Happy 98th Birthday Marilyn Monroe

by John Charet

This blog entry was originally posted last year on June 1, 2023 to celebrate Classical Hollywood era icon Marilyn Monroe’s then 97th birthday – or what would have been her then 97th birthday. Almost everything written here for her 98th birthday remains the same.

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 98 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, last year in June of 2023, the streaming service featured most of Marilyn Monroe’s films – click here to view the trailer

Click here to view a youtube video link of actor Ryan Gosling singing the Oscar nominated song from 2023’s Barbie entitled I’m Just Ken from the Academy Awards back in March of 2024. The style of the performance is sort of similar to Marilyn Monroe’s Diamonds Are a Girl’s Best Friend number in Gentlemen Prefer Blondes

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

  1. Ladies of the Chorus (1948) (Dir: Phil Karlson) There is no original theatrical trailer to the film, but one could watch the film on youtube
  2. The Asphalt Jungle (1950) (Dir: John Huston) Click here to view the film’s original theatrical trailer
  3. All About Eve (1950) (Dir: Joseph L. Mankiewicz) Click here to view the film’s original theatrical trailer
  4. Clash by Night (1952) (Dir: Fritz Lang) Click here to view the film’s original theatrical trailer
  5. Don’t Bother to Knock (1952) (Dir: Roy Ward Baker) Click here to view the film’s original theatrical trailer
  6. Monkey Business (1952) (Dir: Howard Hawks) Click here to view the film’s original theatrical trailer
  7. 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
  8. Niagara (1953) (Dir: Henry Hathaway) Click here to view a colorized version of the film’s original theatrical trailer
  9. Gentlemen Prefer Blondes (1953) (Dir: Howard Hawks) Click here to view the film’s original theatrical trailer
  10. How to Marry a Millionaire (1953) (Dir: Jean Negulesco) Click here to view the film’s original theatrical trailer
  11. River of No Return (1954) (Dir: Otto Preminger) Click here to view the film’s original theatrical trailer
  12. There’s No Business Like Show Business (1954) (Dir: Walter Lang) Click here to view the film’s original theatrical trailer
  13. The Seven Year Itch (1955) (Dir: Billy Wilder) Click here to view the film’s original theatrical trailer
  14. Bus Stop (1956) (Dir: Joshua Logan) Click here to view the film’s original theatrical trailer
  15. The Prince and the Showgirl (1957) (Dir: Laurence Olivier) Click here to view the film’s original theatrical trailer
  16. Some Like It Hot (1959) (Dir: Billy Wilder) Click here to view the film’s original theatrical trailer
  17. Let’s Make Love (1960) (Dir: George Cukor) Click here to view the film’s original theatrical trailer
  18. 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?

21 thoughts on “Happy 98th Birthday Marilyn Monroe”

  1. Great tribute to Monroe, John. My favourite film of hers is ‘Let’s Make Love’. Not because it is her best role, but because she just looks completely sexy and irresistible in it! I also like her films ‘Niagara’, and ‘Bus Stop’.

    Best wishes, Pete.

  2. Why thank you for the kind words Pete 🙂 Marilyn Monroe was not only sexy, but she was also smart and compassionate 🙂 Since you always give insightful answers, what links (video or otherwise) interested you the most from this blog entry? 🙂

  3. I watched the Ed Murrow link, John. That was the only one unknown to me, and it was interesting to see the relaxed style in which the interview was conducted.

  4. Hi, John. Great article on one of my all-time favorites. I have read every book and article on Marilyn Monroe’s life and career. Picking one favorite would be very hard, but for drama I would say Niagara; for comedy Some Like It Hot; and for musical, Gentlemen Prefer Blondes. Though I also LOVE Bus Stop and the Misfits. I have all these in my dvd collection, along with How To Marry a Millionaire, The Seven Year Itch, There’s No Business Like Show Buisness and All About Eve…So yes, you could say I am a fan!

  5. Why thank you for the kind words Christopher 🙂 I too have read just about everything on Marilyn Monroe 🙂 She was not only beautiful, but intelligent and kindhearted too 🙂 Picking a top favorite is hard, but in case you are interested, Gentlemen Prefer Blondes is actually my number one favorite of all of Marilyn Monroe’s films. In fact, I ranks within my top 10 favorite American/English-Language films of all-time 🙂 It is a film that just makes me happy 100 percent 🙂 In fact, I wish I could include every single Marilyn Monroe film on my first top 100 favorite films of all-time because even though her films are directed by others, Monroe remains every bit as essential to the success of the films as it’s directors 🙂 Monroe was reportedly the first (or at least one of the earliest) to have her own production company and 1957’s The Prince and the Showgirl was her first one to be produced by Marilyn Monroe Productions 🙂 Thoughts 🙂

  6. The Edward R. Murrow link is a great one Pete 🙂 Then again, all of them are fantastic 🙂 Speaking of which, don’t you just love that photo of Marilyn with Ella Fitzgerald – two legends in one photograph 🙂

  7. Hi, John. I watched Monkey Business, No Business like Show Business, and Bus Stop, ’cause I don’t think I saw any of those. I love the grandiose big-stage stuff they did back then like in No Business like Show Business. I was curious about Bus Stop, ’cause I think I recall that Ms. Monroe was hired not with the most enthusiasm and then ended up changing everyone’s minds about her or something like that. I haven’t seen any of her movies in years, but I remember being impressed by Niagara.

  8. Very interesting Stacey 🙂 I have a hunch that director Howard Hawks was so impressed with Marilyn Monroe on Monkey Business that it prompted him to cast her as Lorelei Lee alongside Jane Russell’s Dorothy Shaw in the following year’s Gentlemen Prefer Blondes 🙂 I just love that film 🙂 I mean we (the audience) are the idiots for falsely believing that Monroe’s Lorelei was one, when she was the complete opposite the whole time 🙂 The direction, use of color, the costumes, the dialogue, the songs and of course the two gorgeous leads shape the entire result 🙂 Speaking of which, the Madonna music video Material Girl pays homage to the Diamonds Are a Girl’s Best Friend number with Madonna dressed in that film’s iconic pink dress – you probably knew that already though 🙂

    I too love the grandiose stuff that was done in all of those films 🙂

    As for Bus Stop, as usual, Marilyn Monroe proved everybody wrong and gave a beautifully realized performance 🙂

    I too love Niagara and I do not know If it is just me, but I always felt that Marilyn Monroe should be filmed in color 🙂 This is not to say that she should never be filmed in black-and-white – are you kidding, of course not 🙂 But there is something magnetic about her in color and I just can’t pinpoint what 🙂

    Anyway, your thoughts 🙂

  9. Yeah, I think she caught a lot of people off guard and surprised them, didn’t she? I read a fictionalized account of her life years ago. I guess they took some real facts and then used poetic license? But it was a touching story but unfortunately rife with pain and mental anguish. She didn’t have the best life, and she went far, regardless, but even so, it was that age-old thing of not being able to shake the past, no matter how successful you become, so that you never achieve happiness.

    Did we ever talk about all the men in Europe who jumped off bridges and other high places holding photos of M.M. after they found out she had passed away? Now, that’s some serious “goddess worship”! She definitely made her mark on this world and added something to it that still affects it to this day, didn’t she?

  10. Marilyn Monroe sure did Stacey. She was undoubtedly successful as a star, but at other times, it was difficult for her to let go of the past and whenever I hear about her emotional pain, all of us just want to give her a big hug and (I know this may sound corny) give her a teddy bear to snuggle up with 🙂

    No, I do not think we have ever talked about the men in Europe who jumped off high places holding pictures of Marilyn Monroe after she died. Sounds interesting though. I mean it is great to hear that Marilyn Monroe had such an impact on them and pop culture, but at the same time, I think they could pay homage to her in a way that was healthy. I think a better approach for those men and also women (and maybe some of them have already done this) is to start a Marilyn Monroe fan club. Today, they have expanded it to internet fan sites 🙂 I also think that celebrating her birthday each year is another great way to preserve her legacy, which has already happened long ago 🙂 Thoughts 🙂

  11. Well, you said it all, John. I, too, think they could have paid homage in a healthier way than ending their lives! Jeez. I hope I’m NEVER that in love with someone! lol

    But yeah, the fan pages and clubs and internet–think of the things they missed out on. It’s a shame and a waste.

    Did we ever talk about her origins? At first I thought her mother actually WAS Mexican, which would have been so interesting and have added extra depth to the story. But when I looked into it I think the story was the Monroes were from the Midwest and immigrated (emigrated? I never can keep those two straight) to Mexico in the 1800s or something. But her mother WAS born there. Not sure where Marilyn was born. The mother was probably back in the US by then. Still an interesting family tale, though. 🙂

  12. I hear you Stacey 🙂 As for Marilyn Monroe’s origins, you actually brought that up last year around this particular date 🙂 It is an interesting story though that you brought up 🙂 One thing I am interested in is where in the Midwest that Monroe’s parents or ancestors hailed from? 🙂 I too think that it is credible that they emigrated to Mexico possibly during the 1800’s 🙂 Undoubtedly, her mother was born there as you state 🙂

  13. MM is such an underrated actor! She was so versatile! I thought she was a great comedienne (she is sublime in Some Like it Hot) and an accomplished dramatic actress (I think she was superb in The Misfits). Anyhow, I think she should have won an Oscar for Bus Stop (1956) (personally, I think she was better than any of the official nominees).

  14. I looked it up a little bit. It seems like they emigrated from Texas just across the border and that it was commonly done back then in the 1800s because the then Mexican president opened up the country to foreign businesses. Then they moved to CA in 1903, where Marilyn was born. The article says she had to hide her “Mexican roots” because whiteness was synonymous with Hollywood, but I find that odd since she wasn’t Mexican by blood, only by geography through her mother. Just the idea of that, in general, is so disgusting and absurd. But we won’t go into Hollywood and/or the history of the US where all that is concerned, will we? No! Not today. Today we’ll just be happy MM was born and became an actress and brought all the interest, joy, and entertainment she did throughout the years. 🙂

  15. Interesting you mention that Eric because I have always that she was one of the greatest screen comediennes of all-time doubling as an underrated dramatic actress 🙂 Some Like It Hot undoubtedly ranks high up there when it comes to her comedies. The one I always single out as my number one favorite (though you probably are aware of this by now) is Howard Hawks 1953 musical-comedy Gentlemen Prefer Blondes 🙂 We not only get one of Marilyn’s most iconic musical numbers (Diamonds Are A Girl’s Best Friend), but also some of her very best comedic moments 🙂 For me, whenever I watch Gentlemen Prefer Blondes, it always brings a big smile to my face. In other words, lots of joy 🙂

    You are also right that Monroe was an accomplished dramatic actress (as you so eloquently state) 🙂 As for The Misfits and Bus Stop. I too feel that she should have been Oscar nominated for both of them. I agree that she should have won Best Actress for the latter 🙂

  16. Intriguing stuff Stacey 🙂 I am very well aware of the absurdity of one having to hide their true ethnicity in certain situations back then – the words disgusting and absurd could not be more fitting. I agree with you though, let us celebrate the fact that the late great Marilyn Monroe would have been 98 years-old last week 🙂 As you so eloquently and implicitly state, as an actress and comedienne, she gave us audiences a lifetime of joy that still lasts to this day 🙂

  19. Marilyn’s screen presence/acting ability seems to be underappreciated. She had great comedic timing, and also had the chops for drama.

    This was a wonderful birthday tribute.

  20. Why thank you for the kind words Silver Screenings 🙂 No matter what genre it was, Marilyn Monroe always gave it everything she got 🙂

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