Marlene was known in school for her "bedroom eyes" and her first affairs were at this stage in her life - a professor at the school was terminated.
Marlene enjoyed music and attended concerts. She was adept at playing the violin and piano. By the time she was in her mid-teens, Marlene had discovered the stage. Acting was to be her vocation. In 1921, Marlene applied for an acting school run by Max Reinhardt. She was accepted. She appeared in several stage productions, but never had more than a couple of spoken lines. In short, she wasn't setting the stage world on fire.
She attempted films for the first time in 1922 Her first film was So sind die Männer (The Little Napoleon) (1923) which was followed by Tragödie der Liebe (Love Tragedy) (1923). On this last project, she met Rudolf Sieber and married him in 1924. The union lasted until his death in 1976 although they didn't live together the whole time.
The remainder of her early film career was generally filled with bit roles. After being seen in the German production of Der blaue Engel (The Blue Angel) (1930) in 1930, Marlene was given a crack at Hollywood. Her first US film was Morocco (1930) with Gary Cooper, which was followed by Dishonored (1931). This latter movie had her cast as a street walker who is appointed a spy. The film was rather boring but was a success because of Marlene's presence. In 1932, Marlene filmed Shanghai Express (1932) which proved to be immensely popular, grossing $3 million. Once again, she was cast as a prostitute. The next film was Blonde Venus (1932) which turned out to be a horrible production. Her co-star was Cary Grant and once again she was cast as a prostitute.
During this period Dietrich had been typecast as a woman of low morals and she wanted different parts. Her chance came in 1939 in Destry Rides Again (1939) when she was cast as "Frenchy", a Western saloon hostess. This began a new direction for Marlene since it shed the previous typecasting. All through the 1940s, she appeared in well-produced, well-directed films such as Manpower (1942), The Spoilers (1942), The Lady Is Willing (1942) and Pittsburgh (1942).
Afterwards the roles came less frequently, perhaps one to two films every year. In 1945, Marlene didn't appear in any. She only made seven productions in the 1950's. Her last role of any substance was Judgment at Nuremberg (1961). Despite the lack of theatrical roles, Marlene still made appearances on the stage. However, by 1979, she was a shell of her former self. After breaking her leg in one performance, she never made a go of it in show business again.
Spending the last 12 years of her life bed-ridden, Marlene died on May 6, 1992 in Paris, France of kidney failure at the age of 90.
The Laziest Gal in Town
Marlene Dietrich Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
It's not 'cause I shouldn't
And you know that it's not 'cause I couldn't
It's simply because I'm the laziest gal in town
My poor heart is achin'
To bring home some bacon
And if I find myself alone and forsaken
It's simply because I'm the laziest gal in town
How these gals get money to burn
Every little proposition I turn down
Way down
It's not 'cause I wouldn't
It's not 'cause I shouldn't
And you know that it's not 'cause I couldn't
It's simply because I'm the laziest gal in town
In Marlene Dietrich's song "The Laziest Gal in Town", the lyrics express the singer's reluctance to engage in work or pursue money-making opportunities due to her lazy nature. She acknowledges that she could do these things if she had to, but ultimately chooses not to due to a lack of motivation. The lyrics also hint at the idea that the singer's laziness may be a contributing factor to her loneliness, as she turns down propositions and finds herself alone and forsaken.
The song speaks to the idea of the anti-heroine, a woman who instead of conforming to societal expectations and pursuing success through hard work, chooses to live on her own terms. This idea was rebellious at the time of the song's release in 1957, when traditional gender roles were strongly enforced.
The slow jazz tempo and Dietrich's sultry vocals give the song a seductive quality, as if the singer is luring listeners into her world of laziness and apathy. Overall, the song suggests that sometimes it's okay to prioritize relaxation and pleasure over productivity, and celebrate the virtues of indolence.
Line by Line Meaning
It's not 'cause I wouldn't
I'm not refusing to do things because I don't want to
It's not 'cause I shouldn't
I'm not refusing to do things because I shouldn't
And you know that it's not 'cause I couldn't
You know that I am capable of doing things, so that's not the reason I'm refusing
It's simply because I'm the laziest gal in town
I'm refusing to do things because I am extremely lazy
My poor heart is achin'
I'm experiencing emotional pain and distress
To bring home some bacon
I want to earn money and provide for myself
And if I find myself alone and forsaken
If I end up alone and abandoned
It's simply because I'm the laziest gal in town
It's all because I am too lazy to put in any effort
Thought I'm more than willing to learn
I am willing and eager to learn
How these gals get money to burn
How these other women earn so much money that they can afford to spend it freely
Every little proposition I turn down
I decline every opportunity that comes my way
Way down
Deep down inside
It's not 'cause I wouldn't
I'm not refusing to do things because I don't want to
It's not 'cause I shouldn't
I'm not refusing to do things because I shouldn't
And you know that it's not 'cause I couldn't
You know that I am capable of doing things, so that's not the reason I'm refusing
It's simply because I'm the laziest gal in town
I'm refusing to do things because I am extremely lazy
Lyrics © Warner Chappell Music, Inc.
Written by: COLE PORTER
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
Rachael
I love how at 0:40 you can see her laugh slightly, it’s the cutest thing! 🥺😍
Ashleyene
You're right! It's the cutest thing ever haha! ^-^
𝓜𝓼. 𝓟𝓾𝓭𝓭𝓲𝓷' π
What a treasure! Marlene was a whole mood, her own unique creature.
Christian Balmer
Grossartiges Entertainment.
Und ihr Akzent, selbst nach 40ig Jahren in den USA.
AWESOME!!
Grüezi aus der Schweiz 🇨🇭
Garmonbozia Show
Спасибо большое, одно удовольствие смотреть на такие выступления Марлен
Mike Streif
Fabulous! Thanks Marvin. I've never seen such a high-quality version of this song from the "alternate" show. Do you happen to have more clips from that "alternate" show in high quality? I know the available clips, but I would love to see "Flowers," "Allein," "Johnny," "Das Lied Ist Aus," "Marie Marie," and especially the opening songs, "I Get a Kick" and and "Blue Heaven." A version of "Cream in My Coffee" from the "alternate show" is available on the Kino DVD of "Blue Angel."
Magic of Marlene#Marvin Dietrich
Hey! at the moment this is the only record that can be found. The full show (of the moment where she fights with someone) can be sampled from the BBC archives and the Berlin Marlene Collection, but at the moment getting the recording from the BBC archives is only available to students from the UK
Magic of Marlene#Marvin Dietrich
I found a few more songs of the alternative show for you, I will soon add them to my account
Magic of Marlene#Marvin Dietrich
I found Lola and Cream in My Coffee
Mike Streif
@Magic of Marlene#Marvin Dietrich, great! Thank you so much!