Dancing Ladies, Part II - Ann Miller

The first time I saw Ann Miller, I was watching You Can't Take It with You. I thought she was cute in that movie, but I was mostly paying attention to Jimmy Stewart. When I saw her name in the credits for Easter Parade, I knew I had heard that name before. When she appeared on screen, I knew instantly she played the girl who was always dancing in You Can't Take It With You. I had no idea she was an actual dancer! The fantastic "Shakin' the Blues Away" tap number just blew me away. From that moment on I was a fan.

Ann Miller


Before I begin to praise her for her beyond exceptional dancing skills, I want to talk a little bit about what an amazing woman she was. She began taking tap lessons to strengthen her legs after suffering from rickets. One of the side effects of rickets is bow legs. Apparently the dancing did strengthen her because her legs don't look at all bowed to me.



In order to get a contract at RKO, she procured a fake birth certificate which stated that she was born in 1919, which would have made her eighteen years old. She was only fourteen, but she was already a talented dancer and a beauty. I'm not going to say that I condone her lie because I can't, but I do have to admit that the girl had spunk.

Watching her dance is a singular experience. She was a spectacular dancer (not to mention comedienne), and it's hard not to be spellbound when her tap shoes hit the floor. She was rumored to have been capable of 500 taps per minute. I don't know if this is true or if more taps were just looped in after filming, but I wouldn't be surprised if she had really been able to tap 500 times in one minute. With her tap shoes on, a flowing skirt, and her hair flying, she looked like a clicking whirlwind when she began to twirl.