Daily Archives: October 23, 2015

Gentlemen Prefer Blondes (1953)

Posted on October 23, 2015 | 10 comments

Gentlemen Prefer Blondes
Directed by Howard Hawks
Written by Charles Lederer based on the musical comedy by Joseph Fields and Anita Loos
1953/USA
Twentieth Century Fox Film Corporation
First viewing/Amazon Instant
#277of 1001 Movies You Must See Before You Die

[box] He’s your guy/ When stocks are high,/ But beware when they start to descend.

It’s then that those louses/ Go back to their spouses./ Diamonds are a girl’s best friend.  – Lyrics by Leo Robin [/box]

This brightly colored musical looks more like something Frank Tashlin might have directed than anything by Howard Hawks.

Lorelei Lee (Marilyn Monroe) makes no secret of the fact that she is looking for a mate who will give her diamonds .  Best friend Dorothy Shaw tries to keep her grounded with little success.  Lorelei has found an ideal candidate in nebbish Gus Esmond Jr. Unfortunately, Esmond Sr. does not approve.  So Lorelei decides to go to Paris in the hopes that absence will make Gus’s heart grow strong enough to overcome the objections.  Dorothy is not about to leave Lorelei to her own devices.

Our heroines end up on a cruise ship where Dorothy, who is not so mercenary as Lorelei, collects quite a number of admirers from the U.S. Olympic Team.  After she find out they are in training, Ernie Malone steps in to fill the vacuum. Secretly, Ernie is a private detective who has been hired by Gus’s father to dig up dirt on Lorelei.  This is almost too easy to do as Lorelei is soon flirting with spritely Sr. Francis “Piggy” Beekman (Charles Coburn), the owner of a diamond mine.  Complications and hilarity ensue.

While Russell and Coburn are very good, Monroe is the real reason to watch this film.  I have seen her in several supporting roles to this date but this is the movie where her dumb-blonde sex-pot persona and talents as a comedienne emerge in full force. The plot betrays its theatrical origins with the characters bursting into song at a moment’s notice but lots of the numbers are enjoyable.  “Diamonds Are a Girl’s Best Friend” is iconic.

Trailer

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Posted in 1001 Movies You Must See Before You Die, 1953

House of Wax (1953)

Posted on October 23, 2015 | Leave a comment

House of Wax
Directed by Andre de Toth
Written by Crane Wilbur from a story by Charles Belden
1953/USA
Brian Foy Productions/Warner Bros.
Repeat viewing?/Netflix rental

[box] Prof. Henry Jarrod: Everything I ever loved has been taken away from me but not you, my Marie Antoinette, for I will give you eternal life.[/box]

This is a practically perfect example of the ’50’s horror genre with 3-D and Vincent Price to add to the fun.

Professor Henry Jerrod (Price) is an eccentric sculptor with a genius at creating lifelike wax images of historical figures.  He considers these pieces to be his “children” and thinks of his work as art.  In contrast, his greedy partner Matthew Burke wants him to install a Chamber of Horrors and other spectacular content to draw crowds.  Jerrod is hopeful of attracting an investor to buy Burke out.  Burke is not content to wait however and sets fire to the premises for the insurance money with Jerrod still inside.  His body is never found.

Time passes.  Cathy Gray (Carolyn Jones) excitedly tells her friend Sue Allen (Phyllis Kirk) about her new boyfriend, an older man who is lavish with attentions and money.  She goes out to the theater with the man.  Later that evening, Sue is threatened with eviction if she does not come up with the rent.  Sue goes to Cathy room to beg a loan.  She finds only a corpse with the horribly disfigured murderer still in the room.  He flees.  Cathy’s  body disappears from the morgue.

Soon after, Jerrod appeals again to his investor for help in recreating the museum.  He is successful.  Bodies do not stop disappearing.  I will stop here.  With Charles Bronson as deaf-mute assistant Igor.

I found this totally enjoyable.  The production is lavish and Price is scary as always.  The color was outstanding and I thought the effects were very good for the time.  It is interesting to look at the various 3-D gimmicks inserted in this early example of the technique from paddle-ball demonstrations to the kicks of some can-can dancers.  Recommended.

House of Wax is a remake of Mystery of the Wax Museum (1933) with Lionel Atwood and Faye Wray.  That one is good but this is the definitive version.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=K2Du3nrKXHo

Trailer

How 3-D was demonstrated in 1953

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Posted in 1953