June 1st is Marilyn Monroe’s birthday, and we know that nobody thinks of her as a mom. Sadly, this video shows that we never got to see how natural Marilyn was as one. It’s footage from a 1962 movie called Something’s Got To Give. Marilyn plays a woman who was lost at sea, and returns home only to find that her husband has just remarried. The family dog remembers Marilyn’s character, but her kids don’t know her. Plenty of comedic hijinks were supposed to ensue.
Things didn’t work out. Marilyn’s 36th birthday turned out to also be her last day on the film’s set. She complained of illness, and the studio fired her. Production was suspended until Marilyn was replaced with Lee Meredith–but co-star Dean Martin insisted that the studio hire back Marilyn in the role. Sadly, Marilyn would pass away before returning to the production. (The script would later be remade with Doris Day in the lead.) This rare footage has Marilyn in a scene with her fictional children, as she poses as a stranger and talks to them about her mother.
It’s raw footage that has director George Cukor yelling at the cast. We really like how Marilyn tries to keep the little girl warm, and keeps trying to be upbeat to keep the children comfortable. (Marilyn would later demand that Cukor be replaced before she agreed to return for filming.) This isn’t the glamorous Marilyn of the silver screen. This is a really nice lady trying to take care of children during what seems to be a rough shoot. It’ll certainly help everyone understand the appeal of Marilyn. Watch this scene and start missing her even more….
