Gentlemen Prefer Blondes (1928 film)

Last updated

Gentlemen Prefer Blondes
Gentlemen Prefer Blondes - 1928.jpg
1928 lobby poster with Ruth Taylor and Holmes Herbert
Directed by Mal St. Clair
Written by Anita Loos and John Emerson (scenario)
Anita Loos and Herman Mankiewicz (titles)
Based on Gentlemen Prefer Blondes
1925 novella
by Anita Loos
Gentlemen Prefer Blondes
1926 play
by John Emerson
Produced by Adolph Zukor
Jesse L. Lasky
Starring Ruth Taylor
Alice White
Cinematography Harold Rosson
Edited by Jane Loring
William Shea
Distributed by Paramount Pictures
Release date
  • January 18, 1928 (1928-01-18)
Running time
75 minutes 7 reels (6,871 ft)
CountryUnited States
Language Silent (English intertitles)

Gentlemen Prefer Blondes is a 1928 American silent comedy film directed by Mal St. Clair, co-written by Anita Loos based on her 1925 novel, and released by Paramount Pictures. No copies are known to exist, and it is now considered to be a lost film. [1] [2] [3] [4] The Broadway version Gentlemen Prefer Blondes starring Carol Channing as Lorelei Lee was mounted in 1949. It was remade into the film Gentlemen Prefer Blondes with Jane Russell as Dorothy Shaw and Marilyn Monroe as Lorelei Lee in 1953, directed by Howard Hawks. [5]

Contents

Plot

Blonde Lorelei Lee (Ruth Taylor) and her brunette friend Dorothy Shaw (Anita White), are each seeking a wealthy husband They learn that the richest man in the world, the bachelor Henry Spoffard, is boarding a luxury liner to Europe. The women purchase tickets for the same voyage. Spofford turns out not to be a licentious playboy, but a so-called social reformer intent on investigating immoral Americans abroad. Spoffard’s seasickness en route prevents his seduction by either woman, but Lorelei obtains Lady Beekman’s (Emily Fitzroy) diamond tiara from her love-struck husband Sir Francis Beekman (Mack Swain).

At the Ritz hotel in Paris, Spoffard and Lorelei begin a liaison that is repeatedly interrupted by his mother and fellow reformers. Love triumphs, and the couple are married, the ceremony broadcast on the radio. [6] [7]

Cast

Casting and Louise Brooks

Louise Brooks 1927 publicity photo holding Anita Loos novel Louise Brooks 1927 publicity photo with Anita Loos novel.jpg
Louise Brooks 1927 publicity photo holding Anita Loos novel

St. Clair directed Louise Brooks in two films for Paramount before pre-production began on Gentlemen Prefer Blondes, each satiric comedies released in 1926: A Social Celebrity and The Show-Off . In both films she played the leading female protagonist. Brooks would also star in The Canary Murder Case (1929), also directed by St. Clair and her final film with Paramount. [8] [9]

Film historian Ruth Anne Dwyer, in her biography of Malcolm St. Clair, examines the circumstances concerning the casting for the lead role of Dorothy Shaw for the 1929 version of Gentlemen Prefer Blondes (note: Jane Russell was cast as Dorothy in the 1953 remake of the film directed by Howard Hawks). [10]

The Anita Loos novel Gentleman Prefer Blondes (1925) inspired at least three popular spin-offs:

Dwyer reports Dixie Dugan, “a cynical flapper,” were “thinly disguised” tributes to the actress Louise Brooks. [14]

In the Santell production for Just Another Blonde, Brooks was cast as a “gold-digging show girl" similar to the fictional Dorothy Shaw. When First National made a film adaption of the magazine Show Girl in 1927, clearly based on Brooks’ screen persona in Just Another Blonde, Alice White was selected to play the role: Brooks, who expected to be cast, was not offered a screen test, though, according to her biographer Barry Paris she was “made" for the part. Brooks’ in anticipation of securing the role, posed for a photo depicting her reading a copy of Loos’ novel. [15]

Both director Malcolm St. Clair and novelist Anita Loos screen-tested actors for the role of Dorothy Shaw in Gentlemen Prefer Blondes, including Louise Brooks, but settled on Antia White. [16] According to Dwyer, Paris describes a bitterly disappointed Brooks, who subsequently denounced St. Clair as a drunkard and his direction of Paramount production of the film as a failure. [17]

Film critic Beth Ann Gallagher reports that contemporary reviews of the film were “lukewarm,” and that the cast was ranked among critics higher than the production. [18] Dwyer notes that the movie was “quite a success” with New York Times critic Mordaunt Hall, who described it as “splendid” and Alice White “an excellent selection” to perform the character Dorothy Shaw. [19] Dwyer reports that St. Clair’s professional and personal contemporaries she interviewed contradict and correct Brooks’ negative appraisal of the director. [20] [21]

Reception

New York Times film critic Mordaunt Hall described the film as “a splendid pictorial translation of Anita Loos's book,” reserving high praise for the performances of Ruth Taylor, Alice White and Mack Swain. An “infectious treat,” Hall added that “St. Clair has given to it just the right touch.” [22] [23]

See also

Notes

  1. Thompson, Frank T. (March 1996). Lost Films: Important Movies That Disappeared. Carol Publishing Corporation. pp. 12–18. ISBN   978-0-8065-1604-2.
  2. Gentlemen Prefer Blondes at silentera.com database
  3. The Library of Congress American Silent Feature Film Survival Catalog: Gentlemen Prefer Blondes
  4. Gentlemen Prefer Blondes at TheGreatStars.com; Lost Films Wanted ..Retrieved July 19, 2018
  5. Dwyer, 1996 p. 210: Filmography
  6. Gentlemen Prefer Blondes (1928) - IMDb , retrieved November 4, 2019
  7. Dwyer, 1996 p. 210: Filmography, plot synopsis
  8. Dwyer, 1996 pp. 205-207, p. 213: Filmography
  9. Gallagher, 2016: Cites the three films Brooks made with St. Clair.
  10. Dwyer, 1996 p. 112
  11. Dwyer, 1996 p. 112
  12. Dwyer, 1996 p. 112
  13. Dwyer, 1996 p. 112
  14. Dwyer, 1996 p. 112
  15. Dwyer, 1996 p. 112: See Dwyer for Paris material sources, page numbers. And: “She even had a photo reading the book in preparation for the part.”
  16. Gallagher, 2016: See here for Anita Loos negative reaction to Brooks’ screen test.
  17. Dwyer, 1996 p. 111: Brooks’ considerd Alice White her “arch enemy.” And p. 112: “...called [St. Clair] a drunk...”
  18. Gallagher, 2016: See here for Brooks’ low opinion regarding St. Clair and other unnamed directors.
  19. Dwyer, 1996 p. 110: Hall calls the film “perfection” in his review. And p. 112: Hall review quotes. And p. 128-129: See footnotes no. 8, no. 9 for Brooks alternating hostility and praise for St. Clair
  20. Dwyer, 1996 p. 4: “...Louise Brooks’ critical appraisal of St. Clair is highly inaccurate.”
  21. Gallagher, 2016
  22. Hall, 1928
  23. Dwyer, 1996 p. 112: Dwyer cites the Hall review: “...a splendid pictorial translation of Anita Loos’ book…the film is an infectious treat.” Hall further praised Alice White as Dorothy: “She is also an excellent selection…”

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Anita Loos</span> American screenwriter, playwright, author, actress, and television producer

Corinne Anita Loos was an American actress, novelist, playwright and screenwriter. In 1912, she became the first female staff screenwriter in Hollywood, when D. W. Griffith put her on the payroll at Triangle Film Corporation. She is best known for her 1925 comic novel, Gentlemen Prefer Blondes, and her 1951 Broadway adaptation of Colette's novella Gigi.

<i>Gentlemen Prefer Blondes</i> (1953 film) 1953 musical comedy film by Howard Hawks

Gentlemen Prefer Blondes is a 1953 American musical comedy film directed by Howard Hawks and written by Charles Lederer. The film is based on the 1949 stage musical of the same name, which in turn is based on the 1925 novel of the same name by Anita Loos. The film stars Jane Russell and Marilyn Monroe, with Charles Coburn, Elliott Reid, Tommy Noonan, George Winslow, Taylor Holmes and Norma Varden in supporting roles.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Leo Robin</span> American songwriter

Leo Robin was an American composer, lyricist and songwriter. He is probably best known for collaborating with Ralph Rainger on the 1938 Oscar-winning song "Thanks for the Memory," sung by Bob Hope and Shirley Ross in the film The Big Broadcast of 1938, and with Jule Styne on "Diamonds Are a Girl's Best Friend," a song whose witty, Cole Porter style of lyric came to be identified with its famous interpreter Marilyn Monroe.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Blonde stereotype</span> Stereotypes of blond-haired people

Blonde stereotypes are stereotypes of blonde-haired people. Sub-types of this stereotype include the "blonde bombshell" and the "dumb blonde". Blondes have historically been portrayed as physically attractive, though often perceived as less intelligent compared to their brunette counterparts. There are many blonde jokes made on these premises. However, research has shown that blonde women are not less intelligent than women with other hair colors.

<i>Gentlemen Marry Brunettes</i> 1955 film by Richard Sale

Gentlemen Marry Brunettes is a 1955 American Technicolor musical romantic comedy film directed by Richard Sale, who co-wrote the screenplay with Mary Loos, based on the 1927 novel But Gentlemen Marry Brunettes by Anita Loos, aunt of Mary Loos. The film stars Jane Russell and Jeanne Crain. It was produced by Sale and Bob Waterfield, with Robert Bassler as executive producer.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Malcolm St. Clair (filmmaker)</span> Hollywood film director, writer, producer and actor (1897–1952)

Malcolm St. Clair was a Hollywood film director, writer, producer and actor.

<i>Gentlemen Prefer Blondes</i> (novel) 1925 comic novel by Anita Loos

Gentlemen Prefer Blondes: The Intimate Diary of a Professional Lady (1925) is a comic novel written by American author Anita Loos. The story follows the dalliances of a young blonde gold-digger and flapper named Lorelei Lee "in the bathtub-gin era of American history." Published the same year as F. Scott Fitzgerald's The Great Gatsby and Carl Van Vechten's Firecrackers, the lighthearted work is one of several famous 1925 American novels which focus upon the carefree hedonism of the Jazz Age.

<i>Gentlemen Prefer Blondes</i> (musical) 1949 musical

Gentlemen Prefer Blondes is a musical with a book by Joseph Fields and Anita Loos, lyrics by Leo Robin, and music by Jule Styne, based on the best-selling 1925 novel of the same name by Loos. The story involves an American woman's voyage to Paris to perform in a nightclub.

<i>A Social Celebrity</i> 1926 film

A Social Celebrity is a 1926 American silent comedy drama film directed by Malcolm St. Clair and starred Louise Brooks as a small town manicurist who goes to New York City with her boyfriend, a barber who poses as a French count. The film is now considered lost.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Ruth Taylor (actress)</span> American actress (1905-1984)

Ruth Alice Taylor was an American actress in silent films and early talkies. Her son was the writer, comic, and actor Buck Henry.

Gentlemen Prefer Blondes may refer to:

<i>Montana Moon</i> 1930 film

Montana Moon is a 1930 pre-Code Western musical film which introduced the concept of the singing cowboy to the screen. Starring Joan Crawford, Johnny Mack Brown, Dorothy Sebastian, and Ricardo Cortez, the film focuses on the budding relationship between a city girl and a rural cowboy.

<i>But Gentlemen Marry Brunettes</i> 1927 novel by Anita Loos

But Gentlemen Marry Brunettes is a 1927 novel written by Anita Loos. It is the sequel to her 1925 novel Gentlemen Prefer Blondes. The plot follows the further adventures of Lorelei Lee and Dorothy Shaw and is illustrated by Ralph Barton.

<i>Lorelei</i> (musical) 1974 American musical

Lorelei is a musical with a book by Kenny Solms and Gail Parent, lyrics by Betty Comden and Adolph Green, and music by Jule Styne. It is a revision of the Joseph Fields-Anita Loos book for the 1949 production Gentlemen Prefer Blondes and includes many of the Jule Styne-Leo Robin songs written for the original.

<i>Dangerous Nan McGrew</i> 1930 film

Dangerous Nan McGrew is a 1930 Pre-Code American musical comedy film starring Helen Kane, Victor Moore and James Hall and directed by Malcolm St. Clair.

<i>The Show-Off</i> (1926 film) 1926 film by Malcolm St. Clair

The Show-Off is a 1926 American silent film comedy produced by Famous Players–Lasky and distributed by Paramount Pictures, based on the play of the same name by George Kelly. Directed by Mal St. Clair, the film stars Ford Sterling, Lois Wilson and Louise Brooks.

<i>Hollywood Cavalcade</i> 1939 American film

Hollywood Cavalcade is a 1939 American film featuring Alice Faye as a young performer making her way in the early days of Hollywood, from slapstick silent pictures through the transition from silent to sound.

<i>The Fleets In</i> (1928 film) 1928 film by Malcolm St. Clair

The Fleet's In is a 1928 American silent comedy film directed by Malcolm St. Clair and written by Monte Brice, George Marion Jr., and J. Walter Ruben. The film stars Clara Bow, James Hall, Jack Oakie, Bodil Rosing, Eddie Dunn, and Jean Laverty. The film was released on September 15, 1928, by Paramount Pictures.

<i>On Thin Ice</i> (1925 film) 1925 film

On Thin Ice is a 1925 American silent crime drama film directed by Mal St. Clair and starring Tom Moore, Edith Roberts, and William Russell. It was produced and distributed by the Warner Bros. and based upon a 1924 novel by Alice Ross Colver.

Gentleman Prefer Blondes is a 1926 play by Anita Loos and John Emerson, based upon Loos' 1925 international best-selling novel of the same name.

References