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Release date: January 21, 1953 (United States)

Writers: Charles Brackett, Walter Reisch, Richard L. Breen

Cast: Joseph Cotten (George Loomis), Marilyn Monroe (Rose Loomis), Jean Peters (Polly Cutler), Max Showalter (Ray Cutler), Denis O'Dea (Inspector Starkey), Richard Allan (Patrick)

Rose Loomis (Marilyn Monroe) and her older, gloomier husband, George (Joseph Cotten), are vacationing at a cabin in Niagara Falls, N.Y. The couple befriend Polly (Jean Peters) and Ray Cutler (Casey Adams), who are honeymooning in the area. Polly begins to suspect that something is amiss between Rose and George, and her suspicions grow when she sees Rose in the arms of another man. While Ray initially thinks Polly is overreacting, things between George and Rose soon take a shockingly dark turn.

Niagara was a huge hit for Twentieth Century Fox when it debuted. The promotion for the movie featured the pairing of what they called two great beauties of nature – Niagara Falls and Marilyn Monroe.

Unlike other film noirs of the time, Niagara was filmed in "Three-Strip" Technicolor (one of the last films to be made at Fox in this format, as Fox was in the process of converting to CinemaScope, and which is mutually-exclusive with "Three-Strip", but not with Eastmancolor), and was one of Foxs biggest box office hits of the year.

Monroe was given first billing in Niagara which elevated her to star status. Her following two films of that year, Gentlemen Prefer Blondes, with Jane Russell, and How to Marry a Millionaire, with Betty Grable and Lauren Bacall, were even bigger successes.

Filming Niagara on location

Critic Robert Weston also hailed the film and wrote, "Niagara is a good movie for noir fans who crave something a little different. Be warned, the film was shot in glorious Technicolor, not black and white, but still boasts an ample share of shadows and style...Undoubtedly, the best reason to see Niagara is just as trailer promised: for the scenery. Theres some terrific location work that showcases the breathtaking aspects of the Falls before the city evolved into a tawdry Canadian answer to Atlantic City; and of course, theres a gal named Marilyn Monroe, burgeoning at her humble beginnings."

The famous walk by Marilyn's character Rose Loomis across the cobblestone street holds the record for the longest walk in cinema history - 116 feet of film. ❣

❣ Rest In Peace, sweet Marilyn ❣

Sources: alchetron.com

IMDb.com

MARILYN MONROE (1956)

BY MILTON H. GREENE

PART 2

Marilyn soaks up the sun at the Palm Springs Racquet Club, in a blue high-waisted bikini and adds a feminine touch with a pair of summer wedges. ❣ (1949)

The legendary Laurence Olivier was born May 22, 1907. In 1957, Olivier co-starred in The Prince and the Showgirl with Marilyn Monroe, a film he also directed.