Dames at Sea (1971) DVD-R

Starring Ann-Margret, Harvey Evans, Fred Gwynne, Anne Meara, Ann Miller
Directed by Walter C. Miller
Print: Black and White
Runtime: N/A min
Genre: Drama

The musical is a parody of large, flashy 1930s Busby Berkeley-style movie musicals in which a chorus girl, newly-arrived off the bus from the Midwest to NYC, steps into a role on Broadway and becomes a star. It originally played Off-Off-Broadway in 1966 at the Caffe Cino, starring newcomer Bernadette Peters and then played Off-Broadway beginning in 1968 for a successful run. An adaptation for television starred Ann-Margret as Ruby, Ann Miller as Mona, Anne Meara as Joan, Harvey Evans as Dick, Fred Gwynne as Hennesy and Dick Shawn as the Captain. It was broadcast on the Bell System Family Theater on NBC on November 15, 1971. The cast had extra chorus girls and boys, and there were full production numbers, turning into the very thing it was spoofing. Ann Miller was singled out for praise, especially when "she was allowed to tap out her brassy...temperamental star..."