Monkey Business (1952)

In Howard Hawks’ classic screwball comedy, research scientist Barnaby Fulton’s (Cary Grant) efforts to discover an "elixir of youth" go haywire after one of the chimps in his lab dumps a random chemical mix into the water cooler...and gets results! Barnaby and wife Edwina (Ginger Rogers) both feel rejuvenated after washing his (non-magical) serum down with the (magical) cooler water--leading to unexpected and hilarious complications. With Charles Coburn and Marilyn Monroe. 97 min. BW/Rtg: NR

Don't Bother To Knock (1952)

This taut psychological thriller, British director Roy Ward Baker’s first American film, benefits by the offbeat casting of Marilyn Monroe as Nell Forbes, an emotionally disturbed woman hired to babysit at a hotel. Richard Widmark is a hotel guest, an airline pilot whose chance encounter with Nell leads to a desperate fight to save a child’s life. Told in real time and set entirely in the hotel, the classic film noir co-stars Lurene Tuttle, Jim Backus, and Anne Bancroft in her film debut. 76 min. BW/Rtg: NR

Gentlemen Prefer Blondes (1953)

Showgirls Lorelei Lee (Marilyn Monroe) and Dorothy Shaw (Jane Russell) set sail for Paris on an ocean liner with the goal of landing some eligible millionaires, in this lively musical/comedy based on the 1949 stage play, which was based on Anita Loos’ 1925 novel. With Charles Coburn, Tommy Noonan, Elliott Reid, and Monroe’s legendary "Diamonds Are a Girl’s Best Friend" number; directed by Howard Hawks. 91 min. C/Rtg: NR

How To Marry A Millionaire (1953)

Delicious comedy about three man-crazed models out for eligible (and wealthy) bachelors who rent a posh Manhattan apartment and pose as rich gals in order to get their guys. Pola (Marilyn Monroe) is wooed by a playboy, but is snagged by a tax-dodging crook (David Wayne); Loco (Betty Grable) hooks on to a well-off Waldo (Fred Clark), but falls for a forest ranger (Rory Calhoun); and Schatz (Lauren Bacall) attracts an affluent widower (William Powell), but opts for the seemingly poor nice guy (Cameron Mitchell). 96 min. C/Rtg: NR

Niagara (1953)

Taut tale of romance, deception, and murder, with Marilyn Monroe in a rare unsympathetic role as a scheming wife who plots the death of her husband (Joseph Cotten) with the assistance of her lover (Richard Allan) during a honeymoon trip to Niagara Falls. When her scheme doesn’t go as planned, she quickly discovers the tragic results of her infidelity. With Jean Peters, Casey Adams. 89 min. C/Rtg: NR

There's No Business Like Show Business (1954)

And there’s no musical like this grand salute to the songs of American composer and lyricist Irving Berlin, whose classic tunes--including "A Pretty Girl Is Like a Melody," "Puttin' on the Ritz," "Alexander's Ragtime Band," "Heat Wave" and the title tune--are woven around the story of a close-knit vaudeville family. Terence (Dan Dailey) and Molly Donahue (Ethel Merman) become the leaders of the Five Donahues...until other interests threaten to tear them apart. Donald O’Connor, Mitzi Gaynor, and Marilyn Monroe co-star. 117 min. C/Rtg: NR

River Of No Return (1954)

Gripping Gold Rush saga stars Marilyn Monroe as Kay Weston, a saloon singer who’s been caring for the young son of a recently released convict (Robert Mitchum). With Kay’s fiancé, a crooked gambler (Rory Calhoun), in tow, the group sets out to strike it rich...but greed and misplaced loyalties threaten to come between them. Spectacular rafting action sequences highlight director Otto Preminger’s thrilling western--inspired by Italy’s "Bicycle Thieves"--co-starring Tommy Rettig, Murvyn Vye. 91 min. C/Rtg: NR

The Seven Year Itch (1955)

Billy Wilder’s delightful comedy about (imagined) adultery stars Tom Ewell as Richard Sherman, a happily married Everyman--with a lecherously overactive imagination--who finds himself tempted by his gorgeous upstairs neighbor (Marilyn Monroe) while his wife and son are on vacation. Marilyn’s famous "standing on the subway grate" scene is a highlight; Evelyn Keyes, Sonny Tufts, Robert Strauss, Oscar Homolka co-star in this adaptation of George Axelrod’s play. 104 min. C/Rtg: NR

Bus Stop (1956)

Based on a pair of plays by William Inge, this romantic comedy/drama stars Marilyn Monroe as Chérie, a sexy cafe singer who catches the eye of naive rodeo cowboy Bo Decker (Don Murray). Will the smitten Bo’s plan to force Chérie to abandon her dreams of Hollywood stardom and accompany him home to Montana lead to true love for the unlikely couple? Arthur O’Connell, Betty Field, Eileen Heckart also star. 94 min. C/Rtg: NR

Norma Jean And Marilyn (1996)

The tragic life of Marilyn Monroe is depicted in innovative and compelling fashion in this fascinating film. Ashley Judd plays Norma Jean Daugherty in the actress’s earlier years and Mira Sorvino is Marilyn after plastic surgery and during her reign as Hollywood sex queen. Josh Charles, Ron Rifkin, Peter Dobson, and David Dukes also star. 138 min. C/Rtg: R

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