Co-Stars: Betty Grable, Lauren Bacall
Marilyn's Character: Pola Debevoise
Director: Jean Negulesco
Synopsis: Three models rent an expensive New York apartment in the hopes of finding rich husbands.
Sparks were expected to fly when Fox's two blonde stars, Marilyn and Betty Grable, teamed up along with Lauren Bacall to make How To Marry a Millionaire. The two blondes disappointed gossip columnists by getting along quite well on the set. Originally, Marilyn wanted to play the role Grable wound up with, becuase she didn't like the idea of her character wearing glasses. This film was the first to be filmed in Cinemascope, Fox's new widescreen format.
Reviews:
Betty Grable, Lauren Bacall and Marilyn Monroe give off the quips and cracks, generously supplied by Nunnally Johnson, with a naturalness that adds to their strikingly humourous effect, making the film the funniest film of the year. ~New York Daily News
Playing a near-sighted charmer who won't wear her glasses when men are around, she [Marilyn] bumps into the furniture and reads books upside down with a limpid guile that nearly melts the screen ~New York Herald Tribune
It is particularly noteworthy that Miss Monroe has developed more than a small amount of comedy polish of the foot-in-mouth type. ~New York Post