Marilyn Monroe in popular culture

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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, Perrier, Anna Nicole Smith, The Simpsons, and the musical Tommy.

Contents 1 Music by Monroe 2 Music on Monroe 3 Film 4 Television 5 Art 6 Photography 7 Books 8 References

[edit] 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 (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."

[edit] 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, Sir 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 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

[edit] 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

[edit] 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 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; Mary Gross played Monroe as a recurring SNL character; Madonna recreated 'Happy Birthday, Mr. President';
• 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.

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

[edit] 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

[edit] 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."

[edit] 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

[edit] References

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