How Marilyn Monroe took on the studio system...and won!
Previously featured in our History of Film issue, we take a look at how Marilyn Monroe was more than just another film star as she took on the studio system that dominated Hollywood.
If you ask anybody why Marilyn Monroe was so important to the history of Hollywood then the chances are that you will receive a number of different opinions. Screen goddess, sex symbol, comedic talent, her personal life, and of course the mysteries surrounding her untimely death at the age of only 36 years young. Yet, for me, few people will mention how she took on the power of Twentieth Century Fox, established her own production company, and fought for roles other than the stereotypical “dumb blonde” roles she had grown accustomed to. Marilyn as the savvy businesswoman and campaigner is not one we hear too much about.
Monroe arrived on the scene at the time when the studios wielded power over their performers. Once signed, a performer’s say in matters had been relegated to the bottom of the pile. It would be the studio that decided your fate, and ultimately, it would be their decision that could make you a star. They would decide what pictures you acted in, what part you would get, what director you worked with, and how much you would get paid based on a long or short-term contract. The actors and directors who signed these studio contracts were regarded as cogs in the studio’s engine.
1953 would change everything for Marilyn Monroe. Prior to this point, she was regarded and an up-and-comer. Twentieth Century Fox would then raise her stock by putting her in two of their biggest films of the year, Gentlemen Prefer Blondes and How to Marry a Millionaire. Gentlemen Prefer Blondes in particular stood out with the film becoming Twentieth Century Fox’s highest-grossing film to date. However, it would be with Gentlemen Prefer Blondes where Monroe would realise just how unfair being tied up to a studio contract could actually be.
The studio executives obviously did not prefer blondes. Jane Russell earned around $200,000 for her role in the movie. Seen by the studio as the bigger star, Russell had successfully negotiated a higher payday for the movie. Monroe, on the other hand, was still working on her studio contract where she got paid $1,500 a week.
With two hits now behind her, Monroe believed that perhaps it was time to be taken more seriously. Twentieth Century Fox, however, had other ideas opting to cast her in the River of No Return alongside Robert Mitchum. Whilst the movie gained a profit it also received lukewarm reviews. “I think I deserve a better deal than a grade-Z cowboy movie in which the acting finished second to the scenery,” Monroe later said. It would be the final straw for Monroe. Her fight for more control had just begun.
By the end of 1953, Marilyn Monroe had attempted to renegotiate her contract. The head of Twentieth Century Fox, Darryl F. Zanuck, refused outright. With the script of The Egyptians floating around the studio, Monroe made a request to be a part of it. Once again, she was refused with the studio opting to cast her in The Girl in Pink Tights, another fluffy musical that Monroe was desperate not to be a part of. She demanded a copy of the script before filming commenced. Once again, Monroe was refused this request.
On 15th December 1953, Monroe was ordered to report to the set of The Girl in Pink Tights. She never showed. Her agent called, Lawyers from Twentieth Century Fox Called, and even Darryl F. Zanuck called to threaten the end of her career if she did not show up. It was the day that Marilyn Monroe broke her studio contract. As 1954 began, she found herself suspended from Twentieth Century Fox. Most would be worried about potentially ending their career, in truth though, Monroe was about to change Hollywood history forever.
Despite the suspension, she married Baseball legend, Joe Di Maggio. The marriage created a media storm. Whilst on honeymoon in Tokyo, Monroe made a detour to Korea to entertain the soldiers. It was a quickly thrown-together show called “Anything Goes”. It raised her popularity even further with over 100,000 U.S troops seeing the star over the four days she was there. Monroe would go on to say that it “was the best thing that ever happened to me. I never felt like a star before in my heart. It was so wonderful to look down and see a fellow smiling at me”.
Returning to the USA Monroe was awarded Best Actress for her role in Gentlemen Prefer Blondes by Photoplay Magazine. Despite her suspension, she was still making news and it did not go unnoticed by the studio that had suspended her in the first place. Now, they wanted to negotiate with her. She would go on to make There’s no Business like Showbusiness, a film Monroe was not particularly keen to make, but in return, she could make the Seven Year Itch with Billy Wilder at the helm. It was a start at the very least and with The Seven Year Itch, Monroe would go on to become one of the most iconic stars in Hollywood history as the breeze from the Metro lifted her white skirt as she stood on the pavement grids.
But Monroe was also busy away from the cameras. She had also set up her own production company with her friend and photographer, Milton Greene. In doing so, she had become the first woman since Mary Pickford (United Artists) to set up an independent company. It would be a move that would eventually pay dividends as she renegotiated her studio contract.
On New Year’s Eve 1955, she would get what she wanted. Twentieth Century Fox had now submitted to their star. A new contract worth $100,000 per movie was one thing but it also gave Marilyn more creative control. She now had control over which directors she worked with, more control over the story and script, and even her choice of cinematographer. It also allowed her to make movies under her new Marilyn Monroe Productions with her first production credit being The Prince and the Showgirl where she starred alongside Lawrence Olivier.
The creative controls would later see Marilyn Monroe star in Some Like it Hot where she once again teamed up with Billy Wilder. Wilder always seemed to get the best out of Marilyn in particular when it came to comedic roles. She would later pick up a Golden Globe for her performance of Sugar “Kane” Kowalczyk, the ukulele-playing band member searching for love.
Marilyn Monroe is many things to many people but for me, she is the woman who took on the studio system and won. Whilst some may have seen her as another dumb blonde eager to please, I see a woman who knew what she wanted. For those who see her as a beauty rather than a creative actress, I see a woman who wanted to make the best movies she could whilst surrounded by the best talent to make that happen. Marilyn Monroe is more than just another beautiful actress, she is the woman who brought an outdated system to its knees, a revolutionary, and most importantly of all, an inspiration to us all.