mark.waltz Gentlemen don't marry corporations, especially one with a woman in charge, and basically for wealthy Texas rancher Jane Russell, she finds her money is the key to single unhappiness. So what does she decide to do? Catch the French Line to Europe and try to catch a beau the old fashioned way: pure animal magnetism, and with the double delights that Russell holds up, she's got the key in the door. Joining up with old friend Mary McCarthy, Russell becomes an entertainer, leading her into the arms of several possible suitors, particularly womanizing "Frenchman" Gilbert Roland who becomes aware of Russell's identity thanks to her interfering uncle Arthur Hunnicutt.Rather secondary even with its controversy, it has a few magical moments; Roland's production number, "With a Kiss", is pleasant and nicely staged, but Russell's musical numbers are rather focused on her curvy figure than written to be heard on the American hit parade. McCarthy, already a rising Broadway songstress (who would score in the 1970's on Broadway in the original "Follies" and "Chicago"), adds spark as her old pal who rose from good old country girl to New York fashion house maven, and Arthur Hunnicutt provides folksy humor as Russell's uncle. Spotting chorus girls/models Kim Novak and Joi Lansing among the beauties becomes a distraction in the musical numbers. For me, the highlight wasn't the controversial "Looking For Trouble" number (sanitized for American release), but the "Take those trays of canape's away!" which leads to an eye rolling number with Russell and McCarty ("Any Gal From Texas") that includes some of the strangest lyrics ever in a movie musical song. 1954 was a sensational year for musical numbers, so it's easy to see why this has fallen into obscurity. The plot is a variation of what Russell did in "Gentlemen Prefer Blondes", and the musical numbers here are weak in comparison. Several minor subplots just weaken the film even more, and the aging Roland seems just too sleazy to be the romantic lead. It also doesn't help that the rather garish color photography often seems slightly out of focus. If you go into it searching for camp, you might just get your wish, but those looking for something for something artistic or profound will be severely disappointed.

moonspinner55 Oil heiress from Texas, tired of being a one-woman corporation and falling for men who are allergic to her millions, takes a cruise to France posing as a fashion model. Tatty romantic comedy with musical interludes does have some smart lines, Gilbert Roland trying his best as a lovestruck playboy (of French descent!), and Jane Russell in the lead, alternately beaming and scowling, her tall frame self-consciously hunched to make up for everyone else's shortcomings. Russell is very natural and appealing on screen, yet she has a bad habit of filling in the blanks by making silly, exaggerated faces--some of which are funny intentionally as well as unintentionally! A blowsy piece of fluff, the movie does have its pleasures, particularly in the writing department, which is a notch above the fashion show norm. ** from ****

James Hitchcock "The French Line" is a musical comedy about love and romance. It contains no sex scenes and no nudity or even toplessness. There is no violence, no foul language and no drug references. It is so square it even features a heterosexual male fashion designer. It seems like the sort of film that could be enjoyed by all the family without offending anyone.Wrong. When it was released in 1954 it was condemned as immoral by the Catholic League of Decency who, apparently, took exception to the supposedly revealing costumes worn by its star, Jane Russell. Ironically, Russell, herself a devout Christian, had been unhappy about wearing a bikini in the film and had been allowed to exchange this for a one-piece swimsuit, but even this gesture towards modesty failed to placate the League.The film is essentially a remake of a comedy from the thirties called "The Richest Girl in the World". In that film the heroine, Dorothy, was the heiress to a large fortune. She was worried that potential suitors would love her for her money and not for herself, and therefore changed places with her attractive secretary Sylvia. If any man showed an interest in the supposed 'Sylvia' (really Dorothy in disguise), she would suggest that the supposed 'Dorothy' (really Sylvia in disguise) had fallen in love with him and would welcome a proposal of marriage. The real Sylvia was happily married and had no interest in any of Dorothy's suitors; the point of this charade was that a man who showed any interest in the fake 'Dorothy' had failed the test and proved himself unworthy of the real Dorothy's hand.In "The French Line" this situation is given a new twist. The heroine, Mary, is also the heiress to a large fortune (from ranching and oil in Texas), but she has precisely the opposite problem. Whereas Dorothy was worried about attracting unscrupulous fortune-hunters, Mary (somewhat improbably for a girl who combines great wealth with the looks of Jane Russell) is unable to attract men at all, as potential husbands are actually deterred by the thought of all that money. (Well, this is a work of fiction). The film begins with Mary's third fiancé in succession breaking off their engagement.Mary is travelling to Europe on a luxury French liner, and swaps identities with a young fashion model named Myrtle in order to conduct a romance with a smooth French designer named Pierre. In the fifties models were presumably less well paid than they are today, when supermodels will not wake up for less than $10,000. Today a fashion model would probably have more in her bank account than a Texan oil millionairess. (Actually, that famous quote from Linda Evangelista dates back to the early nineties. Allowing for inflation, it must now cost at least $20,000 to get a supermodel out of bed).This is one remake that is rather better than its original. "The Richest Girl" is a very short film, and seventy minutes were not sufficient either to develop the characters or to bring out all the comic possibilities of the situation; the conclusion, in particular, is rushed and muddled. "The French Line" is a very light-hearted, frothy confection (in many places seeming to double up as an extended advertisement for the fashion industry), but at just over 100 minutes it does have more developed characters, not just Mary and Pierre, but also Myrtle and Mary's old friend Annie, also working as a fashion designer. The one character I did not like was Mary's guardian Waco Mosby. He was supposed to be a larger-than-life, tough-talking Texan, but because he seemed to be the sort of American who treated the Declaration of Independence as also being a declaration of war on the English language, I found it difficult to understand a word he was saying.Although the music is nothing special when compared to the likes of, say, Rodgers and Hammerstein, the song and dance numbers do add to the charm of the film, as well as showing off Jane Russell's charms to their best advantage. And any film which annoys America's narrow-minded Puritans cannot be wholly bad. 6/10

mybabyleilani24 I just saw this movie at the Egyptian theater yesterday and I enjoyed every minute of it. All of Jane Russell's musical numbers were great!! I admit I didn't like the songs Gilbert Roland sang, but other than that the movie was awesome!! The story line was great and it was really funny. I also enjoyed all of her costumes. I love the girl that played her designer friend, she was goofy. I am proud to say that I was actually really lucky to have seen the real Jane Russell at the 3D showing of the movie. She had a lot of funny stories to tell about the filming of this movie as well during her interview. I recommend this movie to anyone!!