Saturday, May 12, 2012

Gentlemen Prefer Blondes (1953) ***

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In January 1953 President Truman announced that the United States had developed a hydrogen bomb. Later that same year, 20th Century Fox released its own double-barreled bombshell, Gentlemen Prefer Blondes, starring Jane Russell and Marilyn Monroe.  Christmas had obviously come early for men across America.

Based on the 1925 Anita Loos novel, Gentlemen Prefer Blondes: The Illuminating Diary of a Professional Lady, and the 1949 stage musical starring Carol Channing (really!), this Howard Hawks directed film is as raunchy as a musical could possibly be in 1953. Start with the risqué costulittlerockmes, then gasp at the double-entendre laced dialogue, and finally delight in the outrageous song lyrics and choreography—it’s a cornucopia of hysterical crassness. 

Long before actresses were expected to weigh 95 lbs. women actually had curves in the movies.  Voluptuous is the best word to describe Jane Russell and Marilyn Monroe—they had curves in all the right places.  Costume designer Travilla (read Christian Esquevin's article) did a spectacular job of showcasing the assets of his leading ladies.  From the very first scene, where the ladies sing “Just Two Little Girls from Little Rock” wearing red sequin gowns with slits up to the hinterlands and suicidal plunging necklines, you know this is a film about sex.  Even when they aren’t wearing their showgirl outfits their clothes are form-fitting and sexy.  Of course, the most iconic outfit is the dress that Monroe wears when she performs “Diamonds Are a Girl’s Best Friend.” Often imitated (think Madonna) but never surpassed, gentlemen-prefer-blondes-marilyn-monroe-02Monroe looks sensational—and like she’s eaten a few meals in her life.  Perhaps I shouldn’t say this, but I have often wondered if this dress was a metaphor for the female vagina (please cover the children’s eyes).  O’Keefe had her orchids, maybe Travilla had his pink silk gown with a huge bow on Monroe’s derriere?  Anyway, the first thing I think about whenever I see this movie is that all of the costumes are absolutely fabulous. 

This was certainly Charles Lederer’s best musical comedy screenplay.  It’s really a simple story about two showgirls looking for the right man. Lorelei Lee (Monroe) wants to marry a rich man (Tommy Noonan) to fulfill her lust for jewels—preferably diamonds—but she also wants love.  Dorothy Shaw (Russell) is a straight-talking gal who just wants an honest man.  When Loremarilyn-monroe-jane-russelllei’s man gets cold feet after his father threatens to cut him off, the ladies head off on a luxury liner to France. Along the way they meet the U.S. men’s Olympic team, a diamond mine owner (Charles Coburn), and a private detective (Elliott Reid).  When Lorelei gets caught with her hand in the jewelry box the girls find themselves down and out in Paris, and they have to begin performing again as showgirls. 

One of the best lines comes at the beginning of the film when one guys asks: “Say, suppose the ship hits an iceberg and sinks. Which one of them do you save from drowning?” and another guys answers, “Those girls couldn't drown.” Russell gets most of the best lines—she is playing opposite Monroe’s rather vapid character—but Monroe gets some zingers in too, such as when she responds to one of the Olympians who says he’s the only 4-letter man on the team with, “You should be ashamed to admit it.” No one played stupid as well as Monroe, and Russell always shined as a straight-shooting woman. 

So we have gorgeous costumes and witty dialogue and then we pair those two together with great musical numbers and we have a really good film.  Two songwriting teams (Leo Robin/Jule Styne and Hoagy Carmichael/Harold Adamson) were responsible for such memorable songs as: “Diamonds Are a Girl’s Best Friend”, “A Little Girl from Little Rock”, “When Love Goes Wrong”, and “Anyone Here for Love?”.  Of course, my favorite Monroe number is “Diamonds”.  The song itself is catchy:

A kiss may be grand, but it won't pay the rental on your humble flat.

Or help you at the automat.

Men grow cold as girls grow old, and we all lose our charm in the end.

But square-cut or pear-shaped, these rocks won't lost their shape.

Diamonds are a girl's best friend.

jane-russell-anyone-here-for-love-outfit1When you combine the set design and the choreography with such memorable lyrics it becomes musical magic.  While it is often overshadowed by Monroe’s “Diamonds” number, I find Russell’s “Anyone Here for Love?” production with the Olympic team highly entertaining.  The song is bawdy and Russell’s strutting amongst the inattentive athletes is overtly sexual, with such lyrics as:

 

I like big muscles

And red corpuscles

I like a beautiful hunk o' man

But I'm no physical culture fan

Ain't there anyone here for love, sweet love

diamEach song seems to be perfectly matched to the woman performing it.  As an extra treat, of course, we get to see Russell parody Monroe’s “Diamonds” number when she takes her place in court. 

Hollywood made some outstanding musicals in the 1950s (Singin’ in the Rain and Seven Brides for Seven Brothers being the finest), and I think Gentlemen Prefer Blondes falls into this group.  Which is strange, because I also think that it is an often overlooked musical gem.  People will always remember the “Diamonds” number, but I think that the overall film deserves more respect than it gets. 

26 comments:

  1. 100% in agreement, Kim. Once you get past the brilliance of Marilyn, there is so much more. And, being a Jane Russell fan, I just adore her performance in this, especially in her Marilyn impersonation in the courtroom scene. It's a wonderful, 1950s candy box musical that brought so much talent and joie de vivre to to the screen, but also has great staying power.

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    1. FC: the courtroom scene is comical. I love when Russell mimics Monroe's voice. I often wonder if Monroe found it funny.

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  2. You probably already know that I'm a huge Marilyn and Jane fan. I loved them both in this light hearted comedy. I do not think that there is a better girl comedy team.

    The musical numbers are awesome!! Especially the classic Bye-Bye Baby and Diamonds are Girls Best Friend!

    Also, the clothes are amazing..

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    1. Nice to see you back, Dawn. Russell and Monroe dd make a great team. I liked that Hawks handled them evenly.

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  3. You're right, Kim, this picture does seem to be overlooked as one of the great, glittering '50s musicals. "Gentlemen Prefer Blondes" lacks for nothing, with more than one show-stopping and iconic musical number, the incomparable team of MM and Jane Russell, a fine supporting cast (Charles Coburn is always a plus) - and every other asset you touch on.

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    1. Charles Coburn was a delight as Piggy, wasn't he? Every time Monroe calls him that I giggle.

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    2. Yes...no one was ever better as a geezer with a twinkle in his eye

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    3. "A geezer with a twinkle in his eyes" sounds positively Stanwyckican, Patty.

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  4. Watched this for my My Month with Marilyn fest and loved it. It's one of the few movies from that era that really shows strong women (or at least an ideal female friendship not built on competition). And honestly, who is more beautiful in that film...I can't decide!

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    1. You're right about this film showcasing strong women, Kristen. It's nice to see two women working together and not against one another. As for who is more beautiful, I guess it matters if you prefer blondes or brunettes.

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    2. I agree about the female friendship in this film! I wrote an entry about the Ronald Reagan movie She's Working Her Way Through College a while back, where it disappointed me that it was made at the same time as this film (and How to Marry a Millionaire) and yet the female relationships in that film were so far behind Gentlemen Prefer Blondes. I really think that's one of the things that's made this film hold up so well when so many others from the time period appear a lot more dated.

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    3. Heather, I think I saw that post and agreed with you. How To Marry a Millionaire is similar to Gentlemen Prefer Blondes when it comes to allowing non-compettive female friendships.

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  5. Great post Kim on a marvelously entertaining musical starring two legends. This is one movie that could never be remade today with anything like the pizzaz and chemistry that Marilyn and Jane had.
    Bravo for singing its praises.

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    1. They don't really make films with pizzaz today--they just blow things up. I was inspired by your recent article on Travilla, so thanks.

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  6. I love Jane Russell in this, especially in the "Anyone Here for Love?" number. (The first time I saw it, I had to keep checking my eyes to convince myself the gymnasts weren't naked!) Marilyn is great, of course, but I think Jane Russell's performance tends to get overlooked by casual classic film fans, and it's nice to see her get the attention she deserves.

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    1. Yep, those guys sure do look nude, don't they? And, you're right, Jane Russell does get overlooked in this, even though she's just as good as Marilyn.

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  7. I think the cast certainly makes GENTLEMEN PREFER BLONDES entertaining, but it lacks the style and depth of great musicals like SEVEN BRIDES FOR SEVEN BROTHERS.

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    1. Rick, I think it has its own unique style. Still, Seven Brides for Seven Brothers is superior to it.

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  8. I agree with what some of the other folks have said: my favorite part was Russell doing Monroe in the courtroom.

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    1. Good choice. As I said earlier, I wonder what Monroe thought about it.

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  9. Brilliant review. Totally enjoyed reading it. Have become your fan. I'm promoting your blog on mine now. By the way, take a minute to check out my site

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    1. Nice to hear you like the blog. Will check yours out.

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  10. I like Gentlemen Prefer Blondes, but it's not always an easy film to watch. Mostly due to the two drips that Monroe and Russell end up with by the time the movie calls it a wrap...I think that's why Hawks goes in for a close-up of the two women, cutting those two morons out of the picture ("It's all about Lorelei and Dorothy").

    Hey, I saw your blog was Best New LAMB-eligible over at the LAMB, so I nominated you in that category. Small denominations should be sent to the usual address.

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    1. I agree, I didn't really like the two guys they were paired with. Thanks for nomination, Ivan, I didn't even think about it until you said something.

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  11. Kim, I think we pretty much agree on this one. I have not had this much fun in a long time. There is a lot of (deserved) talk about the songs and the stunning appeal of these to girls, but what really sealed the deal for me was how funny it was. You are so right, every time Lorelei says "Piggy" I am rolling on the floor with laughter. And that stunt with the eligible billionaire boy was sensational.

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    1. Monroe gets a bad rap for playing bimbos (though, in her defense, she was often typecast), she had great comedic abilities. She and Jane Russell make a good comedic team here.

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