Gentlemen Prefer Blondes

(Howard Hawks, US 1953, 91 min., 35mm)

Diamonds are a girl's best friend — or so coos Marilyn Monroe in one of her most enduring and endearing roles as Lorelei, a showgirl who heads for Paris with her earthy friend and partner, Dorothy (Jane Russell) in order to lure any available millionaire down the aisle. The Joseph Fields-Anita Loos stage original gets the Hollywood treatment in this campy film, complete with racy, sophisticated dialogue and lavish Technicolor production numbers. The Jule Styne–Leo Robin songs from the original are supplemented by numbers from Hoagy Carmichael and Harold Adamson, including “Down Boy” and “When Love Goes Wrong.”