Marilyn Monroe and Jane Russell Hit the Heights in Gentlemen Prefer Blondes

 

      Gifted with top production values, including some of the most vibrant Technicolor ever seen, playful direction by Howard Hawks, once again proving his skill at handling any genre with deft precision, and two of the most memorable turns found in musical comedy during its heyday, 1953's Gentlemen Prefer Blondes from 20th-Century Fox is a perfect vehicle to cure any blues during its lively 91 minutes. With nary a care of delving into serious issues, Hawks and his stellar stars Marilyn Monroe and Jane Russell beautifully maintain a sense of fun from first frame to last, guided by the witty, fast-paced Charles Lederer screenplay adaptation of the Anita Loos/Joseph Fields stage hit (from Loos 1925 novel) and inventive, entertaining choreography by Jack Cole which shows off both stars to their best advantage, starting with the knockout opening number, "Two Little Girls from Little Rock" wherein Monroe and Russell appear in stunning red sequined garb and set the screen aglow with easy charm and sex appeal, letting an audience know exactly what to expect for the remainer of the movie, with the front-and-center stars commanding the screen in spectacular fashion. 

       Making her initial impact in movies via small but standout roles in 1950's All About Eve and The Asphalt Jungle, Marilyn Monroe slowly worked her way up the 20th-Century Fox ladder during the next few years, grabbing attention onscreen in both dramas (RKO's Clash By Night, Don't Bother to Knock) and lighter works (Monkey Business, We're Not Married), while also capturing the public's fancy after it was revealed she had posed a few years earlier for a nude calendar. In an indication of how times and sexual mores included therein were changing, Monroe's openness regarding her prior posing bare while in need of money brought public sympathy for her plight, and her fame continued its steep upward climb unhindered, which also indicated the phenomenal appeal Monroe gained early on with the public and maintains to the present. 1953 would prove the shift from up-and-comer to major stardom for Monroe, starting early in the year with standout work in her sole femme fatale role as the lush but lethal Rose Loomis in Niagara, which showcased Monroe's awesome screen presence and sensuality amid some arresting Niagara Falls locales, before the event of Blondes the following summer cemented Monroe's arrival as the decade's prime female star and sex symbol (literally, as both she and Russell placed their hands and footprints in the Grauman's Chinese Theater courtyard upon the film's premiere).

      Monroe truly lights up the screen in Blondes, deftly finding the balance between Lorelei Lee's wide-eyed innocence and her more mercenary attitudes, while looking otherworldly glamourous and seductive throughout. Marilyn allows the audience to understand Lorelei knows exactly how to handle any man to get what she wants from him, whether it be a diamond tiara or matrimonial gains, but in Monroe's hands she also conveys Loreli means harm to no one, and loves her nebbish intended Gus (Tommy Noonan) beyond his riches, an idea Loreli breaks down in a fascinating conversation with Gus' wary father late in the film ("Don't you know a man being rich is like a girl being pretty?"). It's easy to prefer the straightforward, vibrant, on-point playing Monroe achieves as Loreli and elsewhere (specifically in How to Marry a Millionaire and The Seven Year Itch) during her initial years of stardom to the more worked-out post-Actor's Studio performances to come, wherein Monroe maintained her unique allure onscreen, but possibly lost some of the snap and spontaneity found in her earlier work, with each role dissected to a fare thee well. In addition, watching Monroe in peak form in Blondes as she dreamily sails through her signature "Diamonds are a Girl's Best Friend" number with great wit, style and mojo, one witnesses the vision of "Movie Star," in its most iconic state- Monroe's rare fusion of dynamic screen presence with her incisive identification with Lorelei place her work in Blondes firmly among the best of her cinematic endeavors.

       For Russell, Blondes marks an easy career high for the low-key, good-natured sultry leading lady, after first making an impact in the 1940's with Howard Hughes' The Outlaw, built to launch Russell largely through the showcasing of the young starlet's imposing physical attributes. The massive publicity surrounding Russell and the then-daring sexual nature of the movie made Russell a name and a G.I. pinup favorite even before the film was released. However, Russell proved worthy of the attention after establishing herself as an amiable, sly presence in films via her teaming with Bob Hope in 1948's smash The Paleface and the even-better 1952 sequel, Son of Paleface, with Roy Rogers and Trigger coming onboard to join and heighten the fun. Russell proved she knew her way around a song as well in these films, and her genial, sometimes sarcastic way with a line marked her the perfect casting choice for Blondes' knowing showgirl, Dorothy Shaw, the professional colleague, best friend and protector of the main blonde in question, Lorelei.

       Although the plot of the film has much to do with Lorelei's perchance for affluent men and diamonds, Russell's sage, incredibly likable work as Dorothy takes a backseat to no one. Russell makes it abundantly clear Dorothy knows the score, both with Lorelei and any man either one comes across, and due to Russell's wry playing a viewer identifies strongly with Dorothy and hopes she achieves her main objectives in the film, specifically landing Mr. Right (although one wishes for another Robert Mitchum/Russell teaming in regard to the private eye who catches Dorothy's eye as she and Lorelei travel overseas to France). However, although she handles the romantic aspects of her role with ease, Russell really pushes the film into the entertainment stratosphere, first while maintaining her smooth deadpan while cavorting onboard poolside with a group of somewhat bare hunks representing the U,S, Olympic team in the clever Hoagy Carmichael/Harold Adamson tune "Ain't There Anyone Here for Love?" (this number once brought the house down at a screening in San Francisco's Castro Theater) and then, late in the film, with an upbeat courtroom burlesque of "Diamonds Are a Girl's Best Friend." Russell also nails every line she's given with aplomb (her snide "I was sure he would be" retort to Lorelei's overpraise that her Sugar Daddy's "The super best dancer!" is perhaps the highlight), gathering many laughs via her acerbic delivery style. Russell would continue to thrive throughout the rest of the decade, starring alongside no less than Clark Gable in The Tall Men and ideally teaming with Jeff Chandler in Foxfire, but subsequent musical outings proved lackluster; based on her superb showing in Blondes, one wishes Russell had more ample opportunities to shine in musical comedies. 

        Among the rest of the cast, a few manage to gain some notice amid Monroe and Russell's imposing star turns. The perfectly-cast Charles Coburn scores heavily as the leering Sir Francis "Piggy" Beekman, the diamond tycoon Lorelei sets her sights on, and vice-versa, during the ocean voyage much of the movie centers around. Norma Varden is also in tow and makes a good impression as the snobbish Lady Beekman, while veteran Marcel Dalio gets several big laughs as the exasperated judge haplessly trying to maintain order in the wild courtroom scene. However, tiny George Winslow, nicknamed "Foghorn" for good reason, comes closest to upstaging Monroe and Russell, as a precocious six-or-seven-year-old would-be suitor perfectly at ease when surrounded by the abundant charms of the dynamic duo, and quick-witted enough to literally lend a helping hand in his key scene with Monroe. It's also a lot of fun to keep an eye on all of Marilyn's Romeos in "Diamonds"; in addition to the most famous suitor, George Chakiris, Larry Kert and Robert Fuller can be seen (as well as-I think-Ben Cooper, but he's not listed in IMDB). Also briefly on view are bit player extraordinaire Bess Flowers, Julie Newmar as a chorus girl, Steve Reeves and Harry Carey Jr. among the Olympians, and Noel Neill.

      Blondes did outstanding business upon its release in 1953 (amassing $5.1 million in film rentals and placing at #9 for the year, according to Variety) granting Russell further career momentum after her success in the previous year's Son of Paleface and giving Monroe her first great hit, setting her up to become Cinema's biggest female draw after indelible follow-up work in How to Marry a Millionaire, which brought in even bigger returns in late 1953, proved Monroe to be among Hollywood's top talents and box-office draws. The entertainment value offered by Blondes has not diminished a wit in the decades since the film's release and remains a key vehicle in which to view two of the era's central stars, interacting in perfect synchronicity in roles flawlessly suited to their highly individual skills in the musical comedy field. For both Monroe and Russell, Blondes offers the ideal spotlight to demonstrate their cinematic worth to audiences from here to eternity, to mention another top 1953 screen offering.