|
|
Post by diane on Jan 25, 2008 16:12:20 GMT -6
Lately in the wee small hours on TV there have been a couple of Ann Miller films on from the late 30s. I have never been a huge fan of hers but I have to admit after seeing these that she was a hugely talented youngster. In "New Faces of 1937" - she was a speciality dancer in the finale. She was described as their (RKO) newest dancing discovery. Boy, could she dance.  She had all the steps and "moves" back then - through the years she obviously just refined her technique. They then went on to tell how she had been discovered dancing at a Hollywood night club. Frances Gifford was introduced as well (she was one of mum's faavourites). The other film was "Radio City Revels" and she had the female lead. The story was awful - about a hillbilly who composes hit songs in his sleep. Ann's dance solo's (one at the beginning where she tap dances around the radio studio and in the finale which is reminiscent of some of her later films) are just fantastic. Jane Froman is also in this film (I had never heard her sing before) and her song and voice were just beautiful. Why wasn't Ann Miller a bigger star sooner??? I find it hard to believe that she was born in 1923 - that would make her barely 14 when she made "New Faces of 1937". |
|
|
|
Post by Larry's 66 Diner on Jan 25, 2008 21:48:12 GMT -6
I must admit that I am not that familiar with her; in fact, I can't even picture her in my mind at the present.   |
|
|
|
Post by Midge on Jan 25, 2008 23:09:34 GMT -6
Diane, I am familiar with Ann Miller, and I agree that she deserved to be a greater star. She was beautiful, she had a great figure, and she could do it all: sing, dance and act. She brightened many a musical with her high-energy tap dancing. She was a trouper, too. Nobody worked harder or was more professional than Ann Miller. Those 1930's films showed what she could do (and, as you pointed out, she was still a teenager when she made them). But my favorite Ann Miller movies are the ones she made in glorious Technicolor: On the Town, Kiss Me Kate and Easter Parade.
|
|
|
|
Post by diane on Jan 25, 2008 23:49:12 GMT -6
Midge, I like "On the Town" as well. For some reason the song "Prehistoric Man" is the one
I always remember. I can remember "Kiss Me Kate" but I haven't seen it for so long.
It is a pity she didn't find her way to MGM sooner so that she could have been in their
musicals much sooner.
|
|
|
|
Post by precoder on Jan 29, 2008 18:05:43 GMT -6
Ann has bit parts in "Anne Of Green Gables" 1934 and "The Good Fairy" 1935; two films I have, but now don't actually recall seeing her ... The first of those RKO spots she got was in the Gene Raymond/Harriet Hilliard comedy "Life Of The Party" 1937 where Ann gets a fabulous specialty that almost looks to impersonate Eleanor Powell's style right down to the shimmering silver majorette costume, the top hat and the salute. Her spins (in the segment) are very similar to Powell's; she looks just like her ... I was impressed with Hilliard in the two films; "Life" and "New Faces" ... As a stand-alone singer and actress, she was pretty good ... And of course I love Joe Penner ... Talk about a prehistoric man ...  |
|
|
|
Post by anna on Feb 6, 2008 16:07:24 GMT -6
Who did she play in GG? Don't remember seeing her in that older
movie. Love the books. Anyone every read them? Quite different from
the movie with Megan Follows.
|
|
|
|
Post by diane on Feb 7, 2008 1:40:23 GMT -6
I have seen "Anne of Green Gables" a few times and I can't recall seeing her - but I
didn't know Ann Miller was in it either. There were a couple of scenes at the school
and on the hay ride - I"ll have to look closer at the other girls next time.
Over in Australia I think "Life if the Party" was called "New Faces of 1937".
|
|
|
|
Post by Kimmer on Feb 7, 2008 10:43:26 GMT -6
I'm reading a bio of Lucille Ball by Kathleen Brady and there's a story about the movie "Stage Door" (which starred Lucy, Ginger Rogers, Katharine Hepburn, etc.) Ann has a role in it and Ginger was one of the people who had to swear that Ann was really 18 (she was actually only 14). During the filming of this film, Jean Harlow died. Everyone was upset and apparently Ann was tap-dancing and chomping her gum and saying, "oh my Gawd....poor Jean Harlow" over and over....the director worked a similar scene into the film.
I am an Ann fan too. I've enjoyed her in every film that I've seen of hers, but I especially like her in "On the Town" and "Kiss Me Kate." She's a hoot in the "Always True to You...." dance routine with Tommy Rall (who's probably best known as "Frank" in "Seven Brides for Seven Brothers")
|
|
|
|
Post by annavandenhazel on Feb 7, 2008 15:00:52 GMT -6
I'm reading a bio of Lucille Ball by Kathleen Brady and there's a story about the movie "Stage Door" (which starred Lucy, Ginger Rogers, Katharine Hepburn, etc.) Ann has a role in it and Ginger was one of the people who had to swear that Ann was really 18 (she was actually only 14). During the filming of this film, Jean Harlow died. Everyone was upset and apparently Ann was tap-dancing and chomping her gum and saying, "oh my Gawd....poor Jean Harlow" over and over....the director worked a similar scene into the film. I can't say I'm really an "Ann fan" since I know very little about her, all previous posts are new information to me. I first heard of Ann Miller on a "Television's Greatest Commercials" special where she was dancing in an ad for "Great American Soup", and later she appeared on "The Love Boat" with 3 other "over-the-hill" famous actresses (meant in a nice way, of course!). I thought the old Anne of Green Gables film was kinda dumb, but if Ann Miller was in it I didn't know who she was and paid no attention. When the TV Guide indicated "Anne Shirley" as the star, I thought it was a mistake since that's the name of the main character, but Anne Shirley really was the name of the actress (Dawn O'Day changed her name after she was told she would play the part of Anne). Regardless of who was in it, that movie was WAY too full of flaws - among other errors, Anne talked with a noticeable Ozarks accent (she was supposed to be in Canada, not Arkansas), village busybody Rachel Lynde became Rachel Barry, the mother of Anne's friend Diana Barry (who was blonde when she should have black hair), and the scene where Anne bragged that a famous young man she'd never met was her boyfriend just to make everyone like her was completely ridiculous. The Meghan Follows movie in the 80's wasn't perfect, but they followed the book more accurately; I forgive "poetic license" more easily if they get most of the story right.  |
|
|
|
Post by diane on Feb 8, 2008 0:17:04 GMT -6
I really like the 1934 Anne film . Considering the Megan Follows "Anne" was a mini-series (if I
remember correctly) and the 1934 Anne was not quite 90 minutes they couldn't put everything
in it. I was not really an Ann Miller fan either (as with you anna I didn't know much about her).
Seeing those films ("Radio City Revels" and "New Faces of 1937") I was suprised how talented
she was at so young an age.
|
|
|
|
Post by angel on Feb 8, 2008 10:05:00 GMT -6
They've recently been showing reruns of "Home Improvement" on TV and they had an episode where Tim Allen agreed to take dancing lessons with Jill. Ann Miller was the teacher. It must have been only a few years before she died. She still looked terrific.
|
|
|
|
Post by anna on Feb 8, 2008 18:37:56 GMT -6
They've recently been showing reruns of "Home Improvement" on TV and they had an episode where Tim Allen agreed to take dancing lessons with Jill. Ann Miller was the teacher. It must have been only a few years before she died. She still looked terrific. Oh,I remember when those aired. Has been a few years ago. And yes,Ann Miller looked real good for her age. Like watch her dance. |
|
