Taglines: Julie as you love her… in the happiest motion picture hit of the year!
Thoroughly Modern Millie movie storyline. In 1922 New York City, Millie Dillmount (Dame Julie Andrews) and Miss Dorothy Brown (Mary Tyler Moore) are just two of the girls living at the Priscilla Hotel for Single Young Ladies run by Mrs. Meers (Beatrice Lillie). Orphaned, Miss Dorothy, just recently arrived, is a naive, old-fashioned girl from a seemingly privileged background who has aspirations to be a stage actress.
From more modest means, Millie, in New York City for three months, used to be old-fashioned, but now has a new modern sensibility and look to match, complete with bobbed hair and dresses with hemlines above the knee. Included in this new modern sensibility is Millie’s goal of getting a job as a stenographer, with a quick promotion to being her wealthy boss’ “Mrs.” Love is not to factor into the equation. She believes she’s found the right employer in the form of chisel-jawed Trevor Graydon (John Gavin) of the Sincere Trust Insurance Company.
Millie’s pursuit of Mr. Graydon is despite the fact that Mr. Graydon sees her as one of the boys, he has old-fashioned sensibilities, and Millie has a mutual attraction to another boy named Jimmy Smith (James Fox). Although she likes Jimmy, Millie feels that Jimmy, as a paper clip salesman with an overwhelming happy-go-lucky attitude, is not driven enough to be husband material.
That doesn’t stop Jimmy’s pursuit of Millie. In her association with Jimmy, Millie meets flamboyant wealthy Renaissance woman Muzzy Van Hossmere (Carol Channing). Jimmy’s father once worked as Muzzy’s gardener. Originally from humble means much like Millie, Muzzy tries to convince Millie that true love will lead to happiness, as that is what happened when she met the now deceased Mr. Van Hossmere, who she had no idea was rich.
In other goings-on amongst this new circle of friends, Miss Dorothy leaves New York City without a word to anyone except Mrs. Meers. Thinking this situation rather odd, Millie connects Miss Dorothy’s leaving with that of other girls previously living at the Priscilla Hotel. With Mr. Graydon’s help, Jimmy and Millie try to find out what happened to Miss Dorothy.
Thoroughly Modern Millie is a 1967 American musical-romantic comedy film directed by George Roy Hill and starring Julie Andrews. The screenplay, by Richard Morris, follows a naïve young woman who finds herself in a series of madcap adventures when she sets her sights on marrying her wealthy boss. The film also stars Mary Tyler Moore, James Fox, John Gavin, Carol Channing, and Beatrice Lillie.
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 40 years. The film was nominated for seven Academy Awards and five Golden Globe Awards. It ranked eighth among high-grossing films of 1967. In 2000, it was adapted for a successful stage musical of the same name. A DVD was issued in 2003.
Thoroughly Modern Millie (1967)
Directed by: George Roy Hill
Starring: Julie Andrews, Mary Tyler Moore, Carol Channing, James Fox, John Gavin, Beatrice Lillie, Anthony Dexter, Pat Morita, Cavada Humphrey, Lisabeth Hush, Michael St. Clair, Herbie Faye, Carol Channing
Screenplay by: Richard Morris
Production Design by:
Cinematography by: Russell Metty
Film Editing by: Stuart Gilmore
Costume Design by: Jean Louis
Set Decoration by: Howard Bristol
Art Direction by: Alexander Golitzen, George C. Webb
Music by: Elmer Bernstein
MPAA Rating: None.
Distributed by: Universal Pictures
Release Date: March 21, 1967
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