Gentlemen Prefer Blondes Overview:

Gentlemen Prefer Blondes (1953) was a Comedy - Drama Film directed by Howard Hawks and produced by Sol C. Siegel.

SYNOPSIS

Fifties screen sirens Monroe and Russell in made-to-order roles. A pair of gold-digging showgirls from the canebrake - a sassy, street-smart brunette and a sexy, naive blonde - pursue potential husbands on an ocean cruise. Glossy, big-budget Hawks adaptation of the Broadway hit based on an Anita Loos story. Jule Styne's songs include "Diamonds Are a Girl's Best Friend."

(Source: available at Amazon AMC Classic Movie Companion).

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BlogHub Articles:

Silver Screen Standards: Gentlemen Prefer Blondes (1953)

By Jennifer Garlen on Dec 12, 2024 From Classic Movie Hub Blog

Silver Screen Standards: Gentlemen Prefer Blondes (1953) While I?ve never had any interest in diamonds, I do enjoy watching Marilyn Monroe sing about them in Gentlemen Prefer Blondes (1953), the Technicolor film adaptation of the 1949 stage musical based on Anita Loos? flapper era novel. Monroe?s... Read full article


Musical Monday: Gentlemen Prefer Blondes (1953)

on May 9, 2022 From Comet Over Hollywood

It?s no secret that the Hollywood Comet loves musicals. In 2010, I revealed I had seen 400 movie musicals over the course of eight years. Now that number is over 600. To celebrate and share this musical love, here is my weekly feature about musicals. This week?s musical: Gentleman Prefer Blondes ? M... Read full article


Marilyn: Behind the Icon - Gentlemen Prefer Blondes

By Gary Vitacco-Robles on Jul 6, 2020 From Classic Movie Hub Blog

Marilyn: Behind the Icon — Monroe Catapults to Global Fame in Gentlemen Prefer Blondes Gentlemen Prefer Blondes signified an ideal pairing of star & role, catapulting Marilyn Monroe into global superstardom, endearing her to the public, and cementing her comedic & musical talent... Read full article


Classic Films in Focus: GENTLEMEN PREFER BLONDES (1953)

By Jennifer Garlen on Jan 21, 2020 From Virtual Virago

Marilyn Monroe became a true star thanks to Gentlemen Prefer Blondes (1953), the Howard Hawks directed adaptation of the Broadway musical hit in which Carol Channing had originated the role of Lorelei Lee. Monroe's take on "Diamonds are a Girl's Best Friend" remains one of her most memorable moments... Read full article


COMEDY GOLD #8: The tiara scene from Gentlemen Prefer Blondes (1953)

By Carol Martinheira on Aug 28, 2018 From The Old Hollywood Garden

COMEDY GOLD #8: The tiara scene from Gentlemen Prefer Blondes (1953) On August 28, 2018August 28, 2018 By CarolIn Uncategorized There isn’t one second of this movie I don’t love. On the surface, Gentlemen Prefer Blondes (dir. Howard Hawks) might seem slight... Read full article


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Quotes from

Dorothy Shaw: Remember, honey, on your wedding day it's All right to say "yes."


Dorothy Shaw: In bed by nine? That's when life just begins!


Dorothy Shaw: I like a man who can run faster than I can.


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Facts about

The story was based on an ocean voyage to Europe that Anita Loos took on the same boat taking the US Olympic Team. Whichever ship she actually took, the liner that is mentioned in this film was the SS Ile de France. The famous liner was actually used in the film The Last Voyage, but it has a more heroic place in history. It was the SS Ile de France that played a major role in the rescue of the passengers from the Italian liner Andrea Dorea in 1956, after the latter ship collided with the Swedish ship Stockholm off the coast of Nantucket, Massachusetts. The SS Ile de France was decommissioned shortly before the filming of "The Last Voyage," in which she was partially sunk for several key scenes. When filming was completed, she was towed to the scrap docks.
Originally bought by Fox as a vehicle for Betty Grable. After the success of Niagara (which featured Marilyn Monroe), however, the studio believed they had a more potent and far less expensive sex symbol than Grable (who was earning around $150,000 per picture vs. Monroe's $18,000).
The "Diamonds Are A Girl's Best Friend" number was later re-shot in CinemaScope, to be used as part of a CinemaScope demonstration held on the Fox lot in March of 1953. Producer Darryl F. Zanuck told "Daily Variety" that it only took 3-1/2 hours to shoot the number in CinemaScope versus four days for the original film version. The public finally saw the CinemaScope version ten years later when it closed Fox's documentary tribute to MM, Marilyn,
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Also directed by Howard Hawks




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Also produced by Sol C. Siegel




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