ANN MILLER
Betty Grable’s were more famous, but Ann Miller’s legs were better. Ms. Miller left this world at 81, and I picture her tap dancing her way through the pearly gates to the great delight of everyone. She could tap 500 times a minute, and smile through every one of them. 
As she said herself, she was always the second girl, the slightly kooky friend of the female star. When Cyd Charisse broke a leg before filming began on Easter Parade (1948), MGM turned to Ms. Miller who responded brilliantly. Granted, Fred Astaire and Judy Garland are the stars in this spectacular musical, but Ms. Miller is just as good and lights up the screen with her dancing. If you get a chance to see this, notice the gorgeous Technicolor. They truly don’t make them like that any more. 
In Stage Door (1937) Ann Miller holds her own with some true legends: Katherine Hepburn, Ginger Rogers, Lucille Ball and Eve Arden. This is a fine film about young women trying to make it big in show business while they work at dreary low-paying jobs and share a beat up boarding house.
To me Ann Miller’s shining hour is in On The Town (1949). She has a couple of great tap numbers, the costumes and scenery are fabulous, and with Frank Sinatra, Gene Kelly and Vera-Ellen this is a fun film about three sailors with only a 24-hour leave in New York City. 
In Room Service (1938) Ms. Miller had the courage (or lack of sense) to appear on the same screen as the Marx Brothers, who clown and ad lib their way through a luxury cruise. Ms. Miller is a good-natured lady along for the ride. There’s a scene with about a hundred people in a stateroom- how did they do that?
Ann Miller appears in Kiss Me Kate (1953) not, of course, as Kate but as her girlfriend. Kate is Katherine Grayson, her husband is Howard Keel, and this is a wonderful musical take on Shakespeare’s Taming of the Shrew. There is great dancing and the Cole Porter score is marvelous. 
Some other Ann Miller outings worth a look include Too Many Girls (1946), Lovely To Look At (1952), and Hit The Deck (1955), all from the golden age of musicals. Ms. Miller’s last appearance on the silver screen is in David Lynch’s utterly confusing Mulholland Drive (2001).
All of the movies in this article are available on DVD. All are fine for all ages except the last one.