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"
Timothy Gray Timothy Gray Timothy Gray (September 5, 1926 – March 17, 2007) was an American songwriter, author, singer and director, remembered for his partnership with Hugh Martin which produced "High Spirits", a musical based on Noël Coward's play, "Blithe Spirit". Gray, whose birth name was John Baker Gray, was born in Chicago and became a performer in vaudeville at the age of 16. He later performed on Broadway in musicals, including "As the Girls Go", and "Gentlemen Prefer Blondes", and then television, before becoming a writer and composer. Timothy Gray also wrote the score of the London show "Love From Judy"