Accessibility links
marilyn monroe marilyn monroe
Stories About

marilyn monroe

Marilyn Monroe was more than just 'Blonde'
Netflix and Keystone Features/Getty Images

It's Been a Minute

Marilyn Monroe was more than just 'Blonde'

In the six decades since Marilyn Monroe passed away, Hollywood has not let her go. Actresses have portrayed her in countless films and there have been more than 15 biopics dedicated to the late icon. Ahead of the Academy Awards, Ana de Armas has been getting Oscar buzz for playing Marilyn 'Blonde.' However, one critic finds this role, this film, and these stereotypes deeply problematic. Host Brittany Luse is joined by culture critic Angelica Jade Bastién to talk about Marilyn's misinterpreted legacy and why the Hollywood impersonations never shine as bright as the real star.

Marilyn Monroe was more than just 'Blonde'

Listen · 21:43
Transcript
  • Download
  • <iframe src="https://www.npr.org/player/embed/1161629864/1199266738" width="100%" height="290" frameborder="0" scrolling="no" title="NPR embedded audio player">
  • Transcript
'Blonde' director says the unhappiness of Marilyn Monroe should come as no surprise

Adrien Brody as The Playwright & Ana de Armas as Marilyn Monroe in Blonde. 2022 © Netflix hide caption

toggle caption
2022 © Netflix

Movies

'Blonde' director says the unhappiness of Marilyn Monroe should come as no surprise

The Netflix adaptation reimagines the inner life of one of Hollywood's most enduring icons.

'Blonde' director says the unhappiness of Marilyn Monroe should come as no surprise

Listen · 5:16
Transcript
  • Download
  • <iframe src="https://www.npr.org/player/embed/1124718294/1126022593" width="100%" height="290" frameborder="0" scrolling="no" title="NPR embedded audio player">
  • Transcript
Art values are booming as New York auctions make billions of dollars in sales

A woman takes a photo of Andy Warhol's 'Shot Sage Blue Marilyn' on April 29 during Christie's 20th and 21st Century Art press preview in New York City. Angela Weiss/AFP via Getty Images hide caption

toggle caption
Angela Weiss/AFP via Getty Images

Art & Design

Art values are booming as New York auctions make billions of dollars in sales

Sotheby's, Christie's and Phillips total sales have hit more than $2.5 billion for 2022 already, led by works by Andy Warhol, Jean-Michel Basquiat and Pablo Picasso.

'Reframed' revisits Marilyn Monroe's life and legacy, from an all-women point of view

CNN's new four-part documentary series, Reframed: Marilyn Monroe, revisits the life and career of the film legend (shown here in 1954). The first two parts of the series air Jan. 16. Baron/Hulton Archive/Getty Images hide caption

toggle caption
Baron/Hulton Archive/Getty Images

Review

TV Reviews

'Reframed' revisits Marilyn Monroe's life and legacy, from an all-women point of view

Fresh Air

During her career and after her death, Monroe was objectified and scrutinized — mostly by male writers, biographers and historians. CNN's new docuseries tells her story from a fresh perspective.

'Reframed' revisits Marilyn Monroe's life and legacy, from an all-women point of view

Listen · 5:34
Transcript
  • Download
  • <iframe src="https://www.npr.org/player/embed/1072768298/1073123947" width="100%" height="290" frameborder="0" scrolling="no" title="NPR embedded audio player">
  • Transcript
Giant Marilyn Monroe Statue Returns To Palm Springs, But Its Backside Faces Backlash

The 'Forever Marilyn' statue by artist Seward Johnson was first in Palm Springs from 2012 to 2014. Now, she's headed back to the resort town permanently. But her return is sparking a backlash. Frederic J. Brown/AFP via Getty Images hide caption

toggle caption
Frederic J. Brown/AFP via Getty Images

Pop Culture

Giant Marilyn Monroe Statue Returns To Palm Springs, But Its Backside Faces Backlash

KCRW

Some see "Forever Marilyn," the 26-foot statue of the Hollywood icon, as sexist. Others see it as tacky. City officials see it as a major tourist draw.

Giant Marilyn Monroe Statue Returns To Palm Springs, But Its Backside Faces Backlash

Listen · 3:37
Transcript
  • Download
  • <iframe src="https://www.npr.org/player/embed/996565192/997259480" width="100%" height="290" frameborder="0" scrolling="no" title="NPR embedded audio player">
  • Transcript
Hugh Hefner's Final Resting Place? The Plot He Bought Next To Marilyn Monroe

Playboy founder Hugh Hefner often spoke of how he would one day be entombed in the plot he'd bought next to Marilyn Monroe. Her crypt is at the Westwood Village Memorial Park in Los Angeles. Mel Bouzad/Getty Images hide caption

toggle caption
Mel Bouzad/Getty Images

The Two-Way

Hugh Hefner's Final Resting Place? The Plot He Bought Next To Marilyn Monroe

Monroe, who died in 1962, didn't get a say in whether she would want to spend the hereafter next to Hefner, who launched his magazine using nude photos of her.

Browse archive or search npr.org