Gentlemen Prefer Blondes(1953).

Gentlemen Prefer Blondes(1953). A film adaptation of the 1949 stage musical, released by 20th Century Fox, directed by Howard Hawks. Cast: Marilyn Monroe and Jane Russell, with Charles Coburn, Elliott Reid, Tommy Noonan, Taylor Holmes and Norma Varden. The screenplay by Charles Lederer. Music By songwriting teams: Hoagy Carmichael and Harold Adamson and Jule Styne and Leo Robin. The songs by Styne and Robin are from the Broadway show, while the songs by Carmichael and Adamson were written especially for the film. Monroe's song, "Diamonds Are a Girl's Best Friend" and her pink dress have been copied by Madonna, Geri Halliwell, Kylie Minogue, Nicole Kidman, Anna Nicole Smith, Christina Aguilera and James Franco.

It is not long after gold-digger Lorelei Lee and down to earth Dorothy Shaw finish their nightclub act, when Lorelei receives an engagement ring from her wealthy boyfriend Gus Esmond, Jr., much to the amusement of her best friend, Dorothy. Gus's father, does everything he can to prevent his son from marrying her.

Gus sends Lorelei and Dorothy, ahead on the ocean liner Isle de Paris, headed for Paris, cautioning Lorelei to stay out of trouble. As the girls board the ship, the American men's Olympic team comments that "neither would drown if the ship sank".

Dorothy, has her eyes set on the athletes, while Lorelei searches the passenger list looking for a man for her best friend. Gus's father has hired private detective Ernie Malone, to keep an eye on Lorelei. While on the job, Malone, falls for Dorothy and bribes the headwaiter for a place at Lorelei and Dorothy's table.

That afternoon, while Malone is getting to know Dorothy better he questions her about Lorelei. While Lorelei, is busy with Sir Francis "Piggy" Beekman, who owns a diamond mine in South Africa. Lorelei, is beside herself when Piggy's wife, Lady Beekman, shows off her tiara.

After dinner, Malone tells Lorelei that he "clips coupons," and she mistakenly believes that he is wealthy. As the days pass, Dorothy falls for Malone, even though he does not seem to like her best friend.

One afternoon, Dorothy catches Malone taking pictures through the porthole of her and Lorelei's cabin and rushing inside, she sees Lorelei pretending to be a goat while Piggy, demonstrating how pythons encircle their prey. Now, knowing that Malone is a spy, the girls need to find a way to get his damaging film.

While Dorothy talks with Malone at the bar, Lorelei searches his cabin but cannot find the film. Trying to escape through the porthole, Lorelei gets stuck, but the little boy they had dinner with comes to her rescue.

The girls are able to get some strong drinks and sleeping pills down Malone and snoop through his clothes where they find the film. After developing the pictures, Lorelei shows them to Piggy, who is so grateful that he gives her Lady Beekman's tiara.

After they leave the cabin, Dorothy catches Malone, red handed retrieving his tape recorder that he had planted in their room. Malone, promises Dorothy that his feelings for her are real, but.. she does not believe him.

After arriving in Paris, Dorothy and Lorelei go on a spending spree and when they try to check into their hotel room, they discover that Gus, who has received Malone's report, has cancelled their reservations and credit.

With nowhere left to go, the women land jobs at a local nightclub and soon after, Gus comes looking for Lorelei. Hurt Lorelei, wants to make him jealous with her dance number, "diamonds are a girl's best friend."



 After Lorelei's number, the authorities arrive to retrieve Lady Beekman's tiara, but.. the jewelry has been stolen. Dorothy, wearing a blonde wig, then impersonates Lorelei in court while her friend tries to find Gus.

Will they ever find the tiara and will Lorelei ever convince Esmond, Sr. that she would be the perfect wife for his son?

Fun Facts:

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).

Marilyn Monroe kept insisting on retakes despite approval of takes by director Howard Hawks. When Fox asked Hawks how production could be sped up he retorted: "three wonderful ideas: Replace Marilyn, rewrite the script and make it shorter, and get a new director."

Marilyn Monroe wears a gold lame evening dress previously worn by Ginger Rogers in Dreamboat.

 In the "Ain't There Anyone Here for Love?" sequence, Jane Russell's fall into the pool was an accident. When Howard Hawks saw the dailies, he kept it in the film.

When told she was not the star of the film, Marilyn Monroe was quoted: "Well whatever I am, I'm still the blonde."

The ship model shown is the one used previously in Titanic and was refurbished to resemble the SS Ile de France, which is clearly named in the film. The model (2009) resides in a Marine Museum in Falls River, Massachusetts. Some of the ocean liner sets used were also left over from "Titanic".

According to Marni Nixon, the studio initially wanted Marilyn Monroe's entire voice dubbed, as they thought her voice was silly. Nixon thought that was "awful", as she felt Monroe's voice suited her persona so beautifully. Nixon told The New York Times in March 2007 that she ended up only dubbing the operatic "no, no, nos" at the beginning of the song and the phrase "these rocks don't lose their shape".

This was Jane Russell's only film with Marilyn Monroe. They got along well. Russell called Monroe "Blondie" and was often the only person on the set who could coax Monroe out of her trailer to begin the day's filming.

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.

Marilyn Monroe reportedly suggested the line "I can be smart when it's important, but most men don't like it."

Judy Holliday turned down the role of Lorelei Lee because she felt no actress other than Carol Channing (who played the part on Broadway) should be cast.

The teaming of Jane Russell and Marilyn Monroe proved to be so successful, critically and commercially, that Fox wanted to re-team the duo. A December 1954 item in the Hollywood Reporter's "Rambling Reporter" column indicated that the studio wanted Russell and Monroe to star in the film How to Be Very, Very Popular. Monroe passed on the project because she didn't like the script. In January 1955, the studio cast Sheree North as Curly (the part intended for Monroe) and Betty Grable as "Stormy Tornado" (originally intended for Russell).

For this film Gwen Verdon coached stars Jane Russell and Marilyn Monroe in both their dance and walk - Monroe with less sex, Russell with more. It's rumored that at one point in the film, Verdon dubs both Monroe's and Russell's swaying bottoms.

The film showcases Monroe's bubbly personality… in this light-hearted story about when a woman goes bad and men do not seem to really care… The dance numbers are what make this film so popular. I also loved the wardrobe in this film..

Now on Blu-Ray. Includes: Gentlemen Prefer Blondes How To Marry A Millionaire River Of No Return There's No Business Like Show Business The Seven Year Itch Some Like It Hot The Misfits.

Norma Varden (20 January 1898 – 19 January 1989) she trained as a concert pianist in Paris and performed in England before deciding to take up acting. She studied at the Guildhall School of Music and Drama and made her first appearance as Mrs Darling in Peter Pan.

She acted in rep and made her West End theatre debut in The Wandering Jew in 1920.

From Shakespeare to farce, she established herself as a regular member of the Aldwych Theatre company where she appeared in plays from 1929 to 1933.

She then began to appear in British films, usually in haughty upper class roles. Visiting California with her ailing mother in the 1940s, she decided to settle permanently there and began her American film career.

She appeared in Casablanca (1942), The Major and the Minor (1942), The White Cliffs of Dover (1944), National Velvet (1944), The Green Years (1946), Forever Amber (1947), Strangers on a Train (1951), Gentlemen Prefer Blondes (1953), Witness for the Prosecution (1957) and The Sound of Music (1965). She had a recurring role in the 1960s sitcom Hazel as Harriet Johnson, the Baxters' dotty neighbour.

 She also appeared on I Love Lucy as "Mrs. Benson", the next door neighbor.

Pawsome Pet Pictures: Jane Russell

So cute..Jane and her little friend!

Underwater! (1955).

Underwater!(1955). Adventure. Directed by John Sturges. Cast: Jane Russell, Gilbert Roland, and Richard Egan.

The story begins when, while diving Johnny Grant, comes across a ship wreck and reports back to his business partner, Dominic Casada. They go back to the ship wreck sight and begin collecting artifacts they find near the ship. When they surface, they are greeted by shark hunter Rico Arrera, who is curious about what they are doing.

Later, Johnny and Dominic show Johnny's wife Theresa, their treasures, which date back to the early seventeenth century. Theresa at first, does not agree with their plan to sell their boat, in order to raise money they need for a sunken treasure expedition.

Dominic, stops by the yacht of an American millionaire where he finds Gloria Warner, the millionaire's secretary abandoned on the boat, Dominic convinces her to become his partner.

Later at a nightclub, Gloria and Dominic run into Johnny and Theresa, who tell them that they sold their boat to finance the expedition.The crew are joined on the yacht by Father Cannon, a priest and historian. Once at sea, Father Cannon tells Dominic, that one of the treasures could only have come from a big ship that fled Panama, with a gold statue of the Madonna, which sank during a hurricane.

During Johnny and Theresa's dive the next day they find a second ship, a man o' war. When they get back, the group discusses the location of the treasure ship, where they  have their first encounter with pirates who also have their eyes on treasure.

This was the last picture that Howard Hughes, would produce with Jane Russell. In 1955, scuba diving were of great interest to the public. There is some exciting scenes which makes this a great Classic Film.

If you enjoy adventure movies, this movie is for you.. with it's breath-taking Caribbean scenery. The treasure hunters all travel out at sea to recover the sunken treasures an journey of a life time.

Fun Facts:

Partially filmed on location in Mexico and Hawaii, Underwater! was completed in a newly-constructed underwater tank in an RKO Radio sound stage. It was the first RKO film released in Superscope.

For its world premiere, the film was projected on a submerged movie screen at Silver Springs, Florida, and the invited guests were encouraged to don aqualungs and bathing suits so that they could watch the picture while swimming.

The song "Cherry Pink and Apple Blossom White" featured in the film became a major hit.

At a promotional event for the movie, a young Jayne Mansfield was one of several swimmers participating in a underwater skit when the top of her bathing suit came off, which obviously drew attention to her, and not the movie. It is believed that she let this happen on purpose for the free publicity.

Lori Nelson(born August 15, 1933). Many of her roles were mostly in 1950's "B"-movies. She landed her first role as Marjie Baile in the film, Bend of the River(1952).

She performed in the film, The Naked Monster.

She costarred with Barbara Eden in the series, How to Marry a Millionaire (1957–1959).

She is also remembered in the role as Mara, the Mayor's daughter, opposite Van Johnson, in the 1957 made-for-TV musical film, The Pied Piper of Hamelin.

Happy Birthday: Jane Russell!

Fun Fact:

(June 21, 1921 – February 28, 2011). Was one of Hollywood's leading sex symbols in the 1940's and 1950's. Went to high school with James Dougherty, Gentlemen Prefer Blondes (1953) co-star Marilyn Monroe's first husband.

Please click here to learn more about Jane Russell.

In Memory: Jane Russell. (June 21, 1921 – February 28, 2011).

Jane Russell (June 21, 1921 – February 28, 2011), after she moved to California, she signed a seven-year contract with Howard Hughes and made her first film, The Outlaw (1943), a story about Billy the Kid that showcased her curvy figure. She was not in another movie until she played Joan Kenwood in the film the, Young Widow(1946).

She performed in many movie roles such as, Calamity Jane, opposite Bob Hope in, The Paleface (1948), Son of Paleface (1952), Gentlemen Prefer Blondes (1953) opposite Marilyn Monroe.



She performed in two movies with Robert Mitchum, His Kind of Woman (1951) and Macao (1952).

Please click to view "Great On Screen Couples" Robert Mitchum and Jane Russell.

She also performed in the films, Double Dynamite (1951), The Las Vegas Story (1952), Foxfire (1955) and she performed with Clark Gable and Robert Ryan in, The Tall Men (1955).

In the Howard Hughes film, The French Line (1954), the movie showcased Russell in a very sexy one-piece bathing suit, performing a then-provocative musical number, "Lookin' for Trouble."

In 1955, Russell and her first husband, former Los Angeles Rams quarterback Bob Waterfield, formed Russ-Field Productions. They produced Gentlemen Marry Brunettes (1955), The King and Four Queens (1956) starring Clark Gable and Eleanor Parker, Run for the Sun (1956) and The Fuzzy Pink Nightgown (1957). We have lost another wonderful actress.

Great On Screen Couples: Robert Mitchum and Jane Russell.

This dynamite pair only made two films together, 1951's His Kind Of Woman and 1952's Macao, but they are regarded as one of Hollywood's premiere screen couples. Thanks to Howard Hughes, the pair joined forces for the film noir His Kind Of Woman and generated undeniable screen chemistry. Actually the duo would have made three films together when Hughes considered casting Russell opposite Mitchum for 1949's The Big Steal. This film was rushed into production after Mitchum's arrest for smoking marijuana. Hughes didn't want to risk teaming Russell with him, fearing it would taint her career. Instead, Hughes gave the role to Jane Greer, his former flame he wanted to punish for having rejected him. Regardless, we have two solid films with the pair definitely in their element.

His Kind Of Woman had gambler Dan Milner (Mitchum) in Mexico and comes across a gangster (Raymond Burr) who is trying to get back into America after being deported and a lovely singer named Lenore (Russell). There are twists and turns aplenty in this entertaining film.

Russell's and Mitchum's second film Macao has Mitchum as a man on the run trying to redeem himself by capturing an international crime lord. Russell is cast once again as a singer and has a grand time delivering her lines with spunk and sass. Macao also co-starred Gloria Grahame. It's a shame this duo only made these two films together as you can tell they had a great connection and worked well with one another. They made their mark as one of cinema's sexiest teams.

His Kind of Woman (1951).

His Kind of Woman (1951). Cast: Robert Mitchum and Jane Russell. With supporting roles by: Vincent Price, Raymond Burr and Charles McGraw. Directer: John Farrow.

Gangster Nick Ferraro, who has been living in Naples since his deportation from the United States, wants to return to the States to put his business back together. First he must change his identity.

He and his partners pick out a gambler named Dan Milner, whose weight and height match Ferraro's. They offer him $50,000 to go to Mexico for a year, without revealing who is paying him. Down on his luck, Dan accepts partial payment and travels to Nogales, Mexico.

While waiting for his plane, Dan meets Lenore Brent, an heiress and singer. To his surprise, he and Lenore board the same small plane, which Dan learns is headed for Morro's Lodge in Baja California.

At the resort, owner Jose Morro asks Dan about himself, while Myron Winton, shares with him information about some of the lodge's other guests. Dan becomes concerned about Krafft and Thompson and confronts them, who assure him that he will find out more information from a man who is on his way to the lodge.

The next day, Dan comes the conclusion that Lenore is having an affair with Mark. Lenore is really Liz Brady, who is posing as an heiress in order to marry Mark, who is separated from his wife Helen.

In one of my favorite scenes of the movie, soft-hearted Dan helps Jennie's husband Milton beat Myron at poker. He then asks Morro about the man he is supposed to meet. Morro pretends that he does not know what he is talking about, then tries to discourage pilot, Bill Lusk, from landing at the resort, during a huge thunderstorm.

The next day, Bill confesses to Dan that he is an undercover agent and informs Dan, that he has sold his identity to a gangster, who has hired Krafft, an ex-Nazi plastic surgeon, to change his face to look like his. You will have to watch to see who comes to Dan's rescue, you will be surprised.

This is a fun Noir/comedy/adventure with Robert Mitchum and Jane Russell, beautifully teamed together. Vincent Price supplies many of the laughs and is a very interesting character in this film.


Video: Robert Mitchum's Studio Days Part 3 (about filming the movie His Kind of Woman(1952).



Charles McGraw, became popular in the film noirs during the late 1940's and 1950's.

His gravelly voice and rugged looks was perfect in the noir genre and he performed in many roles as cop or gunman.

Introduced with William Conrad as the two hit men terrorizing a small town diner in the film The Killers(1946), McGraw's best known perform aces include: Roadblock(1951), The Narrow Margin (1952), Spartacus, Armored Car Robbery (1950) and A Boy and His Dog (1975).

Happy Birthday Jane Russell !

Born Ernestine Jane Geraldine Russell, in Bemidji, Minnesota, she was eldest child and only daughter of the five children of Roy William Russell.

Her father was a First Lieutenant in the U.S. Army and her mother was a former actress with a road troupe. Her parents spent the early years of their marriage in Edmonton, Alberta, Canada. For her birth her mother temporarily moved back to the U.S. to make sure she was born a U.S. citizen. Later the family moved to the San Fernando Valley of Southern California. They lived in Burbank in 1930 and her father worked as an office manager at a soap manufacturing plant.

Russell's mother arranged for her to take piano lessons. In addition to music, she was interested in drama and performed in stage productions at Van Nuys High School. Her dreams were to be a designer, until the death of her father at forty-six, when she went to work as a receptionist after graduation. She also modeled and at the urging of her mother, studied drama and acting with Max Reinhardt's Theatrical Workshop and with famed Russian actress Maria Ouspenskaya.

In 1940, Russell was signed to a seven-year contract with Howard Hughes and made her first movie, The Outlaw (1943), a story about Billy the Kid that went to great lengths to show her figure.


One of my favorite Jane Russell movies is:
Gentlemen Prefer Blondes(1953).Director: Howard Hawks.Cast: Marilyn Monroe and Jane Russell, with Charles Coburn, Elliott Reid, Tommy Noonan, Taylor Holmes, and Norma Varden in supporting roles. The screenplay by Charles Lederer. Music of songwriting teams Hoagy Carmichael and Harold Adamson and Jule Styne and Leo Robin. The songs by Styne and Robin are from the Broadway show, while the songs by Carmichael and Adamson were written for the film.

The movie is a comedy with musical numbers. Russell is down-to-earth, with a sharp wit. Monroe role is the gold-digging Lorelei Lee for which the film is best remembered. Who can forget Monroe's performance of the song "Diamonds Are a Girl's Best Friend"!

Macao(1952)

Macao (1952). Film noir/ adventure film. Director : Josef von Sternberg and Nicholas Ray. Producer Howard Hughes fired director von Sternberg during filming and hired Nicholas Ray to finish it. Cast: Robert Mitchum, Jane Russell, Gloria Grahame and William Bendix.

After a New York undercover detective is killed during his investigation, the police in Hong Kong notifies the New York police about the murder. Later, on a boat headed for Macao passenger Nick Cochran rescues Julie Benton from a guy trying to pick her up, instead of being thankful she picks his pocket. When they arrive in Macao, Nick informs the Macao police that his passport and money were stolen and that his only identification is his Signal Corps discharge papers. Sebastian shows Vincent Halloran, the owner of the Quick Reward casino, a photo of Nick because he thinks he is undercover cop..

Nick, knows that Julie picked his pocket and goes to her hotel room to confront her. At first Julie denies the accusation but when Sebastian arrives, looking for Nick. She gives him back his money. Soon, Julie finds a  job singing with Halloran, Nick also asks Halloran for work. But Halloran refuses to hire him and tries to bribe him to leave Macao. The next day, Trumble shows Nick a large diamond and asks him to sell the necklace. Halloran agrees to cross the three-mile limit that legally protects him and goes on to Hong Kong. Where he takes Nick prisoner. Now, Nick's life is in danger and needs to find away to escape.

This is the first time I have seen the Movie Macao. Being a a huge Robert Mitchum fan, I loved this movie and would watch it again.. Jane Russell and Gloria Grahame were also wonderful in their performances. One of my favorite characters in the film was the old blind man.

Gloria Grahame (November 28, 1923 – October 5, 1981), father Reginald Michael Bloxam Hallward, was an architect and author and her mother, Jeanne McDougall, who used the stage name Jean Grahame, was a British stage actress and acting teacher.

McDougall taught her younger daughter acting during her childhood and adolescence. The couple had another daughter, Joy Hallward (1911–2003), an actress who married John Mitchum (the younger brother of actor Robert Mitchum).

Grahame was signed to a contract with MGM Studios under her professional name after Louis B. Mayer saw her performing on Broadway for several years. She made her film debut in Blonde Fever (1944) and then scored one of her most widely praised roles as the promiscuous Violet, saved from disgrace by George Bailey in It's a Wonderful Life (1946).

MGM was not able to develop her potential as a star and her contract was sold to RKO Studios in 1947. Grahame was often featured in film noir pictures as a tarnished beauty with an irresistible sexual allure.

During this time, she made films for several Hollywood studios. She received an Oscar nomination for Best Supporting Actress for Crossfire (1947).

Grahame starred with Humphrey Bogart in the 1950 film In a Lonely Place, a performance which garnered her considerable praise.

When she asked to be loaned out for roles in Born Yesterday and A Place in the Sun, Hughes refused and instead made her do a supporting role in Macao. However, she won the Academy Award for Best Supporting Actress in MGM's The Bad and the Beautiful (1952).

 Other memorable roles was Irene Nieves in Sudden Fear (1952), the femme fatale Vicki Buckley in Human Desire (1953), and mob moll Debby Marsh in Fritz Lang's The Big Heat (1953) in which, in a horrifying off-screen scene, she is scarred by hot coffee thrown in her face by Lee Marvin's character.

Grahame's career began to wane after her performance in the musical film Oklahoma! (1955). Grahame, whom audiences were used to seeing as a film noir siren, was viewed by some critics to be miscast as an ignorant country lass in a wholesome musical, and the paralysis of her upper lip from plastic surgery altered her speech and appearance. Additionally, Grahame was rumored to have been difficult on the set of Oklahoma!, upstaging some of the cast and alienating her co-stars, which furthered her fall from grace in Hollywood.

 She began a slow return to the theater, and returned to films occasionally to play supporting roles, mostly in minor releases. She also guest starred on television series including an episode of the sci-fi series The Outer Limits. In the episode entitled "The Guests", Grahame spoofed her own career by playing a forgotten film star living in the past.

She also appeared in "The Homecoming", a 1964 television episode of The Fugitive. In 1965 she appeared in "Who Killed The Rabbit's Husband" an episode of Burke's Law.

Grahame's concern over the appearance of her upper lip led her to pursue plastic surgery and dental operations that caused visible scarring and ultimately rendered the lip largely immobile because of nerve damage, which affected her speech.

Grahame had a string of stormy romances and failed marriages which begins with:: director Nicholas Ray and later to Ray's son, Anthony, with whom she had an affair while still married to Ray. All of this took a toll on her career, as did a two-year hiatus after the birth of her daughter in 1956.Marital and child custody problems hampered her performance on the set of Oklahoma! She married: Stanley Clements (1926–1981), actor, married August 1945, divorced June 1, 1948. Nicholas Ray, director, married June 1, 1948, separated 1951, divorced 1952. The couple had one child, Timothy (born November 1948, aka David Cyrus Howard during his mother's third marriage). Their marriage ended when Ray found Grahame in bed with his 13-year-old son by his first marriage, Anthony, whom she later married. Cy Howard, writer, married 1954, divorced 1957. They had one daughter, Marianna Paulette (born 1956). Anthony Ray, her former stepson, married May 1960, divorced 1974. The Rays had two sons, Anthony Jr (born 1963) and James (born 1965).
In the late 1970's, Grahame traveled to England to perform in plays. While there, she met Liverpool actor Peter Turner with whom she had a romantic relationship. They moved to the United States and lived in New York and California, where their affair ended.

In March 1974, Grahame was diagnosed with breast cancer. She underwent radiation treatment, changed her diet, stopped smoking and drinking alcohol and also sought homeopathic remedies. In less than a year, the cancer went into remission. The cancer returned in 1980, but Grahame refused to acknowledge her diagnosis or seek radiation treatment. Despite her failing health, Grahame continued working in stage productions in the United States and Great Britain. While working in London in September 1981, she underwent treatment to remove excess fluid from her abdomen. During the procedure, the doctor accidentally punctured her bowel. She soon developed peritonitis and was hospitalized. After being notified of Grahame's illness, two of her children, Timothy and Paulette, traveled to London and decided to take her back to the United States. On October 5, 1981, Grahame returned to United States where she was admitted to St. Vincent's Hospital in New York City. She died there a few hours later at the age of 57.