MartinHafer It's funny that this film was a disappointment for Betty Grable and the studio, as I actually think it's better than most of her films. While I am not saying it's a great film, it is enjoyable and fits Grable very nicely. According to IMDb they attributed this to Grable not showing off her famous legs or because she wasn't peroxide blonde in the film. And, if you think about it, the film is supposed to be about equality and anti-sexism--and that's exactly how the studio execs behaved in blaming the film's lack of success on Grable's lessened sex appeal in this cute picture!When the film begin, it's the 1870s and women simply did not work outside the home. So, when Miss Pilgrim (Grable) completes secretarial school and goes looking for a job in Boston, it's quite shocking and she naturally runs into sexism. So, she makes it a crusade of sorts to gain acceptance....and by doing so she becomes an important spokesperson for the women's suffrage movement! She also finds many friends in one of the strangest boarding houses you'll ever see in a movie!The film is naturally filled with songs but not as many as in Grable's other films and a few of them are rather funny. Overall, it's a lighthearted and fun film about an important subject. Well worth seeing.

wpatey This is a first class musical. Several of the songs have become standards and continue to turn up in Gershwin orchestral compilations and in the repertoires of top cabaret artists. Ira Gershwin's lyrics for this show were among his wittiest ever.Betty Grable and Dick Haymes are in great voice. separately and in duet.The scenes in the boarding house peopled by eccentrics were highly original and very funny.It is inconceivable that this film has not been released on VHS or DVD, and that there is no CD of the soundtrack.It is my hope that some connoisseur of show tunes in the music business, like Michael Feinstein, will press for its release in some form.

jotix100 "The Schocking Miss Pilgrim" a curiosity piece rarely seen these days. The film focus on the early women's right movement in the late 19th Century. Some of the ideas from that time still resonate these days, although there is no comparison. Director George Seaton delivers an entertainment movie that is enhanced by some unheard music by George and Ira Gershwin that is a delight to the ear.Betty Grable, a charismatic actress, portrays Cynthia Pilgrim, who has just finished a sort of secretarial school in which the use of the typewriter by a female was a breakthrough. Ms. Pilgrim is assigned to Boston where she is the first woman employed by a solid old firm that only employs male personnel. Soon Cynthia changes the perception of the office about women in the work place, winning the heart of her boss John Pritchard.The musical numbers are delightful without being flashy. Ms. Grable and Dick Haymes make some nice music together. Mr. Haymes with his melodic voice is one of the best things in the film. Also, Anne Revere and Gene Lockhart do excellent work in minor roles.This film should be seen more often because of the charismatic Ms. Grable and her costar Dick Haymes.

katweber This is a film intriguing for many reasons. It has an uneasy postwar relationship with women in the workplace. It stars Bety Grable in an uncharacteristic role, and reveals Dick Haymes to be possessed of such a rich voice that he really missed the career boat as a vocalist. There is also a fascinating uncredited early appearance by Marilyn Monroe, and a star-studded list of contributors, including choreographer Hermes Pan. But what makes this film especially notable is the Gershwin music. Kay Swift's work with Ira Gershwin, from notebooks and unfinished sketches for various projects left by George Gershwin at his death in 1937, produced a complete posthumous score, the first for a motion picture.