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"The French Line" was a Howard Hughes-produced opus in 3-D, designed to showcase star Jane Russell (you can make your own guesses what the purpose of putting this innocuous musical in 3-D was...I'll give you two!). To be kind, its no "Gentlemen Prefer Blondes", to which it has some similarities.

Jane plays a Texas girl who is a reluctant millionairess - she has inherited her late father's ranch, which happens to be sitting on copious oil fields. But poor Jane only wants a man who will love her for who she is, not her money. She bewails her lot to her friend and guardian, ranch hand Arthur Hunnicutt, when her latest beau, Craig Stevens, jilts her before heading to the altar because he, like all the others, can't handle having a rich wife. Hunnicutt talks her into not canceling her planned wedding cruise to Paris on the French line, the Liberte (as pronounced by Jane, the Li-burr-tay), only she decides to go incognito so she can catch a man who knows nothing about her money.

Well, first of all, do you really think a millionairess who happens to look like Jane Russell would have such problems? This is purely a confection of a film and not worth worrying about plot lines, but its all just pretty damn silly. And unfortunately, someone decided it should be a musical except all the blah numbers are staged very awkwardly. Jane is beautiful, but hasn't much to work with here and leading man Gilbert Roland seems both a bit too mature as a match for her and definitely too Spanish to play a Frenchman (they try to pawn it off by giving him a Spanish mother). It all ends with a fashion show which just may be the most ludicrous of many far-fetched Hollywood fashion shows. And by now, all the naughtiness which got this opus condemned by the League of Decency and denied a Production seal (Jane's skimpy costumes and bumps & grinds) seem fit for a toddler to watch.

"The French Line" is a musical comedy about love and romance. It contains no sex scenes and no nudity or even toplessness. There is no violence, no foul language and no drug references. It is so square it even features a heterosexual male fashion designer. It seems like the sort of film that could be enjoyed by all the family without offending anyone.

Wrong. When it was released in 1954 it was condemned as immoral by the Catholic League of Decency who, apparently, took exception to the supposedly revealing costumes worn by its star, Jane Russell. Ironically, Russell, herself a devout Christian, had been unhappy about wearing a bikini in the film and had been allowed to exchange this for a one-piece swimsuit, but even this gesture towards modesty failed to placate the League.

The film is essentially a remake of a comedy from the thirties called "The Richest Girl in the World". In that film the heroine, Dorothy, was the heiress to a large fortune. She was worried that potential suitors would love her for her money and not for herself, and therefore changed places with her attractive secretary Sylvia. If any man showed an interest in the supposed 'Sylvia' (really Dorothy in disguise), she would suggest that the supposed 'Dorothy' (really Sylvia in disguise) had fallen in love with him and would welcome a proposal of marriage. The real Sylvia was happily married and had no interest in any of Dorothy's suitors; the point of this charade was that a man who showed any interest in the fake 'Dorothy' had failed the test and proved himself unworthy of the real Dorothy's hand.

In "The French Line" this situation is given a new twist. The heroine, Mary, is also the heiress to a large fortune (from ranching and oil in Texas), but she has precisely the opposite problem. Whereas Dorothy was worried about attracting unscrupulous fortune-hunters, Mary (somewhat improbably for a girl who combines great wealth with the looks of Jane Russell) is unable to attract men at all, as potential husbands are actually deterred by the thought of all that money. (Well, this is a work of fiction). The film begins with Mary's third fiancé in succession breaking off their engagement.

Mary is travelling to Europe on a luxury French liner, and swaps identities with a young fashion model named Myrtle in order to conduct a romance with a smooth French designer named Pierre. In the fifties models were presumably less well paid than they are today, when supermodels will not wake up for less than $10,000. Today a fashion model would probably have more in her bank account than a Texan oil millionairess. (Actually, that famous quote from Linda Evangelista dates back to the early nineties. Allowing for inflation, it must now cost at least $20,000 to get a supermodel out of bed).

This is one remake that is rather better than its original. "The Richest Girl" is a very short film, and seventy minutes were not sufficient either to develop the characters or to bring out all the comic possibilities of the situation; the conclusion, in particular, is rushed and muddled. "The French Line" is a very light-hearted, frothy confection (in many places seeming to double up as an extended advertisement for the fashion industry), but at just over 100 minutes it does have more developed characters, not just Mary and Pierre, but also Myrtle and Mary's old friend Annie, also working as a fashion designer. The one character I did not like was Mary's guardian Waco Mosby. He was supposed to be a larger-than-life, tough-talking Texan, but because he seemed to be the sort of American who treated the Declaration of Independence as also being a declaration of war on the English language, I found it difficult to understand a word he was saying.

Although the music is nothing special when compared to the likes of, say, Rodgers and Hammerstein, the song and dance numbers do add to the charm of the film, as well as showing off Jane Russell's charms to their best advantage. And any film which annoys America's narrow-minded Puritans cannot be wholly bad. 6/10

It is difficult getting past the terrible condition of the RKO Technicolor print for The French Line. It is even more difficult believing that nobody has wanted to do something about it. Someone: please clean it up, restore it, do whatever needs to be done.

Jane Russell is superb as a sassy southern belle on a cruise to Europe. Adding to the fun is character actor Arthur Hunnicutt and leading man Gilbert Roland. The musical numbers are indeed risqué but the lyrics and choreography are not to be missed. Neither is Miss Russell's costuming which one must see to believe.

Aside from a better print, the only way this film could have possibly been better: if Robert Mitchum had been in it.

This film has recently been televised by Turner Classic Movies. It may have been considered racy in its time, and may have made money, but even the most die-hard Jane Russell fan will find it hard to sit through this dreck.

There are many movie musicals from the 1950s which can withstand the test of time, even though dated by current standards, but which can still be enjoyed because of good music or dancing or an amusing plot. "The French Line", however, fails at all of these aspects.

It doesn't matter that Russell was a fine singer when she is given lousy vocal material. The entire cast is dragged down by a boring, trite plot and dialogue.

It's not even worth recording and skipping through to only the musical numbers--they're crummy.

Jane Russell was an underrated comedienne and singer (see SON OF PALEFACE and GENTLEMEN PREFER BLONDES), but you'd never guess it from her display here. A real stinker, produced by Howard Hughes in his all-too-successful effort to kill off RKO Radio Pictures.

The movie kills its first opportunity to show off sexy Jane when it places her in a bubble bath and then has her chastely singing "I'll Be Switched (If I Ain't Gettin' Hitched)"--and it's all downhill from there. In her autobiography, Russell apologized for the movie's number "Lookin' for Trouble" because it was supposedly so risque--nowadays you could show it on The Disney Channel. (By the way, said autobiography has a jaw-dropping photo of Russell in a bikini, far sexier than anything

Oil heiress from Texas, tired of being a one-woman corporation and falling for men who are allergic to her millions, takes a cruise to France posing as a fashion model. Tatty romantic comedy with musical interludes does have some smart lines, Gilbert Roland trying his best as a lovestruck playboy (of French descent!), and Jane Russell in the lead, alternately beaming and scowling, her tall frame self-consciously hunched to make up for everyone else's shortcomings. Russell is very natural and appealing on screen, yet she has a bad habit of filling in the blanks by making silly, exaggerated faces--some of which are funny intentionally as well as unintentionally! A blowsy piece of fluff, the movie does have its pleasures, particularly in the writing department, which is a notch above the fashion show norm. ** from ****

This is what "Gentlemen Prefer Blondes" could've been without Hawks. It's as close to a remake as you can get. If you want to see a really BAD version, see "Gentlemen Marry Brunettes." I really only posted this to let everyone know that the FULL "Looking For Trouble" scene is posted on You-Tube. Makes it pretty obvious (the watchword for the whole flick) what the censors were up in arms about. Not to defend the CLD though they were the most effective publicity machine Hollywood never came up with, but JR does a WHOLE LOT of shaking' in the complete version. And it's definitely worth the trouble to check out. Amazing what "devout Christians" allowed themselves. We can only hope that if they ever put this out on DVD (and it isn't looking good) they'll include the whole thing instead of the prim careful official version.

This is one of those obscure musicals that RKO made in the 40's and 50's. But in its day it was a box office winner. The publicity behind this picture was fantastic. Jane Russell was a knock-out in 3D but without this new screen process it was still enjoyable. Wonderful charactor Arthur Hunnicut steals the show as was his custom. Gilbert Roland is good as Jane's romantic interest in a different role for him. The songs are good for the most part. Give "The French Line" a try. If you are a Jane Russell fan, you'll love it.

1982, a small neighborhood theatre in my hometown. A double feature of "The French Line" and a Universal film (both Technicolor and 3-D). "The French Line" was a hoot and a half! When the posters outside of the theatre proclaimed "JR in 3D!", they really meant what they said. During several musical numbers, when she would turn from profile and face the camera with her chest thrust out: watch out! You almost felt you should move away from the screen. It's not "Gentlemen to Prefer" blondes, but the total 1950s of it, the tacky musical numbers (no tackiness on Russell's part, though, as she was a capable singer) and that "just hold on feeling" you got from an RKO production when the studio was going through it's death throes, came through. A delightful movie, and, although, I am not a Jane Russell fan, I admire her as a performer and a very capable actress. She carries the movie through on star power. A couple of costumes in the movie caused the movie to be condemned by the Catholic League of Decency in the USA as "unfit for all". How times have changed! Like a previous reviewer said, it could not only be shown on the Disney Channel, but probably already has, and on a Sunday morning, too! I've seen the movie on AMC, and the video transfers are horrible, but if you ever, EVER get a chance to see it in a theatre in 3-D, run, don't walk. You'll have a great time.

I bought a copy of The French Line before I'd even seen so much as a trailer for it. I knew right away it was going to be a sentimental favorite, because of the Cameron Crowe flick Singles in 1992. Bridget Fonda isn't happy with her body, and when she watches an old musical on tv with the big-busted Jane Russell and Mary McCarty, she decides to get breast implants. It's a very funny scene, and I'd always wanted to watch the full version of the 10-second clip featured in Singles.

If you don't already have a heart attachment to this movie, you might think it's silly and that I need to get my head examined. However, since it's my review, and since I do have a heart attachment to it, I'm going to praise it. Jane Russell stars as a Texas gal who goes on an ocean liner to France. She's literally on "The French Line" and has to dodge playboys who give her "the French line"; get it? Gilbert Roland is the suave Frenchman who tries to win Jane's affection. Jane sings in very revealing clothes to show off her beautiful figure, and in one number she's even in the bathtub! But perhaps even better known than the "Any Gal from Texas" number is Jane's striptease-the dance was so risqué they had to film her standing behind a plant to get the number past the censors!

"The French Line" is a film that deliberately accentuated Jane Russell's bosoms. While none of the scenes seem risque today, Howard Hughes deliberately pushed the boundaries of the day in order to create ticket sales. He even seemed happy when the Catholic Legion of Decency gave the film a 'banned' rating...and ticket sales were hot as a result! The ad campaigns also emphasized boobage...as you can see in the poster on IMDB emphasizing it's in '3-D'!

To enjoy "The French Line" you really do need to suspend your sense of disbelief. First, Jane Russell plays a rich Texan who is afraid men will ONLY want her for her money. Yeah....right!! Second, the very Mexican Gilbert Roland plays a Frenchman....and he's about as French as a burrito! Obviously, RKO didn't really put a lot of thought into this...and perhaps these silly decisions were made by the studio chief himself, Howard Hughes, since he had a long history of meddling with productions.

When the film begins, Mame (Russell) is upset because although she'd mega-rich, two MORE oil wells come in that day. That poor, poor thing! Later, when she talks to her fiance, she senses something isn't right. It seems her instincts are right....he is a chauvinist and doesn't know if he can be married to a woman with all the money!

Upset by this, she concocts a strange plan...to go on her honeymoon cruise anyway...but posing as a 'normal' lady. At the same time, she cruelly forces her friend to pose as her...even though she is on her own honeymoon. This means her poor and frisky husband is given a different room and cannot spend time with her, as Mame's plan if for her friend to be single and see if men chase her like they used to chase Mame. Huh?? I can think of two very good reasons guys would chase Mame!

During this trip, Mame spends most of her time with a 'Frenchman', Pierre (Roland). He seems smitten with Mame...but also spends time with the faux Mame. Who does he really love AND is he the type to chase a woman just because she's rich? Mame would sure like to know.

In addition, the film features Russell in several song and dance numbers...all of which seem rather out of place in the film. As IMDB indicated, the studio was trying to replicate "Gentlemen Prefer Blondes"...which also was filled with similar musical numbers.

Overall, this is an enjoyable but incredibly silly film. You can't take the plot very seriously but it is a decent time-passer with way too many song and dance numbers.

Before Howard Hughes managed to destroy his play toy, RKO Radio Pictures, with one production after another that fared rather dismally at the box office and, certainly, with the critics, his sexual preoccupations were on full view in "The French Line"

The Roman Catholic censorship body, the Legion of Decency, did a great deal more to boost receipts than the first-run 3-D presentations ever could when they "Condemned" this one, for all the usual sex-related reasons, since even then the depiction of excessive violence was given a pass. Once a year those of us who attended Sunday Mass regularly found ourselves trapped into taking the L. of D. Pledge (Very few dared remain seated, lemmetellya!), which required us to promise that we would not patronize theaters which made a practice of booking "Condemned" films. Since only foreign films, usually those originating in France, managed to get the "Condemned" accolade and they rarely made it beyond the few New York theaters willing to book them, the stricture about avoiding those lascivious pleasure palaces that dared book a "Condemned" film was interpreted to mean that just one disgraceful example of cinematic lechery could get them placed on the list of verboten venues.

When the Picwood Theater in West Los Angeles (which had a massive auditorium with a huge screen), not far from where we lived in Pacific Palisades at the time, was selected to show "The French Line" in 3-D, I was darned if I was going to have to wait until a neighborhood theater showed M-G-M's "The Swan", Grace Kelly's Hollywood curtain call, on a much smaller screen than when it was booked onto the Picwood's CinemaScope eye-stretcher, only a couple of years after management had dared book Jane Russell's eye-popping embarrassment. Eventually I managed to see "The French Line" on television, by which time our standards of taste had slipped somewhat, and I was sure hard put to understand what that big stink had all been about.

Mary 'Mame' Carson (Jane Russell) is a rich oil tycoon and a skilled cowgirl in Paris, Texas. To her dismay, her worker 'Waco' Mosby hits more oil gushers. She's getting married to Phil, but her overwhelming wealth scares him away. He wants to wear the pants in the family. Waco suggests going to Paris, France and finding a better man. She borrows the identity of a poor model named Myrtle Brown.

Times have changed if a filthy rich Jane Russell can't find a husband. It's a ridiculous comedic concept. It probably needs a better concept that could pass the smell test. Phil could be found to be a gold-digging cheater and that sets her off to find a man who doesn't know her wealth. That's a better concept.

I can do without the musical or the poor filmmaking. Of course, the big selling point is Jane Russell in 3D. It's a lot of shapely babes starting with Russell. I have to imagine that the 3D brought in a certain type of crowd. The poster is ridiculous. It asks, "Need we say more?" We all know at what Howard Hughes is looking. The girls are prominently featured.

I am so stunned by the hilarious vulgarity of THE FRENCH LINE it is all I can rave about. Stacked to the hilt with personally supervised costumes and showgirl extras by bra master Howard Hughes, notorious for making glamorous RKO into a burlesque production line, the casting couch there must have needed new springs by the time this technicolour-3D extravaganza hit screens Nationwide in 1954. Seemingly made for the knee slapping amusement of rich Texan hicks and crafted by trapped RKO professionals who must have sighed at having to work on such hillbilly antics, THE FRENCH LINE is an oceangoing girlie show wrought into some semblance of a farce. Jane Russell is as usual her spunky insolent self and gets to showcase her famous torpedo talents in outfits leaving nothing not spangled. Her two main numbers near the end of the film are the ones that caused the outrage in '54 and today are probably the best drag queen numbers one could imagine. A masterpiece of tawdry tinsel, swim outfits and frocks. You'll titter all through THE FRENCH LINE, rather like Howard must have all through production. Hilarious! Republic must have realized RKO wanted the bumpkin musical films and realized Judy Canova was no Jane Russell.

I just saw this movie at the Egyptian theater yesterday and I enjoyed every minute of it. All of Jane Russell's musical numbers were great!! I admit I didn't like the songs Gilbert Roland sang, but other than that the movie was awesome!! The story line was great and it was really funny. I also enjoyed all of her costumes. I love the girl that played her designer friend, she was goofy. I am proud to say that I was actually really lucky to have seen the real Jane Russell at the 3D showing of the movie. She had a lot of funny stories to tell about the filming of this movie as well during her interview. I recommend this movie to anyone!!

The French Line has Jane Russell, Texas heiress traveling to France by ship incognito as it were. After being jilted by Craig Stevens she wants to make sure that the next man isn't interested in her money.

The next man is French revue star Gilbert Roland and Russell pretends she's one of her friend Mary McCarty's models. t's all the usual frothy hijinks with Howard Hughes making sure that Russell's outfits make sure to show what a full fgure girl she was.

There are some nice if forgettable numbers. The surprise is Gilbert Roland singing. If he wasn't dubbed Roland had a few nice notes in his voice. Arthur Hunnicutt is Russell's self appointed guardian and oil roughneck.

The French Line is a pleasant bit of diversion.

The British publication "Radio Times" in a recent review said that Jane Russell was past her prime in this movie. Were they watching? She looks great, her singing is fantastic and she seems to really enjoy herself in this film.

In my book this is one of the best musicals of the 1950's, but it's strength is that it doesn't take itself too seriously. Irreverent and vulgar, the plot is a feminist's nightmare and Jane Russell's "talents" are exploited to the full. As the picture was released originally in 3D, the tagline was "Jane will knock BOTH your eyes out!"

One of the most censored movies in American history, the film was cut to shreds in many states. The final musical number "lookin' for trouble" is truly outrageous. But the overall spirit of the film is goodnatured and full of energy.

Watch this film again and again!

Gilbert Rowland must have had some dirt on someone to get this picture. He has been around since silent films, and a close friend of Raymond Novaro. Gilbert Rowland knew lots of people, off to the side, never the big lead, but in the action just the same.

Saw him once in a Chinese restaurant in Beverly Hills called the Fortune Cookie near the Beverly Center, on Fountain. 1979 I forget.

He and his wife came in and he sat in the back facing the café. He noticed that I noticed who he was and we just grinned at each other. I learned while living in Hollywood, to leave them alone, as they know that you know who they are. So at the super market, dry cleaners, and the West Hollywood car wash place, you nod and let them go about they lives.

Gilbert seemed amused that someone remembered him. My pleasure to make him grin three tables away.

So here is the French Line, and I found it amusing Gilbert Roland is in a musical with Jane Russell. He was great and when he pulls up his cuffs, there is the wrist band he usually wore. Women, breasts, gowns by the ton were coming at you 24/7 in this piece of 1950 fluff. Abrabs would go to hell if they were caught watching such a film.

Rowlands voice is dubbed, he lip cynics well, and carries himself, delivers his lines, very professional, and I hope he got tons of money.

He had a small house in Beverly Hills near down town Rodeo Drive. He managed his career well, stayed out of the papers, knew everyone from the golden age of film, Garbo would have been comfortable with him as well. Rowland adored John Gilbert, and took his first name, Gilbert from John.

Gibert Rowland is "Hollywood Royality", was a gentleman, kept everyone's secrets, was respected by stars, and I wish he had written a book. I believe he is entombed at Glendale Forest Lawn. John Gilbert is there as well He did a film with Barbara Stanwick, a western, and he should have gotten an Oscar for his performance.

I believe he had more fun and durability with his career, than being the big star, "hot dog", macho stud. Gilbert was macho without being TOO macho, and was fondly remember for his quality classic style and quiet masculine character actor. Bad and the Beauty, and Beneath the 12 Mile Reef are also good examples of his craft. BRAVO Gilbert Rowland. VSS

Director: Lloyd Bacon Writers: Mary Loos (screenplay), Richard Sale (screenplay) Stars: Jane Russell, Gilbert Roland, Arthur Hunnicutt

Russell's bust in 3-D was the gimmick to sell this musical. Totally works.

I was expecting something awful, but I enjoyed it immensely -- mostly because of Jane, Mary McCarty . It wasn't nearly as good as GENTLEMEN PREFER BLONDES, but it has it's moments. Jane is charismatic, you can't take your eyes off her - and the wardrobe -- to die for. Just wish TCM and/or Warner Archive will restore this movie to it's original uncut version and release it! If you blink, you'll miss Kim Novak modeling a gown. 8/10