1. How to Marry a Millionaire (1953) Three women (Marilyn Monroe, Lauren Bacall, and Betty Grable) pool their resources to rent a swanky apartment so they can date rich men and each marry a millionaire. The only problem is, they keep falling in love with guys who aren't rich. It's sweet and funny and quirky -- and the first Marilyn Monroe movie I showed to my kids! Marilyn's character is the funniest of the trio, especially her running gag about needing to wear thick glasses but thinking they make her look too studious and unglamorous... but when she doesn't wear them, mishaps always ensue.
2. Gentlemen Prefer Blondes (1953) Singer-dancer-friends Lorelei (Marilyn Monroe) and Dorothy (Jane Russell) take an ocean voyage to Europe just for funsies. Their steps are dogged by a private detective hired by Lorelei's fiance's father, who is convinced Lorelei is trapping his son in a disastrous marriage. The girls sing, dance, and dodge would-be suitors. Marilyn's "Diamonds are a Girl's Best Friend" scene really is as iconic as you've been told.
3. Monkey Business (1952) A chemist (Cary Grant) tests an age-reversing elixir on himself and his wife (Ginger Rogers), with hilarious results. I'm not sure why this movie isn't better known, because it's really funny. Marilyn only has a small role, as the chemist's boss's secretary, but she's good fun while she's onscreen.
4. Some Like it Hot (1959) Two male jazz musicians (Tony Curtis and Jack Lemmon) witness a mob hit and try to hide out in an all-female jazz band by disguising themselves as women. Absolutely nobody in their right minds would ever mistake Tony Curtis and Jack Lemmon for women, which makes the entire thing ridiculous and genuinely funny. Marilyn Monroe sings with the jazz band, and of course she winds up in a romance with Tony Curtis -- and the funniest part of the whole movie, for me, is Tony Curtis's Cary Grant impression.
5. The Seven Year Itch (1955) When a bored and imaginative man's (Tom Ewell) wife and kids flee New York City for the summer, he begins romanticizing what could happen with the cute girl (Marilyn Monroe) in a nearby apartment. She sees him only as a friend, too old to be her boyfriend, and nothing serious ever happens between them, no matter how hard he imagines it will. My husband and I can never mention Rachmaninoff without quoting this movie.
6. Don't Bother to Knock (1952) A lonely pilot (Richard Widmark) pursues a relationship with a sexy babysitter (Marilyn Monroe) who works at the hotel where he lives, only to slowly realize she is a very scary woman. It's so cool seeing both Widmark and Monroe playing against type in this excellent noir film.
7. There's No Business Like Show Business (1954) A showbusiness family endures ups and downs over the years, including one son's romance with a singer (Marilyn Monroe). This is one of those movies that is mostly just enough plot to string together a lot of really great musical numbers, but I like that kind of movie so long as there is a legitimate reason for the musical numbers to take place -- like in this movie, where they are the family's bread and butter.
8. The Asphalt Jungle (1950) One of the most famous noir films ever, and deservedly so. A lot of desperate characters work together to pull off a big heist, but justice hunts them down relentlessly. Marilyn Monroe has a very small part here as the girlfriend-on-the-side of the heist's mastermind (Louis Calhern), and she deftly steals scenes right out from under him.
9. Niagara (1953) Technicolor film noir masterpiece about two married couples visiting Niagara Falls. Newlyweds (Jean Peters and Casey Adams/Max Showalter) befriend an older couple (Joseph Cotten and Marilyn Monroe) whose marriage is deteriorating, with disastrous consequences. I have a love-hate relationship with this movie, but I love it enough to add it to this list, anyway.
10. The Misfits (1961) A divorcee (Marilyn Monroe), an aging cowboy (Clark Gable), a bronco buster (Montgomery Clift), a pilot (Eli Wallach), and a landlady (Thelma Ritter) form a found family of sorts because none of them really quite fit in with anyone else. This is mostly remembered today as the final finished film for both Gable and Monroe, and it's not exactly a pleasant movie to watch. But it's a really fascinating bunch of character studies, if you like those.
How many of these have you seen? Do you have any favorites that aren't on this list?
This post is my contribution to the Marilyn Monroe -- 100th Birthday Blogathon hosted by Kristen at Hoofers and Honeys this weekend.
Love blogathons and blog parties? Check out my Upcoming Blog Events page every now and then to find links to all the events I plan to host or participate in. There are lots of great events happening this month in particular!
I'm pretty sure How to Marry a Millionaire was my first Marilyn movie, since I was (and still am) obsessed with both Powell and Bacall. I still haven't seen The Seven Year Itch, There's No Business..., or The Asphalt Jungle. My favorite Marilyn movie is River of No Return. I also really like Niagara. And I agree Monkey Business should be better known! The Misfits left me feeling sad.
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