Les Girls. 1957. USA. Directed by George Cukor. 114 min.
Screenplay by John Patrick. Music by Cole Porter. Dances by Jack Cole, Gene Kelly. With Kelly, Mitzi Gaynor, Kay Kendall, Taina Elg. Backed by an MGM budget, Cole contributes dances of Cukor-esque sophistication. The multifarious "Les Girls" number accommodates Kelly's shtick in a straw hat, white girls (among them Barrie Chase) playing African Watusis, and the classy non-dancer Kay Kendall in a Jack Cole striptease. Cole’s genius is on view in "Ladies in Waiting,” a number that unites Cole Porter lyrics, Orry-Kelly costumes, and Robert Surtees cinematography to mirror the movie’s Rashomon structure. Kelly inserted the Brando spoof number during postproduction despite Cole’s single-card choreography credit.