble dances, and the right notes in a flood of icky songs." He concluded, "A few faults? Yes. There is an insertion of a Jewish wedding scene . . . which is phony and gratuitous. There's a melodramatic mishmash towards the end, which has Mr. Fox dressing up like a girl and acting kittenish. That is tasteless and humorless. And the whole thing's too long. If they'll just cut out some of those needless things, all the faults will be corrected and it'll be a joy all the way."
Variety
observed, "The first half of Thoroughly Modern Mille is quite successful in striking and maintaining a gay spirit and pace. There are many recognizable and beguiling satirical recalls of the flapper age and some quite funny bits. Liberties taken with reality, not to mention period, in the first half are redeemed by wit and characterization. But the sudden thrusting of the hero . . . into a skyscraper
-climbing, flagpole-hanging acrobat, a la Harold Lloyd
, has little of Lloyd but the myth. This sequence is forced all the way."
TV Guide
rated the film three out of four stars and commented, "Although it ultimately runs out of steam, this charming spoof of the 1920s is still one of the 1960s' better musicals . . . Andrews is a comic delight, Moore is charming, and Channing steals scene after scene in this enjoyable feature."
1967 in film
The year 1967 in film involved some significant events. It is widely considered as one of the most ground-breaking years in film.-Events:* December 26 - The Beatles Magical Mystery Tour airs on British television....
American
Cinema of the United States
The cinema of the United States, also known as Hollywood, has had a profound effect on cinema across the world since the early 20th century. Its history is sometimes separated into four main periods: the silent film era, classical Hollywood cinema, New Hollywood, and the contemporary period...
musical film
Musical film
The musical film is a film genre in which songs sung by the characters are interwoven into the narrative, sometimes accompanied by dancing. The songs usually advance the plot or develop the film's characters, though in some cases they serve merely as breaks in the storyline, often as elaborate...
directed by George Roy Hill
George Roy Hill
George Roy Hill was an American film director. He is most noted for directing such films as Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid and The Sting, which both starred the acting duo Paul Newman and Robert Redford...
and starring Julie Andrews
Julie Andrews
Dame Julia Elizabeth Andrews, DBE is an English film and stage actress, singer, and author. She is the recipient of Golden Globe, Emmy, Grammy, BAFTA, People's Choice Award, Theatre World Award, Screen Actors Guild and Academy Award honors...
. The screenplay by Richard Morris
Richard Morris
Richard Morris may refer to:* Richard Morris * Richard Morris * Richard Morris Welsh international footballer who played for Plymouth Argyle...
focuses on a naive young woman who finds herself in the midst of a series of madcap adventures when she sets her sights on marrying her wealthy boss.
The soundtrack interpolates new tunes by Jimmy Van Heusen and Sammy Cahn
Sammy Cahn
Sammy Cahn was an American lyricist, songwriter and musician. He is best known for his romantic lyrics to films and Broadway songs, as well as stand-alone songs premiered by recording companies in the Greater Los Angeles Area...
with standard songs from the 1910s and 1920s, including "Baby Face
Baby Face (1926 song)
Baby Face is a popular song. The music was written by Harry Akst, the lyrics by Benny Davis. The song was published in 1926. That same year, Jan Garber had a number one hit with the song....
" and "Jazz Baby
Jazz Baby
Jazz Baby is a song published in 1919, written by Blanche Merrill and M.K. Jerome.The rights to the song were acquired by the manufacturers of Wheaties cereal in 1926, for the purpose of using it as an advertising jingle...
." For use of the latter, the producers had to acquire the rights from General Mills
General Mills
General Mills, Inc. is an American Fortune 500 corporation, primarily concerned with food products, which is headquartered in Golden Valley, Minnesota, a suburb of Minneapolis. The company markets many well-known brands, such as Betty Crocker, Yoplait, Colombo, Totinos, Jeno's, Pillsbury, Green...
, which had used the melody with various lyrics to promote Wheaties
Wheaties
Wheaties is a brand of General Mills breakfast cereal. It is well known for featuring prominent athletes on the exterior of the package, and has become a major cultural icon...
for more than forty years.
The film was nominated for seven Academy Awards
Academy Awards
An Academy Award, also known as an Oscar, is an accolade bestowed by the American Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences to recognize excellence of professionals in the film industry, including directors, actors, and writers...
and five Golden Globes. It was also one of the top grossing films of 1967. In 2000 it was adapted for a successful stage musical of the same name
Thoroughly Modern Millie (musical)
Thoroughly Modern Millie is a musical with music by Jeanine Tesori, lyrics by Dick Scanlan, and a book by Richard Morris and Scanlan. Based on the 1967 film of the same name, Thoroughly Modern Millie tells the story of a small-town girl, Millie Dillmount, who comes to New York City to marry for...
. A DVD was issued in 2003.
Plot
The film is set early in the flapperFlapper
Flapper in the 1920s was a term applied to a "new breed" of young Western women who wore short skirts, bobbed their hair, listened to jazz, and flaunted their disdain for what was then considered acceptable behavior...
era - Thursday, June 2 (according to the calendar behind Mrs. Meers' desk) of 1922 (as stated in the title song's lyrics) (in fact this day was a Friday). Millie Dillmount's (Julie Andrews
Julie Andrews
Dame Julia Elizabeth Andrews, DBE is an English film and stage actress, singer, and author. She is the recipient of Golden Globe, Emmy, Grammy, BAFTA, People's Choice Award, Theatre World Award, Screen Actors Guild and Academy Award honors...
) ambition is to find work as a stenographer to a wealthy businessman and then marry him—a thoroughly modern goal. Millie befriends Miss Dorothy Brown (Mary Tyler Moore
Mary Tyler Moore
Mary Tyler Moore is an American actress, primarily known for her roles in television sitcoms. Moore is best known for The Mary Tyler Moore Show , in which she starred as Mary Richards, a 30-something single woman who worked as a local news producer in Minneapolis, and for her earlier role as...
) as the latter checks into the Priscilla Hotel. When house mother Mrs. Meers (Beatrice Lillie
Beatrice Lillie
Beatrice Gladys "Bea" Lillie was an actress and comedic performer. Following her 1920 marriage to Sir Robert Peel in England, she was known in private life as Lady Peel.-Early career:...
) learns Miss Dorothy is an orphan, she remarks, "Sad to be all alone in the world." Unbeknownst to Millie, the woman is selling her tenants into white slavery
Sexual slavery
Sexual slavery is when unwilling people are coerced into slavery for sexual exploitation. The incidence of sexual slavery by country has been studied and tabulated by UNESCO, with the cooperation of various international agencies...
, and those without family or close friends are her primary targets.
At a friendship dance in the hall, Millie meets the devil-may-care paper clip salesman Jimmy Smith (James Fox
James Fox
James Fox, OBE is an English actor.-Early life:James Fox was born in London, England to theatrical agent Robin Fox and actress Angela Worthington. He is the brother of actor Edward Fox and film producer Robert Fox. The actress Emilia Fox is his niece and the actor Laurence Fox is his son. His...
), to whom she takes an instant liking. However, she carries on with her plan to work for and then marry a rich man, and when she gets a job at Sincere Trust, she sets her sights on the attractive but self-absorbed Trevor Graydon (John Gavin
John Gavin
John Gavin is an American film actor and a former United States Ambassador to Mexico. Gavin is half Mexican and fluent in Spanish....
). Jimmy later takes her and Miss Dorothy on an outing to Long Island
Long Island
Long Island is an island located in the southeast part of the U.S. state of New York, just east of Manhattan. Stretching northeast into the Atlantic Ocean, Long Island contains four counties, two of which are boroughs of New York City , and two of which are mainly suburban...
, where they meet eccentric widow Muzzy Van Hossmere (Carol Channing
Carol Channing
Carol Elaine Channing is an American singer, actress, and comedienne. She is the recipient of three Tony Awards , a Golden Globe and an Oscar nomination...
). Jimmy tells the girls that Muzzy’s former gardener was his father.
Although Millie is falling in love with Jimmy, she is determined to stick to her plan and marry Trevor. One morning, she goes to work dressed as a flapper
Flapper
Flapper in the 1920s was a term applied to a "new breed" of young Western women who wore short skirts, bobbed their hair, listened to jazz, and flaunted their disdain for what was then considered acceptable behavior...
and attempts to seduce him, but her effort fails. Eventually, Trevor sees Miss Dorothy and falls in love with her and vice versa, leaving Millie heartbroken.
Meanwhile, Jimmy's attempts to talk to Millie are continually thwarted by no-nonsense head stenographer Miss Flannery (Cavada Humphrey). He eventually climbs up the side of the building and when he finally gets to talk to Millie, she tells him she is quitting her job since Mr. Graydon is no longer available.
Mrs. Meers makes several attempts to kidnap Miss Dorothy and hand her over to her Asia
Asia
Asia is the world's largest and most populous continent, located primarily in the eastern and northern hemispheres. It covers 8.7% of the Earth's total surface area and with approximately 3.879 billion people, it hosts 60% of the world's current human population...
n henchmen Bun Foo (Pat Morita
Pat Morita
Noriyuki "Pat" Morita was an American actor of Japanese descent who was well-known for playing the roles of Matsuo "Arnold" Takahashi on Happy Days and Mr. Miyagi in the The Karate Kid movie series, for which he was nominated for the Academy Award for Best Supporting Actor in 1984.-Early life:Pat...
) and Ching Ho (Jack Soo
Jack Soo
Jack Soo was a Japanese American actor. He is best known for his role as Detective Nick Yemana on the television sitcom Barney Miller.-Early life:...
), but Millie manages to interrupt her every time. When Mrs. Meers finally succeeds, Millie finds Trevor drowning his sorrows, and he tells her Miss Dorothy stood him up and checked out of the hotel. Jimmy climbs into Miss Dorothy's room and lets Millie in, and they find all of Miss Dorothy's possessions still there. Millie realizes Miss Dorothy is just one of several girls who have vanished without a word to anyone. Together with Trevor Graydon, they try to piece the puzzle together. When Jimmy asks what all the missing girls had in common, Millie mentions they all were orphans.
Jimmy disguises himself as a woman named Mary James seeking accommodations at the Priscilla Hotel, and casually mentions she is an orphan in front of Mrs. Meers. Mary James is captured by Mrs. Meers and Bun Foo, and Millie follows them to Chinatown
Chinatown
A Chinatown is an ethnic enclave of overseas Chinese people, although it is often generalized to include various Southeast Asian people. Chinatowns exist throughout the world, including East Asia, Southeast Asia, the Americas, Australasia, and Europe. Binondo's Chinatown located in Manila,...
, where the unconscious Jimmy has been hidden in a room in a fireworks factory where Miss Dorothy is sleeping. Trying to look casual, Millie has been smoking a cigarette outside the building, and when she begins to choke on it, she tosses it into a window, setting off the fireworks. As a series of explosions tear through the building, Millie dashes into the factory and finds several white girls tied up and about to be sent off to Beijing
Beijing
Beijing , also known as Peking , is the capital of the People's Republic of China and one of the most populous cities in the world, with a population of 19,612,368 as of 2010. The city is the country's political, cultural, and educational center, and home to the headquarters for most of China's...
. She unties a couple of them, who then free the other girls, and then bumps into Miss Dorothy. They carry Jimmy out of the building, and head for Long Island and Muzzy.
Mrs. Meers, Bun Foo, and Ching Ho follow Millie and the gang, but under Muzzy's leadership everyone manages to subdue the nefarious trio. Millie then discovers Jimmy and Miss Dorothy are millionaire siblings and Muzzy is their stepmother, who sent them out into the world to find partners who would love them for who they were and not for their money. Millie marries Jimmy and Miss Dorothy marries Trevor.
Cast
- Julie AndrewsJulie AndrewsDame Julia Elizabeth Andrews, DBE is an English film and stage actress, singer, and author. She is the recipient of Golden Globe, Emmy, Grammy, BAFTA, People's Choice Award, Theatre World Award, Screen Actors Guild and Academy Award honors...
as Millie Dillmount - James FoxJames FoxJames Fox, OBE is an English actor.-Early life:James Fox was born in London, England to theatrical agent Robin Fox and actress Angela Worthington. He is the brother of actor Edward Fox and film producer Robert Fox. The actress Emilia Fox is his niece and the actor Laurence Fox is his son. His...
as Jimmy Smith - Mary Tyler MooreMary Tyler MooreMary Tyler Moore is an American actress, primarily known for her roles in television sitcoms. Moore is best known for The Mary Tyler Moore Show , in which she starred as Mary Richards, a 30-something single woman who worked as a local news producer in Minneapolis, and for her earlier role as...
as Miss Dorothy Brown - John GavinJohn GavinJohn Gavin is an American film actor and a former United States Ambassador to Mexico. Gavin is half Mexican and fluent in Spanish....
as Trevor Graydon - Carol ChanningCarol ChanningCarol Elaine Channing is an American singer, actress, and comedienne. She is the recipient of three Tony Awards , a Golden Globe and an Oscar nomination...
as Muzzy Van Hossmere - Beatrice LillieBeatrice LillieBeatrice Gladys "Bea" Lillie was an actress and comedic performer. Following her 1920 marriage to Sir Robert Peel in England, she was known in private life as Lady Peel.-Early career:...
as Mrs. Meers - Jack SooJack SooJack Soo was a Japanese American actor. He is best known for his role as Detective Nick Yemana on the television sitcom Barney Miller.-Early life:...
as Ching Ho (Credited as Oriental No. 1) - Pat MoritaPat MoritaNoriyuki "Pat" Morita was an American actor of Japanese descent who was well-known for playing the roles of Matsuo "Arnold" Takahashi on Happy Days and Mr. Miyagi in the The Karate Kid movie series, for which he was nominated for the Academy Award for Best Supporting Actor in 1984.-Early life:Pat...
as Bun Foo (Credited as Oriental No. 2) - Philip Ahn as Tea, Muzzy's head butler
- Buddy Schwab as Dorothy's dance partner
Soundtrack
The film's soundtrack was released by Decca Records. Songs include the title tune and "The Tapioca" by Jimmy Van Heusen and Sammy CahnSammy Cahn
Sammy Cahn was an American lyricist, songwriter and musician. He is best known for his romantic lyrics to films and Broadway songs, as well as stand-alone songs premiered by recording companies in the Greater Los Angeles Area...
; "Jimmy" by Jay Thompson; "Jazz Baby" by M.K. Jerome and Blanche Merrill; "Jewish Wedding Song (Trinkt le Chaim)" by Sylvia Neufeld; "Poor Butterfly
Poor Butterfly
"Poor Butterfly" is a popular song. It was inspired by Giacomo Puccini's opera Madame Butterfly and contains a brief musical quote from the act 2 duet Tutti i fior in the verse....
" by John Raymond Hubbell
John Raymond Hubbell
John Raymond Hubbell , also known as Raymond Hubbell, was an American writer, composer and lyricist. Today he is most remembered for the popular song, "Poor Butterfly"....
and John Golden; "Rose of Washington Square" by Ballard MacDonald
Ballard MacDonald
Ballard MacDonald was a Tin Pan Alley lyricist.Born in Portland, Oregon, among his credits are:Beautiful Ohio, Rose of Washington Square, Second Hand Rose, Parade of the Wooden Soldiers, Back Home Again in Indiana, The Trail of the Lonesome Pine, Play That Barbershop Chord, Clap Hands, Here Comes...
and James F. Hanley; "Baby Face" by Harry Akst
Harry Akst
Harry Akst was an American songwriter, who started out his career as a pianist in vaudeville accompanying singers such as Nora Bayes, Frank Fay and Al Jolson.-Life and career:Akst was born in New York, United States....
and Benny Davis
Benny Davis
Benny Davis was a vaudeville performer and writer of popular songs. He composed the classic 1926 standard "Baby Face" with Harry Akst.-Life and career:...
; and "Do It Again
Do It Again (George Gershwin and Buddy DeSylva song)
"Do It Again" is an American popular song by composer George Gershwin and lyricist Buddy DeSylva. The song premiered in the 1922 Broadway show The French Doll, as performed by actress Irène Bordoni.-Background:...
" by George Gershwin
George Gershwin
George Gershwin was an American composer and pianist. Gershwin's compositions spanned both popular and classical genres, and his most popular melodies are widely known...
and Buddy G. DeSylva. Also heard in the film as an underscore are "Stumbling" by Zez Confrey
Zez Confrey
Edward Elzear "Zez" Confrey was an American composer and performer of piano music. His most noted works were "Kitten on the Keys," and "Dizzy Fingers."-Life and career:...
; "With Plenty of Money and You" by Harry Warren
Harry Warren
Harry Warren was an American composer and lyricist. Warren was the first major American songwriter to write primarily for film. He was nominated for the Academy Award for Best Song eleven times and won three Oscars for composing "Lullaby of Broadway", "You'll Never Know" and "On the Atchison,...
; and "Hallelujah Chorus" from Messiah
Messiah (Handel)
Messiah is an English-language oratorio composed in 1741 by George Frideric Handel, with a scriptural text compiled by Charles Jennens from the King James Bible and the Book of Common Prayer. It was first performed in Dublin on 13 April 1742, and received its London premiere nearly a year later...
by Georg Friedrich Händel.
Elmer Bernstein
Elmer Bernstein
Elmer Bernstein was an American composer and conductor best known for his many film scores. In a career which spanned fifty years, he composed music for hundreds of film and television productions...
composed the incidental score, for which he won his only Academy Award. (Ironically, none of his music for this film has ever been released.) The songs were arranged and conducted by André Previn
André Previn
André George Previn, KBE is an American pianist, conductor, and composer. He is considered one of the most versatile musicians in the world, and is the winner of four Academy Awards for his film work and ten Grammy Awards for his recordings. -Early Life:Previn was born in...
.
Critical reception
Bosley CrowtherBosley Crowther
Bosley Crowther was a journalist and author who was film critic for The New York Times for 27 years. His reviews and articles helped shape the careers of actors, directors and screenwriters, though his reviews, at times, were unnecessarily mean...
of the New York Times called the film "a thoroughly delightful movie," "a kidding satire, in a rollicking song-and-dance vein," "a joyously syncopated frolic," and "a romantic-melodrama
Melodrama
The term melodrama refers to a dramatic work that exaggerates plot and characters in order to appeal to the emotions. It may also refer to the genre which includes such works, or to language, behavior, or events which resemble them...
tic fable that makes cliché
Cliché
A cliché or cliche is an expression, idea, or element of an artistic work which has been overused to the point of losing its original meaning or effect, especially when at some earlier time it was considered meaningful or novel. In phraseology, the term has taken on a more technical meaning,...
s sparkle like jewels." He added, "Miss Andrews is absolutely darling — deliciously spirited and dry . . . Having had previous experience at this sort of Jazz-age
Jazz Age
The Jazz Age was a movement that took place during the 1920s or the Roaring Twenties from which jazz music and dance emerged. The movement came about with the introduction of mainstream radio and the end of the war. This era ended in the 1930s with the beginning of The Great Depression but has...
hyperbole
Hyperbole
Hyperbole is the use of exaggeration as a rhetorical device or figure of speech. It may be used to evoke strong feelings or to create a strong impression, but is not meant to be taken literally....
in the British musical, The Boy Friend
The Boy Friend
The Boy Friend is a musical by Sandy Wilson. The musical's original 1954 London production ran for 2,078 performances, making it briefly the third-longest running musical in West End or Broadway history until it was surpassed by Salad Days...
. . . she knows how to hit the right expressions of maidenly surprise and dismay, the right taps in a flow of nimble dances, and the right notes in a flood of icky songs." He concluded, "A few faults? Yes. There is an insertion of a Jewish wedding scene . . . which is phony and gratuitous. There's a melodramatic mishmash towards the end, which has Mr. Fox dressing up like a girl and acting kittenish. That is tasteless and humorless. And the whole thing's too long. If they'll just cut out some of those needless things, all the faults will be corrected and it'll be a joy all the way."
Variety
Variety (magazine)
Variety is an American weekly entertainment-trade magazine founded in New York City, New York, in 1905 by Sime Silverman. With the rise of the importance of the motion-picture industry, Daily Variety, a daily edition based in Los Angeles, California, was founded by Silverman in 1933. In 1998, the...
observed, "The first half of Thoroughly Modern Mille is quite successful in striking and maintaining a gay spirit and pace. There are many recognizable and beguiling satirical recalls of the flapper age and some quite funny bits. Liberties taken with reality, not to mention period, in the first half are redeemed by wit and characterization. But the sudden thrusting of the hero . . . into a skyscraper
Skyscraper
A skyscraper is a tall, continuously habitable building of many stories, often designed for office and commercial use. There is no official definition or height above which a building may be classified as a skyscraper...
-climbing, flagpole-hanging acrobat, a la Harold Lloyd
Harold Lloyd
Harold Clayton Lloyd, Sr. was an American film actor and producer, most famous for his silent comedies....
, has little of Lloyd but the myth. This sequence is forced all the way."
TV Guide
TV Guide
TV Guide is a weekly American magazine with listings of TV shows.In addition to TV listings, the publication features television-related news, celebrity interviews, gossip and film reviews and crossword puzzles...
rated the film three out of four stars and commented, "Although it ultimately runs out of steam, this charming spoof of the 1920s is still one of the 1960s' better musicals . . . Andrews is a comic delight, Moore is charming, and Channing steals scene after scene in this enjoyable feature."
Awards and nominations
The film was nominated for seven Academy Awards.- Academy Award for Best Original ScoreAcademy Award for Best Original ScoreThe Academy Award for Original Score is presented to the best substantial body of music in the form of dramatic underscoring written specifically for the film by the submitting composer.-Superlatives:...
(Elmer Bernstein, winner) - Academy Award for Best Supporting ActressAcademy Award for Best Supporting ActressPerformance by an Actress in a Supporting Role is one of the Academy Awards of Merit presented annually by the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences to recognize an actress who has delivered an outstanding performance while working within the film industry. Since its inception, however, the...
(Carol Channing, nominee) - Academy Award for Best Original SongAcademy Award for Best Original SongThe Academy Award for Best Original Song is one of the awards given annually to people working in the motion picture industry by the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences . It is presented to the songwriters who have composed the best original song written specifically for a film...
("Thoroughly Modern Millie" by Jimmy Van Heusen and Sammy Cahn, nominees) - Academy Award for Best Art DirectionAcademy Award for Best Art DirectionThe Academy Awards are the oldest awards ceremony for achievements in motion pictures. The Academy Award for Best Art Direction recognizes achievement in art direction on a film. The films below are listed with their production year, so the Oscar 2000 for best art direction went to a film from 1999...
(Alexander GolitzenAlexander GolitzenAlexander Golitzen, oversaw art direction on more than 300 movies.Prince Alexander Golitzen was born in Moscow, but fled the country with his family during the Russian Revolution. Travelling via Siberia and China, they arrived in Seattle, where Alexander graduated from high school...
, George C. WebbGeorge C. WebbGeorge C. Webb was an American art director. He was nominated for four Academy Awards in the category Best Art Direction.-Selected filmography:Webb was nominated for four Academy Awards for Best Art Direction:* Gambit...
, and Howard BristolHoward BristolHoward Bristol was an American set decorator. He was nominated for nine Academy Awards in the category Best Art Direction. He worked on 56 films between 1936 and 1968.-Selected filmography:Bristol was nominated for nine Academy Awards for Best Art Direction:...
, nominees) - Academy Award for Best Costume Design (Jean LouisJean LouisJean Louis was a French-born, Hollywood costume designer and an Academy Award winner for Costume Design. Louis worked as head designer for Columbia Pictures from 1944 to 1960...
, nominee) - Academy Award for Best Score – Adaptation or Treatment (André Previn and Joseph Gershenson, nominees)
- Academy Award for Best Sound (Ronald Pierce, William Russell, and Waldon O. Watson, nominees)
- Golden Globe Award for Best Motion Picture – Musical or Comedy (nominee)
- Golden Globe Award for Best Actress – Motion Picture Musical or Comedy (Julie Andrews, nominee)
- Golden Globe Award for Best Supporting Actress - Motion PictureGolden Globe Award for Best Supporting Actress - Motion PictureThe Golden Globe Award for Best Supporting Actress – Motion Picture was first awarded by the Hollywood Foreign Press Association in 1944 for a performance in a motion picture released in the previous year....
(Carol Channing, winner) - Golden Globe Award for Best Original ScoreGolden Globe Award for Best Original ScoreThe Golden Globe Award for Best Original Score is one of several categories presented by the Hollywood Foreign Press Association , an organization of journalists who cover the United States film industry, but are affiliated with publications outside North America, since its institution in 1947...
(Elmer Bernstein, nominee) - Golden Globe Award for Best Original SongGolden Globe Award for Best Original SongGolden Globe Award for Best Original Song was awarded for the first time in 1962 and has been awarded annually since 1965 by the Hollywood Foreign Press Association.-1960s:...
("Thoroughly Modern Millie" by Jimmy Van Heusen and Sammy Cahn, nominees) - Writers Guild of America AwardWriters Guild of America AwardThe Writers Guild of America Award for outstanding achievements in film, television, and radio has been presented annually by the Writers Guild of America, East and Writers Guild of America, West since 1949...
for Best American Musical (Richard Morris, winner)