Ladies of the Chorus

I don't know about you, but I'm a big MM fan. Not a overly huge or fanatical one mind you, but I have seen all her major pictures several times and have seen most of her smaller ones. For a long time Ladies of the Chorus was off of my radar screen. It's not seen often, video stores in my area don't have it. I missed the airings on cable or where ever. For years, I heard that this was a B picture, and one of her first pictures and not a special MM movie. So I figured this was another one of those small chances to see Marilyn similar to her early Fox appearances like "We're not Married" I was wrong, the critics were wrong, and people talking about the movie were wrong. MM is a featured player here in this B picture, it was great fun to see, she does some musical numbers (even if it wasn't her singing I didn't really notice) it was fun to see and I'm glad I made the effort to track down this movie and buy a copy.

LADIES OF THE CHORUS is a fairly rare "B" movie from 1948 of interest because it's Marilyn Monroe's very first starring film but beyond that it's a quite well-made little musical. Marilyn was a complete unknown at the time with only a little extra work and one credited bit part under her belt when she was cast in this movie and yet she's quite wonderful and a total pro.

Marilyn stars as Peggy, a very young burlesque chorus girl who works in the chorus alongside her fortyish mother Mae (Adele Jergens). When the obnoxious "star" of the show walks out, Peggy steps into her part and becomes a sensation, earning the interest of various back door johnnies, in particular wealthy heir Randy (Rand Brooks). Peggy and Randy fall in love and he proposes but Mae is wary that Peggy will never be accepted in his social circles from her own past experience with her own annulled marriage to a socially prominent young man decades ago. Mae makes Randy promise to tell his mother (Nana Bryant) that Peggy is a burlesque queen in advance of their visit to the family's Cleveland estate, which he fails to do.

Marilyn is just adorable in this film and sings two surprisingly good songs for a "B" movie, "Anyone Can See I Love You" and "Every Baby Needs a Da Da Daddy", the latter a sexy little number that foreshadows her classic "Diamonds are a Girl's Best Friend" in sexiness and philosophy, right down to a reference to Tiffanys. Columbia's resident B queen of the era Adele Jergens is negated to a subordinate role as her mother, as still shapely middle-aged dancer who hides her gray hair under a blonde wig. Adele does very well at suggesting a slightly tired woman a decade or so older than her actual age and also gives a very good performance. (Adele was top billed in the original 1948 release but it appears only copies from the 1952 reissue exist where Marilyn was given that spot).

Rand Brooks (best known as Scarlett O'Hara's first husband in GONE WITH THE WIND) is quite pleasant as Marilyn's romantic suitor (they have a lovely scene together parked in a car that is an endearing ode to wholesome young love) and character actress Nana Bryant gives a pleasant performance as his mother, complete with a musical number of her own, the memorable "You're Never Too Old". Standing out in good comic unbilled bits are Gladys Blake as a gossipy sales girl and Dave Barry as a garbled-speaking decorator.

Running just a minute over an hour, the movie moves so quickly there's really no time for dull spots. This movie was reissued in 1952 by Columbia at the dawn of Marilyn's stardom but was virtually unseen for decades thereafter (likely because it was too short for most television movie programming slots); it reemerged in 1994 on video and a few years later had a handful of showings on cable television. Today your best bet in seeing it would probably be in buying a used copy of the out-of-print VHS tape or, if your DVD player can handle it, the region 2 DVD release from the United Kingdom in a Marilyn Monroe boxed set.

Today many people think that MM began her career at the bottom as a small part player, the blonde bimbo in many films like ASPHALT JUNGLE and ALL ABOUT EVE, who in time slowly rose to stardom. In fact, thanks to her sponsorship by her lover, the top-agent Johnny Hyde, very earlier in her career, 1948 to be exact, MM was cast in a major co-starring role as Adele Jurgen's daughter in this 60+ minute Columbia Pictures B movie. It was not a success and her contract at Harry Cohn's studio was dropped. MM then moved on to a Fox contract.

Given this film's feeble script and the twenty day shooting schedule, she can't do more than a competent job as a burlesque queen's daughter in a movie that avoids any suggestion of that tawdry world and the striptease. The dances and songs shown here are all mediocre, as is Phil Karlson's direction. In the beginning, MM was professional; she worked hard with was she's been given to play. She does her best in the few mother/daughter scenes with Jurgens who looks much too young to be believable as her mommy. Neither was MM helped by Columbia's casting of her leading man, Rand Brooks (Scarlett O'Hara's first husband in GWTW), who is particularly wooden and unattractive as the love interest.

A few years later, Marilyn did some rhinoplasty to fix nose and chin, but even in this minor effort she is still very beautiful and appealing. MM was determined to become a star, and when her moment came she was ready. She had paid her dues as this minor effort proves.

Peggy Martin (Marilyn Monroe) and her mother Mae (Adele Jergens) are both burlesque chorus girls. Bubbles LaRue keeps pushing Peggy to go out with clients but Mae forbids it. Peggy is tired of her mother's protectiveness but when Bubbles comes at Mae, Peggy is the one punching back. Bubbles quits. Mae is asked to do the solo dance but she gives it to Peggy. A new star is born. In the audience, Randy Carroll is taken with her.

This is early Monroe. She was still a relative nobody at the time. I doubt that she got top billing during its initial run even if she's the nominal lead. It's fascinating to see her before her sex goddess persona. She is still an ingénue. She has her overpowering beauty but her pouty sex goddess is still under construction. In that light, Randy is not good enough. It's hard to cast a suitor for a future legend. All I know is that Randy is not good enough. I don't see enough heat in the relationship and that drags down the film. It's still fascinating to watch a pre-goddess Monroe.

For Marilyn Monroe fans this is a real treat. Before she hit the BIG time, Monroe made this 1 hour B movie at Columbia and puts in a relatively assured performance despite this being so early in her career.

Sure, her performance wasn't going to win an Oscar but she is self-assured and natural in front of the camera. Leaving aside a couple of duff line deliveries Monroe sparkles in this movie and brightens it up somewhat.

Although relatively light-weight and inconsequential, this cheapo is actually pretty well produced and looks and feels of higher quality than most quickie filler films.

At the end of the day, this is really going to appeal only to fans of Marilyn Monroe wanting to see her in an early role, but is enjoyable nevertheless and a pleasant way to waste an hour.