☆ ☆ ☆
How to Marry a Millionaire (1953) – J. Negulesco
Somehow I thought this was going to be a
musical, another genre I’ve come to late (alongside westerns, war films, and
foreign films from Spanish-speaking countries). But instead – not. What we have here is a very dated comedy (you
can tell from the title) that finds models Lauren Bacall, Marilyn Monroe, and
Betty Grable on a quest to find rich husbands.
The prospects include dapper (but very sedate) William Powell, faker Alexander
D’Arcy, and already married Fred Clark – but as things turn out, other men (not
always millionaires) turn out to be of greater interest. Bacall takes the lead with Monroe (playing
short-sighted and air-headed) and Grable (even more air-headed) adding comic
relief. There are a few sly references
to the stars’ other careers but nothing here led to any major chuckles on my
part. One of the early CinemaScope features
but director Jean Negulesco doesn’t really take full advantage of the
format. Still, apart from the explicit
sexism, there’s nothing really wrong with this silly film and it is good to see
Bacall embarking on her solo career.
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