Complete credited cast: | |||
Betty Grable | ... | Cynthia Pilgrim | |
Dick Haymes | ... | John Pritchard | |
Anne Revere | ... | Alice Pritchard | |
Allyn Joslyn | ... | Leander Woolsey | |
Gene Lockhart | ... | Saxon | |
Elizabeth Patterson | ... | Catherine Dennison | |
Elisabeth Risdon | ... | Mrs. Prichard | |
Arthur Shields | ... | Michael | |
Charles Kemper | ... | Herbert Jothan | |
Roy Roberts | ... | Mr. Foster | |
Rest of cast listed alphabetically: | |||
Margaret Bannerman | ... | (scenes deleted) | |
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Susan Blanchard | ... | (scenes deleted) |
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Nina Gilbert | ... | Cynthia's Mother (scenes deleted) |
Coleen Gray | ... | Minor Role (scenes deleted) | |
Robert Malcolm | ... | Cynthia's Father (scenes deleted) |
In the late 1800s, Miss Pilgrim, a young stenographer, or typewriter, becomes the first female employee at a Boston shipping office. Although the men object to her at first, she soon charms them all, especially the handsome young head of the company. Their romance gets sidetracked when she becomes involved in the Women's Suffrage movement. Written by Daniel Bubbeo <dbubbeo@cmp.com>
THE SHOCKING MISS PILGRIM was one of the few BETTY GRABLE movies that did not bring them in at the box-office, probably because her famous legs are not in display in this story about women in the work force, circa 1870s. Instead, the usually bubbly Miss Grable is seen in demure costumes, although her blonde hair is a rather garish touch considering the era.
She's paired with the rather weak DICK HAYMES, although his baritone voice lends itself nicely to a couple of Gershwin songs--notably "Aren't You Glad We Did?" and "For You, For Me, For Evermore".
As with all of Fox's Grable films, it's nicely photographed in Technicolor and there are supporting players like ANN REVERE and GENE LOCKHART to add a genial touch to the proceedings. The story itself concerns itself with the proper place for women at a time when they were new to the work force and found it hard to be accepted in the all male society of the office, even if they did graduate from secretarial schools. The film deals neatly with these aspects and has a certain nostalgic charm.
Not one of Grable's box-office hits, probably because she was too covered up to be the glamorous Fox star of previous musicals, but modestly entertaining for fans of the genre.