Charles Coburn

I am reading a biography of Howard Hawkes so I thought I'd do some personal research into his character by watching "Gentlemen Prefer Blondes". It's not a film I liked much when I saw it many moons ago but, seeing it again, it gained something in that it was fun. Good fun. And what does want more as one staggers unsettlingly into old age than something that makes one feel younger?
Another great fun thing about the film is that it presents a very old Charles Coburn doing what he usually did in his films - play the part of "a dirty old man" without making him seem dirty at all. Old yes but not at all "dirty". This time he plays an English millionaire who is attracted to Marilyn Monroe like a wasp to jam. "By Jove!" he says over and over again as he eyes her delightful body. "Would you like a dance?" he asks. She willingly succumbs to his ageing charms because he is a millionaire and possesses what she most loves in life - diamonds which, we are informed later in a number with Monroe and a heap of handsome men, "a girl's best friend".
The two female stars, Marilyn Monroe and Jane Russell, were at the top of their luscious form when this picture was made and they seemed to enjoy doing the film more than they did other films; certainly Monroe seemed happier in this film that many others, enjoying herself in a role where she could, as it were, caricature herself.
But Coburn is magnificent. As always.
I have been doing some other research. I wanted to find out what film it was that starred Charles Coburn and Jean Arthur that gave me one of the best laughs I'ver had. My research took me to David Thomson's book on film people where I discovered that they made only one film together (though I may be wrong): "The More the Merrier". I then looked up Rotten Tomatoes for the reviews of this film and there it was, the film I was looking for. The film which I recalled had one of the funniest scenes I had ever seen: Jean Arthur occupies an apartment and she allows Coburn to occupy a part of it but he must meticulously follow certain "house rules": when to use the bathroom after she has used it, getting breakfast on time etc. Coburn is just superb: this overweight, bungling trudger of an almost desperate-to-please old man racing around trying to follow her tight timetable is a joy to see.
The film, directed in his earlier, less laborious style, by George Stevens was nominated for abouit 7 oscars. It only won one. Charles Coburn won it for best supporting actor.