Gentlemen Prefer Blondes

Women’s characters who distinguish romantic love from the search for a husband were a common theme in the 1920s, as illustrated by Anita Loos’s novel Gentlemen Prefer Blondes. Howard Hawks’s Technicolor adaptation features two emancipated showgirls on a trip paid for by a millionaire fiancé. Humour and keen social observation characterise the roles and dialogue of the two stars, who are clearly in cahoots.

With memorable numbers choreographed by Jack Cole, including the eternally iconic Diamonds Are a Girl’s Best Friend, Monroe (in her first musical) excels in song, dance, and pure comedic power, with a performance for the ages that would inspire countless homages and imitations.