Monroe, Bacall and Grable are gold diggin.

Long before Sex and the City, there was How to Marry a Millionaire, where three single female friends have romance issues while living in New York. These girls go to great lengths to find eligible millionaires for marriage. Of course they end up finding true love in the end.

Bacall is the ring leader who dreams up an idea of moving into a very expensive Manhattan apartment, assuming that location alone will help her and her two friends, Monroe and Grable, find rich husbands. All three girls are models, but they apparently put all of their money into their clothes. They cannot really afford the place, and start selling away the furniture to make rent, as they flirt with any man who seems to have money.

Each actress has her own storyline with occasional cross overs into each others. At one point Grable brings home William Powell, whom she proudly announces she met in the Mink department of Bergdorf’s. "You don't think he's a little old?" She asks Bacall, who responds, "Wealthy men are never old." Bacall ends up making a play for him. Bacall's most memorable line in the film is when she is trying to convince Powell that he is not to old for her, "Look at Roosevelt, look at Churchill, look at that old fella what's his name in The African Queen." In reference to her real life husband, Humphrey Bogart.

Each girl is presented with two men to choose from. It is obvious who each will end up with. Bacall has Powell, while she catches the eye of a younger man she assumes is poor, but is actually rich. Grable starts dating a grumpy married man and later meets a park ranger. Monroe is being pursued by a shady looking character. "We'd better put a check on that one. Nobody's mother lives in Atlantic City on Saturday." Bacall warns her. She also meets the nerdy owner of the apartment they are leasing.

Monroe is the best thing about this movie. Many jokes are made of her refusing to wear her glasses. "Men aren't attentive to girls who wear glasses." She explains. She can barely even see what her date looks like. Grable tells her in the ladies room that he is not bad looking for a guy with one eye. "Is that all he's got? I thought some one belted him." She replies. She then has her best slapstick moment. You have to see it, to appreciate it. Monroe really had some decent comic talent.

Although How to Marry a Millionaire has some great moments, it also is saddled with some filler. For some unexplainable reason, the movie starts with a lengthy orchestra playing scene. It has nothing to do with the rest of the film. By all means fast forward through it. Another scene is when the three actresses do a fashion show. It features the three stars as well as other models. At least Monroe is in a bathing suit.

A couple of years later, How to Marry a Millionaire was turned into a short lived television show with Barbra Eden in the Monroe role. It made sense as this movie is very episodic. Much like Sex and the City, it could work better as a half hour comedy than a feature film.

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