~ Norma Jeane Mortenson
date & photographer unknown
Norma Jeane Mortenson was born on Tuesday, June 1, 1926, to Gladys Pearl Baker (née Monroe) at the Los Angeles County Hospital.
On Thursday, February 23rd, 1956, Norma Jeane obtained an order from the City Court of the State of New York to legally change her name from Norma Jeane Mortenson to Marilyn Monroe.
As Marilyn Monroe, she made many films and I loved them all; but my two favorite movies of hers, one a drama the other a comedy, are Niagara in which she is, according to the movie poster, " . . . a raging torrent of emotion that even nature can't control!"
WOW!
Pretty heavy stuff!
I was actually torn between the The Misifts and Niagara as to her dramatic roles but as the theme is "forma" I figured the latter was the best and she's totally radiant with that bloom of youth look. Don't Bother to Knock is pretty intriguing as a mid-career dramatic role. It's my favorite film of hers as it was the first time I saw her and fell completely in love with her, so, first loves, . . . .
In Niagara Monroe is Rose Loomis, the ultimate self-centered, conniving and totally irresistible Femme fatale . . .
"luring men to their ultimate destruction!"
However, she very tenderly, (un poco dramatic, if not a bit over the top), sings the song, Kiss, which is beautifully evocative of the sound of the 50's and accentuates the look of the film. It is a lovely ballad filled with unfulfilled promises and longing for . . . what?
Joseph Cotton is George Loomis, her jealous husband, with newly weds Polly Cutler (Jean Peters) and Ray Cutler (Max Showalter) her hapless husband who ogles Monroe through most of the film.
There is a video with the trailer for the film (link below) that contains the key points in the film so that you don't even have to see the film, but it's well worth seeing the complete move. As the trailer says, "Niagara and Marilyn Monroe, the two most electrifying sights in the world!"
~ ~ ~
As I always roar with laughter and never get tired of watching Some Like It Hot, I had not realized that Monroe was not so great to work with on the film and it was not a joy for the participants. There is an excellent video, The Making of Some Like It Hot, that is pretty revealing of Monroe during the filming (link below).
There have been stories about animosity between Curtis and Monroe because of something he said but that are not true. He has said that he got so tired of people asking him what it was like to kiss Monroe, that in irony he told a reporter, "Kissing Monroe was ‘Like Kissing Hitler’!" The phrase was then taken out of context.
A perfectly superfluous aside which has absolutely nothing to do with the film: there is a great song by the Power Station called Some Like It Hot with a powerful vocal by Robert Palmer, but it IS a hot song and I couldn't resist mentioning it! The video for it (link below) featured model Caroline Cossey (also known as Tula).
Viewfinder links:
Net links:
Best Movies by Farr ~ How Marilyn Monroe Almost Derailed "Some Like It Hot"
Legends Reveald ~ curtis-say-kissing-monroe-was-like-kissing-hitler
Thelifeandtimesofhollywood ~ Curtis “Kissing Monroe like kissing Hitler”
Haphazard Stuff ~ Niagara (1953) (review)
Showbiz CheatSheet ~ Curtis Said Kissing Monroe was ‘Like Kissing Hitler’ YouTube links:
Marilyn Monroe ~
Niagra ~
Movie Scene and "I Stuttered" (interview)
Some Like It Hot -
The Making of Some Like It Hot (25:46)
I've been on a calendar, but I've never been on time.
~ Marilyn Monroe
