Gentlemen Prefer Blondes with Monkey Business in 4K

Fast-talking Rosalind Russell (His Girl Friday, 1940) is absolutely captivating as Kim Halliday, the daughter of a deceased career gambler who joins her father’s former business partner to run a Vegas casino. Russell's unflappable confidence is a fine match for the swagger of Fernando Lamas as Victor Monte, a rival club owner who vies for Kim’s affections—and her casino. There’s nothing quite like the neon lights of Sin City captured in high-definition VistaVision and vibrant Technicolor, which appear here in gorgeous documentary footage of the Strip; like most studio productions of the era, however, the bulk of this musical comedy was shot on producer Paramount’s lot.

Seasoned performer Bill Benson (Bing Crosby) and rising star Ted Adams (Donald O’Connor) team up to find the perfect leading lady for their new Broadway show. Each performer finds a compelling talent—American Patsy Blair (Mitzi Gaynor) and French nightclub star Gaby Duval (Jeanmaire)—and the conflict of who to cast heightens the stakes. Blending backstage drama with a bit of farce, this beloved narrative offers a musical spectacle driven as much by personal risk as ambition. The film represents a significant first: Robert Lewis’s solo directorial debut after a storied career with The Group Theater. It also marks a historic last as Crosby’s final film for Paramount Pictures during the waning years of his film career.