How to Marry a Millionaire

I usually like comedies from the classic era because the jokes were what the jokes in today's comedies are not: funny. Older comedies relied on jokes with wit rather than today's comedies relying on jokes with bad taste.

How to Marry a Millionaire I like because, as mentioned, the jokes are actually funny. They still work after nearly sixty years, so that's good. (I personally like when Lauren Bacall making reference to husband Humphrey Bogart as "that old fellow what's-his-name from The African Queen".)

I really liked the performances in How to Marry a Millionaire. Bacall possesses a New York attitude that has her in charge. Betty Grable, whom I'm not too familiar with, did manage to grasp my attention with her work. William Powell is his debonair self as the beau and eventual fiance of Bacall. (Who wouldn't want to marry him?) But my favorite performance came from Marilyn Monroe, whom I'm starting to like more with each passing movie. She showcases the typical ditzy blonde persona, but she gives a new take on it.

To sum things up, I really liked How to Marry a Millionaire. It gets a little silly in some scenes, but it's a very clever comedy. It also makes me long for a new comedy that mirrors the classics.

My Rating: ****1/2