Marilyn: Something's Got to Give

Something's Got to Give was Marilyn Monroe's last and uncompleted film. Though the film is a light comedy, it nevertheless showed Marilyn as a sensitive woman and mother seeing her children for the first time in five years. The film would not have been great, but it would have shown Marilyn after a nearly two year absence from the screen. The footage shows her to be ethereally beautiful and by no means the drug-hazed woman some depicted her to be at the time. When she was on the screen, the other actors simply did not matter. Though The Misfits might have been a more substantial film, this viewer held his breath at the final glimpse of his most favorite star, one Marilyn Monroe.

Add this to your collection of MM movies. It is of great interest for die hard Marilyn Monroe fans. Just to be able to view "LOST" footage is a privilege. This documentary is equal parts touching, surreal and sad, as we all no full well about the oncoming tragedy Marilyn would soon experience. With all that has been said during the filming of S.G.T.G. MM doesn't appear to be in a heavy drug induced state. If she was, it is amazing that she was able to balance on shoes with 4 inch heels. In some scenes she is very tender and very expressive, and in others she is jittery and nervous. My favorite scenes revolve around her seeing her children for the 1st time. In those Monroe is contemplative and ignites the screen with beauty and emotion. I also loved hearing that wonderful giggle she possessed after the director yelled "CUT" and the film was still rolling.

Aside from a beautiful wardrobe and nice production values, I don't believe this was to be a memorable role. Marilyn owed 20th Century Fox 1 more film in her slave contract. She would then be free to accept any movie role or sign a contract with any studio in Hollywood. Fox needed the dumb MM persona the public loved (in which Marilyn resented) to help pull them out of financial ruin. In a last ditch effort after "The Misfits" failure at the box office, she returns to that whispery, childish, fluffy behavior.

MM never received the respect or patience that was given to her arch nemesis Elizabeth Taylor. Elizabeth was filming "Cleopatra" at the same time in Egypt and causing major problems in a film that was BANKRUPTING its studio. There was never any retaliation from FOX executives toward Miss Taylor, and it agitated MM to no end. Marilyn would fight with FOX about the script, her character, and the direction this film was going. Their punishment for Marilyn was firing her and forming a smear campaign aimed at ruining her career and reputation. In spite of being ill for most of the production I can see why she didn't want to show up to film it. She along with us could see how generic and bland it was going to be. (and her fault if it failed at the box office). In a blast of creative ingenuity she did a nude swimming pool scene to cause a stir and give the film some interest. The outtakes we get to see are terrific. Soon photos surfaced on the cover of LIFE magazine and others. At the age of 36 Marilyn wanted to knock Elizabeth T. off the newsstands. Mission accomplished.

I'm glad the film wasn't her final finished effort. She was at the top of her game in "Bus Stop" and "The Misfits". Please, Do see this documentary. The interviews with Marilyns co-stars such as the late Cyd Charrise are very insightful. It is a fascinating piece of Hollywood history, showing what it was like in 1962 to be on the FOX lot inside that sound stage. The mysterious, haunting lead actress Marilyn Monroe will continue to fascinate and enthrall us for years to come.

The film Somethings Got to Give shows rare footage of the tragic film icon Marilyn Monroe just months before her death, with Marilyn looking radiant and beautiful. The film also includes interviews with the cast and crew of Somethings Got to Give who lend an insight into the filming of Monroe's final and unfinished film. I would have enjoyed more footage from the film as I believe the film would have benefited had it been longer. However, the footage of Marilyn was still beautiful to see.

Judging from the footage in this documentary ´Something´s got to give´ would certainly not have been a step forward for Marilyn: a silly comedy which would have taken her right back to her early days. During the late fifties Marilyn had proven to be a very fine actress, able of playing high standard comedy (Some like it hot, The prince and the showgirl) as well as dramatic parts (Bus stop). Then her personal life got in the way of her film career. While 20th Century Fox gave Elizabeth Taylor the star treatment and the budget that goes with it (for portraying Cleopatra), Marilyn got stuck with this stinker. She got fired during the shoot and died just before the studio rehired her to finish the job. Though this documentary shows a couple of touching scenes (f.i. Marilyn´s character meeting her children for the first time in years - this was to be the first time Marilyn played a mother), I think ´The Misfits´ is a much more suitable swansong for this beautiful child (as Truman Capote once called her).

Marilyn Monroe (1926-1962) never looked as beautiful, sensual and enchanting as she did in this screwball comedy, which had to remain unfinished because of her untimely death. The few scenes that had already been shot show her as Ellen Arden, who was missing for five years after a plane crash and, after her accidental rescue, reappears with her husband (Dean Martin), who is about to get married again. Marilyn's nude (leotard) appearance in the swimming pool is simply great and still well worth seeing!

But there was someone else on the deserted island. The good Ellen Arden was stranded there with a striking male Adonis, who was played by Tom Tryon (1926-1991). As is well known, the film could not be finished. That same year, Tryon had a small appearance in "The Longest Day." Things got better in 1963 when he landed the title role in "The Cardinal" alongside the German-Austrian world star Romy Schneider (1938-1982). There was also a Golden Globe nomination for the attractive actor.

But Tom Tryon not only had an enviable body, but also something on his mind. In the 1970s he developed into a successful writer. Based on his own short story "Crowned Heads", he wrote the script for "Fedora" (1978) by Billy Wilder, which was intended to help Hildegard Knef (1925-2002, of course under her international star name Hildegarde Neff) make a big comeback. It didn't quite work, but the film is well worth seeing. The story of the filming of this film has just been made into the novel "Mr Wilder & Me" by Jonathan Coe.