My favorite part of Gentlemen Prefer Blondes (1953) is the floor show number where Marilyn Monroe, pretty in pink, sings “Diamonds Are a Girl’s Best Friend.” Decades later, Madonna would pay homage to this classic scene in her “Material Girl” music video. Not only does Marilyn Monroe look fabulous in this film, but Jane Russell more than holds her own with her singing and dancing.
Marilyn and Jane are best friends. Marilyn is obsessed with money. She has the son of a multi-millionaire interested in marrying her, but his father is balking. Jane likes tall, handsome men regardless of their financial status. While on a cruise ship to Europe, Jane flirts with the American Olympic Team. There’s a silly subplot about a diamond tiara and some hijinks about recovering some damning photographs of Marilyn with a conniving old man. All in all, Gentleman Prefer Blondes delivers frothy fun. What’s your favorite Marilyn Monroe movie? GRADE: A-
This is very jolly and it helps that Howard Hawks was behind the camera as he was a master of screwball. There are several Monroe films that I think stand up very well – of the dramatic ones, THE MISFITS and BUST STOP stand out, as well as RIVER OF NO RETURN. Of the comedies SOME LIKE IT HOT remains my favourite – 7 YEAR ITCH has not aged as well it seems to be.
Sergio, I love SOME LIKE IT HOT, too! But I haven’t seen BUST STOP.
I haven’t seen this since I was a kid but I see it is on Netflix so I might take a look. Am betting Phil has never seen it.
Patti, Phil will love GENTLEMEN PREFER BLONDES!
My favorite movie with MM in it is The Asphalt Jungle – but of course her part is little more than a walk-on. And though the Freudian slip is understandable, that movie cited by Sergio is Bus Stop.
Art, I thought BUST STOP was a cute Freudian slip so I let it stand.
I love that BUST STOP typo. And I really like GENTLEMEN PREFER BLONDES, but my favorite is SOME LIKE IT HOT.
Bill, I need to watch SOME LIKE IT HOT again soon!
My fav is also Some Like It Hot. My problem with Gentleman is that I never found Jane Russell very attractive.
Steve, I like Jane Russell’s feistiness.
I like both Some like it Hot and Gentlemen. I’m trying to think of a movie I just saw with MM in it. I want to say it was Monkey Business with Cary Grant and Ginger Rogers, but will have to check IMDB to see for sure. She had a minor role as a secretary and was very good in it.
It was Monkey Business and the scalping scene was hysterical. Love Cary Grant.
If you do a theme of hot male actors of the past, I’d vote for Cary Grant and Errol Flynn. I just saw a Flynn movie I hadn’t seen or heard of before: Escape Me Never with Ida Lupino and Claire Trevor.
Maggie, I’ll consider a HOT MALE ACTORS OF THE PAST week for next Summer. Jeff Meyerson is already lobbying for a REDHEAD WEEK.
Definitely SOME LIKE IT HOT. It’s been decades since I’ve seen BLONDES, which was never a favorite. Besides ASPHALT JUNGLE, my favorite bit she did was in the great ALL ABOUT EVE, as Miss Casswell, a “graduate of the Copacabana School of Dramatic Art,” as George Sanders memorably phrases it.
Jeff, I have a DVD of SOME LIKE IT HOT around here somewhere. I’ll have to dig it up and watch it!
Some like it hot was it for me too – but Bust Stop has an interesting ring to it! 🙂
PS and a bit OT:
George, If this is “blonde week”, are we then allowed to tell blonde jokes too?
Wolf, I’m not sure “Blonde Jokes” would be politically correct.