Friday, June 8, 2012

50 Years Ago Today, in Hollywood...


Marilyn Monroe was scheduled to work on Something’s Got to Give, a George Cukor film in production for 20th Century Fox, on June 1, 1962, her 36th birthday. That Marilyn arrived on the set on time and worked all day, managing to complete scenes with leading man Dean Martin and co-star Wally Cox, was a cause for celebration in itself, considering Marilyn had worked on only a handful of the film’s 30+ days in production. At the end of the day, a birthday party was thrown on the set featuring a cake festooned with sparklers and Marilyn's favorite champagne, Dom Perignon. Afterward Marilyn attended a charity baseball game at Dodger Stadium and was serenaded with a chorus of “Happy Birthday” during the event.

Marilyn turns 36
Dodger Stadium, June 1, 1962
The next morning, Saturday, June 2, a distraught Marilyn called the home of her vacationing psychiatrist, Dr. Ralph Greenson, and asked his children to come over. There they found her in bed, disheveled and inconsolable. According to Greenson’s son, Daniel, Marilyn rattled off a long list of complaints, concluding with the comment that her life wasn’t worth living. A colleague of Dr. Greenson’s, Dr. Milton Wexler, was summoned and he quickly appropriated the arsenal of sedatives he found in her room. It was later determined that Marilyn’s behavior was likely triggered by an overdose of Dexamyl, an anti-depressant.

Marilyn did not appear on the set of Something’s Got to Give the following Monday, and when her attorney, Mickey Rudin, tried to persuade her to return to work, she became furious and accused him of siding with the studio. Rudin, who was also her psychiatrist’s brother in law, contacted Dr. Greenson who was still in on holiday in Europe and the doctor agreed to fly home at once.

On Tuesday, June 5, Marilyn stayed home from work again. Dean Martin reportedly walked off the set in frustration and the production was temporarily suspended. An emergency meeting was called for Wednesday the 6th at Fox with both Dr. Greenson and Rudin in attendance. The studio was not convinced that either could guarantee that Marilyn would be able to finish the film and finally made a decision that had long been considered – she would be replaced. And so, 50 years ago today, on Friday, June 8, 1962, it was announced that Marilyn Monroe had been fired from Something's Got to Give.

Lee Remick
When Lee Remick was hired to replace her, Dean Martin responded, "I have the greatest respect for Miss Remick and her talent and for all other actresses who were considered for the role, but I signed to do the picture with Marilyn Monroe, and I will do it with no one else."

Dean Martin and Marilyn Monroe during the making of Something's Got to Give
George Cukor, who also directed Marilyn in Let's Make Love (1960), later remarked, "I liked her very much. I found her extremely intelligent - inarticulate, but extremely intelligent. And driven. She was a very peculiar girl...There may be an exact psychiatric term for what was wrong with her, I don't know - but truth to tell, I think she was quite mad."

Director George Cukor with Marilyn on the set
Eventually the picture, a remake of the Cary Grant/Irene Dunne classic, My Favorite Wife (1940), was produced - but with a different director, cast and title. Move Over, Darling starring Doris Day and James Garner was released on Christmas 1963.

Doris Day

24 comments:

  1. LE,
    All so sad but I'm so glad you shared all of the behind the scenes info on what took place on set after Monroe's passing.

    Very nice of Dean to speak up for how he felt. Another interesting post with info I had not read before now.
    Such tragedy and heartbreak it must have been during that time in Hollywood. Boy, are Doris Day and MM polar opposites in every way. Two very odd choices. (Remick)
    Page

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  2. Page, I've seen the surviving footage of "Something's Got to Give" and it seems to have had the potential to be a popular light romantic comedy (as "Move Over, Darling" proved to be). Two other actresses turned down Marilyn's role before it was offered to Lee Remick: Shirley MacLaine and Kim Novak. In the end, Fox rehired Marilyn but George Cukor was not going to continue as director, I believe Jean Negulesco had been invited to replace him.

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  3. "There may be an exact psychiatric term for what was wrong with her, I don't know - but truth to tell, I think she was quite mad."

    It's fascinating that George Cukor made such a statement about Marilyn. Obviously, he liked her and saw much of her appeal and talent, but, at the same time, recognized that he would be attempting to captain a sinking ship. The closest psychiatric term that might apply to Marilyn is probably borderline personality disorder, which is a term that has become controversial because over the years it's been seen to stigmatize a person, mainly because these individuals can be some of the most difficult people to deal with. If you look the term up, much of it sounds like a description of the chaotic emotional identity of Marilyn Monroe. Her talent and seductiveness amplified her conflicts on film and drew millions in, and continues to today. She was a tragic person and I wonder if she hadn't become such a monumental star she would have had more opportunity to work her way towards a more stable perspective outside the goldfish bowl her life had become. Another excellent post, Eve, on an always fascinating subject. I love those pics of Doris Day and Lee Remick, too - beautiful women, but in such different ways.

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    1. MCB - Marilyn Monroe seems to have had little or no identity until she blossomed at puberty. Her profound attractiveness seems then to have become her identity and modus operandi in navigating life, short as hers was. Though she seemed to eventually realize that the 'Marilyn Monroe' persona was extremely confining and even suffocating, she was unwilling or unable to move beyond it. She seems to me an entirely conflicted individual who would never have managed to come to terms with her insecurities no matter how long she might've lived.

      I selected the most attractive color photos of Doris Day and Lee Remick I could find knowing they would be sharing the page with incandescent Marilyn.

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  4. So much success, yet so much tragedy. She reminds me of some of the bi-polar people I've known over the years, so perhaps that was her issue. Odd that her last film (would-be at least) was called Something's Got to Give--a tad prophetic.

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    1. Kim, Whatever the final diagnosis, the fact seems to have been that Marilyn was at the mercy insurmountable personal problems. In addition to this, she seemed drawn to those she looked to as saviors - from her husbands to her acting coaches to her psychiatrists. None were able to resist her - or truly help her.

      As far as "Something's Got to Give" is concerned I can't imagine she would have been able to finish it even had she lived. The titles of both her last completed film, "The Misfits," and the unfinished "Something's Got to Give" seem to me prophetic.

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  5. A great look back Lady Eve, to the final months of Marilyn's life. In my opinion, Marilyn craved attention and respect (don't we all more or less)yet was terribly afraid of never being good enough to meet the expectatiions placed on her. I think that's what made every appearance on the set such an agony for her. It is interesting to note the similarities in this respect to Judy Garland. Both of their similar problems were exacerbated by drugs, though Judy survived but Marilyn didn't. We can all fall apart within our ordinary lives, but the pinnacle of show business was not a healthy environment for either one of them.

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    1. Christian, Marilyn seems the embodiment of the phrase, "Be careful what you wish for..." She was driven to become a star, it was something her guardian had drilled into her from childhood (with Jean Harlow as the idol she was urged to emulate). She often said she wanted to be "wonderful," and she was. But then, after becoming THE international superstar/sex symbol, she sought respect as a serious actress. A perfectionist about her appearance and her performances, she was never completely satisfied with herself. In short, she achieved her wish but its ramifications killed her.

      As for Judy, who outlived Marilyn, she never managed much stability in her life. Both women had fairly grim early years, with Judy being the family (and studio) workhorse/breadwinner through childhood and beyond. In my view, it was a combination of drugs and exhaustion that ended her life early at 47.

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  6. I remember reading somewhere, that her mother suffered from mental illness and Marilyn, was worried that she would too. (If I can find the article I will post the link back to it).

    What we saw on the screen was not how she was in real life. I always felt that she was a very confused/depressed person.

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    1. Dawn, If I recall, Marilyn's mother, Gladys, became deeply depressed when her grandfather took his own life (he lost everything when the Depression hit). My sense is that she received very poor treatment at the beginning. In any case, she spent years in institutions or under professional care. In the '60s her older daughter, Marilyn's half-sister, became her guardian and Gladys moved to Florida (where the daughter lived) and spent the rest of her life there. She died in 1984.

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  7. Monroe was such a lovely lady (no secret, I know) and good actress, it is sad her life took the turn that it did. Great blog post!

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    1. Thanks, Ginny. Marilyn Monroe's life did come to a sad and early end, but I wonder what her reaction might have been if, 50 years ago, she could have known she was to become one of film's lasting icons - far surpassing Jean Harlow's fame as well as that of almost every other Hollywood star. She probably would not have believed it, she so underestimated herself.

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  8. For me Monroe was a good comedic actress as she proved in THE 7 YEAR ITCH, SOME LIKE IT HOT and GENTLEMEN PREFER BLONDES to name a few, but as a dramatic actress I always found her wanting. There were some roles that fit her like in NIAGARA and BUS STOP but I don't think neither was much of a stretch acting wise.

    I always thought SOMETHING'S GOT TO GIVE would have been a better film that the Garner/Day MOVE OVER,DARLING version that came out a few years later. My own personal opinion is Dean Martin and Marilyn would have made the film better simply because they were in it. Garner is good, I always enjoy his work but Doris Day, well, I have never been a fan. I became diabetic a few years ago and I still believe watching too many Doris Day movies early in my life was the root cause! (LOL).

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    1. John, You mention "Niagara" - a film in which Marilyn had a pivotal and sizable dramatic role. She was quite effective in it but she had such a fine gift for comedy it's no wonder she is best remembered for films like "Some Like it Hot" and "The Seven Year Itch." As far as "Something's Got to Give" is concerned, it looked very promising to me and the chemistry between Marilyn and Dean Martin was obviously sensational.

      I wasn't a fan of Doris Day early on but have come to appreciate her over the years. I'm especially fond of "The Thrill of it All" with James Garner. I've always preferred him as her '60s romcom co-star. And - so far - I haven't developed diabetes...

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  9. Thanks for all that info, Eve. I'll weigh in with my MM favorites, Niagara and Bus Stop. I always thought of MM as playing a part to gain attention, or publicity, but I know I was wrong about her. She did have problems.

    You commented on Judy Garland above. I can think of one actress who was thrust into a career at an early age to support her family. She became extremely popular, was quite beautiful, and was also a strong business woman who really took control of her career. Her name was Mary Pickford. When other popular actresses like Marie Dressler were making $100 a week, Pickford was making $10,000.

    There is a fine line between mental health and self destruction.

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    1. Allen, Mary Pickford seems to have had two qualities that are a rare combination: artistic talent and business sense. Neither Marilyn Monroe nor Judy Garland managed the business side of their careers or handled money very well.

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  10. Very well-researched piece, as always, Eve. Have you seen the clips from SOMETHING'S GOT TO GIVE? I remember seeing them in a documentary called MARILYN narrated by Rock Hudson. Unlike John, I can't imagine Marilyn and Dean in the roles eventually performed by Doris Day and James Garner. For one thing, James Garner was much better at light comedy than Dean (who played the straight man in most of his comedies).

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    1. Thanks, Rick and yes, I've seen the surviving footage of "Something's Got to Give." From what I've read about it, the adaptation that became "Move Over, Darling" was very different from SGtG and much closer to the original, "My Favorite Wife." Actually, "Move Over" seems to me a straight re-make of "Wife." Doris Day and James Garner are a wonderful onscreen pair, but I also saw potential with MM and Dean Martin - though their chemistry, film personas and performances are nothing like that of Day and Garner.

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  11. Lee Remick was always a classy looking lady, and very beautiful as well! Richard from Amish Stories

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    1. Richard, She was very lovely and she was a noteworthy actress, too - "Anatomy of a Murder," "Experiment in Terror," "The Detective" and especially "The Days of Wine and Roses" (not to mention several Emmy-nominated TV performances).

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  12. Thanks for this post. I love Marilyn and I always am drawn into reading about her. I am sad yet grateful to hear about what was to become her final days of shooting. If I was Dean I wouldn't have work with anyone else either.

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    1. Lasso - Thank you for stopping by. I'll be posting another piece on Marilyn Monroe in August - I hope you'll come back and check it out.

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  13. Eve, I seem to be posting like mad these days, and I have fallen behind on my reading. Your post on Marilyn’s last few days on the set of “Something’s Got to Give” reminds me of the comment I made on “The Misfits”, a bit of wishful thinking in hindsight. I have always been “peripherally” aware of the actress’s erratic behavior, but I was somehow unaware of how serious her problems had become during her final year (no irony intended). I also find myself remembering Joan’s reaction to the news, during the episode of Mad Men, and I am once again missing everyone who brings life to Matthew Weiner's beautiful mess of a 1960s vision (I’m so glad Don and Peggy met again one last time before the season ended).

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    1. 'Gypsy, I haven't been posting that much but AM overcommitted on upcoming blogathons and scurrying to keep up. Meanwhile, I've fallen behind on my reading, too. There's more to come from me in August on Marilyn Monroe, I've been working my way to a major piece on her ever since researching the "Misfits" post. "Mad Men" Season 5 passed at the speed of light and what a season it was - I'm still reeling.

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