Marilyn scores a hattrick in MovieWeb’s Top 10 Classic Comedies of the 1950s, with a supporting role in Howard Hawks’ Monkey Business (1952), followed by her star turns in two Billy Wilder films, The Seven Year Itch (1955) and Some Like It Hot (1959.) This comedic trio is linked by Monkey Business screenwriter I.A.L. Diamond, who later co-wrote Some Like It Hot with Wilder. Furthermore, Cary Grant – Marilyn’s leading man from Monkey Business – was later spoofed by Tony Curtis in his ‘Shell Oil Jr’ guise; and Jack Lemmon, her other ‘bosom buddy’ from Some Like It Hot, makes a second appearance in It Could Happen to You (1954), alongside Judy Holliday.
For what it’s worth, I think Gentlemen Prefer Blondes merits inclusion – but Marilyn is amply represented here. The 1950s was a golden age for comedic blondes, so I’d also recommend Jayne Mansfield in Will Success Spoil Rock Hunter? (1957) and Doris Day in Pillow Talk (1959.)
The Marilyn Report 