By some accounts Miller was dancing at the Black Cat Club in San Francisco at the age of 13 (she reportedly lied about her age) where she was discovered by Lucille Ball and a talent scout which led to her signing a contract with RKO in 1936 doing minor parts in films until 1940. As a 13 year old, she would have had to convince RKO executives that she was 18 but some accounts say she was, in fact, 18. She signed with Columbia Pictures the following year and over 4 years made 11-B movie musicals, ending her contract with a final A movie, "The Thrill of Brazil" in 1946.
Her next films with MGM made her a star, showcasing her tapping skills in "Easter Parade". "On The Town" and "Kiss Me Kate". She was famous for her "fast feet" and studio publicists claimed she could tap 500 times per minute. In reality the ultra fast taps were overdubbed later as Miller watched herself on film and tapped on a board. Miller wore rubber soled shoes in the films because the shiny, glamorous floors were too slippery for taps.
Miller was more famous for her winning personality and lovely legs than for her acting talent and when the MGM style musicals went out of style, her career floundered in the late 50's. She continued to work the nightclub circuit until 1970 when she starred in a Busby Berkeley style soup commercial choreographed by Hermes Pan which brought her back in the public eye. In 1979 she wowed the audiences with her co-star Mickey Rooney in "Sugar Babies" on Broadway which would go on to tour the country extensively.
She continued to perform on stage and television until 1993 and was the author of two autobiographies, "Miller's High Life" (which was a chatty account of her three marriages) and "Tapping the Force" (which dealt with her fascination with the occult). She died of lung cancer in 2004.
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