How to Marry a Millionaire (1954) - Star of the month... Marilyn Monroe

How to Marry a Millionaire is a 1954 romantic comedy starring Marilyn Monroe, Lauren Bacall and Betty Grable as three fortune hunting women plotting to trap eligible bachelors William Powell, Rory Calhoun, Cameron Mitchell, David Wayne, Fred Clark and Alexander D'Arcy. The film is directed by Jean Negulesco and written/produced by Nunnally Johnson.


The film is best known as the first film ever to be filmed in CinemaScope widescreen, and the second CinemaScope film to be released. It was also the first colour film to be shown on network television in the US.

Marilyn plays near sighted blonde bimbo
Pola Debevoise

Schatze Page (played by Bacall), Loco Dempsey (played by Grable) and Pola Debevoise (played by Monroe) rent a luxurious penthouse apartment owned by Freddie Denmark (played by Wayne), who is avoiding authorities. They believe renting the apartment will help them find, trap and marry eligible millionaires with hilarious consequences.


Marilyn is typecast as a ditsy blonde bimbo who can't see without her glasses. Afraid men will not be interested in her if she wears her glasses, she risks her safety by taking them off and walking into walls.


The three leading ladies wear glamourous costumes designed by William Travilla.

Musical score

The film's musical score is by Alfred Newman, who can be seen in the overture conducting his orchestra. The overture "Street Scene" has no relevance to the rest of the film and was intended to show off new technology being used in the film: sterophonic sound and CinemaScope. Newman and the Orchestra reappear briefly for the end titles.

Legacy

A television series followed in 1957 with Barbara Eden (best known as Jeannie from 'I Dream of Jeannie'), Merry Anders, Lori Nelson and Lisa Gaye. The series ran for two years.


In 2007, Australian actress Nicole Kidman purchased the rights for the film with the intention of producing and perhaps starring in the film, however we are yet to see this surface.

Awards and nominations

• Academy Award nomination for Best Costume Design, Colour
• Writers Guide of America nomination for Best Written American Comedy
• BAFTA nomination for Best Film (USA)

Closing remarks

'How to Marry a Millionaire' is an enjoyable experience, with Marilyn Monroe once again stealing the film in one the great CinemaScope wonders of the 1950s. It is great to see 1930s film veteran William Powell as charming as ever in his second last film.

River of No Return (1954)

Star of the Month... Marilyn Monroe

"If you listen you can hear it call... wailaree... there is a river called the River of No Return..."

Directed by Otto Preminger, 'The River of No Return' is a 1954 western tale of romance and revenge starring Marilyn Monroe, Robert Mitchum, Rory Calhoun and Tommy Rettig. The film is semi-musical with 4 Marilyn songs.

Set in 1875, Monroe stars as Kay Weston, a saloon singer forced to choose between two men, farmer Matt Calder (played by Mitchum) and gambler Harry Weston (played by Calhoun). After Harry steals Matt's horse and rifle, Matt and Kay (with Matt's son Mark) take to what the Native American Indians call, "the river of no return".

On their travels we see Kay and Mark battle against the odds up against a deadly gorge, a mountain lion attack, a Native American Indian ambush, and the most turbulent and wild rapid waters you'll ever see on film.

Shot on location, enjoy breathtaking and spectacular footage of the wild rapids of the Canadian Rockies. Also enjoy Marilyn, stunning as always, and in this fim we are treated to a longer haired Marilyn. Interestingly Marilyn claimed this was her worst film - however I don't think it's quite that bad.

Musical program

With a musical score by Cyril J. Mockridge, the film features 4 songs by Lionel Newman and Ken Darby: "One Silver Dollar", "Down in the Meadow", "The River Of No Return" and the shows topping "I'm Gonna File My Claim". All four songs are performed by Monroe.

Song - "I'm Gonna File My Claim"

Song - "Down in the Meadow"

Song - "One Silver Dollar"

Song - "The River of No Return"

Did you know...

• Marilyn Monroe and director Otto Preminger did not get along, and by the end of the film were no longer on speaking terms

Closing remarks

I am personally not a big fan of westerns - in fact, it's my least favourite film genre, although I must say 'The River of No Return' is one of the most enjoyable westerns I've ever watched, and certainly one of the only westerns I can watch again and again.