Marilyn Monroe, Hollywood Dreams
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Marilyn
She appeared to exude sexuality whilst retaining a vulnerable waif-like quality and an innocence which endeared her to millions of moviegoers.
Her emotional life was in tatters, she was an increasing nightmare for directors and fellow actors, recklessly spoiled and unsure, but she became a dominant force in Hollywood and was indisputably the most famous woman of the 20th century.
Childhood
Marilyn was born Norma Jeane Mortenson on June 1, 1926 in Los Angeles. Her father's address was listed as unknown and she would never learn his identity.Her mother Gladys had been a film cutter at RKO studios, but she had depressive tendencies and whilst Norma Jeane was still very young she was committed to a mental institution. Norma lived the first 11 years of her life in foster homes and orphanages. Her first stable home life was in the home of Grace McKee, a close friend of her mother.
When in September 1941 Norma Jeane met Jim Dougherty, at 21, 5 years her senior, Grace set in motion plans for them to get married as she and her husband were set to move to the East coast and couldn't afford to take 16-year-old Norma Jeane with them.
She and Dougherty were wed on June 19, 1942 and appeared to be conventionally
happy but within 2 years Dougherty had joined the Merchant Marines and in 1944 he was sent to the South Pacific. Norma was left alone, but not for long. Her life was about to take its first dramatic change.
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Modeling Career
She began to have thoughts of an acting career. She enrolled in acting classes and began to study the work of established stars such as Jean Harlow, who became her idol, and Lana Turner.
When Jim returned in 1946 Marilyn filed for divorce. She said of her first marriage,"We had nothing to say. I was dying of boredom." She had already been approached by Ben Lyon, at the time a talent scout for Twentieth Century-Fox who had arranged a screen test for her.
Soon after her divorce, in July, 1946 she was offered a standard six-month contract with Twentieth Century-Fox Studios on a salary of $125 a week. To mark the momentous change in her life she dyed her hair blonde and changed her name, selecting her mother's family name of Monroe. The actress Marilyn Monroe was born.
Marilyn Resource Sites
- Marilyn Monroe Biography on Hollywood's Golden Age
- All about the wonderful Marilyn Monroe
- Marilyn Monroe Box-Office Results
- Marilyn's career analysed by box-office results
Early Film Career
For the first few years of her new career Marilyn played minor roles in a series of B movies. Then in 1950, she was given a serious acting role in John Huston's thriller The Asphalt Jungle (see picture, right) for which she got excellent reviews. Later that year, Marilyn's star rose higher after her performance as Claudia Caswell in All About Eve (starring Bette Davis) earned her further praise. "Clash By Night" in 1952 also earned her favorable comments. The young, ambitious actress was beginning to get noticed.Her first leading part in a serious feature was to be in "Don't Bother to Knock", also filmed in 1952. In the following year she appeared in Gentlemen Prefer Blondes as Lorelei Lee. She was becoming a box-office draw. She immediately began filming "Niagara" with Joseph Cotten - a film that was to firmly establish her reputation as a star.
She was also starting to make it big in the gossip colums. She had begun dating one of the all time greats of baseball, Joe DiMaggio. Neither her life, nor that of Joe himself, would ever be the same.
Marilyn Sings "Diamonds Are A Girl's Best Friend"
From the movie "Gentlemen Prefer Blondes" (1953)
Joe
In early 1952 Joe diMaggio had just retired from baseball. Marilyn was 25 and he 12 years older but the two had an instant rapport. Marilyn like the change from the showbiz lotharios she had been dealing with: "I met this reserved guy who didn't make a pass at me right away! He treated me like something special."Their wedding in January, 1954, was a public relations coup. During their Tokyo honeymoon, Marilyn made a personal visit to perform for 60,000 servicemen stationed in Korea. Her presence caused a sensation. The troops loved her but DiMaggiio, a jealous and insecure man, was clearly unable to come to terms with the sexual chemistry between Marilyn and her fans. It was a sign of things to come. In October 1954 Marilyn and Joe separated, later to divorce.
Classic Hollywood Links
- Ava Gardner
- She was the actress who married Frank Sinatra, actor Micky Rooney and bandleader Artie Shaw. But there was more to Ava Gardner than famous husbands. She gave us many memorable performances during her 45-year acting career and many fans still consider her the most beautiful actress in Hollywood history.
- Errol Flynn - Hollywood Superstar Enigma
- Errol Flynn, with his exceptional looks and athleticism, had become by the early 40's, nothing short of a Hollywood God. But then he began to unravel. He experienced failure, illness and far too early at the age of 50, Flynn drank himself to death.
- Some Like It Hot, Classic Comedy
- Some Like It Hot is an exceptional film comedy, a real classic that has been voted the best comedy film of all time by the American Film Institute and is one of the all-time highest-grossing comedies ever. It is finely crafted, expertly scripted, brilliantly acted and directed, and has been referred to as the 'perfect' film comedy. Oh, and it is extremely funny.
Marilyn Superstar
In May Marilyn began filming "There's No Business Like Show Business". For the first time, she was showing serious side-effects of the many sleeping pills she had been taking for the last few years, often sleepy and lethargic and prone to fits of tears.
In 1955, she appeared in one film only, The Seven Year Itch, which contained the memorable scene when her white dress blows up over a subway grate. Her work output was slowing down and due to her health problems, her lateness and general uncooperativeness on set, her reputation within the industry was going down fast.
Arthur
In early 1955 Marilyn left Hollywood to settle in New York. She wanted to be regarded as a serious actress and joined the Actors Studio to study under drama coach Lee Strasberg. Strasberg introduced her to playright Arthur Miller and they began an affair.To Marilyn, Miller represented the serious theatre to which she was aspiring. Miller, Jewish, intellectual and married, was attracted to her unconventionality and originality. Nominally raised as a Christian, she converted to Judaism to facilitate marriage and after Miller obtained a divorce in Reno, Nevada, he and Marilyn were married on June 29, 1956. It was an attraction of opposites but the attraction would very soon wear off and they would find nothing to replace it..
Marilyn Monroe Reference Site
- Marilyn Monroe Biography
- Marilyn Monroe had a brief career yet was one of the most fascinating women of the century.
Ominous Signs
Great Hollywood Lenses
Marilyn Monroe did not return to Hollywood until 1958 to make "Some Like It Hot" with Jack Lemmon and Tony Curtis. Her health and mental stability continued to deteriorate due to her increased dependency on drugs and her involvement in a marriage which, predictably, was turning out to be anything but happy. She often came to the set late and was unable to remember her lines. Director, Billy Wilder later said..." it takes a real artist to come on the set and not know her lines and yet give the performance she did." Some Like It Hot is an absolutely classic comedy, and consistently rated as one of the best movies ever made. Monroe's performance earned her a Golden Globe for best actress in musical or comedy.
Her next film "Let's Make Love" was noteworthy only for the publicity over her brief affair with co-star Yves Montand.
Early in their marriage, Arthur had adapted the part of Roslyn Taber in his short story The Misfits especially for Marilyn. The movie was eventually made in 1961 and co-starred Clark Gable and Montgomery Clift with Marilyn. While on location Marilyn and Arthur were rarely on speaking terms and lived apart. They were divorced in January of 1961, the same month that "The Misfits" was released. And so another unhappy marriage ended. Marilyn's social diary was still busy however.
The End
At JFK's gala birthday celebration in Madison Square Garden on May 19, 1962, Marilyn sang her now famous "Happy Birthday" tribute to him.
On August 5, 1962, Marilyn Monroe was found dead, lying nude on her bed, face down, with a telephone in one hand, in her Brentwood, California home. Empty bottles of prescription pills were scattered around. Her mysterious death has aroused much speculation and conspiracy theories abound, particularly given her connection with the Kennedys.The official cause was an overdose of barbiturates, although the truth will likely never be revealed and there is strong suspicion of suicide.
Marilyn
Marilyn Monroe and her life story have become part of Hollywood folklore and it is sometimes difficult to separate fact from legend.
It is undeniable that she was considerably more than a mere alluring beauty, (although her allure is undeniable).
She was certainly a clever and underrated actress and comedienne. Some of her comedic performances are critically acclaimed. Her apparent vulnerability and innocence, intertwined with an innate sensuality and overt sexuality, has endeared her to a mass consciousness. Love her or hate her, we still cannot ignore her. Nor do we want to.
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compugraphd
Feb 19, 2011 @ 8:25 pm | delete
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I love Marilyn Monroe and I love that she converted to Judaism. Good work!
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Featured Lenses
Classic Hollywood Movies Blog
Marilyn Monroe Special Anniversary Collection
Four Great Marilyn Movies PLUS the documentary 'The Final Days'
Marilyn Monroe Special Anniversary Collection (The Seven Year Itch / Gentlemen Prefer Blondes / Niagara / River of No Return / Let's Make Love / Marilyn - The Final Days)
Amazon Price: $26.31 (as of 06/03/2012)
The Marilyn Monroe Special Anniversary Collection consists of five Marilyn Monroe films plus the documentary The Final Days. Howard Hawks's 1953 musical Gentlemen Prefer Blondes stars Monroe and Jane Russell as friends who go to Paris looking for mates. The film is charged by Hawks's stylish snap, a famous set piece or two (including Monroe descending that staircase while singing "Diamonds Are a Girl's Best Friend"), Russell's wit, and songs by Leo Robin and Jule Styne. The Seven Year Itch (1955) is a memorable laugh machine. As a married man left alone during a hot summer, Tom Ewell shows off crack timing matched by Monroe's zesty comic flair, and the scene in which her white dress is blown skyward by a passing subway train has entered the encyclopedia of great movie images. In Niagara, Monroe is a full-fledged sex goddess, a scheming wife tormenting husband Joseph Cotten in their cabin by the falls. This Technicolor slice of pseudo-Hitchcock is a fun location picture with a genuinely exciting climax. Otto Preminger's River of No Return has Monroe livened up by the presence of costar Robert Mitchum, in a strong outdoorsy Western that catches the two stars in appealing form. By the time of 1960's Let's Make Love, Monroe looks tired. This backstage musical is more interesting as a time capsule than as a romance, although one number shines: "My Heart Belongs to Daddy."
In The Final Days, producer-director Patty Ivins chronicles Monroe's final, aborted feature film, Something's Got to Give, which was ultimately shut down after the star was dismissed from the production. Beyond Monroe's fragile emotional and physical health, this well-crafted profile examines the financial crisis facing her studio as well as the mounting frustration of meticulous director George Cukor and his cast, including costar Dean Martin, as Monroe's absences drove the shoot over budget. The documentary concludes with a 40-minute reconstruction of footage completed for the feature, which would subsequently be reshot as a vehicle for Doris Day and James Garner, Move Over, Darling.
