"How to Marry a Millionaire," the 1953 romantic comedy, centers on the ambitious quest of three fashionable Manhattan models: Schatze Page, Loco Dempsey, and Pola Debevoise. Their collective mission is straightforward yet challenging: to marry millionaires. This central premise drives the film's narrative, leading to a series of humorous and often complicated romantic entanglements. The film, directed by Jean Negulesco and written and produced by Nunnally
Johnson, draws its screenplay from the plays "The Greeks Had a Word for It" by Zoe Akins and "Loco" by Dale Eunson and Katherine Albert, setting the stage for a classic tale of love and ambition.
To achieve their goal, the trio rents a luxurious Sutton Place penthouse in New York City. This apartment belongs to Freddie Denmark, who is conveniently living in Europe to avoid the Internal Revenue Service. The penthouse serves as their base of operations, a sophisticated backdrop against which they plan to court the city's elite and secure their wealthy partners. The film's plot unfolds as each woman pursues her own path to financial security through marriage, encountering various challenges and unexpected turns along the way.
Schatze's Strategic Courtship and Unexpected Love
Schatze Page, portrayed as resourceful, quickly sets her sights on the charming and wealthy widower J.D. Hanley. Her strategy is clear: target an established, affluent man. However, her plans are complicated by the persistent attention of Tom Brookman, a man she initially dismisses because he doesn't meet her strict criteria for a "gentleman caller" – specifically, he lacks a necktie. Despite her initial rejections, Tom's continued attempts to win her over lead her to agree to several dates. Yet, after each encounter, Schatze insists she never wants to see him again, highlighting her internal conflict between her goal of marrying a millionaire and her growing, albeit unacknowledged, feelings for Tom.
Her commitment to her mission is strong, leading her to the brink of marriage with J.D. Hanley. However, just before the wedding, Schatze has a change of heart. She confesses to J.D. that she loves Tom, and J.D., understanding her true feelings, agrees to call off the ceremony. Tom, who is among the wedding guests, and Schatze reconcile and ultimately marry, demonstrating that love can sometimes triumph over meticulously laid plans for wealth.
Loco's Misguided Adventures and Discoveries
Loco Dempsey, characterized as ditzy, embarks on her own pursuit of a millionaire. She meets the grumpy businessman Walter Brewster and agrees to accompany him to his lodge in Maine, mistakenly believing it to be a convention hall for the Elks Club. This misunderstanding sets the tone for Loco's often comical misadventures. While at the lodge, she contracts measles and is quarantined. During her recovery, and while Brewster is now bedridden with the same illness, Loco begins seeing Eben Salem, a forest ranger.
Loco's misunderstanding of wealth continues when Salem indicates the vast expanse of forested land he is responsible for, stating, "this is all mine." Loco misinterprets this to mean he is a wealthy landowner, rather than a state employee overseeing public lands. Upon discovering the truth, she is disappointed. However, her journey leads her to a different kind of fulfillment, as she eventually finds love in an unexpected place, though the text does not explicitly state her marriage, it implies a happy ending alongside her friends.
Pola's Near-Sighted Pursuit and True Connection
Pola Debevoise, who is myopic but dislikes wearing glasses in front of men, falls for J. Stewart Merrill, whom she believes to be a wealthy oil tycoon. Unbeknownst to her, Merrill is actually a crooked speculator. Her near-sightedness literally and figuratively plays a role in her romantic missteps. When she intends to fly from LaGuardia Airport to meet Merrill in Atlantic City, she accidentally boards a plane to Kansas City.
On this fateful flight, Pola encounters Freddie Denmark again. She had unknowingly met him earlier when he entered his apartment to retrieve documents related to his crooked accountant, who had left him in trouble with the IRS. Freddie, who also wears glasses, encourages Pola to embrace wearing hers. They quickly fall in love and get married, proving that sometimes, seeing clearly – both literally and figuratively – leads to true happiness. The film concludes with the three happy couples at a greasy spoon diner, where Tom Brookman casually reveals his immense wealth, astonishing the women and bringing their millionaire-hunting quest to a surprising, and satisfying, close.
