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How to Marry a Millionaire? (1953)

Posters : 

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The Fox pushed its stars forward, Betty Grable, Marilyn Monroe and Lauren Bacall, for a movie describing the story of three adventurenesses, chasing a rich husband.

The studio was proud of its first Cinemascope film with three movie stars.

Screenwriter Nunnally Johnsonspecified that he had created those characters by adapting them to the three actresses personality. Despite the efforts of the studio to "sell" to the press a conflict between Marilyn and Betty Grable, the two actresses get well along together. Betty Grable had been the idol of the nation for 10 years and gently passed the torch.
At the beginning, Marilyn claimed the part of Loco, attributed to Betty Grable, because she didn't like her own character, Pola, decked out in glasses.

Jean Negulesco, the director, convinced her to accept, asserting that it was the best part; indeed, the comical thing engendered by the myopia, brought Marilyn some positive critics about her funny talent.
Though, Marilyn didn't consider her interpretation as one of her bests.
It was only during the premiere, on November 4, 1953, that Marilyn could measured the quality of her interpretation.

William Travilla, Allan Snyder and Gladys Rasmussen had made more than 6 hours to prepare her for her coming

on (,,). 

She had borrowed at the Fox wardrobe, a white Crêpe de Chine dress, covered with rhinestones sewed on her, long white gloves and a white fur stole. During the cocktail party prior to the premiere, Marilyn tense, had drunk several Bourbon-soda and was visibly fuddled when she crossed the shouting crowd to come in the Fox-Wilshire Theater. To Marilyn, the evening was a triumph, "the most beautiful night of her life".

The Hollywood Reporter wrote : "We hadn't seen such a thing since Gloria Swanson at the climax of her fame".

Jean Negulesco agreed. He said that she had "proved to everyone and to herself that she could face every competitions".

After several months, the movie had made a gross success 5 times upper than its extravagant budget of 2.5 millions $.

 

Shooting

Red bustier rouge :
with other actors 

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,-,,,  

alone

-                  

                           
off set 

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White négligé :

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Beige suit :
with Betty Grable  

,

                             
with other actors 

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off set

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Grey and white suit :
with Lauren Bacall 

with Alex D’Arcy

 

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Bathrobe : 
with other actors 

;

                
alone

, 

;

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White dress :

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Fur-collar dress
with Betty Grable 

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with Lauren Bacall 

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alone

;,

                                    
others

;

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Satin dress :
with Alex D'Arcy 

,

                    
with other actors 

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off set  

,,;

  
                   

alone 

-,-

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Blue suit :
with David Wayne 

,      

,      

alone

            

others

,,-,,,,

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With Jean Negulesco : 

,

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Négligé :
alone

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Red dress :
with other actors 

                   

with Jean Negulesco 

              

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Publicity pictures

Beige suit 

     

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Green top  

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white dress 

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satin dress  

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red bustier 

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Fitting :
bustier 

-,--,,           
                                   

white négligé

,-,        

                      

black négligé

                              

beach suit

                                     
flared short top 

                                     
white bathrobe

                                   

beige dress 

,                                 

satin dress

fur-collar dress

-

blue suit and beret 

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Hairdressing : 

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Premiere, on November 4, 1953

Poster

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With the crew 

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With her fans 

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With the press 

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With Lauren Bacall : 

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With Humphrey Bogart : 

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With Nunnally Johnson 

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With Robert Mitchum 

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With Jean Negulesco 

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With Shelley Winters 

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Alone:  

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CREDIT

Twentieth Century-Fox, Cinemascope and Technicolor.

Runtime : 95 mn

National release date : November 5th 1953.

Director : Jean Negulesco

Producer : Nunnally Johnson

Screenplay : Nunnally Johnson, Zoe Atkins (author of the original play "The Greeks Had a Word For It"), Katherine Albert (author of the original play "Loco"), Dale Eunson (play) based on an original story of Doris Lilly.

Director of photography : Joseph MacDonald

Music : Cyril J. Mockridge (incidental music), Alfred Newman (musical director)

Costumes : Charles LeMaire, William Travilla

Film editing : Louis R. Loeffler.

 

CAST

Marilyn Monroe - Pola Debevoise

Betty Grable - Loco Dempsey

Lauren Bacall - Schatze Page

David Wayne - Freddie Denmark

Rory Calhoun - Eben

Cameron Mitchell - Tom Brookman

Alexander D'Arcy - J. Stewart Merrill

Fred Clark - Waldo Brewster

William Powell - J. D. Hanley

Percy Helton - Benton

TECHNICAL CREW

Alfred Bruzlin - sound

Leonard Doss - color advisor

Leland Fuller - art director

Roger Heman - sound

F.E. "Johnny" Johnston - assistant director

Ray Kellogg - special effects

Charles LeMaire - costumes director

Cyril J. Mockridge - incidental music

Ben Nye - make-up

Edward B. Powell - orchestrator

Stuart A. Reiss - set designer

Walter M. Scott - set designer

Lyle R. Wheeler - art director.

SYNOPSIS

Three pretty models - Pola Debevoise (Marilyn Monroe), Loco Dempsey (Betty Grable) and Schatze Page (Lauren Bacall) - think that they would be luckier to marry a milionnaire if they share their means and by renting a luxurious apartment in New York.

Each of those young ladies has its own affairs, their stories just briefly interfering until the big final.
One of her former pretenders, Tom Brookman (Cameron Mitchell), helps Loco to carry her shopping bags and fells in love with Schatze. But he's rejected because he's too poor. Schatze is interested in the petroleum tycoon J. D. Hanley (William Powell).

Waldo Brewster, who is married, leads Loco in a country house. When she discovers the truth, she immediately wants to go back in town, but she is stopped by a measles rash, which helped her to meet the handsome forest ranger Eben (Rory Calhoun), who he's proved to be the owner of the whole forest.

As for Pola, completely short-sighted, she's convinced that men don't make advances to the girls wearing glasses. Whitout glasses, she doesn't see anything and makes a mistake about a plane, while she's going to see her pretender, J. Stewart Merill (Alex D'Arcy). The situation turns over her advantage, because she meets Freddie Denmark (David Wayne), the ower of the girls' apartment, chasing his not much scrupulous bookkeeper.

Back in town, Schatze agrees to marry her rich oil tycoon. Loco and Eben arrive for the wedding, and Pola and Freddie too, already married. Tom Brookman also attends the wedding.

The husband-to-be stops the ceremony, because he knows that Tom is the man Schatze really loves. Folows a dinner where Bookman reveals that he is very rich.

The three young ladies are fullfilled : their husband are milionaires and in love.

NOMINATIONS

To the Academy Awards :

- Best Costume Design (in a color movie) : Charles LeMaire, William Travilla

 

To the British Academy Awards :

- Best film.                  

 

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