A few months ago, I played a game based on the Incinerator Podcast, hosted by one Billy Ray Brewton, where a friend and I determined the best film from Woody Allen. I wrote a blog about it. (https://frombtoapodcast.blogspot.com/2022/05/my-friend-and-i-played-movie-game.html ) I got a lot of good feedback on the blog and a bit later, my wife (Vanessa) and a mutual friend (Scott) decided they wanted to play the same game but with Stephen King adaptations (https://frombtoapodcast.blogspot.com/2022/06/my-wife-and-friend-played-movie-game.html). I offered to play an version of this game my wife chose with our friend Scott as engineer. She decided on Marilyn Monroe films. We are both fans and have seen the films, but we decided to rewatch twenty films for this game so the prep work took some time. Here is how the game works.
The usual premise is two people make individual top twenty lists on any given topic (for instance vampire films). The host takes a look at the lists and sees what titles the two players have in common. Let's say the players have 8 in common picks. Each player must now pick 6 out of the 12 they did not have in common and submit those. That makes up a top twenty list. There is an engineer who adds five films that he/she feels are lacking from the list and that makes a top 25.
We did not do things quite that way. Monroe has 25 films but we decided on only using twenty. We took out some bit parts and some classic films she is but a very small part of as having a great film like All About Eve in this draft is challenging. Basically, we took her 11 starring roles and then her 9 next biggest. I did insist on wanting Love Happy because it is a Marx Brothers film. And I have two Marx tattoos (Groucho and Chico).
The players then eliminate films one by one until only one is left standing. But the engineer gets to add landmines. In this game of twenty, we let Scott have 5 landmines. Going back to the vampire example, if Near Dark is on a common list, a landmine might be. You cannot eliminate the film at this spot. Please eliminate a film by a male director instead. Scott only got to use to landmines in this game because the landmines are defused at pick five. Scott has yet to see a Marilyn Monroe film.
In addition to the landmines, the engineer has the ability to place one film from the list of 25 safe until the top 3. And there are saves. A player can sacrifice one of the picks on his unique list to save any film for the next round. (Saves for this game were at spot 12 in the 1st round and 6 in the second). For this game, we gave ourselves 3 saves, picked randomly from the nine films on the list where she had smaller parts. Here is how the list started
Dennis Saves
20. Love Happy
19. Love Nest
18. Monkey Business
Vanessa Saves
17. Clash by Night
16. There’s no business like show business
15. As Young as You Feel
The rest
14. We’re not married
13. Ladies of the chorus
12. Let’s Make it Legal
11. Don’t Bother to Knock
10. Niagara
9. How to marry a millionaire
8. The Seven Year Itch
7. Gentleman Prefer Blondes
6. Bus Stop
5. Some Like it Hot
4. Let’s Make Love
3. The Prince and the Showgirl
2. The Misfits
1. River of no Return
We played the cinema game (Danny Devito was in Batman Returns with Michael Keaton...Michael Keaton was in Night Shift with Henry Winkler...that game) to determine who goes first. I won and had first pick.
20. Let's Make It Legal (1951)
No landmine was attached. I found this comedy charming and I like Claudette Colbert. The plot is sturdy enough to be used today in rom coms (kinda reminds me of the upcoming Tickets to Paradise). But Monroe merely plays a side chick in it. This was not the worst film on the list, but between deciding what movie is just better and what movie is a better Marilyn movie is challenging. My wife V thought it was a good film but not enough to save it.
19. We're Not Married (1952)
My wife picked this at 19. We both found it fine, but this is a collection of comic stories and Monroe's makes the least amount of sense.
18. The River of No Return (1954)
I was the first one to eliminate one of her starring roles.There are two films that have sketchy Native American stuff. One (a Howard Hawks comedy called Monkey Business) has Redface which is something that only ever worked with Eddie Cantor or Buster Keaton and those films were about a generation and a half before the MM film and the film is otherwise fun with a good and sweet first half. And MM is good in it. The second film has nice musical work from Monroe. It's just that her character is poorly written. She runs so hot and cold. It's fine for her to be unlikeable but often her actions are nonsensical.
It has two leads with no chemistry. A rape scene almost happens to give them some kind of romantic umph maybe but it falls flat. It's awkward his character is too stoic. The killing at the end is s little on the nose. It's just not great too much s product of the 1950s even before you get into the Indian characters who are voiceless zombies. They behave like zombies out of a video game. They jump into choppy waters to kill white people on a barely functional raft for no reason. Not saying the white characters don't deserve attacks but the Natives have no self preservation in this film just blood lust. And that is lousy to watch. My wife was fine with getting rid of River early; no save needed.
V got rid of the Marx Brothers, but I could not be mad as Monroe is in the film for a scant few minutes.
16. There's No Business Like Show Business (1954)
My wife did not like the romance in the film with MM and Donald O Connor. I did not like the way Ethel Merman sings, but Marilyn is super relaxed in this, and that is nice to view. Some strategy here as V just got rid of one of my saves, so I went after one of hers.
15. Love Nest (1951)
She went after another one of my saves! V saw this as another Marilyn is hot and makes someone's wife jealous role, I found MM's character to be an impressive professional (Her character was in the military), and I liked the main and various subplots of the film. But I saw no need to save it with my last remaining save.
Moves were attempted at 14. I played The Seven Year Itch. I found it to be an unfunny comedy with one major iconic moment. But The Seven Year Itch had a landmine attached.
The landmine meant that The Seven Year Itch was safe for that turn only and had to be replaced with the other Billy Wilder Title: Some Like it Hot!
V decided to use one of her saves to allow Some Like it Hot to be safe until at least number 12 and I did not fight her save with my last remaining save.
14. As Young As You Feel (1951)
V liked that though Marilyn is playing a secretary for not the first time, she is bright and funny. I liked the film in general, had a nice message about being productive even as an aged person.
13. The Seven Year Itch (1955)
V felt the same way I did about this film. She also thought the lead male character was particularly goofy.
12. Ladies of the Chorus (1948)
Her first starring role, a cute ending and some good musical numbers. I got rid of it here because her character has no agency.
11. How to Marry a Millionaire (1953)
This is one of two films we drove to San Francisco to see on the big screen about 15 years ago. I remembered being charmed by it. On a rewatch, I found it a bit dull and too silly. V got rid of it here because she did not like any of the romances much and it is a romantic comedy.
Here is an updated List
Dennis Saves
10. Monkey Business
Vanessa Saves
09. Clash by Night
The rest
08. Don’t Bother to Knock
07. Niagara
06. Gentleman Prefer Blondes
05. Bus Stop
04. Some Like it Hot
03. Let’s Make Love
02. The Prince and the Showgirl
01. The Misfits
Some stuff happened at the number 10 pick. I attempted to play Don't Bother to Knock. V used her save Clash by Night to move Don't Bother to Knock to safe at number 6. I used my save Monkey Business to save Clash by Night to safe at number 6. There was a landmine with Monkey Business about eliminating another film featuring Ginger Rogers, but it was not applicable.
10. Monkey Business (1952)
I could have gotten rid of this after River of No Return and not just for the redface. It falls apart in the last half hour. V did not care about it all that much either.
09. Let's Make Love (1960)
This was in my top six and to be honest, I would not have minded if it won. She has sparkling chemistry with her co-star. MM has sympathy and brains and her musical numbers and the way this film avoids some obvious tropes of the romantic comedy is commendable. V liked this film a great deal as well she just liked others more so got rid of it.
08. Gentlemen Prefer Blondes (1953)
This was the other film I took my wife to in San Francisco. I love the film, but I love it more for Charles Coburn and George Winslow (both of whom also showed up in Monkey Business from the same director). That is why I picked it here. I also saw it as a Jane Russell film. I think the director favored Russell by giving her that great number in the pool area and that dynamite court room scene. V saw this as a top three film and was peeved when I played it here. She particularly liked her improvised line "I can be smart when it's important, but most men don't like it."
07. Some Like it Hot (1959)
V eliminated this which is in my top five and which I assumed was going to win. She found it less fun on the rewatch. Everything with Osgood landed, but she did not like the Curtis character or Monroe's drinking as a character flaw that goes nowhere. I liked the film as a madcap romp and thought it had the most laughs of her filmography.
06. Don't Bother to Knock (1952)
This was V's pick for number one. It was MM's favorite as well incidentally. V admired the tense pacing and Marilyn's vulnerability. I loved the setting, but found the characters to be one note.
Top 5
5. Niagara
4. Clash by Night
3. The Misfits
2. The Prince and the Showgirl
1. Bus Stop
Things change at number 5; three landmines are now defused and Scott's top three pick still has not been revealed. The host now asks a trivia question to determine who gets picks 3 and 4 and who gets picks 5 and 2 (thus picking the winner). Scott asked what female famously was rumored to have had an affair with Monroe. V and I both guessed Susan Strasberg. We were both right. (The Strasbergs may have used her, but I believe they helped a lot with her acting and finding her the best roles. 3 out of the last 5 films were made when they had Monroe's ear. The other part of that is Marilyn was a big star and had access to better scripts.
So Scott asked what is the first Monroe film where he is given first billing. I guessed River of No Return. She guessed Niagra. She was right so had picks 5 and 2.
05. Clash By Night (1952)
V liked MM in this film, but did not like the film and did not get why I used a save on it. It is among my favorite crime films. It is Fritz Lang. And MM is a ray of light in this sort of Frankenstein story. Robert Ryan and Paul Douglas are also unbelievable. I could have lived with this at number one even as MM has only four scenes.
I tried to get rid of The Misfits next. I do believe that Arthur Miller understood Marilyn more than anybody. That scene with Gable in the car is incredible. People think you are happy because you make them happy. She is a creator of change. She touches everyone in the film. Gay (played by Gable) gives up his violent career for her. But she does not change or grow herself so even though this is the second best MM film in terms of quality; this is more the great Clark Gable sendoff. But Scott had The Misfits as his 3 so I had to get rid of Niagara first.
04. Niagara (1953)
V loves the iconic walk scene but also thinks it is a great noir. I am inclined to agree, but I think I admire Jean Peters and Joe Cotton most in the film.
Bus Stop is a whirlwind. It has lessons in it too about the need to be humbled before you can properly love. MM is next level playing a character far different than in prior films. V loved this on rewatch. She grew to like the brash Don Murray and loved the sweet character MM is playing all the way through.
01. The Prince and the Showgirl (1957)
A half hour into this, we were not sure it was very good. But then MM entered the scene. Laurence Olivier as the prince tried to seduce her in a routine way, the way Hef used to pick up girls for years. She calls him out on it. She is very bright. He is vexed by her and soon wants her out of his abode. The brilliant Terence Rattigan script keeps finding ways to keep her in his orbit, and all these ways are realistic and keep the humor on point. Soon he is trying, putting effort into things, and not just with her. He is a better man, but she gets something out of it too. This film plays well to her sunny disposition, her brightness but also her touch of melancholy as this ending is a small heart breaker. This film was around my top five, and I was quite happy it won. V felt LO eventually charming and thought MM's role mirrored the way people initially dismissed her before being taken off-guard by her charms in real life. We were both happy with this decision.
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