If she was only the second woman in Hollywood to do it, we can rule out naughty behavior. Maybe something at the other end of the spectrum --- something sort of intellectual?

TM

Mornin' all, TCM just had a day of MM movies plus bits of information about her, now the thing is to remember what they were, maybe a clue or two will help jog my memory.

Annette

I think TM might be on to it. Something intellectual, but need clues. A book?

Cynthia

TM is indeed very warm. Naughty behaviour was/is a dime a dozen in tinsel town. Glad we got past that early. Yes, it was a substantial thing, one that few women do even today.

Nancy.

Maybe it was something academic in a field women usually avoid.

TM

One of the M.M. movies shown yesterday was 'The Prince and the Showgirl', am I getting warm or am I in the chill bin?

Annette

Oh Annette, you are hot as the August sun. It was Marilyn's independence day!!

Nancy.

Think I have it, good old TCM. It's another stinker so I'm hiding in the house watching Claude Raines movies:).

Annette

No air here, and it is a stinker, as well. However, a great breeze blowing through, so I am poking away at the accumulation of cat fur in the house!! lol. I watched Crazy Heart last night, with Jeff Bridges. Boy, he deserved that Oscar. What a part he played, no ego at all in that performance. T-Bone Burnett did the music, so what can you say, it was great, but not as overpowering as it might have been - that's a good thing, cause I'm not a huge Country fan. No clues in the above, and none that I could detect in Annette's Claude Rains reference - am I correct, Annette?

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Marilyn was married to Arthur Miller at the time of the Prince and the Showgirl. She was showing her more serious, businesslike face, and wanted to be taken seriously as an actor - something near impossible with Olivier directing.

Nancy.

Your right Nancy, no clue in the Claude Raines mention, just rambling on as usual.

Annette

lol. No prob on this front!! Our weather front, so obvious this am, went away and we had a sunny day. Now the clouds are back with a vengeance, and I hear thunder - maybe we really will get rain!! I didn't go over to the allotment today, just too many other things I wanted to accomplish. And I did get a few things on the list done, so yea!!! Hot and sweaty though, so I'm heading to the shower shortly. Whew, that will feel good.

Would it help if I told you all that the first woman was Mary Pickford??

Nancy.

Or rather her kids who like Pete Seeger. Many years ago, I was fortunate to join with friends on a trip from my home in Manotick to Long Island, NY. We went in small, open, antique boats. It rained everyday, and we all had the best time ever!! lol. We went up the Rideau, down the Ottawa to the St. Lawrence, up the St. Lawrence to Sorel, down the Richelieu River to Lake Champlain, to the Hudson River, through New York Harbor, out a wee bit into the Atlantic, to Sayville, NY. The largest boat was 35'!! Tremendous memories, but it was the mention of Pete Seeger that reminded me of this photo I took:
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This is the Clearwater, his sloop. I was told, but am not sure, that it was docked at his home on the Hudson River. This is early July, 1990!!

Nancy - who can hear her photography mentor saying, focus focus focus. In my defense, I was in a small boat going fast!!

Hmmm...believe it or not, Charles knows this one! What a surprise. It is usually a huge production trying to get him to help with these, but today, I just tossed it out and lo and behold...

Cynthia

I know that Mary Pickford was the first woman to set up her own production company. If MM did the same it would have given her some independence. Perhaps that is what encouraged Fox to give her such a boost in her salary?

Thanks for the photo, Nancy.

No stars for me today.

TM

Yes, her own production company :).

Annette

Yep. I agree and so does Charles!

Well, I'd say most of you got there!! Except TM, and I'll work on those clues.

In December 1954, shortly after the completion of The Seven Year Itch, Marilyn formed Marilyn Monroe Productions, Inc., with photographer Milton Greene.
Marilyn had met Greene the previous year on the Fox lot when he had traveled to Hollywood to photograph her for Look magazine. The photographer and the former model hit it off instantly, and when they met again at a party a few days later, the two began discussing a possible partnership.
Throughout 1954, Greene conferred periodically with Marilyn about his partnership proposal. During the production of The Seven Year Itch, negotiations began in earnest, and the company was formed a few weeks later.
Marilyn Monroe Productions was established with 101 shares of stock; Marilyn controlled 51 shares, while Greene retained the remaining 50. Marilyn's function was to star in the films selected by the company, while Greene was to conduct all of the business and pay the bills. And pay the bills he did, even mortgaging his home when she stopped working in the dispute with Fox. This was her 'New York' period, when she took acting lessons from the Strasbourgs, and met Arthur Miller, her future husband.
She complained about the dumb blonde roles she had been assigned at Fox and, after some prompting by reporters, announced she would like to tackle something as challenging as Dostoevsky's The Brothers Karamazov.
The press seized on that comment to ridicule her ambitions, snidely inquiring which of the brothers she wanted to play. She patiently replied that she would like to play Grushenka, the leading female character.
Marilyn's remarks about The Brothers Karamazov would be widely misquoted in print over the next few months, with the result (probably deliberate) of making Marilyn look quite foolish. Reporters questioned whether she could spell "Grushenka," let alone play the role.
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Anyway, as Annette pointed out, the Prince and the Showgirl was their first production. Lawrence Olivier was tapped at leading man and director, even though he had only directed filmed versions of Shakespearean plays previously. Though he had been warned not to yell at or belittle Marilyn, he apparently needed to, and drove her to her insecurities, and barbiturates. Miller became her caretaker; she was late to the set everyday. After filming, she apologized to the entire cast and crew for her behaviour. Olivier never directed a film again. The film proved less than impressive, both critically and financially. It recorded a profit, but many critics panned it for being slow-moving. It was awarded for 5 BAFTA awards, but not even nominated for any Oscars.

So, for Annette, Cyn, Bobbie and Chuck:

Thanks to all for playing. On a happy note here, it cooled off considerably overnight, and the temps are now in the low 20s. I started watching The Forsyte Saga last night. It's a tad slow, but I see some potential in it. I'm only 2 episodes into it. I got rid of cable one month ago, and haven't looked back. Quite frankly, it was costing way more than the entertainment value I was getting. I replaced cable with Netflix, and am very impressed. I was watching TV on the internet before, but this is a very robust platform, no lags and high def is standard!

Cheers to all till next week. Nancy.

Here is a link that might be useful: 50 Things You didn't know about Marilyn Munroe

There's nothing wrong with your clues, Nancy. I doubt I ever would have come up with the answer, no matter what the clue. Don't know much about movie stars.

Thanks for the education.

TM

Fun question, Nancy. Thanks for the stars. Chuck is the only one here who really deserves them.

Cynthia