Sunday, August 5 marks 50 years since the passing of Marilyn Monroe. Watch a movie featuring the actress or read a book that examines or imagines her life.
FILMS
All About Eve
From the moment she glimpses her idol at the stage door, Eve Harrington moves relentlessly towards her goal: taking the reins of power from the great actress Margo Channing.
The Asphalt Jungle: City Under the City
An aging criminal is released from prison and decides to assemble the old gang to go on one last heist.
Bus Stop
A young cowboy finds the girl of his dreams, and when she is reluctant to accept his proposal, forces her to get on a bus bound for Montana.
Gentlemen Prefer Blondes
Two showgirls set sail on a cruise ship in hopes of catching wealthy husbands.
The Misfits
A group of cowboys and a young divorcee meet in the Nevada desert to try to find a new life.
My Week with Marilyn
While filming “The Prince and the Showgirl,” an assistant director befriends Monroe, and shows her what life in London is like without the spotlight of celebrity.
The Seven Year Itch
A husband of seven years, alone in New York while his family vacations, fantasizes an affair with the TV model in the upstairs apartment.
Some Like it Hot
On the run musicians disguise themselves as women and join a singer in an all-female jazz band in order to escape the mob.
BIOGRAPHIES
Fragments: Poems, Intimate Notes, Letters by Marilyn Monroe
A collection of written artifacts, notes to herself, letters, even poems, in Marilyn’s own handwriting, never before published, along with rarely seen intimate photos.
Marilyn: The Passion and the Paradox by Lois Banner
A portrait of the actress analyzes the paradoxes in her life while reinterpreting previously unexplored aspects of her character, from her foster-care childhood and struggles with sexual abuse to her spiritual side and intellectual views.
Marilyn and Me: Sisters, Rivals, Friends by Susan Strasberg
A unique view of a Hollywood icon by actress Susan Strasberg, who knew Marilyn intimately and competed with her for the attention of her parents, acting teachers Lee and Paula Strasberg.
The Secret Life of Marilyn Monroe by J. Randy Taraborrelli (eBook)
Explores the roles of the influential women in her life, including her mentally ill mother, in an account that also discusses Monroe’s own struggles with mental illness, her estranged father, and the Kennedys.
NOVELS
Bye Bye, Baby by Max Allan Collins
Hired by Marilyn Monroe to listen to threatening phone calls from a movie studio that wants to fire her, celebrity private investigator Nate Heller discovers a massive conspiracy to murder the iconic star and faces a career-ending challenge when Monroe turns up dead shortly after.
The Empty Glass by J. I. Baker
A tale inspired by historical events and conspiracy theories follows L.A. County Deputy Coroner Ben Fitzgerald’s investigation into the death of Marilyn Monroe, whose diary describes a doomed love affair and suggests a high-level cover-up.
The Life and Opinions of Maf the Dog, and of His Friend Marilyn Monroe by Andrew O’Hagan
Given as a Christmas present to Marilyn Monroe, Maf the dog provides keen insight into the world of the Hollywood starlet during the last two years of her life.