On Marilyn Monroe by Richard Barrios;

Author:Richard Barrios;
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: Oxford University Press USA
Published: 2023-06-15T00:00:00+00:00

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1 In the grand tradition of location shooting, multiple rivers were called on to play the title role—four in Canada plus the Salmon River in Idaho. The scenery really is thrilling—at least, when it’s not being undercut by the exceptionally obvious closer shots made on a soundstage in front of a process screen. Using a process screen was standard procedure in those days, as anyone watching The Ten Commandments can testify. In this case, the bracing beauty of the location work shows up the trickery pretty badly, as when Monroe, Mitchum, and Tommy Rettig are out on an untamed river in the middle of the wilderness, and neither the light, the wind, nor the water seems to be coming from quite the right direction.

2 Talk about adding insult to injury: upon Zanuck’s directive, the almost-rape scene was shot months after the rest of the film. Then he decided that it needed to be reshot to make it hotter and more violent. (Perhaps he thought of those two things as one and the same.) By way of suggestion, he sent a memo musing that “Maybe we could suggest that she gives him the knee in the crotch.” Then, when it came time to make up the posters and ad art, guess which scene was featured most prominently?

3 The Girl in Pink Tights was actually a current title at that time—just not for the new Monroe project. Instead, it was a short-lived 1954 Broadway musical featuring the piquant Zizi Jeanmaire. It’s even been written that Monroe was set to star in a film version of the show—which, given that her film was due to shoot months before the show even opened, would have been quite a feat.

4 The entire Pink Tights debacle had marked a change in her relationship with Lytess, whom DiMaggio loathed (the feeling was mutual) and from whom MM had been growing somewhat distant personally. Following instructions from Fox, Lytess urged MM to bite the bullet and show up for the Pink Tights rehearsals. Monroe viewed this as a betrayal, and in less than a year, their association was kaput.

5 North, a gifted dancer who was not happy being seen as a clone of MM, eventually found her own path, including a worthy latter-day career as a character actor. Art sort of imitated life when, in 1980, she played Gladys Baker, Monroe’s mother, in a TV movie.

6 Quite likely, it was White’s longtime association with Ringling Bros. and Barnum & Bailey that led to his hiring, since Merman frequently looks like she’s part of the circus. Gaynor fares a bit better, especially in the last scene, where her timeless red sheath contrasts blatantly with Merman in that white monstrosity and Monroe, whose dress looks like it could stand up on its own, without a person inside.

7 Call it iconic or lewd or plain weird, “Heat Wave” has any number of odd aspects. Due to her recording contract with RCA, Monroe was not on the original soundtrack album released by Decca, in which her songs were taken by Dolores Gray.

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