Les Girls (1957)
Directed by George Cukor, this musical makes this red blooded American man want to re-dub it "Les Legs", three sets of them! It's the story of the on-stage, but really the backstage, lives of three showgirls, played by Mitzi Gaynor, Kay Kendall, and Taina Elg. Gene Kelly is the egotistical "American in Paris" who puts on dance shows throughout Europe which feature his own talents. He hires "The Girls", more or less, for window dressing and forbids them any outside distractions, e.g. dating, which might disrupt the tour. However, he does make them look good and also has a habit of falling in love with his beautiful employees himself ... and the feelings are mutual. When he loses one of his girls to marriage, he hires a French replacement (Elg) and falls instantly in love with her. The only problem is that she is engaged, to Jacques Bergerac's character. In fact, the entire film is told in flashback as Elg's character, now married to Bergerac's, is suing Kendall's for writing a "tell all" book about their "good old" days. Henry Daniell plays the presiding judge in the trial, which reveals some truths unknown at the time by all involved. Designer Orry-Kelly won his second of three Oscars for Costume Design; the film's Art Direction and Sound were also nominated. Music and Lyrics by Cole Porter.
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