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Stop on by for more of our Classic Film reviews, Top Ten Countdowns, and Op-Ed Critiques including:

Top Ten Marilyn Monroe Essentials

Top Ten Tom Hiddleston Essentials

Hud: A Cowboy Catharsis Classic Movie Review

Op-Ed: Recapping Daniel Craig's Tenure as James Bond

Op-Ed: The Inability to Quantify Guy Pearce

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Top Ten: Marilyn Monroe!

Welcome to our new Top Tens series in celebration of I Think, Therefore I Review's Tenth Anniversary! These monthly lists will highlight special themes and topics from our extensive archive of reviews.

This time I Think, Therefore I Review presents in chronological order...

Our Top Ten Marilyn Monroe Films!

All About Eve

Monkey Business

Don't Bother to Knock

Niagara

Gentleman Prefer Blondes

How to Marry A Millionaire

There's No Business Like Show Business

The Seven Year Itch

Bus Stop

Some Like it Hot

Please see our Marilyn Monroe tag and our Classics or Musical labels for yet more Old Hollywood analysis!

I Think, Therefore I Review began as the blog home for previously published reviews and reprinted critiques by horror author Kristin Battestella. Naturally older articles linked here may be out of date and codes or formatting may be broken. Please excuse any errors and remember our Top Tens will generally only include films, shows, books, or music previously reviewed at I Think, Therefore I Review. 

 

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! 

 

Our Marilyn Monroe Reviews!

Our Marilyn Monroe Analysis

By Kristin Battestella

Amid some of the more masculine oriented reviews like Sharpe and Bond, some of you may have noticed that we’ve critiqued quite a few Marilyn Monroe films amid all our classics studies at I Think, Therefore I Review. To keep it easy and posh, here’s our complete list of Monroe reviews all in one place!

The Asphalt Jungle
All About Eve
As Young As You Feel

Love Nest
Let's Make It Legal
We're Not Married! 

Monkey Business

Don't Bother to Knock
O. Henry's Full House

Niagara

Gentleman Prefer Blondes

How to Marry a Millionaire

River of No Return 

There's No Business Like Show Business

The Seven Year Itch

Bus Stop

The Prince and the Showgirl

Some Like It Hot

Let's Make Love

The Misfits

There's No Business Like Show Business

There’s No Business Like Show Business a Fun, Fifties Musical

By Kristin Battestella

It’s all fluff, loosely strung together songs, and missed character opportunities, and yet the 1954 musical There’s No Business Like Show Business has a lot of entertaining predictability and catchy tunes.

From Vaudeville to Broadway, the Donahue family – mom Molly (Ethel Merman),  dad Terry (Dan Daily), sons Steve (Johnnie Ray) and Tim (Donald O’Connor) and daughter Katy (Mitzi Gaynor) – struggle with raising the kids, buying a house, performing during The Depression, and having a normal life thru all the ups and downs on the show business road. As times change, Steve gets religion, Tim meets fellow singer Vicky (Marilyn Monroe), and more growing pains threaten to tear the family apart. Can the Donahues go on with the show?

Director Walter Lang (The King and I) and writers Phoebe and Henry Ephron (Take Her She’s Mine) and Lamar Trotti (The Ox-Bow Incident) provide a great 2 hour excuse to hear some Irving Berlin tunes, and that catchy titular tune has seeped into the biz lexicon. The opening family catch up and sporadic reflective narration is a bit slow to start, and yet There’s No Business Like Show Business is awfully rushed and overly condensed. The entire picture could have been about the performing struggles during the Depression alone. The straight drama is short and uneven compared to the dance numbers; ironically, the real behind the scenes difficulties of this movie seems to have more scandal and turmoil than the safe, easy onscreen turns. Some of the brassy dialogue and fast talking over each other script rhythms will also take getting used to for today’s audiences. More time should have been spent on character development, granted, and contemporary viewers probably want There’s No Business Like Show Business to be more complex than it actually is. However, taking this picture seriously or wishing what it could have been is somewhat missing the point of There’s No Business Like Show Business. Great comedy, wit, and honesty keep the fast moving fun memorable. Even if it’s all mid century straightforward and innocent, there’s plenty to enjoy here.  

Most of that delight in There’s No Business Like Show Business is thanks to the musical pomp, songs, and dances. The film feels like a two for one special movie and a Broadway show with nearly one song after another – from ethic spins on early ragtime numbers like the lengthy “Alexander’s Ragtime Band” and period swing and jazz crooners to spiritual sounds and full on displays like the title tune. It’s also nice to see some of the early, simpler stage shows, merely two folks singing and tapping their toes instead of today’s huge, loud, sometimes nonsensical spectacles. These productions were state of the art then, and the depth of stage is also fully utilized. People move up and down or front to back on the stages, creating vision and movements without the need for in your face camera tricks, editing, and zooms. The camera is pointed at the boards while the stars do their thang, and it’s refreshing to see it all. Some of the dialogue between the singing sounds uneven or at a lower volume, but the story is filled in thru the tunes anyway. We are seeing a showbiz family ply their trade – that’s the story, and it’s the perfect definition of a musical. Our players are stage performers, and there’s a reason for the majority of the songs. Folks aren’t just breaking out into song for the heck of it as we see so often in musical movies.

Of course, the characters do suffer from the musical focus in There’s No Business Like Show Business. Ethel Merman (Alexander’s Ragtime Band, Call Me Madam, Anything Goes) is an iconic woman who could hold a Broadway note like few today. Perhaps some contemporary pop listeners may not like her vocal style, but it fits perfectly with the setting here and in all honestly, Molly was her part to have. Merman, however, probably was too old for the role, but all of the family stars seem older than their characters’ ages. It’s a nice change of pace from everything made so young  and youth reigns this century, but Molly’s treatment of the kids like kids even when they are adults is very fifties date and even simpleton instead of funny. That safe sentimentality also doesn’t allow room for anybody to get deep. How does Molly really feel about being upstaged? We don’t know because any such hang-ups are either dealt with humorously or forgiven by the next number – and “A Sailor’s Not a Sailor” is just too cutesy to be believed. Though Dan Dailey (When My Baby Smiles at Me) fits the bill as the mid century dad, man of the house, breadwinning husband Terry, he’s still played as second fiddle to his wife in charge. There are lots of jabs between the couple, but its all friendly, fresh, and made light. He seems to have a wandering eye, and for sure this couple had to have some rough patches thru the years – but any whiff of that is played for the humor rather than something scandalous. Poor Terry’s most serious development happens in a minute long walking/memory lane montage! 

Donald O’Connor (Singin’ in the Rain) is also a great performer and his comedic timing is perfect, yet his Tim somehow feels like a downgrade for Marilyn Monroe as Vicky. How did this guy get that girl? Tim shows his stuff in the lone breakout in song fantasy of “A Man Chases a Girl (Until She Catches Him),” but the lovelorn drunkard throwing his talent away angle is too clichéd, typical, and not heavy at all. Brooding, saucy twists were happening in other fifties films, but There’s No Business Like Show Business uses Tim’s twist without actually spending enough time on it for there to be any significance. Naturally then, coat check girl with dreams Monroe (Some Like It Hot) makes a sexy marshmallow sounding joke right out of the gate. It’s also strange that there are even scenes with her alone sans The Donahues. Isn’t There’s No Business Like Show Business about them? Monroe looks dynamite, wearing plenty of sheers and barely there Travilla costumes for “After You Get What You Want You Don’t Want It” and “Heatwave.” Her husky, sultry delivery is fine, too. However, Monroe seems limited compared to the rest of the cast. It’s as if someone made her do more dancing than she was capable whilst also making her do the same old sexy thing with little room for depth. As a result, “Heatwave” is hot looking but also kind of a dumb routine. Despite the character flaws of There’s No Business Like Show Business, Monroe still has several catchy, unable to take your eyes off her, memorable moments.

Fun, Vegas style costumes with a lot of leg and wonderful dancing also can’t save Mitzi Gaynor (South Pacific) from being a bit upstaged by Monroe, especially in the awkward “Lazy” rehearsal. There’s No Business Like Show Business gives little attention to Katy beyond singing, dancing, and finding a man and again, the lone daughter becomes one of the many unrealized focal points in this piece. Likewise, singer Johnnie Ray’s Steve is supposed to be a big, talented showstopper, but not really so much. I don’t know how he could have been as popular as Elvis back in the day, and he seems more like a Sinatra imitator here. Although Steve’s show biz dissatisfaction and forthcoming change is obvious, there’s no real character reflection, soul searching, or hints to his becoming a priest. He exits stage right and comes back a few hours later intent on going off to seminary! Today we like to read between the lines or expect something in this suggestion about the different son who doesn’t want to be part of the family business and leaves for the priesthood – his dad rejects the idea outright while his mother begs, “Why this?” – but There’s No Business Like Show Business was not making any statements or complex allegory in the hurried characterizations here.  

 

Fortunately, the feathers and hats alone are a sight to behold! The costumes, designs, fashions, décor, and dressings – be it the nineteen teens or the then contemporary stylings- are wonderful. Not to mention There’s No Business Like Show Business has all that Deluxe color! Of course, you have to wonder how they could do those quick costume changes without the magic of film editing, and some sets are meant to look cardboard cut out or stage poor. However, that’s part of the show within a show pastiche; it’s neat to see the big numbers and the behind the scenes before, during, and after drama of it all. There’s No Business Like Show Business has plenty of looks and flair to enjoy, along with mid century amusements. $6.20 for a cab!  

Yes, it can be nerve wracking that There’s No Business Like Show Business is not the big, epic How the West Was Won of musicals that it could have been. Resolutions happen too easy, everything breezes along regardless of the potential tossed in its wake, and everybody comes full circle by the end. Though not made with the dramatic character focus in mind, one may wonder what the point of There’s No Business Like Show Business is if some of the characters don’t change or could have been dropped all together and gone unnoticed just the same. Actually, the idea of placing the songs, musical productions, and flair over the people is pretty akin to today’s bombastic all flash and no substance popcorn flicks, so I’m surprised to see some of the negatively this film receives. There’s No Business Like Show Business is full of great tunes, stage atmosphere, and is dang good fun at what it does right. Classic film audiences, song and dance lovers, and fans of the cast can still have a fluffy good time here.

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.

Let's Make Love

Let’s Make Love Still Iffy

By Kristin Battestella

                  

This slightly notorious 1960 Marilyn Monroe musical has plenty of big name star power onscreen and off- not to mention Monroe’s undeniable charisma.  Unfortunately, Let’s Make Love is indeed infamous for all the wrong reasons.

International millionaire and playboy Jean Marc Clement (Yves Montand) is displeased to hear from his public relations representative Coffman (Tony Randall) that an upcoming New York play will lampoon his hoity toity image along with other celebrities.  When he goes to the theatre in protest, however, Clement is mistaken for an actor auditioning- and gets the job of parodying himself.  To make matters worse, Clement is smitten with the show’s lead Amanda Dell (Monroe).  He uses Coffman and all his multimillionaire resources to save the struggling show while wooing Amanda- but she’s seeing the play’s male lead, Tony (Frankie Vaughn).  Will Clement embrace his loosened up image and win Amanda’s heart?

Well, director George Cukor (My Fair Lady, The Philadelphia Story, A Star is Born) has his hands full with screenwriters Arthur Miller (The Crucible), Norman Krasna (White Christmas), and Hal Kanter (The Rose Tattoo) throwing what seems like a lot of leftovers at the screen.  If the talent here came to play, this would be awesome.  Instead, we start with an old, stale, and unnecessary opening montage giving the history of the Clement men.  They’ve been rich, international playboys for a long time yadda yadda. The back-story could have come in many faster ways, and this off putting start doesn’t hold up for today’s audiences. Actually, the whole opening and battle of the sexes underlining comes off as a poor man’s The Seven Year Itch; the start and stop journey of the characters is akin to The Prince and the Showgirl.  Let’s Make Love begins with a fun twist, yes. Unfortunately, the impersonation story is too common, pretentious, and eventually even asinine in some spots.  The script and pace are too patchy, and the scenes without Monroe drag completely. It’s ironic that her then husband Miller wrote in more scenes for Monroe, for we don’t really see her that much.  The conversations, near slapstick, and misunderstanding circumstances between the stars is pleasing initially, but the over long two hours and increasing focus on Clement’s subterfuge lessens the quality.  Is Let’s Make Love meant to be about the struggling show or Clement softening up? Too many mixed signals and confusion muddle the mishmash. This isn’t flashy enough to be a show-stopping musical, but it’s too dry and wannabe melodramatic to be a comedy. If it’s a romance, then the love triangle is way out of whack.

Fortunately, Marilyn Monroe enters Let’s Make Love thirteen minutes in and lightens the air with “My Heart Belongs to Daddy.” The breathless delivery and leggy routine sets her apart, both in spite of and perhaps because of that simple baggy sweater and black tights ensemble.  It’s flattering yet still cashmere alluring- unlike Ann-Margaret in Viva Las Vegas, which I swear looks like she forgot her pants! Less than two years before Monroe’s death, viewers might think her personal troubles would hurt her performance, but not in the numbers here.  Truly, she looks very pretty, kind, and approachable- not an unreachable, dumb goddess. This struggling actress and student just got out of bed un-styled look further helps Monroe make men go down like dominoes. And when she takes that sweater off!  What is that- a body stocking?  I don’t see the weight talk surrounding Let’s Make Love. She looks classy and most importantly, real. Of course, there is retreading towards Monroe’s usual dumb blonde singing types. However, Mandy is given a bit more intelligence and meaning on a few new topics and is even getting her diploma.  We’re treated to a knitting Marilyn Monroe, a genuinely innocent- not kitten- and unashamed of the poor acting life minister’s daughter. Naturally, we are going to like her more than Jean Marc Clement and his deceptions. Granted, Monroe does seem tired or unmotivated in some of the later scenes, and I’m not sure about that green bodysuit.  Considering this script though, who knows what’s going on? Mandy begins as a very smart, inspiring girl with talent, plans, and dreams- and then…nothing.

Swanky, swanky, Yves Montand (Wages of Fear) has the chic. He looks good in a real suit, holds a cigarette in that oh so suave way, and generally carries himself with a European grace, pimpity, and class that can’t be matched by today’s surfer boy ‘actors’. Unfortunately, it will be tough for some contemporary audiences to see past his French accent, and he’s simply all wrong for Let’s Make Love.  He looks too old and mismatched for Monroe- but she seemed to like that sort of thing, indeed.  Even when making a joke or attempting to be casual, Clement feels too pompous and out of touch. It doesn’t feel amusing within the film and to Americans today, this dude still has a lot of loosening up to do! His initial mistaken identity at the theater is funny, but it changes to asinine once Clement claims to be a simple man who happens to be named Alexandre Dumas.  His deception is not one of necessity or endearing ala Tootsie- he’s just trying to protect his reputation and manipulate an entire cast of people in his favor.  Mandy’s “I’m a louse” mocking of Clement is spot on. Is it the writing or Montand?  Clement’s meant to be wooden, but one wonders if the originally planned dashing Mr. Gregory Peck learning the err of his ways wouldn’t have been better. Clement objects to being called a liar, but he clearly is one who literally brings in guest stars Milton Berle, Bing Crosby, and Gene Kelly to help him shape up! It doesn’t create any sympathy when Clement tries to come clean.  In fact, the viewer just wants to fast forward to the big numbers. Otherwise, Let’s Make Love is supposed to be two hours of a guy manipulating, deceiving, and cruelly revealing his scheme for a woman? WTF?  Frankie Vaughn (The Lady is a Square) fairs little better, with his “Hey You with the Crazy Eyes” Tony Denton spotlight feeling more like a poor, poor man’s Dean Martin.  His hanging all over Monroe also ruins “Specialization.”  Tony Randall (The Odd Couple, Pillow Talk) as Clement’s everyman press man Coffman is very bemusing and could have been a great sardonic sidekick where we know he is very capable. Unfortunately, he steadily disappears for the supposed revelations of Clement and the purported heart of Let’s Make Love.

 

Thankfully, the early sixties New York penthouses, fun global décor, richy rich art, and high life visuals looks smashing! The posh music and ironic jazz scoring is nice as well, with cabaret styled choreography to match the spiffy stage coloring and lighting designs.  Let’s Make Love is traditionally styled as a musical, yes, yet there are wonderful hints of something more hep cat than showboat.  There’s lyrical wit and a kinky touch to it all, and the possibilities are again scarified for, well, I don’t know what.  The dance routines lag by the middle of the picture, and the premise of the play spoofing Elvis and the like isn’t actually that good when we see the show within a show design and cumbersome moving sets.  Some of Monroe’s costumes also seem unusual choices. Though barely there and lovely, her silver dress doesn’t seem to fit, nor the inexplicable corset. Fortunately, the pink and white breezy sheer number and the fantasy montage for the catchy titular rendition are perfect.  At last some charm and tune from both stars, but she’s going to poke his eye out with that dress!  

The DVD subtitles will be a must for some in understanding Montand, but onscreen dialogue won’t help solve the many mixed signals in Let’s Make Love. This is good for fans of the cast or classic film audiences who like mid century bed pillows type films.  Otherwise, there’s not much reason to look any deeper into this potentially special musical comedy that ended up not well done, without a lot of musical, not that much funny, and too much seriousness.

The Prince and the Showgirl

The Prince and the Showgirl Uneven, but Charming

By Kristin Battestella

Screen goddess Marilyn Monroe and thee acting connoisseur Laurence Olivier unite in this fun 1957 mismatched romance.  Though ill paced in some parts, the charm wins out here.

Chorus girl Elsie Marina (Monroe) meets the Prince Regent of Carpathia (Olivier) while he, his son Nicholas (Jeremy Spenser), and his mother-in-law the Dowager Queen (Dame Sybil Thorndike, The Life and Adventures of Nicholas Nickleby) are being entertained in London by British official Northbrook (Richard Wattis, The Belles of St. Trinian’s) ahead of the coronation of George V.  When invited to the embassy by the Prince, Elsie is at first reluctant, then irritated by the political interruptions.  She expects to be better wooed, but the Dowager Queen takes an interest in Elsie and makes her a lady-in-waiting, extending Elsie’s stay at the embassy.  As the Prince warms to her, Elsie inadvertently becomes involved in European politics and royal affairs.  Will the budding romance survive royal plots and obligations?   

Director and star Laurence Olivier (Fire Over England, Rebecca, Hamlet, Wuthering Heights, I’ll stop) sets the 1911 pre-war London scene well with lots of royalty and politics.  Some of the protocol can seem confusing to a contemporary viewer, and the style is a little too stuffy and RP with some anti American bits.  However, there’s also a seemingly mocking tone or tongue in cheek to it all from writer Terence Rattigan (Separate Tables).  Oh, these snotty old aristocrats and the flakey aides hysterically trying to please them!  The Prince and the Showgirl captures the mood of the time and is still able to laugh at itself. Unfortunately, the mix of lighthearted love and dangerous political plots makes it seem as if Olivier is peddling two separate movies.  The battle of wits between the two leads- which you could perceive as the king of real acting and the queen of pretty going head to head- is a lot of fun.  She rejects his passes, and then expects better romance on his part.  He charms, he shouts.  Could it be love? The unique romantic comedy takes place largely in one stage like room- thanks to Rattigan’s source play The Sleeping Prince.  The focus on the people with the pomp and circumstance outside merely hinted at is refreshing in opposition to all those modern Meg Ryan love in the big city repeats.  The Prince and The Showgirl dries up when Olivier switches to a political triangle instead of these bemusing cat and mouse games.  When turning to European intrigue and plots, the tale seems longer than needed at a full 2 hours, dragging in the middle when things should have gotten juicier.  It’s uneven yes, and perhaps misguided in the end, but overall, the stars shine and keep The Prince and the Showgirl entertaining.

Though she has proven she can do more, Marilyn Monroe (Some Like It Hot, Gentleman Prefer Blonds) is once again the dimwitted blonde who catches the eye of the Grand Ducal Prince backstage just because her dress strap rips.  It’s a bit of a thankless start, but Elsie’s catching on and teaching the royals a thing or two is a lot of fun.  Monroe’s physical comedy and runaround timing works onscreen-making silent and seemingly insignificant scenes fresh, lively, even slapstick.  Elsie’s attempts to get the right titles and dialogue are wonderfully squashed with an ‘Oh, the hell with it!’  Monroe also sneaks in a few great zingers- total insults delivered with such marshmallow that you can’t help but like Elsie.  Her great curves and soft focus stylings on the up close shots are noticeable, yes, but Monroe still looks lovely despite not being at her best again thanks to off screen illness and pregnancy troubles.  Elsie’s drunken giggles also make us think its just Marilyn being herself, but again the comedy timing and played up wit wins out. I am, however, not sure why a somewhat out of place song is needed.  Fans who like Monroe’s musical ways may be surprised by the turn of the century arrangement here. Of course, the entire premise of The Prince and the Showgirl is all-preposterous- a chorus girl meddling in European affairs and preventing war! But really, what tickles me most is how Elsie hobnobs with royalty while wearing the same dress for 3 days!

Surprisingly, I am not a major fan of Olivier, England’s favorite thespian maestro.  From what I’ve seen, he always seems to be the same stuffy guy.  Early on in The Prince and the Showgirl, he’s even a bit of an ass. Fortunately, the snotty serves a purpose here.  The Ducal Prince must always be on form, always wearing the façade; he’s doing the protocol and going through the motions with a trumped up accent to seal the deal.  After meeting this guy, I much prefer Larry’s mysterious Brit millionaire Max in Rebecca!  We expect Elsie to be taken advantage of in this situation because we are used to politicians like this getting down and nasty with the babes. Though at the time it might have been accepted for such a dignitary to have an evening with a lady who understood to be gone in the morning, today we think of it as just horny old dude on the lamb relentlessly looking for a piece. All that and nevertheless The Prince and the Showgirl is bemusing, a Pretty Woman fifties-style with such an innocence to its implications. The Prince Regent and his son Jeremy Spenser (King & Country) shed their rigid ways; Olivier loosens up and eventually gets rid of that proverbial stiff upper lip.  Today’s movies would have Elsie scandalously banging both the Regent and the sneaky teenager king in waiting- yowzha!  

Okay, so the silly and fake London screen shots are obvious and on the cheap, but some of that old production of the time has its delights.  The embassy set design is appropriately grand and lavishly styled with lots of gold and velvet and sweet staircases.  And let’s not forget my favorite: candlestick phones, people!   Maybe it isn’t on the scale of today’s standards, but the décor befits a title like The Prince and the Showgirl. The costumes are perfection- fun feathered hats, parasols, gowns high and low, colorful fabrics and over the top gaudy blue eye shadow to match.  There are great men’s top hats and going to the opera styles, too. The monocle is a little typical, but fun nostalgia just the same.  Nobody today has probably ever really seen one, yet it is just the right Old World touch here.  Monroe’s aforementioned white dress and overall look is, however, seemingly 1911 by way of 1957, looking a little more of the time than the time really portrayed.  Olivier’s blue uniform and red sash also look just like the Duke in Disney’s Cinderella!  Though lovely and again fittingly majestic, the coronation scene is way too slow and marks the low point of The Prince and the Showgirl, inviting politics in to try and overshadow the charm of the leads. Is that its point in the larger scheme of the film?

Fans of Olivier, Monroe, or pre-war Europe onscreen will certainly enjoy The Prince and the Showgirl, though audiences new to the cast, the fifties colloquialisms, or the turn of the century protocol onscreen might find some things tough to understand.  Even some of the fifties kitschy humor and tone might be lost to younger viewers of classic films, though the picture is certainly lighthearted and family friendly. It isn’t perfect, but classic connoisseurs and fans of pomp, circumstance, and opposites attract fun will enjoy The Prince and the Showgirl.

Love Nest

Love Nest Fun, but Showing Its Age

By Kristin Battestella

Though it’s early in her career, the promise of Love Nest’s Marilyn Monroe hijinks mixed with misunderstandings of the writer’s life was too intriguing not to take a gander.  Datedness and misdirection, however, hamper much of the fun.

World War II Veteran Jim Scott (William Lundigan) is happy to return home to his wife Connie (June Haver).  Even though they have to make do living in the basement of their townhouse while they rent the apartments above, the income gives Jim a chance to write that Great American Novel he has been dreaming of in the trenches.  Quirky tenants like the widow Eadie Gaynor (Leatrice Joy, The Blue Danube) and perpetually leaky sink Mrs. Quigg (Marie Blake, The Addams Family) are a handful, as is charming philanderer and conman Charley Patterson (Frank Fay).  However, when former army driver Bobbie- err Roberta Stevens (Monroe) moves into the Scotts’ nest egg, things get a little more interesting.

Director Joseph Newman (This Island Earth) and screenwriter I.A.L. Diamond (Some Like it Hot, The Apartment) have a tough job in balancing the silly romance shenanigans with melodramatic money and household troubles.   While they struggle with those two opposite ends, the fun fifties innuendo does mix well with the obligatory Leave it to Beaver innocence.  There are all kinds of implied kinky pillow talk of getting reacquainted post war- and yet the Scotts have separate beds!  Love Nest is also a little slow to start, taking its time in getting to the critical events in the last half hour.  Honestly, some of the financial talk is also a little depressing.   Good God, $300 in the bank is a lot to these folks, and $4,000 is the full mortgage?  Wow!  I was also a little disappointed in the onscreen writerly aspects, which was one of my initial draws to the movie.  Jim sits at his typewriter from time to time and it’s this phantom writing that ends up saving the day ninety minutes later, big whoop. Love Nest is sadly stuck between not being as funny as it should be or as seriously old school angsty as it could be.  Either be slapstick or have saucy drama- you can’t be somewhere in between.

Thankfully, William Lundigan (Dodge City, The Sea Hawk) and June Haver (The Dolly Sisters, Scudda Hoo! Scudda Hay! – another very early, very briefly Monroe picture.) make a nice couple as Jim and Connie, even if they are a little too much like every other fifties couple ever onscreen. Unfortunately, again its the script fails them. So, they have landlord repairs and money trouble like everyone else? Big deal.  Why should we care if they fight over it? Why should Jim have to sleep outside in a hammock if they have separate beds?! Despite my complaints, they are likeable and entertaining simply because their relationship is so down right wholesome and dare I say wishful thinking to today’s often cynical view on relationships. Jack Paar (The Jack Paar Tonight Show) as Jim’s cheeky lawyer and ladies man Ed Forbes also deserved a lot more to do- again as either the wicked lothario or the slapstick pal, not just the guy who brings over the champagne as needed.  Fortunately, Frank Fay (Bright Lights, The Matrimonial Bed) picks up the slack with his lovely turn as crook with a heart Charley. He’s the man with an angle, all the worldly charms, and he’s always ready with the right sweet remark.  A good bit of that taboo innuendo is also snuck into his speech, both kinky for the ladies and even a little subtext on the handsome men.  Despite the subject matter the title suggests, Fay is as juicy as Love Nest gets, and his true designs are largely played as off screen mystery.

But of course, the real reason one takes any interest in Love Nest today and can so readily find the film is my sister’s favorite icon, Marilyn Monroe.  Here, pre-How to Marry a Millionaire and Some Like It Hot, Monroe doesn’t have a whole lot to do beyond being the would be femme antagonist.  Her voice is a little untrained, and it is somewhat tough to picture her as a WAC- that’s Women’s Army Corps for you really young pups!  However, the mistaken set up of the very buxom Bobbie moving in upstairs and causing a bit of jealously is right up Monroe’s alley.  Even this early on, someone had the good sense to put Monroe in a then scandalous two-piece bathing suit and sent her outside tanning. Next, she’s donning nothing but a towel when getting out of the shower!  Monroe isn’t actually in the picture all that much.  Pity as that is, it’s also great to see her in the forties styled fitted dress suits instead of flashy colorful fifties satins to come. Although she wasn’t a star yet, Love Nest again faults because its focus is not the juicy of Monroe or the fun con of Patterson.  Jim and Connie’s house troubles are a little boring compared to the fun possibilities that come into the film with Monroe a little too late.

Naturally, fans of fifties stylings can find what they are looking for here. Despite being black and white, the old-fashioned patterns and curtains are neat to see. The period cars, netted hats, calling cards, and sweet typewriters are all a sight of antique and fashion aficionados.  Women needing to wear gloves and pillbox hats to go shopping? In a grocery store? And my goodness, there’s a boat load of irony in these post war folks thinking letter writing is a lost art!  While the hindrances of what could be said and done onscreen condemned Love Nest to its uneven story and pacing, a mid century connoisseur can find plenty of charm. Yes, these same things seriously show the film’s imperfect points and show its age.  However, fans of the cast and wholesome fifties capers can still enjoy the good-hearted sentiment here. 

Love Nest can be found for rent or affordably in several Marilyn Monroe editions. The subtitles are magical in studying the colloquialisms of the time, but the only other features are a commentary and the obligatory Monroe previews and trailers.  Though flawed, the right audience or classics fan can find plenty of fun with Love Nest.