Marilyn Monroe Movies (2 Viewers)

[Emcee]

.....really liked "Don't Bother to Knock" ...... Monroe is a ravishing woman as well as complicated and intriguing. I think she was at her peak of beauty in "Gentlemen Prefer Blondes" about mid-way through, when she was in that orange dress, coming to dinner with Russell, when Marilyn (and Russell) comes down those stairs and walks to the table....those few seconds of Marilyn walking - I know she's all made-up, but I've just never seen a more beautiful woman in my life.

The image of Marilyn and Jane Russell parading down the "main strip" of the boat's dining area. They were both exceptionally beautiful in that scene. They were both exceptionally in that movie. PERIOD.

Here's another shot of Marilyn in that same orange dress after she's seated at her table. Ravishing.

 

[Emcee]

@JimJasper

Not sure if you are aware or not, but singer-actress Abbey Lincoln wore the same dress for her cameo in THE GIRL CAN'T HELP IT, the hilarious and beautifully photographed rock-n-roll romantic comedy starring Monroe-esque Jayne Mansfield.

 

[Osato]

I picked up gentlemen prefer blondes and seven year itch on iTunes today. $5 each.

 

[bujaki]

Marilyn beats Jane any day. There's a softness to her that eludes Jane.

 

[Waldo Lydecker]

Let’s not overlook her in “Bus Stop”...Her first film after attending the “Actos Studio” and she was in charge of the production...(the initial offering from her newly formed MMP Group) She displays some dramatic acting chops and does a convincing “Ozark” accent...Sexy, sings “That Old Black Magic”, and pairs great with Don Murray!!!

 

[Robert Crawford]

Marilyn beats Jane any day. There's a softness to her that eludes Jane.

Besides her breast line, I never thought Jane was that attractive, but Mitchum thought the world of her so she was probably a fine person to work with which you couldn’t say about Marilyn with her host of personal issues.

 

[bujaki]

Besides her breast line, I never thought Jane was that attractive, but Mitchum thought the world of her so she was probably a fine person to work with which you couldn’t say about Marilyn with her host of personal issues.

There's a lot to be said about a fun gal (leave your neuroses at the door, please). But as Joe E. Brown said: "Nobody's perfect".

 

[Osato]

I just started Seven Year Itch. Picked it up in digital iTunes for $5. Love that one.

 

[JimJasper]

The image of Marilyn and Jane Russell parading down the "main strip" of the boat's dining area. They were both exceptionally beautiful in that scene. They were both exceptionally in that movie. PERIOD.

View attachment 79139

Here's another shot of Marilyn in that same orange dress after she's seated at her table. Ravishing.

View attachment 79140

....wow, yes, that is the scene....she's fully made up and all, but when you watch her walk down those stairs...she's like a sexy angel the way she moves....it's really pretty brief, too.

 

[JimJasper]

@JimJasper

Not sure if you are aware or not, but singer-actress Abbey Lincoln wore the same dress for her cameo in THE GIRL CAN'T HELP IT, the hilarious and beautifully photographed rock-n-roll romantic comedy starring Monroe-esque Jayne Mansfield.

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View attachment 79142

She looks great....and that must have been really fun for her. I had no idea...that's awesome

 

[JimJasper]

Oh yes, how could I forget that one? DON'T BOTHER TO KNOCK is usually touted as her first starring role, even though she had headlined the B-movie musical LADIES OF THE CHORUS four years earlier. DON'T BOTHER TO KNOCK is actually a very good throwback film noir. It runs just over an hour, but it's suspense filled all the way. Marilyn goes back brunette for the final time for her role as a mentally and emotionally unstable young woman who stirs up trouble while baby sitting in a New York hotel. Richard Widmark makes for an interesting co-star, and Anne Bancroft is as beautiful as ever here in her film debut.

A lot of people skid over DON'T BOTHER TO KNOCK as misguided or low-brow. They're all wrong though. It's a downright intriguing piece of cinema, even if the standard of production was lower than average. It sort of falls between the A-movie and B-movie categories to me; it's not quite as first-rate as a most A-list features, but not quite as cheap and thrown together as many B-movies of the area.

When I want a "different" movie to watch featuring Marilyn, sometimes I'll fall back on DON'T BOTHER TO KNOCK to quench that thirst.

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....yes, so true....I watched it maybe 7 years ago....it moved right along, and Monroe was surprisingly good in it. The fight at the end with Monroe literally getting thrown to the floor was intense - she was brave. ...and beautiful in it.

 

[Osato]

Watching Let’s Make Love. I’ve only seen it one other time.

 

[Emcee]

Watching Let’s Make Love. I’ve only seen it one other time.

LET'S MAKE LOVE is Marilyn's worst effort, and that's an opinion that most of her fans share. The movie itself had a complicated production. It was originally tabled in 1959 as a possible vehicle for Gregory Peck, James Stewart, or Gary Cooper, but none of the three were interested. The male lead was written for a man that was not a trained or particularly gifted musical performer.

In the meantime, 20th Century-Fox recruited Monroe to star, although she found the script inferior so her writer husband Arthur Miller rewrote it so that more emphasis was given to her. When Marilyn first came to the production, the film was progressing under the title THE BILLIONAIRE, which she got changed to LET'S MAKE LOVE, which became the film's theme song.

After Arthur Miller's rewrite, Rock Hudson, Cary Grant, and Charlton Heston were all offered the male lead, but all declined. The studio eventually brought in Yves Montand, an Italian actor with little presence in America. Monroe approved of Montand and also director George Cukor. The production was tiresome and plagued with troubles. Monroe's frequent absences, illnesses, and other personal issues pushed the film behind schedule, therefore swelling its budget.

The plot of LET'S MAKE LOVE is intriguing enough. The mistaken identity tactic was hot at the time due to the phenomenal success of PILLOW TALK, which made Doris Day and Rock Hudson the biggest stars at the box office. My main issues are Yves Montand's accent being so thick that it isn't charming, it's confusing and hard to understand, and the fact that Marilyn (even after rewrites) is basically playing second fiddle. The movie itself is rather lengthy, and there just isn't enough of Marilyn to satisfy me.

LET'S MAKE LOVE was only a moderate success in 1960. It received mixed reviews from most critics, although some looked upon it favorably, while it was only a minor hit in theaters. It made around $6.5 million in American theaters, the lowest grossing "Marilyn Monroe movie" since THE PRINCE AND THE SHOWGIRL in 1957.

 

[Jim*Tod]

Reportedly Monroe and Montand had an affair during filming even though his wife, Simone Signoret, was onset much of the time. Probably the best thing about it the movie is the "My Heart Belongs to Daddy" number.

 

[Emcee]

Reportedly Monroe and Montand had an affair during filming even though his wife, Simone Signoret, was onset much of the time. Probably the best thing about it the movie is the "My Heart Belongs to Daddy" number.

Yeah, it's fairly well-known that Marilyn and Yves Montand had a fling off-screen.

The "My Heart Belongs to Daddy" number is superb and a definitive Monroe moment captured on film. It's up there with the white skirt scene, her entertaining soldiers in Korea, and singing "Happy Birthday" to President Kennedy.

 

[usrunnr]

Bus Stop.

 

[Matt Hough]

Wasn't Montand French and not Italian?

 

[bujaki]

Wasn't Montand French and not Italian?

Born in Italy, but who remembers? His career and accent are pure French.

 

[bujaki]

Yeah, it's fairly well-known that Marilyn and Yves Montand had a fling off-screen.

The "My Heart Belongs to Daddy" number is superb and a definitive Monroe moment captured on film. It's up there with the white skirt scene, her entertaining soldiers in Korea, and singing "Happy Birthday" to President Kennedy.

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Notice chorus boy Robert Morse top right. And he gets to kiss MM at the end of the number. Lucky Bobby. And he's still with us to tell the tale!

 

[Jim*Tod]

It is Robert Banas, not Robert Morse, though the two resemble each other. Morse starred in HOW TO SUCCEED IN BUSINESS WITHOUT REALLY TRYING on Broadway and in the film. Banas is a dancer featured in many films including WEST SIDE STORY, CAROUSEL, MARY POPPINS, and UNSINKABLE MOLLY BROWN as well as lots of tv shows. Here is a clip of him on tv.