It’s a rather telling statement on the current benchmark in female celebrity that many a contemporary starlet continues to strive to duplicate the ‘50s iconography of Marilyn Monroe. Everyone from Madonna to the late Anna Nicole Smith has gone through a 'Marilyn phase' – none, able to recapture Monroe’s inimitable classy sheen beneath their own raunchiness. Hence, Marilyn Monroe remains the ideal in ultra-sexed platinum bobble-headed femininity. She is, as she was then, that perfect blend of sass and naivety.
20th Century Fox acknowledges her legacy on celluloid with Marilyn Monroe: The Diamond Collection Vol. One. The set aptly bringing together Monroe’s trademark performances; Gentlemen Prefer Blondes (1953) How To Marry A Millionaire (1953), There’s No Business Like Show Business (1954), The Seven Year Itch (1955), Bus Stop (1956) and the AMC original feature length documentary; Marilyn Monroe: The Final Days – a poignant account of Marilyn’s unfinished last film, prolifically titled, Something’s Gotta Give (1962).
In How To Marry A Millionaire (1953) Monroe is Pola Debevoise, a blind-as-a-bat fashion model who is in cahoots with Schatze Page (Lauren Bacall) and Loco Dempsey (Betty Grable). The schemers plan to snag a trio of rich husbands by renting a posh penthouse on 5th Ave.
Monroe is quite engaging as the near-sighted gal who bumps into furniture, walls and the wrong sort of man – eighteen carat fake, J. Stewart Marshall (Alex D’Arcy). The first comedy shot in Fox’s patented Cinemascope, How To Marry A Millionaire was a colossal hit, despite its rather vapid premise.
There’s No Business Like Show Business (1954) is not a Monroe film per say. It is the story of Vaudeville family: The Five Donahues - mom, Molly (Ethel Merman), father, Terence (Dan Dailey), sons Tim (Donald O’Connor) and Steve (Johnnie Raye) and daughter, Katie (Mitzi Gaynor). They love, laugh and cry (in various stages of the Lamar Trotti, Phoebe & Henry Ephron screenplay) while Tim courts aspiring actress, Vicki Hoffman (Marilyn Monroe).
Billy Wilder’s The Seven Year Itch (1955) is a curiosity amongst Monroe’s filmic projects, since she inadvertently becomes the focus of a story that on the stage had belonged to harried husband, Richard Sherman (Tom Ewell), with the part of the upstairs neighbor he finds himself attracted to (a role not even given a name) a rather insignificant part.
Finally, there’s Bus Stop (1956). Rambunctious cowboy, Bo Decker (Don Murray in a thoroughly campy performance) thinks he can deal with women the same way he does with cattle; hogtie their feet and hands and carrying them over his shoulder back to his farm. Even for the 50s, this is one dumb buck.
FILM RATING (out of 5 - 5 being the best)
Gentlemen Prefer Blondes 4
How To Marry A Millionaire 3.5
The Seven Year Itch 3
There's No Business Like Show Business 3
Bus Stop 3
Marilyn Monroe: The Final Days 3.5
VIDEO/AUDIO
Gentlemen Prefer Blondes 4.5
How To Marry A Millionaire 3.5
The Seven Year Itch 3.5
There's No Business Like Show Business 4
Bus Stop 3.5
Marilyn Monroe: The Final Days 3
EXTRAS
2
Of all these substantial screen efforts, Howard Hawks’ Gentlemen Prefer Blondes (1953) remains the highlight; giddy, gaudy in Fox’s lurid Technicolor, and musically gay, it features Monroe as rabid gold digger, Lorilei Lee, a show girl engaged to be married to simpleton rich kid, Gus Esmond (Tom Noonan). Determined that no other man should have his chance with Lorilei, Gus employs her best friend, Dorothy Shaw (Jane Russell) as chaperone on their prenuptial trip to Paris.
But when an elderly scallywag and diamond mine owner, Sir Francis Beekman (Charles Colburn) decides to make a play for Lorilei the high jinx and double entendre spark a riotous comedy of errors. Monroe is at her best as the devious ‘innocent.’ She smolders in the film’s iconic musical offering – Diamonds are A Girl’s Best Friend.
In How To Marry A Millionaire (1953) Monroe is Pola Debevoise, a blind-as-a-bat fashion model who is in cahoots with Schatze Page (Lauren Bacall) and Loco Dempsey (Betty Grable). The schemers plan to snag a trio of rich husbands by renting a posh penthouse on 5th Ave.
A promising prospect surfaces in middle-aged bachelor with the best of intentions, J.D. Hadley (William Powell). He’s an oil tycoon who genuinely falls for Schatze’s charms until he discovers that she still has feelings for fellow millionaire, Tom Brookman (Cameron Mitchell). The wrinkle; Schatze thinks Tom is a gas pump jockey. In the end, all of the girls’ best laid plans crumble under the forces of true love.
Monroe is quite engaging as the near-sighted gal who bumps into furniture, walls and the wrong sort of man – eighteen carat fake, J. Stewart Marshall (Alex D’Arcy). The first comedy shot in Fox’s patented Cinemascope, How To Marry A Millionaire was a colossal hit, despite its rather vapid premise.
There’s No Business Like Show Business (1954) is not a Monroe film per say. It is the story of Vaudeville family: The Five Donahues - mom, Molly (Ethel Merman), father, Terence (Dan Dailey), sons Tim (Donald O’Connor) and Steve (Johnnie Raye) and daughter, Katie (Mitzi Gaynor). They love, laugh and cry (in various stages of the Lamar Trotti, Phoebe & Henry Ephron screenplay) while Tim courts aspiring actress, Vicki Hoffman (Marilyn Monroe).
When it seems as though Vicki might wind up romantically with her agent, Lew Harris (Richard Eastham) Tim goes on a drunken bender to ‘find himself.’ The screenplay is pure pulp, but furnished with a megawatt Irving Berlin score that includes Ethel Merman pulling out all stops, singing the title tune with great aplomb. There's No Business Like Show Business is a lush and lavishly appointed Fox musical with plenty for the eyes and ears. The heart, however, may be left wanting for something more.
Billy Wilder’s The Seven Year Itch (1955) is a curiosity amongst Monroe’s filmic projects, since she inadvertently becomes the focus of a story that on the stage had belonged to harried husband, Richard Sherman (Tom Ewell), with the part of the upstairs neighbor he finds himself attracted to (a role not even given a name) a rather insignificant part.
Richard’s wife, Helen (Evelyn Keyes) and their young son, Ricky (Butch Bernard) have gone to the country for the summer, leaving Richard alone on the isle of Manhattan with dishonorable intentions towards ‘the new girl’ living upstairs. Not that she would recognize any of them.
The film is meant to be a riotous exploration of man’s struggle with his own sexual frustrations. Instead, it emerges mostly as a leaden and uninspired claptrap of colorless vignettes – the best being the iconic moment when a sudden updraft created by a subway raises Monroe’s billowy pleated skirt above her knees. Reportedly shot first on location in New York City, the scene generated such large crowds that Monroe’s then husband, baseball great Joe DiMaggio, was hardly thrilled by the attention. In the end, the scene was reshot on the Fox backlot.
Finally, there’s Bus Stop (1956). Rambunctious cowboy, Bo Decker (Don Murray in a thoroughly campy performance) thinks he can deal with women the same way he does with cattle; hogtie their feet and hands and carrying them over his shoulder back to his farm. Even for the 50s, this is one dumb buck.
Monroe stars as Cherie, a hapless no-talent flesh show at a Texas speakeasy. To Bo, Cherie is a vision but the film hints of a past that is riddled with failed romances and tragic stolen moments. Considered at the time to be Monroe’s breakout performance - a departure from her trademark image as a dumb blonde - in hindsight Bus Stop marks the beginning of the end for Monroe’s tenure as the last great diva from Hollywood’s post-war golden age.
Fox Home Video has done an outstanding job on all the transfers included in this box set. The best is Gentleman Prefer Blondes: full frame, with a fully saturated palette of gaudy Fox Technicolor oozing from every frame, bold contrast levels, superb rendering of fine details and with a minimal amount of film grain and age related artifacts. This is a near reference quality disc.
In keeping with the limitations of early widescreen technologies, colors are less refined on all of the Cinemascope productions, though Fox has done a marvelous job on each title. Apart from its more subdued spectrum of color – flesh tones are still a tad pasty – the image is quite solid, nicely contrasted and with a minimal amount of age related damage. This is no small feat.
All of these ‘scope’ films – save There’s No Business Like Show Business – were in advanced stages of decomposition prior to Fox performing complete digital restorations. While transitions between scenes continue to exhibits a momentary degradation – the overall quality will surely impress.
The best looking of the ‘scope’ films is There’s No Business Like Show Business – with eye popping colors, thoroughly balanced contrast levels and a very sharp and satisfy image throughout. The biggest improvement in image quality - over previously released to home video editions - is The Seven Year Itch. The weakest is Bus Stop.
The audio on Gentlemen Prefer Blondes is a remixed stereo blend from the original mono stems with limited spread and fidelity. The rest of the films have true 5.0 stereo mixes derived from their original six track magnetic stereo masters. The only extra of merit is AMC’s feature length account of the last days of Marilyn Monroe’s life – with vintage and new interviews from surviving cast members. Each film comes with a theatrical trailer and restoration comparison. Recommended!
FILM RATING (out of 5 - 5 being the best)
Gentlemen Prefer Blondes 4
How To Marry A Millionaire 3.5
The Seven Year Itch 3
There's No Business Like Show Business 3
Bus Stop 3
Marilyn Monroe: The Final Days 3.5
VIDEO/AUDIO
Gentlemen Prefer Blondes 4.5
How To Marry A Millionaire 3.5
The Seven Year Itch 3.5
There's No Business Like Show Business 4
Bus Stop 3.5
Marilyn Monroe: The Final Days 3
EXTRAS
2
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