mrs meers


very colourful film. nice songs and a simple but entertaining plot. my only complaint is that the part of mrs meers is maybe a bit uncredited and underacted. no songs no dance and most of all no jokes. lesley joseph plays it better in the uk tour. But i'm not blaming beatrice lilie she is mysterious and plays it the best she can without song and dance. the character is still good but does anyone agree the film can be made better?

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Bea Lillie was first and foremost a stage actress. She never made a big mark in movies, although she was never bad in them. Like Tallulah Bankhead, she seemed to need audience interaction to come across. By the time she did "Millie," she probably could not have really done a song and dance routine effectively - although there was a time when she not only could but did. She was getting quite elderly by 1967. To get an idea of what she was all about, I would suggest tracking down some of her old Liberty Shop recordings - such titles as "I'm a Camp Fire Girl," "Wind 'round My Heart" and "Get Yourself a Geisha, It's Better With Your Shoes Off" come to mind. There are many others as well. I won't go into her other accomplishments or start naming the famous people who were her staunchest fans. This information is everywhere. However, if you really check out the woman behind the role, I think you will appreciate her restrained portrayal of Mrs. Meers much more. She was someone who didn't need a pratfall or a joke to be funny. She could be funny simply by raising an eyebrow or glancing. For me, Mrs. Meers is one of the funniest moments in cinema history.

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I LOVE the part where she chloroforms (not a word, I realize) the girl in the laundry basket (Ethel Pease, I think.) and says, "Gung-ho, dear!" I laugh every time. I think she has great lines in the movie. Very subtle and delivered marvelously.

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Another Mrs. Meers funny line: When Jimmy is dressed in drag towards the end, and Mrs. Meers takes one dismal look at him and says, "Oh well. In a very dark corner on the late late shift."

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The part was hilariously fleshed out in the stage musical... and Harriet Sansom Harris was spectacular in the rĂ´le on Broadway !

# ...Didja WALK !?!

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Maybe so, but Bea Lillie was BRILLIANT.

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Oh, definitely agreed !

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