Some Fun
Year of Jane Russell: Day 251
Gentlemen Marry Brunettes is not the strongest title in Jane’s filmography, but it does have some high energy moments that are a lot of fun.
They Just Weren’t Broad Enough
Year of Jane Russell: Day 250
Despite its large budget, Gentlemen Marry Brunettes did not resonate with audiences. Jane later said, “I felt that a big expensive production was being hung on my shoulders, and they just weren’t broad enough.”
Offsetting a Big Budget
Year of Jane Russell: Day 249
A lot of cash was sunk into Gentlemen Marry Brunettes, but the casting of Alan Young and Scott Brady as the romantic leads appeared to be a budget conscious decision. Young later joked, “Jane was the
big budget; I sure wasn’t!”
Double Role
Year of Jane Russell: Day 248
In Gentlemen Marry Brunettes, Jane got to play two generations of women. Here she is with Rudy Valle and Guy Middleton playing the mother of her main character at the end of the film.
Not a Sequel
Year of Jane Russell: Day 247
Even though Anita Loos wrote a continuation of Gentlemen Prefer Blondes called Gentlemen Marry Brunettes, this film was not a sequel and did not draw off of the source material.
Travilla Gone Wild
Year of Jane Russell: Day 246
The location shoot on Gentlemen Marry Brunettes ran long and cut into the holidays, forcing Jane to be away from her family. It was a unhappy experience for her, but at least Travilla’s costumes were a lot of fun!
Recycled Diamonds
Year of Jane Russell: Day 245
William Travilla was brought on to design the costumes for Gentlemen Marry Brunettes. For one number, he modified a costume originally designed for Marilyn Monroe to wear for “Diamonds Are a Girl’s Best Friend.”
A Big Production
Year of Jane Russell: Day 244
Gentlemen Marry Brunettes ended up being a fairly expensive production, in part because it was shot in CinemaScope and in color, but also because it was filmed on location in Paris and Monte Carlo.
First Russ-Field Production
Year of Jane Russell: Day 243
While Jane was making Foxfire, she and husband Robert Waterfield were also in pre-production on Gentlemen Marry Brunettes, which was the first project of their Russ-Field production company. Here is Jane and costar Jeanne Crain from the film’s opening scene.
Foxfire One Sheet
Year of Jane Russell: Day 242
Here’s the one sheet for Foxfire. This was my favorite film discovery while writing the JR biography and one I highly recommend!