Seven - minus one - days of.. ..Marilyn Monroe - postponed

Yes.. sorry to say this.. when it comes to Marilyn Monroe I have a head full of ideas - but none is good enough to be posted.. I don't want to do another list of which films I like most or stuff like that.. and since I cannot come up with something good enough I am going to postpone the final post for this mini series..

Besides I am full of ideas what I want to do instead.. and limiting myself to do a certain number of posts makes me stubborn.. it is really horrible if you start rebelling against yourself.. Well.. I will send myself to bed quite early then.. (and NO DESSERT, YOUNG LADY!!)

So.. I just share some of my favourite Marilyn Monroe pictures from the filming of THE MISFITS with you:

Arthur Miller and Marilyn having a picnic:

with a little friend:

just gorgeous:

with husband Arthur Miller again:

with a little lady fan:

having fun with the guys:

still having fun with the guys:

and my absolute favourite shows her and Montgomery Clift:

~ isn't that just gorgeous?? I love the light here.. ~

I will do something else on this blog soon..  Something which  I like to write - and as I hope you like to read and see...

Thank you for still following this blog.. and: confess! You would be bored to death if I wasn't frequently changing my mind and changing this blog.. 

Thank you all!!

Irene

Seven - minus one - days of.. ..Marilyn Monroe (5)

Here we are.. it's the new issue of my mini series Seven - minus one - days of.. ..Marilyn Monroe. 

As I promised - here is my list of favourite leading men of Marilyn Monroe - with my favourite partner of hers as the last one named in this list.. I have not yet seen all of her films so some men might just be missing here - others I simply do not like too much.. - the higher the ranking the closer these actors are in my favour.. I had a hard time to decide:

~ this post is also part of my series: L'amour - l'amour.. ~

The honourably mentioned: Jack Lemmon in SOME LIKE IT HOT (USA, 1959) and Don Murray in BUS STOP (USA, 1956) - like them both.. but still... Well.. Don Murray almost made it to the list - I can confess that..

11. Okay.. there actually might have been a top ranking for Robert Mitchum who was her partner in RIVER OF NO RETURN (USA, 1954).. I really like him very much and I think they were great together.. - but still there is one scene in this film which really puts me off.. I am not ok with men forcing women. Period. I love the fact that Robert Mitchum actually knew her before she became Marilyn Monroe since he was a co-worker and friend of her husband James Dougherty when she was "plain" brunette Norma Jean.. But still.. I cannot get over that scene - so (although his character besides that in this film is adorable..) he has to stand back - he only made it to the list because he IS Robert Mitchum.

~ I love this picture of Marilyn Monroe and Robert Mitchum ~

10. Laurence Olivier.. I love THE PRINCE AND THE SHOWGIRL (UK/USA, 1957) - and though they might have been not too easy together I think they are one of the most funny film couples ever..

~ yes.. I am simply in love with that dress.. ~

9. Also I liked Donald O'Connor as her partner in THERE'S NO BUSINESS LIKE SHOWBUSINESS. I think he was very likeable..

~ another costume I just adore.. ~

8. After that I pick Richard Widmark who was her leading man in DON'T BOTHER TO KNOCK. I like his performance in that film very much..

7. George Sanders - they worked together in ALL ABOUT EVE (USA, 1950).. Highly attractive man, very witty and a bit dangerous.. What more can I say?

6. and 5. Though they might not play first fiddle in MISFITS (USA, 1961) Montgomery Clift and Eli Wallach are for sure some of my favourite actors to star with Marilyn Monroe. Actually I cannot get over Roslyn going for Clark Gable instead of Eli Wallach - or well.. Montgomery Clift.. (Though I would have chosen Eli Wallach - or... Montgomery Clift?? .. Mr. Wallach's character is rather nasty and unfair at one point in this film.. - but after all we all have those weak moments.. ... I would really be in trouble here..)

4. I like Joseph Cotten very, very much and he and Marilyn Monroe were great together in one of my favourite films of her: NIAGARA (USA, 1953) - so of course he ranks pretty high in this list..

~ this yawn is for sure not related to the fact she is sitting next to Joseph Cotten..  ~

3. Tom Ewell in THE SEVEN YEAR ITCH (USA, 1955) - just because he is so unbelievable funny.. I love this man..

~ Love that dress.. apparently Tom Ewell does, too.. ~

2. Louis Calhern who was "her man" in ASPHALT JUNGLE (USA, 1950). I really adore him - and find him quite attractive.. He is one of my top favourite actors - so this is not actually a surprise..

1. My favourite leading man is an actor who is actually one of my highest ranked top favourite actors.. I think he is one of the most handsome and talented you can find.. He worked four times with Marilyn Monroe - though they were not always a couple - and actually were not even in a scene together in one of those films - though they were in the same episode of this episode movie - of course I am talking about the fabulous David Wayne. 

As for the actor I would have loved to see staring with Marilyn Monroe - that would have been another of my altime favourites: Marlon Brando. I am sure they would have been divine together - she so very female and he so very, very male.. Well.. I can dream about that.. At least they had this long going love affair.. And I just love the idea of them being kind of a couple..

Thank you very much for your visit!

Yours

Irene

Seven - minus one - days of.. ..Marilyn Monroe (4)

Almosts done with my mini series Seven - minus one - days of.. ..Marilyn Monroe..

It's Saturday.. So - we will be Swinging with a star...

I think my favourite song sung by Marilyn Monroe is 

DOWN IN THE MEADOW by  Ken Darby and Lionel Newman. 

She sings it in RIVER OF NO RETURN (1954) by Otto Preminger and Jean Negulesco ..

Hope you like it, too:

 

Thank you very much for listening!

Irene

Seven - minus one - days of.. ..Marilyn Monroe (3)

Welcome to a new issue of

Seven - minus one - days of.. ..Marilyn Monroe!!

And: 

Yay it's Monday again!! .

... 

what??

...

"yay"??

... 

??? 

yes.. Since Mondays are a real challenge for so many people - on this blog I have a series called Start with a smile -  posting pictures which show people having fun - or simply making me smile.. I like people smiling.. 

And here is some nice idea for the coming week - illustrated by my guest Marilyn Monroe..

Because we all need a hug at times.. 

(I am actually needing one right now, too...)

But have Marilyn Monroe and Susan Strasberg showing you some ideas on how to hug:

This one is my favourite:

Thank you very much for visiting!

I do hope you all have someone to hug!

Have a nice start into your week!

Irene

Seven - minus one - days of.. ..Marilyn Monroe

As you will know tomorrow is the 50th anniversary of Marilyn Monroe's death. And though I'd like to remember her on every day of the year and not "just because it's her anniversary or her birthday" and blogland and all other media will be full of bits and pieces about her I will do my share, too.. You know that I either totally refuse on doing what all people do - or just carry it to excess.. So of course on this blog it'll be six posts about Marilyn Monroe.. 

So.. for a starter it might be reasonable to tell you why I love Marilyn Monroe so much. I actually own at least 11 books about her of which most of course are illustrated books.. And: yes, she is one of my favourite persons ever - which is not so much based in her acting ability but more in what I think was her personality and where we do resemble each other.. - Oh, come on! We all like people because they have something in common with us.. - or because we think we can sense kind of a resemblance.. Here are some things I like about Marilyn Monroe and what makes me love her so much:

1. For me it is in first place that I can totally relate to her feeling of being uncertain, unsafe and doubtful. That is not nice - especially when you're living in a world that asks for tough persons -  and it sure affects the way you're acting towards people.. No wonder that she was called "difficult"... This excessive vulnerability is something we have in common - and even if it is egocentric to love her because of that - I am honest. That's the way it is. I simply feel like we were sisters in mind.. Knowing she was having the same troubles makes me feel less lonely.. Besides that: many of the characters she would play in her career are a lot like me in several aspects - but I think I will talk about that later..

2. Of course: she is a style icon to me.. No wonder since I am a fan of 1940s to 1950s fashion - and we both are not actually built like sticks.. I will do a post on that topic too, of course. Her costumes - not the "not built like sticks"-bit.. For now I can say that though I am not at all copying her style and way of dressing since I am no Marilyn Monroe impersonator - I get much inspiration from her.

3. She loved animals. Enough said. You like animals? I am most likely going to like you. It's easy as that with me. 

4. She wanted to please people. It was important to her that people were happy - and so am I, too..

5. She was an avid reader - and several of the books she read were classics - though she took also some interest into other topics - she was eager to learn stuff and broaden her horizon -  and yes.. I like that.

Well.. That'll be that for the moment.. I am working on a post about my favourite leading men of hers, too.. Actually I have several ideas for posts right now.. I'll see which ideas will live to see the dawn of the day.. Tomorrow I won't post about her - I leave that to other blogs.. 

Thank you very much for your visit!

Irene   

"I always treat men with respect - then they treat me with respect."

Some of you might remember that I challenged myself with writing at least two film reviews a month - one of them about an European film.. Well.. Little time is left for me - since next week June will be over.. So - after I did a review of a German film MENSCHEN AM SONNTAG/PEOPLE ON SUNDAY (1930) I had to choose another film.. Frankly, I had troubles to do so.. So I asked some friends to tell me what to write about - and Monty of ALL GOOD THINGS just said: "Marilyn Monroe." Simple as that! I loved that because I had enough space to do my own decissions - this just led to me thinking about which film of hers to choose and by that still having a bit of a surprise on stock for him, too.. Yesterday morning I thought - ok, why not writing about THERE'S NO BUSINESS LIKE SHOWBUSINESS (USA, 1954)? But well.. It simply didn't feel right at that moment.. But: today I found the film I will write about:

 HOME TOWN STORY (USA, 1951)

written and directed by Arthur Pierson.

Have some posters first:

In a nut-shell:

After not being re-elected ex-senator Blake Washburn (Jeffrey Lynn) returns to his little home town where he will work again as an editor for the Herald - a local news paper. Blake sees his chance to become re-elected when he starts a campaign against a near-by company which is owned by John MacFarland (Donald Crisp) - who is actually a very social man but - what a coincidence! - father of Blake's rival who won the election.. When on a school excursion Blake's little sister Katie (Melinda Plowman) is trapped in an old mine Blake has to learn that big companies also can be helpful..

~ Jeffrey Lynn, Donald Crisp and Alan Hale, jr. ~

Watch out for:

Wonderful Marjorie Reynolds as Blake's longtime fiancée and Barbara Brown - a very busy actress in small parts from 1941 to 1955.. here in this film she plays Blake's mother.

~ Marjorie Reynolds ~

And of course watch out for Alan Hale, jr. who plays a reporter and Marilyn Monroe who has a small part as Iris, a secretary. She and Alan Hale, jr. have a few scenes together which are merely dealing with him trying to flirt with her and her rejecting him. I like that she in some scenes sports a little ironical smile. Her part her is quite a severe one though..

~ Jeffrey Lynn and Alan Hale, jr. ~

Schmooze:

• This film happens to be a promotion film for General Motors. Please, keep that in mind when you watch it!

~ saving lives with modern equipment ~

Perfectly peachy:

Like many others not-yet-stars Marilyn Monroe had to bring her costumes by herself when it was a film set in "daily life plots". Since that you can spot her wearing one of her favourite dresses in this film 

- which she also wore in 

THE FIREBALL (1950) 

and in 

 ALL ABOUT EVE (1950).

Claws and Paws:

Blake presents a little beagle to his little sister Katie when he returns home - and what a cute dog that is! There is a special charme about Beagles - and yes, when this little fella gets burried in the mine together with Katie I am a tiny bit more worried about him..

Let's face the music..

The score was written by Louis Forbes who was e.g.  assistant musical director for GONE WITH THE WIND (1939) and music associate for REBECCA (1940)..

A rose by any other name..:

This film is also known as HEADLINE STORY. 

What ever happened to... 

...Melinda Plowman? 

She was born in Abilene, Texas on May 13, 1941 and until 1968 she would act in several TV shows - mostly in small parts though. Her first appearance she had in LITTLE WOMEN (1949) as one of the children of the Hummel family.. She would also play in another of Marilyn Monroe's early films:  MONKEY BUSINESS (1952).
The last film she did was BILLY THE KID VS. DRACULA (1966) - and I confess I would love to watch that film - just because of that title!
Since Melinda Plowman was a young woman when she quitted acting in front of cameras I would guess that she married and lived happily ever after - or maybe she found something else that filled her life. Anyway: I hope she is happy.

My favourite scenes of hers is when she brings a list of names of her classmates (of whom she collected 10 cents each) to have their names printed in the news paper.. (after she is questioned about she tells she is going to give it to the Red Cross..)

~ Melinda Plowman in an episode of PERRY MASON in 1962 ~

Quotes corner:

"People really believe what they read." 

This is what Blake's uncle Cliff (Griff Barnett) tells him when Blake takes over the news paper. Cliff tells Blake also that this old joke of "All I know is what I read in the papers." is actually the truth. It means nothing less but that the written word has to be used carefully - and in my opinion at least as much has the spoken word.

When it comes to the dialogues I think Alan Hale, jr. has the best lines - he is kind of a comic relief here and I happen to like the little scenes between him and Marilyn Monroe very much - besides she does a great example of how to turn a man down like a lady.. The quote which became the title of this post is actually spoken by Miss Monroe in this film - towards Mr. Hale.

Have a look:

Here is the whole film.. there are several versions on youtube - but I think this one has the best quality..

When I first watched this film I have to confess, I was very disappointed. Mainly because I was not aware that it was a promotion film - and I also expected much more scenes and maybe a more "giggling" part of Marilyn Monroe. I learned to like that film which is not as bad as one might think. Well.. on the other hand: Why believe me when you know that I love Alan Hale jr.'s laughter as much as I love the one of his father, that I adore Donald Crisp and that Marilyn Monroe is one of my heroines.. Yes, I am biased. I do want to like it. And though it might be none of my favourite films ever nor one of my favourite Marilyn Monroe films - I will never trash my DVD of it. (even though its quality is poor - which is apparently based in the fact the copyrights were not renewed - so this film is by now public domain..).

This are 61 minutes of film which at least could teach two things: never be biased - no matter if you try to be the editor of a news paper nor when you watch a film just because of a person who just was in the start of her/his career.. and: be careful with things you write or say - there might be people out there who believe it..

Thank you very much for listening!

Irene