The one actor Marilyn Monroe was terrified of: “All right, where’s the blonde?”
When we think of Hollywood and classic celebrities, the image of Marilyn Monroe, blonde and smouldering, probably comes to mind. Perhaps it’s the image of her standing over a subway grate, catching her white dress as it flies up and threatens her modesty. Or you might recall the image of her that Andy Warhol made copious prints of in a bid to capture her star power and the reproducibility of celebrity.
Monroe practically defined the word icon. She rose to fame after being photographed while working at a factory, leading her to a career as a model and eventually an actor and a singer. The star was seen as the ultimate sex symbol, but she also proved to be a talented performer, finding early roles in classics like The Asphalt Jungle, All About Eve, and Niagara before rising to further acclaim with Gentlemen Prefer Blondes.
In the 1953 film directed by Howard Hawks, Monroe wore her unforgettable pink dress and sang ‘Diamonds Are A Girl’s Best Friend’, which helped to elevate her to true worldwide stardom. From there, she appeared in further beloved movies like How to Marry a Millionaire, There’s No Business Like Show Business, and The Seven Year Itch, but all of this success didn’t stop Monroe from experiencing stage fright.
For a performer who seemed so comfortable in front of the camera, you wouldn’t think that she would get nervous, but Monroe often compared herself to those whom she believed to be more talented.
Her There’s No Business Like Show Business co-star Mitzi Gaynor once revealed (via The Los Angeles Times) that she “never saw anybody work so hard,” but she still identified Monroe’s insecurities. “She did such a good job and personally, I think she stole the whole damn show. I just think she was thrown into a nest of vipers.”
She continued, referring to their co-star Ethel Merman, “Ethel would say ‘All right, where’s the blond?’ Marilyn was always late on the set if she had to work with Ethel because I think she scared the you-know-what out of her.”
Merman had enjoyed an impressive musical theatre career, starting her tenure on the stage in the 1930s. With several Tony Awards to her name, the actor was quite the veteran star, so it’s understandable that Monroe was felt hesitant to work alongside her.
Additionally, Merman was already familiar with some of the songs in the movie, and her knowledge of show business certainly outweighed Monroe’s. By the sounds of things, Merman seemed sure of the fact she was more experienced than Monroe, and likely got tired of the icon’s nervous sensibility.
Monroe had a reputation for being slightly difficult to work with – purely because of her nerves. The actor Richard Widmark reportedly said, “She was a vulnerable kid. Murder to work with because she was scared to death of acting – even when she became a big movie actress. We had a hell of a time getting her out of the dressing room. When it was five o’clock , it got irritating.”
