GENTLEMEN PREFER BLONDES: Blu-ray (2oth Century-Fox, 1953) Fox Home Video

Marilyn Monroe: so much has been written about the woman, the star, the legend and her untimely death, and yet so much of her remains an enigma to the outside world, and so thoroughly misunderstood. Perhaps the biggest misperception is that Monroe was somehow less of an actress and more of a sex symbol. While it is undeniably factual to acknowledge that Monroe exuded a fragile, almost childlike sensuality on the screen throughout her brief reign in Hollywood, it is as accurate to state she was one hell of a wit, her blonde bauble-headed appeal so convincingly carried off, even today many still consider it her persona rather than her schtick. Monroe was very clever about marketing herself as a pre-packaged platinum goddess. Unfortunately, the branding did more than cling to its product – it enveloped and eventually stymied any hope Monroe had of breaking out of her own manufactured deception. And thus, Monroe has remained world-renowned for her trademarked silly/sexy, good fun – a true detriment to her willpower, fortitude, intelligence, and, contributions to American cinema.

Howard Hawk’s Gentlemen Prefer Blondes (1953) is the movie that pretty much set-up Monroe to take the fall as everyone’s favorite dumb blonde. On stage, the role of Lorelei Lee had been played by Carol Channing (an unfathomable bit of casting in retrospect, given how seamlessly Monroe assumes control of the part in this delightfully ribald and sassy musical comedy). Monroe’s rendition of ‘Diamonds Are A Girl’s Best Friend’ is a defining moment in movie musicals as she slinks and preens for the camera, poured into that blindingly brilliant, strapless pink gown by Travilla with the bow on the butt, presumably to accentuate her sex appeal even as she extols the virtues of wearing those cross-cut rocks, ever to remain when the fleeting attraction of skin has worn thin. “Men grow cold, as girls grow old, and we all lose our charms in the end!” Truer sentiments were never set to music.

And yet, as mythologized as this one number is, it isn’t the whole show. And that, decidedly, is a very good thing. Gentlemen Prefer Blondes is a blisteringly hilarious show, with flashy songs and dances methodically paced throughout, and, with a formidable rival in the sexpot category in the embodiment of co-star, Jane Russell (no stranger to the moniker after 1943’s The Outlaw). Together, Monroe and Russell give female sex appeal a genuine run for its money, the initial debut of ‘the girls’, parting a sequined black curtain, wearing fire-hot red sequined gowns to croon the Jule Stein/Leo Robin’s showstopper, A Girl From Little Rock, almost immediately sets the screen ablaze. And Russell, far from being the gal on the side, becomes an integral part of the plot as Dorothy Shaw, Lorelei’s reluctant chaperone on a European cruise, in Lorelei’s defense, to fend off the lecherous advances of a wealthy old fool, Sir Francis ‘Piggy’ Beekman (an effervescent and hilarious, Charles Colburn) while keeping her own Don Juan – private investigator, Ernie Malone (an ineffectual, Elliott Reid) on a very short string. And then, there is Tom Noonan, as Lorelei’s hapless suitor, Gus Esmond Jr. – heir to a fortune Lorelei cannot wait to get her hands on. That she also happens to adore Gus…in her own fashion…is icing on an already well-frosted cake.

Monroe is Lorelei Lee – a simple-minded gold digger with a penchant for rich men in general and diamonds in particular. Lorelei has hooked a big fish with moony Gus, a wealthy stock broker who absolutely swoons whenever she plies him with kisses. The two have recently become engaged, leaving Lorelei to envision a future filled with unlimited expense accounts and moneyed trips abroad. To seal the deal, Gus has agreed to send the Lorelei and her best friend, Dorothy Shaw on a lavish cruise and Parisian holiday. Behind the scenes, however, Esmond has hired P.I. Ernie Malone to tail the girls and look for chinks in Lorelei’s fidelity. There are plenty of opportunities aboard ship, as the girls are sailing with the entire U.S. men’s Olympic team – butch, clean-cut and muscled guys who take an immediate interest in Lorelei and Dorothy.  Concerned Dorothy’s attentions will be divided, Gus attempts to outline her duties while sailing to France, to which Dorothy glibly replies, “Let’s get one thing straight. I’m the chaperone. Nobody chaperones the chaperone. That’s why I’m so right for this job!”

Dorothy is into corpuscles and muscles. But Lorelei cannot see the benefits in a man without disposable income. “I want you to be happy,” Lorelei tells Dorothy, “…and stop having fun.” To this end, Lorelei compiles a list of the top ten wealthiest bachelors aboard ship and then bribes the Captain of Waters (Alex Akimoff) to have them all seated at her table for dinner. The move, however, is purely philanthropic, as Lorelei is sincerely hoping to choose a suitable male companion for Dorothy – not herself.  One of the more interesting prospects – at least on paper – is Henry Spofford III (George Winslow). Unfortunately, when Mr. Spofford arrives to table he is revealed as an eleven-year-old who, by his own hilarious admission, is “old enough to appreciate a good-looking woman.” Utterly defeated in her matchmaking skills, Lorelei and Dorothy retire to the ship’s lounge where they meet Sir Francis Beekman, a wily old sod who is not above flirting with Lorelei and plying her with stories of his diamond mines in Africa. Francis is joined by his wife, Lady Beekman (Norma Varden) who shows Lorelei her diamond-studded tiara. That’s all the encouragement Lorelei needs. She’s hooked and pursues a friendship with Francis. This eventually turns flirtatious right under Ernie’s watchful eye. As such, Lorelei connives Francis into giving her Lady Beekman’s tiara.

However, once in Paris, Lady Beekman retaliates by making a formal charge of theft against Lorelei. Having learned from Ernie about the incident, Gus cancels the girl’s line of credit, leaving them stranded and without a place to stay in the city of light. Recouping their losses quickly, Lorelei and Dorothy headline Chez Louis, a Bohemian nightclub where they quickly become the toast of Paris. But Lady Beekman has not given up on the chase just yet. She orders her attorney, Pritchard (Alex Fraser) to have Lorelei arrested and then instructs the Gendarme (Peter Camlin) to escort her to night court. Realizing what a bind they are in, Dorothy dons a blonde wig, impersonating Lorelei at the public hearing while Lorelei skulks off in search of Francis to validate her innocence. In court, Dorothy does a wicked lampoon of Lorelei’s iconic number, Diamonds Are A Girls’ Best Friend. This understandably ruffles a lot of feathers including Ernie’s – who suddenly recognizes the switch almost immediately. He remains silent, having fallen in love with Dorothy. But he also has second thoughts about what has become of Lady Beekman’s diamond tiara.

Hurrying to the airport, Ernie confronts Francis, who is about to flee the country, and upon searching his luggage finds Lady Beekman’s jeweled headdress among his belongings. Francis and the tiara are brought before the Magistrate (Marcel Dalio) who instructs Lorelei (still played by Dorothy) to give it back to Francis, who then gives it to Lady Beekman. Ernie attempts to patch up things with Dorothy. But she momentarily spurns him even though she clearly is in love. Meanwhile, Gus arrives with his father to confront Lorelei about her infidelity. “Don’t you know that a man being rich is like a girl being pretty?” she tells Gus Sr. (Taylor Holmes), “You may not marry her just because she’s pretty, but my God, doesn’t it help?” Father and son have second thoughts about the couple’s engagement and Gus openly admits he cannot live without Lorelei. The film concludes with a double marriage aboard ship: Gus and Lorelei, and, Dorothy and Ernie.

Gentlemen Prefer Blondes is an eye-popping, tune filled, light romantic (at times, slightly screwball) comedy. The film is notable for Charles Lederer’s sparkling screenplay, based on Joseph Fields and Anita Loos acidic stage play, and is also justly famous for its robust score, including, among its formidable treasures, the aforementioned ‘Diamonds are A Girl’s Best Friend’, Dorothy’s playfully sexy entreaties to the entire Olympic team as they train with shirtless abandonment, ‘Ain’t There Anyone Here For Love?’, Bye-bye, Baby’, the pseudo-melancholy ‘When Love Goes Wrong, Nothing Goes Right’ and sinfully slinky, A Girl from Little Rock’. Howard Hawks, not a name immediately associated with musical comedy (indeed, Gentlemen Prefer Blondes would be his one and only foray in the genre) directs with the finesse of a true veteran, applying his slick and glossy veneer to this intoxicatingly fresh and tune-filled mélange. There is genuine onscreen chemistry between Jane Russell and Marilyn Monroe. By all accounts, the ladies got on famously throughout the shoot and became good friends thereafter. It’s a real pity they were never again to be reunited on the screen. Russell’s inimitable brand of shoot-from-the-hip sensuality is the perfect foil for Monroe’s thoroughly skewed optimism. Charles Coburn is a real gem – his bloodshot eyes and bald pate quivering comedic brilliance, as in the moment when Lorelei tells Sir Francis, upon first meeting him, she thought he would be a lot older. “Oh, my dear, my very dear,” schmoozes Coburn before suddenly reacting with indignation at the thought he is being lied to, “Older than what?!?” to which Russell’s Dorothy replies, “The pyramids!” 

Gentlemen Prefer Blondes is often criticized for having a weak third act.  I confess, the double wedding that closes the show seems a tad rehearsed, and more of a last minute tack-on than a clever denouement. Herein, I’ll simply quote Yul Brynner from another movie, “It was all rather good until the end!”  Viewed today, Gentlemen Prefer Blondes holds up remarkably well. The comedy sparkles with vitality few musicals of its time possessed, and fewer still have been able to sustain some seventy-years after they were made. Monroe and Russell are a winning pair of slinky sex kittens who know the strength of their own sex appeal and are never afraid to exercise it to their mutual advantage. The Stein/Robin’s score continues to make our toes tap and our hearts sing. There is a lot to admire here, and there is little doubt that generations to come will continue to regard Gentlemen Prefer Blondes as a high-water mark for Marilyn Monroe.

That its overwhelming box office success had the adverse effect of catapulting Monroe into super stardom, solidifying her reputation as America’s favorite ditz - and nothing more - is, in retrospect, regrettably, as Monroe proved she had so much more to offer. As proof of its enduring legacy, the picture has become something of a perennial trend-defining epoch for all Hollywood starlets aspiring to find their inner ‘Monroe’ with artists as diverse as model, Anna Nicole Smith, pop singer, Madonna and actress, Nicole Kidman having channeled the Monroe mystique – though never to entirely bottle her incurable innocence - as part of their own iconography. Men may indeed ‘grow cold as girls grow old’, but the charm of Gentlemen Prefer Blondes will likely never lose its appeal.

Given the spotty history of 2oth Century-Fox’s archival preservation, Gentleman Prefer Blondes looks remarkably to have escaped the ravages of time and mid-70’s purge in original 3-strip Technicolor elements. It’s debut on home video is singularly marred by Fox Home Video’s early vigor to release hi-def transfers with liberally applied DNR (digital noise reduction), resulting herein, not only in a complete absence of film grain (Technicolor itself was a grain-concealing process) but also a bent toward some very waxy images, occasionally deprived of even fine details that were inherent in the original cinematography. Viewed at a respectable distance, the slight is negligible. But it does exist and plagues what would otherwise have been a ‘reference quality’ mastering effort. Colors are lusciously rich and vibrant. Fine detail in close-ups is very appealing. Contrast is excellent throughout. There is no hint of age-related wear and tear. This one truly has the sparkle of vintage Fox Technicolor. If only DNR had not been added, Harry J. Wild’s stunning cinematography would have (and should have) truly shone. We get a rechanneled DTS 5.1 audio mix.  The theatrical release was in mono. Thus, an original 2.0 mono track ought to have offered up for grabs too. Alas, no. And even worse for such an enduring classic, Fox affords us absolutely NO extras – not even an audio commentary. A truncated Movietone Newsreel, with Monroe and Russell leaving their hands and footprints in cement inside the forecourt of Grauman’s Chinese Theater, and some badly worn theatrical trailers is all we get. Finally - odd, but typical of the studio's disregard for its own catalog, to feature cover art depicting Monroe and Russell in costumes from a number shot, but later excised from the finished movie (and not thought to have survived today). Bottom line: as Disney now are the custodians of the Fox catalog, I wouldn’t hold my breath for a remastered edition of Gentleman Prefer Blondes. At a distance, the hellish DNR here can be tolerated, if not appreciated. The rest of this mastering effort is a class act. Judge and buy accordingly.

FILM RATING (out of 5 – 5 being the best)

4.5

VIDEO/AUDIO

3

EXTRAS

0