Since Marilyn Monroe rose to fame in the 1950s, she has become the embodiment of Hollywood glam and icon. Her charisma and sex appeal made many fall in love with her and the persona she presented herself in, such as the most famous instance of singing the iconic rendition of “Happy Birthday Mr. President” to President John F. Kennedy in a sultry voice.

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Monroe was known for starring in many romantic comedy movies, and it is from these movies that she earned her reputation as one of America’s most prominent pop icons and sex symbols. She has worked her way up the Hollywood ladder from doing minor roles in All About Eve and The Asphalt Jungle to her significant but underrated roles in River of No Return and The Prince and the Showgirl. Blonde is now available to watch on Netflix.

‘Ladies of the Chorus’ (1948)

Ladies of the Chorus

Ladies of the Chorus is a musical romance movie that follows the lives of Peggy (Marilyn Monroe) and her mother, Mae Martin (Adele Jergens), who both work as burlesque chorus girls. After the star of the burlesque quits, the stage manager asks Mae to perform a number, but Mae allows her daughter, Peggy, instead. Peggy gave an incredible performance and was offered the starring spot.

When a member of a wealthy family, Randy Carroll (Rand Brooks), and his friends watch Peggy perform, he becomes infatuated with her. Since then, Peggy has received a gift every night from a secret admirer, who is later revealed to be Randy. Soon enough, they fall in love and get married. The only problem, however, is that Randy hasn’t dared to tell his mother, Adele (Nana Bryant), about the true profession of his soon-to-be wife, as she is afraid she would disapprove of their marriage. That is until his mother announces that she, too, had been a chorus girl.

‘All About Eve’ (1950)

All About Eve
Image via 20th Century Studios

After performing in the play, Aged in Wood, Broadway star Margo Channing (Bette Davis) meets an aspiring actress named Eve Harrington (Anne Baxter) in her dressing room. Eve tells Margo her life story, a story which moved her so much that it convinced her to hire Eve as her assistant. Instead of showing her gratitude, Eve shows her conniving side and the truth of why she really came into Margo’s life.

Although Monroe’s role in All About Eve was small, her scene became one of the most remembered in the film. It was challenging to focus on anyone else, but Monroe and the small scene were a testament to her soon-to-come rise to stardom.

‘The Asphalt Jungle’ (1950)

Marilyn Monroe in The Asphalt Jungle
Image via MGM 

The Asphalt Jungle is one of Marilyn Monroe’s earliest roles in a film. A criminal mastermind, Erwin “Doc” Riedenschneider (Sam Jaffe), and a bookie named Cobby (Marc Lawrence) hire three men: a safecracker (Anthony Caruso), a driver (James Whitmore), and a hooligan (Sterling Hayden) to pull off a jewel robbery.

Things don't go as planned when one of the security guards in the jewelry store drops his revolver, which goes off and hurts Ciavelli (the safecracker) in his stomach and eventually kills him. The situation gets progressively worse as they entangle themselves in treachery and murder. Marilyn Monroe played the role of Angela Finlay, the mistress of Alonzo Emmerich (Louis Calhern), a lawyer and fixer of the heist. Though she played a minor role, the movie would become a huge stepping stone for Monroe’s career as an actress.

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‘As Young As You Feel’ (1951)

As Young As You Feel

Acme Printing plant worker, John R. Hodges (Monty Woolley), is forced to retire at age 65 because of company policy. But instead of giving up his job, he decides to do something about it. He attempts to pose as the president of his former employer’s parent company Harold P. Cleveland, by dying his hair black.

He then goes to his old workplace for an “inspection tour” and complains about the lack of experienced and older employees to the company president Louis McKinley (Albert Dekker), forcing him to reexamine the retirement policy and to rehire all those who were forced to resign due to the policy. Marilyn Monroe plays a minor role of a secretary named Harriet, who the president company McKinley is interested in.

‘Love Nest’ (1951)

Love Nest

To her husband and author Jim Scott’s (William Lundigan) surprise, Connie (June Haver) has invested his money in a run-down apartment building in New York City. To earn back a bit of money, Jim suggested renting the vacant apartment to his old Army friend, Bobbie. Bobbie, as it turns out, is a beautiful former WAC (Women’s Army Corps) named Roberta Stevens (Marilyn Monroe). Connie's jealousy of Bobbie sparks an argument between Jim and Connie. While Connie storms out, Jim decides to stay in the rented apartment because he knows Bobbie isn't home and is away for business. However, Bobbie returns to her apartment the following day, which angers Connie as she assumes her husband has spent the night with Bobbie.

Meanwhile, their confident neighbor Charley Patterson (Frank Fay), who deceives wealthy widows, meets an unwealthy widow Eadie Gaynor (Leatrice Joy) and falls in love with her. Eadie lends $800 to Charley, who needs the money to fix the wiring of his apartment. Things escalate when Charley gets arrested and drags Charley into prison because the $800 he had lent to Charley was from a lady he had conned previously. But instead of being angry at each other, Charley tells Jim his life story, which he hoped Jim would turn into a best-selling book.

‘O. Henry’s Full House’ (1952)

O Henry's Full House

O. Henry’s Full House is an anthology film of five films, each based on a story by O. Henry. "The Copy and the Anthem," "The Clarion Call," "The Last Leaf," "The Ransom of Red Chief," and "The Gift of the Magi" are each told in their respective order.

The first film, "The Copy and the Anthem," stars Charles Laughton, Marilyn Monroe, and David Wayne. Set in the late fall season in New York City, a homeless man named Soapy (Charles Laughton) is desperately trying to find shelter for the winter. Unable to afford anything, he makes it a mission to be arrested for the prison to serve as his temporary shelter. However, he never gets arrested despite trying his best to break the law.

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‘Monkey Business’ (1952)

Monkey Business

Monkey Business is a screwball comedy film, a genre that became popular during the Great Depression, where a female character dominates the relationship and challenges her man’s masculinity. The film follows Dr. Barnaby Fulton (Cary Grant), a research chemist for the Oxley chemical company who attempts to develop an anti-aging elixir. One of his chimpanzees, Esther, gets loose in his laboratory and, without his knowledge, mixes a few chemicals which have the rejuvenating effect Dr. Fulton wanted.

Fulton tests the experimental mixture on himself and soon begins to act like a young person and spends the day out with the secretary of his boss, Lois Laurel (Marilyn Monroe). As more discover the promising effects of the elixir, they consume the formula and start acting foolishly and hilariously.

‘River of No Return’ (1954)

River of No Return

When a widower, Matt Calder (Robert Mitchum), gets released from prison, he is determined to find his nine-year-old son Mark (Tommy Rettig), who was now left in the care of dance hall singer Kay (Marilyn Monroe). Meanwhile, Harry Weston (Rory Calhoun), avid gambler and fiancé of Kay, tells her they must go to Council City to redeem the gold mine he won in a poker game. However, they encounter an issue in the rapids of the river close to where Matt and Mark were residing.

When Matt refuses to give up his horse and the rifle to Harry, he knocks Matt unconscious and leaves him, Mark, and his fiancé Kay in the wilderness. The three of them are met with many difficult situations which they had to escape, and thankfully, managed to do so. Soon enough, Kay realizes she deserves a man much better than Harry and finds herself beginning a new life with Matt and Mark.

“It is a toss-up whether the scenery or the adornment of Marilyn Monroe is the feature of greater attraction in River of No Return ... The mountainous scenery is spectacular, but so, in her own way, is Miss Monroe. The patron's preference, if any, probably will depend upon which he's interested in. Certainly, scriptwriter Frank Fenton has done the best he could to arrange for a fairly equal balance of nature and Miss Monroe ... And that should not be too lightly taken.” - Bosley Crowther, The New York Times

‘There’s No Business Like Show Business’ (1954)

There's No Business Like Show Business

There’s No Business Like Show Business is a musical comedy-drama film where the story opens with Terence (Dan Dailey) and Molly Donahue (Ethel Merman), a dream vaudeville team. Their children, namely Steve (Johnnie Ray), Katy (Mitzi Gaynor), and Tim (Donald O’Connor), follow in their parents' footsteps, and they eventually become The Five Donahues. However, the children quickly mature and realize they want to do other things.

Tim falls in love with a successful performer, Vicky Parker (Marilyn Monroe), and eventually, he and his sister Katy join Vicky as her supporting players. However, Tim and Vicky fall out, resulting in Tim abandoning their relationship and the act. Things quickly escalate when the Donahues realize that Tim has disappeared without giving a clue of his whereabouts. But right towards the end, Molly finds herself in the Hippodrome Theatre in New York to perform for a crowd. And to her surprise, Steve and Tim are backstage, where Tim reconciles his love with Vicky. For the first time in many years, The Five Donahues are back together.

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‘The Prince and the Showgirl’ (1957)

The Prince and the Showgirl

The Prince and the Showgirl is a romantic comedy movie starring two of the biggest stars of the mid-20th Century: Marilyn Monroe and Laurence Olivier. A party of royals arrives in England in 1911 in preparation to celebrate the coronation of a new king. When the prince regent of the fictional Balkan country of Carpathia, Charles (Laurence Olivier), attends a performance at the theatre, he forms an attraction to American performer Elsie Marina (Marilyn Monroe). Later, they get to know and develop a liking for each other.

However, Elsie learns of King Nicolas’ (Jeremy Spenser) plot to overthrow his father, Charles. Not wanting to tell Charles of his son’s treacherous plan, Elsie manages to persuade King Nicolas to sign an agreement to confess but only if Charles agrees to a general election.

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