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Message: <blockquote data-quote="ClassyCo" data-source="post: 215843" data-attributes="member: 7">I have to agree with what you have said almost word for word. I personally enjoy almost all of Marilyn's star vehicles (and some of her smaller roles, too), but I must say that I also have a fondness for her work between 1953 and 1955. Niagara is a unique film in her filmography. I think the reason Marilyn didn't evolve into some femme fatale in the film noirs was because Fox was molding her into a successor to Betty Grable and reinvent the blonde bombshell fashion, and because that genre in itself was dying. Sure, there are other films falling into the same style that came after, but that Golden Age of Film Noir had passed. Had Marilyn been somewhere like Warner's she might have a more fulfilling career, and by that I mean she could have done more substantial roles probably than balancing on the variation of Lorelei Lee she always seemed to play. I've gone on the record many times saying that Gentlemen Prefer Blondes is my favorite old Hollywood musical. I think Marilyn and Jane Russell have an undeniable chemistry. There's just something that seems to gel with their performances, and it's fairly easy to believe that these women were actually friends in real life. Of course, the role of Lorelei Lee solidified Marilyn's "dumb blonde" stereotype, but it was one of the biggest success of the year. Her rendition of "Diamonds Are a Girl's Best Friend" is a signature of her career, and it seems to typify the way modern America view her and her contribution to the film industry. While I think that one performance is quite limiting to her legacy as a whole, she does knock it out of the ballpark. Not another actress I can think of could have played that part and came off so effortlessly charming and vulnerable. Gentlemen Prefer Blondes is the quintessential old Hollywood musical fantasy, headlined by two beautiful and talented women that have certainly gone down in history as two of cinema's sexiest stars. It's funny that you mention Natasha Lytess. I was just thinking the other day how she's usually left out of discussions, but that Paula Strasberg gets a lot of attention for helping Marilyn tap into some raw potential as an actress. Marilyn first met Natasha and started working with her in 1948 when she was with Columbia Pictures. Natasha helped her prepare for a top role in the B-movie musical called Ladies of the Chorus, which is actually a fun little movie. You can catch it on YouTube. It's barely an hour long. Marilyn and Natasha worked closely together for several years. It was Natasha that coached more dramatic and awarding performances out of her in films like Don't Bother to Knock and Niagara, which give us Marilyn's only two contributions as the "bad girl" in film noir. I've re-watched both of these films recently, and I have to say that I think Marilyn pulls her roles off successfully, and she could have done well in stronger roles had she been properly cast. Fox was notorious for not taking chances on their actresses, especially after they proved themselves popular in a specific realm. Marilyn hit it big with the "dumb blonde" act, and Fox didn't want to shake that image that was serving them well at the box office. That's exactly why Marilyn walked out on her contract and went to the Actors Studio. Speaking of her Marilyn's pre-Actors Studio work, I always find myself leaning towards River of No Return, which is probably my favorite old Hollywood western. Her and Robert Mitchum sizzle up the screen, and she turns out some good songs. Her acting is great, and she looks all the more beautiful with the makeup toned down for those rougher scenes. Sure, it's riddled with cliches, but I love it. It was the first movie of hers I ever saw, and it's certainly one I like to revisit. <img src="http://www.joansdigest.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/11/river-of-no-return-monroe.jpg" alt="" class="fr-fic fr-dii fr-draggable " style="" /></blockquote>

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