Tommy Noonan | Life Vs Film

Best friend singing-dancing double act Dorothy Shaw (Jane Russell) and Lorelei Lee (Marilyn Monroe) have very different approaches to love. Dorothy is looking for a penniless hunk for a night of passion, whilst Lorelei is content settling down with her bookish but extremely wealthy fiancé Gus Edmond (Tommy Noonan). When Gus’ father imposes upon the upcoming wedding, Lorelei and Dorothy jump aboard a cruise ship to Paris, with the intention that Gus will join them at a later date and they will have the wedding in France. However, once aboard the ship the wealth-obsessed gold-digging Lorelei soon finds her attention drawn to Sir Francis “Piggy” Beekman, the owner of a diamond mine.
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Norman Maine (James Mason) is a world-renowned movie star who has it all, including a crippling drinking problem. His latest drunken antics see him disrupting a variety show he was supposed to be appearing at, and he finds himself dancing on stage with Esther Blodgett (Judy Garland), who was singing and dancing whilst accompanied by the Glenn Miller Orchestra. Esther has the wherewithal to turn Norman’s clowning into a comedic routine, and something inside of her catches the actor’s eye. Later that night, when his stupor has slightly worn off and he is scouring his regular haunts for a lady to take home for the evening (or rather, early morning by that point), there’s only one girl in Norman’s head. He finds Esther singing with the band at a deserted club, and offers her the opportunity of a lifetime; if she quits the band the next day, he’ll give her a shot at the big-time and make her a star.
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