FROM STAGE TO SCREEN – GENTLEMEN PREFER BLONDES

 

Before “Gentlemen Preferred Blondes” was a musical, it was a three act comedy written by Anita Loos and John Emerson.  The comedy was set in a Royal suite of an ocean liner, a sitting room in the Ritz hotel, Paris and Lorelei's apartment, New York. It opened at  Times Square Theatre on September 28, 1926 and closed March 1927 after a total of 199 performances.

STAGE

Gentlemen Prefer Blondes (1949)

Music by Jule Styne; lyrics by Leo Robin
Book by Anita Loos & Joseph Fields, based on Miss Loos's novel.

Songs: "Bye, Bye, Baby," "A Little Girl from Little Rock," "I Love What I'm Doing," "Just a Kiss Apart," "It's Delightful Down in Chile," "You Say You Care," "Mtu.nie Is Mimi," "Diamonds Are a Girl's Best Friend," "Gentlemen Prefer BIondes," "Homesick Blues."

New York: Opened -  Dec. 8, 1949
Closed – Sep 15, 1951
Ziegfeld Theatre ; 740 performances.

Presented by Herman Levin & Oliver Smith
Directed by John C. Wilson
Choreographed by Agnes de Mille
Orchestrations by Don Walker

Cast:
Carol Channing (Lorelei Lee), Yvonne Adair (Dorothy Shaw), Jack McCauley (Gas Esmond)

London: Aug. 20, 1962
Princes Theatre ; 223 performances.

New York: Jan.27, I971
Palace Theatre; 320 performances
Orchestrations, Philip J. Lang, Don Walker; added music by Jule Styne; added lyrics by Betty Comden & Adolph Green; new book Re-titled Lorelei.
Cast: Carol Channing (Lorelei Lee), Dody Goodman (Ella Spofford), Peter Palmer (Gus Esmond)

The saga of gold-digging Lorelei Lee in the hedonistic 20s propelled Carol Channing's career so meteorically that she was elevated to stardom during the run. Lorelei, engaged to button tycoon Gus Esmond, sails aboard the Ile de France with her chum Dorothy Shaw. Along the way she discovers enough rich gentlemen to make sure she has a good time both on ship and in variousspots throughout Paris. As for the less predatory Dorothy, she finds true romance with Philadelphian Henry Spofford.

The 1974 version, subtitled Gentlemen Still Prefer Blondes, still starred Carol Channing. The major change was adding a prologue and epilogue in which Lorelei, now Gus's widow, reminisces about her madcap youth.

Five songs were added, with 10 retained from the original score. This production toured 11 months before opening on Broadway.

ORIGINAL CAST RECORDING

 

 

SCREEN

Producer: Sol C. Siegel
Director: Howard Hawks
Screenplay: Charles Lederer
Music Director: Lionel Newman
Song Score: Leo Robin and Jule Styne
Additional Songs: Harold Adamson and Hoagy Carmichael
Choreography: Jack Cole
Set Decoration: Claude Carpenter
Costume Design: Travilla

Cast:
Jane Russell (Dorothy)),
Marilyn Monroe (Lorelei),
Charles Coburn (Sir Francis Beekman),
Elliott Reid (Malone),
Tommy Noonan (Gus Esmond),
George "Foghorn" Winslow (Henry Spofford III)

Release Date:
USA 1 July 1953 - Atlantic City, New Jersey) (premiere)
USA 15 July 1953  - New York City, New York)
USA 31 July 1953 - -(Los Angeles, California)

Technical:
Runtime: 91 min
Sound Mix: Mono (Western Electric Recording)
Colour: Colour (Technicolor)
Aspect Ratio: 1.37 : 1

Taglines:
The Two M-M-Marvels Of Our Age In The Wonder Musical Of The World!

Trivia:
The "Diamonds Are A Girl's Best Friend" number was later re-shot in CinemaScope, to be used as part of a CinemaScope demonstration held on the Fox lot in March of 1953. Producer Darryl F. Zanuck told "Daily Variety" that it only took 3-1/2 hours to shoot the number in CinemaScope versus four days for the original film version. The public finally saw the CinemaScope version ten years later when it closed Fox's documentary tribute to MM.

DVD

SOUNDTRACK

1. Diamonds Are a Girl's Best Friend Marilyn Monroe
2. A Little Girl from Little Rock Marilyn Monroe, Jane Russell
3. Ain't There Anyone Here for Love? Jane Russell
4. When Love Goes Wrong Marilyn Monroe, Jane Russell
5. Bye, Bye Baby Jane Russell, Marilyn Monroe