Ladies of the Chorus

This movie certainly doesn't do burlesque any favors, but Marilyn Monroe does. If she'd been a burlesque queen, the form might not have died.

Her sixth film but her first big featured role-- only her name is above the title-- this truly stars Monroe, then age 22. In this formulaic rags-to-riches (actually sequins-to-riches) B movie, Monroe is given two full musical numbers, and the filmmaker finds reasons to give her an additional song or two as well-- that's in addition to padding the thinnest of plots with at least three other performed songs to fill the scant 61-minute running time.

Every shot of Monroe is flattering-- luminous close-ups, lingering takes of her dancing and singing. And she obviously deserves the camera's attentions; she holds the screen from the moment she emerges in front of it. In fact, her famous screen persona is already fully realized and recognizable, reminding me of the "Esquire" magazine review of her last complete film: "...the script Mr. Miller wrote for his recently divorced wife, Marilyn Monroe, was an attempt to render her real, off-screen personality. That he sees this pretty much as the rest of us off-screen people do is either a tribute to her wholeness or a sign that Mr. Miller is not very perceptive."

After seeing this movie, I'm convinced it's the former.