“Diamonds are a girl’s best friend.”

Join us sat the Rio Theatre on Thursday, June 1 as we toast a true cinema icon, Marilyn Monroe (on what would have been her 97th birthday!), with a screening of her signature turn in Howard Hawkes‘ musical rom-com, GENTLEMEN PREFER BLONDES.

Monroe shines in one of her most celebrated and dazzling performances, as beautiful showgirl Lorelei Lee, who is engaged to be married to the wealthy Gus Esmond. Of course the relationship is frowned upon by Gus’ rich father, Esmond Sr., who thinks that Lorelei is just after his money. When Lorelei goes on a cruise accompanied only by her best friend, Dorothy Shaw (Jane Russell), Esmond Sr. hires Ernie Malone, a private detective, to follow her and report any questionable behavior that would disqualify her from the marriage.

“Howard Hawks adds sly sexual insinuation to the blatantly sexual antics of Marilyn Monroe and Jane Russell in this scintillating 1953 adaptation of the stage musical based on Anita Loos’s novel.” (The New Yorker)

“You won’t find a more elegant take on ’50s va-va-voom vulgarity or a more joyous paean to the cheesecake self-empowerment of two little girls from Little Rock.” (Time Out)

Thursday, June 1
Doors 6:00 | Movie 6:30 pm *Start time subject to change. Please arrive on time.
Advance tickets HERE

GENTLEMEN PREFER BLONDES (Howard Hawkes, 1953 / 92 mins / G) These glamorous showgirls have everything a girl could want – except engagement rings. In a quest for true love, Lorelei and her gold digger pal Dorothy set sail on a luxury-liner bound for France. But the pair hits rocky waters when a manipulative detective, an over-aged, over sexed millionaire and the entire men’s Olympic team try to put an anchor in their marriage-minded mischief.

*Minors permitted. Must be 19+ w/ID for bar service.
*Rio Theatre Groupons and Rio Theatre passes are OK for any single film screening only. Please redeem at the box office.
*Online sales end an hour before showtime; unless otherwise noted, tickets are always available for purchase at the box office prior to showtime. All Rio Theatre tickets are final sale. Our box office is typically open 30 minutes before showtime. All seating is General Admission; please arrive 20-30 minutes prior to showtime to ensure great seats and time for treats.
*If you are looking to redeem either a Rio Theatre gift certificate or Groupon to any regular Rio Theatre screening: You can either email us in advance <[email protected]> and give us a “heads up,” or do it at the box office prior to showtime. (We seat 400+ people and our regular screenings are very rarely at capacity – you should not have issues being admitted.)