Icon, Star, Myth: Marilyn Monroe at 100
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What is the main topic discussed in this episode?
The Pat Kenny Show. With Timber Living Log Cabins. Saturday and Sunday from 10am on Newstalk.
Conversation that counts. She remains one of the most recognisable and fascinating figures of the 20th century. A Hollywood icon whose image has endured for generations, but whose real life was far more complex than the blonde bombshell persona the world came to know. As the world marks what would have been Marilyn Monroe's 100th birthday, my next guest has spent years exploring the woman behind the myth. Best-selling author and biographer Michelle Morgan joins us now to talk about Marilyn's life and her legacy and why the world remains so fascinated by her a century after her birth. Michelle, good morning and welcome.
Good morning. Thank you for having me.
What makes Marilyn Monroe a fascinating figure even today?
Tell me, when did your fascination with Marilyn begin?
It was 1985 and I was 15 years old and she'd sort of been on my radar, of course, because, you know, she was Marilyn and she was everywhere. But I was on holiday with my family and I saw a picture of her and I just couldn't get it out of my mind. And then that evening I said, I think I'm going to buy a book about her just so I can read it on the beach. And I did. And I did read it on the beach. And then the rest is history. I was completely hooked from the moment I started to learn about her life.
Why do you think we remain so fascinated by her?
You know, I really don't know. This is the number one question that I get asked and every single time I answer it. I say something different and I think that there lies the clue that I have no idea why everyone is so fascinated by her other than it's very different for every single person. Some people just love the way she looked on camera, other people love the way that she was so strong and she tried to do her best and she tried to learn and she never stopped learning and going after her dreams and things like that. It's quite a mystery as to why her memory is still so alive in everybody's minds, except that she's something different for everybody.
Now, the kind of roles she played, actually, we'll give our listeners a sample of Marilyn singing Diamonds Are a Girl's Best Friend. A kiss on the hand may be quite continental, but diamonds are a girl's best friend. A kiss may be grand, but it won't pay the rental on your humble flat or help. So that was Marilyn, and that's how people remember her, that kind of high singing voice and, you know, whimsical, but not very deep as a personality. You would say that is not the real Marilyn.
Yeah, I mean, that was a character that she was playing. You know, Lorelei Lee, who she played in Gentlemen Prefer Blondes, is a character. And this has always been quite a mystery to me as to why people think that Marilyn was the people she played. You know, nobody thinks that Arnie is really the Terminator. Nobody thinks that Johnny Depp is really a pirate. And yet everybody thinks that Marilyn is a dumb blonde, and that's because of some of the parts she played. And actually, quite a few of the parts she played, although they were advertised as being dumb blondes, they were actually quite wily and funny. and sneaky in some ways. And so there were characters. It wasn't who she was at all. And I think it says more for everybody else than it does about Marilyn.
But she did in life also kind of keep with the character. This is her when she's singing a very important man a happy birthday. Happy birthday to you. Happy birthday to you. Happy birthday, Mr. President. Happy birthday to you. So that's Marilyn singing happy birthday to JFK, but kind of staying in character.
How did Michelle Morgan's fascination with Marilyn Monroe begin?
Yeah, I mean, you know, it was just a performance. It was something that she was putting on. The same as any other singer who goes on stage. You know, Robbie Williams puts on a performance when he's on stage. That's a completely different person on stage to who he is in real life. You know, she was an actress, she was a singer, she was a performer and an entertainer. And in real life, she was very different.
Now, talk to me about the real life, because her childhood was troubled.
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Chapters
5 chapters
1
What is the main topic discussed in this episode?
0:01–0:48
2
What makes Marilyn Monroe a fascinating figure even today?
0:48–4:27
3
How did Michelle Morgan's fascination with Marilyn Monroe begin?
4:27–8:31
4
Why is Marilyn Monroe still a subject of fascination after 100 years?
8:31–14:17
5
What roles did Marilyn Monroe play that shaped her public persona?
14:17–15:17