Greenburgh Public Library Blog

The Three M's: Marilyn Monroe

Marcus Renna is an undergraduate student and the Greenburgh Public Library's summer Media Collections Intern. He is a film aficionado and connoisseur of vintage cinema. His series this summer-- The Three M's-- highlights the life and work of  some of classic Hollywood's most popular sirens. 

Marilyn Monroe

Throughout the course of cinematic history many sirens have graced the silver screen, from Diana Dors to Mamie Van Doren, Kim Novak, Jayne Mansfield, and Elizabeth Taylor, none have quite made the same impact like the one and only Marilyn Monroe. Perhaps it was the allure, the sultriness of her voice, or her untimely death at age 36, nevertheless Marilyn remains the only celebrity of the golden Hollywood era to fascinate fans even 56 years after her unfortunate departure.

Signed by 20^th Century Fox, one of Marilyn’s earliest roles was as Bette, a secondary character in Walter Morosco’s 1947 smash hit Scudda Hoo! Scudda Hay! starring June Haver, Lon McAllister, and a young Natalie Wood. Towards the middle of the film while leaving church, you can briefly see Marilyn saying “Hi Rad” to June Haver’s character, just as Natalie Wood passes in front of Marilyn. Although famous during it’s time for June Haver and Natalie Wood, the film is now considered famous for containing one of Marilyn Monroe’s earliest screen debuts.

A year later in 1948, Colombia Pictures would decide to cast Marilyn in one of her first starring roles, as Peggy Martin in Phil Karson’s Ladies of The Chorus, also starring Adele Jergens and Rand Brooks (whom some of you may remember from Gone With The Wind as Charles Hamilton, co-starring Clark Gable and Vivien Leigh). Although loveable, the film was not considered a success, and it was around this time that Fox decided to drop Monroe. But audiences and film producers alike still wanted more of Monroe and the magic she had to offer. A year later in 1949, Marilyn reappeared on the big screen this time as a walk in, on David Miller’s Love Happy starring The Marx Brothers and released by United Artists. Fox began to take a second look at Monroe, realizing the talent and potential she had as a star. It was not long after, in 1951, that Fox again signed Marilyn and began to take a more serious interest in their bankable blonde bombshell.

During the early fifties Marilyn again started off with Fox in minor film roles such as Clara in Richard Sales A Ticket to Tomahawk, co-starring Dan Dailey, and Anne Baxter (an actress whom Marilyn also co-starred with alongside Bette Davis, George Sanders, Celeste Holm and Thelma Ritter in another role as Miss. Maxwell, in Joseph L. Mankiewicz’s All About Eve). She continued to star in other minor roles such as Angela Phinlay in The Asphalt Jungle, and Peggy in Clash by Night (alongside Barbara Stanwyck, Paul Douglas, and Robert Ryan). Just before she was cast as Nell Forbes in Don’t Bother To Knock, Fox again began to question Monroe’s abilities as an actress and performer. Luckily for Marilyn, the film was a success and Fox decided to keep her and try her out for another small role in Monkey Business (alongside Carey Grant).

Marilyn played many small roles in her early career. Her breakthrough role did not come until 1953 when she starred as Rose Loomis in Henry Hathaway’s Niagara (co-starring Joseph Cotton, and Jean Peters). It was not long after that Fox was preparing a lavish production of the 1949 smash hit musical Gentlemen Prefer Blondes by Anita Loos and Joseph Fields, and it was to be directed by famed director Howard Hawks. Originally, Fox had intended Betty Grable for the role of Lorelei Lee, but she was no longer drawing in the box office success she once had for Fox. Marilyn was younger, more promising and less expensive so Fox decided to cast her instead. Alongside Marilyn, Jane Russell was cast, as well as Tommy Noonan and Charles Coburn. The Film was a box office success, and Fox along with the public wanted more of Monroe. Oddly enough, Marilyn would star alongside Betty Grable in Jean Negulesco’s How to Marry a Millionaire. A year later in 1954, Marilyn would star in Otto Preminger’s River of No Return (Alongside Robert Mitchum, and Rory Calhoun). Anxious to keep Monroe in the spotlight, Fox cast Marilyn as Evelyn Nisbett in The Girl on The Red Velvet Swing. Fox also cast Marilyn to star in their remake of the 1943 Betty Grable film The Girl in Pink Tights. Tired, overworked, and underpaid Marilyn decided to strike against the studio and the unfair treatment she had been dealt. Eventually, Joan Collins took the role as Evelyn, and The Girl in Pink Tights was never made. As a result of her actions Fox suspended Marilyn and recruited the less successful Sheree North, and Jayne Mansfield as their blonde bombshell substitutes.

Fox could not survive without its best star. Sheree North had not cut it for Fox, and quickly fizzled out. Although Jayne had stirred up some success, like Sheree she lost popularity after her third film Kiss Them For Me (alongside Cary Grant), which surprisingly, even with all its star power was considered a box office failure. Reluctantly, Fox gave in to Marilyn and offered her a spot in There’s No Business Like Show Business with a security role in The Seven Year Itch. Sheree who had been slated to play Victoria Hoffman was then bumped, and Monroe took over. However, much like Sheree and Jayne’s box office failures, There’s No Business Like Show Business also failed to impress. Fortunately for Marilyn, she would sizzle on the big screen as “The Girl” in Billy Wilder’s The Seven Year Itch (alongside Tom Ewell).

Marilyn would film one more film for Fox, Bus Stop, before she would venture off on her own and establish her own film company, which she called Marilyn Monroe Productions. She bought the rights to a play titled The Sleeping Prince, and flew to England and filmed The Prince and The Showgirl alongside Sir Laurence Olivier. Unfortunately, the film was not a box office success. Soon after, she would star in Billy Wilder’s Some Like It Hot for United Artists alongside Tony Curtis and Jack Lemmon, her last and greatest success. She would return to Fox and film The Misfits alongside Clark Gable, Montgomery Clift, and Thelma Ritter, and take the role as Roslyn, a role that would force her to turn down the part of Holly Golightly, which eventually went to Audrey Hepburn in Blake Edwards Breakfast at Tiffany's.

Sadly in 1962, we would lose Marilyn. After bouts of mental illness, depression, and recurring episodes with the Kennedy’s, Marilyn would be found dead of a suspected suicide at age 36 at her Brentwood home in California. It is important to note that Marilyn’s efforts for equal pay and treatment not only as a star, but more importantly as a woman and a human being had not gone down in vain. Prior to her death Marilyn was able to successfully land a $1 million dollar raise, and a two picture deal. Briefly fired for seldom appearing on set, Marilyn was rehired to finish filming Something’s Got to Give (eventually retitled Move Over Darling and recast with James Garner and Doris Day), and was scheduled soon after to start filming What a Way to Go (eventually recast with Shirley Maclaine). She was also considered for two more Fox film projects, specifically The Stripper (recast with Joanne Woodward) and Kiss Me Stupid (recast with Kim Novak). Left with the distant memories of Monroe and her potential, it is important to note that Marilyn remains alive forever in many of her films waiting to be viewed by patrons like you. Stop by the Greenburgh Public Library to checkout some of her work!

Fun Facts

• The original costume intended for Monroe’s infamous “diamonds are a girl's best friend” number was the diamond encrusted showgirl outfit designed by William Travilla. Due to the restrictive censorship laws of the 1950’s, the costume was canned and the now famous pink satin dress, also designed by Travilla, was substituted instead. Both are pictured here.

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• In 1962, William Travilla was in the process of designing costumes for Monroe in the 1963 Fox film The Stripper. However with the passing of Monroe, Joanne Woodward was recast as the lead and all of Travilla’s ideas for Monroe were scrapped. Below are some of the original sketches by Travilla for The Stripper:

      

• The set intended for use in the ill-fatted 1962 Fox film, Something’s Got to Give, was actually a replica of director George Cukor’s home. When Monroe died, the film was re-cast and the sets were repainted blue for use in the 1963 Fox film, Move Over Darling. Oddly enough, a year later in 1964 Fox repainted the set again for the feature film What a Way to Go, this time pink, serving as Pinky’s Mansion.

• Monroe was the inspiration for Holly Golightly in Truman Capote’s classic, Breakfast at Tiffany’s. Capote was disappointed when Marilyn could not star in the film version of his literary masterpiece. Legend has it that he was adamantly opposed to having Audrey Hepburn star as the lead, although today many of us can’t imagine the picture without her.

• A dance sequence titled “Four French Dances” starring Marilyn Monroe and Jane Russell was cut from the film Gentlemen Prefer Blondes. However, it is important to note that just a few seconds of this footage exists today in a promotional trailer for the film. To view the trailer, click on the attached link: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JowUulrrCBk