THOROUGHLY
MODERN MILLIE - 13th-17th May
2007
Millie Dillmount escapes to New York City from Salina, Kansas determined to marry
her wealthy boss - whoever he may be. Bobbing her hair and
assuming the modern look of a "flapper," she takes a room at the Hotel Priscilla for Women and gets a job as a stenographer
at the Sincere Trust Insurance Company. In short time, she
finds herself involved with Jimmy Smith, a poor but fun-loving
paper-clip salesman; Miss Dorothy Brown, a gentle aspiring
actress who never seems to have spare change; several other
stagestruck young women staying at the hotel; and Muzzy van
Hossmere, a madcap Manhattan cabaret singer and heiress with
a zest for the high life and a glamorous penthouse.
Millie's pompous but wealthy boss, whom she intends to marry, is Trevor Graydon
III. But trouble comes in several respects. First, Millie
is falling for Jimmy, but she fears that Jimmy is having
a fling with Millie's new friend, Miss Dorothy. In addition,
the hotel proprietress, the mysterious and sinister Mrs.
Meers (whose catch line is, "So sad to be all alone in the world"), employs two Chinese henchmen, Ching Ho and Bun Foo (who don't speak English).
They must help Mrs. Meers to kidnap any orphaned women checking
into her hotel as part of her dealings in white slavery,
so that they can bring their elderly mother to America. One
of the potential kidnap victims is Miss Dorothy. Millie tries
to seduce Mr. Graydon, until she finds out that Dorothy and
Mr. Graydon are in love. Ching Ho also falls in love with
Miss Dorothy.
Jimmy finally declares his feelings
for Millie. Millie, Jimmy, and Mr. Graydon realize what Mrs.
Meers is up to. They persuade Muzzy to pose as a new orphan
in town. Mrs. Meers takes the bait and is exposed as the
mastermind of the slavery ring. But Ching Ho has already
rescued Miss Dorothy and won her heart. Jimmy proposes to
Millie, and, poor as he is, she accepts, "because if it's marriage I've got in mind, love has everything to do with it." Jimmy turns out to be Herbert J. Van Hossmere III, Muzzy's stepson, and one
of the most eligible bachelors in the world. Miss Dorothy
turns out to be his sister, an heiress, and she ends up not
with Trevor Graydon, but with Ching Ho. In a final pairing,
Bun Foo becomes Graydon's new stenographer!
