Marilyn Monroe (3) - Bus Stop (1956)

"BUS STOP"

Sent by Brian from Wisconsin, USA.

Bus Stop is a 1956 American romantic comedy-drama film directed by Joshua Logan for 20th Century Fox, starring Marilyn Monroe, Don Murray, Arthur O'Connell, Betty Field, Eileen Heckart, Robert Bray, and Hope Lange.

Unlike most of Monroe's films, Bus Stop is neither a full-fledged comedy nor a musical, but rather a dramatic piece; it was the first film she appeared in after studying at the Actors Studio in New York. Monroe does, however, sing one song: "That Old Black Magic" by Harold Arlen and Johnny Mercer.

Bus Stop is based on the 1955 play of the same name (which in turn was expanded from an earlier, one-act play titled People in the Wind) by William Inge. The inspiration for the play came from people Inge met in Tonganoxie, Kansas (read more).

Marilyn Monroe (2) - Let's Make Love (1960)

Marilyn Monroe with Gene Kelly and Yves Montand in Let's Make Love (1960). 

Sent by Lisa from San Jose in California, USA.

Let's Make Love is a 1960 American musical comedy film made by 20th Century Fox in DeLuxe Color and CinemaScope. Directed by George Cukor and produced by Jerry Wald from a screenplay by Norman Krasna, Hal Kanter and Arthur Miller, the film stars Marilyn Monroe, Yves Montand and Tony Randall. It would be Monroe's last musical film performance. Not long before she died in 1962, Monroe commented that the role of Amanda was the worst in her career. In her opinion, there was "no role...that you had to wrack your brain...there was nothing there with the writing" and that it had "been part of an old contract." Arthur Miller was also critical of the film, stating that despite his efforts to improve the script it was "like putting plaster on a peg leg." During an interview with David Letterman in 1988, Montand acknowledged his difficulties with the script and his problem speaking English, but said it was an honor to work alongside Marilyn Monroe.

The plot revolves around billionaire Jean-Marc Clément who learns that he is to be satirized in an off-Broadway revue. After going to the theatre, he sees Amanda Dell rehearsing the Cole Porter song "My Heart Belongs to Daddy", and, by accident, the director thinks he is an actor suitable to play himself in the revue. Clément takes the part in order to see more of Amanda and plays along with the mistaken identity, going by the name Alexander Dumas (read more).

Marilyn Monroe (1)

Star trippings and a confident attitude won Marilyn the adoration of millions.

Sent by Anna from Nebraska, USA.

Marilyn Monroe (/ˈmærəlɪn mənˈroʊ/ MARR-ə-lin mən-ROH; born Norma Jeane Mortenson; June 1, 1926 – August 4, 1962) was an American actress and model. Known for playing comic "blonde bombshell" characters, she became one of the most popular sex symbols of the 1950s and early 1960s, as well as an emblem of the era's sexual revolution. She was a top-billed actress for a decade, and her films grossed $200 million (equivalent to $2 billion in 2024) by her death in 1962.

Born in Los Angeles, Monroe spent most of her childhood in foster homes and an orphanage before marrying James Dougherty at the age of 16. She was working in a factory during World War II when she met a photographer from the First Motion Picture Unit and began a successful pin-up modeling career, which led to short-lived film contracts with 20th Century Fox and Columbia Pictures. After roles as a freelancer, she began a longer contract with Fox in 1951, becoming a popular actress with roles in several comedies, including As Young as You Feel and Monkey Business, and in the dramas Clash by Night and Don't Bother to Knock. Monroe faced a scandal when it was revealed that she had posed for nude photographs prior to fame, but the story resulted in increased interest in her films (read more).

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