Gentlemen Prefer Blondes

A gold-digging, or rather diamond-digging, "dumb" blonde, played by Marilyn Monroe, and her singing gal pal, played by the vivacious Jane Russell, provide mutual support on a love boat cruise, where they flirt with, and woo, eligible and preferably rich, men, in this musical comedy from the early 50's. The story is thin and nonsensical. But that's OK, because the film's strengths lie in its comedic script, its dazzling musical numbers, and the inclusion of the visually stunning M. Monroe, as Lorelei Lee.

Superficially, Lorelei "seems" like a not very bright "babe", especially in some of her comments. For example, she counsels Russell's character by saying: "I want you to find happiness --- and stop having fun". But there is a subtle quality about Lorelei that suggests that she may be smarter than she lets on. One wonders if Monroe, who was quite intelligent and bookish in real life, was really acting in this film, or just being herself.

While there are several lively, and memorable, musical numbers, they are all lead-ins to the lavish, eye-popping musical finale. On a stage adorned in garish colors (orange, pink, and black mostly), a breathtakingly glamorous Monroe belts out the popular song: "Diamonds Are A Girl's Best Friend". Her singing (partially dubbed) is not quite as credible as the performance of Carol Channing in the Broadway version. Still, the film's finale is a cinematic spectacle, a veritable feast for the eyes and ears. "Gentlemen Prefer Blondes" is not a heavy weight "message" film. It is instead a pleasant and entertaining bit of fluff, where the emphasis is on fun, music, and glamour.

I think some people are too harsh on this movie. No, it doesn't saying anything revelatory about the human condition but that's not its intent. It is very good escapist fare. Monroe and Russell keep us enthralled with their glamor, song and dance numbers, and the occasional sharp one-liner. The plot is perfunctory. While Monroe is obviously the one most associated with the film in the public's consciousness, I personally think Russell is just as good if not better (I'm not saying that because I'm a brunet as well!) A question many Monroe fans ask is whether at this point onward in her career Monroe was playing Lorelei or whether in real life she 'was' Lorelei? Whatever the case, I recommend this movie if one is in the mood for glitzy glamorous Hollywood spectacle, 7/10.

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!"

Anyone who's ever written off Marilyn Monroe as "just" a dumb blonde are directed to this film immediately. Yes, at first glance, Lorelei Lee is a brainless piece of fluff, given to such malapropisms as "Pardon me, please, is this the boat to Europe, France?" But upon closer inspection, this girl is no dummy. Rather remarkably for the chauvinist times, Lorelei and Dorothy (played by the incredibly underrated Jane Russell) do things on their own terms, and when Lorelei "plays dumb," it's because she knows that's what men expect--and she uses it to her advantage. But enough of the heavy analysing; above all, "Gentlemen Prefer Blondes" is FUN! It's clearly of the Fox, rather than the MGM, school of musicals--MGM made the "art" musicals ("An American in Paris," "Singin' in the Rain"), while Fox made the "vulgar" ones ("There's No Business Like Show Business"). From the opening number ("Two Little Girls from Little Rock"), we know we're in for a visually opulent, noveau riche zircon of entertainment--witness the gaudy black, red and blue color scheme. Lorelei and Dorothy's costumes are at the extreme end of 50's fashion; designer Travilla will never go down as a contemporary of Dior or Balenciaga, but as a precursor to Bob Mackie. And yet, this is still a very funny (and essentially very warm) movie. There are few screen friendships as believable and as lovable as Lorelei and Dorothy's--maybe only Lucy and Ethel's on the small screen really surpasses it. "Let's get this straight," Dorothy warns, "nobody ever talks about Lorelei except ME." And Lorelei returns the compliment: "Dorothy is the best, loyalest friend a girl could ever have." Pretty heartwarming stuff! In a nutshell, Lorelei and Dorothy are nightclub entertainers who head for Paris when Lorelei's romance with millionaire Mr. Esmond (Tommy Noonan) flounders due to his father's interference. Shipboard, Dorothy is romanced by Malone (Elliot Reid), who, unbeknowst to the girls, is a private detective hired by Esmond to keep an eye out for potential scandal. Meanwhile, Lorelei meets Lord Beekman, aka "Piggy" (Charles Coburn), probably the dirtiest dirty old man in the history of film. Piggy just happens to own the 2nd largest diamond mine in South Africa, and soon enough, Lorelei is coveting the gorgeous diamond tiara owned by Piggy's wife, Lady Beekman (Norma Varden). Various mixups and mayhem ensues, with Lorelei and Dorothy eventually stranded in Paris. And that's where Marilyn Monroe gives her penultimate performance: the legendary "Diamonds are a Girl's Best Friend" sequence. Even today, after scores of parodies and tributes, this number captivates. Not since Rita Hayworth's "Put the Blame on Mame" in "Gilda" was there such an intoxicatingly sexy marriage between star, song and persona. In this number, Marilyn is by turns playful, alluring, seductive and charming, but NEVER conniving or hard-edged. And therein lies her appeal: even when proclaiming "I prefer a man who lives and gives expensive jewels!", Marilyn is never anything less than adorable. She's not a gum-snapping, man-eating golddigger; she wants pretty things, and knows how to get them--but not at the expense of being nice. She may peruse passenger lists with single-minded focus ("Any man with '...and valet' after his name is definitely worthwhile"), but she's still a likable character WITH a motivation behind her actions--which always remain entirely innocent. Special note must be made here, too, of Jane Russell's contributions to this film (not the least of which is her seen-to-be-believed solo, "Ain't There Anyone Here for Love," in which she's surrounded by posterior-pumping beefcake). It would've been very easy for Russell to either throw the film entirely to Monroe, or push too hard for her own spotlight at the expense of onscreen warmth and camraederie. Wisely, Russell does neither. She simply turns in a snappy, effortless comic performance that more than holds its own, and projects a marvelous sense of sisterhood in her scenes with Monroe. This is a small comic, musical gem; the sum is greater than its parts (the songs themselves are weak; the comedy is sometimes obvious), but you cannot deny its sheer entertainment value. This is a perfect example of star power (Monroe's AND Russell's) turning a rhinestone into a diamond.

Marilyn Monroe and Jane Russell are so terrific in their musical comedy roles that they make the men (Elliot Reid and Tommy Noonan) look even more pallid than they are. But let's fact it. Nobody's watching them anyway when the spotlight is on Monroe and Russell as just "two little girls from Little Rock".

Fox knew what to do with the two lovelies when they cast them as the gold diggers aboard a ship bound for France with nothing on their minds but the pursuit of men with money. Jane has a wonderful song-and-dance routine with Olympic hopefuls in "Ain't There Anyone Here For Love?" and Marilyn gets to do a now-classic routine with "Diamonds Are A Girl's Best Friend". Charles Coburn has some amusing moments as an old-timer with a yen for Marilyn who has a yen for his wife's tiara. "I just love finding new places to wear diamonds", she says in that sweetly innocent Monroe voice. And Russell tops everything off with an imitation of Monroe in a courtroom that's guaranteed to draw chuckles.

It's all done up in vivid technicolor. The girls wear eye-popping costumes and look ultra glamorous together (exact opposites), and the songs aren't bad either. Pure escapist entertainment of the '50s kind with enough humorous moments to keep you entertained by the silly shenanigans. Fans of Monroe and Russell will love this one.

One of the funniest moments: Monroe stuck in a ship's porthole while a little boy holds a blanket around her as she makes small talk with Charles Coburn.