MARILYN 100, a two-week retrospective at Film Forum NYC, begins on Friday, May 29.
“Born Norma Jeane Mortenson in Los Angeles on June 1, 1926, Monroe worked as a model and photographer’s subject before signing with 20th Century Fox at age 20, going on to become one of Hollywood’s most recognizable and bankable stars in under a decade. This series charts the full arc of her brief but indelible career: the fizzy comic perfection of GENTLEMEN PREFER BLONDES, HOW TO MARRY A MILLIONAIRE, and MONKEY BUSINESS; gritty noir thrillers NIAGARA, CLASH BY NIGHT, and THE ASPHALT JUNGLE (her first major role, under John Huston — who would also direct her last); and Billy Wilder masterworks THE SEVEN YEAR ITCH (featuring the iconic subway grate dress scene that became one of pop culture’s most immortal images) and SOME LIKE IT HOT; and her final completed film, THE MISFITS. Marilyn died in 1962 at just 36, leaving behind a remarkable filmography that defined Hollywood stardom.”
This 13-film series includes three special events:
- NIAGARA: May 31 at 3:20 pm – introduced by Foster Hirsch, author of Hollywood and the Movies of the Fifties
- SOME LIKE IT HOT: June 1 at 8:40 pm – introduced by Noah Isenberg, author of Billy Wilder On Assignment. His latest book, a cultural history of Some Like It Hot and the great American sex comedy, is due out next year from Norton. A 2026 Guggenheim fellow, he is currently completing short interpretive biography of Wilder for the Yale Jewish Lives series.
- THE MISFITS: June 5 at 8pm – introduced by Elizabeth Weitzman, co-author of a new paper doll book, Marilyn Monroe: Style Icons
A short film series comes to the Plaza Theatre in Palm Springs on Friday, May 29, as part of a city-wide celebration of Marilyn’s centenary.
“In a special collaboration celebrating one of Hollywood’s most enduring icons, the historic Plaza Theatre and the Film Society of Screwball Comedy are proud to present MARILYN 100: A Centennial Film Celebration, a one-of-a-kind cinematic event honoring Marilyn Monroe’s legacy. Taking place May 29 through June 1, this curated weekend of four iconic films transforms the Plaza into a destination for classic film lovers, pairing timeless storytelling with the communal magic of the big screen. Tickets go on sale Friday, April 3 at 10 a.m. Individual tickets are $20 per film, or guests can purchase a $60 all-access pass to experience the full four-film series. Each screening will also feature a pre-show cocktail hour in the Plaza lobby, creating a festive and immersive experience worthy of Monroe’s legendary star power.”
All About Marilyn, a week-long marathon at the Brattle Theatre in Cambridge, Massachusetts, begins on Saturday, May 30.
- ALL ABOUT EVE: May 30-31 – “Monroe features in only two scenes in this acerbic, backstage, backbiting bitchfest but she manages to hold her own—while sharing the screen with Bette Davis and George Sanders no less.” (35mm)
- DON’T BOTHER TO KNOCK: May 30-31 – “A decidedly non-bubbly and uncharacteristically dark role for Monroe marks one of her largest to date in this semi-noir thriller.” (Double bill with All About Eve)
- SOME LIKE IT HOT: June 1, June 4 – “A comedy that fires on all cylinders, with a rarely sexier or funnier Monroe as the star of a traveling all-girl jazz band that has, unknowingly, hired a couple of male musicians dressed in drag and on the run from the mob.” (35mm)
- HOW TO MARRY A MILLIONAIRE: June 2 – “Marilyn, Lauren Bacall, and Betty Grable star as models out to nab rich husbands through many levels of deceit. The gender politics may be old-fashioned but watching the three women show off their comedic chops is a blast.”
- GENTLEMEN PREFER BLONDES: June 2 – “Paired with the non-blonde but no less sexy Jane Russell as a couple of lounge singers working on a transatlantic cruise, Monroe pouts, flaunts, charms, and sings her way through this ludicrously entertaining romp.” (Double bill with How to Marry a Millionaire)
- THE MISFITS: June 3 – “Though Montgomery Clift had a few significant roles left in him, for both Monroe and Gable however, this was their final film. This heartbreaking and beautiful film serves as a fitting swan song for three icons of the silver screen.”
- THE SEVEN YEAR ITCH: June 4 – “Yes, this is the film with Monroe over a gusty grate in a billowing white dress. But it’s also a farce that pokes fun at male fantasy and guilt as Richard Sherman (Ewell) meets his new neighbour.” (Double bill with Some Like It Hot)
And finally, a full movie retrospective will accompany Marilyn Monroe: Hollywood Icon, the exhibition opening at the Academy Museum in Los Angeles on May 31.
The programme features a number of special events…
- THE ASPHALT JUNGLE: June 1 – includes panel discussion with actor/director Jack Huston, grandson of filmmaker John Huston; Josh Miller, grandson of photographer Bruno, and author of The Marilyn Monroe Century; and journalist Nancy Jo Sales
- ALL ABOUT EVE: June 4 – Screening in a new 35mm print from the Academy Museum, with a guest appearance by Lorraine Nicholson, daughter of legendary actor Jack Nicholson, and a contributing editor for Vanity Fair
- THE SEVEN YEAR ITCH: June 19 – guest appearance by film critic Kim Morgan, who co-wrote the 2021 remake of film noir classic Nightmare Alley
The Marilyn Report 