In January, Don’t Bother to Knock was featured on TCM’s Noir Alley. Marilyn’s relationship with agent Johnny Hyde was profiled in the UK magazine Yours Retro. Pamela Anderson recreated Bert Stern’s ‘last sitting’ with Marilyn; and Paris Hilton appeared in an MM-inspired Vogue layout. Musician John Cale released a track entitled ‘Marilyn Monroe’s Legs (Beauty Elsewhere)’ on his latest album, Mercy; and Bonnie Bartlett remembered her Actors Studio days with Marilyn. Also this month, George S. Zimbel – who photographed Marilyn as she filmed the ‘subway grate’ scene for The Seven Year Itch in New York City – and Gina Lollobrigida, the Italian star who met her on the same day in 1954, both passed away.
In February, the Marilyn Jetty Swim charity fundraiser celebrated its 10th anniversary on Brighton Beach in Adelaide, Australia. A biography of Jules Schulback – the New York furrier who shot rare amateur footage of Marilyn in 1954 – was published, and Hollywood Blondes, a French study of Marilyn’s rival bombshells, was followed by a biography of Cleo Moore, another ‘fifties blonde’. The Monroe estate launched Modern Muse, an NFT art project. Marilyn graced the cover of Film International, with an extended essay on The Misfits inside; and she was also featured in the UK style magazine, The Rake. Also this month, a season of Marilyn’s movies opened at the Zurich Filmpodium in Switzerland; and she was featured in a retrospective for photographer Eve Arnold in Turin, Italy. And Julian Wasser, who photographed Marilyn at the Golden Globes; her biographer, Donald Spoto; Sixties sex symbols Raquel Welch and Stella Stevens, both compared to MM; baseball star Albie Pearson, who met Marilyn at Dodger Stadium; Some Like It Hot producer Walter Mirisch; and bodybuilder Ed Fury, who appeared in two Monroe movies, all died.
In March, The Prince and the Showgirl was released on Blu-Ray; and Gentlemen Prefer Blondes was featured in TCM’s But Have You Read the Book? Marilyn appeared on the cover of TIME magazine’s centennial issue, and in an Elliott Erwitt exhibition in Paris.
In April, Marilyn’s ‘I Wanna Be Loved By You’ dress from Some Like It Hot – designed by Australian costumer Orry Kelly – went on display as part of the Goddess: Power, Glamour, Rebellion exhibition at ACMI in Melbourne. Backstage Hollywood, featuring Bob Willoughby’s images of Marilyn and more, began a U.S. nationwide tour; and she was also featured in the PHOTO & FOOD exhibition in Verona. A programme for President Kennedy’s 45th birthday gala, signed by Marilyn and other stars, fetched $88,900 at Julien’s Auctions; and singer Harry Belafonte, a fellow guest that evening, passed away.
In May, Clash By Night was released on Blu-Ray. Yours Retro published a Marilyn magazine special. A multi-media event, L’Expérience Monroe, was launched in Paris; and French filmmaker François Pomés released a book about the making of his documentary, Marilyn: Her Final Secret. She also featured in two New York exhibitions: Who’s Who at the Staley-Wise Gallery, and Avedon 100 at the Gagosian; and DIVA at London’s V&A. Also this month, singer Lana Del Rey posed as Marilyn in her ‘Candy Necklace’ video. And actress Diana Herbert, who met Marilyn on the set of her first movie, died aged 95.
June 1st marked what would be Marilyn’s 97th birthday. Also this month, Fleur du Mal launched a lingerie range in partnership with Marilyn’s estate. The latest addition to Gary Vitacco Robles’ biographical series, Icon: What Killed Marilyn Monroe, was released in two volumes; and Angel Wings: Anything Goes, a graphic novel inspired by Marilyn’s trip to Korea, was published in France. Richard Avedon’s ‘Sad Marilyn’ graced the cover of the UK art magazine, Apollo. In the US, Some Like It Hot: The Musical won four Tony Awards; and the Criterion Channel launched a month-long streaming program, Starring Marilyn Monroe. The Misfits was cited as a key influence on Wes Anderson’s Asteroid City, and an exhibition of Magnum Photos from the Misfits set opened in Italy. Marilyn: America’s Secret opened in Provence; and in Paris, she returned as the Champs Élysées Film Festival‘s poster girl for the 10th consecutive year.
July 1st marked the 70th anniversary of Gentlemen Prefer Blondes. Also this month, The Misfits was released as a limited-edition Blu-Ray. Richard Barrios’ On Marilyn Monroe: An Opinionated Guide was published; and a new documentary, Marilyn Monroe: Portrait of an Actress, was released on DVD. A touring exhibition, Marilyn: The Woman Behind the Icon, came to Sydney, Australia. She was also featured in retrospectives for Philippe Halsman in Rome, and for Jean Howard in Wyoming; and To Know About Women, an Eve Arnold exhibition, opened in Sussex.
August 5th marked the 61st anniversary of Marilyn’s death, and Marilyn Remembered hosted the annual remembrance service in Los Angeles. Also this month, the LA Public Library acquired the photographic archive of John Verzi, including a rare 1961 photo of Marilyn. Kim Morgan wrote about Marilyn’s Method for Criterion. Life Among the Cannibals, David Marshall’s novel imagining Marilyn’s life beyond 1962, was reissued; and Travilla’s costumes for Marilyn were featured in a new book, Designing Hollywood.
In September, Marilyn made the cover of Palm Springs Life; while in Los Angeles, a campaign was launched to save Marilyn’s last home from demolition. Bungalow 21 – a play about her affair with Yves Montand – opened in Paris; and candid photos of Marilyn were featured in the ‘Hollywood Dolce Vita‘ exhibition at the Deauville Film Festival. The Enchanters – James Ellroy’s crime novel about Marilyn’s untimely death – and Marilyn, a novel by Italian actor Filippo Timi, were published. Also this month, Henri Dauman – who photographed Marilyn in New York – died aged 90.
In October, Marilyn’s estate launched new product ranges with fashion chains Torrid and Shein; beauty brands Moda Brush and Wet ‘n’ Wild; and Levenger stationery. In Australia, Harper published Marilyn Monroe: Icons of Style, and Michael Fitzgerald’s MM-inspired novel, Late, was released; and in the UK, Yours Retro went behind the scenes of All About Eve and Clash by Night. Marilyn was also featured in Spanish illustrator Alejandro Mogollo’s first book, Leading Ladies; film historian Foster Hirsch’s latest tome, Hollywood and the Movies of the Fifties; and a biography of British comedian Barry Cryer.
In November, Elisa Jordan’s book, Hello, Norma Jeane: The Marilyn Monroe You Didn’t Know, and Stanley Price’s My Lunch With Marilyn, were published. Marilyn rejoined Forbes‘ Highest Paid Dead Celebrities list after a 2-year absence. Jenna Glatzer’s Marilyn Monroe Treasures was reissued as MM: A Photographic Life; and the Gentlemen Prefer Blondes soundtrack was re-released on CD. Fanfare d’amour, the French film which inspired Some Like It Hot, was released on Blu-Ray. A replica of Marilyn’s ‘Birthday Dress’ – which Kim Kardashian infamously wore at the Met Gala in 2022 – was added to the reality TV star’s Skims fashion line. And photographer Elliott Erwitt, who joined Marilyn on location for The Seven Year Itch and The Misfits, died aged 95.
And finally, in December Marilyn featured in pop artist Russell Young’s London exhibition, Dreamland; and she was mentioned in a new biography of Ella Fitzgerald. Also this month, actress Shirley Anne Field, once described as the ‘British Marilyn Monroe’; movie historian Cari Beauchamp; and screenwriter Norma Barzman – who survived the Hollywood blacklist, and had an intriguing encounter with Marilyn – all passed away.
The Marilyn Report 