Thursday Thirteen #466

Birthday Girl. This month classic movie fans are celebrating the centennial of Marilyn Monroe. She remains the most recognizable star Hollywood has ever produced, and is among the most famous American women ever. Today she's known all over the world, identified more for her whispery voice, platinum hair and tragic personal life than her work. 

That's too bad, because she cared about her craft. She completed 29 films in 14 years, though her appearances in the first 4 are blink-and-you'll-miss-her. Of the remaining 25, these are the ones I recommend. She does not have the quality oeuvre of Bette Davis or Barbara Stanwyck, two actresses with whom she shared the screen. But Marilyn did her best with what she was given and was often very good. She made a shit ton of money for an industry that never respected her, and she was always fascinating to watch.

1. Gentlemen Prefer Blondes (1953). She was showgirl Lorelei Lee who wore hot pink and believed "Diamonds Are a Girl's Best Friend." She's silly and funny as the girl who very wisely plays dumb. BTW, here's another reason to love Ryan Gosling: he used his live performance of "I'm Just Ken" at the 2024 Oscars to pay homage to Marilyn's "Diamonds" number.

2. Some Like It Hot (1959). On a snowy night in Chicago, two musicians witness a certain Valentine's Day mass shooting. To escape the mob, they dress in drag and travel out of town with an all-girl band. Marilyn is luminous as Sugar Kane, the boozy and confused lead singer. They fall in love with her, and you will, too. (The 80s TV show Bosom Buddies owes an awful lot to this movie.)

3. All About Eve (1950). This is the best movie on this list, though it's Bette Davis' show, not Marilyn's. She has a small (two scenes?) but cleverly-written role as Miss Caswell, "an actress and graduate of the Copacabana School of Dramatic Arts." Miss Caswell may be only moderately talented, but she's smart enough to persuade New York's most famous theater critic to mentor her.

4. The Misfits (1961). She's in Reno for a quickie divorce. She unwisely begins a rebound relationship with a much older man, a cowboy played by Clark Gable. Initially they seem to have nothing in common, but it turns out they are both emotionally battered and can give each other hope for the future. At least that's what I think it's about. I've seen it several times – it has an amazing cast and terrific dialog – but it's not one of Arthur Miller's better works. Still, there's such real affection between Marilyn and Gable that I find it touching. (It was the last completed film for both of them.) 

5. Bus Stop (1956). A naive cowboy falls in love at first sight with a showgirl performing at a rural bus stop and decides to make her his wife. She's a painfully bad singer – not quite as awful as Meryl Streep in Florence Foster Jenkins, but certainly prettier – yet he stubbornly insists she's "an angel." Often mentioned as Marilyn's own favorite Marilyn movie, she is good as a world-weary woman who longs to see herself as he does. 

6. How to Marry a Millionaire (1953). Three women set out to ... well ... find rich husbands. Hey! It was the 1950s. The thing that elevates this comedy is the camaraderie among the three stars, each gorgeous in her own way. Lauren Bacall, Betty Grable and Marilyn could be the precursors of Carrie Bradshaw and her SATC posse. 

7. There's No Business Like Show Business (1954). One of those musicals about a family of performers who believe the show must go on and all those other cliches. The movie is not very good, but Marilyn has two great numbers, "(We're Having a) Heat Wave" and "After You Get What You Want You Don't Want It." Seeing her in gorgeous clothes, dancing well and putting her songs across, you enjoy her work as the untalented showgirl in Bus Stop even more.

8. Niagara (1953). This movie is a curiosity because it's the only time Marilyn plays a completely unsympathetic character. She's Rose, a sexy siren who is so very over her husband and open to all ways out of her unhappy situation. She's unlikable, for sure, but you can't take your eyes off her.

9. Don't Bother to Knock (1952). This one surprised me. Marilyn plays an unhappy girl who gets a gig babysitting a little girl at a hotel where the parents are out-of-town guests. She finds herself attracted to one of the other guests and makes up an alternate identity for herself, pretending that the nice clothes and makeup in the hotel room belong to her, not the little girl's mother. Eventually we realize she's batty. It's a little, low budget movie, barely over an hour long, but Marilyn handles her dramatic part well.

10. Clash by Night (1952). Marilyn has a rather small part in this one, but she's sweet as a young girl in love. Her boyfriend has a big sister (Barbara Stanwyck, the star). Sis is unhappily married with a baby, and Marilyn's character is worried about ending up as unsatisfied as the older woman. 

11. O. Henry's Full House (1952). Marilyn appears in the first of four vignettes. A homeless man is tired of life in the cold and wants to get himself arrested so he can enjoy a bed and three squares. He approaches a pretty young woman on the street and makes a lewd suggestion, assuming she will report him for harassment. Marilyn rather charmingly provides the plot twist.  

12. The Prince and The Showgirl (1957). What a weird ass movie this is. Marilyn was as big a star as she would ever be – at least in life – and this is what she chose to do with her power. She produced the movie, and hired Sir Laurence Olivier as her director and co-star and they have no chemistry whatsoever. The title tells you all you need to know about the plot. And yet, when she's on screen, you can't take your eyes off of her, even when she's sharing a scene with the great Olivier. Part of it is her white dress. It deserved a co-starring credit.

13. The Seven Year Itch (1955). I feel like I had to include this one, even though I do not like it one bit. This is THE MOVIE, the one that made Marilyn a superstar, the one where her white skirt blows up. People not yet born will see that iconic image. I find this film to be a smutty affair, where a married man leers at her for 90 minutes. It's all childish sex jokes, like an episode of Three's Company. Marilyn's character is so completely sexualized she doesn't even have a name! She's The Girl. But here's the thing: you like her. She rises above the slop she's given to do and imbues it with humanity. In that way, I suppose this movie is a microcosm of her enduring appeal.

Happy Birthday, Marilyn! Watching you gives me joy. Sending you love and wishing you peace. 

6/1/26 through 8/4/62

 

 

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