Millionaire

Real-estate agent Benton (Percy Helton)sublets theluxurypenthouse
apartment of Freddie Denmark (David Wayne) for a year to Lauren Bacall.
She's an embitteredrecent divorcee,whose phony hubby lied abouthaving
money and to thebargain was alreadymarried. The cunning Bacallcooks up a
scheme for all threemodel roommates, Marilyn Monroe and Betty Grable, to
hook a millionaire by posing as wealthy women. Soon Grablebrings home Tom
Brookman (Cameron Mitchell),whomshe met at thedeli-counter of a
supermarket andwhohas paid for thegroceries besidescarting them home.
Bacallrejectshim as anobody, but Brookmanwho is really a
multi-millionaire in real-estate investments,falls for Bacall and tries to
date her. Bacall keepsrejectinghimbecauseshe's sure he's thegas
station attendant type. Thev short-sighted Marilyn is as blind as a bat
without herglasses but refuses to wear them thinkingguys would think her
ugly. Shelands eye-patch wearing J. Stewart Merrill (Alexander D'Arcy),
who Bacall spots as a phony posing as an oilman. Marilyn is to meet
Stewart'smother in Atlantic City, buttakes the wrongplane and winds up
goinginstead to Kansas City. On theplaneshe meets herlandlord Freddie
Denmark,who is just as blind asshe is withoutglasses--except he wears
them. Freddie's in trouble with the income tax manbecausehisaccountant
stolehis money and he is on-the-lam trying tostraighten outhis tax
evasionproblem, and through somemysteriousromanticmomentsdirector Jean
Negulescofailed to show on thescreen theyfall inlove andmarry
off-camera. Grable meetsmarriedbusinessman Waldo Brewster (Fred Clark) ,
who convinces her tospend the week-end inhis country lodge in Maine. She
goes there thinkingshe's attending an Elks Lodge meeting, andwhenshe
realizes hermistake comes down with the measles andhas to remain there
for a week. Afterrecovery,she goesskiing andfalls inlove with the
handsome butmodest-incomeforest ranger Eben (Rory Calhoun) and quickly
marrieshim--provingshe's nogold-digger. The 26-year-old Bacall ispoised
tomarry the 56-year-old niceguy Texas cattleman J.D. Hanley (William
Powell),whomshe met through Grable'spickup ofhim in the furdepartment
of Bergdorf-Goodman'sswankdepartment store, butjiltshim at the altar to
marry Brookman forlovewhile still thinking he's poor (we're expected to
swallowshe never got around to askinghimwhat he did).Watching
"Millionaire" at this latedate, the humor is not onlyflat but outdated.
The men in thegals'life all seem bland, just likethe film. And for the
scheming ladies, the Greeks certainly had aword for it as did the
feminists and some alimony stuck men.