My journey ends here...
How to Marry a Millionnaire? (1953)
Posters
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 Johnson specified 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.
After several months, the movie had made a gross success 5 times upper than its extravagant budget of 2.5 millions $.
Production
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Premiere, on November 4, 1953
William Travilla, Allan Snyder and Gladys Rasmussen had made more than 6 hours to prepare her for her coming
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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".
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CREDIT
Twentieth Century-Fox,
Cinemascope and Technicolor.
Runtime : 95 mn
National release date : November 5, 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.
NOMINATIONSTo the Academy Awards :
- Best Costume Design (in a color movie) : Charles LeMaire, William Travilla
To the British
Academy Awards :
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