On the ship, Lorelei has many admirers, including the rich Philadelphian Henry Spofford III, and an Englishman, Sir Francis (Piggy) Beekman.
Lorelei is worried that Gus will find out about an old secret of hers and break off their engagement ("I'm Just A Little Girl From Little Rock"), and she is afraid to open a wire that she receives from him.
It is suggested that everyone have cocktails, to Mrs Spofford's delight, but Josephus does not drink, instead eating raw carrots ("I'm a Tingle I'm Aglow").
Financial backers included Harold M. Esty Jr.[1] Several blonde actresses, including Betty Hutton,[2] Jayne Mansfield (Carousel Theater, 1964),[3] Mamie Van Doren, Carroll Baker (Dallas, August 1966), Barbara Eden (Florida, January 1999)[4] and Morgan Fairchild have starred in regional and summer stock productions of Gentlemen Prefer Blondes over the years.
The musical ran in the West End at the Princes Theatre, opening on August 20, 1962, for 223 performances, and featured Dora Bryan as Lorelei Lee, Anne Hart as Dorothy, and Bessie Love as Mrs. Ella Spofford.
[5][6] A revised version titled Lorelei opened on Broadway at the Palace Theatre on January 27, 1974, and ran for 320 performances.
[7][8] The Goodspeed Opera House, East Haddam, Connecticut, revival ran in November 1994, and featured KT Sullivan as Lorelei Lee, Karen Prunzik as Dorothy Shaw, Jamie Ross as Josephus Gage, and Allen Fitzpatrick as Gus Esmond.
[11] A concert staging of the musical was mounted as part of the "Discovering Lost Musicals" series directed and produced by Ian Marshall-Fisher at Barbican Cinema 1 in London in 1997, which featured Louise Gold as Lorelei Lee, Kim Criswell as Dorothy Shaw, and Dilys Laye as Mrs Ella Spofford.
[12] The Open Air Theatre, Inner Circle, Regent's Park, London, production ran from July 23, 1998, through September 1, 1998, and featured Sara Crowe as Lorelei Lee and Debby Bishop as Dorothy.
[13] In October 2019, the Union Theatre in London staged a production of the musical, directed and produced by Sasha Regan.
[14] A 1953 film adaptation, released by 20th Century Fox studios, was directed by Howard Hawks and starred Jane Russell and Marilyn Monroe.