Rosalind Russell portrays "Mama Rose" as someone who looks down on musical styles. She’s set on seeing her daughters follow in her footsteps onstage, but she won’t accept anything too risqué connected to Burlesque. Her older daughter, “June” (Ann Jillian), fulfills expectations by achieving success in Vaudeville and then settling down with marriage. Younger daughter "Louise" (Natalie Wood) has a more independent nature and isn't as concerned about the methods used to gain recognition, which understandably causes problems for her mother and "Herbie" (Karl Malden), who consistently offers support to Rose but she refuses to marry him. While not quite Ethel Merman, I felt Russell brought a genuine feeling to her character that revealed her maternal instincts, both in moments of weakness and strength, and I’m unsure if the more powerful-voiced Merman could have conveyed that as effectively. For the musical numbers, Russell seemed smart to let Lisa Kirk handle most of the singing, which proved successful because other performers also understood their own boundaries; Kirk blends well with Wood, Jillian, and even Malden in presenting some of Stephen Sondheim's finest lyrics combined with Jule Styne’s best work on the score. The film offers a look into how cutthroat and unreliable show business could be and just how precarious life was for those chasing after that ever-unattainable mink coat. It’s ingrained, blood is red—and so are these thorny roses.

Source on TMDB