Happy 97th Birthday Marilyn Monroe

by John Charet

A polite reminder before reading this blog entry of mine 🙂 I will not tolerate any insults or negativity towards my subject of this post. This blog entry is strictly for dyed-in-the-wool Marilyn Monroe fans like myself or fans in general. So once again, please be kind 🙂

This Happy Birthday blog entry is dedicated to Classical Hollywood era icon Marilyn Monroe, who would have been 97 years-old today on June 1. In other words, I would like to wish a very Happy Birthday to Marilyn Monroe. Considering that her tragic life has been dwelled upon endlessly, misunderstood by men and women alike (well-intentioned or otherwise), not to mention exploited, I am dedicating this entry solely to Marilyn Monroe’s achievements onscreen. For myself, Marilyn Monroe is truly the embodiment of a goddess. In other words, Monroe is an iconic sex symbol, who succeeds brilliantly at both comedy and drama. When it came to the former, Marilyn Monroe took the stereotypical dumb blonde (a term I hate) persona of her characters and deconstructed it. For example, click here to see what I mean. To put it in other words, it is us viewers, who come off as the bumbling idiots for thinking that she was one 🙂 I could link to many others, but for me, no other comedy of Monroe’s demonstrates her deconstruction of the aforementioned trope given to her more perfectly than in Gentlemen Prefer Blondes. As for the latter, Monroe displayed her dramatic chops masterfully in quite a few films. Once again, I could ramble on and on, but If I had to single out my number one favorite in terms of drama, it would be her performance as Cherie in Bus Stop. Check out Monroe’s bus conversation scene by clicking here and her rendition of That Old Black Magic by clicking here. Speaking of which, my number one favorite Monroe rendition also happens to be her most iconic – Diamonds Are a Girl’s Best Friend. The number features Monroe wearing a shocking pink dress (designed by William Travilla) singing about her love of diamonds surrounded by adoring men dressed in suits and bow ties (and much more). Click here to watch the link – the number begins at the 0:50 mark. Cover versions post-1953 range from Lena Horne to Megan Thee Stallion (read here). In addition, entertainers ranging from singer Madonna to actress Margot Robbie (read here) have not only paid homage to Gentlemen Prefer Blondes aforementioned musical number, but also wore pink dresses similar to the one Monroe was dressed in while performing it.

Before I share with you dear readers all of my favorite Marilyn Monroe films, I would like to show you all some links below.

Here is a link to an appreciation of Gentlemen Prefer Blondes by one of my many favorite female writers, which in this case is the Chicago-based film aficionado Caroline Siede

Here is a youtube video link to another iconic number from the film entitled Two Little Girls from Little Rock

My UK readers may have seen the above musical number parodied by British comediennes Dawn French and Jennifer Saunders on the long running sketch comedy series French and Saunders – click here

Here is a youtube video link to legendary French actress Catherine Deneuve and her late older sister Francoise Dorleac performing the song Chanson d’un jour d’ete (Summer Day Song) in Jacques Demy’s 1967 musical masterpiece The Young Girls of Rochefort. In the film, the two actresses play twins. The musical number and the dresses worn by the two leading ladies are subtly similar (If not completely) to how Two Little Girls from Little Rock was performed. Click here to view the dubbed in English version.

Here is a youtube video link to musician Madonna’s 1985 Material Girl music video, which references the Diamonds Are a Girl’s Best Friend musical number

Here is a youtube video link to musician Kylie Minogue’s homage to the Diamonds Are a Girl’s Best Friend musical number from the 1999 Grand Opening of Fox Studios in Australia

Here is a youtube video link to actress Nicole Kidman’s version of Diamonds Are a Girl’s Best Friend in the 2001 musical romance Moulin Rouge

The 2010’s American television series Glee also paid homage to Diamonds Are a Girl’s Best Friend (and briefly Material Girl) in an episode. Click here to watch

American comedienne Rachel Bloom loosely parodied the visual style of Diamonds Are a Girl’s Best Friend (only replace anything colored red and pink with blue) in an episode of the satirical 2010’s CW television program Crazy Ex-Girlfriend – click here and here to see it

Here is a youtube video link to American broadcast journalist Edward R. Murrow’s 1955 Person to Person interview with Marilyn Monroe

Here is a youtube video link to American television personality Dave Garroway’s 1955 audio interview with Marilyn Monroe

Here is a youtube video link to a brief 1960 audio interview with Marilyn Monroe. I do not know who is conducting it though

Also, for more Marilyn Monroe fandom, click on these two youtube channel links here and here. The first channel is titled Marilyn Monroe Video Archives and the second is called The Marilyn Monroe Channel

One more thing, I do not know If any of my readers subscribe to the Criterion Channel streaming service, but If any of you do, this month will feature most of Marilyn Monroe’s films – click here to view the trailer

Now without further ado, below is a list of my favorite Marilyn Monroe films 🙂 All of them I gave * * * * (out of * * * *) stars to

  1. The Asphalt Jungle (1950) (Dir: John Huston) Click here to view the film’s original theatrical trailer
  2. All About Eve (1950) (Dir: Joseph L. Mankiewicz) Click here to view the film’s original theatrical trailer
  3. Clash by Night (1952) (Dir: Fritz Lang) Click here to view the film’s original theatrical trailer
  4. Don’t Bother to Knock (1952) (Dir: Roy Ward Baker) Click here to view the film’s original theatrical trailer
  5. Monkey Business (1952) (Dir: Howard Hawks) Click here to view the film’s original theatrical trailer
  6. O. Henry’s Full House (1952) (Dir: Harry Koster)
    (Segment: The Cop and the Anthem) Click here to view the film’s original theatrical trailer
  7. Niagara (1953) (Dir: Henry Hathaway) Click here to view a colorized version of the film’s original theatrical trailer
  8. Gentlemen Prefer Blondes (1953) (Dir: Howard Hawks) Click here to view the film’s original theatrical trailer
  9. How to Marry a Millionaire (1953) (Dir: Jean Negulesco) Click here to view the film’s original theatrical trailer
  10. River of No Return (1954) (Dir: Otto Preminger) Click here to view the film’s original theatrical trailer
  11. There’s No Business Like Show Business (1954) (Dir: Walter Lang) Click here to view the film’s original theatrical trailer
  12. The Seven Year Itch (1955) (Dir: Billy Wilder) Click here to view the film’s original theatrical trailer
  13. Bus Stop (1956) (Dir: Joshua Logan) Click here to view the film’s original theatrical trailer
  14. The Prince and the Showgirl (1957) (Dir: Laurence Olivier) Click here to view the film’s original theatrical trailer
  15. Some Like It Hot (1959) (Dir: Billy Wilder) Click here to view the film’s original theatrical trailer
  16. Let’s Make Love (1960) (Dir: George Cukor) Click here to view the film’s original theatrical trailer
  17. The Misfits (1961) (Dir: John Huston) Click here to view the film’s original theatrical trailer

Let me conclude this blog entry with three questions below for all of my dear readers

What were your favorite article links in this blog entry?

What are your favorite video links in this blog entry? Which ones did you all find the most fascinating?

Besides Some Like It Hot, what are your other favorite Marilyn Monroe films?

31 thoughts on “Happy 97th Birthday Marilyn Monroe”

  1. I could watch her all day just to admire her, but I do have two favourites. ‘Let’s Make Love’, because I think she never looked sexier, and ‘Bus Stop’ where her acting shone through.
    (As films, I actually dislike ‘The Prince And The Showgirl’ and ‘Some Like It Hot’, so those two are my least favourite.)
    Best wishes, Pete.

  3. Interesting choices there Pete 🙂 Marilyn was sexy in all of her films and Let’s Make Love is no exception 🙂 Bus Stop is the type of film that would be any leading lady’s dream 🙂 It is the type of film where the term actress takes center stage and the term icon takes a backseat 🙂 Nothing wrong with being an icon though 🙂 Prior to the method acting school of Brando and others, one could say that most were icons first and actors/actresses second. 🙂

  4. Why thank you for the kind words June and I could not have stated what you said any better – f**k the haters indeed. 🙂 Yeah, check out all of Marilyn’s films because they are all great 🙂

  6. Thank you so much for the kind words Peggy 🙂 Anything stand out for you in particular or like myself, did you absolutely love everything about this post 🙂

  7. yes! first off – your opening sentence hooked. I despise the haters! They know nothing of who Marilyn really was – which you lovingly put down into words. She was the first woman to form a production company, she was smart & saavy. I have a beautiful one of a kind Marilyn photo that I cherish above my bed. I also, weirdly was friends with Tony Curtis..yes that Tony Curtis.. in the mid-late 90’s and you know his stories of Marilyn were not so very nice, but I got a few out of him that were priceless. I just always felt she was so completely mis-understood. Sorry for rambling on but I can talk of Marilyn for hours. 🙂

  8. Peggy, as you know, I despise the haters with every bone in my body. They probably do not even know that she actually had a very high IQ. You also just taught me something I did not know – first woman in Hollywood to form her own production company 🙂 I think The Prince and the Showgirl was the first of her films under that name, which escapes me at the moment 🙂 I think that is so awesome that you have a photo of Marilyn Monroe in your room – her legacy endures beautifully 🙂 That is also neat that you were friends with actor Tony Curtis 🙂 I did hear about some of those stories Curtis mentioned, but I limit it to the positive ones 🙂 You are absolutely correct that Marilyn Monroe was misunderstood – she was sadly exploited by just about everyone who claimed to ever care for her. I too could name names, but I would just get too upset. No need to apologize for rambling on because I too can talk about Marilyn Monroe for hours – maybe you and me should do a collaborative blog entry in the future where me and you do nothing but that 🙂

  9. John that would be amazing. Once I am back to being able to have full use of my hands.. I had surgery on one due to long covid problems it caused.. we will def. collab. it would be a blast. As for Tony, I think people blew his story up and made it worse than it was meant to be. He was such a nice man, and when we collab I can get more into detail on it. He also said a lot of nice things. And hey, we can’t pretend Marilyn was perfect either. she def. had issues and held up some filming because of them..but I think in today’s world, help would be more avail and understood.! Look forward to doing this maybe like middle to end of summer??!!!

  10. Peggy, a collaborative blog entry on Marilyn Monroe would be amazing indeed, but once you are able to recover from that surgery you just mentioned 🙂 I too think that our collaborative blog entry would be a blast as you so eloquently state 🙂 I had a feeling that Tony Curtis stories about Marilyn Monroe was somewhat blown out of proportions because even he himself seemed to have more positive things to say about her than negative. You are also right in stating that Marilyn Monroe was not perfect and yes, I have read about how she was somewhat notoriously late on the set and it delayed filming of some of her films and stuff. As you correctly state, more assistance and understanding is practiced today and issues like that have become more preventable, If not all the time 🙂 Middle to end of summer would be perfect to do our collaborative blog entry homage to Marilyn Monroe 🙂 Would you like the blog entry to come from my website or yours? 🙂

  11. I liked the Seven Year Itch and Niagara. Admittedly haven’t seen that many of her movies, but I was always pretty impressed, once I knew her background, how far she came from basically nothing. That takes ambition and determination. Another thing hubby and I just found out like last weekend was that her mother was born in Mexico. Evidently Marilyn had to keep that secret, because of racist Hollywood, of course, but looking at the pictures of her mom and reading about how the Monroes immigrated from Texas into Mexico, I’m not sure they were even ethnic. I think they just moved to Mexico, and Marilyn’s mom was born there. Which is even worse, when you think about it, if her mom wasn’t ethnic but just because she was born in Mexico, that would be enough to taint Marilyn in Hollywood? It’s incredible. It’s actually amazing that she made it so big, considering the horrible first part of her life.

  12. Stacy, The Seven Year Itch and Niagara are great as well 🙂 Coincidentally, it seems that most of my top 5 (which you have never seen) favorite Marilyn Monroe films are shot in color 🙂 Then again, I always thought that Monroe was born to be photographed in color 🙂 Speaking of which, one of her films ranks within my top 10 favorite American/English-Language Films of All-Time (not my top 10 altogether) 🙂 You are so right that Marilyn came so far from nothing and it does take ambition and determination as you so eloquently state 🙂 I think I heard from somewhere that Marilyn’s mother was born in Mexico. You are probably right that there was nothing really ethnic about them. As for Marilyn, she was born in California and died there. I also agree that it is a miracle that that fact about her mother being born in Mexico did not get out because yes, it might have tainted her career. Thank goodness she made it big 🙂 As you can see, I love every single film she was every in 🙂

  13. 🙂 🙂 🙂
    If you two had met, I think you would have been soul mates! 🙂

  14. Trust me Stacy, I would love to think that 🙂 At the very least, I would have actually treated her with kindness and compassion – two traits that most people (with the possible exception of James Dougherty) failed to treat her with. Though it has been said that Joe DiMaggio regretted his behavior towards Marilyn and when he was still living, he would send flowers to her grave once every year I believe.

  15. Yeah, I think DiMaggio was insecure from day one, like in the back of his mind, “Why is she with me?” and it played out negatively in their relationship. That’s what I’ve heard. Oh, well.

  16. I hear what you are saying. Stacy 🙂 In retrospect, I think he really regretted how he behaved towards her taking into account that he made sure an order of roses were sent to Marilyn Monroe’s grave every year till he died in 1999. You are correct about their initial relationship – the two eloped in January of 1954 and divorced in in October of that same year. 🙂

  22. John your insights and perspectives are truly amazing (and often hilarious). Thank you and please keep writing!! 😊

  23. Why thank you for the kind words Jack 🙂 Nice to see you on here 🙂 Any insights or perspectives stand out it particular or do you find them to be equally outstanding? 🙂

  24. So much research on your part! Comprehensive and complete. Cinematic genius. 😊

  27. I’m very sad to report that Jane Birkin has passed away. This was really a shock as I wasn’t expecting it and I’m very sad about it. She was 76 and that isn’t that old. She could have llived for at least another decade. Jane Birkin was so full of life and vitality so it’s hard to believe that she’s gone.

    Jane was a great talent. She was a great actress, a great singer and she was a legend and an icon. It’s really sad that she’s gone. As you know je t’aime moi non plus is one of my favourite films and she gave a great performance in the film and of course the song is a classic too.

    Rest In Peace Jane Birkin. You will be missed.

    Joe Dallesandro paid tribute to her on twitter.

    twitter.com/DallesandroJoe

  28. Sorry for the late response Steve, I have been busy 🙂 I love Andy Warhol’s portrait of Marilyn Monroe 🙂 It might be the most popular works of art that he produced along with that Campbell’s Chicken Noodle soup painting 🙂

  29. I heard about that too Steve and I am every bit as saddened as you are 😦 Jane Birkin should have lived longer. Rest in Peace indeed. She certainly will be missed. I also check out Joe Dallesandro’s twitter tweets and I love the pictures he posted of him with Jane Birkin 🙂 I wonder If sales of Birkin bags will go up in the aftermath of her death?

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