At the age of 7, she met and lived with her mother for nearly a year until her mother was admitted into a mental hospital.
A good friend of her mother's, known to Norma Jean as Aunt Grace, adopted her. But not long after due to financial trouble, had to send her to the Orphan Asylum - the Los Angeles Children's Home Society.
Over the course of her life as an orphan, she lived with 9 different families, most in which were poverty stricken. In one home, she was sexually molested by an older man.
When Norma was 13, she was mistaken for an 18 year old due to her womanly figure. One day, a 21 year old boy asked her to the beach for a date. With no swimsuit, she decided to barrow her little "sister's" swimsuit. It was too small on her, but Norma had no other options. Once she got to the beach, all the boys stared and whistled at her. It was then that she realized that she was not the ugly orphan girl that nobody wanted.
However, her new-found beauty got her too much attention for her liking. Her Aunt Grace suggested that she get married to fix the problem. Since her 9th orphan family was about to move away, Norma took this opportunity to take Aunt Grace's advice to get married to Jim Daugherty at age 16. The most significant portion of this marriage was that it ended her orphan status forever. Although there were no problem in the relationship, they decided to get a divorce because of the lack of love a marriage should have (Norma was 19).
After the divorce, Norma decided to pursue a modeling career. During this time, Norma also paid to take as many acting classes that she could. Acting was her dream.
In 1946, she signed her first contract with 20th Century Fox. The studio man suggested that Norma Jean get a name change. He suggested "Marilyn." She went to ask Aunt Grace for advice, and she suggested she use her mother's maiden name "Monroe." And Marilyn Monroe it was!
Her first films were very small roles in The Shocking Miss Pilgrim and Dangerous Years in 1947. After these films, Fox decided not to renew her contract saying that she was "unphotogenic."
Columbia Pictures picked her up for a small role in Ladies of Chorus in 1948 where she sang two numbers. Columbia Picture dropped her as well.
After being dropped as an actress, she went back to modeling to make a living for herself. In need of $50 to pay for bills, she agreed to pose for a nude photo for a calender - which eventually became a Play Boy centerfold.
John Hyde, and important talent scout from William Morris Agency, picked her up. He got her a role in MGM's The Asphalt Jungle in 1950. However, MGM dropped her after this role because they said she was unphotogenic and had no star potential - something she had heard before.
John Hyde did not give up on her and found her a part in 20th Century Fox's All About Eve which eventually resulted in a 7 year contract for Marilyn.
Both The Asphalt Jungle and All About Eve were both small roles, but fans remebered Marilyn as the "ditzy but very sexy blonde."
Marilyn landed a larger role in Love Nest (1951). After this film, the public started to get to know Marilyn as an actress and life what they saw. As Denny Jackson stated in one of her biographies, she had an "intoxicating quality of volcanic sexuality wrapped in an aura of almost childlike innocence" that the audience liked.
Don't Bother to Knock (1952)
Monkey Business (1952) where her platinum blonde hair became her trademark.
Gentlemen Prefer Blondes (1953) & Niagara (1953) launched her as a sex symbol superstar and became an instrument to draw people to the box office.
How To Marry a Millionaire (1953)
There's No Business Like Show Business (1954)
In 1954, Monroe married professional baseball player for the Yankees, Joe DiMaggio. Although they fell in love, they divorced 274 days later.
The Seven Year Itch (1955) which showcased her comedic talent and contained one of the most memorable film moments when the wind from a subway below blew up her white dress.
After this role, Monroe decided to broaden her range as an actress and take serious roles, not just "sexy dumb blonde" roles. Therefore, she started taking acting classed at the Actor's Studio in NY.
Her performance in Bus Stop (1956) showcased her ability to act in a dramatic role and lead her to her first Golden Globe nomination.
Her performance in the smash hit, Some Like it Hot (1959) led to a Golden Globe for Best Actress in a Comedy.
In 1959, Monroe married the playwrite Arthur Miller, and unlikely marriage that ended in 1960.
The Misfits (1961) was Monroe's last completed film.
Monroe also had a part in Somethings Got to Give in 1962 by 20th Century Fox. But because of her absences which led to delays in production, she was fired. Although rehired, the film was never completed due to her death in 1962. She died to an overdose of sleeping pills at the age of 36.
Altogether, Monroe's 30 films made more than $200 million.
Marilyn Monroe is number 6 on the American Film Institute's List of 50 Greatest American Screen Legends for females. This list of 25 males and 25 females is chosen by 1800 leaders across the film community out of 500 actors.
"Not men, not money, not love, but the ability to act." -Marilyn Monroe
Works Cited
Monroe, Marilyn. My Story. New York: Cooper Square Press, 2000. Print.
The Internet Movie Database. Amazon, 1990. Web. 14 June 2012.
I'd also like to note that although known as America's sex symbol, Marilyn never intended to fit this mold. She actually was not interested in sex (according to her autobiography). She was said to give "sex vibrations" just by the way she presented herself. I found this to be interesting because I would have thought the complete opposite!
ReplyDeleteAlso, my sources were: http://www.imdb.com/ & My Story by Marilyn Monroe.
Thank you for such a full description of her life. I had never seen any of her films, only thought of her as the sexy blond that received whatever she wanted, ever sense she was young. I think of her in Diamonds are a girl’s best friend role. I never knew she lived the youthful, unsettling life that was so torn apart from the beginning. I do have a great deal more respect for her knowing that she had to send herself to acting school and work very hard to achieve her end results desired. She learned how to utilize what she had. If I had those assets, and no food, I would probably learn to use what came available to me as well by making the best of it. Thank you for the history.
ReplyDeleteVery interesting. I, too, have a newfound respect for Marylin. I know a lot of people that claim to idolize her, but probably have no idea why, other than her sex symbol status. I honestly did not even know that she was an actress. I mean I knew she had been in films, but just as sort of the Kim Kardashian socialite of her time, not an ACTRESS. I cannot help but feel for her. She got cast as characters she despised and tried to rise above but she was stifled. I just Googled images of her and she seems like the happiest person in the world, she hid her pain well.
ReplyDeleteNo kidding! I read her autobiography in one day - I just couldn't put it down. Crazy story.
ReplyDeleteThe background on Marylin was well done. I had only heard of a few things about her and the study and research of this film made me feel sorry for her. To have so much but only regarded as a sex object must be so demeaning. I understand that this is part of the thinking in a "mans world", but where is the regard to the ladies as a human being with feelings also?
ReplyDeleteGreat background info on Marilyn. Very interesting and powerful story that she has dealing with what she was and what she wished to be. Sad to see another instance of Hollywood creating a role for a character that they are never able to escape. Its one thing to be cast for a character opposite of yourself but a totally different thing to be stuck with that stigma and have people think that is actually who you are.
ReplyDeleteI think Marilyn is interesting person and I agree that it was too bad that she was stuck with the image Hollywood gave her. and it's too bad that there was no one that she felt she could turn to when she needed help.
ReplyDeleteI never understood why Marilyn Monroe became the sex symbol for a generation. She wasn't the 'prettiest' actress of the time, it can be argued that Barbara Stanwyck was a more prototypical version of sexy, and she wasn't the best actress. She didn't convince me at any time that she wasn't playing a character.
ReplyDelete