Betty Grable as a New York City business college graduate in 1872--the top of her class in typing!--who is sent to work as a secretary at a shipping company in Boston, but is immediately rebuffed by the owner who feels women belong in the home. She naturally proves him wrong by being adept, efficient...and by adding a touch of femininity to the office (she's rather like Snow White surrounded by several smitten dwarves). Fox comedy with music was originally intended for Jeannie Crain but was given instead to Betty Grable, who had her first box-office disappointment here. The blame was put on the era's long dresses, thereby covering Grable's shapely legs (but not always, as screenwriter and director George Seaton does find a way to work her infamous gams in). Instead, executives at Fox should have clearly seen that colorless Dick Haymes was all wrong as Grable's boss (he projects all the sex appeal of a stepstool). The songs by George and Ira Gershwin are tuneful without being especially memorable, save for "Aren't You Kinda Glad We Did?" A nice change of pace for Grable, and one of her better movies from this decade. *** from ****
Review of The Shocking Miss Pilgrim
