“I’m a storyteller – that’s the chief function of a director. And they’re moving pictures, let’s make ’em move!”
Howard Hawks
“Gentlemen Prefer Blondes” (based on the novel by Anita Loos) has been called Hawks’ only female “buddy picture”.
Howard Hawks on the set of “Gentlemen Prefer Blondes” with Marilyn Monroe.
Howard Hawks with Dee Hartford, who was to become the third Mrs. Hawks (a brunette), after completing “Gentlemen Prefer Blondes”.
It WAS a buddy movie!
“Honestly Dorothy I worry about you…don’t you know it is just as easy to marry a rich man as a poor one?”
Love Gentlemen Prefer Blondes! There’s a lovely black and white still of Jane and Marilyn performing in theip tailored outfits with the cute hats and their faces are just *luminous*. Curiously, I was singing Diamonds Are A Girl’s Best Friend to myself (badly) yesterday, I didn’t attempt Two Little Girls From Little Rock!
It was fantastic that Marilyn and Jane became fast friends on set, and so sweet that Jane looked out for MM. Ms Russell was a magnificent lady, and a great talker. Hearing her discuss Marilyn was especially poignant.
Did I mention I adore this movie?! Rascally old Charles Coburn, the gravelly voiced child, hilarious… But it really belongs to those startling women and their great perfs expertly directed by Hawks. Oh Dorothy, oh Lorelei! Who even recalls the male leads really?! Love, love, love, this movie…
One thing gentlemen don’t always prefer blondes 😉
Dearest Vic
I’ve always wondered why no one ever filmed Loos’ equally as diverting sequel.
Any back story that you can let us in on?
Yours ever
The Perfumed Dandy
Ah, you’re talking about the novel “But Gentlemen Marry Brunettes” – it was made into a film called “Gentlemen Marry Brunettes” and the reason you’ve never heard of it it because it wasn’t very good 🙁
Dearest V
Shame. I think, *struggles to remember* I actually preferred it to the other work.
Yours ever
The Perfumed Dandy