Marilyn Monroe Premiere Collection

More Marilyn Delights!

By Kristin Battestella

Thanks to my lucking out on finding the Marilyn Monroe Premiere Collection box set on sale at Target, I am back into all things Marilyn, including several previously unreviewed gems and early Monroe appearances.

All About Eve – Monroe of course has a small role in this much-lauded 1950 classic headlined by Bette Davis (Jezebel), Anne Baxter (The Ten Commandments), Supporting Actor winner George Sanders (Rebecca), Celeste Holm (Gentleman’s Agreement), and Thelma Ritter (Pillow Talk). Director Joseph L. Mankiewicz (A Letter to Three Wives) accents the tongue in cheek winks and play within a play look at the stage versus Hollywood, its stars, scandals, and the interconnected, Dickensian favor or demise with fun name drops, freeze frame narrations, and Shakespearean asides. Contemporary audiences may not like all the telling, yelling, multiple narrators, or flashback frames, but the stories, characters, archetypes, and interplay unfold spectacularly – and the furs, fashions, cigarettes, score, and theatre dressings look so sweet. The filming here looks like a stage presentation yet its story telling constructs heighten the drama and feel quite modern. The then cutthroat ambition, catty attitudes, latent symbolism, us versus them curtain divides, and aging starlets really haven’t changed all that much have they? Ageism, sexism – there will always be a younger actress waiting in the wings. Where does the stage stop and reality begin and who do you trust or stab in the back to go on with the show? For her part as a would be aspiring actress, Monroe only has a few scenes forty-five minutes in, but she holds her own with the heavyweights thanks to a great script, witty lines, and fine delivery from the entire company. This is the Black Swan of its day, so why aren’t there more pictures like this now?

As Young As You Feel – Thelma Ritter joins Monty Woolley (The Bishop’s Wife) and David Wayne (Adam’s Rib) for this 1951 switch-a-roo comedy, a neat 77 minute time capsule of social and financial issues then and now. Forced retirement, struggling whilst on social security, men working to support a wife before marriage, a woman expected to leave a job upon marrying – people back then waited and worked one job their entire lives yet still found difficulty because someone else said otherwise regardless of age, money, or romance. The plot is a little slow to get rolling thanks to exposition or to and fro transition scenes, but the older ensemble provides the comedic music, dancing, and tomfoolery amid the straightforward conversation and mature relationships. Marilyn, of course, is a secretary to die for complete with a great white dress that pops onscreen. Despite the sexy, she’s actually a capable assistant and keeps up with these cantankerous older men! Acting old is what makes you old, indeed – there are some serious and cranky truths here. Once the bemusing games are afoot, however, this remains an entertaining little piece of fun and study.

 

O. Henry’s Full House – The John Steinbeck narrating frame for this 1952 anthology showcasing the eponymous author’s works is a treat in itself – add Charles Laughton (The Private Life of Henry the VIII) as a charming bum with refined tastes alongside David Wayne for the first tale “The Cop and the Anthem” and the touching scene with Monroe sets off the irony and spiritual accents. Madcap crook Richard Widmark (Don’t Bother to Knock) then steals the morality in “The Clarion Call,” an interesting little look at both sides of the law and how men can’t quite escape their criminal pasts. Story tres “The Last Leaf” is a snowy period piece featuring an ill Anne Baxter. The illicit suggestion and bleak countdown perfectly capture the bittersweet of art and life cut short before really having started – but at under 2 hours, this anthology packs a lot into its vignettes. Each story is a separate, well paced, quality drama thanks to the often ironic literary source. Next, Howard Hawks (Red River) directs the humorous backwoods kidnapping in “The Ransom of Red Chief.” The backfiring getaway vehicle and blasé, whatever parents may seem out of place amid the character dramas, but the lighthearted Fred Allen radio star sass goes a long way before the Victorian holiday finale “The Gift of the Magi,” starring Jeanne Crain (State Fair) and Farley Granger (Strangers on a Train). The sad newlywed faces gaping in store windows as others buy exorbitant gifts while they scrimp on food and count hidden pennies is still quite relevant. They give of themselves and sell their most treasured things, but are they really worth it? Not only will fans of the author delight, but the commentary, literary extras, and restoration notes make for a quite pleasing finish here.  

We’re Not Married – Fred Allen and David Wayne are here again beside Ginger Rogers (Top Hat), Mitzi Gaynor (There’s No Business Like Show Business), Zsa Zsa Gabor (Moulin Rouge), and more for this 1952 humorous romance. Miss Mississippi Monroe is a young beauty queen more interested in pageant success then her bitter househusband or baby, and it is intriguing to see this mid century time capsule of marital mood and relationship mores – they are certainly different from today’s casual couplings! Some transition scenes are slow as we bounce from one couple’s story to the next – our players never crisscross but rather serve as separate not so wedded bliss vignettes. This halting approach must restart with each segment, making the comedy and drama uneven as these unhappy duos react to their marriage dilemma with varying degrees of heavy or comical. The tone would have been more balanced and witty if our couples had interacted and thus perhaps reacted differently to their situation. Illegitimacy, military legalities, and the serious latter half make the time here a bit overlong at 85 minutes. Some pairs are more likeable than others are, and the script isn’t as funny as it thinks it is. Fortunately, the then scandalous unwed notions, bumbling judges, licensing technicalities, and holiday accents make for some lightheartedness and social interest along with pleasant fashions, fifties décor, and behind the scenes radio show drama. And dang, young Zsa Zsa, wow!

A Split Decision!

Let’s Make It Legal – I’m not a fan of Claudette Colbert (It Happened One Night), but she and Robert Wagner (Hart to Hart) look so young in this 1951 comedy! The separate beds and set dressings feel somewhat mid century standard, but Colbert shockingly shows off her legs and signs those divorce papers. She’s a little too feisty to be a grandmother and the way these men – who are actually younger than she is – fight for her affection feels awkward. The misogynistic dialogue is also too of the time casual, with men discussing the legalities of beating a woman while gambling on horses instead of paying their alimony. This script is perhaps meant to be witty as the battle of the sexes complaints go round and round, but the dry, back and forth meddling gets tiresome fast. Fortunately, young model Monroe adds a much needed spark with a great bathing suit, fun delivery, and a brief, but juicy zing. At 77 minutes, the attractions and rivals feel under cooked and on the nose – the score is largely silent and this kind of romantic charmer has been developed better with a more likeable cast elsewhere. Fans of the stars and fifties comedies, however, may yet enjoy the fun along with Wagner’s commentary and the bemusing period newsreel featurettes.

About the Premiere Collection set

Certainly it’s understandable that not every Marilyn Monroe film has been included here – namely less quality fair such as Hometown Story or Clash by Night or even well done, but minimal Marilyn fair such as The Asphalt Jungle. However, it is very surprising that River of No Return and The Prince and the Showgirl are absent from the Premiere Collection. Granted there may be an MGM or Warner, non-Fox Studios technicality in place, but other non-Fox films are included and it is ironic that films where Monroe has one or two scenes are here over such starring roles. Fortunately, the features on the individual discs are retained – subtitles, commentaries, trailers, photo galleries, newsreels, restoration comparisons, and more. The streamlined box also has a pleasant design with three separate volumes folding out to create fun Marilyn centerfolds. I was apprehensive in purchasing the Premiere Collection online after hearing this somewhat cardboard packaging caused damaged discs, but the $30 I lucked upon at Target was cheaper than Amazon and there have been no set problems. Despite any perceived selection or box set flaws, Monroe completists will delight in this convenient edition, and my Marilyn collecting sister probably knows what her next gift is going to be! 

 

Monkey Business (1952)

Monkey Business Loads of Fun

By Kristin Battestella

Thanks to its star studded cast and award winning talent both in front and behind camera, the 1952 comedy Monkey Business doesn’t screw up its screwball wit.

Chemist Barnaby Fulton (Cary Grant) and his wife Edwina (Ginger Rogers) are hopeful for his next scientific breakthrough at Oxley Chemical. Barnaby thinks he may have the right youthful formula at last, which excites boss Oliver Oxley (Charles Coburn) and his secretary Lois Laurel (Marilyn Monroe). However, after one of the lab monkeys mixes up a brew of her own and it gets in the office water cooler, this true fountain of youth elixir effects Barnaby – and his wife – in ways never expected.

Director Howard Hawks (Red River, Sergeant York) and writers Harry Segall (Here Comes Mr. Jordan), Ben Hecht (Notorious), I. A. L. Diamond (The Apartment), and Charles Lederer (Ocean’s Eleven) begin with some self referential charm, adorably dry jokes, friendly jabs, and even cooking insults before building the fifties fun and witty science. The dialogue and deadpan reactions are on form and keep what is quite a preposterous premise relatively smart. Subtle, silent slapstick scenes force the viewer to pay attention to the players at hand and their experimental elixir changes. Those unaccustomed to classic film comedy beats and rhythms may find the characters both too slow going and too talkative, but this style fits the plot perfectly. Yes, Monkey Business is similar in slapstick to Bringing Up Baby, and several scenes are too rowdy, fifties familiar, and overly stereotypical, granted. The whole predicament is also fairly obvious today – he drinks, she drinks, then they drink together!  Fortunately, the hair-brained trouble each step causes is nonetheless charming, and even the monkeys are cute. Okay, so the primate elements may be cliché too, but at least real monkeys were used. That’s more than I can say for all those old man in a gorilla suit horror pictures!

Well, well the be-spectacled and socially dim witted but sophisticated scientist Cary Grant looks great, surprise, surprise. Whether it’s merely an undone tie around his neck, cruising in his new car, or taking a swim, Grant (star of 5 pictures helmed by Hawks) is certainly having a good time in Monkey Business. Is it ridiculous to have the king of suave jumping out the window, acting like a kid, and scalping his rival? Of course. Does the mayhem work? Absolutely. His scientific dialogue and innuendo alliteration isn’t easy either, but Grant’s delivery is spot on – although I can’t say the same for his singing! Though known more for her dancing with onscreen partner Fred Astaire than her first picture with Grant, Once Upon a Honeymoon, Ginger Rogers is equal to the task as Barnaby’s sassy, bossy wife Edwina. The part could have easily become annoying or trite, but Rogers is so classy and charming whether she’s a supposedly simple housewife with a smile on her face or a juvenile victim of the formula. Her trickster ways and finger wagging jealousy may seem a bit too childish for modern viewers, but then again, that’s the point of Monkey Business. Rogers does have a few chances to get her dance on, too, and her baby scenes in the final act are far more amusing than the Indian scalping play-acting. The proverbial letting their hair down and matching of wits between Grant and Rogers makes for lovely dynamics and a fun, coupled adventure, and their tandem work is delightful. They just don’t make comedies like they used to – or have the right pairs of stars to go in them! 

Today Monkey Business may be billed as one of her big pictures, but Marilyn Monroe (also of Gentlemen Prefer Blondes with Hawks) is not the star here and she doesn’t have much screen time. Nevertheless, her cluelessly loveable and steamy, but harmless secretary Lois Laurel is the perfect fodder for our fountain of youth experiencing duo.  The innuendo and misunderstandings she causes are just as amusing as her stupidity. From not being late because of bad punctuation and needing someone to type for her to enjoying her acetates – err stockings – the delivery from Monroe is smooth, even innocent. Monroe isn’t over the top and deliberately putting on the sexy, and thus Grant can match her as the straight man with no laugh track, rim shots, or hammering the viewer’s head with the nudge nudge wink wink required.  Yes, Monroe’s bullet bra enters the room before she does and her fans will enjoy what time she has onscreen, but her performance is really wise, well done comedy. Charles Coburn (The More the Merrier) is also a hoot as the monocle wearing and definitely noticing Oliver Oxely – after all, “Anyone can type.” Perhaps the subtext is tame today, but intelligent hints and charming performances never go out of style. In addition to these big stars of Monkey Business going kid, it’s also an ironic twist to add the deep voiced little George Winslow (My Pal Gus and Gentlemen Prefer Blondes) as a child voice of reason on the whole wacky matter.

Although the black and white photography may hide some of the sweet costumes from oft Monroe designer Travilla, all the mid century touches are here – the jazz, her pearls, those gloves, that kitchen!  I have to say, I love the obviously fake driving scenery and crazy stunt work.  It’s such a fifties staple!  The laboratories are fun, and the monkey filming is well done, too.  Naturally, one can’t go looking for serious science or the moral and ethical consequences of youthful experimentation with Monkey Business. While parts here are predictable, dated, and definitely of their time, one can’t pull off this kind of witty magic and comedic delivery today without resorting to gross out, college sex romp humor. Yes, it may be tough for younger audiences who didn’t grow up seeing this type of fast-paced screwball fun to appreciate. However, the deadpan zingers here can still make one crack up and smile. Fans of the cast and classic comedies certainly know and love Monkey Business, but older audiences or viewers looking for smart, sophisticated fun need look no further than the delightful shenanigans here.

Gentleman Prefer Blondes

Gentleman Prefer Blondes A Musical, Monroe Delight!

By Kristin Battestella

Maybe not everyone has seen this 1953 musical comedy starring Marilyn Monroe and Jane Russell.  Yet somehow, we all know of Marilyn, the pink satin dress, and ‘Diamonds Are a Girl’s Best Friend’.   Sing it with me, ‘A kiss on the hand may be quite continental but…’ but is the movie still any good?  I answer you with a resounding yes!

Two showgirls, the sensible but fun brunette Dorothy Shaw (Russell) and dim but money hungry blonde Lorelei Lee (Monroe), travel on a cruise to France with hopes of impressing the wealthy father (Taylor Holmes) of Lorelei’s hopelessly hooked fiancé Gus Esmond (Tommy Noonan).  On the water, Dorothy flirts with fellow passengers like the Olympic Swimming Team and the handsome Ernie Malone (Elliot Reed) - who’s really a detective hired by Mr. Esmond Sr.  While trying to keep his feelings for Dorothy separate from his mission to discredit Lorelei, Malone photographs Lorelei with the married Sir Francis Beekman (Charles Coburn).  Known as ‘Piggy’, Beekman owns a diamond mine and a tiara- trouble making treats that are just too irresistible to Lorelei.

Famed director Howard Hawks (Bringing Up Baby, His Girl Friday, Red River, Sergeant York, The Big Sleep, Rio Bravo, okay I’ll stop there!) and writer Charles Lederer (Ocean’s Eleven, I Was a Male War Bride) get right to the fun and nudge nudge wink wink of Anita Loos’ (San Francisco, The Women) novel and Joseph Fields’ stage adaptation.  From the opening song ‘Two Girls from Little Rock’ to the famous ‘Diamonds Are a Girl’s Best Friend’, we don’t let up for an hour and a half.  The spectacle of the stage numbers, quiet comedy scenes, and subtle onscreen slapstick blend together in fine pace and form.  Though Gentlemen Prefer Blondes carries the feel of its stage musical predecessor thanks to the romance, song, and dance, the viewer must pay attention to the dialogue and slapstick for the full storyline.  Gentlemen Prefer Blondes spends more time making us love our leading ladies rather than simply giving us one number after another. 

Well then, Marilyn Monroe is as dynamite and iconic in Gentleman Prefer Blondes as you’re going to get- and she can carry a damn fine tune!  Contrary to her onscreen persona, Monroe (reteaming with Hawks and Lederer from Monkey Business) is the master of the dim blonde, veiling the marshmallow with great comedic timing and matching in time with Russell’s sarcastic wit.  Monroe makes Lorelei Lee’s unaware stupidity not just tolerable or even acceptable, but downright sexy and certainly forgivable.  The way she trembles at the sight of a tiara yet asks, ‘How do you put it around your neck?’ wonderfully showcases Monroe’s layers and Lee’s true colors.  They say never work with kids or dogs, but Monroe’s scenes with little George Winslow (also Monkey Business) as the dry Mr. Spofford- particularly when Lorelei is stuck in a porthole- are downright adorable.  

She’s certainly not unloved by the classic film viewing public, but Jane Russell (The Outlaw, His Kind of Woman, The French Line) has taken a backseat to the iconic Monroe in the years since Gentleman Prefer Blondes’ release.  I wholeheartedly protest!  Despite being known as a ‘Marilyn Monroe film’, Gentlemen Prefer Blondes allows all of Jane Russell to shine, too.  Though a lovely lady then and now, Russell didn’t make as many movies as her bombshell contemporaries, and it’s a dang shame. She is a sexy and dynamic cinema dark horse, using every ounce of her charm so Dorothy Shaw can keep us on our viewing toes.  Russell keeps the sardonic and fun flare on form whether it’s the big song or serious conversations.  Her intelligent, mature, and sophisticated but unlucky in love polar opposite to Monroe contradicts yet somehow matches wonderfully.  Pick your pleasure!  Both ladies are also damn curvy by today’s standards, but by golly they look good.  Seeing films like this makes me wonder why we starve ourselves today.  Russell would return in 1955’s Gentleman Marry Brunettes with Jeanne Craine (State Fair), but the sequel isn’t as fun without the Russell and Monroe element.

The boys of Gentlemen Prefer Blondes are no slouches, but they are obviously a little less famous then our dames.  Tommy Noonan (A Star is Born, Swingin’ Along) as the somewhat geeky Gus seems mismatched to Lorelei, yet Noonan equals Monroe’s dim and lighthearted charm.  Likewise, Elliot Reid‘s (The Absent Minded Professor) Malone is the usual fedora wearing detective who tests Jane Russell wit for wit.  Could we have had better, bigger named leading men?  Certainly- but isn’t the point of Gentlemen Prefer Blondes for the gals to whip the boys with their sex appeal?  Oscar winner Charles Coburn (The More The Merrier, Heaven Can Wait) and Norma Varden (National Velvet, Strangers on a Train) as Piggy’s wife Lady Beekman add a touch of maturity to the cast, even if they, too, are also smartly used comic fodder. Taylor Holmes (Kiss of Death) is somewhat of a Magoffin throughout the film, but his final, funny confrontation with Monroe is a charmer nonetheless. 

Naturally, folks who don’t like movie musicals or swinging fifties tunes may not like Gentlemen Prefer Blondes.  It’s a shame, because the songs both new by Hoagy Carmichael (Stardust) and Harold Adamson (An Affair to Remember) and those brought from the stage by Jule Styne (Funny Girl) and Leo Robin (My Sister Eileen) are quite catchy.  Our leading ladies have different ranges, but they sing well together and make each individual verse or solo their own.  Russell’s sassy ‘Bye Bye Baby’ is just as toe-tapping as Monroe’s mellow interlude from the same song is dreamy.  ‘Ain’t There Anyone Here for Love’ by Russell is as equally charming as ‘Diamonds Are a Girl’s Best Friend’, too.  Yes, the pseudo sports routine isn’t that good a dance number, but all the near nude buff boys and a dripping wet Jane are just a little more scandalous.  There’s actually not as many big dance numbers, complex routines, or spectacle songs here as with other musicals of the day.  All Gentleman Prefer Blondes needs are close up shots of our gals singing good stuff and we’re a-okay.  Nevertheless, ‘When Love Goes Wrong’ is a damn fine mix of shakin’ and shimmyin’, and Russell puts her own feisty courtroom stamp on ‘Diamonds’ before the film is done. 

Of course, I’d be remiss if I didn’t talk about the lovely costumes by Marilyn’s oft dresser Travilla (Dallas, Valley of the Dolls) or the fifties colors, flair, and style. The red lips and glittering ruby red frocks are simply impeccable.  You couldn’t get away with these styles today, but the hats, leopard prints, furs, diamond bling, pink satin- oh I could go on with the fashion delights here!  Even the black pantsuits are cut wonderfully for the curves and bullet bras on our gals.  Yes, the sets are somewhat small scale and cardboard since we’re on a cruise ship for most of the film, but there’s certainly plenty of color and fun onscreen nonetheless thanks to our catwalking ladies. Monroe is dressed in all the flashy shine and vibrant colors, but Russell is equally devastating in a largely dark wardrobe.  Though monochrome, the assorted shapes, cuts, and fabrics make us look closer.  Don’t loose an eye on those bosoms!  

 

Marilyn Monroe fans, lovers of Jane Russell, and musical comedy audiences can delight in Gentlemen Prefer Blondes again and again.  There’s nothing taboo here at all, and new audiences or the young at heart should certainly give this one more than its cursory ‘Diamond’ glance.  Unfortunately, just like most of Monroe’s films, Gentlemen Prefer Blondes isn’t available on blu-ray just yet.  Again, I protest!  Thankfully, several DVD editions in assorted Marilyn collections, streaming options, and rental opportunities are available.  Take a cruise with Dorothy and Lorelei tonight!