Marilyn Monroe dress, which prompted veteran star Joan Crawford to describe her behavior as "unbecoming an actress and a lady" to the press. While "Niagara" made Monroe a sex symbol and established her "look", her second film of the year, the satirical musical comedy "Gentlemen Prefer Blondes", established her screen persona as a "dumb blonde". Based on Anita Loos' bestselling novel and its Broadway version, the film focuses on two "gold-digging" showgirls, Lorelei Lee and Dorothy Shaw, played by Monroe and Jane Russell. The role of Lorelei was originally intended for Betty Grable, who had been 20th Century-Fox's most popular "blonde bombshell"
Anita Loos but thought Monroe was inspired casting. The success of "Blondes" the second time around meant Loos had a greater profile than ever before. She moved to a more spacious apartment at the Langdon Hotel and bought a car; she and her companion Gladys Tipton would travel to visit friends whenever the mood struck. In 1950, Loos began writing "A Mouse is Born", another novel, and when it was safely in the hands of the publisher she left for the continent, her first trip to Europe in 20 years. A "Mouse is Born" had a lukewarm reception, but by then Loos