Dedications: My four late friends Rory, Stan, Bryan, Jeff - shine on you crazy diamonds, they would have blogged too. Then theres Garry from Brisbane, Franco in Milan, Mike now in S.F. / my '60s-'80s gang: Ned & Joseph in Ireland; in England: Frank, Des, Guy, Clive, Joe & Joe, Ian, Ivan, Nick, David, Les, Stewart, the 3 Michaels / Catriona, Sally, Monica, Jean, Ella, Anne, Candie / and now: Daryl in N.Y., Jerry, John, Colin, Martin and Donal.

Saturday, 5 August 2017

5th August 1962

I suppose we should mention that Marilyn Monroe departed on this date 55 years ago, in 1962. I remember it well, being 16 at the time, and we had seen her BUS STOP that Saturday night, 4th August, at our small town cinema in Ireland - while events must have been unfolding in Los Angeles.
Sunday the 5th I was sitting in a deck chair in the garden with the radio on, when a newsflash came on air ... it was hard to believe at the time, and course there were no rolling news channels or internet then, so we had to wait for the papers next day.

The first of the Marilyn features began unrolling that year - I loved (and still have) this late 1962 magazine, the swish upmarket London magazine TOWN, the first to feature those beach pictures by George Barris and a nice appreciation by David Robinson. This issue fetches quite a price now, as per my previous posts on it - MM labels.  

As with James Dean, one wonders what might have been - both Doris Day and Jeanne Moreau turned down Mrs Robinson in THE GRADUATE - could Marilyn have done it? or those 70s Ellen Burstyn roles in THE LAST PICTURE SHOW or ALICE DOESN'T LIVE HERE ANYMORE ... she might have been ideal if she could face getting older and being in her forties. THE MISFITS shows she was moving into black and white dramas, away from the fluff Fox was still casting her in ...

 Next: Marlon in ONE-EYED JACKS - brilliant or bizarre?
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4 comments:

  1. Tom Peeping5 August 2017 at 16:31

    We rewatched Gentlemen prefer Blondes last night as a personal little tribute. Looking at her in that film, in any film and even more so in any photograph, there is always that strange feeling she is still around, so here and so familiar. I always thought she would have been fantastic in Psycho (not that I think Janet is miscast, she's perfect but Marilyn would have added her own persona and her career move would have been lifted to another level...).

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  2. Michael O'Sullivan5 August 2017 at 16:39

    She glows in those 50s Fox films- I remember her on on all the movie fan magazine covers then.
    Nice comments, she is certainly still a timeless presence in popular culture.

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  3. joe baltake6 August 2017 at 19:35

    This comment has been removed by the author.

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  4. joe baltake6 August 2017 at 19:37

    Michael! Once again, great minds think alike. Here's my take on MM, posted the day before the 55th anniversary of her passing. Enjoy! (I certainly enjoyed yours.) -J

    https://thepassionatemoviegoer.blogspot.com/2017/08/marilyn-and-bullies.html

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