| How to Be Very, Very Popular | |
|---|---|
| Directed by | Nunnally Johnson |
| Produced by | Nunnally Johnson |
| Written by | Nunnally Johnson Edward Hope (novel) Howard Lindsay (play) Lyford Moore (play) Harlan Thompson (play) |
| Starring | Betty Grable Sheree North Robert Cummings Tommy Noonan Charles Coburn |
| Music by | Cyril J. Mockridge |
| Cinematography | Milton R. Krasner |
| Editing by | Louis R. Loeffler |
| Distributed by | 20th Century Fox |
| Release date(s) | July 22, 1955 |
| Running time | 89 minutes |
| Country | United States |
| Language | English |
How to Be Very, Very Popular is a 1955 comedy film written, produced and directed by Nunnally Johnson and starring Betty Grable in her final film role, and, introduced newcomer, Sheree North to the public.
Contents |
Stormy Tornado and Curly Flagg are two showgirls from a San Francisco cabaret who witness the murder of one of their fellow performers and can identify the killer. Not wanting to get mixed up in a murder rap, the girls flee the scene and hide out at Bristol College, disguising themselves as boys. However the need for attention makes the girls want to stand out in their stage costumes and then the trouble begins.
How to Be Very, Very Popular was the third adaptation derived from the novel She Loves Me Not by Edward Hope. The novel was first made into the 1934 Paramount comedy She Loves Me Not which starred Miriam Hopkins as Curly Flagg and co-starred Bing Crosby. That was then remade as True to the Army for Paramount in 1942. However How to Be Very, Very Popular was based on the Broadway play of the same name by Howard Lindsay which was adapted from the Edward Hope novel.
The character of Curly Flagg was the lead in She Loves Me Not but was made the secondary character to Stormy Tornado in Popular to accommodate Betty Grable.
This was the last film Betty Grable made in her career. She had been the number one box office attraction throughout the 1940's and early 50's with her films making enormous amounts of money for 20th Century Fox.
Marilyn Monroe was actually approached by Fox to star opposite Grable in this film. She wasn't fond of the script and at the time was yearning for some dramatic and challenging roles to play. Grable and Monroe had previously starred together in How to Marry a Millionaire which is credited for basically creating the change over in who was the top star at Fox. Grable was the top star in the 1940's and Monroe would become the top star of the 50's. However there was no rivalry between the two bombshells, in fact Grable is to have famously said to Monroe, "go and get yours honey! I've had mine". The two became friends after that.
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