How to Marry a Millionaire

“Men aren’t attentive to girls who wear glasses.” – Pola Debevoise (Marilyn Monroe) in HOW TO MARRY A MILLIONAIRE

Three New York models Schatze (Lauren Bacall), Pola (Marilyn Monroe) and Loco (Betty Grable) move into an exclusive apartment in Manhattan with a thought out plan… They’re sick and tired of being strung along by cheap men and decide to join their talents to try and hook three millionaires to marry. Unfortunately it’s not so easy to recognise the rich men from the hustlers. But is that really a problem when true love is involved?

In HOW TO MARRY A MILLIONAIRE three of Hollywood’s most popular stars shared the screen. Marilyn Monroe was accompanied by Betty Grable and Lauren Bacall. The studio 20th Century-Fox thought it a good idea to try and turn the three stars against each other – in particular blonde bombshells Monroe and Grable – to gain extra media coverage.

“The three girls are a good story. Everybody went around with their fingers in their ears blabbering about what temperament there would be on the set, and needless to say, the gossip columnists, those lice, have done everything possible to foment trouble for us”, recalled the movie’s screenwriter Nunnally Johnson. “They’ve printed all kinds of mischievous rumors, quoting one against the other, and printing out fictitious privileges given to one above the other two, in the most desperate effort you ever saw to create feuds. But it hasn’t worked in the least.”

No dice, tabloids. And the three women remembered each other fondly for years to come. “Honey, I’ve had mine. Go get yours,” Grable encouraged her ‘successor’ Monroe.

This screening is part of MARILYN 100, an ode to the iconic Marilyn Monroe in what would’ve been her 100th year of life.