#mmfilms

↳ ♡︎ Film #28: Marilyn Monroe as Amanda Dell in Let’s Make Love (1960, dir. George Cukor).

Deemed by Marilyn herself as her worst role, she plays a stage actress who’s in a production about French billionaire, Jean-Marc Clement (Yves Montand), who finds himself playing the role of himself in the show while he attempts to seduce Amanda.

After Some Like It Hot, Marilyn still legally owed Fox three films. From the moment she read the script, she knew the role wasn’t for her, and felt a familiar anxious feeling with Fox handing her what she felt was another ditzy role.

The film was originally titled The Billionaire, was to star Marilyn and Gregory Peck for the lead, and George Cukor would direct it. While she was excited to work with them, her main concern was the script. She had her husband, playwright Arthur Miller, read it; he reacted, “It’s not worth the paper it’s typed on.” When Marilyn went back to Fox with these notes, they decided to hire Arthur to develop her role, because of this Peck stepped back and felt she now overshadowed him.

Eventually Montand was hired and despite all of the re-writes and the back and forth with Fox, she never felt the character was more than flat words on a piece of paper. 

Throughout production, Marilyn’s habitual habit of being late continued to annoy crew and cast members as it had in the past, and most everyone sensed she was unhappy. By the time cameras began rolling, Marilyn was able to center herself and pull off an incredible performance, which impressed everyone involved, especially George Cukor.

Personally, her marriage to Arthur was hanging on by a thread; he was out of the state for long periods of time with pre-production work on The Misfits occupying his time. Yves Montand, with speaking very little English, was insecure and anxious about his role, he and Marilyn bonded very quickly. This bond led to a short affair between the two.

↳ ♡︎ Film #30: Marilyn Monroe as Ellen Wagstaff Arden in Something’s Got to Give (Uncompleted-1962, dir. George Cukor).

What was to be Marilyn Monroe’s thirty-third film, her third film for Fox under her 1955 contract, was sadly never completed due to her untimely passing. The film was a remake of My Favorite Wife (1940) and was about Nick Arden, played by Dean Martin, who finally gets a court to declare his wife, Ellen, who went missing at sea, legally dead. At the same time, Ellen happens to reappear and is first greeted by her two children. 

For many reasons, this film was a difficult one for her to accept. First, she had no choice. Her contract stipulated that if they hired a director from her approved list, she would be breaching her contract if she declined. Secondly, she was playing the role of a mother who, after leaving her babies, returns home to them. Throughout her marriage to Arthur Miller (1956-1961), she suffered two miscarriages and an ectopic pregnancy and was eventually told she was unable to carry a baby to term. Lastly, she was sick throughout the entire picture. She had a fever of over 100°, an ear infection, nausea, and more. She was often too sick to get out of bed and called in sick, while other times she was sent one—she even passed out while sitting under a hairdryer. 

Throughout production, Fox executives continued to blame Marilyn’s behavior, her lateness, absences, and sicknesses, for reasons for the delays.  But, it wasn’t just Marilyn. The film was actually delayed for more than five months because they couldn’t settle on a script. Pre-production began in April 1962, Marilyn appeared in costume tests, and shooting began not long after. The family dog, Tippy, played by Jeff, also caused delays-it took nearly twelve hours to complete one simple scene with him and Marilyn.