seeingbystarlight Marrying a millionaire is not as easy as it sounds.As Marylin Monroe's character puts it:"Men are getting nervous these days, especially the loaded ones."But jaded Schautzey Paige (Lauren Bacall), and her two savvy lady friends, the kind hearted Loco Dempsey (Betty Grable), and the naive Paula Debevoise (Marylin Monroe) have a plan:Rent an expensive apartment in upscale New York, and after selling the furniture off piece by piece to pay for restaurant like Stork and 21 "trap a really fat one".On the day of their arrival at the place, Loco (who's awfully clever with a quarter) shows up with a man named Tom Brookman (Cameron Mitchell), having just conned him into paying for her groceries.Tom Brookman (though clearly interested in Schautzey) looks like a gas pump jockey, and that's exactly what Schautzey pegs him for as she hurries him out the door, promising that he can call sometime, and ignoring his protests: ("But I don't know your number!...But I don't know your last name!").After outlining her plan to her roommates, Schautzey waits for a fish to bite...it doesn't.Four months pass, and having sold all their furniture, Paula, and Schautzey are forced to sit in folding chairs in the living room, waiting for Loco to return with from the drugstore with more aspirin and shower caps, she's tricked a guy into buying.Schautzey is in despair."Four months, and we're not even engaged."Paula says she could've have gotten engaged last week if she'd wanted to.When Schautzey asks to whom, Paula says:"To that tall English fellow that borrowed five dollars from me.""That's exactly my point!" Schautzey snaps.It's just then when the door bell rings, and a moment later Loco comes through the door...The other two women crowd around, for at her heels is not some greasy gas pump jockey, but a clearly wealthy man named J.D. Hanley (William Powell) his arms full of expensive packages.And after some pleasentries during which Schautzey apologies for the furniture ("We just sent everything out to be cleaned!"), the three women get invited to a social gathering to meet some of Hanley's fellow oil men."Only oil men?" Loco asks "Well no...some bankers too, I believe."After he leaves, the women are in a daze."This is it kids." Schautzey says "A room full of rich entrepreneurs...and us." Of course, things don't go that smoothly.The only relationship that goes on wheels is Schautzey, and J.D's (the only fly in the ointment being that Tom Brookman won't stop calling to try and get her to go out with him, in spite of the fact that she "never wants to see him again!").Loco ends up in a lodge in Maine she thinks is a convention, and after petulantly bemoaning her fate, ends up contracting the measels.As for Paula, she has snagged a one eyed pirate with everything but a T-shirt that reads "Con Artist", and is naively heading to Atlantic City to marry him.But unbenounced to all three women, Freddy Denmark (the man who actually owns the apartment) has been breaking in for a mysterious reason having to do with his being on the lamb from the IRS.This turns out to be the catalyst for one of the nicest twists ever conceived in a romantic comedy (and there are several in this one).The true message of this movie is really captured in it's funniest scene:Loco's married companion thinks he's got the art of concealing an affair all figured out, and is about to learn he's wrong when he gets his picture on the front page of every New York newspaper in acknowledgement for his being the fifty thousandth car to drive across a certain bridge.To quote him as he's driving across, (right before the police sirens start blasting):"Man is master of his fate. And king of his destiny."Well, that's what you think."Gentlemen...to our wives."Originally, Review #9Posted On: May 3, 2009

mmallon4 How To Marry a Millionaire was the first movie filmed in Cinemascope (second to be released) and thus is a bit like the Avatar of 1953; a technological showcase but provides little in the way of interesting story or characters. The first five minutes of the film is comprised of composer Alfred Newman and his orchestra showcasing the visual and stereophonic capabilities of the new technology and trying to get audiences away from their televisions and into the movie theatre. TV is square and in black & white, movies are in colour and on a big wide screen. I can imagine this being quite a spectacle for audiences back in 1953 but why is it part of the movie and not a separate short? As for the visuals in the film itself, they do take advantage of the frame showing New York in full cinemascope although the use of a fish eye like lens in many shots is a little bothersome. How to Marry a Millionaire was the first film I saw William Powell in and he didn't leave any impression on me despite me later becoming a huge fan of his. As Roger Ebert put it, "William Powell is to words as Fred Astaire is to dance", but he has not killer material to work off here. The three leading ladies do have their own personalities but there is not much in the way of playing off each other nor is there any fast and witty dialogue. Overall the screwball comedy type plot isn't hugely fleshed out and there's no real sense of urgency although there are a few laughs to be had. I do particular like Betty Grable's grouchy, grumpy date played by Fred Clark. I find Marilyn Monroe however gets the most interesting dynamic in the film playing a woman who is afraid to wear glasses which feels like a statement on conformity in the 1950's.How To Marry a Millionaire is a prime example of what you would call an 'ok' film; a time passer, not terrible but not great either. Most enjoyment I do get from it is largely superficial as I do love me some 50's fluff with the colourful aesthetic and the high fashion. Plus three beauties in cinemascope, as a heterosexual male I'm not complaining.

SnoopyStyle Mrs Schatze Page (Lauren Bacall) is a snooty high class divorcée who gets a beautiful flat. She proposes to use the apartment to hunt for millionaires. Pola Debevoise (Marilyn Monroe) is a girl who rather run into walls than wear her glasses. Loco Dempsey (Betty Grable) can get men to buy her lots of things. The problem is that it's harder to find truly rich men who are good men. Tom Brookman is actually a rich guy who likes Schatze but she assumes that he's a poor slob. She's dating JD who thinks he's too old for her. Loco is dating a married man. Pola is dating a sketchy guy with an eye patch.Monroe is actually very funny bumping into things. That gag of her refusing to wear her glasses is quite funny and has real legs. She's probably the funniest of the three. There are a couple of cute references. Bacall references Bogie and Monroe gets diamonds. Bacall is the snooty girl and that works fine for her. Monroe and Grable are basically playing the same dumb blonde character. However Grable is outclassed by Monroe. Nobody can play that character as well as Monroe. Monroe is funny. Bacall is pretty good. She's got a fun line. Grable is a bore. Basically it's a somewhat fun comedy.

utgard14 The opening prologue is an orchestra performance that has nothing to do with the rest of the movie. I began to wonder if I was watching the wrong movie. I've read they did this because it was the first movie shot in Cinemascope and they wanted to highlight the new stereophonic sound system. Seems to me it was unnecessary but times were different then I guess. Anyway, the plot is about three women on the hunt for husbands. Naturally, they would prefer rich husbands. Lauren Bacall plays the leader of the three -- she's the smart, sophisticated one. Betty Grable plays the ditzy, naïve one. A role Marilyn Monroe probably would have played just a few years later due to typecasting. Here Marilyn plays a sort of middleground between Bacall and Grable's characters. Not too bright and not too dumb. She wears glasses but frequently takes them off because she thinks men don't like girls who wear glasses. There are several amusing gags that come as a result of her poor eyesight. All three ladies are beautiful, of course. They are also very funny and immensely appealing. The men in the film are pretty good, too. Even the ones playing jerks, like the great Fred Clark. Cameron Mitchell, David Wayne, and Rory Calhoun play the three primary love interests and are all likable. William Powell, in his second-to-last film, is as classy as they come. The themes are a little dated but it's all light and fluffy so nothing to get indignant about, for those of you who might. It's a fun, enjoyable romantic comedy. Fans of the three leads will love it most.