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I watched something cool. I wanna talk about it...

The Basics:

Director: Jean Negulesco
Screenplay: Nunnally Johnson
Music by: Alfred Newman & Cyril Mockridge
Release Date: 4th November 1953 (5th November USA)
Runtime: 1hr35min
Genre: Comedy
Classification: U
IMDb rating*: 7/10
Starring: Lauren Bacall as Schatze, Betty Grable as Loco, Marilyn Monroe as Pola

Synopsis:

Warning, spoilers... duh.

Essentially, we have our typical "I want a Disney Prince" situation, with three Manhattan models all craving the richness of a man in a tuxedo. In order to gain the attention of any rich men that come their way, 'Schatze' (Lauren Bacall) sells basically everything in the penthouse she is renting, bar her clothes and a table with a phone on it, to make herself richer. Yes, that's right, she sells furniture she doesn't own, to make cash - resulting in some rather comedic scenes with the landlord! One day, while the three girls are lounging outside, there is a knock at the door and it is opened to reveal a rather strapping young man, who invites the three of them to a party. At said party, each girl meets a gentleman, who they believe to be "Mr Right", or rather "Mr Rich" and desperately cling to them for all they are worth. While all of this is going on, all three fall for three other men, although they're supposedly not as rich... They try to ignore their hearts, but in the end, love wins over money and 'Schatze', 'Pola' and 'Loco' each end up with men who they love and awww and it's cute and adorable and yep.......


BUT!! THERE IS MORE!! BECAUSE... 'Schatze' has a love interest, 'Tom', who everyone suspected to be poor. He pulls out a $1000 note at dinner and casually lets slip his net worth of $200 million, to which the three ladies, with their new partners, promptly faint and the men toast their unconscious bodies.

(I mean, they don't toast them. There is no chargrilled Monroe on the menu at this restaurant. 'Tom' proposes a toast. With wine. And glasses.)

Highlights:

Well, throughout the film, Monroe's character, 'Pola', maintains the fact that "Men aren’t attentive to girls who wear glasses", taking them off as soon as she is in male company. This provides a comedic tone to the film and Monroe acts her character's naïve innocence beautifully. Monroe is a wonder to watch and a laugh-a-minute script makes her all the funnier.

The owner of the rented residence, who ends up with a key part in the end of the film, makes comedic appearances throughout; his facial expressions are hysterical. A particular favourite moment of mine is when 'Schatze' has sold all the furniture and he breaks into the suite, to see a blank apartment. He breaks in again a few days later to see that all the furniture is restored and the bewilderment that washes over his face did make me giggle.

The Final Score:

Hello to my readers, however few and far you are between! I'd like to warmly welcome you to my film & theatre critic magazine - full of all my reviews and interpretations of the best pieces of work ever to grace the stage or screen. I'm a little eccentric, but do bear with me on our rather crazy journey into the world of the arts... after all, "Madness is genius" - Marilyn Monroe

Q: Why good person there, who in the world are you?
A: Hello to you, thank you so much for asking. My name is Hannah Ost, I am a student from the South-East of England, with a passion for all things theatrical... and cats. I enjoy critiquing and analysing films, theatre, short productions, anything you offer me! I, myself, am a performer, so always look for new techniques to incorporate into my own work; I find regular theatre-going to be a marvellous way of experiencing what is out there.

Q: Where does the name "Come Along, Marilyn!" originate?
A: This name came into my head rather randomly and I'll let you see why... I had stumbled across a box set of some of Marilyn Monroe's greatest films at a DVD sale and, being the nerd I am, completely freaked out and bought the lot of them. I'd then made a deal with myself that I would only watch one DVD per night... And, being the nerd I am, I watched three that same night before going to bed. At the grand old time of half past midnight, I was dozily and insanely talking myself to sleep and said something rather odd. Instead of saying "Come along, Hannah, time for bed" I said, yes, you guessed it, "Come Along, Marilyn!" And thus, the name was born. Yes, we all have an exhausted, Monroe-obsessed Hannah to thank for that.

Q: What is your favourite show?
A: I enjoy plays with clever or unusual storylines. For example, 'Blood Brothers' by playwright and lyricist Willy Russell. The narration is very different, played to be an age old tale, passed down through centuries - it's interesting how the narrator can only be seen by the characters at certain times in the play. I love a good musical; the classics of our generation are good - 'Wicked', 'Les Misérables', just to name a couple. I'm also a fan of anything new. There was a musical called 'If/Then' on Broadway, which I loved. It sadly closed just this March, but its music and direction was very inspiring.

Q: Favourite movie?
A: Anything with Marilyn Monroe or Audrey Hepburn in it. I also love 'The Wizard of Oz', with Judy Garland and many other old classics. I'm a massive fan of Disney, specifically the originals and films like 'Tangled' and 'Frozen (yes, I do like Frozen, call off the witch-hunt please.)

Q: Who is your favourite actor/actress?
A: Meryl will forever govern my soul. Well, I would say I have a pretty healthy level of obsession with actors in general. I'm a big fan of people like Idina Menzel, Kristin Chenoweth, Willemijn Verkaik, Megan Hilty, Carrie Hope Fletcher - just to name a few. On television, I love Laura Prepon from 'That 70s Show' and more recently 'Orange Is The New Black'. On the screen, Audrey and Marilyn and er... oh yeah erm... MERYYYYYLLLLLLL........

Q: Anything you don't like in the world of stage or screen?
A: I'm not particularly fond of horror, but with the right people I could be convinced to watch something... But at heart I'm a wimp. I get scared at Shakespeare.

Q: Favourite movie genre?
A: Oh a rom-com - no shadow of a doubt. Anything that can make me laugh and get emotionally attached the characters is a winner. But, mysteries, especially murder mysteries, are also a favourite of mine - I like science-related mysteries, or films that leave the meaning of life hanging in the balance. The 2014 film "Lucy", directed and written by Luc Besson left my heart racing and my mind wanting more - possibly one of my favourite films actually!

Q: Film or Theatre?
A: The age-old question of actors, proposed to me by my good friend Erika. This is a question many of us have internally battled for years - if given the opportunity, what would you rather do? I went to a conference, only yesterday, in which Linda Marlow, currently 'Sylvie Carter' on 'Eastenders', answered this very question. She said "One has to be able to do theatre, in order to do film or television. In theatre, everything is live and anything could go wrong at any moment. You have to be able to think on your feet... You need that kind of training for television." It's interesting to think that theatre can help us in whatever we do. It's very important to have the kind of background, in which you know how to respond to tricky situations and still tell a story in the process. Almost a metaphor of life. I'll let you think on that one...


There's lots more to come...