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| How To Marry A Millionaire - 1953 |
Coming up next we have 1953's "How To Marry A Millionaire", a film about 3 enterprising young ladies whose dream it is to marry into the upper classes after a lifetime without money. The ladies date both rich guys and poor guys, and one of the poor guys might not be all he appears.
The film's cast includes Lauren Bacall, Betty Grable, Marilyn Monroe, David Wayne, Rory Calhoun, Cameron Mitchell, Alexander D'Arcy, Fred Clark, and William Powell.
The setting of our film is New York City, and the filmmakers showcase the city in all its glory during the opening sequence. New York, "you busy, busy, razzle dazzle, scandalous place", as the song "New York" tells us.
Three single ladies rent a fabulous, furnished New York apartment. All of them have the same dream, to marry a millionaire. And Schatze, the originator of their scheme to land at least one rich guy, has set some ground rules on how to meet the proper gentleman. "Next thing you’ve got to remember is that a
gentleman you meet among the cold cuts is simply not as attractive as
one that you meet, say, in the mink department at Bergdorf’s," she advises.
None of the girls can afford to live in this luxurious apartment. So, in order to keep up with the rent, they pawn the furniture that they don't own. When they're down to their last cent, luck turns up in the form of Texas oil baron J.D. Hanley, who promises to introduce the girls to his oil-rich friends.
Schatze takes up with J.D. right away. She puts her best foot forward and it pays off. J.D. arranges for their furniture to be returned.
Loco takes up with a rich, married guy. Although initially reluctant to go out with him because of his married state, Loco wears down and decides to just go with it.
And Pola (who cannot see without her glasses) begins dating J. Stewart Merrill, who presents himself as an Arab oil tycoon. Later in the film, we find out that he is bluffing about his wealth.
During the course of the film, we meet Tom Brookman, who develops a crush on Schatze. She can't stand the kind of guy she thinks he is. One of her dislikes is his stubborn refusal to wear a necktie. "Look, the first rule of this proposition is that
gentlemen callers have got to wear a necktie. I don’t want to be
snobbish about it, but if we begin with characters like that, we might just as well throw in the
towel right now," she told the girls earlier. Schatze thinks Tom is some sort of garage mechanic. The girls are models and he arranges to show up at their place of work for an impromptu fashion show.
The models parade in front of Tom and are all smiles, except for Schatze, who can't stand him.
Pola and Loco are extremely curious about Tom, but Schatze just shrugs him off and tells him to get lost.
In due course, Loco is invited by her gentleman friend up to his lodge in Maine. There, she meets Eben Salem, a forest ranger.
Back in New York, Schatze is trying to convince J.D. that their age difference is no barrier to a relationship. "Well, what I’m trying to tell you, J.D., is that
I’ve always liked older men. Look at Roosevelt. Look at Churchill. Look at that old fellow what’s his name in
African Queen. Absolutely crazy about ‘em," she says.
In Maine, Loco finds herself ditching the guy she came with and falling in love with Eben. It comes as a shock to her that he isn't wealthy, but love wins out and they get together.
Pola flies to Kansas City to meet with her beau, but comes to realize he was faking the whole time. On the plane she meets Freddie Denmark, whom Pola comes to realize is the owner of the apartment that she and the girls have been renting.
She feels comfortable enough with Freddie to wear her glasses in front of him, though she's a bit worried they make her look like an old maid. After she puts them on, Freddie looks at her and says, "I've never seen anybody in my whole life that reminded me less of an old maid." Naturally, that seals the deal for Pola.
Schatze starts spending time with Tom trying to convince him of all the reasons they are wrong for each other. In the process, she ends up confusing herself and becomes unsure of her feels for both Tom and J.D.
She ends up getting engaged to J.D. At their wedding, she breaks down and confesses to him that she is in love with Tom. He tells her he understands and they call off the wedding.
Schatze finds herself in for a surprise when all three couples are out to dinner later that night. When trying to find out home much money they have between them, Tom finally confesses that he's extremely wealthy and pulls out a $1000 bill to pay for a $2.70 check. The girls are astounded by the wad of bills Tom carries.
The girls faint clean away as the men raise a glass and toast their wives.
Cast rundown:
Lauren Bacall...................................Schatze Page
Betty Grable.....................................Loco Dempsey
Marilyn Monroe.................................Pola Debevoise
David Wayne....................................Freddie Denmark
Rory Calhoun....................................Eben Salem
Cameron Mitchell..............................Tom Brookman
Alexander D'Arcy...............................J. Stewart Merrill
Fred Clark........................................Waldo Brewster
William Powell...................................J.D. Hanley
And that's all for How To Marry A Millionaire. During the fashion show scene, Marilyn Monroe models a red swimsuit studded with diamonds as the show narrator says, "You know, of course, that diamonds are a girl's best friend." This references the film "Gentlemen Prefer Blondes", which starred Marilyn Monroe and was released earlier in the year.
At the beginning of the film, a seventy piece orchestra performs the instrumental number "Street Scene" for a full five and a half minutes before the opening credits.
