How To Marry A Millionaire

Directed by Jean Negulesco, How To Marry A Millionaire follows Lauren Bacall’s Schatze, Marilyn Monroe’s Pola, and Betty Grable’s Loco as they embark on a quest to find and tie the knot with three rich men. Filmmaker Negulesco delivers a mostly engaging and entertaining comedy that benefits quite substantially from the top-tier efforts of its three stars, as the performers offer up top-notch and thoroughly charismatic work that goes a long way towards smoothing over the picture’s periodic bumps and lulls – with this vibe certainly perpetuated by a first-class supporting cast that includes Rory Calhoun and William Powell. (The latter’s magnetic turn as a potential suitor for Schatze remains an ongoing and obvious highlight within the proceedings, ultimately.) It’s clear, as well, that How To Marry A Millionaire owes a large chunk of its success to its appealing romcom-friendly narrative, as scripter Nunnally Johnson does a terrific job of emphasizing the three central characters’ romantic exploits and complications – which paves the way for a midsection rife with subplots and diversions of a palpably agreeable nature (eg Loco finds herself falling for a forest ranger, Pola gets close to a phony oil tycoon, etc). By the time the thoroughly satisfying climactic stretch rolls around, How To Marry A Millionaire has cemented its place as a slightly overlong yet predominantly compelling piece of work.

*** out of ****