Plot

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.

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.—Stewart M. Clamen <clamen@cs.cmu.edu>

Entertainers Dorothy Shaw and Lorelei Lee head for Europe on an ocean liner and encounter several mishaps and adventures on the way. For Lorelei, the trip will provide a necessary break from her fiancé Gus Edmond Jr. whose very rich father disapproves of their relationship. In fact, Gus' father convinced that Lorelei is just after a rich husband and sends a private detective on the trip to keep an eye on her. As for Dorothy she attracts many beaus, including the US Olympic team! All of this and several song and dance numbers along the way.—garykmcd

Lorelei Lee (Marilyn Monroe) and Dorothy Shaw (Jane Russell) are showgirls and best friends. Lorelei is engaged to Gus Esmond (Tommy Noonan), who is willing to do anything and buy anything for her. His father does not approve of her, thinking she is just after his son's money. Lorelei and Gus are planning to sail to France and get married, but Esmond Sr. stops his son from going, noting that Lorelei is bad for him. Lorelei is discouraged since Gus isn't going but goes anyway with Dorothy. Gus warns Lorelei that she has to behave because if his father hears of bad behavior, they will never be allowed to marry.

Unbeknownst to either of them, Esmond Sr. has hired a private detective, Ernie Malone (Elliott Reid), to spy on Lorelei. While checking up on Lorelei, he falls in love with Dorothy. Lorelei meets Sir Francis "Piggy" Beekman (Charles Coburn) who owns a diamond mine, which attracts her deeply. She uses her intense charm to entice him, annoying his wife.

Lorelei invites him over to the ship cabin she occupies with Dorothy, and Piggy tells Lorelei about his travels to Africa. Unknown to them, Malone is spying through the window and takes pictures of them flirting. Dorothy, going to her cabin to get dried off, sees Malone walking away nonchalantly after taking pictures of Lorelei and Piggy. She tells Lorelei, who is frightened that Gus, and his father will find out and call off the marriage, and they then come up with a scheme to get the film.

They invite him to their cabin for drinks. Lorelei mixes him a strong drink and puts sleeping pills in it, which makes him even warmer and lightheaded. Taking off his coat and finding nothing, they proceed to take off his trousers as the film must be there - which it is, and Lorelei promptly prints the negatives to hide away. Piggy is relieved that his wife won't see the pictures. Lorelei, feeling a little let-down that she doesn't get a reward, persuades Piggy to give her his wife's diamond tiara as a thank-you present. While they get the tiara, Malone enters the cabin revealing that he had been audio-taping them.

Dorothy enters the cabin, scolding Malone for his actions. Lorelei comes back with the tiara and is told by Dorothy that she is falling in love with Malone, although she doesn't like him a bit. They dock in France and leave promptly in a taxi. While in Paris, the women spend all the money they have shopping for clothes. When they arrive at the hotel, they find out that Lady Beekman (Norma Varden) didn't give up the tiara willingly and doesn't know anything about it. Considering Lorelei a thief, Gus has stopped her line of credit.

Without money or a place to live, Lorelei and Dorothy get jobs as nightclub singers. Piggy somehow steals back the tiara, hoping to rid himself of everything from the past. When the police come after Lorelei, she is persuaded by Dorothy to return the tiara, but finds it missing from her jewelry box. Gus has come to see the show and Dorothy tells Lorelei that she has to get the money for the tiara from him. In the meantime, she allows the police to arrest her saying that she is Lorelei, cleverly disguised with a wig and fake beauty mark.

At the court, Dorothy tries to stall for time so Lorelei and Gus can come with a new tiara and claim that it is the one that Piggy had taken from his wife. Dorothy puts on a show in the middle of the courtroom, annoying the judge.

Malone and Esmond Sr. arrive at the airport and see Piggy, who instructs Malone to tell Lorelei that he is sorry for what he did. Malone agrees to tell her, then leaves. They arrive at the court to testify against Lorelei, but Dorothy (still in disguise as Lorelei) is on the stand and tells Malone that she is in love with him but will never forgive him if he does anything to hurt Lorelei. Malone refuses to testify against her, withdrawing his case. He realizes who has the tiara and tracks it down to Piggy who is still at the airport.

Malone brings the tiara to the court where it is "legally" returned to its rightful owner, Sir Francis. Meanwhile, back at the nightclub, Lorelei tells the elder Esmond, on her behalf, "I don't want to marry your son for his money, I want to marry him for your money - don't you know, a man being rich is like a girl being pretty? You wouldn't marry a girl for being pretty, but doesn't it help?" She also explains to him that if he had a daughter, he would want the best for her, and that it is only fair for her to want the same. Once he is convinced that Lorelei isn't "stupid" and "conceited," he gives his blessing for her to marry his son. The two girls proceed to have a double wedding.