Niagara (film) compatibility problems with "three-strip" but not with Eastmancolor). Monroe was given first billing in "Niagara" which elevated her to star status. Her following two films of that year, "Gentlemen Prefer Blondes", with Jane Russell, and "How to Marry a Millionaire", with Betty Grable and Lauren Bacall, were even bigger successes. Ray and Polly Cutler (Showalter and Peters), on a delayed honeymoon at Niagara Falls, find their reserved cabin occupied by George and Rose Loomis (Cotten and Monroe). Rose tells them that George is asleep and has recently been discharged from an Army mental hospital after his war service in Korea.
Gentlemen Prefer Blondes (1953 film) and Adamson were written especially for the film. Depsite the film's title, Monroe was paid her usual contract salary of $500 a week, while Russell, the more known and experienced actress of the two, earned $200,000. While Russell's down-to-earth, sharp wit has been noted by most critics, it was Monroe's turn as the gold-digging Lorelei Lee for which the film is often remembered. Monroe's rendition of the song "Diamonds Are a Girl's Best Friend" and her pink dress are considered iconic, and the performance has inspired homages by Beyonce , Madonna, Geri Halliwell, Kylie Minogue, Nicole Kidman, Anna Nicole Smith,