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Published January 5, 2020

MOVIE MEMORIES: SCUDDA HOO! SCUDDA HAY!

“A cry that stirs young hearts to love!”

Scudda Hoo! Scudda Hay! is a 1948 American comedy film written and directed by F. Hugh Herbert starring June Haver, Lon McCallister and a very young Natalie Wood. Released on April 26^th 1948 through Twentieth Century FOX, it is known for being the first movie Marilyn Monroe appeared in.

PLOT:

The two leads: June Haver and Lon McCallister share an embrace.

Snug is unhappy living on the farm with his mean-spirited stepmother Judith and Surly stepbrother Stretch. When his father goes off to sea, bequeathing all of his possessions to his natural son in the event of his own death, Snug takes on work as a farm hand for irascible Roarer McGill and, under contract to pay $5 a week for one year, buys two mules from him.

The mules. Moonbeam and Crowder, start working well for Snug, but life is made difficult by nasty Stretch, who is not only making advances to Snug’s sweetheart, Rad, but also attempting to have him fired from his job and thus unable to keep up the payments on the mules.

Marilyn Monroe’s additional scenes were sadly confined to the cutting room floor. All that remain are stills like these.

FUN FACTS:

* This movie is only for the die hard Marilyn fans, as she only appears on screen for a matter of seconds and has only one line: “Hi Rad!” so please bare that in mind if you’re thinking of adding it to your collection.

* The original shooting script confirms that another slightly longer scene featuring Marilyn was definitely shot, only to be edited out just prior to the film’s release. This took place at the lake, preceding the segment in the released version in which Snug spies Stretch and Rad approaching the creek together in a boat. Stretch is sunning hiself on the dock when a boat approaches containing Betty and June (Colleen Townsend), described as “a couple of pretty bobby-soxers”;

Betty (gayly): Hi Stretch.
Stretch (drawling): Hi Betty– hi June.
June (coyly) Is it all right with you if we swim off your dock?
With one bare foot, Stretch shoves the nose off the boat out into the stream again
Stretch (grinning): No—it ain’t.
Betty: Ah, Stretch—why not?
Stretch: You’re too young, Come back in a couple of years time.
Giggling, the two kids pull out of the shot.

Unfortunately for both kids, they were also pulled out of the film. All that survives is a long distance background shot of the two girls rowing: neither of their faces are visible.

* Despite being the first film Marilyn ever appeared in, it was actually released after her second movie “Dangerous Years” which was released three months earlier.

* Costing $1,685,000 to film, “Scudda Hoo! Scudda Hay!” grossed $2 million during its first run.

* In 2014, the “Marilyn Monroe History” channel on YouTube uploaded the movie in its entirety and as of October 2019, has amassed over 63,000 views.

* As of October 2019, “Scudda Hoo! Scudda Hay!” has a rating of 6.1/10 on imdb.com

MARILYN’S WARDROBE:

It really is a ‘blink and you’ll miss her’ appearance from Marilyn, but she still looks super cute in a blue and white day dress.

MEMORIES OF MARILYN:

Colleen Townsend’s scene with Marilyn in a rowing boat unfortunately ended up on the cutting room floor, but here she remembers her time with the future star.
“It wasn’t much of a part for either Marilyn or for me, was it?… I never really knew her very well– you know, we didn’t socialize together –but I remember her best from the classes we attended together for the Actor’s Lab, and I just have very, very fond memories of her… Basically, at her heart, she was a very sweet person, a very loving person.”

CRITICS’ RESPONSE:

“Made for people who like good shots of honestly sweaty farm activity with sentimental tears dripping as heavily as the perspiration. The drips are honest and sincere in both directions.” (NEW YORK WORLD-TELEGRAM)

Buy your copy of “Scudda Hoo! Scudda Hay!” on DVD today: https://www.amazon.co.uk/Scudda-Hoo-Hay-June-Haver/dp/B01M2C0FYS/ref=sr_1_3?crid=31SJ1OK7ZTIJW&keywords=scudda+hoo+scudda+hay&qid=1570540823&sprefix=scudda+hoo%2Caps%2C156&sr=8-3

Sources:
imdb.com
“Blonde Heat: The Sizzling Screen Career Of Marilyn Monroe”
“Marilyn Monroe: Platinum FOX”

Published November 4, 2019

MOVIE MEMORIES: HOW TO MARRY A MILLIONAIRE

How to Marry a Millionaire is a 1953 American romantic comedy film directed by Jean Negulesco and written and produced by Nunnally Johnson. The screenplay was based on the plays The Greeks Had a Word for It by Zoë Akins and Loco by Dale Eunson and Katherine Albert

On November 4^th 1953, “How To Marry A Millionaire” made its big screen debut at the Fox Wilshire Theatre (now the Saban Theatre), in Beverly Hills. Marilyn turned up on the arm of Nunally Johnson who wrote and directed the film, alongside Lauren Bacall and Humphrey Bogart. Betty Grable was not in attendance that night.

Marilyn, looking every inch the Hollywood icon that night, had borrowed a white crepe de Chine dress covered in rhinestones and finished the look off with long white gloves and an item from her own personal wardrobe, a white fur stole. Between her hairdresser Gladys Rasmussen and make up man Whitey Snyder, it took them 6 hours to prepare her for the evening. Marilyn glowed that night, it was a triumph from start to finish and Monroe was quoted as saying that it was “the most beautiful night of her life.”

PLOT:

They’re three beautiful models, looking for the man… and the money of their dreams! Almost broke, they pool their funds to rent a posh Manhattan penthouse in which they plan to lure their victims. But the gold diggers’ plans suddenly go awry when two of them fall for men who appear to be poor!

Trying to stop each other from marrying the wrong guy, Monroe, Grable and Bacall deliver their finest comedic performances of their careers. And they learn that a rich man is actually worthless — unless you’re in love with him!

FUN FACTS:

* “How To Marry A Millionaire” went on to be the 4^th highest grossing movies of 1953 and earned itself these award nominations:

‘Academy Awards – Best Costume Design: Colour’

‘Writers Guild Of America Award – Best Written Comedy.’

‘British Academy Of Film Awards – Best Film Of Any Source.

* This was 20th Century-Fox’s first CinemaScope feature, but it was not released until after “The Robe” (1953).

* During the exterior shots at the beginning of the movie, the camera pans up to a street sign that reads “Sutton Place” outside the building where the girls rent their apartment. Marilyn Monroe actually lived at 2 Sutton Place on the Upper East Side. She shared a penthouse apartment there with her husband, playwright Arthur Miller.

* Lauren Bacall’s character, Schatze, says, “I’ve always liked older men . . . Look at that old fellow what’s-his-name in “The African Queen” (1951). Absolutely crazy about him.” She is referring to Bacall’s then real-life husband, Humphrey Bogart.

* When Pola (Monroe) is modeling the red swimsuit, the description given of the outfit is: “You know, of course, that diamonds are a girl’s best friend.” Marilyn Monroe sings the number “Diamonds Are a Girl’s Best Friend” in Gentlemen Prefer Blondes (1953), which was released the same year as this film.

* At one point Betty Grable’s character, Loco Dempsey, hears a song by bandleader Harry James on the radio but doesn’t recognize it. James was Grable’s husband in real life.

* Hollywood legend has it that Marilyn Monroe, who had already rocketed to major stardom in Gentleman Prefer Blondes (1953), was befriended during filming by Betty Grable who offered her this encouragement: “Honey, I’ve had mine. Go get yours.”

* George Chakiris who won an Oscar for his role in “West Side Story” appears briefly in the dream sequence involving Marilyn and her beau Alex D’arcy.

* As of October 2019, “How To Marry A Millionaire” has an average rating of 6.9/10 on imdb.com

MARILYN’S WARDROBE:

Marilyn and her co-stars wear an array of stunning outfits designed by Oscar winning designer William Travilla, who was also responsible for creating Monroe’s white dress from “The Seven Year Itch” and the ‘Diamonds Are A Girls Best Friend‘ dress from “Gentlemen Prefer Blondes.”

MEMORIES OF MARILYN:
Lauren Bacall:

“She wasn’t easy – often irritating. And yet I couldn’t dislike Marilyn. She had no meanness in her – no bitchery. She just had to concentrate on herself and the people who were there only for her.”

Betty Grable:

“It may sound peculiar to say so, because she is no longer with us, but we were very close. Once when we were doing that picture ‘How To Marry A Millionaire’ together, I got a call on the set: my younger daughter had had a fall. I ran home and the one person to call was Marilyn. She did an awful lot to boost things up for movies when everything was at a low state; there’ll never be anyone like her for looks, for attitude, for all of it. “

David Wayne:

“Negulesco (the Director) was very good with her and handled her beautifully. Of course she was always late, but I don’t think either Betty Grable or Lauren Bacall minded her. They were tough old pros and knew their business. There again, I also recall Marilyn being quite capable in her scenes with the other two girls. I wasn’t necessarily in the scene with them, but I’d sit next to Negulesco and watch the three of them work and by that time I thought that Marilyn had got a little technique under her belt.”

Nunnally Johnson:

“The two Bettys have gone out of their way to help, and make friends with Marilyn, but Miss Monroe is generally something of a zombie. Talking to her is like talking to somebody underwater. She’s very honest and ambitious and is either studying her lines or her face during all of her working hours, and there is nothing whatever to be said against her, but she’s not material for warm friendship.”

CRITICS’ RESPONSE:
“Betty Grable, Lauren Bacall and Marilyn Monroe give off the quips and cracks, generously supplied by Nunnally Johnson, with a naturalness that adds to their strikingly humorous effect, making the film the funniest comedy of the year” (NEW YORK DAILY NEWS)

“The big question, ‘How does Marilyn Monroe look stretched across a broad screen?’ is easily answered. If you insisted on sitting in the front row, you would probably feel as though you were being smothered in baked Alaska. Her stint as a deadpan comedienne is as nifty as her looks. Playing a near-sighted charmer who won’t wear her glasses when men are around, she bumps into furniture and reads books upside down with a limpid guile that nearly melts the screen….How To Marry A Millionaire is measured, not in squire feet, but in the size of the Johnson-Negulesco comic invention and the shape of Marilyn Monroe – and that is about as sizable and shapely as you can get.” (NEW YORK HERALD TRIBUNE)

“It is particularly noteworthy that Miss Monroe has developed more than a small amount of comedy polish of the foot-in-mouth type.” (NEW YORK POST)

THE MARILYN MONROE SITE AND THE MARILYN MONROE COLLECTION:

“Marilyn Remebered”‘s very own Greg Schreiner and Scott Fortner are the proud owners of several items relating to “How To Marry A Millionaire” as documented here:

THE MARILYN MONROE SITE: THE COLLECTION OF GREG SCHREINER
http://www.themarilynmonroesite.com/

A flowing purple gown, designed by Oscar winning designer William “Billy” Travilla, worn for Marilyn’s dance scene with Lauren Bacall in the penthouse apartment. Ultimately, this scene was cut from the final production. However, there are several photos of Marilyn wearing this costume.

The original hat to a costume designed by William “Billy” Travilla for Marilyn to wear in the film’s fashion show. However, Marilyn’s obvious dislike of this outfit was shown in her test shot for the film, indicated by her hand being placed over her face. Ultimately, this costume was worn by an extra in the fashion show. All that remains of the original costume is this hat.

THE MARILYN MONROE COLLECTION: THE COLLECTION OF SCOTT FORTNER
http://themarilynmonroecollection.com/

Marilyn-Monroe-White-Fox-Muff A fantastic white fox fur muff with white satin lining. When it came to the premiere, the grand party or the big event, Marilyn had a sure sense of her own image, and dressed as she believed a film star should. This meant long white kid gloves, waterfall earrings of rhinestone and pearls, and the ultimate allure of white or black fur. Furs were for evening and for being a star.

Marilyn wore this fur on the following occasions:

The world premiere of “How To Marry A Millionaire” – November 4th, 1953

Marilyn-Monroe-White-Fox-Muff-2

Marilyn Monroe’s Personal Script
How To Marry A Millionaire

Marilyn Monroe’s personal working script for How To Marry A Millionaire dated 5 November 1952, annotated in Marilyn Monroe’s hand. 119 pages of mimeographed typescript with blue paper covers printed with the film’s original title The Greeks Had a Word For It, including several pages of script revisions.

Marilyn-Monroe-Personal-Script-How-To-Marry-A-Millionaire

Many pages have the part for Marilyn’s character “Pola” circled in pencil, the reverse of the last page annotated in Monroe’s hand in pencil:

Marilyn-Monroe-Personal-Script-How-To-Marry-A-Millionaire-2

“Anna, know my yaps, How does she look, a loose-ness, shoulders hang, let the thought say it, drawing from partner.”

Marilyn-Monroe-Personal-Script-How-To-Marry-A-Millionaire-1

A Marilyn Monroe, Lauren Bacall, Betty Grable and How to Marry a Millionaire Cast Autographed Purse

An ivory colored vintage purse, designed by Theodore California, with autographs from the cast of “How to Marry a Millionaire,” including Marilyn Monroe, Lauren Bacall, Betty Grable, Cameron Mitchell, Rory Calhoun, Fred Clark, Percy Helton, William Powell, Alexander D`Arcy, and David Wayne. The autographs were collected by a member of the film’s production crew named Annette. Both Marilyn Monroe and Betty Grable personalized their autographs by writing, “To Annette.”

Published October 10, 2019

MOVIE MEMORIES: “LOVE NEST”

**“It’s open house for laughter…and the screen’s most heart-warming house-warming in years!”**

“Love Nest” is a 1951 American comedy-drama film directed by Joseph Newman and starring June Haver, Frank Fay, William Lundigan and Marilyn Monroe, in one of her earlier screen credits. The film, released by Twentieth Century FOX, opened on October 10th 1951 to mild success It was meant to be nothing more than a B-picture for FOX and would widely be forgotten today if it wasn’t for Monroe’s ever expanding fanbase and their desire to see her entire body of work. It is however, a very fun and light hearted comedy, with notable preformances by June Haver an Frank Fay, in his final film appearance.

**Marilyn Monroe and her co-star June Haver.**

PLOT:
“After two and a half years of military service in Paris, aspiring novelist Jim Scott returns to New York and the rundown Gramery Park brownstone that his wife Connie has purchased with most of their savings. The rooming house is mortgaged to the hilt and, despite the revenue from the tenants, the couple are running at a loss, yet Connie assures Jim that it is a great investment that will soon pay for itself. Living in the basement, they suffer noises from the drainpipes and the local fire service, and Jim has little time to write while dealing with the tenants’ complaints and his wife’s jealousy over one of the new people paying them to rent, ex-WAC Roberta “Bobbie” Stevens– a buxom blonde who was stationed with Jim in Paris.
Another new tenant, meanwhile, is Charley Patterson, a dapper conman who swindles rich widows out of their money, Connie strongly suspects what Charley is up to and she is therefore concerned when he woos and marries Eadie, a kindly widow living in the same building. Still, Connie and Jim have their own problems to think of, not least of which is the news that their building must either be rewired or condemned.”

FUN FACTS:

* Unimaginatively titled “The Reluctant Landlord” when I.A.L Diamond began work on the screenplay in December 1950, it was renamed “A WAC In His Life” when shooting began on April 18th 1951, illustrating how the studio wanted to draw attention to Marilyn’s role. The only problem was her lack of screen time; thus the change to “Love Nest.”

*As early as December 21st 1950, Darryl Zannuck suggested in a memo to producer Jules Buck, I.A.L Diamond and Zanuck’s assistant Molly Mandaville that they “work Roberta into the last part of the story more,” and innocently involve her with Jim after he has a row with Connie and uses Roberta’s empty apartment to sleep.

*Because the bathing suit that Marilyn wears in the film was so risqué (for the time) and caused such a commotion on the set, director Joseph M. Newman had to make it a closed set while she was filming.

*The Hollywood film industry’s censorship board, commonly known as the Hays Office, reviewed all screenplays to ensure strict adherence to the Production code by the studios. The censors had no objection to Roberta. The script was submitted for review at the regular intervals but it was impossible to tell how coquettish the character could be when played by Marilyn. When the censors did find crude references to a toilet in comic dialogue between Jim and Connie about the building’s plumbing problems. These lines were cut from the script.

* “Love Nest” was filmed entirely on the backlots of “Twentieth Century FOX” studios in Los Angeles, California.

* Marilyn Monroe doesn’t appear in the film until the 31st minute, so bare that in mind if you have never seen this movie.

* According to a contemporary Hollywood Reporter articles, Anne Baxter then Jeanne Crain were scheduled to star in this film.

* “Love Nest” marked the entrance of I.A.L Diamond into Marilyn’s professional life. This light post-World War II comedy, was the first of four scripts he wrote for Marilyn, the others being: “Let’s Make It Legal,” “Monkey Business” and “Some Like It Hot” (with his writing partner Billy Wilder.)

* In 2014, the “Marilyn Monroe History” channel on YouTube uploaded the movie in its entirety and as of October 2019, has amassed over 360,000 views!

* As of October 2019, “Love Nest” has a rating of 6.3/10 on imdb.com

MARILYN’S WARDROBE:

Despite Marilyn’s limited screen time in this movie, she makes the most of it with an array of stunning costume changes

The brown suit Marilyn wears briefly in the film was last put up for auction in 2011, but surprisingly went unsold.

MEMORIES OF MARILYN:

Jack Paar, who played Marilyn’s love interest in the movie remembers:
“Looking back, I guess I should have been excited, but I found her pretty tiresome. She used to carry around books by Marcel Proust with their titles facing out, but I never saw her read one. She was always holding up shooting by talking on the phone. Judging from what’s happened though, I guess she had the right number.”

CRITICS’ RESPONSE:

“Frank Fay romps off with honours as the wily middle-aged Romeo, Marilyn Monre’s shapely figure and blonde beauty make her part as a temptress a standout.” (HOLLYWOOD REPORTER)

“Love Nest” is a mild variety of comedy which gets a considerable boost from the expert talents–in that line — of Frank Fay… Leatrice Joy is also present in this number. She gives mature warmth to the proceedings. Marilyn Monroe has that other quality.” (FILM DAILY.)

Pick up your copy of “Love Nest” on DVD today: https://www.amazon.co.uk/Love-Nest-DVD-June-Haver/dp/B000F3AIFY/ref=sr_1_3?keywords=marilyn+monroe+love+nest&qid=1570460151&sr=8-3

Sources:
imdb.com
“Blonde Heat: The Sizzling Screen Career Of Marilyn Monroe”
“Marilyn Monroe: Platinum FOX”

Marilyn Monroe’s Personal Script How To Marry A Millionaire

A Marilyn Monroe, Lauren Bacall, Betty Grable and How to Marry a Millionaire Cast Autographed Purse

Marilyn Monroe’s Personal Script
How To Marry A Millionaire