Misplaced Pages

#354645

55-452: Anita Loos authored the 1925 novel and 1926 play Gentlemen Prefer Blondes , which had been adapted into the highly successful 1953 film of the same name , starring Russell and Marilyn Monroe . The studio attempted to repeat the formula, with Russell returning but Jeanne Crain stepping in for a presumably otherwise engaged Monroe (both women played new characters). Alan Young , Scott Brady and Rudy Vallee also appear. However, Brunettes

110-458: A clandestine sexual liaison with Montrose. She rushes to Penn Station and finds Spoffard. She claims her extravagance was faked to test his love. Remorseful, Spoffard vows to marry her and to finance Montrose's film. Gentlemen Prefer Blondes: The Intimate Diary of a Professional Lady became an instant success the moment it hit bookstores in November 1925 and sold out all copies on the day it

165-462: A cocktail party; however, their only dress is a cheetah printed dress which to Rudy is not appropriate to wear in the afternoon for the press. They want to be able to show off the new Jones sisters properly, and therefore, they remodel the dresses to impress Paris just like the first generation of the Jones sisters. The cocktail party goes extremely well. Men are dancing and the girls have the attention of

220-409: A daily newspaper comic strip series that ran from April 1926 to September 1926. The comic strip was not an adaptation of the novel but placed its characters in new comedic situations. Although the writing was credited to Loos, it was presumably ghost-written by the artists, Virginia Huget and Phil Cook. This original 1926 series was reprinted in newspapers from 1929 to the early 1930s. In 1928,

275-520: A dull magazine , when she could be spending time with wealthier men. Lorelei and Dorothy sail for Europe on the RMS Majestic . Lorelei learns that Bartlett, a former district attorney who is now a U.S. Senator, is aboard the ship. She recounts a dubious backstory in which a lawyer employed her as a stenographer , and she shot him to defend her virtue . During the trial, which Bartlett prosecuted, Lorelei gave such "compelling" testimony that

330-411: A flirtation that Henry Mencken was having with a stupid little blonde," Loos later explained, "I wrote a skit poking fun at his romance. I had no thought of it ever being printed; my only purpose was to make Henry laugh at himself." Upon arriving at her home, Loos forgot about the story. She later rediscovered the manuscript when unpacking her suitcase. Deciding that Mencken might enjoy it, she placed

385-595: A reward for her excellent work. Even the Prince of Wales was reported to have been so amused by the novel that he purchased many copies of the book and gave them to his companions. The work's popularity crossed national borders into countries such as the Republic of China and the Soviet Union , and the book was translated into more than a dozen different languages and published in 85 editions. In 1927, Loos wrote

440-486: A staunch Presbyterian , prohibitionist , and moral reformer who delights in censoring movies . To gain his trust, Lorelei pretends that she is a reformer too and claims that she is trying to save Dorothy from her sinful lifestyle . At this point, Lorelei is two-timing both Eisman and Spoffard. In Vienna, Lorelei meets a " Dr. Froyd ." Freud fails to psycho-analyze her because she has never repressed her inhibitions. Later, Lorelei tells her past history to Spoffard in

495-408: A sympathetic light. He weeps at the moral outrages which Lorelei has supposedly endured and likens her to Mary Magdalene . Meeting his mother, Lorelei claims to be a Christian Scientist and that drinking champagne is encouraged by her religion. They become drunk together, and Lorelei gives his mother a cloche hat . Since Spoffard's mother has an Edwardian hairstyle , Lorelei bobs her hair for

550-519: A taxi car leaving the Monte Carlo Casino. After seeing the love of their lives leave, David and Charlie know that they cannot bear living the rest of their lives without the sisters and they decide to chase after them. The movie ends with Charlie and David running to the boat taking off for New York looking for the Jones sisters. The moment they meet again, Charlie proposes to Connie, and David pleads to be forgiven by Bonnie for refusing her in

605-545: A third book. She facetiously replied that the title and theme of a third book would be Gentlemen Prefer Gentlemen . This quip resulted in the interview's abrupt termination. While working as a screenwriter in Hollywood , the forty-year-old Anita Loos was inspired to write Gentlemen Prefer Blondes by an incident aboard a train in early 1925. "I was allowed to lug heavy suitcases from their racks while men sat about and failed to note my efforts," she recalled, and yet, when

SECTION 10

#1732782885355

660-454: A variety of different mediums: "It had been done in book form and serialized in magazines and syndicated in newspapers and designed into dress material and printed into wall paper and made into a comic strip and had even had a song by Irving Berlin ." Over a decade later in 1941, theater director John C. Wilson suggested that Loos permit a musical adaptation of the story. Wilson's desired version never came to fruition. The musical adaptation

715-502: A well-received sequel, But Gentlemen Marry Brunettes . Several decades later, Loos was asked during a television interview in London whether she intended to write a third book. She facetiously replied that the title and theme of a third book would be Gentlemen Prefer Gentlemen . This remark resulted in the interview's abrupt termination. Critics in socialist countries interpreted the work to be an anti-capitalist polemic . "When

770-478: A young woman—purportedly Mae Davis or Mae Clarke —"happened to drop the novel she was reading, several men jumped to retrieve it." As an attractive woman, Loos assumed this striking contrast in the men's behavior was because she was a brunette and the other woman was a blonde. Biographer Gary Carey notes that Loos told differing versions of this origin story: "Over the years, [Loos] gave several accounts of its genesis, each differing as to specific detail, though

825-409: 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

880-445: Is complicated because David fears to give himself away to another person. He would rather stay a bachelor, which is what he calls himself. But as love is growing between the two groups, so is the sisters’ career. Parisian casinos desire to have them perform for their nighttime show. But the girls refuse most of them as the casino provides them with vulgar attire. For their own dignity, Bonnie and Connie refuse to show their bodies off for

935-574: Is smaller than "the Hickox building in Little Rock." They are invited to a soirée where English aristocrats sell counterfeit jewels to naive tourists. Lorelei encounters an elderly matron who is selling a diamond tiara . Lorelei casts her eye around the room for a wealthy man to buy it for her and settles on Sir Francis Beekman , whom she calls "Piggie." With flattery and the promise of discretion due to his matrimonial status , she persuades him to buy

990-547: The Ritz , and tickets to the Ziegfeld Follies . During this time, she meets a married novelist named Gerry Lamson, who frowns upon her liaison with Eisman. Lamson wishes to "save" her from Eisman and asks her to marry him. Not wishing to forgo a trip to Europe paid for by Eisman, Lorelei spurns Lamson. Meanwhile, she is dismayed that her friend Dorothy Shaw wastes her time with a poor editor named Mencken, who writes for

1045-523: The all-male jury acquitted her. The skeptical judge bought her a ticket to Hollywood so that she could use her acting talents to become a star. Due to her siren-like personality, he nicknamed her "Lorelei". Lorelei exacts revenge on Bartlett by seducing him and revealing secrets about his senatorial activities. Dorothy and Lorelei arrive in England where they are unimpressed with the Tower of London as it

1100-490: The beginning of their relationship. Bonnie, of course, forgives David who then takes action and proposes to her. The movie ends with two newly and happily engaged couples taking off on a boat to New York. The musical supervision is credited to "M.S.I." Herbert Spencer and Earle Hagen . Incidental music composed and conducted by Robert Farnon . After its release in November, the movie did not perform as well as Gentlemen Prefer Blondes . The Los Angeles Times declared that

1155-428: The book reached Russia," Loos recalled, "it was embraced by Soviet authorities as evidence of the exploitation of helpless female blondes by predatory magnates of the capitalistic system . The Russians , with their native love of grief, stripped Gentlemen Prefer Blondes of all its fun and the plot which they uncovered was dire." These reviews focused on the "rape of its heroine, an attempt by her to commit murder,

SECTION 20

#1732782885355

1210-640: The book sold phenomenally, the critical response was mixed. Whereas some reviewers described the work as "droll and merry," "side-splittingly funny," and "sly and sophisticated," other reviewers were less enthusiastic and patently unamused. Ruth Goodman in The New York Tribune disliked Loos' misspelling words for comedic effect. Columnist Doris Blake in The New York Daily News criticized Loos for asserting that blondes are more sexually appealing to men than brunettes. Perhaps

1265-480: The book was adapted as a silent Paramount motion picture . Under that contract, Loos and her husband Emerson wrote the screenplay and had "to prepare the final scenario, select the cast, and have a hand in supervising the production," as well as write the inter-titles. The film was directed by Malcolm St. Clair , and Lorelei Lee was played by Ruth Taylor . Loos hand-picked her for the role because she bore "a remarkable resemblance to Ralph Barton 's illustrations in

1320-563: The book." Loos later described Taylor's performance as "so ideal for the role that she even played it off-screen and married a wealthy broker ." Following the film's success, Taylor married a prominent New York City businessman and became a Park Avenue socialite . For the 1928 film, Loos altered the story to include a prologue featuring Lorelei's grandfather as a gold-obsessed prospector and an epilogue in which Lorelei's impoverished Arkansas family learn via radio of her lavish wedding. By 1929, Loos' gold-digger epic had been adapted for

1375-676: The brilliance of Gentlemen Prefer Blondes and complimented Loos regarding the originality of her characters such as Dorothy Shaw. Aldous Huxley , author of the dystopian novel Brave New World , likewise wrote a letter of praise to Loos. As a result of this letter, Huxley and Loos later met in 1926 when the British novelist visited America for the first time. "I have just read the Blonde book.... Please accept my envious congratulations on [the character of] Dorothy.... My God, it's charming.... I am still rather Victorian in my prejudices regarding

1430-635: The carefree hedonism of the Jazz Age . Originally serialized as a series of sketches in Harper's Bazaar during the spring and summer of 1925, Loos' sketches were republished in book form by Boni & Liveright in November 1925. Although dismissed by critics as "too light in texture to be very enduring," the book garnered the praise of many writers including F. Scott Fitzgerald, James Joyce , William Faulkner , and H. G. Wells . Edith Wharton hailed Loos' satirical work as "the great American novel " as

1485-405: The casting of Jeanne Crain and Jane Russell was a hopeful sign, but the movie itself was filled with "dull and listless dialogue." The critique did positively review the costumes of the movie and Jeanne Crain's acting, claiming that "she had been hiding her light" from the world. Gentlemen Prefer Blondes (novel) Gentlemen Prefer Blondes: The Intimate Diary of a Professional Lady (1925)

1540-522: The character of Lorelei Lee embodied the avarice and self-indulgence that characterized 1920s America during the presidencies of Warren G. Harding and Calvin Coolidge . Loos' book became the second-best selling title of 1926 in the United States and a runaway international bestseller . It was printed throughout the world in over 13 different languages, including Russian and Chinese. By

1595-474: The character. She was said to have "played a role that was as much her creation as that of Anita Loos." "Tossing her golden curls, blinking her eyes and twirling her waist-length string of pearls", Walker's version of Lorelei embodied the flapper of the Roaring Twenties . The success of the play launched Walker's career, and she had further Broadway successes. Loos licensed her novel for use in

1650-400: The differing origin stories, all of them involve Loos aboard a train writing a short story in the persona of a young blonde flapper in which she recounts her dalliances in an intimate diary. When drafting the story, Loos drew upon memories of jealously observing Ziegfeld Follies showgirls turn gruff littérateur and magazine editor H. L. Mencken into a love-struck simpleton. "Prompted by

1705-575: The enjoyment of others. Although most of the casinos refuse to give them proper attire, the girls find their way around this and hide their bodies from the audience using a hat with long feathers the casino provided them with. They not only performed and received their well-earned money, but received more attention in France, allowing them to perform in Monte Carlo the next evening. The girls perform beautifully at their next and unexpectedly last show of

Gentlemen Marry Brunettes - Misplaced Pages Continue

1760-443: The gist was always the same. In one version, she is traveling by herself; in a second, she runs into Douglas Fairbanks and a party of friends. Alone or with Doug, she meets a blond cutie who is either the lady friend of a Supreme Court justice or one of [H. L.] Mencken 's playmates . If she belongs to Mencken, as she does in most accounts, her name is either Mae Davis or Mae Clarke, always identified as an actress." Regardless of

1815-577: The hat to fit. Soon after, Spoffard proposes marriage to Lorelei by letter. She plans to use this letter as evidence of breach of promise and obtain a financial settlement . Tiring of Spoffard, Lorelei nudges him towards breach of promise by embarking upon a shopping spree and charging it all to his accounts. Meanwhile, she meets Gilbertson Montrose, a handsome screenwriter. Montrose advises her that it would be wiser to marry Spoffard so that he could finance Montrose's new movie in which Lorelei could star. Lorelei decides she will marry Spoffard while pursuing

1870-416: The heroine being cast adrift in the gangster-infested New York of Prohibition days , her relentless pursuit by predatory males, her renunciation of the only man who ever stirred her inner soul as a woman, her nauseous connection with a male who is repulsive to her physically, mentally and emotionally and her final engulfment in the grim monotony of suburban Philadelphia ." Loos denied any such intentions in

1925-421: The intelligence of women, despite Elinor Wylie and Willa Cather and all the balance of them. But I wish I had thought of Dorothy first." — William Faulkner , letter to Anita Loos "[I am] now reading the great American novel (at last!) and I want to know if there are—or will be—others and if you know the young woman, who must be a genius." — Edith Wharton , postcard to Frank Crowninshield Among

1980-564: The list of names of other great authors from the time period, F. Scott Fitzgerald, E. B. White , Sherwood Anderson , William Empson , Rose Macauley , Arnold Bennett , H. G. Wells , James Joyce , and Edith Wharton all praised Loos' novel. Wharton declared Gentlemen Prefer Blondes as "the great American novel ," ostensibly because the character of Lorelei Lee embodied the avarice, frivolity, and immoderation that characterized 1920s America during Warren G. Harding and Calvin Coolidge years. James Joyce stated that—even though his eyesight

2035-458: The manuscript in an envelope and mailed it to him. Mencken, a close friend to whom Loos was sexually attracted, enjoyed the deprecatory piece and forwarded the manuscript to Henry Sell, the editor of Harper's Bazaar . Sell accepted the story for publication, and he urged Loos to continue writing about the blonde flapper's escapades. Due to the popularity of Loos' stories, the magazine's circulation skyrocketed, and Boni & Liveright published

2090-530: The most laudatory review was by Herman J. Mankiewicz —the future screenwriter of Citizen Kane —who gave Loos' book a rave review in The New York Times and summarized the novel as "a gorgeously smart and intelligent piece of work." Despite the mixed critical reviews, other authors heaped copious praise upon the work. Author William Faulkner wrote a personal letter to Loos after reading her novel. Filled with congratulatory remarks, Faulkner lauded

2145-409: The movie. Their mother, Mitzi, is unhappy with the circumstances her daughter are in, and she forces them to come home to New York with her. After her show days, Bonnie and Connie have claimed that their mother has raised them strictly. She especially does not want her daughters to display themselves vulgarly, which is why she forcefully brings them back home. Grabbing them by the ears, she puts them in

2200-536: The name after their mother, Mitzi Jones, who also performed popularly with her sister, Mimi Jones. Bonnie and Connie are often offered engagements by men. Connie refuses these New Yorkers every time, while her sister Bonnie seemingly cannot say no to all these men’s offerings. This initiates fights between the men outside the sisters’ shows, and these situations embarrass Connie for being related to Bonnie. The sisters fight about Bonnie’s weakness to refuse these men. Connie wants her sister to promise her to refuse them for

2255-499: The novel as a Broadway stage play. Brunette June Walker was cast as Lorelei and performed the role in a blonde wig . Comedienne Edna Hibbard played Dorothy and Frank Morgan portrayed reformer Henry Spoffard. The play debuted in Detroit on April 28, 1926 and was performed 201 times from 1926 to 1927. As the first actress to portray Lorelei Lee on Broadway, June Walker was instrumental in an interpretation that helped define

Gentlemen Marry Brunettes - Misplaced Pages Continue

2310-494: The novel was derived from the 1949 musical and released in 1953 by 20th Century Fox . This second adaptation was filmed in technicolor and featured Marilyn Monroe as Lorelei and Jane Russell as Dorothy. In order to conform to the moral precepts of the Motion Picture Production Code , much of the sexual promiscuity of the 1949 musical was expurgated in the 1953 film adaptation as film censors in

2365-515: The sake of their career. However, the moment the sisters reconcile, a messenger knocks on their door with an offer by David Action to perform in shows around France. The sisters immediately agree, and promise each other to focus on the success of their career rather than focusing on desperate men looking for marriage. When they arrive in Paris, they are welcomed by Charlie Biddle and David Action, played by Alan Young and Scott Brady, who will later become

2420-463: The sisters’ love interests. The men are surprised by the difference between the first generation and the second generation of the Jones sisters. They notice that Bonnie and Connie lack the lush living style of their mother and act more sophisticated. The sisters claim that they do not own a lot because of financial problems; it took them three months of savings to buy an average looking dress for their shows. The girls open their luggage to get ready for

2475-462: The stories in book form in November 1925. A kiss on the hand may make you feel very nice, but a diamond and sapphire bracelet lasts forever. Born in Arkansas , a blonde flapper named Lorelei Lee meets Gus Eisman, a Chicago businessman whom she calls "Daddy." He installs her in a New York City apartment and spends a small fortune "educating" her. He pays for jewelry from Cartier , dinners at

2530-445: The story as a glamorous musical. Ziegfeld said that actress Marilyn Miller —one of the most popular Broadway musical stars of the 1920s—should play the siren role of Lorelei Lee. To her regret, Loos had already signed a contract with rival Broadway producer Edgar Selwyn to adapt the story as a straight comedy, and she could not break the contract. Under the contract with Selwyn, Loos and her playwright husband John Emerson adapted

2585-426: The tiara. In Paris, the duo are more excited by jewelry shops than by the " Eyeful Tower ." Beekman's wife confronts Lorelei and threatens to ruin her reputation if she does not return the tiara. Dorothy intercedes and notes that Lady Beekman's threats are hollow since Lorelei has no reputation to destroy. Later, the flappers are confronted by a French lawyer and his son acting on behalf of Lady Beekman. Impressed by

2640-403: The time Loos died of a heart attack in 1981 at the age of 93, the work had been printed in over 85 editions and adapted into a 1926 comic strip , a 1928 silent comedy , a 1949 Broadway musical , and a 1953 film adaptation of the musical. Loos wrote a sequel, But Gentlemen Marry Brunettes , in 1927. Decades later, Loos was asked during a television interview whether she intended to write

2695-470: The whole room. Their popularity and names go all around Paris, which helps their career. The next day, the Jones sisters want to tour the city of Paris and plead with David and Charlie to show them around. They separate into two groups, Connie leaving with Charlie and Bonnie leaving with David. These quickly turn into dates in the city of Paris, as both couples share kisses and reveal their attraction towards one another. However, Bonnie’s relationship with David

2750-498: The women's beauty, the father and son dine with them and charge all expenses to Lady Beekman. Lorelei has a replica made of the tiara and—by playing the father and son against each other—she keeps the real tiara and sends them away with the fake one. Eisman arrives in Paris and, after shopping trips with Lorelei, he departs for Vienna . He puts Lorelei and Dorothy on the Orient Express where she encounters Henry Spoffard ,

2805-436: The work and was amused by such interpretations. Although Loos publicly ridiculed any social or gender interpretations of her comedic novel, contemporary literary critics have nonetheless posited such critiques of the novel, delving into various interpretations of sex and the body. Following the widespread success of the book, Loos was contacted by Broadway impresario Florenz Ziegfeld who suggested to Loos that he adapt

SECTION 50

#1732782885355

2860-482: Was failing him—he "reclined on a sofa reading Gentlemen Prefer Blondes for three days" while taking a break from writing Finnegans Wake . George Santayana , the Spanish-American philosopher and author, facetiously averred that Gentlemen Prefer Blondes was "the best book on philosophy written by an American." Arnold Bennett and H. G. Wells later escorted Loos out to dinner when she visited London as

2915-525: Was not as well received as its predecessor. With choreography by Jack Cole , who had previously contributed to Blondes , a young Gwen Verdon filmed a specialty number that was cut from the US release as being too sexy. Bonnie and Connie Jones, played by Jane Russell and Jeanne Crain, are two sisters that live in New York working on Broadway. They are known as the second generation of the Jones sisters, taking

2970-421: Was produced by Herman Levin and Oliver Smith , whom Loos met while sailing on a steamship to the United States from Europe. The 1949 musical edition starred Carol Channing as Lorelei Lee and Yvonne Adair as Dorothy Shaw, and ran for 740 performances on Broadway. The musical's success prompted a brief sartorial revival of 1920s fashions by dress factories. The second and more popular film adaptation of

3025-458: Was released. A second edition of 60,000 copies sold out within the next thirty days. Afterward, the novel sold on average 1,000 copies per day. Loos' work became the second-best selling title of 1926 in the United States and outsold F. Scott Fitzgerald 's The Great Gatsby , Theodore Dreiser 's An American Tragedy , Ernest Hemingway 's In Our Time , Ezra Pound 's The Cantos , and William Faulkner 's Soldier's Pay . Although

#354645