These Rare Photos of Marilyn Monroe Filming ‘Gentlemen Prefer Blondes’ Are Pure Hollywood Glamour

Gentlemen Prefer Blondes is one of Marilyn Monroe’s most beloved films, and with good reason—the 1953 comedy, directed by Howard Hawks and costarring Jane Russell, is filled with iconic musical sequences and witty dialogue, and its Technicolor magic is just as transporting today as it was over 70 years ago.

In the film, adapted from Anita Loos’ 1925 novel of the same time and its 1949 Broadway musical, Monroe and Russell play a pair of delightfully sassy showgirls looking for love—and money!—all while getting into plenty of hijinks. Monroe and Russell’s self-assured sex appeal and hilarious banter paved the way for countless strong women onscreen, and Monroe’s show-stopping and stylish performance of “Diamonds Are a Girl’s Best Friend” remains one of the most-referenced cinematic moments of all time (who can forget Madonna’s “Material Girl” video?).

Gentlemen Prefer Blondes is such a singularly colorful and influential film that it’s hard to imagine what it must have been like behind the scenes, but thankfully we have photo evidence of everything from Monroe’s hair and makeup moments to her bonding with her acting coach. Read on to take a look at 10 rare photos from the making of the musical masterpiece.

1. Testing a costume

In this shot, Marilyn Monroe tests out one of her costumes for the film. The chalkboard on the left has her character’s name, Lorelei, along with information about the scene she would wear the costume in and the name of the costume designer, Travilla.

William Travilla (known professionally by his last name) designed costumes for eight Monroe films, and as the creator of her pink satin “Diamonds Are a Girl’s Best Friend” gown and her swishy white cocktail dress in The Seven Year Itch, he’s responsible for some of the most famous looks of all time.

2. Marilyn from the back

Monroe reminds us a bit of the famous 19th-century painting Madame X in this quietly stunning costume test image.

3. Time to sing

Here, Marilyn Monroe and Jane Russell rehearse for one of the film’s many musical numbers. While there were some moments of dubbing by professional vocalists in order to hit the high notes, the two stars did most of their own singing.

4. Gals about town

Monroe and Russell look stylish as they pose among lighting equipment on a crowded set.

5. A quick touch-up

With a title like Gentlemen Prefer Blondes, it’s only fitting that Monroe had to be perfectly coiffed at all times! Here, hairdresser Kay Reed (whose work on the film was unfortunately uncredited) tends to the star’s famous hairdo.

6. Marilyn’s makeup

It didn’t take much for Monroe to look gorgeous, and in this shot, she laughs as makeup artist Allan Snyder (who was also uncredited) checks out his work. Judging by her lace gown and headpiece, they were in the process of shooting the film’s extravagant double wedding finale.

7. Taking it all in

One of Monroe’s biggest influences in her early career was her acting coach, Natasha Lytess. Monroe worked with Lytess from 1948 to 1956, and as you can see from this behind-the-scenes image, she listened intently to her every direction.

Over the years, there’s been much gossip about Lytess, as her working relationship with Monroe was rumored to have ended due to her developing a romantic obsession with the star, and some have even speculated that they had an illicit affair.

8. Football star meets movie star

In this candid, Al Carmichael, a University of Southern California football star who went on to play in the Green Bay Packers and the Denver Broncos, pays Monroe a visit during the filming of Gentlemen Prefer Blondes. The actress gave him a rose, and according to a contemporary caption, she quipped that his team should try to be a thorn in their opponents’ side.

9. Gotta hand it to them

To promote Gentlemen Prefer Blondes, Monroe and Russell took part in a Hollywood tradition and put their handprints and signatures in the cement in front of Grauman’s Chinese Theatre.

10. Big bucks

This fun promotional shot of Monroe counting money is, as the kids say, a whole vibe!