Marilyn Monroe in popular culture

As one of the most iconic actresses of the 20th century, Marilyn Monroe is frequently depicted and referenced in popular culture.

• 1999: E! Online's Sex Symbol of the Century;
• 1995: Empire's Sexiest Female Movie Star;
• Marian McKnight won the 1957 Miss America crown with a Marilyn act;
• 1999: People magazine's Sexiest Woman of the Century;
• 1998: Playboy's #1 Sex Star of the Century;
• The Seven Year Itch "subway grate" scene has been mimicked several times. These include Absolut vodka advertisements, Betty Boop, Donna Summer, Anna Kournikova, Spice Girl Geri Halliwell, Perrier, Anna Nicole Smith, The Simpsons, and the musical Tommy.

Music by Monroe

• In Ladies of the Chorus (1947), Monroe sang "Anyone Can See I Love You" and "Every Baby Needs a Da-Da-Daddy".
• In A Ticket to Tomahawk (1950), she performed "Oh! What a Forward Young Man You Are" with a choir.
• In Niagara (1953), Monroe sang "Kiss."
• In Gentlemen Prefer Blondes (1953), Monroe sang "Diamonds Are a Girl's Best Friend," "Two Little Girls from Little Rock," "When Love Goes Wrong," and "Bye Bye Baby."
• In River of No Return (1954), she sang "Down in the Meadow," "I'm Gonna File My Claim," "One Silver Dollar," and "River of No Return."
• In There's No Business Like Show Business (film) (1954), she sang Irving Berlin's "Heat Wave," "Lazy," and "After You Get What You Want You Don't Want It."
• In 1954, Monroe recorded "A Fine Romance," "She Acts Like a Woman Should," and "You'd Be Surprised" on the RCA label.
• In The Seven Year Itch (1955), she sang "Chopsticks".
• In Bus Stop (1956), she sang "That Old Black Magic."
• In The Prince and the Showgirl (1957), she sang "I Found a Dream."
• In Some Like It Hot (1959), Monroe sang popular songs from the 1920s: "I Wanna Be Loved by You," "I'm Through with Love" and "Running Wild". She also recorded a title song for the movie (later leleased on compilation albums), but the producers ended up using an instrumental version over the opening credits.
• In Let's Make Love (1960), she sang "My Heart Belongs to Daddy", "Incurably Romantic," "Specialization" and "Let's Make Love."

Music on Monroe

• "Hey Marilyn", a musical biography written and composed by Cliff Jones and starring Beverly d'Angelo, was broadcast on the Canadian Broadcasting Corporation's national radio network. It also enjoyed a highly successful stage version at Edmonton, Alberta's Citadel Theater. A Broadway production is currently in the planning stages.[1]
• Band leader Ray Anthony composed the song "My Marilyn" and performed it for Monroe at an event promoting the film Niagara in 1952.
• In 1973, Elton John recorded "Candle in the Wind" on his Goodbye Yellow Brick Road album as a tribute to Monroe.
• In 1981 Horror Punk band The Misfits wrote "Who Killed Marilyn?" about Marilyn Monroe's death. The 1980s Chilean band Los Prisioneros also wrote a song, "¿Quién mató a Marilyn?," about Monroe's death.
• The Horror Punk band The Misfits named their band after Marilyn's last completed movie The Misfits.
• In The Misfits song "Die Monster Die", Marilyn Monroe is mentioned.
• Billy Joel mentions her in the first verse of his 1989 hit "We Didn't Start the Fire."
• She is mentioned among other Hollywood icons (such as Lauren Bacall, Marlene Dietrich and James Dean) in the spoken passage of Madonna's 1990 hit single "Vogue".
• The British alternative rock band Suede recorded the song "Heroine" as an homage to Monroe. The track is included in Suede's Dog Man Star album (1994).
• Robbie Williams mentions her name among other film stars in the song "The Actor" (2006).
• The band Norma Jean is named after her
• She is mentioned sympathetically in the song "Celluloid Heroes" by The Kinks.

Film

• Insignificance. The character called The Actress, played by Theresa Russell, is based on Monroe.
• The Apartment. The leading man meets a girl at a bar who "looks like Marilyn Monroe", played by Joyce Jameson.
• Fade to Black. A disturbed young man with a Monroe obsession stalks a girl who looks like her.
• Pulp Fiction. Monroe look-a-like is a waitress in a 50s-themed restaurant.
• The Shawshank Redemption. Tim Robbins's character has a poster of Monroe in his jail cell.
• Tommy. The "Eyesight to the Blind" shows a preacher (Eric Clapton) that leads a cult to Marilyn Monroe.

Portrayed in:

• Goodbye, Norma Jean (1976) (Misty Rowe)
• Insignificance (1985) (as "The Actress") (Theresa Russell)
• Goodnight, Sweet Marilyn (1989) (Paula Lane and Misty Rowe)
• Death Becomes Her (1992) - Marilyn is among some famous people considered dead (but actually under Lisle von Rhoman's eternal life potion) (Stéphanie Anderson)
• Calendar Girl (1993) (Stéphanie Anderson)
• Norma Jean & Marilyn (1996) (Ashley Judd as Norma Jean, Mira Sorvino as Marilyn)
• The Island (1998) (Sally Kirkland)

Based on her:

• Paddy Chayefsky's The Goddess (1958) played by Kim Stanley
• Happy Feet (2006) (Nicole Kidman portrays the penguin, Norma Jean)

Television

• In 1953, Monroe appeared on "The Jack Benny Show" and sang "Bye Bye Baby" live.
• In 1950 Monroe appeared in a television commercial for Royal Triton Oil.
• The Critic: Jay imagines himself as a female impersonator dressed as Marilyn Monroe from The Seven Year Itch
• The Simpsons (season five episode Rosebud): Smithers imagines Mr. Burns popping out of a cake with only a sash covering him and sings a variation of Happy Birthday, Mr. President; one of Burns's retrospect slides shows Burns over the subway grate a la Monroe's character from The Seven Year Itch.
• The Ernie Kovacs Show: Edie Adams regularly impersonated Monroe;
• Gilligan's Island: "The Producer," Ginger impersonates Monroe;
• I Love Lucy: "Ricky's Movie Offer," Lucy glams up as Monroe;
• M*A*S*H: "Bombshells," Hawkeye and Charles start a rumor that Monroe is coming to thank the staff for caring for her cousin;
• The Name's the Same: November 19, 1952 and January 12, 1954 had a contestant whose actual name was Marilyn Monroe; June 22, 1954 guest Van Johnson's "secret wish" was for Marilyn to sit on his lap; August 31, 1954 guest Charles Coburn's "secret wish" was to dance the rumba with her again as he did in Gentlemen Prefer Blondes;
• Saturday Night Live:
  • Charlize Theron played Monroe in a spoof of the Seven Year Itch (Charlize Theron/Paul Simon);
  • Mary Gross played Monroe as a recurring SNL character;
  • host Teri Garr played Monroe in a sketch where John F. Kennedy (Joe Piscopo) tries to keep her hidden during briefings;
  • Madonna recreated 'Happy Birthday, Mr. President' when she was musical guest in a season 18 episode hosted by Harvey Keitel (in a cold opening sketch about President Clinton's inauguration) and played Monroe in a sketch about the theory that Monroe was killed because of her involvement with both John F. Kennedy (played by Randy Quaid) and Robert F. Kennedy (played by Anthony Michael Hall) when she hosted the first episode of SNL's eleventh season.
• What's My Line?: August 21, 1960, Buddy Hackett signed in as Monroe;
• In Batman: The Animated Series, the character design of Randa from episodes Heart of Steel parts 1 and 2 is based on Marilyn Monroe, as stated by director Kevin Altieri;
• On the South Park episode "Pink Eye", Mr. Garrison dressed up as Monroe from her role in The Seven Year Itch (while Mr. Hat was dressed as Chewbacca just like most of the kids in class, except for Cartman, who was dressed as Hitler, and Stan, who was dressed as Raggedy Andy)
• In the Futurama episode "I Dated a Robot", a teenager spends all his time 'making out' with a robotic version of Monroe called a 'Marilyn Monrobot'.

Portrayed in:

• Blonde 2001 CBS miniseries (Poppy Montgomery)
• Curb Your Enthusiasm episode "The End"
• Dark Skies episode "The Warren Omission"
• Growing Pains episode "Happy Halloween: Part 2"
• Hoover vs. the Kennedys: The Second Civil War 1987 (Heather Thomas)
• Introducing Dorothy Dandridge 1999 HBO (Kerri Randles)
• Marilyn: The Untold Story 1980 ABC (Catherine Hicks)
• Norma Jean & Marilyn 1996, HBO (Ashley Judd and Mira Sorvino)
• Quantum Leap episode "Goodbye Norma Jean: April 4, 1960"
• The Rat Pack 1998 HBO (Barbara Niven)
• Marilyn & Bobby: Her Final Affair 1993 USA (Melody Anderson)
• This Year's Blonde 1980 NBC, (Constance Forslund)
• James Dean 2001 TNT (Holly Beavon)
• The Mystery of Natalie Wood 2004 ABC (Sophie Monk)

Based on her:

• Alvah Bessie's The Sex Symbol 1974 ABC with Connie Stevens and Shelley Winters

Art

Artists who have used Monroe as a basis of their work:

• Peter Blake's Marilyn Monroe Over a Painting No 1 1989-1990; Marilyn Monroe Wall No 2 and MM Red Yellow 1990; M for Marilyn Monroe and H.O.M.A.G.E. – JJ MM RR KS 1991
• Buster Cleveland's "Pop Up" 1991
• Bruce Conner's Marilyn Times Five
• Michael Martin-Daniels and Heather Martin-Daniels' "Altar to Self-Indulgence and Decadence" 1988
• Allan D'Arcangelo's "Marilyn" and "Marilyn Found" 1962
• Susan Paul Firestone's "It's Me Marilyn" 1984
• Audrey Flack's "Marilyn: Golden Girl" 1978
• Douglas Gordon's As Kurt Cobain, as Andy Warhol, as Myra Hindley, as Marilyn Monroe 1996
• Richard Hamilton's My Marilyn 1966
• Margaret Harrison's "Anonymous Was a Woman: From Rosa Luxemburg to Janis Joplin" 1977
• Ray Johnson's Dear Marilyn Monroe
• Kathleen Kondilas's "Madonna and Child" 1993
• Willem de Kooning's Marilyn Monroe 1954
• Barbara Kruger's Not Stupid Enough 1997
• Jean Jacques Lebel's "Taking a Real Good Peek at Marilyn's Amazing Offer: Mass Produced Like All Show Biz's Ice Cubes in the Shapes of Luscious Nudes" 1961
• Gina Lollobrigida's My Friend Marilyn Monroe
• Justin McCarthy's "Marilyn Monroe" 1974
• Yasumasa Morimura's After Marilyn Monroe 1996
• LeRoy Neiman's The President's Birthday 1962
• Ed Paschke's "Pink Lady 2" 1993
• Peter Phillips's "For Men Only-Starring MM and BB" 1961
• Marie Pobre's "Marilyn" 1986
• Mel Ramos's Peek-a-boo Marilyn 2002
• Rancillac's "Young Marilyn" 1991-92
• Robert Rauschenberg's "Test Stone #1" 1967
• Faith Ringgold's Marilyn Monroe 1997
• James Rosenquist's Marilyn Monroe I 1962
• Mimmo Rotella's "Marilyn Monroe" 1962
• George Segal's The Film Poster 1967
• Richard Serra's Marilyn Monroe-Greta Garbo 1981
• Roger Shimomura's "Heroine, Hammer, Hibachi" 1987
• Andy Warhol's Marilyn Monroe Diptych 1962
• Jeff Way's "Idol II" 1983
• Frank Xerox's "Almost a Frank Xerox" 1992

Photography

• American Photo devoted its May/June 1997 issue to her.
• Eve Arnold, George Barris, Peter Basch, Cecil Beaton, Henri Cartier-Bresson, John Bryson, Cornell Capa, Jock Carroll, Alfred Eisenstaedt, Elliott Erwitt, Robert Frank, Milton H. Greene, Ernst Haas, Philippe Halsman, Douglas Kirkland, Harold Lloyd, Inge Morath, Arnold Newman, Gordon Parks, Bert Stern, Weegee and Garry Winogrand are among those who shot Monroe. The American Masters "Marilyn Monroe: Still Life" claims she was the most photographed person in history. [2]
• Marie Claire (September 2002) of Marilyn visiting the troops in Korea: she "made even military-issue jackets sexy."

Books

According to The Guardian, there are nearly 300 biographies on Monroe in English alone. The only volumes published while she was living was Marilyn Monroe (1961), by biographer Maurice Zolotow, and "The Marilyn Monroe Story" (1953) by Franklin and Palmer. the following are fictional takes.

• Candle in the Wind by George Bernau
• The Symbol by Alvah Bessie
• The Possibility of Dreaming on a Night Without Stars by Michael Kaufman
• The Immortals by Michael Korda
• Of Women and Their Elegance by Norman Mailer
• Blonde by Joyce Carol Oates (see also Oates' 2003 short story "Three Girls"
• Marilyn's Daughter by John Rechy
• Queen of Desire by Sam Toperoff

Miscellaneous facts

• Ella Fitzgerald credited Monroe with helping her launch her mainstream career by securing her a gig at the then-segregated Mocambo. [[3]]
• Hugh Hefner purchased the crypt beside Monroe for himself.
• Monroe's films made over $200,000,000 on their first run, according to her New York Times obituary.
• Tiles on the doorstep of Monroe's Brentwood home bore the Latin inscription, "Cursum Perficio," commonly translated as "My journey is over." (or "I have completed my course.").
• The Jean Louis gown in which Monroe sang "Happy Birthday, Mr. President" to John F. Kennedy in May 1962 was sold at Christie's auction in 1999 for $1,267,500.
• In February 2007's issue of Premiere magazine Mickey Rooney claims to have given her the name Marilyn Monroe.
• Many days after Monroe's death, Mrs. Eunice Murray attempted to cash her last paycheck from Monroe, and it was declined and marked "deceased." This check, one of the last that Monroe ever wrote on her Roxbury Drive Branch account at City National Bank in Beverly Hills, is today on display at the Hollywood Entertainment Museum in Hollywood, CA.
• Marilyn Manson formed his name after combining the names of Marilyn Monroe and Charles Manson.
• It has been rumored for years and reported in Ripley's Believe It Or Not that Marilyn Monroe had 6 toes on her left foot, but this was false. The rumor started after a photo shoot in 1946 on a beach in California where a clump of sand made it appear she had an extra toe.
• The punk band The Misfits derived their title after Monroe's film of the same name, due to lead singer Glenn Danzig's interest in Marilyn Monroe. The band also has a song "Who Killed Marilyn?".

Reference

Depaoli, G. Elvis + Marilyn: 2x Immortal. Rizzoli, 1994.

External links

[4] Tate Collection, Marilyn Diptych by Andy Warhol