Marilyn Monroe Who was she? Why does Russell use her as an iconic motif in Blood Brothers? Copyright © 2009 englishteaching.co.uk.

Marilyn Monroe

Who was she?

Why does Russell use her as an iconic motif in Blood Brothers?

Copyright © 2009 englishteaching.co.uk


Marilyn Monroe was born in 1926 and died in 1962 of an overdose of sleeping

pills. It was an unexpected death. It is said that it was due to the pressures of the

film world but the true meaning to her death was never really uncovered.

She was a glamorous and talented American actress. She made 29 movies and

was one of the most famous films stars of the

1950s.

Childhood

Born as Norma Jeane Mortenson on June 1, 1926 in Los Angeles General Hospital, her mother, Gladys, listed the fathers address as

unknown. Marilyn would never know the

true identity of her father.


Marilyn was brought up by very strict foster parents, though she did live with her mother for a brief time, before her mother was put into hospital suffering from ‘mental instability’. She was married at 16, to give her somewhere to live, as her foster parents wanted to move away. She never really felt loved, and even spent some time in an orphanage. Perhaps one of the reasons Russell uses her as a motif in his play is the fostering/adoption link. Like Mrs Lyons, her mother became mentally unstable.


Blood Brothers links

When Mrs Johnstone’s husband tells her she is sexier than Marilyn Monroe, at their first meeting, this would have been a huge compliment to a woman at the time. Marilyn seemed to be irresistible to men, even having affairs with the Kennedy brothers.


The FiftiesIn the 1950s, ideas about women were still very traditional. Working class women would not have had ready access to contraceptives and attitudes towards having a child out of wedlock would include the ‘shotgun’ wedding, so Mrs Johnstone’s unplanned pregnancy would have meant she ‘had to get married’.


Marilyn as an IconMarilyn Monroe has become an icon. Her short, troubled life and her incredible good looks and talent has made her appealing to everyone. She was the epitome of Hollywood glamour, yet her life was full of disappointment – she had a string of failed marriages and love affairs, and some people think she was murdered.


Her singing, dancing and acting skills, as well as her beauty and vulnerability, made her very popular, but she was also unreliable and emotional.


Beauty

She has been imitated by many, including Madonna and the film American Beauty typifies the blonde bombshell type she was.


Addiction to Drugs

Marilyn had trouble sleeping and was addicted to Nembutol. This is what Mrs Johnstone refers to when she sings ‘each day I pray he’ll be OK/ not like poor Marilyn Monroe’ about Eddie at the start of Act 2.


Mickey’s DepressionDuring his prison sentence and afterwards, Mickey takes anti-depressants and the Marilyn motif appears again: ‘treats his ills with daily pills/ just like poor Marilyn Monroe.


Say it’s just a dream

Say it’s just a scene

From an old movie of years ago

From an old movie of Marilyn Monroe.

Time Frame

Russell also uses Marilyn Monroe to show the passage of time. At the start of the story, Monroe is at the height of her career, so Mrs Johnstone would have been a fifties bride. By the time the twins die, she is the star of ‘old movies’ when Mickey is suffering from depression, Mrs Johnstone refers to Marilyn Monroe’s depression and drug addiction.


Marilyn Monroe Who was she? Why does Russell use her as an iconic motif in Blood Brothers? Copyright © 2009 englishteaching.co.uk.

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marilyn motif

poor marilyn monroe

icon marilyn monroe

drugs marilyn

mrs lyons

mrs johnstones husband

film american beauty

blood brothers links