How to Marry a Millionaire (1953)

Three women set out to find eligible millionaires to marry, but find true love in the process.

Director:

Jean Negulesco

Writers:

Nunnally Johnson (screen play), Zoe Akins (plays)

Stars:

Marilyn Monroe, Betty Grable, Lauren Bacall

Nominated for 1 Oscar. Another 2 nominations.

Cast

Complete credited cast:
Betty Grable	...	Loco Dempsey
Marilyn Monroe	...	Pola Debevoise
Lauren Bacall	...	Schatze Page
David Wayne	...	Freddie Denmark
Rory Calhoun	...	Eben Salem
Cameron Mitchell	...	Tom Brookman
Alexander D'Arcy	...	J. Stewart Merrill (as Alex D'Arcy)
Fred Clark	...	Waldo Brewster
William Powell	...	J.D. Hanley

Storyline

Three New York models, Shatze, Pola and Loco set up in an exclusive apartment with a plan....tired of cheap men and a lack of money, they intend to use all their talents to trap and marry three millionaires. The trouble is that it's not so easy to tell the rich men from the hucksters - and even when they can, is the money really worth it?

---

Plot Keywords:

manhattan new york city | remake | millionaire | comedy of errors | mistaken identity | 

---

Taglines:

Modern Sophisticated Comedy With All the Magic Scope of CinemaScope

---

Genres:

Comedy | Drama | Romance

---

Certificate:

Not Rated

Details

Country:

USA

Language:

English French Latin Arabic

Release Date:

20 November 1953 (USA)

Also Known As:

Wie angelt man sich einen Millionär

Filming Locations:

36 Sutton Place South, Sutton Place, Manhattan, New York City, New York, USA

Box Office

Budget:

$1,870,000 (estimated)

Cumulative Worldwide Gross:

$8,000,000, 31 December 1953

Company Credits

Production Co:

Twentieth Century Fox

Technical Specs

Runtime:

95 min

Sound Mix:

4-Track Stereo (1959 Reissue) (Western Electric Recording) (Stereo) Stereo (1959 Reissue) (Stereo)

Color:

Color (Technicolor)

Aspect Ratio:

2.66 : 1

Did You Know?

Trivia

Writer and humorist Dorothy Parker's famous quip that "men seldom make passes at girls who wear glasses" was purposely bobbled by screenwriter (and producer) Nunnally Johnson for Marilyn Monroe's character Pola to assert to David Wayne (as Freddie) that "you know, men aren't attentive to girls who wear glasses."

---

Goofs

Loco is single, yet during the sequence when the girls are sleeping, she is wearing a wedding ring.

---

Quotes

Schatze Page: Most women use more brains picking a horse in the third at Belmont than they do picking a husband.

---

Connections

Referenced in Hungry: How to Marry a Millionaire (2014)

---

Soundtracks

Home on the Range
(1904) (uncredited)
Music by Daniel E. Kelley
In the score during Schatze's dream

User Reviews

Caustic and sweet go hand in hand.

Loco Dempsey, Pola Debevoise and Schatze Page, each one a pretty model, their goal in life?, to marry millionaires. They set themselves up in a top apartment and set about wooing any potential suitors, trouble is is that it's hard to tell the rich from the normal, and love may just have a say after all.

Betty Grable, Marilyn Monroe and Lauren Bacall play our three dubiously motivated ladies, each one putting a delightful stamp on each respective character. Filmed in CinemaScope, New York {and the girls Manhattan apartment}is beautifully realised and with the restored DVDs available, the colour positively gleams on the screen. The story itself is a fun one, tho at its core it's of course greedy and selfish, but this is a romantic comedy that plays out with delightful ease, and thankfully doesn't contain pointless filler scenes to purely showcase the actresses on show.

Monroe has never looked as pretty as she does here, some of her other films are obviously more famous, but she radiates sexiness and with her character being vision impaired, she gets to show the wonderful comedic talent that she definitely had. Bacall clearly is the best actor on show, so it's no surprise that she gets the best written part, at times bitter, intelligent and determined, her Schatze Page character is the glue binding the picture {and the girls} together. Betty Grable is solid without really impacting a great deal, with the boys {notably Rory Calhoun} offering entertaining support. How To Marry A Millionaire is simply a delightful movie that never over tries your patience, it's a fun ride with a little something for everyone, and it cheerily pays you off at the end. 7/10