A Shelter Island Cinema 114 gender-bender

On Wednesday, March 9 at 2:30 p.m. in the Senior Activity Center, we will be showing an unusual Julie Andrews film called “Victor/Victoria.” Julie plays Victoria Grant, an out-of-work coloratura soprano who is totally out of money during winter in Paris.

Victoria is starving and resorts to some unusual tricks.

After she does not get a job at a night club, she faints from hunger outside a café. She knows she has to get something to eat, and soon.

Then Victoria meets Carole “Toddy” Todd (played by Robert Preston,) who performs as a cabaret singer in a show that features female impersonators. He convinces Victoria to pretend to be a man called Victor and perform as a female impersonator.

This ploy works and “Victor” is a big hit. Her/his act, featuring her extraordinary voice that can hit notes so high they break glass, attracts business to the café.

James Garner plays King Marchand, a rich mobster who falls for Grant, suspecting that she is really a “she” and sets out to vindicate his love for her. Leslie Ann Warren plays his jealous floozy; Alex Karras is his bodyguard.

The musical score by Henry Mancini won numerous awards as did Julie’s then-husband, the producer and director Blake Edwards. This musical comedy has something for everyone.

Come join Maggie and me on Wednesday, March 9, at 2:30 p.m. We offer soft chairs, free snacks and this very entertaining film. “Victor/Victoria” runs for 2 hours and 10 minutes.