Gentlemen Marry Brunettes

Gentlemen Marry Brunettes is a 1955 technicolor romantic Western musical comedy film produced by Russ-Field productions, starring Jane Russell and Jeanne Crain, and released by United Artists. It was directed by Richard Sale, produced by the director and Bob Waterfield (Russell's husband) with Robert Bassler as executive producer, from a screenplay by Mary Loos and Sale, based on the novel But Gentlemen Marry Brunettes by Anita Loos. Anita Loos was the author of the novel and play Gentlemen Prefer Blondes, which had been turned into a smash film with Jane Russell and Marilyn Monroe two years before. The studio attempted to repeat the formula, with Russell returning but Jeanne Crain stepping in for a presumably otherwise engaged Monroe (both women played new characters). Alan Young (later the star of TV's Mr. Ed), Scott Brady (brother of Lawrence Tierney), and Rudy Vallee also appear. This film was not as well received as the earlier one. The choreography was by Jack Cole, who had also contributed to the Gentlemen Prefer Blondes film. The dance ensemble includes the young Gwen Verdon. Anita Loos had entitled her book But Gentlemen Marry Brunettes, but the studio dropped the first word from the title for the film.