OSCARS '67: Thoroughly Modern Millie
Racism ruins everything.
STRONG CONTENT WARNING: Racism as a plot point, and the use of two terms in the bio and description of two cast characters. Also, misogyny, discussion of anti-semitism, and abduction of women.
We went into this one expecting a fun, whimsical romp of a musical to cleanse the palette after several serious films in a row. Instead, we got a fun, whimsical romp of a musical that just so happened to lean into racism in a truly awful way. About 75% of this movie is great and fun and different than just about any movie musical. But that other 25% - it creates a major plot point out of racial stereotypes that isn't just problematic, it's patently offensive. We love Julie Andrews and Mary Tyler Moore; we think Carol Channing is simply divine; and George Roy Hill's directing is entirely his own. But the story of this movie went so hard for such a terrible plot device, that as much as we enjoyed the main story, it's up in the air as to whether we can even recommend this movie. This week, we’re watching Thoroughly Modern Millie on Macintosh & Maud Haven’t Seen What?!
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Intro music taken from the Second Movement of Ludwig von Beethoven's 9th Symphony. Licensed under an Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivs 3.0 Hong Kong (CC BY-NC-ND 3.0 HK) license. To hear the full performance or get more information, visit the song page at the Internet Archive.
Excerpt taken from “Prelude: Thoroughly Modern Millie,” arranged and conducted by Andre Previn and performed by Julie Andrews. Copyright 1967 MCA Records, Inc.
Excerpt taken from the film Thoroughly Modern Millie is copyright 1967 Universal Studios and Ross Hunter Productions, Inc.
Excerpt taken from "Main Title from 'The Dirty Dozen'," composed by Frank DeVol. Copyright 1967 MGM Records, a division of Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer, Inc.
