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How did Marilyn Monroe become the most iconic blonde of the 1950s, if not the century? Today we will trace how her image was created and developed, through her leading roles in movies and her featured coverage in the press, looking specifically at the ways in which Monroe’s on-screen persona took shape during the height of her career. We’ll pay special attention to the films Niagara, Gentlemen Prefer Blondes, How to Marry a Millionaire, and Bus Stop, and the struggles behind the scenes of Seven Year Itch and The Prince and the Showgirl.
Marilyn Monroe in How to Marry a Millionaire
Show notes:
Sources specific to this episode:
Marilyn: Norma Jeane by Gloria Steinem
Marilyn Monroe: The Biography by Donald Spoto
Marilyn: The Passion and the Paradox by Lois Banner
“The Mass Media: A Highbrow Illiteracy?”, by Raymond Durgnat, Views, Spring 1964
Credits:
This episode was edited by Sam Dingman, and produced by Karina Longworth with the assistance of Lindsey D. Schoenholtz. Our logo was designed by Teddy Blanks.
Marilyn Monroe, The Seven Year Itch