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 | gold digger | screwball comedy | dancer | 

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Taglines:

You've never seen so much fun!

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Genres:

Comedy | Musical | Romance

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Certificate:

Approved

Did You Know?

Trivia

Choreographer Jack Cole was adamant that Lorelei Lee (Marilyn Monroe) should be the only blonde apparent in the production number "Diamonds Are a Girl's Best Friend." The showgirls on the chandeliers are all brunettes or redheads, and the men flanking Monroe are all grayed at the temples. Rather than forcing the ladies of the ensemble to dye their hair, Cole affixed black netting around all of their faces that attached to their flowered headdresses in back, so that all of them appeared dark-haired on screen.

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Goofs

During the "Ain't There Anyone Here for Love?" number, when Dorothy is walking between the two lines of athletes doing knee-bends, one of the men on the left towards the back gets up too late and fails to do his bend in time with the others.

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Quotes

Lorelei Lee: I won't let myself fall in love with a man who won't trust me, no matter what I might do.

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Connections

Referenced in Cool World (1992)

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Soundtracks

When Love Goes Wrong
(1953)
Music and Lyrics by Hoagy Carmichael and Harold Adamson
Performed by Marilyn Monroe (uncredited) and Jane Russell (dubbed by Eileen Wilson (uncredited)) with Parisians

User Reviews

Wonderful film- Holds up strong under time!

You don't need to be a Marilyn fan to enjoy this wonderful film.

A great light hearted comedy that pairs up Jane Russell and Marilyn Monroe in their prime.

The performances are outstanding- Marilyn's precision comic timing along with Jane's dead-pan delivery make for an unforgettable comedy team.

At a time where men were leading the field for comedy pairings along comes Russell and Monroe and a better combination there is not!

The musical numbers are terrific especially Bye-Bye Baby and the classic Diamonds are Girls Best Friend.

The supporting roles are also well cast with the Charles Coburn as the Multimillionaire "Piggy" who has eyes only for Diamonds and Marilyn and the wonderful late Tommy Noonan as Marilyn's nerdish and gullible love interest Gus Edmond.

If you look beyond the surface which makes this film at first appear to be a seemingly stereotypical tale of young helpless women looking for rich husbands you will actually see a story of two strong and self-sufficient women looking for what they want in life, going out to get it and not settling for less!

But let's not make this any deeper than we need to... this is a FUN FILM... not meant to change the world but just to entertain you for a few hours-- AND THAT IT DOES!

High ranks from young and old... Gentlemen Prefer Blondes is great family entertainment.

Now, might I close with an Anita Loos quote about Marilyn Monroe in GPB:

"I did not write the role Lorelei Lee as Marilyn performed it in the film, but I sure as hell wish I had!"

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)

Cumulative Worldwide Gross:

$648

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