Ann Miller Birthday Tribute

[moira finnie]

Ann Miller may not have been a great actress, but there was something enjoyable about her enthusiastic presence in movies. I really love the expression she got on her face when she "was in the zone" tapping up a storm. Maybe it was just show biz, but the girl looked as though she truly loved to dance. In honor of her birthday today, TCM has a plethora of movies featuring her.

My favorite, the wonderfully tuneful Reveille with Beverly is among them with some top talent in their day, and featuring songs such as Night and Day, Big Wind from Winnetka, Take the A Train and one of the best of the swing cowboy songs--Cow Cow Boogie. The plot and comedians in these movies veer between the corny and the lame, (even Jack Oakie couldn't save Radio City Revels completely), but the hokiness may be part of the charm.

If you haven't seen this movie, tune in for the climax. You won't believe how over the top a little B movie can go and Ann is the sparkle in the firecracker in this sequence.

Enjoy, and here's today's lineup (all times are EDT):

April 12 Monday
6:00 AM
Radio City Revels (1938)
Burned-out songwriters find man who composes while asleep. Cast: Bob Burns, Jack Oakie, Milton Berle. Dir: Ben Stoloff. BW-90 mins, TV-G
Here's her best number from Radio City Revels:
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7:45 AM
Go West, Young Lady (1941)
A sheriff's girlfriend tries to unearth the identity of a masked bandit chief. Cast: Penny Singleton, Glenn Ford, Ann Miller. Dir: Frank R. Strayer. BW-70 mins, TV-G

9:00 AM
Time Out for Rhythm (1941)
The producers of a musical each hire different women to star. Cast: Rudy Vallee, Ann Miller, Rosemary Lane. Dir: Sidney Salkow. BW-75 mins,

10:15 AM
Reveille With Beverly (1943)
A tap-dancing lady disc jockey finds herself torn between a wealthy man and his former chauffeur. Cast: Ann Miller, William Wright, Dick Purcell. Dir: Charles Barton. BW-78 mins, TV-G

11:45 AM
Carolina Blues (1944)
When he loses his lead singer, bandleader Kay Kyser can't find a replacement he likes. Cast: Kay Kyser, Ann Miller, Victor Moore. Dir: Leigh Jason, BW-82 mins, TV-G

1:15 PM
Jam Session (1944)
A Texas girl wins a trip to Hollywood, but the best job she can get is as secretary to a writer. Cast: Ann Miller, Louis Armstrong, Jess Barker. Dir: Charles Barton. BW-77 mins, TV-G

2:45 PM
Eve Knew Her Apples (1945)
A radio star tries to escape the limelight in the car trunk of a reporter who is eager for a story. Cast: Ann Miller, William Wright, Ray Walker. Dir: Will Jason. BW-64 mins, TV-G

4:00 PM
Thrill of Brazil, The (1946)
A theater producer is torn between his leading lady and his ex-wife while staging a show in Rio. Cast: Evelyn Keyes, Keenan Wynn, Ann Miller. Dir: S. Sylvan Simon. BW-92 mins,

5:45 PM
Texas Carnival (1951)
A penniless carnival worker runs up a mountain of debts when he's mistaken for a millionaire. Cast: Esther Williams, Red Skelton, Howard Keel. Dir: Charles Walters. C-77 mins, TV-G, CC

[JackFavell]

I was going to post about Go West, Young Lady but I will talk about it here instead.

'They showed this one as part of Glenn Ford's SOTM turn last year and I found that I kept turning to the TV every couple of minutes. I don't know if it was Penny Singleton's voice (the voice of my childhood, since Blondie or The Bowery Boys were shown every Saturday noontime on TV), or the wonderful swing western songs, or the shock of finding Ann Miller in an early serious role. This film really made an impression on me so I decided to record it this time. I watched about half before my daughter got irked and asked for a turn at the TV (the joys of spring break). I am even more impressed at the talent of the cast.

Allen Jenkins turns in a fine performance as the scaredy-cat interim sheriff of Headstone, told to take care of things until the new sheriff arrives in town. He has a lot to do here, even more than his usual rough and tumble dumb but wise-cracking business. He gets an absolutely great moment to shine in the dance number "I Wish I Could be a Singing Cowboy"....and who knew? He can actually dance! Ann Miller carries the routine, but he not only keeps up, he does some fairly intricate looking parts of the dance. It was quite astounding to me. However, don't expect a lot from his singing voice.

Ann, of course, is wonderful. I love what you said, Moira, about how much fun she always looked like she was having. I think she is just about the perfect tap dancer. After trying one more time to watch Eleanor Powell last week, I find that my opinions have only been reinforced(I never liked her, but I keep trying)..... Eleanor may have been a great dancer, but she is a positive clodhopper next to Ann. Ann is more perfect to me because she really makes it all look so easy, never seeming to push to get the next step. Ann doesn't get credit for how much grace and fluidity she had as well as the quickness of her taps, and she simply never looks stiff or uncomfortable. Her smile is a smile of enjoyment at seeing what she can do, not plastered on like a mask. I'd be willing to bet that Ann practiced more than her contemporaries, but of course, I could be wrong about that. She and Ginger Rogers are two of the most graceful dancers I can think of, even when tapping, and the only way you can get that seamless look is through long hours of work. They both remain expressive when dancing, as if something is going on inside despite the crazy motions their bodies are going through.

Ann's voice was dubbed, I think, for at least one song in Go West, but it isn't terribly disconcerting. She showed some great acting chops in her more serious role of an outlaw's girl.

I now have to admit that I formed a sudden and inexplicable crush on Charlie Ruggles over the last week or so, after watching him in A Stolen Life. For the life of me, I cannot understand why Bette didn't run off with him, he was so kind and in tune with her. She at least should have had a fling with Dane Clark... but I digress. Ruggles plays his usual grand self here, and has a few good moments interspersed throughout the action. Mostly, he just lends able support to SIngleton. sigh. I think he's dreamy. He has the cutest little dimples, but you can't see them here under his handlebar moustache. He aged beautifully, too. What a doll.

Penny Singleton really won my heart in this movie. She was funny, of course. There was something strong, yet wistful about her, and I truly liked her character and her slightly off center way... like a western Cluny Brown. Her dance number was hilarious and well done, including some acrobatics at the end, which surprised me. Her enormous energy was put to good use, and just the sight of her walking quickly across a street or a dance hall stage made me giggle. You knew that someone was going to get in trouble when she caught up to them. In a word, I found her charming and much more of an actress than, say, Betty Hutton, who would have mugged through this part too much. Penny's initial scene in the film is a riot to me, the way she ever so properly puts Ford in his place, but then pulls out a six shooter in order to save the stagecoach they are riding into town. Her comic timing was impeccable, honed by the 27 films she had made previously to this one. Plus, she beaned Glenn Ford on the noggin with a frying pan, and for that, I am eternally grateful.

She is helped by a really great script and a funny idea - this spoof of westerns takes off on Destry Rides Again, only in this one, Destry, Jr. is a girl named Bill. Perhaps I liked it most of all because the hero is a girl. Somehow, this film seems a bit ahead of it's time to me, at least in theme, and yet, it never takes itself seriously. That's a wonderful combination.

The movie was brisk, to say the least, and it was helped by some really great songs by Sammy Cahn and Saul Chaplin - "Go West, Young Lady", "Somewhere Along the Trail", "Little Doggie, Take Your Time", and "Gentlemen Don't Prefer a Lady". Bob Wills makes an appearance as a character in the film and sings "Ida Red" with the Texas Playboys.

The bottom line is, it's amazing how much talent these B movie actors and actresses had that I never knew about. Much of it is exhibited in this little movie. I totally enjoyed this snappy musical western.

[mrsl]

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I've mentioned before that MrL would jump through hoops to get to the TV when an Ann Miller movie was coming on. I was happy to join him because I also thought she was terrific. She shocked me with that one from Easter Parade (I think was the right movie), where she danced through those hands sticking up through the floor. I was struck dumb wondering how she did it without stepping on any of them. I'm sure there were a few mishaps, but even so, eventually she got it right and that was stunning. Kiss Me Kate was another wonderful vehicle for her, both in the dream sequences and the awake ones on stage. Speaking of on stage, she was so cute in Stage Door, in a straight role with no music except that one with Ginger. Two marvelous ladies who knew how to entertain. BTW, that is a lovely photo of her.
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