Thoroughly Modern Millie (1967)

This article is about the 1967 film. For the 2000 stage musical, see Thoroughly Modern Millie (musical).

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. Apart from Andrews, the film 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 forty years.

The film was nominated for seven Academy Awards and five Golden Globes. It was also the tenth highest grossing film of 1967. In 2000 it was adapted for a successful stage musical of the same name. A DVD was issued in 2003.

Synopsis

In New York City in 1922, flapper Millie Dillmount (Julie Andrews) is determined to find work as a stenographer to a wealthy businessman and then marry him – a "thoroughly modern" goal. Millie befriends the sweet yet naive 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." Unbeknown to Millie, the woman is selling her tenants into white slavery, and those without family or close friends are her primary targets.

Actors