.gif)
Gentlemen Prefer Blondes (novel)
Encyclopedia
Gentlemen Prefer Blondes: The Illuminating Diary of a Professional Lady is a comic novel
written by Anita Loos
first published in 1925. Loos was inspired to write the book after watching a sexy blonde turn intellectual H. L. Mencken
into a lovestruck schoolboy. Mencken, a close friend, actually enjoyed the work and saw to it that it was published. Originally published as a magazine series in Harper's Bazaar
, it was published as a book by Boni & Liveright
in 1925 and became a runaway best seller, becoming the second best selling title of 1926 and earning the praise of no less than Edith Wharton
who dubbed it "The great American novel."
A sequel, But Gentlemen Marry Brunettes
, was published two years later.
, who appears as 'Dr. Froyd'), and experiencing the sights. Eventually, she marries a wealthy American named Henry.
headed its review of the book as "Moronese" and compared it to The Diary of a Young Lady of Fashion in the Year 1764-65 by Cleone Knox.
in 1949 starring Carol Channing
. The first film version was released in 1928 and starred Ruth Taylor
and Alice White. Better known is the 1953 film version of the musical, Gentlemen Prefer Blondes, starring Marilyn Monroe
and Jane Russell
.
The novel's characters were licensed for use in a daily newspaper comic strip series that ran from April to September 1926. The comic strip used the novel's characters in new gag situations -- it was not an adaptation of the novel as such. Although the writing was credited to Loos, it was presumably ghosted by the artists, Virginia Huget and Phil Cook. The original series was also distributed in reprints to newspapers circa 1929 to early 1930s.
Comic novel
A comic novel is a work of fiction in which the writer not only seeks to amuse the reader, but also to make the reader think about controversial issues, sometimes with subtlety and as part of a carefully woven narrative; sometimes, above all other considerations...
written by Anita Loos
Anita Loos
Anita Loos was an American screenwriter, playwright and author.-Early life:Born Corinne Anita Loos in Sisson, California , where her father, R. Beers Loos, had opened a tabloid newspaper for which her mother, Minerva "Minnie" Smith did most of the work of a newspaper publisher...
first published in 1925. Loos was inspired to write the book after watching a sexy blonde turn intellectual H. L. Mencken
H. L. Mencken
Henry Louis "H. L." Mencken was an American journalist, essayist, magazine editor, satirist, acerbic critic of American life and culture, and a scholar of American English. Known as the "Sage of Baltimore", he is regarded as one of the most influential American writers and prose stylists of the...
into a lovestruck schoolboy. Mencken, a close friend, actually enjoyed the work and saw to it that it was published. Originally published as a magazine series in Harper's Bazaar
Harper's Bazaar
Harper’s Bazaar is an American fashion magazine, first published in 1867. Harper’s Bazaar is published by Hearst and, as a magazine, considers itself to be the style resource for “women who are the first to buy the best, from casual to couture.”...
, it was published as a book by Boni & Liveright
Boni & Liveright
Boni & Liveright was a publishing house established in 1916 in New York City by Albert Boni and Horace Liveright which made a name by publishing work considered avant-garde and in so doing published work by many modernist authors. They attracted attention from the Society for Suppression of Vice...
in 1925 and became a runaway best seller, becoming the second best selling title of 1926 and earning the praise of no less than Edith Wharton
Edith Wharton
Edith Wharton , was a Pulitzer Prize-winning American novelist, short story writer, and designer.- Early life and marriage:...
who dubbed it "The great American novel."
A sequel, But Gentlemen Marry Brunettes
But Gentlemen Marry Brunettes
But Gentlemen Marry Brunettes is a 1927 novel written by Anita Loos. It is the sequel to her 1925 novel Gentlemen Prefer Blondes.But Gentlemen Marry Brunettes follows the further adventures of Lorelei Lee and Dorothy Shaw and is illustrated by Ralph Barton.As a sequel to the 1953 film Gentlemen...
, was published two years later.
Plot
The story concerns a golddigging, young, blonde-haired American woman named Lorelei who, after advice from a male friend, begins to place her thoughts on paper in a diary. (The entire story is written in diary form with deliberate spelling errors by Loos). Lorelei is friends with Dorothy and the button-manufacturer Gus Eisman, who is concerned to 'educate' her. The novel follows her as she meets people, goes shopping, attends parties, etc. She goes with Dorothy to Europe and travels through England, France, and Germany meeting many people (including Sigmund FreudSigmund Freud
Sigmund Freud , born Sigismund Schlomo Freud , was an Austrian neurologist who founded the discipline of psychoanalysis...
, who appears as 'Dr. Froyd'), and experiencing the sights. Eventually, she marries a wealthy American named Henry.
Reception
TIMETime
Time is a part of the measuring system used to sequence events, to compare the durations of events and the intervals between them, and to quantify rates of change such as the motions of objects....
headed its review of the book as "Moronese" and compared it to The Diary of a Young Lady of Fashion in the Year 1764-65 by Cleone Knox.
Adaptations
The book was filmed twice and made into a Broadway musicalGentlemen Prefer Blondes (musical)
Gentlemen Prefer Blondes is a musical with a book by Joseph Fields and Anita Loos, lyrics by Leo Robin, and music by Jule Styne, based on the best-selling novel of the same name by Loos...
in 1949 starring Carol Channing
Carol Channing
Carol Elaine Channing is an American singer, actress, and comedienne. She is the recipient of three Tony Awards , a Golden Globe and an Oscar nomination...
. The first film version was released in 1928 and starred Ruth Taylor
Ruth Taylor
Ruth Taylor was a Canadian poet, editor and college professor. Born in Lachine, Quebec and raised in Pincourt, Quebec, she attended John Abbott College, McGill University , and Concordia University.Taylor was the author of three collections of poetry: The Drawing Board ; Dragon Papers...
and Alice White. Better known is the 1953 film version of the musical, Gentlemen Prefer Blondes, starring Marilyn Monroe
Marilyn Monroe
Marilyn Monroe was an American actress, singer, model and showgirl who became a major sex symbol, starring in a number of commercially successful motion pictures during the 1950s....
and Jane Russell
Jane Russell
Jane Russell was an American film actress and was one of Hollywood's leading sex symbols in the 1940s and 1950s....
.
The novel's characters were licensed for use in a daily newspaper comic strip series that ran from April to September 1926. The comic strip used the novel's characters in new gag situations -- it was not an adaptation of the novel as such. Although the writing was credited to Loos, it was presumably ghosted by the artists, Virginia Huget and Phil Cook. The original series was also distributed in reprints to newspapers circa 1929 to early 1930s.
Further reading
- Rodgers, Marion Elizabeth (2005) Mencken: The American Iconoclast. NY: Oxford University Press.