All Topics  
How to Marry a Millionaire

 
How To Marry A Millionaire

 
   Email Print
   Bookmark   Link
 

 

How to Marry a Millionaire
 
 
  Topics How to Marry a Millionaire Topic Home

How to Marry a Millionaire is a 1953
1953 in film

The year 1953 in film involved some significant events....
 romantic comedy
Romantic comedy

Romantic comedy is a hybrid genre in which a story about romantic love is presented in a comedic style. Works in this genre are generally considered light-hearted, and are sometimes associated with the vaguely derogatory terms "chick lit" or "chick flick", meaning "primarily aimed at a woman audience"....
 film made by 20th Century Fox
20th Century Fox

Twentieth Century Fox Film Corporation , also known as 20th Century Fox, Fox 2000 Pictures, or simply Fox, is one of the six Worldwide major film studios....
, directed by Jean Negulesco
Jean Negulesco

Jean Negulesco was a Romania American film director and screenwriter.Born in Craiova, he attended Carol I High School. In 1915, he moved to Vienna, and, in 1919, to Bucharest, where he worked as a painter, before becoming a stage decorator in Paris....
 and produced and written by Nunnally Johnson
Nunnally Johnson

Nunnally Hunter Johnson was an United States filmmaker who wrote, produced, and directed films.Johnson was born in Columbus, Georgia. He began his career as a journalist, writing for the Columbus Enquirer Sun, the Savannah Press, the Brooklyn Daily Eagle, and the New York Herald Tribune....
. The screenplay was based on the plays The Greeks Had a Word for It by Zoe Akins
Zoe Akins

Zo? Akins American playwright, poet, and author....
 and Loco by Dale Eunson and Katherine Albert. The music score was by Alfred Newman
Alfred Newman

Alfred Newman was a major United States composer of music for films.He received 45 Academy Awards nominations, making him the second most nominated composer-arranger in the history of the Academy Awards, behind John Williams ....
 and the cinematography by Joseph MacDonald. The costume design was by Travilla
William Travilla

William Travilla , who went by the professional name of Travilla, was an United States costume designer for theatre, film, and television....
.

The film stars Lauren Bacall
Lauren Bacall

Lauren Bacall is an American film and theater actress and Model . Known for her husky voice and sultry looks, she has continued acting to the present day....
, Marilyn Monroe
Marilyn Monroe

Marilyn Monroe was an American actress, singer, model, and a sex symbol.After spending much of her childhood in foster homes, Monroe began a career as a model, which led to a film contract in 1946....
, and Betty Grable
Betty Grable

Betty Grable was an American dancer, singer, and actress.Her iconic bathing suit photo made her the number-one pin-up girl of the World War II era....
 as fortune hunters with William Powell
William Powell

William Horatio Powell was a three-time Academy Award-nominated American actor, noted for his sophisticated, cynical roles. He was a major MGM film star and is most widely known for portraying the detective Nick and Nora Charles in six The Thin Man films....
, David Wayne
David Wayne

David Wayne was a Tony Award-winning United States actor with a career spanning nearly half a century.Born Wayne James McMeekan in Traverse City, Michigan and growing up in Bloomingdale, Michigan, Wayne's first major Broadway theatre role was Og the leprechaun in Finian's Rainbow, for which he won the Theatre World Award and the first...
, Rory Calhoun
Rory Calhoun

Rory Calhoun was an United States television and film actor, screenwriter, and producer best known for his roles in Western ....
, Cameron Mitchell
Cameron Mitchell (actor)

Cameron Mitchell was an United States film, television and Broadway theatre star with close ties to one of Canada's most successful families, and considered, by Lee Strasberg, to be one of the founding members of The Actor's Studio in New York City....
, Alexander D'Arcy
Alexander D'Arcy

Alexander D'Arcy, was an Egyptian actor with an international career.Born Alexander Sarruf in Cairo, Egypt, D'Arcy, variously credited as Alexandre D'Arcy, Alex D'Arcy, Alexandre Darcy and Alex d'Arcy appeared in some 45 films, mostly as suave gentlemen or smooth rogues....
, and Fred Clark
Fred Clark

Frederick Leonard Clark was an United States film character actor....
.

How to Marry a Millionaire was the first film ever to be photographed in the new CinemaScope
CinemaScope

CinemaScope was a widescreen movie format used from 1953 to 1967. Anamorphices allowed the process to project film up to a 2.66:1 Aspect ratio , almost twice as wide as the conventional format of 1.37:1....
 wide-screen process, and the second released, after The Robe
The Robe (film)

The Robe is a 1953 in film Bible epic film that tells the story of a Roman Empire military tribune who commands the unit that crucifies Jesus....
.

urceful Schatze Page (Lauren Bacall), spunky Loco Dempsey (Betty Grable) and ditsy Pola Debevoise (Marilyn Monroe) rent a luxurious Sutton Place
Sutton Place, Manhattan

Sutton Place is the name given to an affluent street and surrounding enclave of the borough of Manhattan in New York City. It is located on the cusp of the Midtown Manhattan and Upper East Side neighborhoods, stretching between 57th Street and 59th Street , along the East River, south of the Queensboro Bridge, with the stretch below 57th S...
 penthouse from Freddie Denmark (David Wayne
David Wayne

David Wayne was a Tony Award-winning United States actor with a career spanning nearly half a century.Born Wayne James McMeekan in Traverse City, Michigan and growing up in Bloomingdale, Michigan, Wayne's first major Broadway theatre role was Og the leprechaun in Finian's Rainbow, for which he won the Theatre World Award and the first...
), who is avoiding the IRS by living in Europe.






Discussion
Ask a question about 'How to Marry a Millionaire'
Start a new discussion about 'How to Marry a Millionaire'
Answer questions from other users
Full Discussion Forum



Encyclopedia


How to Marry a Millionaire is a 1953
1953 in film

The year 1953 in film involved some significant events....
 romantic comedy
Romantic comedy

Romantic comedy is a hybrid genre in which a story about romantic love is presented in a comedic style. Works in this genre are generally considered light-hearted, and are sometimes associated with the vaguely derogatory terms "chick lit" or "chick flick", meaning "primarily aimed at a woman audience"....
 film made by 20th Century Fox
20th Century Fox

Twentieth Century Fox Film Corporation , also known as 20th Century Fox, Fox 2000 Pictures, or simply Fox, is one of the six Worldwide major film studios....
, directed by Jean Negulesco
Jean Negulesco

Jean Negulesco was a Romania American film director and screenwriter.Born in Craiova, he attended Carol I High School. In 1915, he moved to Vienna, and, in 1919, to Bucharest, where he worked as a painter, before becoming a stage decorator in Paris....
 and produced and written by Nunnally Johnson
Nunnally Johnson

Nunnally Hunter Johnson was an United States filmmaker who wrote, produced, and directed films.Johnson was born in Columbus, Georgia. He began his career as a journalist, writing for the Columbus Enquirer Sun, the Savannah Press, the Brooklyn Daily Eagle, and the New York Herald Tribune....
. The screenplay was based on the plays The Greeks Had a Word for It by Zoe Akins
Zoe Akins

Zo? Akins American playwright, poet, and author....
 and Loco by Dale Eunson and Katherine Albert. The music score was by Alfred Newman
Alfred Newman

Alfred Newman was a major United States composer of music for films.He received 45 Academy Awards nominations, making him the second most nominated composer-arranger in the history of the Academy Awards, behind John Williams ....
 and the cinematography by Joseph MacDonald. The costume design was by Travilla
William Travilla

William Travilla , who went by the professional name of Travilla, was an United States costume designer for theatre, film, and television....
.

The film stars Lauren Bacall
Lauren Bacall

Lauren Bacall is an American film and theater actress and Model . Known for her husky voice and sultry looks, she has continued acting to the present day....
, Marilyn Monroe
Marilyn Monroe

Marilyn Monroe was an American actress, singer, model, and a sex symbol.After spending much of her childhood in foster homes, Monroe began a career as a model, which led to a film contract in 1946....
, and Betty Grable
Betty Grable

Betty Grable was an American dancer, singer, and actress.Her iconic bathing suit photo made her the number-one pin-up girl of the World War II era....
 as fortune hunters with William Powell
William Powell

William Horatio Powell was a three-time Academy Award-nominated American actor, noted for his sophisticated, cynical roles. He was a major MGM film star and is most widely known for portraying the detective Nick and Nora Charles in six The Thin Man films....
, David Wayne
David Wayne

David Wayne was a Tony Award-winning United States actor with a career spanning nearly half a century.Born Wayne James McMeekan in Traverse City, Michigan and growing up in Bloomingdale, Michigan, Wayne's first major Broadway theatre role was Og the leprechaun in Finian's Rainbow, for which he won the Theatre World Award and the first...
, Rory Calhoun
Rory Calhoun

Rory Calhoun was an United States television and film actor, screenwriter, and producer best known for his roles in Western ....
, Cameron Mitchell
Cameron Mitchell (actor)

Cameron Mitchell was an United States film, television and Broadway theatre star with close ties to one of Canada's most successful families, and considered, by Lee Strasberg, to be one of the founding members of The Actor's Studio in New York City....
, Alexander D'Arcy
Alexander D'Arcy

Alexander D'Arcy, was an Egyptian actor with an international career.Born Alexander Sarruf in Cairo, Egypt, D'Arcy, variously credited as Alexandre D'Arcy, Alex D'Arcy, Alexandre Darcy and Alex d'Arcy appeared in some 45 films, mostly as suave gentlemen or smooth rogues....
, and Fred Clark
Fred Clark

Frederick Leonard Clark was an United States film character actor....
.

How to Marry a Millionaire was the first film ever to be photographed in the new CinemaScope
CinemaScope

CinemaScope was a widescreen movie format used from 1953 to 1967. Anamorphices allowed the process to project film up to a 2.66:1 Aspect ratio , almost twice as wide as the conventional format of 1.37:1....
 wide-screen process, and the second released, after The Robe
The Robe (film)

The Robe is a 1953 in film Bible epic film that tells the story of a Roman Empire military tribune who commands the unit that crucifies Jesus....
.

Plot summary

Resourceful Schatze Page (Lauren Bacall), spunky Loco Dempsey (Betty Grable) and ditsy Pola Debevoise (Marilyn Monroe) rent a luxurious Sutton Place
Sutton Place, Manhattan

Sutton Place is the name given to an affluent street and surrounding enclave of the borough of Manhattan in New York City. It is located on the cusp of the Midtown Manhattan and Upper East Side neighborhoods, stretching between 57th Street and 59th Street , along the East River, south of the Queensboro Bridge, with the stretch below 57th S...
 penthouse from Freddie Denmark (David Wayne
David Wayne

David Wayne was a Tony Award-winning United States actor with a career spanning nearly half a century.Born Wayne James McMeekan in Traverse City, Michigan and growing up in Bloomingdale, Michigan, Wayne's first major Broadway theatre role was Og the leprechaun in Finian's Rainbow, for which he won the Theatre World Award and the first...
), who is avoiding the IRS by living in Europe. The women plan to use it to attract and marry millionaires. When money is tight, Schatze pawns some of Freddie's furniture, without his knowledge of course; as winter approaches, the furnishings gradually vanish.

One day, Loco carries in some groceries, assisted by Tom Brookman (Cameron Mitchell
Cameron Mitchell (actor)

Cameron Mitchell was an United States film, television and Broadway theatre star with close ties to one of Canada's most successful families, and considered, by Lee Strasberg, to be one of the founding members of The Actor's Studio in New York City....
). Tom is very interested in Schatze, but she knows from prior marital experience what he is — a "gas pump jockey" — and tries repeatedly to brush him off, without success. She has her sights on bigger game: the charming, classy widower J.D. Hanley (William Powell
William Powell

William Horatio Powell was a three-time Academy Award-nominated American actor, noted for his sophisticated, cynical roles. He was a major MGM film star and is most widely known for portraying the detective Nick and Nora Charles in six The Thin Man films....
) whose worth is irreproachably large. All the while she's stalking the older J.D., Tom keeps after her. After every one of their dates, she tells him she never wants to see him again. She refuses to marry a poor man again.

Meanwhile, Loco (Grable) becomes acquainted with a grumpy businessman (Fred Clark
Fred Clark

Frederick Leonard Clark was an United States film character actor....
). He's married, but she agrees to go with him to his "lodge" in Maine, mistakenly thinking she's going to meet a bunch of Elks Club members. When she learns the truth, she wants nothing to do with his plans. Fortunately, he comes down with the measles. She stays and nurses him back to health, with the help of a strapping young man named Eben (Rory Calhoun
Rory Calhoun

Rory Calhoun was an United States television and film actor, screenwriter, and producer best known for his roles in Western ....
), who she thinks owns most of the surrounding land. She has no trouble transferring her affections to the handsome outdoorsman and they become engaged. When she finds out that he's just a forest ranger, guarding against fires on "his" land, she is very disappointed, but she loves him and is willing to overlook his financial shortcomings. The third member of the group, Pola (Monroe), is hilariously nearsighted, but hates to wear her glasses where any man might see her. As she puts it, "Men aren't attentive to girls who wear glasses." (a takeoff of Dorothy Parker
Dorothy Parker

Dorothy Parker was an American writer and poet, best known for her caustic wit, wisecracks, and sharp eye for 20th century urban foibles.From a conflicted and unhappy childhood, Parker rose to acclaim, both for her literary output in such venues as The New Yorker and as a founding member of the Algonquin Round Table, a group she later...
's "Men seldom make passes at girls who wear glasses.") She falls for a phony Arab oil tycoon, not knowing he's really a crooked speculator. Luckily, when she takes a plane to meet him, she misreads an airport sign and ends up on the wrong plane. She sits next to a man, also wearing glasses, who thinks she's "quite a strudel" and encourages her to put hers on. It turns out that he is the mysterious Freddie Denmark; he is on his way to Kansas City to find the crooked accountant who got him into trouble with the IRS. He doesn't have much luck when he tracks the man down (he gets beaten up), but has much more success with Pola.

Loco and Pola are reunited with Schatze just before her wedding. She finally managed to overcome J.D.'s qualms about their age difference. Tom shows up and is recognized by the groom. It turns out that Tom is by far the richer of the two men. J.D. has an inkling how things are going to turn out, so he is not too surprised when Schatze finds herself unable to go through with the wedding because she doesn't love him. J.D. leaves graciously and Schatze, against her better judgement, ends up marrying Tom.

Afterwards, the three happy couples end up at a greasy spoon
Greasy spoon

Greasy spoon is a colloquial or slang term used in Great Britain and North America for small, especially cheap, archetypal working class restaurants or diners....
, dining on hamburgers. Tom breaks the news to Schatze that he is extremely wealthy, naming all the things he owns, but she thinks he's kidding. He then pays the bill, pulling out an enormous wad of money. The three women faint dead away. The men then drink a toast to their unconscious wives.

Music

The film features an actual overture after the fashion of a live theatrical extravaganza
Extravaganza

An extravaganza is a literary or musical work characterized by freedom of style and structure and usually containing elements of burlesque , pantomime, music hall and parody....
. The 20th Century Fox Orchestra is arrayed before the camera to perform "Street Scene," conducted by its composer (and Fox studio music chief) Alfred Newman
Alfred Newman

Alfred Newman was a major United States composer of music for films.He received 45 Academy Awards nominations, making him the second most nominated composer-arranger in the history of the Academy Awards, behind John Williams ....
. This serves to highlight CinemaScope's new four-track magnetic stereophonic sound
Stereophonic sound

Stereophonic sound, commonly called stereo, is the reproduction of sound, using two or more independent Sound recording and reproduction channels, through a symmetrical configuration of loudspeakers, in such a way as to create a pleasant and natural impression of sound heard from various directions, as in natural hearing....
 system and widescreen visuals. The orchestra appears throughout in wide shots and there are no closeups of any of the players, nor of Newman. At the conclusion of "Street Scene," Newman turns to take a bow before launching into the "Main Title". The orchestra reappears briefly for the "End Title", also an arrangement of "Street Scene".

Newman originally composed "Street Scene" for Elmer Rice
Elmer Rice

Elmer Rice was an American playwright. He received the Pulitzer Prize for Drama for his 1929 play, Street Scene ....
's film Street Scene
Street Scene (1931 film)

Street Scene is a 1931 in film black-and-white drama film produced by Samuel Goldwyn and directed by King Vidor. With a screenplay by Elmer Rice adapted from his Pulitzer Prize-winning play, Street Scene takes place on a New York City street from one evening until the following afternoon....
 (1931), a flattering portrayal of New York
New York City

The City of New York is the List of United States cities by population in the United States, while the New York metropolitan area ranks among the List of urban areas by population....
 (which explains its distinctly Gershwin'esque flavour, a la Rhapsody in Blue
Rhapsody in Blue

Rhapsody in Blue is a musical composition by George Gershwin for solo piano and jazz band written in 1924, which combines elements of European classical music with jazz-influenced effects....
), and used it in numerous subsequent New York-based films (The Dark Corner
The Dark Corner

The Dark Corner is a 1946 in film film noir directed by Henry Hathaway and starring Lucille Ball and Clifton Webb....
, Kiss of Death
Kiss of Death (1947 film)

Kiss of Death is a 1947 in film film noir movie directed by Henry Hathaway and written by Ben Hecht and Charles Lederer from a story by Eleazar Lipsky....
, Cry of the City
Cry of the City

Cry of the City is a 1948 black-and-white film noir directed by Robert Siodmak based on the novel by Henry Edward Helseth, "The Chair for Martin Rome." Veteran film noir-writer Ben Hecht worked on the film's script, but is not credited....
, I Wake Up Screaming
I Wake Up Screaming

I Wake Up Screaming is a black-and-white suspense film starring Betty Grable, Victor Mature, and Carole Landis. The film is an early example of the film noir style....
, How to Marry a Millionaire). Much of the rest of the score for How to Marry a Millionaire is comprised of similarly familiar, preexisting compositions, including several pieces composed by George Gershwin
George Gershwin

George Gershwin was an American composer and pianist. He wrote most of his vocal and theatrical works in collaboration with his elder brother, lyricist Ira Gershwin....
.

The music soundtrack from How to Marry a Millionaire was released on CD by Membran International in 2004. The film's arrangement of Newman's "Street Scene" was performed in 1973 by National Philharmonic Orchestra
National Philharmonic Orchestra

The National Philharmonic Orchestra is a United Kingdom orchestra created exclusively for Sound recording and reproduction purposes. It was founded by RCA Records producer Charles Gerhardt and orchestra leader Sidney Sax due in part to the requirements of the Reader's Digest recording project....
, conducted by Charles Gerhardt
Charles Gerhardt (conductor)

Charles Allan Gerhardt was a Conductor , record producer, and arranger....
, for the vinyl/CD-album Captain from Castille - Classic Film Scores of Alfred Newman, accompanied by a booklet in which Page Cook chronicles the background of the piece.

Remake

Nicole Kidman
Nicole Kidman

Nicole Mary Kidman, Order of Australia is an Academy Award-winning Hawaiian-born Australian actress, fashion model, singer, United Nations Citizen of the World award-winning humanitarian, and a UNIFEM and UNICEF Goodwill Ambassador....
 has bought the rights to How to Marry a Millionaire, and is set to produce and possibly star in a remake.

Award nominations


Academy Awards
Academy Awards

The Academy Awards, popularly known as the Oscars, are presented annually by the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences to recognize excellence of professionals in the film industry, including directors, actors, and writers....

  • 1954: Best Costume Design, Color, Charles LeMaire
    Charles LeMaire

    Charles LeMaire was an United States costume designer.Despite his French sounding name, he was born in Chicago.His early career was as a vaudeville performer, but became a costume designer for the Ziegfeld Follies on Broadway theatre in 1921....
    , William Travilla
    William Travilla

    William Travilla , who went by the professional name of Travilla, was an United States costume designer for theatre, film, and television....


Writers Guild of America
Writers Guild of America

The Writers Guild of America is a generic term referring to the joint efforts of two different US labor unions:* The Writers Guild of America, East , representing TV and film writers around New York City....

  • 1954: Best Written American Comedy, Nunnally Johnson


BAFTA

  • 1955: Best Film (USA)


External links