The Shocking Miss Pilgrim (1947)

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... See full summary »

Directors:

George Seaton, Edmund Goulding (uncredited)

Writers:

George Seaton (written for the screen by), Ernest Maas (from a story by)

Stars:

Betty Grable, Dick Haymes, Anne Revere

Cast

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)
Susan Blanchard	...	(scenes deleted)
Nina Gilbert	...	Cynthia's Mother (scenes deleted)
Coleen Gray	...	Minor Role (scenes deleted)
Robert Malcolm	...	Cynthia's Father (scenes deleted)

Storyline

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.

---

Plot Keywords:

suffrage | boss | song | male female relationship | baltimore maryland | 

---

Taglines:

Shameless? Blameless? Nameless? (original poster)

---

Genres:

Comedy | Musical | Romance

---

Certificate:

Approved

Details

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Release Date:

4 January 1947 (USA)

Also Known As:

Sua Alteza, a Secretária

Filming Locations:

20th Century Fox Studios - 10201 Pico Blvd., Century City, Los Angeles, California, USA

Box Office

Budget:

$2,595,000 (estimated)

Gross USA:

$2,734,000

Company Credits

Production Co:

Twentieth Century Fox

Technical Specs

Runtime:

85 min

Sound Mix:

Mono (Western Electric Recording)

Color:

Color (Technicolor)

Aspect Ratio:

1.37 : 1

Did You Know?

Trivia

While Ira Gershwin fashioned the lyrics for this movie in 1946, the composer George Gershwin had died in 1937. With the aid of long time friend Kay Swift (herself a composer), Ira put together a number of George's unpublished melodies to provide a score for the film. "For You, For Me, For Evermore" became popular enough to make "Your Hit Parade" for two weeks.

---

Quotes

John Pritchard: Miss Pilgrim, there's something I've been meaning to say to you.
Cynthia Pilgrim: Yes, Mr. Pritchard?
John Pritchard: As I was standing over there just now, I, uh, I was reviewing your... work here in the office, and I've come to the conclusion that I can see no reason why your employment shouldn't be continued on a permanent basis.
Cynthia Pilgrim: Oh, Mr. Pritchard, I can't tell you how... Not only am I happy for myself, but just think, in only three days, I've succeeded in changing your viewpoint toward women working in offices.
John Pritchard: I'm afraid ...
[...]

---

Connections

Referenced in Nowhere Boy (2009)

---

Soundtracks

Aren't You Kinda Glad We Did?
(uncredited)
Music by George Gershwin
Lyrics by Ira Gershwin
Performed by Dick Haymes and Betty Grable

User Reviews

Aren't You Kind of glad the Gershwins did.

The Shocking Miss Pilgrim was born when Ira Gershwin might have been doing some spring cleaning and came on some old unpublished music of his late brother George. From that both a score came and a movie for that score, The Shocking Miss Pilgrim who shocked Boston by becoming a professional woman, a Type Writer.

Betty Grable is in the title role and she's graduated from a secretarial school in New York and she gets assigned to Boston to a shipping firm headed by Dick Haymes. Haymes is a proper Bostonian of the time and believes the woman's place is in the home. Eventually he'd like to see Grable in his home, but not in the office. When he tries to reject her, his sister suffragette Anne Revere interferes and Betty starts a career there on this newfangled machine called a typewriter.

As the first one in Boston, a city loath to break any traditions she's a hero to the women's suffrage movement, not something Dick is ready to deal with. Of course it all works out in the end and in a most peculiar manner too.

Of these trunk songs that Ira Gershwin developed for the film, For You For Me Forevermore and Aren't You Kind Of Glad We Did became posthumous hits for brother George. Both are duets in the film sung by Grable and Haymes. Dick recorded them for Decca with his usual singing partner Helen Forrest, but Betty as per Darryl Zanuck's ban on his stars recording never put these down on wax. A pity too, they're both presented quite nicely.

The Shocking Miss Pilgrim got very good reviews but did not do well at the box office. Grable's fortune was her legs and we got barely a glimpse of them in this film.

Fortunately we can still enjoy a musical literally born in a trunk.