Marilyn Monroe Posters

Marilyn Monroe Movies: Part of her Legacy

Marilyn Monroe, born Norma Jean Mortenson, was a sex symbol whose flame still burns brightly almost 50 years after her tragic death in 1962. Her movies are undoubtedly the most important part of her legacy, but her marriages to the famous playwright Arthur Miller and baseball legend Joe DiMaggio are also events in her life that will not be forgotten. To this day, her sensuous rendition of the song ‘Happy Birthday’ to President Kennedy is still the topic of many conversations.

For all that is loved and cherished of the public’s memory of her, it is the Marilyn Monroe movies that allow viewers to see her over and over again, keeping her spirit alive. The very first movie she made was called “The Shocking Miss Pilgrim” in 1947. Her role was small in that film and her name did not appear in the credits.

Over the next five years, Marilyn made more than a dozen movies, some of which became quite well known, such as “All About Eve”, “Asphalt Jungle” and “As Young as You Feel”. It was the 1953 film, “Niagara” that propelled her to star status. In “Niagara”, Monroe played Rose Loomis, an unfaithful wife who plots to kill her husband, played by Joseph Cotton, while on her honeymoon in Niagara Falls.

Memorable Marilyn Monroe Movies
Marilyn Monroe went on to make several other movies that are still popular today. These include “Gentlemen Prefer Blondes”, “How to Marry a Millionaire”, “The Seven Year Itch”, and “Some Like it Hot”.

• Gentlemen Prefer Blondes - Released in 1953, Monroe played Lorelei Lee, a gold-digging lounge singer. It was in this movie that Monroe sang “Diamonds are a Girl’s Best Friend”, which later became the basis for a Madonna music video.
• How to Marry a Millionaire - Released in 1953, Monroe plays a model named Pola Debovoise, who wants to snare an eligible bachelor but her vanity prevents her from wearing her glasses. Consequently, her lack of vision gets her into trouble.
• The Seven Year Itch - Released in 1955, Monroe plays a nameless character who becomes the object of a married man’s affections. It was in this movie that Marilyn stood over a subway vent in a billowing white dress.
• Some Like it Hot - Released in 1959, Monroe plays Sugar Cane, a member of an all-girl band. A couple of guys, played by Jack Lemmon and Tony Curtis, find themselves in hot water when they dress up as women in order to hide out among the ranks of the band. As perhaps her most memorable movie, it was voted the Funniest Film of the Century by the American Film Institute.

List of all the Marilyn Monroe movies and their year of release

• The Shocking Miss Pilgrim 1947
• Scudda Hoo! Scudda Hay! 1948
• Dangerous Years 1948
• Ladies of the Chorus 1949
• A Ticket to Tomahawk 1950
• Right Cross 1950
• The Fireball 1950
• Love Happy 1950
• The Asphalt Jungle 1950
• All About Eve 1950
• Love Nest 1951
• Let’s Make it Legal 1951
• Hometown Story 1951
• As Young as You Feel 1951
• O. Henry’s Full House 1952
• Monkey Business 1952
• Clash by Night 1952
• We’re Not Married 1952
• Don’t Bother to Knock 1952
• Niagara 1953
• Gentlemen Prefer Blondes 1953
• How to Marry a Millionaire 1953
• There’s No Business Like Show Business 1954
• River of No Return 1954
• The Seven Year Itch 1955
• Bus Stop 1957
• The Prince and the Showgirl 1959
• Some Like it Hot 1960
• Let’s Make Love 1961
• The Misfits 1962

The last of the Marilyn Monroe movies would have been “Something’s Got to Give”, but the beautiful blonde actress died before she could finish work on that film. Her movies will continue to be popular for generations to come as her legend lives on.