Kristin Lopez, who co-presents the Ticklish Business podcast with Samantha Ellis, has published a new TCM book, But Have You Read The Book? 52 Literary Gems That Inspired Our Favourite Films, exploring the similarities and differences between classic movies and their novel sources.
As you might expect – ‘ticklish business’ was, after all, a line from Gentlemen Prefer Blondes, and TCM host Alicia Malone guested on a 2020 episode about the 1953 movie – a four-page chapter explores how Anita Loos’ 1925 novel translated to the big screen, with a gloved, bejewelled and beckoning hand alluding to Marilyn’s ‘Diamonds Are a Girl’s Best Friend’ number (courtesy of illustrator Jyotirmayee Patra.)
As Kristen reveals, Dorothy and Lorelei’s friendship was firmly established by Loos long before Marilyn and Jane Russell made Hollywood history – although other plot points were altered (for example, Henry Spofford was a grown man, not a child, and his Puritanical zeal for censoring movies was a cheeky nod to Will Hays, who oversaw the rise of the Production Code.)
And finally, if you haven’t yet read Gentlemen Prefer Blondes, what’s stopping you?
The Marilyn Report 