Marilyn Monroe in popular culture

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As one of the most iconic actresses of the 20th century, Marilyn Monroe is frequently depicted and referenced in popular culture.

Contents

[edit] Music by Monroe

[edit] Music on Monroe

  • In 1973, Elton John recorded "Candle in the Wind" on his Goodbye Yellow Brick Road album as a tribute to Monroe.
  • In 1981 Horror Punk band The Misfits wrote "Who Killed Marilyn?" about Marilyn Monroe's death.
  • The 1980s Chilean band Los Prisioneros also wrote a song, "¿Quién mató a Marilyn?," about Monroe's death.
  • Band leader Ray Anthony composed the song "My Marilyn" and performed it for Monroe at an event promoting the film Niagara in 1952.
  • Brian Warner got his stage name (and band name) Marilyn Manson from combining Marilyn Monroe with Charles Manson.
  • The Horror Punk band The Misfits named their band after Marilyn's last completed movie The Misfits.
  • In The Misfits song "Die Monster Die", Marilyn Monroe is mentioned.
  • Billy Joel mentions her in the first verse of his 1989 hit "We Didn't Start the Fire."
  • She is mentioned in the song "Gypsy Rose Lee", by The Distillers.
  • She is mentioned among other Hollywood icons (such as Lauren Bacall, Marlene Dietrich and James Dean) in the spoken passage of Madonna's 1990 hit single "Vogue".
  • The British alternative rock band Suede recorded the song "Heroine" as an homage to Monroe. The track is included in Suede's Dog Man Star album (1994).
  • Robbie Williams mentions her name among other film stars in the song "The Actor" (2006).
  • The band Norma Jean is named after her
  • She is mentioned sympathetically in the song "Celluloid Heroes" by The Kinks.
  • She is is the title character "Miss American Pie" in the Don McClean song "American Pie" (American Pie Track One, Don McClean, AMG Records, 1971)
  • The Def Leppard song "Photograph" was written about her.
  • The Stereophonics song "She takes her clothes off" includes the line, "Could have been a Marilyn, bleach my hair and get real thin."
  • The musical Blood Brothers has two songs called Marylin Monroe, as well as her being mentioned in many other songs, comparing her life to events and characters in the play.

[edit] Film

Portrayed in:

Based on her:

[edit] Television

  • In 1953, Monroe appeared on "The Jack Benny Show" and sang "Bye Bye Baby" live.
  • In 1950 Monroe appeared in a television commercial for Royal Triton Oil.
  • The Critic: Jay imagines himself as a female impersonator dressed as Marilyn Monroe from The Seven Year Itch
  • The Simpsons (season five episode Rosebud): Smithers imagines Mr. Burns popping out of a cake with only a sash covering him and sings a variation of Happy Birthday, Mr. President; one of Burns's retrospect slides shows Burns over the subway grate a la Monroe's character from The Seven Year Itch.
  • Also in the Simpsons, the DVD commentary on episodes with psychiatrist Marvin Monroe revealed that his original name was Marilyn Monroe (in a variation of John Wayne's original name) - he became a Psychiatrist to cope with the trauma of the name.
  • In a season one episode of Full House, Jesse dated a Marilyn Monroe impersonater that he met at a night club. And in another season one episode, while Jesse and Joey were styling baby Michelle's hair, Joey suggested that they style her hair like Marilyn Monroe.
  • The Ernie Kovacs Show: Edie Adams regularly impersonated Monroe;
  • Gilligan's Island: "The Producer," Ginger impersonates Monroe;
  • In an episode of Gilmore Girls, Luke states "The Kennedys did not kill Marilyn."
  • I Love Lucy: "Ricky's Movie Offer," Lucy glams up as Monroe;
  • M*A*S*H: "Bombshells," Hawkeye and Charles start a rumor that Monroe is coming to thank the staff for caring for her cousin;
  • The Name's the Same: November 19, 1952 and January 12, 1954 had a contestant whose actual name was Marilyn Monroe; June 22, 1954 guest Van Johnson's "secret wish" was for Marilyn to sit on his lap; August 31, 1954 guest Charles Coburn's "secret wish" was to dance the rumba with her again as he did in Gentlemen Prefer Blondes;
  • Saturday Night Live:
  • What's My Line?: August 21, 1960, Buddy Hackett signed in as Monroe;
  • In Batman: The Animated Series, the character design of Randa from episodes Heart of Steel parts 1 and 2 is based on Marilyn Monroe, as stated by director Kevin Altieri;
  • On the South Park episode "Pink Eye", Mr. Garrison dressed up as Monroe from her role in The Seven Year Itch (while Mr. Hat was dressed as Chewbacca just like most of the kids in class, except for Cartman, who was dressed as Hitler, and Stan, who was dressed as Raggedy Andy)
  • In the Futurama episode "I Dated a Robot", a teenager spends all his time 'making out' with a robotic version of Monroe called a 'Marilyn Monrobot'.

Portrayed in:

Based on her:

[edit] Art

Artists who have used Monroe as a basis of their work:

  • Peter Blake's Marilyn Monroe Over a Painting No 1 1989-1990; Marilyn Monroe Wall No 2 and MM Red Yellow 1990; M for Marilyn Monroe and H.O.M.A.G.E. – JJ MM RR KS 1991
  • Buster Cleveland's "Pop Up" 1991
  • Bruce Conner's Marilyn Times Five
  • Michael Martin-Daniels and Heather Martin-Daniels' "Altar to Self-Indulgence and Decadence" 1988
  • Allan D'Arcangelo's "Marilyn" and "Marilyn Found" 1962
  • Susan Paul Firestone's "It's Me Marilyn" 1984
  • Audrey Flack's "Marilyn: Golden Girl" 1978
  • Douglas Gordon's As Kurt Cobain, as Andy Warhol, as Myra Hindley, as Marilyn Monroe 1996
  • Richard Hamilton's My Marilyn 1966
  • Margaret Harrison's "Anonymous Was a Woman: From Rosa Luxemburg to Janis Joplin" 1977
  • Ray Johnson's Dear Marilyn Monroe
  • Kathleen Kondilas Franks' "Madonna and Child" 1993
  • Willem de Kooning's Marilyn Monroe 1954
  • Barbara Kruger's Not Stupid Enough 1997
  • Jean Jacques Lebel's "Taking a Real Good Peek at Marilyn's Amazing Offer: Mass Produced Like All Show Biz's Ice Cubes in the Shapes of Luscious Nudes" 1961
  • Gina Lollobrigida's My Friend Marilyn Monroe
  • Justin McCarthy's "Marilyn Monroe" 1974
  • Yasumasa Morimura's After Marilyn Monroe 1996
  • LeRoy Neiman's The President's Birthday 1962
  • Ed Paschke's "Pink Lady 2" 1993
  • Peter Phillips's "For Men Only-Starring MM and BB" 1961
  • Marie Pobre's "Marilyn" 1986
  • Mel Ramos's Peek-a-boo Marilyn 2002
  • Rancillac's "Young Marilyn" 1991-92
  • Robert Rauschenberg's "Test Stone #1" 1967
  • Faith Ringgold's Marilyn Monroe 1997
  • James Rosenquist's Marilyn Monroe I 1962
  • Mimmo Rotella's "Marilyn Monroe" 1962
  • George Segal's The Film Poster 1967
  • Richard Serra's Marilyn Monroe-Greta Garbo 1981
  • Roger Shimomura's "Heroine, Hammer, Hibachi" 1987
  • Andy Warhol's Marilyn Monroe Diptych 1962
  • Jeff Way's "Idol II" 1983
  • Frank Xerox's "Almost a Frank Xerox" 1992
  • ()Nancy Miracle's "Here I Am Mother, the real story of Marilyn Monroe". book 85 play 2003/04

[edit] Photography

[edit] Books

According to The Guardian, there are nearly 300 biographies on Monroe in English alone. The only volumes published while she was living was Marilyn Monroe (1961), by biographer Maurice Zolotow, and "The Marilyn Monroe Story" (1953) by Franklin and Palmer. the following are fictional takes.

  • Candle in the Wind by George Bernau
  • The Symbol by Alvah Bessie
  • The Possibility of Dreaming on a Night Without Stars by Michael Kaufman
  • The Immortals by Michael Korda
  • Of Women and Their Elegance by Norman Mailer
  • Blonde by Joyce Carol Oates (see also Oates' 2003 short story "Three Girls"
  • Marilyn's Daughter by John Rechy
  • Queen of Desire by Sam Toperoff
  • " Here I am Mother" the real story of Marilyn Monroe by Nancy Miracle

[edit] Miscellaneous facts

  • Ella Fitzgerald credited Monroe with helping her launch her mainstream career by securing her a gig at the then-segregated Mocambo. [[2]]
  • Hugh Hefner purchased the crypt beside Monroe for himself. [1]
  • Monroe's films made over $200,000,000 on their first run, according to her New York Times obituary.
  • Tiles on the doorstep of Monroe's Brentwood home bore the Latin inscription, "Cursum Perficio," commonly translated as "My journey is over." (or "I have completed my course.").
  • The Jean Louis gown in which Monroe sang "Happy Birthday, Mr. President" to John F. Kennedy in May 1962 was sold at Christie's auction in 1999 for $1,267,500.
  • Many days after Monroe's death, Mrs. Eunice Murray attempted to cash her last paycheck from Monroe, and it was declined and marked "deceased." This check, one of the last that Monroe ever wrote on her Roxbury Drive Branch account at City National Bank in Beverly Hills, is today on display at the Hollywood Entertainment Museum in Hollywood, CA.
  • It has been rumored for years and reported in Ripley's Believe It Or Not that Marilyn Monroe had 6 toes on her left foot, but this was false. The rumor started after a photo shoot in 1946 on a beach in California where a clump of sand made it appear she had an extra toe. [2]
  • The punk band The Misfits derived their title after Monroe's film of the same name, due to lead singer Glenn Danzig's interest in Marilyn Monroe. The band also has a song "Who Killed Marilyn?".
  • Canadian singer Sherrie Lea Laird believes that she is the reincarnation of Marilyn, due to her similar facial and personality features, and memories of her "past life".

[edit] See also

[edit] Notes

  1. ^ HEFNER TO BE BURIED WITH MONROE. Retrieved on 2007-06-24.
  2. ^ Marilyn Monroe - 6 Toes?

[edit] References

Depaoli, G. Elvis + Marilyn: 2x Immortal. Rizzoli, 1994.

[edit] External links