Ann Miller

Actor, Dancer

About

Also Known As

Lucille Ann Collier

Birth Place

Chireno, Texas, USA

Born

April 12, 1923

Died

January 22, 2004

Cause of Death

Lung Cancer

Biography

Filmography

Mulholland Dr. (2001)

Coco [Lanois]

Musicals Great Musicals (1996)

A Century Of Cinema (1994)

That's Entertainment! III (1994)

Head (1968)

The Opposite Sex (1956)

Gloria [Dahl]

Photos & Videos

View All

Time Out For Rhythm (1941) -- (Movie Clip) A-Twiddlin' My Thumbs

Room Service (1938) -- (Movie Clip) Not Dead, Just Dying!

Family & Companions

Reese Milner

Husband

Divorced.

William Moss

Husband

Second husband; divorced.

Arthur Cameron

Husband

Third husband; divorced.

Bibliography

"Tapping Into the Force"

Ann Miller and Dr Maxine Asher (1990)

"Ann Miller, Tops in Taps: An Authorized Pictorial History"

Jim Connor (1981)

"Miller's High Life"

Ann Miller (1972)

Notes

"Honey, I have my MGM training. I wouldn't go out the door without my eyelashes and my hair perfectly in shape and my makeup on ... You go out looking nice because there are fans in the grocery store as well as the movie theater." --Ann Miller to USA Today, August 20, 1997.

Biography

A lovely and talented star of movie musicals for over two decades who then enjoyed an equally long run on the stage, Ann Miller was one of the prime practitioners of "machine gun tap dancing" and was capable of several hundred taps per minute. Starting in small productions from studios like RKO and Columbia, the long-legged brunette gradually worked her way up to the big-budget musical extravaganzas produced by MGM, where she received guidance from top flight choreographers like Busby Berkeley, Hermes Pan and Nick Castle, and was dubbed Ann "Legs" Miller by influential gossip columnist Walter Winchell. Though her 5 foot-7-inch frame reportedly intimidated screen partners Fred Astaire and Gene Kelly, Miller's beauty and irrefutable dancing and singing abilities won her a following, thanks to hits like "Easter Parade" (1948), "On the Town" (1949), "Two Tickets to Broadway" (1951), "Small Town Girl" (1952) and "Kiss Me Kate" (1953). When her MGM contract ended in the mid-1950s, Miller took her talents to the stage and went on to star in various productions, including a hugely successful nine-year run in the musical comedy smash "Sugar Babies" alongside Mickey Rooney. Cast mostly as the second lead in her movies, she did not attain the heights of popularity enjoyed by Ginger Rogers or Eleanor Powell, but Miller was a dazzler in her own right and one of the premiere tap dancers and all-around performers in the Golden Age of movie musicals.

Ann Miller was born Johnnie Lucille Collier in Chireno, TX on April 12, 1923, with the name Johnnie being suggested by her father, a famous criminal defense attorney, who had wanted a boy. Miller learned how to tap dance when she was six years old as a way of strengthening her legs, which had been weakened by a case of rickets. The Colliers separated, prompting Miller and her mother - who preferred the girl to be a ballerina but was supportive of her dream to excel at tap - to move to California, where Miller continued to study her craft. Upon dropping out of school in Grade 11, she lied about her age in order to get performing jobs at supper clubs. While exhibiting her rapid-fire tapping at one such place, she was noticed by Lucille Ball and a Hollywood talent scout, who recommended her for a screen test at RKO. The result was a seven-year contract with the studio and her new marquee-friendly moniker. Luckily, Miller's exaggeration of her age and fake birth certificate were never discovered by RKO executives, who quickly put her into "New Faces of 1937" (1937). Miller soon scored her first speaking role in the Katherine Hepburn/Ginger Rogers vehicle "Stage Door" (1937) and RKO loaned her out to Columbia so she could appear in Frank Capra's romantic comedy "You Can't Take it with You" (1938), which won the Best Picture Oscar.

In the wake of that film's success and her work in the Marx Brothers romp "Room Service" (1938), Miller became unhappy with her $150-a-week salary and secured an early release from RKO. She then travelled to New York City to join the Broadway musical comedy revue "George White's Scandals" (1939), in which she performed two numbers. The production was a major success and Miller was able to negotiate a new contract with the studio at the much higher rate of $3,000 a week, though her time with RKO proved to be short. After equally brief stints with Republic and Paramount, Miller appeared in the Columbia musical "Reveille with Beverly" (1943), which was a significant hit for the studio, prompting them to engage Miller's services for six years, leading to vehicles like "Hey, Rookie" (1944), "Carolina Blues" (1944), and "Eve Knew Her Apples" (1945), a remake of Columbia's 1934 Oscar-winning "It Happened One Night." Oddly, during a portion of her tenure with Columbia, Miller was dating L.B. Mayer, the head of MGM. Mayer developed such a crush on the actress, his attempted suicide via sleeping pills was allegedly due to Miller rejecting his proposal of marriage.

Miller instead wed Consolidated Steel heir Reese Milner, despite warnings that he was an alcoholic who had previously abused women. Miller suffered the same treatment from him and when she was nine months pregnant, Milner allegedly threw her down a flight of stairs, breaking Miller's back. Miller eventually recovered, but the baby did not survive the trauma and the marriage was dissolved not long afterward (Miller would marry twice more in her lifetime and these would also be short and unhappy unions). Hoping to restart her movie career, Miller auditioned for MGM and won a role in the Judy Garland/Fred Astaire vehicle "Easter Parade" (1948) and impressed audiences who did not know that she performed her number "Shakin' the Blues Away" while wearing a steel brace. They also did not know that, at Astaire's request, Miller performed with him while wearing ballet slippers, so that she would not appear to be taller. The film was a big success and the actress would cite it in later years as her favorite role. Now convinced that Miller could still shake a leg, MGM put her under contract and "The Kissing Bandit" (1948), "On the Town" (1949), "Watch the Birdie" (1950), and "Texas Carnival" (1951) followed in quick succession. She was also inadvertently instrumental in the creation of pantyhose after asking a costume designer to come up with a durable set of one piece stockings similar to the tights worn by ballerinas.

As the new decade dawned, Miller continued to amaze in pictures like "Two Tickets to Broadway" (1951), "Lovely to Look At" (1952), "Small Town Girl" (1952), and the 3-D extravaganza "Kiss Me Kate" (1953), which included newcomer Bob Fosse in the cast after Miller recommended him to director George Sidney. "Hit the Deck" (1955) also offered a first for the famous tapper when she was asked to dance barefoot for the number "The Lady from the Bayou." During this time, Miller was also one of the first Hollywood stars to tour Australia and she became MGM's unofficial ambassador, travelling to a number of foreign countries. This led to unusual incidents in Israel, where she was temporarily kidnapped by a group of Arabs, who were convinced she was a spy, and Argentina, where Miller had to fend off the advances of leader Juan Perón, who tried to keep her in the country by withholding her passport.

By the mid-1950s, MGM's splashy musical spectaculars were losing favour with audiences and the studio began to move toward grittier, more realistic features. As a result, the final two films Miller did for the company, "The Opposite Sex" (1956) and "The Great American Pastime" (1956), featured her in non-dancing roles. Her contract now over, Miller entered a new phase of her career with forays onto live television variety show appearances on programs like "The Ed Sullivan Show" (CBS, 1948-1971). Another change came via her role in a Houston stock company version of "Can-Can," which led to Miller being one of several actresses who played the title role of "Mame" (1966-69) on Broadway. Once her one-year run in the part ended, Miller toured with the production across the country for an additional 24 months and was cast in productions of "Cactus Flower" and "Anything Goes." She also co-starred with Ann-Margaret in "Dames at Sea" (NBC, 1971), a TV movie version of the off-Broadway musical hit. Miller earned more pop culture fame when she strutted her stuff in a 1970 commercial for Great American Soup, which featured an elaborate, Busby Berkeley-style choreographed dance number where the 47-year-old dancer still moved with all the grace and agility of her youth. Almost twenty years after receiving a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame, a major third act triumph came for Miller toward the end of the 1970s when she co-starred with fellow MGM alumni Mickey Rooney in "Sugar Babies."

A tribute to the age of burlesque and a throwback to the more old-fashioned musical productions of the past, "Sugar Babies" debuted in California and went on to become a huge, unexpected success on Broadway, running from 1979 through 1982 with more than 1,200 performances. Rooney and Miller then toured with the award-winning revue across America six more years for a total run of almost a decade, and Miller would later make occasional returns to the stage for productions like "Follies" (1998). Her movie career ended in the 1950s, but she made two more appearances later in life that were spaced well apart and could not have been any more different. Miller was one of many Golden Age celebrities recruited to appear in the lame show business nostalgia comedy "Won Ton Ton: The Dog Who Saved Hollywood" (1976) and had a small, but amusingly eccentric role as a tough old landlady in David Lynch's bizarre mystery "Mulholland Dr." (2001). Although years of dancing took a toll on her body, Miller ultimately died on Jan. 24, 2004 of cancer. Her tap shoes, dubbed "Moe" and "Joe" were thereafter exhibited in the Smithsonian Institution.

By John Charles

Filmography

Life Events

1937

Lied about her age (by adding four years) and landed a seven-year contract with RKO; gained attention with a supporting role in "Stage Door"

1938

Appeared with the Marx Brothers in "Room Service"

1938

Loaned to Columbia for "You Can't Take It With You"

1939

Broadway debut in George White's "Scandals of 1939"

1940

On loan to Republic, co-starred in "Melody Ranch" and "Hit Parade of 1941"

1948

Signed with MGM; first film there, "Easter Parade"

1949

Co-starred in "On the Town"

1953

Played Lois Lane/Bianca in the film version of "Kiss Me Kate"

1956

Last films, "The Opposite Sex" and "The Great American Pastime"

1970

Made classic Heinz "Great American Soup" commercial written by Stan Freberg

1974

Played Reno Sweeney in a tour of "Anything Goes"

1976

Again toured in "Anything Goes"

1989

Took "Sugar Babies" to London

1994

Was one of the hosts of the compilation documentary looking back at the MGM movie musical, "That's Entertainment! III"

1998

Played Carlotta Campion in a revival of the Stephen Sondheim-James Goldman musical "Follies" at the Paper Mill Playhouse

1999

Had featured role in the David Lynch-directed pilot "Mulholland Drive"; when ABC passed on series, Lynch shot additional footage and turned project into feature film; screened at Cannes in 2001; released theatrically in USA in 2001

Photo Collections

Too Many Girls - Publicity Stills

Here are a few Publicity Stills from Too Many Girls (1940), starring Lucille Ball and Richard Carlson (and Desi Arnaz in a supporting role). Publicity stills were specially-posed photos, usually taken off the set, for purposes of publicity or reference for promotional artwork.

Two Tickets to Broadway - Lobby Cards

Here are a few Lobby Cards from RKO's Two Tickets to Broadway (1951). Lobby Cards were 11" x 14" posters that came in sets of 8. As the name implies, they were most often displayed in movie theater lobbies, to advertise current or coming attractions.

Room Service - Behind-the-Scenes Photos

Here are a few photos taken behind-the-scenes during production of RKO's Room Service (1938), featuring Groucho Marx and Ann Miller.

4th of July MGM Pin-Up Publicity Stills

Here are a few patriotic-themed 4th of July Pin-Up Stills taken in the late 1940s to promote MGM starlets Ann Miller, Cyd Charisse, Elizabeth Taylor, and Vera-Ellen.

Easter Parade - Irving Berlin Behind-the-Scenes Photos

Here are several photos taken behind-the-scenes during production of MGM's Easter Parade (1948), featuring songwriter Irving Berlin and the film's cast and crew.

Easter Parade - Ann Miller Scene Stills

Here is a series of scene stills from MGM's Easter Parade (1948), featuring Ann Miller performing the number "Shakin' the Blues Away."

On the Town - Group Publicity Stills

Here is a series of stills taken to publicize MGM's On the Town (1949) featuring the cast around a park bench. Publicity stills were specially-posed photos, usually taken off the set, for purposes of publicity or reference for promotional artwork.

You Can't Take It with You - Lobby Card Set

Here is a set of Lobby Cards from Frank Capra's You Can't Take It with You (1938). Lobby Cards were 11" x 14" posters that came in sets of 8. As the name implies, they were most often displayed in movie theater lobbies, to advertise current or coming attractions.

Kiss Me Kate - Publicity Stills for 3-D showings

Here are some Publicity Stills for 3-D showings of Kiss Me Kate (1953). The studio art department configured these stills to emphasize the depth in 3-D showings of the film.

Kiss Me Kate - Behind-the-Scenes Photos

Here are several photos taken behind-the-scenes during production of MGM's Kiss Me Kate (1953). Look for composer Cole Porter, director George Sidney, and stars Kathryn Grayson, Howard Keel, Ann Miller, and others.

The Opposite Sex - Movie Poster

Here is the American one-sheet movie poster for MGM's The Opposite Sex (1956). One-sheets measured 27x41 inches, and were the poster style most commonly used in theaters.

Lovely to Look At - Scene Stills

Here are some scene stills from MGM's Lovely to Look At (1952), starring Kathryn Grayson, Howard Keel, Ann Miller, and Red Skelton.

Too Many Girls - Pressbook

Here is the campaign book (pressbook) for Too Many Girls (1940). Pressbooks were sent to exhibitors and theater owners to aid them in publicizing the film's run in their theater. This pressbook was prepared for the 1957 reissue.

Ann Miller - MGM Publicity Stills

Here are a few publicity stills of Ann Miller, taken while under contract to MGM.

Small Town Girl - Ann Miller Behind-the-Scenes Photo

Here is a photo of Ann Miller taken behind-the-scenes during production of Small Town Girl (1953).

Watch the Birdie - Publicity Stills

Here are a few publicity stills from Watch the Birdie (1950), starring Red Skelton. Publicity stills were specially-posed photos, usually taken off the set, for purposes of publicity or reference for promotional artwork.