Gentlemen Prefer Blondes (1953)

Showgirls Lorelei Lee and Dorothy Shaw travel to Paris, pursued by a private detective hired by the suspicious father of Lorelei's fiancé, as well as a rich, enamored old man and many other doting admirers.

Director:

Howard Hawks

Writers:

Charles Lederer (screen play), Joseph Fields (based on the musical comedy by)

Stars:

Jane Russell, Marilyn Monroe, Charles Coburn

1 nomination.

Cast

Complete credited cast:
Jane Russell	...	Dorothy Shaw
Marilyn Monroe	...	Lorelei Lee
Charles Coburn	...	Sir Francis 'Piggy' Beekman
Elliott Reid	...	Ernie Malone
Tommy Noonan	...	Gus Esmond Jr.
George Winslow	...	Henry Spofford III
Marcel Dalio	...	Magistrate
Taylor Holmes	...	Mr. Esmond Sr.
Norma Varden	...	Lady Beekman
Howard Wendell	...	Watson
Steven Geray	...	Hotel Manager

Storyline

Lorelei and Dorothy are just "Two Little Girls from Little Rock", lounge singers on a transatlantic cruise, working their way to Paris, and enjoying the company of any eligible men they might meet along the way, even though "Diamonds are a Girl's Best Friend." Based on the Broadway musical based on the novel.

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Plot Keywords:

male objectification | bechdel test failed | bare chested male dancers | screwball comedy | private detective | 

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Taglines:

The Two M-M-Marvels Of Our Age In The Wonder Musical Of The World!

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Genres:

Comedy | Musical | Romance

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Certificate:

Not Rated

Details

Country:

USA

Language:

English French

Release Date:

August 1953 (USA)

Also Known As:

Howard Hawks' Gentlemen Prefer Blondes

Filming Locations:

MGM Studio Borehamwood London, England, UK

Box Office

Budget:

$2,260,000 (estimated)

Gross USA:

$12,000,000

Company Credits

Production Co:

Twentieth Century Fox

Technical Specs

Runtime:

91 min

Sound Mix:

Mono (Western Electric Recording)

Color:

Color (Technicolor)

Aspect Ratio:

1.37 : 1

Did You Know?

Trivia

In preparation for her role as Lorelei, Marilyn Monroe attended the Broadway production of Gentlemen Prefer Blondes starring Carol Channing every night for over a month.

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Goofs

During her confrontation with Lady Beekman at the hotel, Lorelei calls Piggy "Lord Beekman". Later in the courtroom, the Magistrate calls Piggy "Lord Beekman", and Pritchard addresses Piggy as "Your Lordship". Piggy holds a knighthood, not a peerage, and would never be addressed as anything other than "Sir Francis".

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Quotes

Olympic athlete: Hi. Remember me?
Lorelei Lee: Yes. You're one of the Olympic athletes.
Olympic athlete: I'm the only 4-letter man on the team.
Lorelei Lee: You should be ashamed to admit it. No, don't say another word. No, don't say another word.

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Connections

Referenced in Wild at Heart (1990)

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Soundtracks

A Little Girl from Little Rock
(1949) (uncredited)
Music by Jule Styne
Lyrics by Leo Robin
Special Lyrics by Ken Darby and Eliot Daniel
Sung in a pre-title sequence as "Two Little Girls from Little Rock" by Marilyn Monroe and Jane Russell (dubbed by Eileen Wilson (uncredited)) with Chorus
Also played in the score and sung at the wedding

User Reviews

Light, lively and entertaining

Lorelei and Dorothy may well claim to just be two little girls from Little Rock, but if that's the case then they certainly have no intention to remain that way. Lorelei wants a rich man regardless of looks or age while Dorothy wants good looks and a body to match. On board a transatlantic cruise on their way to Paris, the pair find plenty of both types of men but, despite temptation Lorelei genuinely intends to remain faithful to the millionaire she has already hooked – Gus Esmond. Meanwhile Dorothy gets the attention of quite a nice gentleman who seems like he really likes her.

Opening with a great bit of a sassy musical number this film goes into the credits with an atmosphere and approach that it pretty much keeps consistent throughout the whole film. The story is very much driven by the gold-digging female stereotypes of Lorelei and Dorothy and, although quite light, it does enough to keep things moving and interesting. It is greatly helped by the delivery, which is superficial, sparky and fun. The musical numbers (and indeed the whole film) are colourful and engaging thanks to the good direction from Hawks. The script provides plenty of amusing material and although it does lack depth and massive laughs, it is generally very entertaining.

The cast are a big part in it and I was surprised by how good the lead pair were. I've never really rated Russell or Monroe in terms of being good actresses but here they suit their character and work off one another well. Their characters are not anything other than exaggerated cliché but they are fun none the less; they have slightly different characters but each seems to be to their strengths and they deliver the script well. The male characters are very much a side issue but generally they are well played by Reid, Coburn, Noonan and a couple of others.

Generally then this is not the film to come to if you are looking for real substance and depth but it delivers the goods in regards fizz and fun. The musical numbers are colourful and entertaining, while the script is lively and benefits from good delivery from a well cast Monroe and Russell. A "classic" film that is fun over 50 years later and accordingly is well worth seeing.