| "All er Nuthin' " |
This is a great little comedic routine where Gloria Grahame as Ado Annie and Will verbally spar about
her carryings on. About two-thirds of the way through, our two girls make their entrance and do some
terrific struttin' and high-stepping around Will, tempting him to stray, right in front of Gloria -- a
veritable kaleidoscope of bright swirling dresses, frilly knickers and trim cotton-clad drumsticks. Near
the end, Jane gets her few moments of attention as the camera homes in on her awestruck face as she
receives a peck on the lips from Will. Liz's hands-on-hip and look of hmmph! in response is a classic
display of female chagrin and envy -- a look like that would freeze charging elephants in their tracks.
Just before exiting, our girls trade glances and the caught-with-the-hand-in-the-cookie-jar look on Liz's
face is a classic. You're apt to miss it unless you run the scene in slow-motion.
her carryings on. About two-thirds of the way through, our two girls make their entrance and do some
terrific struttin' and high-stepping around Will, tempting him to stray, right in front of Gloria -- a
veritable kaleidoscope of bright swirling dresses, frilly knickers and trim cotton-clad drumsticks. Near
the end, Jane gets her few moments of attention as the camera homes in on her awestruck face as she
receives a peck on the lips from Will. Liz's hands-on-hip and look of hmmph! in response is a classic
display of female chagrin and envy -- a look like that would freeze charging elephants in their tracks.
Just before exiting, our girls trade glances and the caught-with-the-hand-in-the-cookie-jar look on Liz's
face is a classic. You're apt to miss it unless you run the scene in slow-motion.
| Straightaway, Jane displays a little leg 'o lamb for Will's evaluation while Liz builds up a head of steam for some fancy struttin' that's unfortunately partially blocked as Ado Annie walks in front of the camera, in both versions, dang it! |
Here come our girls, ready to tempt Will with their charms and fancy footwork while Ado Annie watches
with trepedation. Will eagerly checks out the offering.
with trepedation. Will eagerly checks out the offering.
| Flashing skirts, shapely legs and saucy moves would tempt any red-blooded male. Will is no exception. |
| It's Will's turn to charm our girls. Jane appears transfixed while Liz, in anticipation, flashes one of her charming smiles that would launch more ships than Helen of Troy . . . |
| . . . and then sink the whole dang fleet with this one look. Jane gets a little smooch from Will and Liz does not like it -- at all. A great arms-akimbo HMMPH! moment that perfectly illustrates female exasperation. I have gotten some icy stares and two "evil eyes" in my lifetime, but they pale in comparison to the one Liz projects here. UPDATE 04-08-08: In a phone conversation with Liz, I asked her about the direction. She replied that Zinneman said to "act mad at Janie" when Jane got the kiss instead of her. (He got that -- in spades.) |
| Will looks somewhat dumbfounded over his experience as our girls exit stage right, probably to the relief of Ado Annie. Will's reaction to their enticing routine gives her a chance to explain to him why "All' er Nuthin" works only to his advantage and then offers her own solution. |
| This was our girls' last dance routine but not their appearance. They are front row in the picnic basket auction scene and the rousing finale, bracketing the stars and accompanying them in singing "Oklahoma!". |
Our girls trade enigmatic looks. Just what have these little mutts been up to? Are they saying "We've
got a secret, nanner, nanner." or are they just taking childish delight in being naughty? Italy may have
the Mona Lisa, but we've got a pixie-haired version that would give her a run for the money. (I've
clipped out Ado Annie and use this scene for my computer's desktop. Liz's priceless look never fails to
entertain.)
UPDATE 04-08-08: I also asked Liz about the motivation here and she said that it was a case of "pure
devilment", which would perfectly fit a couple of teenage flirts.
got a secret, nanner, nanner." or are they just taking childish delight in being naughty? Italy may have
the Mona Lisa, but we've got a pixie-haired version that would give her a run for the money. (I've
clipped out Ado Annie and use this scene for my computer's desktop. Liz's priceless look never fails to
entertain.)
UPDATE 04-08-08: I also asked Liz about the motivation here and she said that it was a case of "pure
devilment", which would perfectly fit a couple of teenage flirts.
| However, this gem of a scene wasn't blocked. Will is lost in a blizzard of colorful dresses and petticoats while Ado Annie prudently stands clear as the girls really cut loose and go airborn. This still has become one of my favorites because of the look on Liz's face. Very cool and in control. You can almost hear her think, "Man, I have got this routine WIRED!" There's so much going on so fast here that you need slo-mo and freeze frame to appreciate all the fancy footwork and realize just how energetic and complex it really is. A reviewer of Liz's Las Vegas routines called her a"pixie-ish dervish". That epithet fits her to a "T" in this routine. |
| "Perfection Personified", thy name is Lizanne. |
