Marilyn Monroe
Marilyn Monroe (
June 1,
1926 –
August 5,
1962) was an iconic
American actress, singer and model. To this day, she is one of the 20th century's most famous
movie stars,
sex symbols and
pop icons. After acting in small roles for several years, she gradually became known for her comedic skills,
sex appeal and screen presence, going on to become one of the most popular
movie stars of the
1950s. Later in her career, she worked towards serious roles with a measure of success. However, long standing problems were exacerbated by disappointments in both
career and
personal life during her later years. Her death, officially ruled to be probable
suicide by
drug overdose, has been the subject of much
speculation and
conspiracy theory.
She was born
Norma Jeane Mortenson in the charity ward of the
Los Angeles County Hospital. According to biographer Fred Lawrence Guiles, her grandmother, Della Monroe Grainger, had her baptized Norma Jean Baker by
Aimee Semple McPherson.
Her mother, Gladys Pearl Monroe, had returned from
Kentucky where her ex-husband had kidnapped their children, Robert and
Berniece. Some of Monroe's biographers portray Jasper Baker as a vicious
brute. Berniece recounted in
My Sister Marilyn that when Robert later suffered a series of physical ailments, Baker refused to seek proper medical attention for him; the boy died in
1933.
Many
biographers believe Norma Jeane's
biological father was Charles Stanley Gifford, a salesman for the
studio where Gladys worked as a
film-cutter. The
birth certificate lists her second husband, Martin Edward Mortensen, as the father. While Mortensen left Gladys before Norma Jeane's birth, some biographers think he was the father. In an interview with
Lifetime,
James Dougherty said Norma Jeane believed that Gifford was her father. Whoever the father, that he played no part in the child's life has never been in dispute.
Unable to persuade Della to take Norma Jeane, Gladys placed her with
foster parents Albert and Ida Bolender of
Hawthorne, where she lived until she was seven. In her
autobiography My Story, Monroe states she thought Albert was a girl.Some do not consider
My Story trustworthy and alleged it was ghost-written by
Ben Hecht. Hecht divulged to his agent: "It is easy to know when she is telling the truth. The moment a true thing comes out of her mouth, her eyes shed tears. She's like her own
lie detector."
[ ]Gladys visited Norma Jeane every Saturday. One day, she announced that she had bought a house. A few months after they had moved in, Gladys suffered a
breakdown. In the book, Monroe recalls her mother "screaming and laughing" as she was forcibly removed to the State Hospital in
Norwalk. Gladys's father, Otis, died in an
asylum near
San Bernardino from
syphilis. According to
My Sister Marilyn, Gladys's brother, Marion,
hanged himself upon his release from an asylum, and Della's father hung himself in a fit of
depression.
Norma Jeane was declared a
ward of state and Gladys's best friend, Grace McKee (later Goddard) became her
guardian. After McKee married in 1935, Norma Jeane was sent to a
Los Angeles orphanage and then to a succession of
foster homes where she was allegedly subjected to sexual
abuse and neglect.
The Goddards were moving
East and could not take her. Grace Goddard worried about Norma Jeane having to return to the orphanage, so she spoke to the mother of
James Dougherty. Mrs. Dougherty approached her son, who agreed to take Norma Jeane out on dates, paid for by Grace . They married two weeks after she turned 16.
|
A typical photograph from the early years of Monroe's career |
Early years
While her ohusband served in the
Merchant Marines during
World War II, Norma Jeane Dougherty moved in with her mother-in-law, and started to work in the
Radioplane Company factory (owned by Hollywood actor
Reginald Denny) spraying airplane parts with fire retardant and inspecting
parachutes. Army photographer David Conover scouted local factories taking photos for a
YANK magazine article about women contributing to the war effort. He saw her potential as a
model and she was soon signed by The Blue Book
modelling agency. In his book "Finding Marilyn", Conover claims the two had an affair that lasted years.
She became one of their most successful models, appearing on dozens of
magazine covers. In 1946 she came to the attention of
talent scout Ben Lyon. He arranged a
screen test for her with
20th Century Fox. She passed and was offered a standard six-month contract with a starting
salary of $75 per week.
Lyon suggested "Marilyn" (after
Marilyn Miller) to be her stage name, since Norma Jeane wasn't considered commercial enough. She came up with her mother's maiden name "Monroe". Thus the twenty-year old Norma Jeane Baker became "Marilyn Monroe". During her first half-a-year at Fox, Monroe was given no work. Instead, she learned about hair, make-up, costumes, acting and lighting. After six months Fox renewed her contract. She was given minor appearances in
Scudda Hoo! Scudda Hay! and
Dangerous Years, both released in 1947. In
Scudda Hoo!, her face wasn't even visible. Both films failed at the
box office and Fox decided not to renew her contract again. Monroe returned to modelling and began to
network and make contacts in
Hollywood.
In 1948, a six-month stint at
Columbia Pictures saw her star in
Ladies of the Chorus, but the low-budget musical was not a success and Monroe was dropped yet again. She then met one of Hollywood's top agents, Johnny Hyde, who had Fox re-sign her after
MGM had turned her down. Fox Vice-President
Darryl F. Zanuck was not convinced of Monroe's potential. However, due to Hyde's persistence, she gained supporting parts in
All About Eve and
The Asphalt Jungle. Even though the roles were small, movie-goers as well as critics took notice.
The next two years were filled with inconsequential roles in standard fare such as
We're Not Married! and
Love Nest. However,
RKO executives used her to boost
box office potential of the
Fritz Lang production
Clash By Night. After the film performed well,
Fox employed a similar tactic and she was cast as the ditzy
receptionist in the
Cary Grant/
Ginger Rogers comedy
Monkey Business. Critics no longer ignored her, and both films' success at the
box office was partly attributed to Monroe's growing popularity.
Fox finally gave her a starring role in 1952 with
Don't Bother to Knock, in which she portrayed a deranged
babysitter who attacks the little girl in her care. It was a cheaply made
B-movie, and although the reviews were mixed, many claimed that it demonstrated Monroe's ability and confirmed that she was ready for more leading roles. Her performance in the film has since been noted as one of the finest of her career by many
critics.[
1]
Stardom
|
Monroe's role in the thriller Niagara gave her credibility as a dramatic actress, but her career would follow a comedy-orientated path. |
Monroe proved she could carry a big-budget film when she received star billing for
Niagara in 1953. Movie critics focused on Monroe's connection with the camera as much as the sinister plot.
She played the part of an unbalanced woman of easy virtue who is planning to murder her husband.
Around this time,
nude photos of Monroe began to surface, taken by photographer Tom Kelley when she had been struggling for work. Prints were bought by
Hugh Hefner and in December 1953 appeared in the first edition of
Playboy. To the dismay of
Fox, Monroe decided to publicly admit it was indeed her posing in the pictures. To a journalist asking what she had on during the photoshoot, she replied: "The
radio." When asked what she wore in bed, she said: "
Chanel No. 5".
Over the following months,
Gentlemen Prefer Blondes and
How To Marry A Millionaire cemented Monroe's status as an
A-List screen
actress and she became one of the world's biggest
movie stars. The lavish
Technicolor comedy films established Monroe's "dumb blonde" on-screen
persona.
In
Gentlemen Prefer Blondes, Monroe's turn as the gold-digging showgirl Lorelei Lee won her rave reviews [
2], and the scene where she sings "Diamonds Are a Girl's Best Friend" has had an impact on popular culture, inspiring the likes of
Madonna and
Kylie Minogue. In the Los Angeles premiere of the film, Monroe and co-star
Jane Russell pressed their foot- and handprints in the cemented forecourt of
Grauman's Chinese Theatre.
In
How to Marry a Millionaire, Monroe was teamed up with
Lauren Bacall and
Betty Grable. She played a short-sighted dumb blonde, and even though the role was stereotype, critics took note of her comedic timing.
Her next two films, the western
River of No Return and the musical
There's No Business Like Show Business, were not successful. Monroe got tired of the roles that Zanuck assigned her. After completing work on
The Seven Year Itch in early 1955, she broke her contract and fled Hollywood to study acting at
The Actors Studio in
New York. Fox would not accede on her contract demands and insisted she return to start work on productions she considered inappropriate, such as
The Girl in Pink Tights (which was never filmed),
The Girl in the Red Velvet Swing, and
How to Be Very, Very Popular.
|
A famous scene from the film The Seven Year Itch, in which Monroe's character has her skirt blown upwards revealing her underwear. This has grown to become an iconic moment for Monroe. On the left is Tom Ewell. |
Monroe refused to appear in these films and stayed in New York. As
The Seven Year Itch raced to the top of the box office in the summer of 1955, and with Fox starlets
Jayne Mansfield and
Sheree North failing to click with audience, Zanuck admitted defeat and Monroe triumphantly returned to Hollywood. A new contract was drawn up, giving Monroe an approval of the director as well as the option to act in other studios' projects.
The first film to be made under the contract was
Bus Stop, directed by
Joshua Logan. She performed the role of Chérie [
3], a
saloon bar singer who falls in love with a cowboy, Monroe deliberately appeared badly made-up and non-glamorous.
She was nominated for a
Golden Globe for the performance and praised by critics.
Bosley Crowther of
The New York Times proclaimed: "Hold on to your chairs, everybody, and get set for a rattling surprise. Marilyn Monroe has finally proved herself an actress."
Monroe formed her own
production company with friend and photographer
Milton H. Greene. Marilyn Monroe Productions released its first and only film
The Prince and the Showgirl in 1957 to mixed reviews. Along with executive-producing the film, she starred opposite the acclaimed
British actor
Laurence Olivier, who directed it.
Olivier got furious at her habit of being late to the set, as well as her dependency on her drama coach,
Paula Strasberg. While Monroe's reputation in the
film industry for being difficult grew, her performance was hailed by critics, especially in Europe, where she was handed the David di Donatello, the Italian equivalent of the
Academy Award, as well as the French Crystal Star Award. She was also nominated for the British
BAFTA award.
Later years
In 1959 she scored the biggest hit of her career starring alongside
Tony Curtis and
Jack Lemmon in
Billy Wilder's comedy
Some Like It Hot. After shooting finished, Wilder publicly blasted Monroe for her difficult on-set behavior. Soon, however, Wilder's attitude softened, and he hailed her a great comedienne.
Some Like It Hot is consistently rated as one of the best films ever made.
Monroe's performance earned her a
Golden Globe for best actress in musical or comedy.
After
Some Like It Hot, Monroe shot
Let's Make Love directed by
George Cukor and co-starring
Yves Montand. Monroe, Montand and Cukor all considered the script subpar, yet Monroe was forced to shoot the picture because of her obligations to Twentieth Century Fox. While the film was not a commercial or critical success, it included one of Monroe's legendary musical numbers,
Cole Porter's "My Heart Belongs to Daddy".
Arthur Miller wrote what became her and her co-star
Clark Gable's last completed film,
The Misfits. The exhausting shoot took place in the hot
Nevada desert. Monroe's tardiness became chronic and the shoot was troublesome. Despite this, Monroe, Gable and
Montgomery Clift delivered performances that are considered excellent by contemporary movie critics.
Monroe became friends with Clift, with whom she felt a deep connection. Some blamed Gable's death of a
heart attack on Monroe, claiming she had given him a hard time on the set. Gable, however, insisted on doing his own stunts and was a heavy smoker. After his death, Monroe attended the baptism of his son.
Some of the most famous photographs of her were taken by
Douglas Kirkland in 1961 as a feature for the 25th anniversary issue of
LOOK magazine.
Monroe returned to Hollywood to resume filming on the George Cukor comedy
Something's Got to Give. In May 1962, she made her last significant public appearance, singing
Happy Birthday, Mr. President at a televised birthday party for
President John F. Kennedy. After shooting what was claimed to have been the first ever nude scene by a major motion picture actress, Monroe's attendance became even more erratic.
Already in a financial strain due to production costs of
Cleopatra, starring
Elizabeth Taylor, Fox dropped Monroe from the film and replaced her with
Lee Remick. However, co-star
Dean Martin was unwilling to work with anyone else but Monroe. She was rehired.
Monroe conducted a lengthy interview with
Life Magazine, in which she expressed how bitter she was about Hollywood labeling her as a dumb blonde and how much she loved her audience.
She also did a photo shoot for
Vogue, and began discussing a future film project with
Gene Kelly and
Frank Sinatra, as stated in the Donald Spoto biography. Furthermore, she was planning to star in a biopic as
Jean Harlow. Other projects being considered for her were
What a Way to Go! and a musical version of
A Tree Grows In Brooklyn.
Before the shooting of
Something's Got to Give resumed, Monroe was found dead in her Los Angeles home, on the morning of
August 5,
1962. She remains one of the 20th century's most legendary public figures and archetypal
Hollywood movie stars.
James Dougherty
Monroe married
James Dougherty on
June 19,
1942. In
The Secret Happiness of Marilyn Monroe and
To Norma Jeane with Love, Jimmie, he claimed they were in love but dreams of stardom lured her away. She always maintained theirs was a
marriage of convenience arranged by Grace Goddard. She was reportedly furious when he wrote in a 1953
Photoplay piece called "Marilyn Monroe Was My Wife" that she threatened to jump off the
Santa Monica Pier if he left her. He appeared on
To Tell the Truth in
April 7,
1967 as "Marilyn Monroe's real first husband". He sold his books on his website.
In the 2004
documentary Marilyn's Man, Dougherty made three new claims: he was her
Svengali and invented the "Marilyn Monroe" persona, studio executives forced her to divorce him, and that he was her true love. The evidence does not support this. He remarried in 1947. When informed of her death, the
August 6,
1962 New York Times reported he replied "I'm sorry," and continued his
LAPD patrol; he did not attend her
funeral. Contrary to his later claims that he did not mind that she modeled, his sister wrote in the 12/1952
Modern Screen Magazine that Dougherty left Norma Jeane because she wanted to pursue modeling. He admitted to
A&E Network that his mother asked him to marry her, and told
Lifetime in 1996 he cut off her allotment after being served with divorce papers. Perhaps more telling, the 1999
Christie's auction of Monroe's estate revealed she kept nothing from Dougherty except their divorce decree. He died from
leukemia complications on
August 15,
2005.
|
Joe DiMaggio and Monroe on their wedding day, January 14, 1954 |
Joe DiMaggio
In 1951
Joe DiMaggio saw a picture of Monroe with two
Chicago White Sox players, but did not ask the man who arranged the stunt to set up a
date until 1952. She wrote in
My Story that she did not want to meet him, fearing a
stereotypical jock. They
eloped at
San Francisco's
City Hall on
January 14,
1954. During the honeymoon, she was asked to visit
Korea. She performed ten shows over four days in freezing temperatures for over 100,000 servicemen. Biographers have noted that DiMaggio was not pleased with his wife's decision during what he wanted to be an intimate trip.
Back home, she wrote him a letter about her dreams for their future, dated
February 28,
1954:
"My Dad, I don't know how to tell you just how much I miss you. I love you till my heart could burst... I want to just be where you are and be just what you want me to be... I want someday for you to be proud of me as a person and as your wife and as the mother of the rest of your children (two at least! I've decided)..."DiMaggio biographer Maury Allen quoted
New York Yankees PR man Arthur Richman that Joe told him everything went wrong from the trip to Japan on. Fred Lawrence Guiles speculated that Joe, knowing the power and hollowness of fame, wanted desperately to head off what he was convinced was her "collision-course with disaster." Friends claimed that DiMaggio became more controlling as Monroe grew more defiant . On
September 14,
1954, she filmed the now-iconic skirt-blowing scene for
The Seven Year Itch in front of New York's
Trans-Lux Theater. Bill Kobrin, then-Fox's east coast correspondent, told the June 26, 2006
Palm Springs Desert Sun that it was
Billy Wilder's idea to turn it into a media circus: "... every time her dress came up and the crowd started to get excited, DiMaggio just blew up." The couple later had a "yelling battle" in the theater lobby.
Her makeup man Allan Snyder recalled Monroe later appeared on set with bruises on her upper arms . She filed for divorce on grounds of
mental cruelty 274 days after the wedding.
Even before her separation from
Arthur Miller, the state of her mental health was publicly speculated on. In February 1961, her
psychiatrist arranged for her to be admitted to the
Payne Whitney Psychiatric Clinic, where, according to Donald Spoto, she was placed in the ward for the most seriously disturbed. Unable to check herself out, she called DiMaggio, who secured her release. She later joined him in
Florida. Their "just good friends" claim did not stop rumors of remarriage. Archive footage shows
Bob Hope jokingly dedicated
Best Song nominee
The Second Time Around to them at the 1960
Academy Awards telecast, .
According to Maury Allen, on
August 1,
1962 DiMaggio - alarmed by how his ex-wife had fallen in with people he felt detrimental to her, such as
Frank Sinatra and his "
Rat Pack" - quit his job with a
PX supplier to ask her to remarry him. He claimed her body and arranged her funeral, barring Hollywood's elite. For 20 years, he had a dozen red
roses delivered to her crypt three times a week. Unlike her other two husbands, he never talked about her publicly, wrote a tell-all, nor remarried. He died on
March 8,
1999, of
lung cancer.
Arthur Miller
On
June 29,
1956, Monroe married playwright
Arthur Miller, whom she had first met in 1951, in a civil ceremony in
White Plains,
New York. Nominally raised as a Christian, she converted to
Judaism before marrying Miller. After she finished shooting
The Prince and the Showgirl, the couple returned to the States from
England and discovered she was
pregnant. However, she suffered from
endometriosis and the pregnancy was found to be
ectopic. A subsequent pregnancy ended in
miscarriage, as noted in the Monroe biographies written by Anthony Summers, Fred Lawrence Guiles, and Donald Spoto.
By 1958, she was the couple's main breadwinner. While paying
alimony to Miller's first wife, her husband reportedly charged her production company for buying and shipping a
Jaguar to the United States.
Miller's screenplay for
The Misfits was meant to be a
Valentine gift for his wife, but by the time filming started in 1960 their marriage was broken beyond repair. A
Mexican divorce was granted on
January 24,
1961. On
February 17,
1962, Miller married
Inge Morath, one of the
Magnum photographers recording the making of
The Misfits.
In January 1964, Miller's play
After the Fall opened, featuring a beautiful and devouring shrew named Maggie. The similarities between Maggie and Monroe did not go unnoticed by audiences and critics (including
Helen Hayes), many of whom sympathized with the fact that she was no longer alive and could not defend herself .
Simone Signoret noted in her autobiography the morbidity of Miller and
Elia Kazan resuming their professional association "over a casket". In interviews and in his
autobiography, Miller insisted that Maggie was not based on Monroe. However, he never pretended that his last
Broadway-bound work,
Finishing the Picture, was not based on the making of
The Misfits. He told
Vanity Fair the she was "highly self-destructive" and what "killed" her was not some conspiracy, but the fact that she was Marilyn Monroe . He died on
February 10,
2005, at the age of 89.
Monroe was found dead in the bedroom of her
Brentwood, California home by her housekeeper
Eunice Murray on
August 5,
1962. She was 36 years old. Her death was ruled as an overdose of sleeping pills. Several conspiracy theories have been brought up around the circumstances, some involving the president JFK. Cover-up has been a main topic for discussion.
Monroe is buried at Corridor of Memories, #24, at the
Westwood Village Memorial Park Cemetery in
Los Angeles, California.
Administration of estate
In her
will, Monroe left
Lee Strasberg control of 75% of her estate. She expressed her desire that Strasberg, or, if he predeceased her, her executor, "distribute (her personal effects) among my friends, colleagues and those to whom I am devoted."
Strasberg willed his portion to his widow, Anna. She declared she would never sell Monroe's personal items after successfully suing Odyssey Auctions in 1994 to prevent the sale of items which were withheld by Monroe's former business manager, Inez Melson. However, in October 1999
Christie's auctioned the bulk of the items Monroe willed to Lee Strasberg, netting $12.3 million USD. Julien's staged a second auction in 2005.
Anna Strasberg is currently in litigation against the children of four photographers to determine rights of publicity, which permits the licensing of images of deceased personages for commercial purposes. The decision as to whether Marilyn was a resident of
California, where she died, or
New York, where her will was probated, is worth millions.
*
Haugesund,
Norway - the hometown of Martin Edward Mortensen - has a lifesize statue of Marilyn by artist Nils Aas.
*Monroe's looks were used for inspiration for a character in a comic book story featuring
Lee Falk's
The Phantom, where she appeared as the character of "Marabella", wife of the 1st Phantom. Previously, both
Jane Russell and
Rita Hayworth had been used.
* Childhood pictures show that Monroe was a
blonde, but her hair turned "mousy" as she grew up. She dyed her hair several different shades of blonde as an adult.
* Famous fans of Monroe include
Albert Einstein,
Ayn Rand,
Jean-Paul Sartre,
Edith Sitwell, and
Vladimir Nabokov.
*
Colin Farrell admitted that as a child he would put
sweets under his pillow for Monroe in case she visited from
heaven.
* When
Rainier III of Monaco was looking for a wife, Monroe was suggested.
* Her features are
copyrighted to her
estate and are not allowed to be reproduced exactly.
* A convert to Judaism after her marriage to Arthur Miller, she peppered her conversation with
Yiddishisms.
* She had a mild
stutter, which was most severe during her
teens.
* Her first
screen test was shot by
cinematographer Leon Shamroy.
*
Hugh Hefner bought the crypt next to Monroe. There are no empty spots available near her.
* The myth Monroe was born with
eleven toes resulted from photos in
The Birth of Marilyn by Joseph Jasgur, and is dismissed as an
urban legend.
* She was crowned Miss
Artichoke 1948 at
Castroville, California's Artichoke Festival.
* She was a roommate of
Shelley Winters.
* Allan Grant took the last pictures of Monroe during an interview for
Life magazine on
July 7,
1962.
* Among those she allegedly had affairs with:
President John F. Kennedy,
Robert F. Kennedy, and
Frank Sinatra.
Marlon Brando claimed in his autobiography they had a
one-night stand.
*
Frank Sinatra gave her a
Maltese puppy she named "Maf", supposedly short for "Mafia".
* The
beauty mark above her mouth was a very pale mole she darkened.
*
Truman Capote wanted her for
Holly Golightly in the
film adaptation of
Breakfast At Tiffany's.
* She purportedly shaved a quarter-inch off her right
high-heeled shoes to accentuate her walk.
*
Ella Fitzgerald credited Monroe with helping her break the colour barrier and launching her career into the mainstream. "It was because of [Marilyn Monroe] that I played the [heretofore segregated]
Mocambo. She personally called the owner ... and told him she wanted me booked immediately, and if he would do it, she would take a front table every night. She told him â€" and it was true, due to Marilyn's superstar status â€" that the press would go wild. The owner said yes, and Marilyn was there, front table, every night. The press went overboard… After that, I never had to play a small jazz club again. She was an unusual woman â€" a little ahead of her time. And didn't she know it." [
4]
* The diamonds she wore in
Diamonds Are A Girl's Best Friend were
rhinestones.
* The gown Monroe wore to sing happy birthday to
John F. Kennedy sold for over $1,500,000 at
Christie's in 1999.
*When the Mocambo, a "whites only" nightclub in Los Angeles, refused to hire jazz vocalist Ella Fitzgerald in fear of offending their bigoted patrons, Marilyn persuaded the management to book the talented singer by agreeing to be present each night of the engagement to attract crowds.
*Marilyn was pregnant during the filming of Some Like It Hot & miscarried a male child in December 1958. She had miscarried twice before during her marriage to Arthur Miller & suffered from chronic endometriosis, a gynecological condition that prevented her from carrying a child to term.
*Marilyn was one of the few performers of her generation to create her own motion picture production company. Along with business partner, Milton Greene, she co-produced Bus Stop (1956) & produced The Prince and the Showgirl. She received a Golden Globe nomination for "Best Actress" for her performance in Bus Stop.
*Marilyn's personal library contained over 400 books on topics ranging from art, history, psychology, philosophy, literature, religion, poetry & gardening. Many of the volumes, auctioned in 1999, bore Marilyn's pencil notations in the margins.
* 1952
Photoplay Award: Special Award
* 1953 Photoplay Award: Most Popular Female Star
* 1956
BAFTA Film Award nomination: Best Foreign Actress for
The Seven Year Itch* 1956
Golden Globe nomination: Best Motion Picture Actress in Comedy or Musical for
Bus Stop* 1958 BAFTA Film Award nomination: Best Foreign Actress for
The Prince and the Showgirl* 1958 David di Donatello Award (Italian): Golden Plate for
The Prince and the Showgirl* 1959
Crystal Star Award (French): Best Foreign Actress for
The Prince and the Showgirl* 1960 Golden Globe, Best Motion Picture Actress in Comedy or Musical for
Some Like It Hot* 1962 Golden Globe, World Film Favorite: Female
* Star on the
Hollywood Walk of Fame 6104 Hollywood Blvd.
NOTE: In the interest of conserving space, only people or works or organizations with articles in Wikipedia are cited; the following is not meant to be comprehensive.
*
Drew Barrymore posed as Marilyn for the September 1996 issue of
John F. Kennedy, Jr.'s
George;
*1999:
E! Online's Sex Symbol of the Century;
*1995:
Empire's Sexiest Female Movie Star;
*
Rudolph Giuliani dressed as Marilyn and cooed "Happy birthday, Mr. President" at the Inner Circle Show on
March 1,
1997;
* In
John Irving's
A Prayer for Owen Meany;
* Marian McKnight won the 1957
Miss America crown with a Marilyn act;
* 1999:
People magazine's Sexiest Woman of the Century;
*1998:
Playboy's #1 Sex Star of the Century;
*
The Seven Year Itch "subway grate" scene has been aped countless times:
Absolut vodka,
Betty Boop,
Donna Summer,
Anna Kournikova,
Perrier,
Anna Nicole Smith, and the
Statue of Liberty;
* Computer-generated Monroe in
The Sims: Superstar;
* The first stamp in the
USPS's "Legends of Hollywood" series;
Music
* "Forgive and Forget" by
Alien Ant Farm;
*
Tori Amos's "Father Lucifer",
Billy Joel's
We Didn't Start the Fire,
Jennifer Lopez's "
I'm Gonna Be Alright" and Madonna's "
Vogue" reference Marilyn and DiMaggio;
* "Don't Pray On Me" by
Bad Religion;
* On the jacket of
The Beatles'
Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band;
*
Dan Bern's "Marilyn";
*
David Bowie referenced her in the song '
The Jean Genie', she also is portrayed in the video by an actress ;
*
Mariah Carey bought Monroe's piano at
Christie's 1999, and copys her in "
I Still Believe" and "
Don't Forget About Us";
* "Photograph" by
Def Leppard is an homage to Marilyn; she is "featured" in its video;
* "Here's Lookin At You" by
Every Time I Die;
*
Elton John's
Candle in the Wind was about Marilyn.
Bernie Taupin revised the lyrics for the funeral of
Princess Diana; that version became the #1 best-selling single of all time;
*
Kerry Katona played Marilyn in the
Stars in Their Eyes 2002
Christmas Special;
* In
Kool and the Gang's video for "Fresh", Marilyn "plays" the Fairy Godmother;
* "Unforgiven" by
Tracey Lawrence;
*
Annie Lennox dressed as Marilyn in the video "I Need a Man";
*
Madonna's
Material Girl pays homage to "Diamonds Are a Girl's Best Friend";
*
Manic Street Preachers' "So Dead". On the cover of
You Love Us (Heavenly) and quoted in the liner notes;
*
Marilyn Manson took his first name as a homage to her;
*
The Misfits took their name from
The Misfits.
Glenn Danzig wrote and recorded
Who Killed Marilyn?;
*
Michael Monroe of
Hanoi Rocks based his stage name on Monroe;
*
Nelly's
Tilt Ya Head Back,
Christina Aguilera is dressed as Monroe in
Some Like It Hot;
*
Norma Jean got their name from her real name;
* "This Long Silence" by
Porcupine Tree;
*
Power Station took its title for "Some Like It Hot" from
Some Like It Hot;
*
Sonic Youth's "Sugar Kane" is named after her
Some Like It Hot character;
*
Sammi Smith's
Norma Jean (1978);
*
Spice Girls' "Lady is a Vamp";
*
Gwen Stefani is made-up as Monroe in
Cool;
* "The Natural Thing" by
Bryan White;
* Both Christina Aguilera and Lindsay Lohan were inspired by Monroe's look.
Film
*
Bordello of Blood (
Vampire seductress takes the form of Monroe)
*
Bruce Almighty (Bruce makes a woman's dress blow up, Ă la
The Seven Year Itch)
*
Cool World (
Kim Basinger's character is partially based on Monroe)
*
Dickie Roberts: Former Child Star (Dickie encounters a Monroe impersonator)
*
Don't Tell Mom the Babysitter's Dead (Monroe drag queen steals a car)
*
The Dreamers (Monroe's face is taped over that of a bare-breasted lady in a painting)
*
Fade to Black (disturbed young man with a Monroe obsession stalks a girl who looks like her)
*
Grease 2 (
Lorna Luft's character has a Marilyn fixation)
*
Holy Matrimony (
Patricia Arquette's character impersonates Monroe in her act)
*
Knight-Mare Hare (
Bugs Bunny squares off against wizard Merlin Monroe)
*
Moulin Rouge! (
Nicole Kidman's character performs "Diamonds are a Girl's Best Friend")
*
Pulp Fiction (Monroe look-a-like is a waitress in a 50s-themed restaurant)
*
The Shawshank Redemption (
Tim Robbins's character has a poster of her in his jail cell)
*
Town and Country (
Jenna Elfman dresses as Monroe)
*
Wayne's World (Wayne apes her performance of "Happy Birthday, Mr. President")
*
White Palace (
Susan Sarandon's character is a Monroe fan)
*
The Woman in Red (
Kelly LeBrock apes the subway grate scene from
The Seven Year Itch)
*
Wonder Boys (
Richard Thomas's character is obsessed by the Monroe/DiMaggio marriage)
Portrayed in:
*
Calendar Girl (1993)
*
Death Becomes Her (1992)
*
The Island (1998) (
Sally Kirkland)
*
L.A. Confidential (1997)
*
Mister Lonely (2006) (
Samantha Morton)
Based on her:
*
Paddy Chayefsky's
The Goddess (1958) played by
Kim StanleyTelevision
*
The Beverly Hillbillies: "Jed Buys A Movie Studio,"
Elly May impersonates Monroe;
*
The Ernie Kovacs Show:
Edie Adams regulary impersonated Monroe;
*
Futurama:
I Dated a Robot, Monroe is a
robot;
*
Gilligan's Island: "The Producer,"
Ginger impersonates Monroe;
*
I Love Lucy: "Ricky's Movie Offer,"
Lucy glams up as Monroe;
*
Lizzie McGuire and Miranda watch
Some Like It Hot at their cinema club (season 2);
*
Married... With Children: "It's a Bundyful Life," Al asks his
guardian angel (
Sam Kinison) if Monroe is laughing at him because he gave in to Peg's demand he toss out his
Playboys: "She doesn't even know you're alive!";
*
M*A*S*H: "Bombshells," Hawkeye and Charles start a rumor that Monroe is coming to thank the staff for caring for her cousin;
*
The Name's the Same:
November 19,
1952 and
January 12,
1954 had a contestant whose actual name was Marilyn Monroe;
June 22,
1954 guest
Van Johnson's "secret wish" was for Marilyn to sit on his lap;
August 31,
1954 guest
Charles Coburn's "secret wish" was to dance the
rumba with her again as he did in
Gentlemen Prefer Blondes;
* 1995 movie
The Price of Heaven,
Grant Show is a G.I. who returns home famous after being photographed with Monroe during her Korea trip;
*
Roseanne: Nancy (
Sandra Bernhard) dresses as Marilyn for a
Halloween party;
*
Saturday Night Live:
Charlize Theron played Monroe in a spoof of the
Seven Year Itch;
Mary Gross played Monroe as a recurring
SNL character;
Madonna recreated '
Happy Birthday, Mr. President';
*
The Simpsons:
**
Beyond Blunderdome,
Mel Gibson coos "Happy Birthday, Mr. President" to a studio honcho;
**
A Fish Called Selma, Homer imagines Selma as Monroe;
**
Professor Frink's father worked on the
atom bomb by day, slept with Marilyn by night, and sold secrets to the
Russians at lunch.
**
Home Away From Homer, Ned apes the subway grate scene;
**
The Homer They Fall The World's Greatest Jacket in has Monroe on it;
**
Homer's Phobia,
John Waters's character has a poster of Monroe;
**
Marvin Monroe's real first name was Marilyn;
**
Rosebud, Smithers dreams of Burns cooing "Happy Birthday, Mr. Smithers," and a photo slide of Burns shows him aping the subway grate scene;
**
Thirty Minutes Over Tokyo, Monroe is a
robot in Americatown, with
E.T. pointing up her skirt;
*
What's My Line?:
August 21,
1960,
Buddy Hackett signed in as Monroe;
Portrayed in:
*
Blonde 2001
CBS miniseries (
Poppy Montgomery)
*
Curb Your Enthusiasm episode "The End"
*
Dark Skies episode "The Warren Omission"
*
Growing Pains episode "Happy Halloween: Part 2"
*
Hoover vs. the Kennedys: The Second Civil War 1987 (
Heather Thomas)
*
Introducing Dorothy Dandridge 1999
HBO*
Marilyn: The Untold Story 1980 ABC (
Catherine Hicks)
*
Norma Jean & Marilyn 1996,
HBO*
Quantum Leap episode "Goodbye Norma Jean: April 4, 1960"
*
The Rat Pack 1998
HBO*
Red Dwarf episodes "Better Than Life" and "Meltdown"
*
Marilyn & Bobby: Her Final Affair 1993 [[USA Network|USA]] imagines a tryst between Marilyn (
Melody Anderson) and
Robert F. Kennedy* "This Year's Blonde" 1980
NBC miniseries Moviola (
Constance Forslund)
Based on her:
*
Alvah Bessie's
The Sex Symbol 1974
ABC with
Connie Stevens and
Shelley WintersArt
|
Andy Warhol's iconic Marilyn Monroe Diptych |
Artists who have used Marilyn as a basis of their work:
*
Peter Blake's
Marilyn Monroe Over a Painting No 1 1989-1990;
Marilyn Monroe Wall No 2 and
MM Red Yellow 1990;
M for Marilyn Monroe and
H.O.M.A.G.E. â€" JJ MM RR KS 1991
*
Bruce Conner's
Marilyn Times Five*
Douglas Gordon's
As Kurt Cobain, as Andy Warhol, as Myra Hindley, as Marilyn Monroe 1996
*
Richard Hamilton's
My Marilyn 1966
*
Ray Johnson's
Dear Marilyn Monroe*
Willem de Kooning's
Marilyn Monroe 1954
*
Gina Lollobrigida's
My Friend Marilyn Monroe*
Yasumasa Morimura's
After Marilyn Monroe 1996
*
LeRoy Neiman's
The President's Birthday 1962
*
Mel Ramos's
Peek-a-boo Marilyn 2002
*
Faith Ringgold's
Marilyn Monroe 1997
*
James Rosenquist's
Marilyn Monroe I 1962
*
George Segal's
The Film Poster 1967
*
Richard Serra's
Marilyn Monroe-Greta Garbo 1981
*
Andy Warhol's
Marilyn Monroe Diptych 1962
Photography
*
American Photo devoted its May/June 1997 issue to her.
*
Eve Arnold,
Richard Avedon,
George Barris,
Peter Basch,
Cecil Beaton,
Henri Cartier-Bresson,
John Bryson,
Cornell Capa,
Jock Carroll,
Alfred Eisenstaedt,
Elliott Erwitt,
Robert Frank,
Milton H. Greene,
Ernst Haas,
Philippe Halsman,
Douglas Kirkland,
Harold Lloyd,
Inge Morath,
Arnold Newman,
Gordon Parks,
Bert Stern,
Weegee and
Garry Winogrand are among those who shot Monroe. The
American Masters "Marilyn Monroe: Still Life" claims she was the most photographed person in history. [
5]
*
Marie Claire (September 2002) of Marilyn visiting the troops in
Korea: she "made even military-issue jackets sexy."
Stage
Based on her:
* Rita Marlowe in the 1955
Broadway play
Will Success Spoil Rock Hunter by
George Axelrod* Maggie in the 1964 play
After the Fall, and Kay in the 2004 play
Finishing the Picture by
Arthur MillerAs a Character:
* Saintly icon in
The Who's
TommyBooks
According to
The Guardian, there are nearly 300 biographies on Marilyn in
English alone; the following are fictional takes:
*
Candle in the Wind by George Bernau;
*
The Symbol by
Alvah Bessie;
*
The Possibility of Dreaming on a Night Without Stars by Michael Kaufman;
*
The Immortals by
Michael Korda;
*
Of Women and Their Elegance by
Norman Mailer;
*
Blonde by
Joyce Carol Oates;
*
Marilyn's Daughter by
John Rechy;
*
Queen of Desire by Sam Toperoff;
1992 Songs from the Movies
1992 Marilyn Monroe (Hollywood Soundstage)
1996 I Wanna Be Loved By You
1997 Marilyn Monroe [Box Set] [Import]
1997 The Essential Recordings
1998 Movie Hits [Import]
1998 Marilyn Monroe [Import]
1998 Great [Import]
1998 Movie Hits
1999 Best Selection [Import]
1999 Happy Birthday Mr. President [Import]
1999 The Very Best Of
2000 Diamonds are a Girl best Friend [Import]
2000 Goddess
*
Haunted Hollywood* Examines Marilyn's stature as an icon.
* Marilyn's "love affair" with the camera.
* Explores Western Civilization's fixation with Marilyn.
* Reissue of a biography cited in this article.
* His controversial take on Marilyn.
* Reprint of Marilyn's memoirs, ghost-written by Ben Hecht; introduction by
Andrea Dworkin.
* Scholarly look at Marilyn's films.
* Biography cited in this article.
* Alleged transcripts of Monroe's therapy sessions.
* Examines Marilyn's influence on numerous artists.
* Vitacco-Robles, Gary (2003). Cursum Perficio: Marilyn Monroe's Brentwood Hacienda: The Story of Her Final Months. IUniverse. ISBN 0595010822
*
Marilyn Monroe at Classic Actresses*
The Maite Minguez Ricart Collection*
Official Marilyn Monroe website*
Marilyn Monroe: The Diamond Collection*
Marilyn Monroe: The Diamond Collection Volume II* Google Images:
Marilyn Monroe*
TIME 100:
Marilyn Monroe* Online community:
Marilyn Monroe Forums*
Marilyn Monroe's biographic sketch at
Find A Grave*
Coverage of Monroe's death and aftermath by the
Los Angeles Times, with links to further archive material.
* Claims by former Los Angeles prosecutor John W. Miner regarding Monroe's death: [
6] [
7]
* The first Marilyn Monroe podcast :
My Marilyn*
An Evening with Marilyn Monroe - Photographs by Doug Kirkland*
Spotlight Marilyn Monroe*
Marilyn Monroe Scrapbook*
Filming Location of "NIAGARA"{{Persondata
NAME=Monroe, Marilyn | ALTERNATIVE NAMES=Norma Jeane Mortenson | SHORT DESCRIPTION=American actress | DATE OF BIRTH=June 1, 1926 | PLACE OF BIRTH=Los Angeles, California | DATE OF DEATH=August 5, 1962 | PLACE OF DEATH=Brentwood, California
| 
