Mother Wore Tights *** (1947, Betty Grable, Dan Dailey, Mona Freeman, Connie Marshall) – Classic Movie Review 11,251

Betty Grable had been the reigning box office queen since the beginning of the 1940s, and scored her biggest triumph with director Walter Lang’s Technicolor musical Mother Wore Tights in 1947.

This amiable story dissecting the family life of a vaudeville team, bathed in the rosy glow of nostalgia, was a big hit for Grable and her own favourite of her films. Grable lands a job in a chorus line and impresses the show’s star (Dan Dailey). Grable retires after they fall in love and marry, but years later she returns to the stage with Dailey. The couple embarrasses their snooty daughter (Mona Freeman) when they perform at a theatre near her exclusive school.

20th Century Fox mounts a grade one production, realised in lovely Oscar-nominated Technicolor cinematography, Lamar Trotti’s delicately nostalgic script (based on the book by Miriam Young) charms, and well-paired Grable and Dailey kick up a rumpus. Alfred Newman won an Oscar for his score (for Best Scoring of a Musical Picture), and the Josef Myrow (music)/ Mack Gordon (lyrics) number ‘You Do’ was Oscar nominated for Best Original Song.

Señor Wences appears as himself, the hand-trick ventriloquist, a delightful act he performed until his death at 103 on 20 April 1999.

Grable and Dailey returned for When My Baby Smiles At Me (1948), My Blue Heaven in 1950 and Call Me Mister in 1951.

Also in the cast are Mona Freeman, Connie Marshall, Vanessa Brown, Robert Arthur, Sara Allgood, William Frawley, Ruth Nelson, George Cleveland, Veda Ann Borg, Lee Patrick and Sig Ruman.

Lamar Trotti won an Oscar for Best Writing, Original Screenplay for Wilson (1944), and was nominated for Young Mr Lincoln (1939) and There’s No Business Like Show Business (1954).

© Derek Winnert 2021 Classic Movie Review 11,251

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