Let's Make Love

He learns that Amanda doesn't like Clement one bit. "I heard they're going to make a real idiot out of him" she says, also saying of him he's a rich louse. Insulted, he tells her off, but she, clueless of his real identity, praises him by saying it's a perfect impression of Clement, which mollifies him. He tries to get closer to Amanda by trying to get her help on acting technique and asking her out. She on her part is friendly and encouraging, but she's taking night classes to get what would today be a GED. Worse for him, she's the girlfriend of song and dance man Tony Danton, played by Frankie Vaughan, whom he is definitely jealous of.

Clement lacks show business talent and through his PR man Alexander Coffman, gets a joke from Lamont, played by ex-Three Stooge Joe Besser, which backfires. Hiring Milton Berle, Bing Crosby, and Gene Kelly (who play themselves in guest cameos) for comedy, singing, and dancing.

The rehearsal for the "Specialization" number is humiliating for Clement. After all, Clement is known as a notorious womanizer, and to his chagrin, he is forced to accompany the line "crow from the barnyard roost" by cockle-doodle-dooing like a real rooster. Others roasted in this number are Maria Callas, Elvis Presley, and pianist Van Cliburn, which is a snapshot of who was big in 1960.

The best observation on human nature comes from Coffman, who learning that the theatre has been demanded a year's rent in advance and that the theatre's real estate firm belongs to Clement, asks the bartender for three double bourbons, then goes into this bitter spiel. "Somebody once said that rich people are only poor people with money. Well, he was lying. Rich people aren't people, my friend. Oh, they can be charming, democratic, polite. You can hardly tell them from a human being sometimes. Just be good and sure you don't cross them."

Another good insight is a conversation between Coffman and Clement. When people talk to Clement, they don't talk to him, they talk to his money, hence Coffman's calling him "sir." The importance of distinguishing people from their money is noted here.

Apart from the Cole Porter number, the other numbers are forgettable. This is far from MM or Yves Montand's most memorable performances. Montand is miscast in this part, and it's understandable why celebrities ranging from Gregory Peck, Cary Grant, Yul Brynner, and James Stewart turned it down. All in all, a waste of talent given the cast involved, including Tony Randall, Wilfrid Hyde-White, and director George Cukor.

Critics panned this and wrote off Monroe's career, even saying she was putting on some pounds. However, the script, idea, dialogue, lack of likeable characters (except Amanda and Coffman) and lack of oomph are more to blame. MM was trying to breathe life into a movie doomed from the start and did her best. Unfortunately, it didn't save this cockle-doodle-doo of a picture. And Holly from Cool World was inspired enough to sing the title song? Please!