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This composition was inspired to me by Marilyn Monroe, who was a brilliant American actress, comedienne, singer, and model.
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Born on June 1, 1926 in Los Angeles, California, USA, she died on August 5, 1962 in Los Angeles, California, USA, from an alleged drug overdose, among suspicions of foul-play and murder.
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During her short life, Marilyn Monroe became one of the world's most enduring iconic figures, and she is remembered both for her attractive embodiment of the Hollywood sex-symbol, as well as for her tragic, personal and professional struggles, within the film industry.
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Her life and death at a young age are still the subjects of much controversy and speculation.
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Marilyn Monroe was born, officially, as ‘Norma Jeane Mortenson.’
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Probably the most celebrated of all actresses in cinematographic history - this side of the Great Flood and the fall of Atlantis and Lemuria -, Marilyn Monroe was born Norma Jeane Mortenson in the charity ward of the Los Angeles General Hospital on June 1, 1926.
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Marilyn’s mother, ‘Gladys Pearl’, was born in Piedras Negras, Coahuila, Mexico, to American parents from Indiana and Missouri. She worked in Hollywood, as a film-cutter, at ‘Consolidated Film Industries’ and R.K.O. Studios.
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Marilyn's biological father has been established in recent years, through DNA testing, as Charles Stanley Gifford - born in Newport, Rhode Island, to a family with deep roots in the state.
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Much to her chagrin, Marilyn grew up not knowing who her father really was, a fact that affected her dealings with most, if not all the men in her life.
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Her mother Gladys gave her daughter, Norma Jeane, the name of Baker.
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Poverty was a constant companion to Gladys and little Norma Jeane; alias ‘Marilyn Monroe’, during her future career as a Hollywood movie actress.
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But on top of poverty, Marilyn’s mother, alas, suffered from mental illness problems; and she spent much time going in and out of mental institutions for the rest of her life.
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Because of her mother’s unstable life, ‘Norma Jeane Baker’ - aka Marilyn Monroe - spent lots of time in foster homes.
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To begin with, when she was nine, Marilyn was placed in an orphanage where she was to stay for the next two years.
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Upon being released from the orphanage, Marilyn went to yet another foster home.
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Indeed, because Gladys was mentally and financially unable to care for young Marilyn, Gladys placed her little daughter in the care of a foster family, named: The Bolenders.
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Although the Bolender family wanted to adopt Marilyn, Gladys was eventually able to stabilize her lifestyle, and so she eagerly took Marilyn back into her care, when Marilyn was 7 years old.
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However, and very sadly so, shortly after regaining custody of Marilyn, Gladys had a complete mental breakdown. Marilyn’s mother was diagnosed as a paranoid schizophrenic, and was committed to a state mental hospital.
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Marilyn’s mother then spent the rest of her life going in and out of hospitals, and rarely had contact ever gain with young Marilyn.
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Once Marilyn became an adult and celebrated as a film star, she was able to pay a woman, by the name of Inez Melson, to look in on the institutionalized Gladys, and provide Marilyn with detailed reports of her progress.
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But as the often strange turn of events that compose the fates of all of us mere mortal human beings would have it, Gladys outlived her daughter, dying in 1984 - a full 22 years after her daughter’s premature and mysterious trespass in 1962.
/=/ As for young Marilyn, back when she was 7 years old and ‘home again with her mother’, she was taken in by Gladys' best friend ‘Grace Goddard’ at first, followed by a series of foster homes, and then placed into the ‘Los Angeles Orphan's Home’ in 1935 at the age of 9.
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Marilyn was traumatized by her experience there, despite the Orphan's Home being an adequate living facility.
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Her mother’s friend, Grace Goddard, eventually took Marilyn back to live with her in 1937 - although this stay did not last long, because Grace's husband began molesting Marilyn and attempting to rape her.
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After this sinister incident, Marilyn went to live with Grace's ‘Aunt Ana.’
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But due to Aunt Ana's advanced age, she could not care properly for Marilyn.
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Therefore, Marilyn, once again for the third time, had to return to live with the Goddards.
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After a while, the Goddards had to relocate their residence out-of-state; and according to the law, they could not take Marilyn with them.
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Marilyn only had two choices: to return to the orphanage, or to get married.
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Marilyn was then only 16 years old, but rather than facing her dreaded orphanage once again, she went ahead and got married to a 21 year-old aircraft plant worker, named James Dougherty.
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Their marriage lasted only four years, and they divorced in 1946, in Las Vegas, Nevada.
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Insofar as why she divorced James Dougherty, Marilyn simply said: ‘My marriage didn't make me sad, but it didn't make me happy either. My husband and I hardly spoke to each other. This wasn't because we were angry. We just had nothing to say to one another. Frankly, I was dying of boredom. Grace McKee had arranged the marriage for me, I never had a choice. There's not much to say about it. They couldn't support me, and they had to work out something. And so I got married …!
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By the time of her divorce to her first regular-joe husband, Marilyn had begun to model swimsuits, and decided to bleach her hair blonde, trying upwards of 12 different hues of blonde.
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Various photographs made their way into the public eye off and on, where some were eventually seen by R.K.O Pictures chief executive, the famous Howard Hughes - the dashing multi-millionaire, daring aviator and pioneer - and eclectic film producer.
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Howard Hughes offered Marilyn a screen test. But an agent suggested to Marilyn that 20th Century-Fox would be the better choice for her, since it was a much bigger, more conventional and more prestigious Hollywood studio.
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Marilyn was signed to a contract with 20th Century-Fox, at $125 per week for a six-month period - that was then increased by $25 per week at the end of that time, when her contract was lengthened by the studio.
/=/ Marilyn Monroe’s first film was a bit part in 1947 film ‘The Shocking Miss Pilgrim.’
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Her next production was not much better, with a bit part in the 1948 forgettable film ‘Scudda Hoo! Scudda Hay!’
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Two of the three brief scenes, in which she appeared, wound up on the cutting room floor …
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Later that same year, she was given a somewhat better role as ‘Evie’ in the 1947 film ‘Dangerous Years.’
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However, not meeting their parameters, 20th Century-Fox declined to renew Marilyn’s contract. So licking her wounds and her bruised ego, she bravely went back to modeling, as well as to acting and singing school.
/=/ Columbia Pictures then picked her up to play ‘Peggy Martin’ in the 1948 film ‘Ladies of the Chorus’; where Marilyn sang three numbers.
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Notices from the critics were favorable to her, if not the film itself; but nevertheless Columbia Pictures still dropped her.
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Once again Marilyn returned to modeling, and to acting school.
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In 1949, she appeared in United Artists' 1949 film ‘Love Happy.’
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It was also that same year she posed nude for the now famous calendar shot, which was later to appear in ‘Playboy magazine’ in 1953; and further boost her career.
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Marilyn Monroe would be the first Playboy centerfold in that magazine's long and illustrious history.
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The next year 1950 proved to be a good year for Marilyn !
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Marilyn appeared in five films. But the best of all news was that she received very good critics reviews for her roles in two of them: the 1950 Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer Studios film - ‘Asphalt Jungle’; and the 20th Century-Fox 1950 film - ‘All About Eve.’
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Even though both of Marilyn’s roles were basically not much more than bit-parts, many movie fans remembered her dizzy, but very sexy blonde performance.
/=/ In 1951, Marilyn got a fairly sizable role in the film 1951 20th Century-Fox American comedy-drama film - ‘Love Nest.’
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The public was now getting to know her; and people liked what they saw in her !
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Marilyn had an intoxicating quality of volcanic sexuality, wrapped in an aura of almost childlike innocence.
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In 1952, Marilyn appeared in 1952 film - ‘Don’t Bother to Knock’ -, in which she played a somewhat mentally-unbalanced babysitter.
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Critics didn't particularly care for her work in this picture. But she made a much more favorable impression later in the year in the 1952 film - ‘Monkey Business’ -, where Marilyn was seen, for the first time, as a platinum blonde: a special look that became her Marilyn Monroe trademark.
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Her platinum blonde look was reminiscent of Marilyn’s own favorite actress - Jean Harlow. As an American actress, known for her portrayal of ‘bad girl’ characters, Jean Harlow was the leading sex symbol of the early 1930s, and one of the defining figures of the pre-Code era of American cinema. Often nicknamed the ‘Blonde Bombshell’ or also the ‘Platinum Blonde’, Jean Harlow was popular for her ‘Laughing Vamp’ screen persona. Femme fatale types were often called vamps – short for female vampires, aka ‘vampiresses.’ The lasting image of Jean Harlow is head thrown back, roaring with bawdy, evil laughter, with all the men hanging on her every word. Sexy, scary, with every male in the room wrapped around her little finger, she set the standard for the likes of Marilyn Monroe, who as another blonde bombshell, would have a tragically short life - Marilyn Monroe dying at age 36; and Jean Harlow dying at age 26.
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The next year, she appeared in the 1953 film - ‘Gentlemen Prefer Blondes,’ - as Lorelei Lee.
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It was also the same year that Marilyn began dating the baseball champion, Joe DiMaggio.
/=/ Marilyn was now a genuine box-office drawing card.
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Later, she appeared with Betty Grable, Lauren Bacall, and Rory Calhoun in the 1953 film - ‘How to Marry a Millionaire.’
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Although her co-stars got the rave reviews, it was the sight of Marilyn that really excited the audience; especially the male members.
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In late June 1953, Marilyn flew to Calgary in Canada, and from there she traveled by special train with the rest of the crew to the Banff Springs Hotel, which would serve as their base during the Canadian filming of Otto Preminger’s spectacular film ‘River of No Return,’ whose filming was completed at the end of September 1953, and released by 20th Century Fox in Spring 1954.
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‘River of No Return’ was shot in Technicolor and CinemaScope, on location in the Canadian Rockies - in Banff, Jasper National Parks, in Lake Louise in Alberta, and at the Salmon River in Idaho, where the story actually takes place - and where Marilyn Monroe almost drowned to death and severely wounded one of her ankles.
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In this wonderful, action-packed, romantic film, Marilyn appears alongside Robert Mitchum - who saved her from drowning in the river in real life -, within breathtaking wilderness, and with much dramatic action.
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In ‘River of No Return,’ Marilyn also displays her wonderful singing and guitar playing talents.
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A couple of months later, on Thursday, January 14th 1954, Marilyn got married to the American baseball champion, Joe DiMaggio.
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Marilyn then promptly proceeded to film her 1954 film hit - ‘There’s No Business Like Show Business.’
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‘There’s No Business Like Show Business’ was quickly followed by the 1955 film - ‘The Seven Year Itch.’
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‘The Seven Year Itch’ showcased Marilyn’s considerable comedic talent, and contained what is arguably one of the most memorable moments in cinema history: Marilyn, standing above a subway grating, while the wind from a passing subway is blowing her delicate white dress up and up, again and again.
/=/ Her husband, Joe DiMaggio, having appeared on the set during its prior filming was not amused at all; and as a result, the couple had their first major falling out.
/=/ By October 1954, the marriage had all but crumbled, so Marilyn Monroe announced her divorce from Joe DiMaggio - although the divorce was not finalized until a year later, on October 31, 1955.
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In 1955, she was suspended by 20th Century-Fox, for not reporting for work on their 1955 film - ‘How to Be Very, Very Popular.’
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It was Marilyn’s second suspension - her first suspension having been for not reporting for the production of the 1955 film - ‘The Girl in the Red Velvet Swing.’ Both roles went to other eager actresses.
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By that time, Marilyn’s work was slowing down, due to her habit of being continually late to the set, due to her illnesses - whether real or hypochondriacally imagined -, and generally due to being unwilling to sensibly cooperate with her producers, directors, and fellow actors and actresses.
/=/ However in the 1956 film - ‘Bus Stop’ -, Marilyn finally showed her critics that she could play a straight dramatic role; and play it extremely well.
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1956 was also the same year that Marilyn Monroe married the successful playwright author - Arthur Miller. Among his most popular plays are ‘All My Sons,’ ‘Death of a Salesman,’ ‘The Crucible,’ and ‘A View from the Bridge.’
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They divorced less than 5 years later, on January 20, 1961. Besides his successful plays for the theater, Arthur Miller also wrote several movie screenplays - most notably to honor his wife Marilyn in the famous 1961 black & white film - ‘The Misfits’ -, in which she co-stars with Clark Gable, one of her childhood’s father figures. ‘The Misfits’ is from among all her movies, one of my top favorites.
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While Marilyn Monroe was married to Arthur Miller, in 1957, she flew to Britain to act in the 1957 film - ‘The Prince and the Showgirl.’

‘The Prince and the Showgirl’ - originally titled ‘The Sleeping Prince’ - is a British romantic comedy film, in which Marilyn Monroe stars alongside Laurence Olivier, who also served as director and producer of the film.
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‘The Prince and the Showgirl’ is romantic comedy, sort of goofy and contrived at times, mainly due to Laurence Olivier’s attitude against Marilyn’s own successful acting style. As a result of this friction between them, this film proved itself less than impressive than her recent work, both critically and financially. ‘The Prince and the Showgirl’ made money, for sure, but critics panned it for being slow-moving, too limiting and somewhat dull.
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After taking a year off during 1958, during which she posed for Life magazine with stunning pictures from the photographer Richard Avedon - alongside an article by Marilyn’s playwright husband, Arthur Miller, entitled “My Wife, Marilyn,” - Marilyn Monroe went back to her acting work and returned to the screen the next year for the delightful comedy - ‘Some Like It Hot’ -, in which she starred alongside Tony Curtis and Jack Lemmon.
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‘Some Like It Hot’ was an absolute smash hit, wherein Tony Curtis and Jack Lemmon, following their witnessing of the Chicago mafia’s saint valentine’s day massacre, must pretend to be females in order to join an all-girl band, so they can flee the mobsters, while getting work alongside another musician in the band, who plays the ukulele . . . and is none other than Marilyn Monroe !
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‘Some Like It Hot’ was to be Marilyn's only film for the year. Just like Marilyn had learned to play the guitar for her role in alongside Robert Mitchum in the 1954 film - ‘River of No Return’ -, she learned to play the ukulele for her enthusiastic role in ‘Some Like It Hot.’ I remember seeing it when I was 9 years old in Hamburg, preceded by an animation feature of the Pink Panther, and coming away from the movie theater, totally smitten by Marilyn Monroe’s performance. It was the first time I had ever seen or heard of Marilyn Monroe. For sure, I was charmed …!
/=/ In 1960, Marilyn appeared in George Cukor's 1960 film - ‘Let’s Make Love,’ with Tony Randall and the french lover-boy-extraodinaire par excellence, Yves Montand.
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Again, while ‘Let’s Make Love’ made money, it was critically panned as stodgy and slow-moving.
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The following year, in 1961, Marilyn made what was to be her final film - ‘The Misfits.’
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‘The Misfits’ also proved to be the final film for the legendary Clark Gable, who died later that year of a heart attack.
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‘The Misfits’ became a popular film, with critics and the public alike.
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In 1962, Marilyn was chosen to star in Fox's ‘Something's Got to Give.’
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But once again, Marilyn’s chronic absenteeism caused delay after delay in production, resulting in her being fired from the production in June of that year.
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Consequently, it looked as though her career was finished. Studios just didn't want to take a chance on her because it would cost them thousands of dollars in delays.
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She was only 36 years old, and she either committed suicide, or most likely was murdered soon after. During her short-lived but spectacular life, Marilyn had acted in only thirty films, but her legendary status and mysticism will remain with film history for ever.
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In her memoir about the sexual predators in her industry, Marilyn said: I met them all. Phoniness and failure were all over them. Some were vicious and crooked. But they were as near to the movies as you could get. So you sat with them, listening to their lies and schemes. And you saw Hollywood with their eyes, an overcrowded brothel, a merry-go-round with beds for horses…!
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FAIR USE - Section 107 of the Copyright Act 1976
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This is a non-profit video that I personally composed solely for the purpose of study, review, research, self-expression, experimental analysis, creative research, humorous contrasting, cultural and educational philosophy, and basically for the love of artistic creativity itself, without any intention for any commercial uses whatsoever, and fully and absolutely for non-profit public display.
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Long Live Beauty & Art & Love !
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