Millie
Millie
NR | 06 February 1931 (USA)
Millie Trailers

After a tumultuous first marriage, Millie Blake learns to love her newfound independence and drags her feet on the possibility of remarriage. The years pass, and now Millie's daughter garners the attentions of men - men who once devoted their time to her mother.

Reviews
Maidexpl Entertaining from beginning to end, it maintains the spirit of the franchise while establishing it's own seal with a fun cast
Kailansorac Clever, believable, and super fun to watch. It totally has replay value.
Senteur As somebody who had not heard any of this before, it became a curious phenomenon to sit and watch a film and slowly have the realities begin to click into place.
Catherina If you're interested in the topic at hand, you should just watch it and judge yourself because the reviews have gone very biased by people that didn't even watch it and just hate (or love) the creator. I liked it, it was well written, narrated, and directed and it was about a topic that interests me.
MikeMagi It seems there was a curse on "Millie." Its four co-stars, Helen Twelvetrees, Lylian Tashman, Robert Ames and James Hall all died before they turned 50. As for the movie itself, its pre-code message is that all men are beasts who crave only one thing. The point is made through the saga of Millie Blake whom we first meet as a bashful bride on her wedding night (though even bucket loads of make-up can't hide the fact that Helen Twelvetrees is no teen-ager.) Nor is her paunchy husband an Adonis. Three years and a child later, she catches hubby canoodling with his mistress at a night club, files for divorce and valiantly (if stupidly) relinquishes the alimony she was entitled to. Plucky lass! From there on in, Millie fends off -- or gives in, depending on how you interpret the cutaways -- to a succession of over-age lotharios. But when one of them makes a play for her 16-year-old daughter, she has no choice. She has to shoot the dastard. By today's standards, Millie's sudsy exploits would be almost laughable. But by the standards of 1930/31, as movies were just learning to talk, it qualifies as an interesting (and sometimes downright entertaining) museum piece.
kidboots I liked this film - I was looking forward to seeing this as Helen Twelvetrees was Queen of the betrayal movie, so I had read.I especially like Helen Twelvetrees and think there should be more of her films available. She had a really ethereal beauty and was really suited to playing sweet young innocents ie "Bad Company". In "Millie" she was never a "sweet young thing" being more of a "hot little number", judging by the young fellow's comments at the drug- store. Millie is already on her way to becoming Mrs. John Maitland as the film begins - 3 years later she is a bored young wife and mother, whose husband is having a fling with another woman. Millie accidentally finds out while lunching with gal pals (Lilyan Tashman and Joan Blondell - who even share the same bed!!!) John (James Hall) is more concerned with not causing a scene rather than comforting Millie. Unlike one of the other reviewers I did not like her husband - he didn't seem sorry for his actions. She then gets a job at a cigarette stand and in the years that follow, rises up in the business world to become manager of her own concession stand. I actually think the film is about Millie's emancipation from a rich business man's bored wife to being an independent young woman. When she first leaves her husband, her pals ask her how she is going to survive. Millie is determined to do it on her own and not ask her husband for anything. She also decides to leave her daughter with him because she would not be able to give her the things she need.After fending off men right, left and centre, she finally falls for Tommy Rock (Robert Ames) a reporter who wants to marry her. Millie is determined not to marry again but is quite happy to move in with him. He then treats her the same way as her husband treated her. I really wasn't expecting that - his personality being of the "awh shucks" type. At least he was sorry - sitting down and crying his eyes out when she leaves him (after she wrecks his apartment!!!) She then decides to be free and easy with her love - even offending Joan Blondell, who has since married a respectable businessman. John Halliday plays James Damier, Millie's boss, who has always been keen on her but as time goes on transfers his attentions to Millie's daughter Connie. She is played by Anita Louise, who looks about 15 and absolutely gorgeous. I won't reveal the ending but it is quite melodramatic.Look out for Carmelita Geraghty - I think she plays the young woman who tells Millie that Tommy has been cheating on her and can prove it. She was a lovely actress who was always under used in my opinion.Recommended.
ChorusGirl "Work?!? You won't have any time for opportunity!" This forgotten RKO drama has been rediscovered since Roan Group released their beautiful,spotless DVD of it. While not much more than a "B" programmer, it's still fascinating, especially in its depiction of the sexes.Mille's character, as played by Helen Twelvetrees, is a neurotic and pouty plain jane, so it's hard to imagine why these three men relentlessly go after her. Maybe because the men are neurotic losers themselves (no one in this film is a glamorous beauty by any means). We barely even get to know them, so the suffering she endures from their infidelity does not convince. Still, Twelvetrees gets points for trying.But Millie's tribulations aren't the real star of this film.While it's easy to project gay subtexts onto older films, here it's pretty indisputable that Millie's pals Helen and Angie are more than just friends. Watch Helen gussy herself up when she sees Angie across the room in the club. And their relations with men are based solely on financial gain--they clearly turn to each other for their other needs. Both Lilyan Tashman and Joan Blondell are quite funny in the roles, the former a world-wise goldigger and the latter a young, mercenary bubblehead. In their world, men are mere objects to be used with total detachment--the opposite of Millie, who allows herself to be exploited by men and then wallows in self-pity for the next 3 reels.While not quite the best of pre-Code, MILLIE is still an important footnote for early 30s movie-making, and worth a look for those (like me) who can't get enough of pre-Catholic League Hollywood.
David Atfield I'm surprised that no-one has commented yet on the amazing lesbian sub-text in the relationship between the characters played by Joan Blondell and Lilyan Tashman (who was an "out" lesbian in real life). Sometimes it's not even sub-text - especially as the first shot of the couple has them in bed together, half-dressed! And Lilyan is obviously most annoyed when Joan runs off with a rich man. It's also interesting that Millie assumes that Lilyan has never been in love, with a man! Lilyan says she has, but I think she might be talking about a woman.All film buffs, and lesbians especially, need to re-discover Lilyan Tashman - a remarkable actress, and an even more remarkable person. Her early death is probably responsible for her relative obscurity today, but there are still enough of her films around for us all to hunt out and enjoy. Long live Lilyan!