The Reluctant Debutante (1958)

Set during the height of the London social debutante season when all the young daughters from the "good" families are introduced into society, a young American girl (Sandra Dee) comes to live with her English father (Rex Harrison) and his new wife (Kay Kendall) and finds herself in a whirl of fancy dress balls and dinners. Has any director had as great a year as Vincente Minnelli in 1958? The elegant Oscar winning musical confection GIGI and the stunning melodrama SOME CAME RUNNING and this delightful piece of whimsy. The entire idea of "coming out" in society seems a bit antiquated now which only adds to the charm. Based on a play by William Douglas Home (and Minnelli doesn't bother to shake off its proscenium origins much), the film benefits enormously by the expert comedic timing of Harrison (whose best moments are when he's simply reacting) and Kendall and Dee is adorable. You can see why she quickly became America's teen sweetheart. The Pierre Balmain gowns for Kendall and Angela Lansbury (quite amusing as a snooty social climber) are equally matched by the Helen Rose creations for Dee. Curiously for a film set at the height of the London social season, the film was actually shot in Paris. With John Saxon and Diane Clare.