The Loner
Supporting Actor
- Joined
- Apr 6, 2018
- Messages
- 612
- Real Name
- Belflower
Marilyn Monroe was the biggest movie star in the world in 1950s, but as her star ascended, she became increasingly unmanageable and unreliable on movie sets. In hopes to "getting her in line", her home studio, 20th Century-Fox, recruited Broadway actress Sheree North and signed her to a contract in 1954. Fox had hoped to groom North as a possible successor to Monroe, or better, shake Monroe enough to get her to clean-up her act and behave the way they wished.
Monroe had declined the lead in The Girl in Pink Tights in late 1953, a musical comedy based loosely on the 1943 musical Coney Island. After Fox signed North, it was their intention to place her in Monroe's place. North was also tested for a supporting role in Irving Berlin's There's No Business Like Show Business. It should also be noted that Fox took the cost-cautious route with hiring North ─ she had almost the exact same measurements as Monroe and could therefore wear her costumes. When Monroe returned from her highly publicized honeymoon to recently retired baseball superstar Joe DiMaggio, she settled her differences with Fox after they upped her weekly salary. To that end, The Girl in Pink Tights would die on the drawing board, and Monroe agreed to do Irving Berlin's There's No Business Like Show Business on the assurance that The Seven Year Itch would be her next film.
With Fox and Monroe ironing out their differences, North was put on ice by the studio. When Monroe rejected a leading role in How to Be Very, Very Popular in January 1955, the studio wasted no time in placing her on suspension and bringing in North to take her place. Producer Nunnally Johnson, who also wrote and directed the film, felt blindsided at Monroe's removal and North be brought aboard. Johnson later spoke candidly at how "hopelessly untalented" he found North. How to Be Very, Very Popular received mixed reviews from critics and enjoyed modest box office success. Fox had North on the cover of Life magazine in 1955 with the headline: "Sheree North takes over from Marilyn Monroe" as an effort to ensure the film's public success. She also appeared on the popular panelist show What's My Line? for publicity. The Lieutenant Wore Skirts (1956) was her next film, and she co-starred with Monroe's former leading man, Tom Ewell. It was a popular success, as was the musical The Best Things in Life Are Free (1956). North was enthusiastic about making The Way to the Gold (1957) when rumors swirled that Elvis Presley would be her co-star. When Presley bowed out over salary disagreements, he was replaced with Jeffrey Hunter. No Down Payment (1957) was an underappreciated suburban melodrama, and inspired producer David Jacobs to create Knots Landing in the late 1970s. North's final two films for Fox, In Love and War and Mardi Gras (both 1958), received a lukewarm reception from audiences and critics. By the time her contract with Fox expired, the studio had refocused their attention to another potential Monroe successor, Jayne Mansfield.
After her contract with Fox dissolved in 1958, North turned her attention towards theater and television. She was in the original production of I Can Get It for You Wholesale (1962) with Barbra Streisand, and appeared on TV hits such as Gunsmoke. The low-budget sci-fi film Destination Inner Space (1966) was her first movie role in eight years, and she later co-starred with Elvis Presley in The Trouble with Girls (1969), one of his final films. She became a favorite of filmmaker Don Siegel, and appeared in four of his films: Madigan (1968), opposite Richard Widmark; Charley Varrick (1973) with Walter Matthau; as John Wayne's first love in the actor's final film, The Shootist (1976); and Telefon (1977), starring Charles Bronson. She continued acting in film and TV for the rest of life, having memorable roles on The Mary Tyler Moore Show, The Golden Girls, and Seinfeld.
Any fans?
Monroe had declined the lead in The Girl in Pink Tights in late 1953, a musical comedy based loosely on the 1943 musical Coney Island. After Fox signed North, it was their intention to place her in Monroe's place. North was also tested for a supporting role in Irving Berlin's There's No Business Like Show Business. It should also be noted that Fox took the cost-cautious route with hiring North ─ she had almost the exact same measurements as Monroe and could therefore wear her costumes. When Monroe returned from her highly publicized honeymoon to recently retired baseball superstar Joe DiMaggio, she settled her differences with Fox after they upped her weekly salary. To that end, The Girl in Pink Tights would die on the drawing board, and Monroe agreed to do Irving Berlin's There's No Business Like Show Business on the assurance that The Seven Year Itch would be her next film.
With Fox and Monroe ironing out their differences, North was put on ice by the studio. When Monroe rejected a leading role in How to Be Very, Very Popular in January 1955, the studio wasted no time in placing her on suspension and bringing in North to take her place. Producer Nunnally Johnson, who also wrote and directed the film, felt blindsided at Monroe's removal and North be brought aboard. Johnson later spoke candidly at how "hopelessly untalented" he found North. How to Be Very, Very Popular received mixed reviews from critics and enjoyed modest box office success. Fox had North on the cover of Life magazine in 1955 with the headline: "Sheree North takes over from Marilyn Monroe" as an effort to ensure the film's public success. She also appeared on the popular panelist show What's My Line? for publicity. The Lieutenant Wore Skirts (1956) was her next film, and she co-starred with Monroe's former leading man, Tom Ewell. It was a popular success, as was the musical The Best Things in Life Are Free (1956). North was enthusiastic about making The Way to the Gold (1957) when rumors swirled that Elvis Presley would be her co-star. When Presley bowed out over salary disagreements, he was replaced with Jeffrey Hunter. No Down Payment (1957) was an underappreciated suburban melodrama, and inspired producer David Jacobs to create Knots Landing in the late 1970s. North's final two films for Fox, In Love and War and Mardi Gras (both 1958), received a lukewarm reception from audiences and critics. By the time her contract with Fox expired, the studio had refocused their attention to another potential Monroe successor, Jayne Mansfield.
After her contract with Fox dissolved in 1958, North turned her attention towards theater and television. She was in the original production of I Can Get It for You Wholesale (1962) with Barbra Streisand, and appeared on TV hits such as Gunsmoke. The low-budget sci-fi film Destination Inner Space (1966) was her first movie role in eight years, and she later co-starred with Elvis Presley in The Trouble with Girls (1969), one of his final films. She became a favorite of filmmaker Don Siegel, and appeared in four of his films: Madigan (1968), opposite Richard Widmark; Charley Varrick (1973) with Walter Matthau; as John Wayne's first love in the actor's final film, The Shootist (1976); and Telefon (1977), starring Charles Bronson. She continued acting in film and TV for the rest of life, having memorable roles on The Mary Tyler Moore Show, The Golden Girls, and Seinfeld.
Any fans?
