Happy 99th 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 99 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

Click here to view a blog entry I did back in January of 2025 on one of the most popular Marilyn Monroe impersonators Suzie Kennedy 🙂

Oh and one more thing. I will not tolerate any criticism of number 9 below. Any negative comments will be deleted. So once again, please be kind 🙂 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?

25 thoughts on “Happy 99th Birthday Marilyn Monroe”

  1. I think I like the movies that came at the two ends of her career more – the early supporting parts where the film around her was typically very fine, as well as Some Like it Hot and The Misfits fright at the end.

  3. I was a huge fan of her from a very young age, and have since re-watched her films countless times. My personal favourite is ‘Let’s Make Love’, because she looks so soft and sexy in it. My second would be ‘Bus Stop’, and the third ‘Niagara’. Great tribute, John.

    Best wishes, Pete.

  4. Speaking of John Huston Bill, did you ever see Night of the Iguana? That was another great one 🙂 Like Sam Peckinpah, John Huston really had a love for Mexico and I can understand why 🙂

  5. I am not denying those at all Colin 🙂 All of them are great 🙂 Nevertheless, for me, it was Howard Hawks that tapped into her greatness – especially with that 1953 musical classic 🙂 One of these days, I should write an essay on it 🙂 Believe it or not, it is actually my third favorite musical of all time 🙂

  6. Thank you for the kind words Pete 🙂 Marilyn Monroe was fantastic in everything she was in 🙂 I too am a huge fan, though you already knew that 🙂 Aside from being my comfort film, Gentlemen Prefer Blondes doubles as one of the greatest American films of all time for this viewer 🙂 You probably knew this already too, but it is my 9th favorite American film of all time 🙂

  7. i loved night of the iguana…but im a big tennesse willims fan, richard burton was my biggest influence as a teen, and ava gardner is is the ultimate incarnation of sensuality. im not a great fan of john huston but he made some of my favorite movies. i just dont feel any kinship with him as i do with peckinpah or cassevetes. bt i have seen night of the iguana several times, beginning when i was a teenager, and never tire of it.

  8. Awesome Bill 🙂 As for Peckinpah, I recall him saying once that Bring Me the Head of Alfredo Garcia was his personal favorite of all his films, but I often wonder If a big reason for that lies in the fact that it was one of the few films of his that did not suffer any studio interference, whether it be large or small.

  9. When I met Peckinpah, he told me Ballad of Cable Hogue was his favorite. It also received no studio interference, and was released without being maimed. I suspects he vacillates on the subject, one day one film is his favorite and on another day it is another film that comes to mind. Here are my ratings.. 1, Pat Garrett and Billy the Kid 2. Cross of Iron 3. Ride the High Country 4. The Wild Bunch 5. Ballad of Cable Hogue 6.Junior Bonner 7. the Killer Elite 8. Convoy 9. Straw Dogs 10.The Getaway 11. The Osterman Weekend 12. Major Dundee 13.The Deadly Companions

  10. Back to Marilyn. I read recently that she insisted Some Like it Hot be shot in color. Wilder reportedly explained that color tests had shown that Curtis and Lemmons makeup gave a green tint to their faces. She accepted this explanation and the film was shot in black and white. Do you know if this is true? Wilder’s explanation seems ridiculous. also, if she was so adamant about being fiilmed in color, why did she agree to black and white for The Misfits?

  11. Maybe she had a different outlook by then? I would have to look deeper into why 🙂 Speaking of black and white, do you remember that memorable Samuel Fuller quote? If not, I will repeat it below:

    “Life is in color, but black and white is more realistic”

    -Director Samuel Fuller (1912-1997)

  12. i think it was the freedom of the lower budget black and white films that motivated that quote rather than the aesthetics of color vs black and white..his blck abd white films came in at under $500,000 while the color ones exceeded one million. it s also telling that he alternated between them dor much of his career. a million for merrills mauraders in 1962. $200,000 for the naked kiss in 1964. fuller had a lot of great lines and off the cuff remarks. when i met him in the late 80s at the harvard film archives, somebody asked him why nobody wrote books about hollywood. he answered, “i seem to remember a pretty good one written by a fellow named nat.|” that comment motivated me to write my second novel “the goners,” set in hollywood 1979.

  13. I believe you are right on that Bill regarding Peckinpah’s personal favorites of his own films. I think he may have one time even mentioned Junior Bonner. One of these days I got to get back to my director ranking blog entries. Your list is interesting as The Wild Bunch is number 4. Given Pat Garrett and Billy the Kid’s critical reassessment over the decades, your number one choice is understandable and I love that film too (I love all of Peckinpah’s films) 🙂 Speaking of which, did you ever see that Oscar nominated documentary short entitled The Wild Bunch: An Album in Montage? 🙂

  14. Very insightful thoughts Bill on black and white vs. color and a very interesting story regarding Samuel Fuller on why nobody wrote books about Hollywood? Nevertheless, didn’t Nathaniel West write one entitled Day of the Locust? 🙂 Your book The Goners sounds like a must read 🙂 Is it a satire on Hollywood a la The Player? 🙂

  15. Yes, that was Fuller’s joke. A regular person would have seriously answered, “Well, nathaniel west wrote Day of the Locust,” while Fuller just quipped a reference to a fellow named nat. No..the goners has nothing to do with the player. if anything, it is closer to Norman Mailer’s Barbary Shore. It is set in a quadroplex in West Hollywood where some people living in the margins of show business are ekeing out a living. After Fuller mentioned West, I started thinking that it had been a while since anyone wrote that kind of hollywood novel..so i was inspired to write my own. There is nothing satirical about it. It is serious human drama about the kind of people in our time who drift into hollywood and wind up as extras, stunt men, character actors, song writers, and rock stars. some who seek success and some who run from it…artists, beauty queens, and winos.

  20. I just got your email. Sorry for the late response, I have just been so busy Bill. Anyway, I got those two links. The only thing I have to do now is create an account on that site to buy them 🙂

  22. What icon! What a legacy! Asphalt Jungle is one of my favorite films…I’ve seen it too many times to count and every time I do, I marvel at her screen presence. Her performance is the epitome of the old theatrical phrase “there are no small parts, only small actors.” She lit up the screen. Same thing with All About Eve.

    My favorite Marilyn performance is Bus Stop…then Some Like it Hot. Excellent tribute, John.

  23. Thank you for the kind word Pam 🙂 I agree with you too on your sentiments regarding The Asphalt Jungle and yes that quote about “no small parts only small actors” is just one of many perfect ways to describe Marilyn Monroe 🙂

    All of the films that you mentioned are fantastic too, but then again, you already knew that 🙂

  24. Absolutely love MM’s comedies. She had impeccable comedic timing, hey? A couple of years ago I watched Don’t Bother to Knock, and she was a revelation. She is so good in that film.

  25. I too love all of Marilyn Monroe’s comedies Ruth 🙂 And yes, she did have flawless comedic timing as you so eloquently state 🙂 As you read in my entry, in Gentlemen Prefer Blondes, it is us viewers, who come off as bumbling idiots for wrongly thinking that she was one 🙂 I also loved her dramatic turn in Don’t Bother to Knock and yes, she is fantastic there too 🙂

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