10 Questions about Gentlemen Prefer Blondes | Literature

Answer: March

Receiving a diary from the man who wishes to educate her, Lorelei begins her writings in March (on the 16th) as January and February have already passed -- not that it matters, of course. Her days since the first of January have been spent with her educator, Gus Eisman, who's also a button salesman, and days with him tend to be the same. They go to dinner every night and talk at such great lengths that, when she goes home, she's so tired she sleeps through until the next dinner.

On March 17th, Dorothy, Lorelei's best friend, calls up and asks her to head to the follies with herself and an Englishman, Lord Cooksleigh, a man who Lorelei doesn't like because of his boring stories. She heads to the follies with them but avoids lunch the following day, instead conjuring an imaginative lie to keep him at bay.

After Lorelei's birthday on the 21st she finds herself disappointed with a small diamond given as a gift by Mr. Eisman (that is until he brings her a more expensive diamond bracelet) and she meets a literary man by the name of Gerald Lamson. She realizes she's getting a little crush on him.

As March comes to a close, Lorelei anticipates the announcement of a trip to Europe but she fears separating herself from 'Gerry' as the two of them get along quite nicely.

Answer: Mr. Eisman's

At the beginning of April, Gerry has to head to Boston for a series of lectures about his books and Lorelei takes it upon herself to improve her mind by reading a book containing 'riskay' stories. The following day she still doesn't begin. Instead, she asks her maid, Lulu, to read a different book and tell her about it to expand her mind. This plan falls through as well, so she goes to see a show with a visiting gentleman. This later depresses her; her gentleman friend arrives intoxicated and she misses Gerry.

Gerry returns and states that he wants to marry her; he will divorce his wife, she will stop seeing Mr. Eisman, and she will study French. Lorelei is concerned about this plan as she thinks it's a bit rash so she decides to speak to Mr. Eisman about it. Clearly, Mr. Eisman is not in favour of this plan and he convinces Lorelei that a trip to Paris and London is in her best interests as she does not want to get involved in legal proceedings for a divorce and because she can broaden her intellect overseas. She and Dorothy plan to leave the following week while Gerry is in lectures in Cincinnati.

Answer: District attorney

Lorelei enjoys her time on the ocean liner as it gives her a chance to read and spend time brushing up on etiquette before arriving abroad. She leaves her apartment in the care of Lulu, her maid, and Mr. Eisman plans to meet them in France in a month on business. The etiquette book is soon brushed aside as Lorelei feels it's useless reading and she finds herself depressed by her own fate; a man in the ship's bar (known as the Ritz) upsets her so much that she heads to her room and drinks champagne until she cheers up.

Lorelei tells Dorothy's gentleman friend, Major Falcon, that the man who upsets her is a district attorney who presided over her case many years earlier when she was accused of shooting a man in hysterics. The jury set her free and the judge (who was very fond of her) set her up in Hollywood; the district attorney, Mr. Bartlett, was quite mean to her at the time, however. The more time Lorelei spends on the ship the more she is forced to spend with Mr. Bartlett who, on his final night before disembarking, suggests that he is madly in love with her and wants to see her continue with him to a business meeting in Vienna. She decides not to travel with him and instead looks forward to visiting London with Dorothy and her friend, Major Falcon.

Answer: Piggie

Arriving in London and staying at the Ritz, Lorelei and Dorothy continue to travel with Major Falcon and Lorelei runs into an old acquaintance by the name of Fanny who's been living in London for many years. London's parties bother Lorelei because it seems that all the British want to do is sell her things. She is quite taken aback by a beautiful diamond tiara, however, and she gives $100 to its seller to hold it for her. She mails Mr. Eisman a message for more money to pay for the jewelry and fears that she may not receive it (which would ruin the trip, of course).

The next day, only $1,000 is sent to her so she is unable to get her tiara. Lorelei also finds London to be too boring, and that English gentlemen don't give enough gifts. One such gentleman, Sir Francis Beekman (who Lorelei renames 'Piggie'), is a man who Lorelei tries to win over, but she finds him dull and frugal. On one of the last days spent in England he purchases the tiara for her and she promises to stay in with him. She and Dorothy leave the very next day for Paris because there's nothing to learn in London.

Answer: 'Devine'

Arriving in Paris, the girls arrive at the Ritz and Lorelei believes that the city is simply 'devine'. While the landmarks and locales of Paris are much more stunning to Lorelei, she discovers once again that European men are quite frugal and would rather not spend much money on their ladies. She also believes that French men squeal too much.

Things get worse in the following days. Mrs. Beekman arrives and asks Lorelei to give back the crown her husband purchased or else she'll ruin her reputation. Dorothy stands up for Lorelei, insulting the Englishwoman and sending her on her way. A solicitor arrives (and so does his son) but the situation is quickly defused when Lorelei and Dorothy turn on their charm.

Answer: Steal from Lorelei

Lorelei discovers from her and Dorothy's hotel waiter that the two solicitors, Robert and Louie, were hired by Mrs. Beekman to reclaim the diamond tiara at any cost, although they do find the girls charming. Lorelei and Dorothy plan to pull their own trick by purchasing an imitation diamond tiara and possibly letting them steal it instead. In the meantime, they plan to receive fancy gifts from these French gentlemen.

Their plan goes quite well, but the girls can't bear to frustrate Louie and Robert, so they tell them all about what they've done. They also plot to buy an additional diamond tiara to give back to Mrs. Beekman (who never saw the original) so that the men can get paid for their services. Louie and Robert don't return to the hotel because Mr. Eisman is set to arrive.

Answer: Munich

Mr. Eisman arrives and the days proceed as normal for Lorelei. On one occasion, Mr. Eisman decides to go to Vienna to purchase a button factory so he goes ahead and the girls follow behind on what Lorelei calls 'the oriental express' to further their education. On the train, Lorelei comes upon a Mr. Henry Spoffard, a man she knows from his reputation in the censorship business in the United States. As he has high morals and he travels with his mother, Lorelei tries to make a good impression while making it clear that she doesn't have the same morals as Dorothy, who seems more unkempt.

Mr. Spoffard suggests that perhaps Lorelei should not try to educate Dorothy, since she's a lost cause, but after a few moments of weeping, it's suggested that they stop off in Munich to look at some fine art. They decide to take a detour on the way to Vienna to do so. Of course, the art ('kunst', as they call it in 'Munchen') fails to impress both girls and Lorelei continues to think that Dorothy is unrefined.

Answer: Yes

The trio hops onto the train to Vienna to continue their journey after one more day in Munich and Lorelei fears the meeting between Mr. Eisman and Mr. Spoffard, because they're of different religious backgrounds and because they won't understand each other. When they arrive in Vienna, Lorelei is successful at keeping the two apart for a fair bit of time and, on one occasion, she meets 'Dr. Froyd', a psychoanalyst specializing in dreams who says that she is a fairly famous case and that she needs more inhibitions and more sleep.

Overhearing Mr. Spoffard's mother and her helper over lunch with a gentleman, Lorelei discovers that bad things are being said about her and she decides to somehow persuade Mr. Spoffard to introduce her to his mother to set things right. The luncheon alone with Mrs. Spoffard goes amazingly, mostly because she encourages the old woman to drink a fair amount of champagne. Unsurprisingly, Mrs. Spoffard has nothing but good things to say about Lorelei and Mr. Spoffard wants to speak to Lorelei alone.

But it's too late -- Lorelei, Dorothy, and Mr. Eisman are on their way to Buda Pest. When they arrive, Lorelei receives a letter and a telegram from Mr. Spoffard asking her to marry him because his mother is enthralled with her. She accepts the proposal but doesn't make her mind up as to whether or not they should actually go ahead with it. She decides to ask Mr. Eisman to send her and Dorothy back to New York because Mr. Spoffard must also return to assist his ailing father.

Answer: Dorothy

Lorelei is nervous on the boat ride home and tries to keep to herself (though she does spend time with a Dutch gentleman who specializes in diamonds) and when she arrives in New York City she is greeted by her fiance who, instead of showing her a fancy Cartier engagement ring, gives her a more sentimental gift: his class ring. She's a bit disappointed that there are no diamonds on it. Henry says that his father doesn't approve of the marriage but Lorelei is convinced that she can sway his elderly father's mind.

The newspapers get a hold of the engagement and Lorelei is worried about some of the 'facts' they're presenting, particularly one about being a debutante in Arkansas. Frustrated by this, she and Dorothy plan to host her debut in New York at a lavish party (without Henry invited as Lorelei thinks he'd ruin it by walking in). They invite a number of reporters and hype it up immensely. When the night comes, it's a success -- the party lasts several days and Lorelei is made well known in New York's social circles. She understates the grandeur of the party to Henry and heads to Pennsylvania to meet his family.

This does not bode well for Lorelei; she can't take family life after one day of church, early wake-up times, and three square meals. She decides that marriage isn't worth this hassle and she decides that a scheme to end the engagement is in order.

Answer: Cinema

Realizing that there's no way she can be with Henry because he's so dull and she can't live her favoured life with him, Lorelei struggles to find a way out of the relationship. She gets so frustrated that she goes to the only woman who can make a man go away: Dorothy. Dorothy says to say goodbye to Henry because after one talk with him, they won't be together anymore.

Several weeks pass and the plan goes swimmingly. Purchasing a number of items of expensive jewelry, Lorelei is able to edge Dorothy into convincing Mr. Spoffard that marriage is a bad idea. Unfortunately, it comes at a horrible time; Lorelei meets a scenario writer named Mr. Montrose who wants to make movies and she could be a star if they could fund the films. Lorelei stops Henry on the train back to Pennsylvania and criticizes him for failing her test. They do, however, make amends and he admires her movie idea because it will prolong his own profession in censorship. They get married and Mr. Eisman realizes that his work is done so soon. Lorelei is happy for herself and everyone around her and everything turns out for the best.