Movie Screening & Discussion - How to Marry a Millionaire (1953)

About this event

Join Marcus Renna in the Scott Room for a screening and discussion of the 1953 romantic comedy film How To Marry A Millionaire, directed by Jean Negulesco, written by Nunnally Johnson, and starring Marilyn Monroe, Betty Grable, Lauren Bacall, David Wayne, Rory Calhoun, Cameron Mitchell, and William Powell. Savvy Schatze Page (Bacall), flighty Loco Dempsey (Grable), and clumsy, near-sighted Pola Debevoise (Monroe) are three Manhattan models on a mission to each marry a millionaire. They decide to jointly rent a Sutton Place penthouse to better rub shoulders with the city's elite. Their plans quickly begin to unravel thanks to a series of mistaken assumptions about the financial prospects of the men they decide to pursue. How To Marry A Millionaire is notable for being the first film made by 20th Century Fox to use the CinemaScope widescreen sound process, which reviewers noted approvingly for the vibrancy and size of the photography. The film is a celebration of mid-century New York City, with many iconic views of Rockefeller Center, Central Park, the United Nations Building, the Brooklyn Bridge, and the Empire State Building. A smart, glamorous, delightfully entertaining comedy featuring three of Hollywood's most notable 20th century actresses.