Niagara - Marilyn Monroe 100th Birthday Film Fest - Livestream

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Niagara - Marilyn Monroe 100th Birthday Film Fest – Livestream Hosted by Robert Kelleman

Marilyn Monroe was born 100 years ago - June 1, 1926.
Let’s celebrate by watching some of Marilyn’s best films.
This is just one in a series of screenings we’ll have over the coming months.

This film history program will have two parts. The first portion, approximately 15-20 minutes, will be an introduction to the film, including the historical context, plot summary, and things to look for. The second portion will be a full screening of the film.

During the program you’ll have the opportunity to discuss the film with your fellow history lovers via Zoom.

Niagara is a 1953 American noir thriller film directed by Henry Hathaway and produced by Charles Brackett. Brackett also wrote the screenplay alongside Walter Reisch and Richard Breen. Among the top-billed stars are Marilyn Monroe, Joseph Cotten, and Jean Peters. Denis O'Dea, and Max Showalter (credited as Casey Adams) are among other stars appearing in the film. Set in Niagara Falls, the film tells the story of two couples: one, a pair of newlyweds on their honeymoon, and the other, a husband and wife whose turbulent marriage is wracked by jealousy and deceit.
Unlike other films noir of the time, which were typically black-and-white, Niagara was shot in "three-strip" Technicolor (one of the last films to be made at 20th Century Fox in that format, as a few months later the studio began converting to CinemaScope, which had compatibility problems with three-strip but not with Eastmancolor).
Niagara was a box office success and received positive reviews from film critics. It was one of 20th Century Fox's biggest box office hits that year. Monroe was given top billing in Niagara, which elevated her to movie star status. Monroe's next two films, Gentlemen Prefer Blondes and How to Marry a Millionaire (both 1953), were even bigger successes commercially.

Film Trailer
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-CgXJw0tlr4

Marilyn Monroe (born Norma Jeane Mortenson; June 1, 1926 – August 4, 1962) was an American actress and model. Known for playing comic "blonde bombshell" characters, she became one of the most popular sex symbols of the 1950s and early 1960s, as well as an emblem of the era's sexual revolution. She was a top-billed actress for a decade, and her films grossed $200 million (equivalent to $2 billion in 2025) by her death in 1962.
Born in Los Angeles, Monroe spent most of her childhood in foster homes and an orphanage before marrying James Dougherty at the age of 16. She was working in a factory during World War II when she met a photographer from the First Motion Picture Unit and began a successful pin-up modeling career, which led to short-lived film contracts with 20th Century Fox and Columbia Pictures. After roles as a freelancer, she began a longer contract with Fox in 1951, becoming a popular actress with roles in several comedies, including As Young as You Feel and Monkey Business, and in the dramas Clash by Night and Don't Bother to Knock. Monroe faced a scandal when it was revealed that she had posed for nude photographs prior to fame, but the story resulted in increased interest in her films.
Monroe became one of the most marketable Hollywood stars in 1953. She had leading roles in the film noir Niagara, which overtly relied on her sex appeal, and the comedies Gentlemen Prefer Blondes and How to Marry a Millionaire, which established her star image as a "dumb blonde". The same year, her nude images were used as the centerfold and cover of the first issue of Playboy. Monroe played a significant role in the creation and management of her public image, but felt disappointed when typecast and underpaid by the studio. She was briefly suspended in early 1954 for refusing a film project but returned to star in The Seven Year Itch (1955), one of the biggest box office successes of her career.
When the studio was still reluctant to change Monroe's contract, she founded her own film production company in 1954 with her friend Milton Greene. She dedicated 1955 to building the company and began studying method acting under Lee Strasberg at the Actors Studio. Later that year, Fox awarded her a new contract, which gave her more control and a larger salary. Her subsequent roles included a critically acclaimed performance in Bus Stop (1956) and her first independent production in The Prince and the Showgirl (1957), for which she received a BAFTA nomination, and won the David di Donatello Award for Best Actress. She won a Golden Globe for her role in Some Like It Hot (1959), a critical and commercial success. Her last completed film was the drama The Misfits (1961).
Monroe's troubled private life received much attention. Her marriages to retired baseball star Joe DiMaggio and to playwright Arthur Miller were highly publicized; both ended in divorce. On August 4, 1962, Monroe died at the age of 36 of a barbiturate overdose at her Los Angeles home. Her death was ruled a probable suicide. Monroe remains a pop culture icon, with the American Film Institute ranking her as the sixth-greatest female screen legend from the Golden Age of Hollywood.

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Zoom Connection Link
https://us02web.zoom.us/j/89211545078?pwd=QnK9Dnttn7ndd8al8CCrpjTvmaafgB.1
Meeting ID: 892 1154 5078
Passcode: 154121
One tap mobile
+13462487799,,89211545078#,,,,*154121# US (Houston)
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Join instructions
https://us02web.zoom.us/meetings/89211545078/invitations?signature=DrW0NCrGSACuuidXBy0UJyvEIIAgGZuLdJf2K4H3uZ0

Connecting a few minutes early is recommended.
If you experience any technical issues please restart your Zoom session and/or your device.
When all else fails please follow the directions.

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Your host for this program is Robert Kelleman, the founder/director of the non-profit community organizations New York History & Culture and Texas History & Culture.

New York History & Culture / New York Urban Explorers
A non-profit community organization.
Experience the history and culture of New York City - and the world!

YouTube Previously Recorded Programs:
http://www.Youtube.com/c/WashingtonDCHistoryCulture

Donations Support Our Non-Profit Community Programs - Thank You!
PayPal: DCHistoryAndCulture@gmail.com
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GoFundMe: https://gofund.me/d29491c0

We look forward to seeing you. Thanks!

Robert Kelleman
rkelleman@yahoo.com
202-821-6325 (text only)
https://www.linkedin.com/in/robertkelleman/