Gypsy

5/1/2026

"Mama Rose" (Rosalind Russell) is a bit of a musical snob. She is determined that her two daughters are going to succeed her on the stage, but she draws the line at the bawdier elements of Burlesque. Her elder daughter "June" (Ann Jillian) duly obliges proving a Vaudeville success and then marrying. Younger daughter "Louise" (Natalie Wood) is much more of a free spirit and she is also less fussy about how she gets her name in lights, and so naturally her path leads to some consternation from her mother and with "Herbie" (Karl Malden) who seems omipresent as a support for a "Rose" who steadfastly refuses to marry him. Now Ethel Merman she isn't, but I thought Russell played her role with a human conviction that exposed her maternal side both vulnerably and determinedly and I'm not sure the