Gentlemen Marry Brunettes

How can you not like Jeanne Crain and Jane Russell in a movie? Crain is one of my favorite actresses but she looks tired here and Russell looks confused on how to play the part. I don't believe either of them sing their own songs and Scott Brady as their manager is dubbed as well. Unfortunately Rudy Valle sounds like himself and adds a bit but Alan Young does his own singing and adds a comic touch. What gives this even four stars are great songs no matter who has sung them. The song and dance numbers are horrible. The jungle sequence is in bad taste at best. A mid fifties musical gone wrong. See if u can spot the one song Crain actually sings herself? This movie is why musicals died.

This follow-up to the popular "Gentlemen Prefer Blondes" was such a box-office flop that it was never even released on video! In some ways it is equal to the first film: it's a good-looking production, with two beautiful female leads, bland male leads, and no plot to speak of. In some ways, it is inferior: the songs are instantly forgettable, and Jane Russell is miscast in the Marilyn Monroe role - she also has a very unflattering haircut in this movie (although she does shine in a surprise role - which I won't spoil here - in the last 5 minutes). And in some ways, it is superior: unlike the first film, which was almost completely studio-bound, this one has the actors actually visiting wonderful Paris and Monte Carlo locations; it's not every day a movie takes you up on the Eiffel Tower! So I do think "Gentlemen Marry Brunettes" is worth a look - if you can find it. **1/2 out of 4.

I saw this turkey for the first time last night. I tuned in expecting an entertaining sequel to the classic "Gentlemen Prefer Blondes" starring Marylin Monroe and (as in this movie) Jane Russell. To say I was disappointed is being generous. Alan Young singing? For heaven's sake, what were these people thinking? The world would be better served if this pile of celluloid was cut up into guitar picks.

Miserable film despite the vivacious leads of Jane Russell and Jeanne Crain. The plot or story line is absolutely ridiculous where 2 sisters go off to Paris and meet Rudy Vallee who reminds us all that their aunts, who had no talent whatsoever, conquered gay Paris circa 1926. Some of the musical staging such as Ain't Misbehavin are absolutely miserably staged. Scott Brady is totally miscast as the agent who sent for the girls. In the film, Jane Russell can't say no when a guy proposes to her. How did she ever say yes to being in such a poorly written, executed film? Imagine Brady mouthing the words to My Funny Valentine as Russell sings along. This reminded me years ago when Victor Mature starred opposite Bette Hutton in "Red, Hot and Blue." Nothing like miscasting, but it's even worse when the picture is such a stinker. If anything, this film is a red hot stinker.

The "Ain't Misbehavin'" number is so bad its almost good. Dancing African spearchuckers played by white guys in purplish black body paint with red fright wigs with bones in their hair carrying zebra shields. Got the picture? No you don't, not yet. Alan Young in a monkey suit sitting in a tree singing "Ain't Misbehavin" for no discernible reason. Jane Russell dressed up as an African queen sings the second chorus as a duet with the monkey man (again for no logical reason, is she in love with a gorilla?) while the dancing "Africans" sing along in unmistably WHITE voices! Oh man its so bad you won't know whether to laugh, cry or run out of the room screaming.

In this sequel to Gentlemen Prefer Blondes, Jane Russell maintains first billing and takes Jeanne Craine as her sidekick. As the title song tells you, men may go crazy for blondes, but they marry brunettes. Needless to say, Marilyn Monroe is not in this movie. As is the case with most sequels, this isn't nearly as good as its predecessor. The songs are okay, instead of adorable and catchy, and Jeanne Craine is no Marilyn. I sat through it, because the original is one of my favorite old movies and I wanted to give the sequel a chance. However, if you're looking for a better "sequel" to the 1953 classic, try The French Line. Jane Russell plays a girl from Texas-instead of Arkansas-who goes on an ocean liner to France and tries to dodge smooth players while singing about it. Sounds like a sequel, doesn't it?

Two American showgirls, siblings following in the footsteps of their flashy mother and aunt in the 1920s, attempt to take the Paris stage by storm--but morals may have changed in the last thirty years. Weak adaptation of Anita Loos' book "But Gentlemen Marry Brunettes" coasts (deliberately) on the goodwill built up from 1953's "Gentlemen Prefer Blondes" (which Loos originated on stage). Jane Russell, who stars in both, had a hand in the production this time, and to her credit the picture looks smashing. The Parisian locations are eye-popping and the outfits are predictably colorful; unfortunately, this screenplay (written by Mary Loos and director Richard Sale) is a pale imitation of "Blondes", and Russell--in the ditzy-sister role--isn't given any funny lines or a suitable romantic interest. Jeanne Crain (sporting either a wig or inappropriately darkened hair) is out of her element, and the cartoony production numbers are just silly. *1/2 from ****