This B musical mixes several different genres, combining the college musical with a backstage musical, combining them into the premise of young heiress Ann Miller going from burlesque chorus to burlesque queen all the while attending college under the nose and thumb of snooty aunt Katherine Howard. She is initially seeing dancing in the chorus of a cheaper less show with star Marion Martin actually getting booze andthen moved up to a featured spot where she literally eats cake while dressed as Marie Antoinette. When the young talented Martin leaves the show for another gig, Miller takes over but fears of her true identity being revealed keep her cautious, especially in public. When the vindictive Martin has the show rated, all comes out and Miller has to face both her aunt and the college board with threats of expulsion.
One of her last musicals at Columbia, this features her dancing a lot more than all but the last one ("The Thrill of Brazil") in numbers choreographed by veteran dance director Robert Alton. While Miller does her traditional fast tapping turns, she is surrounded by very ordinary-looking sets that makes the big musical numbers a bit boring. Considering what she would do at MGM just a few years later, that makes this look rather cheap and quickly put together.
In support of Annie are funny fat man Joe Besser, the dingy Jeff Donnell (longtime "General Hospital" maid Stella Fields), and Will Wright as the scheming producer. Besser, a poor man's Lou Costello, has one funny sketch involving a spit-take, but as amusing as he is, I can see him only being tolerable in small doses. This is not bad for a second string movie musical but had it done something about the set design for the numbers Annie works hard in, I might have ranked it a bit higher for my rating.
One of her last musicals at Columbia, this features her dancing a lot more than all but the last one ("The Thrill of Brazil") in numbers choreographed by veteran dance director Robert Alton. While Miller does her traditional fast tapping turns, she is surrounded by very ordinary-looking sets that makes the big musical numbers a bit boring. Considering what she would do at MGM just a few years later, that makes this look rather cheap and quickly put together.
In support of Annie are funny fat man Joe Besser, the dingy Jeff Donnell (longtime "General Hospital" maid Stella Fields), and Will Wright as the scheming producer. Besser, a poor man's Lou Costello, has one funny sketch involving a spit-take, but as amusing as he is, I can see him only being tolerable in small doses. This is not bad for a second string movie musical but had it done something about the set design for the numbers Annie works hard in, I might have ranked it a bit higher for my rating.