How to Marry a Millionaire (1953):
If you love comedy and romance films, this one’s for you! ‘How to Marry a Millionaire’ was one of the films that skyrocketed Marilyn’s career. In this movie, directed by Jean Negulesco and screenplay by Nunnally Johnson, there are three main characters, Schatze Page (Lauren Bacall), Pola Debevoise (Marilyn Monroe) and Loco Dempsey (Betty Grable). Pola Debevoise, Monroe’s character, is myopic, near-sighted and short-sighted, but she dislikes wearing glasses when she’s around men, this causes problems for her during the film. ‘How to Marry a Millionaire’ follows three young women who are on a mission to find a wealthy husband. They move to the city of New York to rent a fancy apartment to begin their search. While roaming around the city of New York for a wealthy man, they instead are met with their true loves. ‘How to Marry a Millionaire’ has a rating of 6.8/10 on IMDb and 85% on Rotten Tomatoes.
Gentlemen Prefer Blondes (1953):
If you are looking for a comedy/musical film, ‘Gentlemen Prefer Blondes’ has just that! This is another film that was a success to Monroe’s career. ‘Gentlemen Prefer Blondes’ was directed by Howard Hanks, and is based on the musical by the same title from 1949. This movie stars two main characters, Dorothy Shaw (Jane Russell) and Lorelei Lee (Marilyn Monroe). Lorelei is a character who exemplifies the “dumb blonde” stereotype. The story follows two best friends that are showgirls, who have their differences. Lorelei is attracted to men who can buy her anything she wants, but Dorothy loves a man who’s attractive and fit, wealth doesn’t matter to her. Lee is engaged to her rich soon-to-be husband, Gus, she plans to have the wedding in France but her fiancé’s father, Esmond Sr, doesn’t allow them to travel together. Because of this, Lorelai decides to travel to France with or without Gus, along with her best friend, Dorothy. ‘Gentlemen Prefer Blondes’ is well-known today for the song ‘Diamonds Are a Girl’s Best Friend’ sung by Marilyn Monroe. The movie has a rating of 7.1/10 on IMBd and 88% on Rotten Tomatoes.
Some Like It Hot (1959):
Interested in comedy/crime films? ‘Some Like It Hot’ is an American crime comedy film directed by Billy Wilder. The film was a huge hit for Monroe’s career. This movie is said to be one of the greatest films of all time, it was nominated for six Academy Awards, such as Best Actor, Best Director and Best Adapted Screenplay, the film won for Best Costume Design. The film follows two musicians, Jerry (Jack Lemmon) is a jazz double bass player and Joe (Tony Curtis) is a jazz saxophone player, who form a plan to escape from Chicago to Florida. They disguise themselves as women named Josephine and Daphne, and join an all-female jazz band, after witnessing an assassination from the Mafia, based on the Saint Valentine’s Day Massacre. Marilyn Monroe stars as the singer and ukulele player of the jazz band, Sugar Kane. The musicians grow fond of Sugar and compete for her affection, still in their disguises. Sugar tells “Josephine” that she refuses to be with anyone that’s a saxophone player because of her past experiences with one. When Joe disguises himself, once again, as a millionaire to impress Sugar, Jerry finds himself being followed by an actual millionaire (Joe. E Brown). ‘Some Like It Hot’ has a rating of 8.2/10 on IMBd, a review of 94% on Rotten Tomatoes and 98% on Metacritic.
The Seven Year Itch (1955):
Are you looking for a romance film? ‘The Seven Year Itch’ is an American romance-comedy film, based on the 1952 three-act play, directed by Billy Wilder. One of the most popular pop-culture images of the 20th century with Marilyn Monroe’s iconic white dress comes from this film. ‘The Seven Year Itch’ received a Golden Globe, that award being for Best Actor — Motion Picture Musical or Comedy, won by Tom Ewell. Tom returned to his role from the broadway. This film follows a man named Richard Sherman (Tom Ewell) who becomes infatuated with his new nameless neighbor, The Girl (Marilyn Monroe) who is a blonde model and actress for commercials, after his family goes away to Maine for the summer. Richard begins to have fantasies about his new upstairs neighbor. Sherman reads the manuscript of a book in which psychiatrist Dr. Brubaker, states that men are more motivated to have affairs during the seven year mark of marriage. ‘The Seven Year Itch’ has a rating of 7.1/10 on IMBd and a review of 84% on Rotten Tomatoes.
The Misfits (1961):
Into western/romance films? ‘The Misfits’ is a 1961 American Western film directed by John Huston. It’s both romantic and emotional. This film is an adaptation from Arthur Miller’s short story by the same name in 1957. Arthur wrote the story just for Marilyn when they were married, however, during the set of ‘The Misfits’ their relationship started to crumble. This film stars three main characters, Roslyn Taber (Marilyn Monroe), Gay Langland (Clark Gable), and Perce Howland (Montgomery Clift). The story follows the recently divorced, young woman, Roslyn Taber and her friendly relationship with Gay Langland, Perce Howland and Landlady Isabelle Steers (Thelma Ritter). This film was released shortly after Monroe’s and Gable’s tragic death, making it the last film they’ve completed. ‘The Misfits’ was a failure during its release but over the years its reputation has improved, making it one of the best films from the 1960s. This film has a rating of 7.2/10 on IMDb and a review of 97% Rotten Tomatoes.
These films are just some of the best Marilyns starred in. Monroe has been in several successful films that got her where she was. Even today, people still remember the beauty and talents of Marilyn. Her legacy continues to live on.
