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Les Girls
Theatrical release poster
Directed by	George Cukor
Screenplay by	John Patrick
Story by	Vera Caspary
Produced by	Sol C. Siegel
Starring	Gene Kelly Mitzi Gaynor Kay Kendall Taina Elg
Cinematography	Robert Surtees
Edited by	Ferris Webster
Music by	Cole Porter
Color process	Metrocolor
Distributed by	Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer
Release date	October 3, 1957 (1957-10-03)
Running time	114 minutes
Country	United States
Language	English
Budget	$3.4 million
Box office	$3.9 million

Les Girls (also known as Cole Porter's Les Girls) is a 1957 American CinemaScope musical comedy film directed by George Cukor and produced by Sol C. Siegel, with Saul Chaplin as associate producer. The screenplay by John Patrick was based on a story by Vera Caspary. The music and lyrics were by Cole Porter.

It stars Gene Kelly, Mitzi Gaynor, Kay Kendall, and Taina Elg, and the cast also includes Jacques Bergerac, Leslie Phillips, Henry Daniell, and Patrick Macnee.

Premise

Barry, Joy, Sybil and Angele were formerly members of the cabaret dance troupe "Barry Nichols and Les Girls". Years after the group has dissolved, Sybil, now Lady Wren, publishes a tell-all memoir containing details of the romantic exploits among Barry and his partners. Angele is outraged by Sybil's claims that she was having an affair with Barry. She sues Sybil for libel, and the case goes to trial where the three women relate the history of the troupe as they recall it. They each remember matters very differently. After Barry, who is now married to Joy, testifies, the story ends with the group making up and becoming friends again.

Cast

• Gene Kelly as Barry Nichols
• Mitzi Gaynor as Joy Henderson
• Kay Kendall as Lady Sybil Wren
  • Betty Wand provides the singing voice of Lady Sybil Wren
• Taina Elg as Angele Ducros
• Jacques Bergerac as Pierre Ducros
• Leslie Phillips as Sir Gerald Wren
• Henry Daniell as judge
• Patrick Macnee as Sir Percy
• Stephen Vercoe as Mr. Outward
• Philip Tonge as associate judge
• Barrie Chase as dancer

Musical numbers

• "Les Girls" – Barry, Joy, Sybil and Angele
• "You're Just Too, Too" – Barry and Sybil
• "Ca, C'est L'Amour" – Angele
• "Ladies-in-Waiting" – Joy, Sybil and Angele
• "Why Am I So Gone (About that Gal)?" – Barry

Background notes

• The story by Vera Caspary was inspired by an article which appeared in The Atlantic – a reminiscence of a dancer's touring years. Miss Caspary's version turned the memoir into a point of dispute and raised questions about the nature of truth. As only the title was used from Miss Caspary's story for the screenplay, she joked that she was the highest paid writer in the world, as she was paid $80,000 for writing just two words – "Les Girls"
• Les Girls was Gene Kelly's last musical under his contract at MGM which began in 1942.
• Les Girls was the last film score by Cole Porter and the next-to-last score of his career.
• The film's original female leads were to have been played by Leslie Caron, Cyd Charisse, Jean Simmons and Carol Haney.

Awards and honors

• Les Girls won the Academy Award for Best Costume Design for Orry-Kelly and was nominated for two other awards, Best Art Direction (William A. Horning, Gene Allen, Edwin B. Willis, Richard Pefferle) and Best Sound (Wesley C. Miller).
• The film won the Golden Globe for Best Motion Picture – Musical/Comedy and for Best Actress, Kay Kendall and Taina Elg together.
• 2006: AFI's Greatest Movie Musicals – nominated

Sequel

Immediately after the film was released tentative plans were announced for a sequel called Les Boys. While it did not come to pass, it did inspire Harry's Girls, a sitcom starring Larry Blyden which ran on NBC for 15 episodes in the fall of 1963.

Box office

According to MGM records the film made $2,415,000 in the US and Canada and $1,450,000 elsewhere, but because of its high production cost lost $1,635,000.

Choreography

Les Girls was a major vehicle for choreographer Jack Cole, and one of the first films to feature the role of choreographer in the opening credits.

See also

• List of American films of 1957

References

1. ^ The Eddie Mannix Ledger, Los Angeles: Margaret Herrick Library, Center for Motion Picture Study.
2. p.249 McGilligan, Patrick George Cukor: A Double Life London: Faber and Faber 1992
3. Parish, James Robert, Mank, Gregory W, Picchiarini, RichardThe Best of MGM: The Golden Years (1928–59) 1981 Arlington House
4. "The 30th Academy Awards (1958) Nominees and Winners". oscars.org. Retrieved 2011-08-21.
5. "NY Times: Les Girls". Movies & TV Dept. The New York Times. 2012. Archived from the original on 2012-10-18. Retrieved 2008-12-23.
6. "AFI's Greatest Movie Musicals Nominees" (PDF). Retrieved 2016-08-13.
7. Scheuer, Philip K. (Nov 18, 1957). "Sequel Slated for 'Les Girls': Two Leads Proffered Newman; Janet Poised on 'Precipice'"". Los Angeles Times. p. C11 – via ProQuest Historical Newspapers.
8. "Top Grossers of 1958". Variety. 7 January 1959. p. 48. Please note figures are for US and Canada only and are domestic rentals accruing to distributors as opposed to theatre gross

External links

• "Les Girls" at Sondheim Guide
• Les Girls at IMDb
• Template:AllMovie title
• Les Girls at the AFI Catalog of Feature Films
• Les Girls at the TCM Movie Database

• 1957 films
• 1957 musical comedy films
• CinemaScope films
• American musical comedy films
• Best Musical or Comedy Picture Golden Globe winners
• Films based on works by Vera Caspary
• Films directed by George Cukor
• Films featuring a Best Musical or Comedy Actress Golden Globe winning performance
• Films produced by Sol C. Siegel
• Films scored by Cole Porter
• Films that won the Best Costume Design Academy Award
• Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer films
• 1950s English-language films
• 1950s American films
• English-language musical comedy films