Exclusive"How to Marry a Millionaire" (1953): First Fashion Extravaganza

Glasses? What makes you think I wear glasses? You're reading that newspaper upside down. Wouldn't you know it? Same thing kept happening at the bookstore. I don't know why you won't wear the darn things. Oh, I hate to, you know. Men aren't attentive to girls who wear glasses. Wait, did you say you were at a bookstore? What were you doing at a bookstore? Looking for a how-to book. A how-to book? How to what? How to marry a millionaire. I'm Tiffany Brannan. And I'm Rebecca Brannan. Welcome to Real Thoughts on Cinema. It's interesting to hear people's observations when they observe our retro style. Yes, because a lot of people haven't seen classic movies, really, so I think they try to find a familiar reference point for the fashion. One current series, which people have mentioned a lot, is The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel. Yes, and to look at the advertising material for it, it looks like it would be sort of a light-hearted rom-com, sort of 1950s style. But upon investigating further, it's actually somewhat dark and kind of coarse and even explicit at times. Yes, it's surprising, but just that look is what people really like. It just grabs them. And that's one reason why I think that anyone could become a classic film fan, because there's a common point of interest that anyone could find. But the important thing is to start with something that maybe is similar to something they already like. And a series like The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel could somehow get people interested in that old style. Yes, because it's set in the 1950s in New York about this recent divorcee, Mrs. Maisel, who sets out to kind of make her own way in the world as a comedian. That's right. For a while, we've been trying to think of a classic film that's similar to this. Yes. And I've thought of a few different angles. You could be a comedian. Right. It's about a Jewish woman. It's about a woman who cheats on her husband. I don't know. It's a woman who's trying to make her own way. A lot of different ideas. But finally, I thought, you know, what people really like about this is the fun 1950s bright, colorful fashion. So why don't we think about a movie made in the 50s that has a similar bright, colorful fashion look? Right. So we decided to go with a 1950s film that has the beautiful technicolor that we want and gorgeous costuming, but also is about these three women who decide they want to live life on their own terms. One of whom is a divorcee. That's right. Kind of the ringleader. The main character, really, is Shotzi Page, played by Lauren McCall, who has recently been divorced from sort of a no-good fellow who she calls a gas pump jockey. So he just worked at a gas station and didn't make much money. So she gets together with two friends, Paula and Loco. They're all models at a fashionable store. And they decide they're going to rent this apartment. Just put down... Penthouse. A penthouse, yes. Just the first and last payment for a year's lease. And use it, she says, like a bear trap and try to trap rich men, hopefully for all of them, but if they could at least get one, they'd all be set for life. So this time she's going to marry for money and position. But the very first day there, Loco, going to the store, kind of picks up this young man who helps, who pays for her food, actually, because she only had a quarter with her. She pretends like she left her wallet at home. And Shotzi writes him off immediately as another gas pump jockey, not realizing he's actually really wealthy and a member of this huge family that owns... The Brookman family. And they own a city in Pennsylvania, I believe. And so she continues trying to find a rich man, but he keeps trying to call her up. And even though she doesn't think he's the kind of man she wants, she's starting to realize that's really is what she wants, as do the other two girls. And it is an all-star cast. Besides Lauren McCall as Shotzi, we have Betty Grable, huge pinup girl of the 1940s, as Loco, and young Marilyn Monroe as Pola, the third girl. And in terms of their gentleman friends, Cameron Mitchell plays Tom Brookman, the gas pump jockey who actually is a millionaire, and a middle-aged William Powell plays the real millionaire on whom Shotzi sets her sights. And this film was directed by Gene Negalescu, who was known for his artistic, even European films. But this is a more standard Hollywood production for him. Sort of unusual, actually. It was written and produced by Nunnally Johnson. And this was a 20th Century Fox production. Was this film based on anything? A play or a book? No, Nunnally Johnson just kind of made it up and wrote the screenplay and was a producer as well as a writer. So there you go. He put it on. All three of these actresses were really just superstars of the day. They truly were. Real glamour girls and bombshells. As you said, pinup girls, both Betty Grable and Marilyn Monroe especially were pinup girls during the war. Or I guess Marilyn was a little after the war. She was after the war, but she was a huge pinup girl. Betty Grable was more of a one or two pinup girl. Yeah, it's interesting to look at the different careers of all of them. Betty Grable is the oldest. She made movies back in the early 30s. That's right. She was like a chorus girl in early 30s films. But her heyday was really in the 1940s. She was one of the top two pinup girls during the war. She actually recreates her most famous pinup girl image in this movie. During the fashion modelling scene, she's wearing kind of a play suit with shorts and she comes out and she poses with her back to the camera and kind of looks over her shoulder. That was her famous image with the bathing suit and looking over her shoulder. And actually, the reason why she posed that way was that she was expectant at the time that picture was taken. So you could see it from the front. So that's why you couldn't see it from the back. And she was a big dancing star. She doesn't dance in this movie, but you do see her million dollar legs. And then, of course, Lauren Bacall seems to be the oldest of the group. She wasn't. She was kind of in the middle. Although they say she's about 25. They're all supposed to be around that age. Marilyn was really the only one who was in her 20s. The other ones were older by that point. But Lauren Bacall was always so mature. Even when she made her first movies in the slightly before mid-40s with Humphrey Bogart, whom she'd ended up marrying. That's what she's most famous for. Yes, yes. Bogie and Bacall. Bogie and Bacall, yeah. They made a few movies together. Several, actually. And then they ended up getting married shortly after their first film. And there's a great reference to that in this movie when she's trying to convince William Powell she's not too young for her. She's like, I've always liked old men. That old guy, what's his name? In the African green? Crazy about him. And that's Humphrey Bogart. That's Humphrey Bogart, her husband at the time. And doesn't Betty Grable also make a reference to her husband, Harry James? Yes. She hears the trumpet on the radio. She's like, I know that's Harry James because it is Harry James. And then the announcer says it actually isn't. But interesting little nods from both of them. Yes. And Marilyn Monroe was just on the beginning of her career. Yes. She'd already made Gentlemen Prefer Blondes, which was one of her big films. But this movie was one of the films that really established her as a star. And it's not that well known, though. That's true. As far as Marilyn Monroe pictures go. Probably because there was the other actresses in it, too. Yeah, she's not the main one. I'd say that's probably why. And she's not top built, Betty Grable was. But they used her a lot in the promotional materials. And when making this film, Betty Grable knew that she was kind of at the end of her career. This was actually the last film she would make for Fox after being with him for many years. And she went out with a bang. And she only made two other films after this. Neither of which was as successful. But she said to Marilyn, I've gotten mine, honey. You go get yours. So she kind of saw this was her chance to really become a star. Yeah. And there's one reference to Marilyn's hit, Gentlemen Prefer Blondes, again in the fashion sequence, when she's wearing a bathing suit with a lot of jewels. Diamonds are a girl's best friend. She's wearing a lot of jewelry for being in a bathing suit. And I think there are actually diamonds on the bathing suit, which is very ultra deluxe. Now, you'd expect in a movie that's all about these women, especially because three of them were huge stars, that there could have been a lot of rivalry on the set, right? And they really tried to play that up in the newspapers. But they were disappointed because there was really nothing to play up. They were really good friends with each other. That's nice. I think it shows. Yeah, it does. On screen, you can see. And it's nice seeing female camaraderie like that. I feel like there's kind of an impression from a lot of people that there aren't female-driven movies from the classic era. Yeah, this is. Women were just the love interest. And then this is really about these women. And they have very definite ideas. Yeah. And each of the women has two different men in her life. The wealthier man and then the man she ends up choosing because she loves him. And you could say it really is a story of female empowerment, but in the 1950s way. And in a more old-fashioned way. Because they realized that they would kind of be selling out, even though they want to get married. They don't want to become the kept women. Shotzi makes reference to that. I think that's a brilliant point of kind of the whole point of the film is summed up in the beginning. She's detailing her plan to the girls. And Loko says, and you'll marry them. She's like, we're going to find them and then marry them. She's like, of course, marry them. If you don't marry him, you haven't caught him. He's caught you. Yes. So they don't want to become kept women. That's against the rules of their plot. But to just marry a man for money, for materialistic purposes would be, you know, like selling their beauty in exchange for a huge diamond ring. So they all end up doing something that really honors themselves more by choosing men who really love them. That's a really good point. And respect them and honor them. They're making the better choice for themselves. They're having more respect for themselves that they're not just a commodity. Like basically being a commodity. Yes. Because they're beautiful. Realizing that they're not going to be happy with that. And that's a very important message. Because sometimes I think in the whole movement of empowering, you kind of forget exactly what your power is as a woman. Like what identifies you sort of. And if you're just trying to compete with a man, they're definitely not like trying to rise in the business world or something. But just a similar idea. They're on the other end of the spectrum kind of trying to play up being a woman kind of almost in an untoward way. And just like, oh, I'm just, I'm young and beautiful. So I'm going to trap this man instead of it's being a real relationship. Yeah. Interestingly, two out of the three women end up with wealthy men. That's right. Because Shasi does end up marrying Tom Brookman. But she doesn't find out he's a millionaire until after they're married. Because she makes the choice to go with the poor guy. She has to choose him for himself. Surprise, he's actually more wealthy than the other man. And Marilyn Monroe's fellow is in some trouble with the income taxes. But clearly, he is very wealthy. Because he is actually the owner of the penthouse they're renting. Yeah. So he's having some difficult times right now. But he actually is wealthy. And look who deep down just wanted a hamburger. You know, the other girls are more interested in wealth. I know, she's just eating the whole movie. So she just wants a man who can love her. She's more boy crazy. So she ends up with the penniless ranger. But they're happy together. Reading the behind the scenes, it's interesting to hear how the two Bettys. For some reason, everyone called Lauren Bacall Betty. I don't know why. But I guess that was her real name. But they called her Betty Bacall. And so the two Bettys became best friends on the first day on the set. That's really nice. And it would have been easy to exclude the newcomer Marilyn. Particularly because she was kind of anti-social. They described her as sort of like a zombie on the set. There's just like nothing behind the eyes. But they felt sorry for her. And so they tried to be nice to her as much as they could. And it's nice. One day, I think it was in the bathing suit scene. Betty Grable saw that her toenails weren't painted. So she got some of her own nail polish and painted her toenails for her. And they just tried to be really welcoming and kind to her. Kind of girls looking out for girls. I know that's very... There's a lot of talk about that now. Yeah, and it was nice that they were all trying to help it be a good movie. Just work together to create a great final product. Instead of being like, oh, I have to be really the star or this or that. Yes, and it really reads. Even though Shotzi is the main one, it's really... I think the screen time is divided up nicely. Yes. That you really see. And it's rare that a movie with three main protagonists, if you will, can be successful. Because so many movies with three couples are weak. Especially from right around this era. Yeah, mid-50s. But this film avoided that because they didn't get too focused on the other romantic relationships. It's more about Shotzi's choice between these two men and the other two girls. Yeah, that's a good point. The three romances aren't all... Kind of come in later. Yeah, the three romances aren't front and center. The three girls are, but it's mainly Shotzi's relationships. And the other men aren't as important. Like David Wayne is the man with whom Marilyn Monroe ends up. But a lot of the other men aren't big stars. William Powell is the biggest male star in this film. Definitely. And Cameron Mitchell was pretty important too. But those are both Shotzi's. They didn't have huge names with all of them. Because that would have been... Each one would need too much screen time and that would weaken the whole film. I think part of the reason this one is better than some of those other ones could be... Because it was made a couple of years earlier. That's right. It's very important when looking at the golden era of Hollywood to consider... Why were movies different? And why were they so good? And the simple answer is the code. The Motion Picture Production Code, commonly known as the Hays Code... Was enforced properly between 1934 and 1954. By Joseph I. Breen, head of the Production Code Administration. And a lot of these films we were discussing were... There are too many couples and they're kind of broken up. We're like 55, 56. And then right after he left and you can immediately see the change. Both in moral content as well as quality of the content. From an entertainment standpoint. If you study, it really does go hand in hand. Even from like during the code era. Around 41 and 42 he went away for a while. And his year of absence. We call that the non-code era. Because you can see all of a sudden this seems like 1955. Or like the pre-code years. Like 30-34. All of a sudden you see this content in there that wasn't around. And the artistic level goes down. So it was important with a film like this that could be considered controversial. They're kind of... They're gold diggers, you could say. It could be morally questionable. But they did it in a very tasteful way. So it's not at all... It's how to marry a millionaire. Not just how to catch a millionaire. I think it's very interesting to note that... There wasn't actually anything about divorce and remarriage in the code. But they tried to avoid it. Now this film quite plainly has a divorced woman getting married again. But they mention... Which is something they would include in a lot of code films with divorce. When she's talking about her no good gas pump jockey husband. She says like it turns out the bum was already married before. Like she didn't know that. Possibly even married at the time they were married. She doesn't say he was divorced. Which would make their marriage null and void. So there's a little reference to that. Which they would often include. That's an excellent point. To make it more excusable that she got divorced. Right. So that's an interesting point. And also you don't see her husband. It's not a main plot point. I find that's often the case. If you actually see the first marriage usually there wouldn't be a remarriage. Because the important thing is that marriage must be upheld. And it shouldn't be degraded or mocked. As it was so much in the pre-code films. And it would be later. It's in the title. Marriage is a very strong theme film. Even with their gold-licking scheme they're very much marriage-minded. And they don't talk about marrying the fellas and then getting a settlement. They're planning on staying married to these men. Just as Lauren Bacall was married to the much older Humphrey Bogart. For really not that long of a time. But until his death. And they were considered one of the happiest couples in Hollywood. She seems like she's going to stick with William Powell for as long as he's alive. But she realizes she can't do that to him. Because she doesn't really love him. And she cares about him too much to marry him when she doesn't love him. Seeing the other two girls with these men that aren't what they had in mind. But they make them very happy. Kind of finally makes her realize. All the furs and everything don't replace being with the person you love. Especially because she is in love with Tom Brookman. Even though she won't admit it. And beyond those moral aspects of the story. A very important thing that the code helped encourage was the amazing fashion. Because if given the choice between making something beautiful and glamorous. And something that's just risque and revealing. Hollywood always is going to go for the risque and revealing. But when they couldn't do that. They had to show beautiful silhouettes. Rather than a lot of skin. And this movie is a great example. You have a couple of bombshells. Three women with excellent figures. But they're not revealing Marilyn the way her films would in just a few years. Right. She looks always tasteful and glamorous. And as a result this film was nominated for best costume design in color that year. Because they still divided it by color and black and white at this point at the Oscars. But it didn't win. It didn't win. There were a lot of great movies being made around this time. But it was nominated. My outfit is based on a gown which Shotzi wears. When she first goes to dinner with William Powell's character. It's a long evening gown with fur at the collar. A fitted silhouette and jewelry. As well as a little flower to represent the flower she has at the neck. Hers is dark green with emeralds. Whereas mine is black with onyx. But the style is very similar. My outfit is inspired by Pola or Marilyn Monroe's last costume in the film. While hers in classic 50s style is all one color. Varying shades of dove gray. I have replicated the style rather than the colors. With the dress with this very style of sleeves. Well very fitted through the middle. With a dangling sash. Long gloves. A fur collar. And a small hat. It's classic 1950s fashion. Really enhancing her beautiful silhouette. One of the most interesting things about this movie is the way it starts. It's not a musical. But the first eight minutes of the film are music. Before it ever gets to the story. Yes it's very unusual. It opens with the orchestra. You see the orchestra conducted by Alfred Newman. Famous composer who wrote this score. The theme song. And the music is a song called Street Scene. Which he originally wrote in 1931. And if I didn't know better I would say it was by George Gershwin. Because it's very Gershwin-esque. And you can hear the 1930s style from when he composed it. And if you're familiar with his work from the early 30s. It sounds so much like some of his early scores. It's also unusual for time for having a pre-credit scene. Because that's technically a pre-credit scene. And you didn't usually see those until the later 50s. And that song was reused in a couple of different movies. But he got to conduct it with the whole orchestra. And it's just beautiful. Looks like a Greek Colosseum. You know it's a set. But there are these pillars and there's a blue sky in the background. And this amazing orchestra. All the men are in their white tuxedos with the white shirts. When we re-watched it recently it was so amazing. Because we've been hearing some kind of bad live orchestras the last couple days. They know how to play their instruments. And not only that they look so stylish. Now you're lucky if you can get anyone to put on a black shirt and some black pants. But they're wearing their tuxedos with the black tie. And there are a few women in the orchestra. Which you wouldn't see too often in symphonies of the day. But they would more so during the war. In the 40s during the war you'd see a lot of female musicians. But with the orchestras that were used in Hollywood you didn't see them. So the look didn't matter as much. But there were two female flute players and two female string players. I feel like it's with the flutists that you most often will see women. And they were wearing beautiful black gowns. And their hair was so nicely styled. And Alfred Newman is just conducting so emphatically. And it's just an amazing piece of music. And it has nothing to do with the story but it's great. Is that theme used throughout the film? No it's not. I don't think so. Then it goes into the opening credits with the song New York, New York. And their voices. And that's used throughout the movie. So it's in the opening. And then they're singing about New York. You see footage of all around New York. And then it gets to the movie. It reminds me of the opening of this other movie from a few years later, My Sister Eileen. Which has similar sounding voices in the credits. But that one's a musical. Yeah. So it's too expected. This, I always forget, it's like not only is there that street scene. But there's also this singing at the end of the credits just showing New York. But I think it's a reflection of how Hollywood wasn't afraid to take a little time for music appreciation at this time. Yes, that's one of the great things you see in old Hollywood. And you see it throughout the 30s through the 50s. They'll just stop the plot. We're going to have a symphony. Or we're going to have a ballet sequence. We're going to have an aria from an opera. I mean, they're very guilty nowadays of just stopping the plot. But unfortunately, it's not usually for something that good. Yes. It's usually for something questionable. Beautiful music. And I think it just sets the tone that this is a big city story. About three girls in the big city. So it's a great addition. And I always enjoy that part of the movie. But just while we're talking about the visual of this one, we have to talk about the cinematography. Yes, this movie was made in CinemaScope, which was a new widescreen process. I've always noticed they do close angles, but you really get a lot of vista and scope, especially those first shots of the penthouse. It's just very wide. And I asked you, was this film something unusual? Because I'm picturing it, and I'm picturing it looking different than a lot of other movies. Yeah, and Gene Negalescu liked experimenting with that. And it was the first time many of them had used that process. And as a result, they had to shoot for longer blocks of time, like six or seven minutes, not cut as much. And Lauren Bacall said she really enjoyed that because it reminded her more of the stage. Yes, absolutely. You could actually do a whole scene all in one piece. More theatrical. So she didn't mind that. It was enjoyable. And of course, another one of those great moments in this movie is that fashion scene when Tom Brookman is seeing the whole bathing suit collection. A lot of them don't even seem to be wearing bathing suits. They're more like just summer outfits. I think he says Florida beachwear. So it's not entirely bathing suits. Marilyn's is the most definite bathing suit. And then Betty Gray was wearing sort of a play suit. And Lauren Bacall was wearing a dress. Yeah, we love a good classic vintage fashion show because the styles are just so amazing. And not just the styles, the way they fit the women. The zipper on the bathing suit, you can notice. Something we don't really have anymore, but it was such a good idea. Definitely. Made for a better fit. So I would definitely say anyone who is interested in that look of the 1950s, the classic fashion, particularly a young woman. Yes. I would say if a girl is maybe curious about the 1950s style, she likes the fashion of Mrs. Maisel or curious about Marilyn Monroe, I would definitely recommend start with How to Marry a Millionaire. It's a really good way to delve into that. It's just like a textbook on 50s fashion. It really is. Every outfit in this is flawless. And you get some different body types too because Lauren Bacall was very slender. Marilyn was definitely thinner here than in some of her later films, I would say. Yeah, but still very full figure. And then Betty Grable, I would actually say is the most full figure. Wouldn't you say she's like the widest kind of through the waist? Oh, I don't know. I guess she is. She's somewhere in the middle. She has the more athletic legs because she was a dancer. That's true. But she did have more of the hourglass. So you've got three different looks. And they all look beautiful in different styles. Obviously to modern audience, the most recognizable name, this is going to be Marilyn Monroe. But I really like her in this movie. I think more than any other movie I've seen her in. Even though she is doing sort of dumb blonde action she does, there's a little more to this character because she has this whole subplot about, she needs glasses but she doesn't want to wear them because men seldom make passes at girls who wear glasses even though she quotes it incorrectly. She says men aren't attentive to girls who wear glasses. For some reason, Nunnally Johnson thought that was funny. I don't know. Whoever misquotes that famous Dorothy Clarkson quote. So she's always walking into doors and walls. And then finally, kind of why she falls in love with this man, Freddie, is because he wears glasses too. And he convinces her to put hers on and says she looks better with them on. So he kind of helps her embrace her. And she has really cute, really cute, very cute cat eye glasses. With rhinestones. And interestingly around this time, maybe as a result of this movie or this is a reference to that, glasses came in just for fashion. I've seen ads from the 1950s where it's like these really over-the-top glasses that match your outfit and people would wear them just for fun. So that isn't just a modern. No, but they were cute. No girls do that now. Maybe because of this movie, who knows. But again, there's another message that kind of counteracts what people might think. Oh, so misogynistic back then. Women were forced to do this and that. But this movie is all about three women who decide what they want to do with their lives. And even this man encourages a young woman, don't be ashamed to wear glasses. You look even better. So it's a really great first movie for anyone who likes 50s fashion and particularly young women. And it's easy to find. You can rent or purchase it on Amazon Prime Video. All other streaming services like YouTube and Hulu, Google Play. Plus it's available on DVD. And you can find it in many Marilyn Monroe collections as well. For the men in the audience, this probably wouldn't be the most interesting film in the world unless you really want to look at the pretty ladies in their nice clothes. So next week, we have one for the boys, which is a very dramatic war film with no female characters. Thank you for watching. Goodbye.