Synopsis

Once upon a time there was a girl with moonlight in her eyes, the breeze ruffled through her hair, but that was once upon a time, and once upon a time never comes again.” A few poignant words from a special song but if you let your imagination run wild that girl can only be Marilyn. A picture is worth a thousand words, but in the case of Marilyn Monroe it is even more so. Each and every photograph or piece of artwork depicting her image is truly unrivaled in its beauty. The movies Marilyn starred in are all unique, simply because she was part of the cast. From her first image on the big screen as a mere walk on extra, to the last image she gave us from her unreleased movie, Marilyn’s image radiated and glowed. This book will take you on a special journey along with Marilyn as she always gave 100% to her legions of fans, all the while without knowing how great a movie star she truly was. The journey is filled with facts and nuances that will help to convince you, if you are not already convinced, that Marilyn’s body of work in motion pictures must be recognized with an Oscar. The journey will uncover how Marilyn approached the challenges of her profession. In contrast, the sheer number of those actors and actresses that share her quest, but only to be denied, will surprise you. The journey is filled with hundreds of photographs, artwork and images from around the world, some which you will see for the very first time. There is a section of Marilyn on postage stamps from not only the United States, but from far away places that she never visited. Also included is a complete filmography which lists the entire cast, a synopsis and reviews. When the journey is over, hopefully you will be convinced that Marilyn most definitely deserves her Oscar. So get ready for the definitive book about everyone’s favorite actress, and how she approached her roles and perfected her trade.

My Thoughts

James Turiello makes the case as to why Marilyn Monroe should have received an Oscar in her lifetime and why she should be honored now.

While, like most Monroe students I feel that Marilyn was overlooked for an Oscar especially for her portrayal of Cherie in Bus Stop, Mr Turiello argues why she should have been given one by comparing her films to the films that actually won, and after watching her performances in Bus Stop and the Misfits, you could right;u argue that she should have at least been nominated.

But Hollywood was and still is a place where you had to be in the right clique and play the game in order to be nominated and Marilyn did not play the game, instead she left to form her own production company, which probably raised the hackles of every studio boss in town.

Did she deserve an Oscar for one or more of her performances? Well that’s a matter of personal opinion.

Now as she was not honored in her lifetime Turiello calls for an honorary Oscar to be bestowed upon her, however the Academy does not give out Oscars posthumously, unless of course an Actor dies with in the same year (think Heath Ledger).

This is a nicely presented book and the author clearly would like to see Monroe given an Oscar, but the book does have flaws and he makes simple mistakes with some facts and quotes.

The problem with making errors with quotes is all to easy these days as there are so many fake ones floating around the internet, but I know for a fact that the author consulted with one of the World’s leading Monroe experts, who advised him on the quotes in the book and he still published one he had been advised were completely wrong and it is that lack of respect for both his subject and the person he consulted that will stop me from recommending this book to other Monroe fans.

I gave this book 2 out of 5* on Goodreads