Gentlemen Prefer Blondes: A Classic Hollywood Musical Comedy

Running head: HOLLYWOOD AND ENTERTAINMENT
Hollywood and Entertainment
Name of the Student:
Name of the University:
Author’s Note:

1HOLLYWOOD AND ENTERTAINMENT
The Hollywood industry has served as a major source of entertainment not only for
the people of the United States of America but also for the people from the other parts of the
world1. Hollywood is reputed for the quality cinemas that they having been since the
beginning of the 20th century2. In addition to this, the numerous genres of movies that they
offer to the audiences have served for a source of delight for people of all ages. One of the
major genres of movies which gained popularity in the 20th century was the musical comedy
which was not only known for their high quality of comic timings but also for their original
musical score as well3. Gentlemen Prefer Blondes (1953) is one such musical comedy which
gained much popularity in the 1950s and at the same time was much appreciated by the
audiences as well4. As a matter of fact, the film saw the emergence of the iconic heroine of
the 20th century, namely, Marilyn Monroe. This annotated bibliography will discuss about the
movie from the perspective of its storyline, its themes and other related aspects.
Jeffers-McDonald, Tamar. "Hollywood Romantic Comedy of the Fifties. A Critical
Study of Film Genre." Miscelánea: A Journal of English and American Studies 50
(2014).
This article discusses about the diverse musical comedies of the early and the middle
part of the 20th century which ultimately led to the emergence of the genre of musical
comedy. The article undertakes a detailed analysis of various musical comedies along with
the movie “Gentlemen Prefer Blondes”. The movie revolves around the character of Lorelei
Lee played by Marilyn Monroe and Dorothy Shaw played by Jane Russell5. The movie while
1 Jeffers-McDonald, Tamar. "Hollywood Romantic Comedy of the Fifties. A Critical Study of Film
Genre." Miscelánea: A Journal of English and American Studies 50 (2014).
2 Duncan, Stephen R. "Judy Holliday, the Red Scare, and the (Miss-) Uses of Hollywood’s Dumb Blonde
Image." Smart Chicks on Screen: Representing Women's Intellect in Film and Television (2014): 9.
3 Duncan, Stephen R. "Judy Holliday, the Red Scare, and the (Miss-) Uses of Hollywood’s Dumb Blonde
Image." Smart Chicks on Screen: Representing Women's Intellect in Film and Television (2014): 9.
4 Gritten, David. 2018. "Gentlemen Prefer Blondes, Review". Telegraph.Co.Uk.
https://www.telegraph.co.uk/culture/film/filmreviews/7324427/Gentlemen-Prefer-Blondes-review.html.
5 Jeffers-McDonald, Tamar. "Hollywood Romantic Comedy of the Fifties. A Critical Study of Film
Genre." Miscelánea: A Journal of English and American Studies 50 (2014).

2HOLLYWOOD AND ENTERTAINMENT
describing the idiosyncrasies of the American society narrates the story of these two girls and
their quest for love as well as a meaning social position within the American society 6. In his
regard, the two characters of Lorelei and Dorothy present contrasting pictures whereas
Lorelei is more concerned with diamonds and social position Dorothy is concerned with
love7. This aspect of Lorelei’s character becomes apparent from her love for diamonds and
also through her recantation of the song “Diamonds are a Girl's Best Friend”8. In the movie,
the two girls through a series of adventures or misadventures ultimately find not only love but
social recognition as well. The movie directed by Howard Hawks featured some of the most
prominent actors of that era like Jane Russell, Marilyn Monroe, Charles Coburn and others9.
The movie under discussion here was an adaptation of a stage musical named “Gentlemen
Prefer Blondes: The Intimate Diary of a Professional Lady” (1925) and this in turn was based
on the novel of the same name by the authors Anita Loos and Joseph Fields10. The movie
under discussion here is often seen to a turning point in the genre of musical comedies and
also as the starting point of the illustrious acting career of Marilyn Monroe11.
The strength of the article lies in the fact that the article not only undertakes a detailed
analysis of the movie under discussion but at the same time tries to trace the importance or
the contribution that the movie has made towards the entire genre of the American musical
comedy which was a major genre of movie in the 20th century. The weakness of the article is
the fact that the article dwells too much on the narrative as well as the prominence of the
movie and does not shed any light on the themes of the movie.
6 Jeffers-McDonald, Tamar. "Hollywood Romantic Comedy of the Fifties. A Critical Study of Film
Genre." Miscelánea: A Journal of English and American Studies 50 (2014).
7 Dyer, Richard. Heavenly bodies: Film stars and society. Routledge, 2013.
8 "Gentlemen Prefer Blondes (1953)". 2018. Imdb. https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0045810/.
9 "Gentlemen Prefer Blondes (1953)". 2018. Imdb. https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0045810/.
10 Gritten, David. 2018. "Gentlemen Prefer Blondes, Review". Telegraph.Co.Uk.
https://www.telegraph.co.uk/culture/film/filmreviews/7324427/Gentlemen-Prefer-Blondes-review.html.
11 Gritten, David. 2018. "Gentlemen Prefer Blondes, Review". Telegraph.Co.Uk.
https://www.telegraph.co.uk/culture/film/filmreviews/7324427/Gentlemen-Prefer-Blondes-review.html.