Marilyn Monroe | Hollywood Yesterday

Gorgeous Marilyn Monroe Scarf

April 9, 2019 By Joi Leave a Comment

The gorgeous black and white Marilyn Monroe scarf pictured to the left is so gorgeous I couldn’t throw it into my Amazon cart fast enough. Fortunately it only costs a little over $5, so there’s zero guilt attached.

I’m in awe at how popular and beloved Marilyn Monroe is, so many years after her death. The same can, of course, be said about many of the stars of Old Hollywood . These stars have some of the most loyal fans the world has ever known.

One of the things I love most about their continued popularity is the fact they are gaining passionate new fans each year as younger generations fall under their spell.

The Marilyn Monroe scarf isn’t just fashionably gorgeous, it’s the perfect way for fans of Marilyn Monroe to let the world know that she’s still on their minds and in their hearts.

Click through the picture or either of the links for more information. This beauty would make a great Mother’s Day or Christmas gift. And, yes, as a matter of fact, I do think about Christmas year round! We have a pretty large family, so if I stand a chance of getting everything I want to get for everyone, I have to start early and keep going all year.

The wonderful thing is, it makes Christmas last year-round.

Marilyn Monroe Christmas Ornament (Into the Cart with You, MM!)

November 6, 2018 By Joi Leave a Comment

I’m not sure I’ll get it done this year (after all, I have officially waited until the absolute last minute) but by next year, I want an entire tree in our den decorated entirely with all things pertaining to the Golden Age of Hollywood.

If I start rounding up ornaments now, a year from now I’ll be SET.

This gorgeous Marilyn Monroe Keepsake Ornament may just be the first one in my collection! The fact that it’s such an iconic moment from Marilyn’s history and from Old Hollywood makes it absolutely irresistible for me.

I also love that it’s from Hallmark… that means it will be as perfect as Miss Monroe was, herself.

Okay. Close.

See Marilyn Monroe Keepsake Ornament for more information.

Halloween is Just Around the Corner… Is Your Pooch Ready???

September 28, 2018 By Joi Leave a Comment

When I was looking around Amazon this morning for Marilyn Monroe collectibles, I saw something that…. welllll… sort of stopped me in my tracks.

You can see why, no doubt!

First of all, how cute is this dog? Seriously, if my cats allowed it, I’d have at least one just like her. And, yes, I’d dress her up as Marilyn for Halloween.

How could I not?

This pupper is wearing a glam Halloween costume and is clearly a fan of MM. I just cannot get over how cute this is.

Boobs. It has BOOBS!

Click through the link or the model, herself, for a closer look.

Gorgeous Marilyn Monroe Coaster Set

September 10, 2018 By Joi Leave a Comment

This gorgeous Marilyn Monroe Coaster Set (affiliate link) is high on my list of MUST HAVES.

I bought my husband a set of Rio Bravo Coasters from Amazon and they are beyond gorgeous. The ceramic material absorbs condensation, meaning your furniture will be protected. Another feature I love is the grip footing… it means the coasters (and your drinks!) stay in place.

The four gorgeous designs come in a full color gift box.

Coasters measure 3.75 x 0.25 x 3.75 inches each.

See Marilyn Monroe Coaster Set (affiliate link) for a closer look!

Disclosure: I use affiliate links for movies, posters, and products on Hollywood Yesterday. This means that when you click through to purchase something you see on this website, I earn a small percentage of what you buy. This costs you absolutely nothing extra – it simply allows me to provide my cats with the life they’ve become accustomed to!

Happy Birthday, Marilyn Monroe!

June 1, 2018 By Joi Leave a Comment

Marilyn Monroe and Rita Hayworth (just to name two) are actresses that are so famous for their beauty that their talent often goes uncelebrated. As a huge fan of each, that drives me nuts. They were as talented as they were beautiful and… maybe, just maybe… if they had been just a little less shiny and stunning, this would be a fact more would realize.

It is what it is, however. I guess there are worse things than being remembered for your beauty!

“In Hollywood a girl’s virtue is much less important than her hairdo. You’re judged by how you look, not by what you are. Hollywood’s a place where they’ll pay you a thousand dollars for kiss, and fifty cents for your soul. I know, because I turned down the first offer often enough and held out for the fifty.” – Marilyn Monroe

I am glad that Marilyn’s intelligence is garnering more and more attention. She was a very, very bright woman and the fact that people are realizing that makes me smile a big toothy smile.

If you’ve never seen Marilyn Monroe in How to Marry a Millionaire (as the adorable Pola Debevoise), I hope you’ll check it out as soon as possible. While Lauren Bacall and Betty Grable are two of the best actresses from Old Hollywood (and certainly two of my favorites), Marilyn steals the show right out from under them. Her portrayal of Pola is just perfect and she’s one of the main reasons the movie is as enjoyable as it is.

Marilyn is equally mesmerizing in The Prince and the Showgirl – but I would only recommend watching that particular movie if you fast forward through everything that isn’t a Marilyn Monroe scene! Seriously, I detest that movie so much it isn’t even funny. Marilyn? Adorable. But Laurence Olivier somehow manages to turn in a ridiculously horrible (cringe-worthy, if we’re being honest) performance as The Regent. I understand trying to play the role “high brow,” but his character was more dead than alive! Wonderful actor – at times stunningly so – but this movie is not his best performance. Whether he was having personal problems, hated his co-star, or simply didn’t like the movie – I have no idea (of course, professionalism should be able to rise above any of these distractions).

“I’m not interested in money, I just want to be wonderful.” – Marilyn Monroe

At any rate, she steals the movie – as she is so apt to do.

I adore the actress and the more I read about her, the more I realize that she battled a lot of things in life but none quite like she battled herself. In the end, she lost to herself, and that’s a tragedy that I can’t fully comprehend.

I’ve often read about the many stars who weren’t kind to Marilyn but (as a HUGE Barbara Stanwyck fan) I love the fact that one of the few names she singled out as being sweet to her was Barbara Stanwyck. I believe that says a lot about Ms Stanwyck.

However, it also says a lot about Marilyn Monroe. Barbara Stanwyck had a keen eye for talent and for people who were worth her time. She didn’t suffer fools well (I guess none of us really do, do we?!), and the fact that she saw something in Marilyn that made her want to extend herself is actually quite a complement.

If you aren’t familiar with Marilyn Monroe’s movies, I hope you’ll start enjoying them one at a time. Yes… even that one!

“I used to say to myself, ‘What the devil have you got to be proud about, Marilyn Monroe?’ And I’d answer, ‘Everything, everything’.” – Marilyn Monroe

The Prince and The Showgirl with Marilyn Monroe and a Legendary Actor…

May 24, 2017 By Joi Leave a Comment

Okay, first of all, I know the legendary actor’s name as well as anyone – Sir Laurence Olivier. Many people (I’m not among them I’m afraid) consider him to be the greatest actor of all time. Don’t get me wrong, he was magnificent and I certainly believe he is “one” of the best ever… even if I hesitate to give him the title “the best.”

The man’s name is synonymous with fine acting and for good reason.

Oddly enough, however, the name Marilyn Monroe is synonymous with beauty and sex appeal (again, for good reason) but it’s the rare bird who’d associate her with good acting, let alone great acting.

I guess I’m among the rarest of birds.

Marilyn Monroe was so much more than just a beautiful face. Some was good (her intelligence, beauty, and talent) and some was horrible (apparently she was notorious for holding up and inconveniencing others on set and let’s not even get into the whole JFK fiasco). Her intelligence led to her ability to bring so much to each character she portrayed. She simply knew what each character would feel and how they would react to everything and everyone around them.

The Prince and the Showgirl is one of my personal favorite Marilyn Monroe performances, which kind of sucks because Laurence Olivier’s performance makes me cringe. I understand he’s portraying royalty, here, but I’d have preferred royalty with a pulse!

The performance is one of my least favorites in any movie, to be honest. Leslie Howard in Gone With the Wind is right up there too. The thought of both characters being appealing to ANYONE is hard to buy into.. and yet both characters had beautiful ladies fawning over them.

As if!

Somehow, in spite of a lackluster, stiff performance by one of the greatest actors of all-time, The Prince and The Showgirl is still a pretty cute and enjoyable movie. It is, of course, primarily thanks to MM and her adorable portrayal of the “showgirl.” In fact, the entire rest of the cast did a fine job – even those who had only one or two scenes.

I’ve read that MM and LO did not get along at all – he took all kinds of exception to her consistent tardiness and “moods.” I don’t want to believe that this affected his performance, however, because he was the very definition of a professional. Their relationship actually makes me want to read “The Prince, the Showgirl, and Me: Six Months on the Set With Marilyn and Olivier” by Colin Clark.

Book Description: When Colin Clark left college in the 1950s, he got a job as a gofer on the set of the movie The Prince and the Showgirl, starring Marilyn Monroe and Laurence Olivier. The film should have been a box office smash, but even before cameras rolled, things began going wrong–and Clark recorded it all in this beguiling, fly-on-the-wall diary.

New and used copies are available on Amazon, so I’m going to order one SOON.

I recently re-watched The Prince and The Showgirl and came away with the same thing I think each time…. “Why is he making his character so painful to watch?!?! Is he trying to win her over or bore her to tears?!”

Marilyn is so fun, lively, and energetic – she makes the screen sizzle and pop when she’s on it. Then, here he comes.

If you’ve never seen the movie, I hope you’ll watch it soon and see what you think. As I’ve said a million times, old movies and old performances are worth watching even when we don’t love or even like them. There’s always something good or worthwhile about every single movie and in this particular movie, MM and a very strong, lively cast make it worth watching.

In spite of that one.

Also See:

More The Prince and The Showgirl Movie Posters on Amazon
The Prince and The Showgirl DVDs on Amazon

Golden Age of Hollywood Paper Dolls: Marilyn, Audrey, Rita, Elizabeth, Gone With the Wind…

August 18, 2016 By Joi Leave a Comment

When I was growing up, I loved dolls of every size and shape – Barbies, doll babies, paper dolls…. Still do, if we’re being completely honest. I mean, I try not to move them around and talk for them anymore, but my love of dolls has never ceased.

I never realized just how the love of dolls still resonated with me until I saw these paper dolls on Amazon and promptly threw each into the cart.

The Golden Age of Hollywood Paper Dolls (pictured at the top) was the first to catch my eye. This collection depicts 16 stars of the silver screen, each with a sparkling costume enhanced by a dash of glitter: Marilyn Monroe, Kim Novak, Gina Lollobrigida, Rita Hayworth, Brigitte Bardot, Audrey Hepburn, Grace Kelly, Elizabeth Taylor, and more.

The one pictured above is Glamorous Movie Stars of the 1950’s Thiscollection features Doris Day, Ava Gardner, Susan Hayward, Jane Russell, Audrey Hepburn, Jane Powell, Debbie Reynolds, and Elizabeth Taylor. 8 dolls, 24 costumes. (many more paper doll collections are pictured below)

More Paper Dolls on Amazons for Collectors (or fellow doll fanatics who never quite grew up!):

Below are 4 more Golden Age of Hollywood Paper Dolls – Marilyn Monroe, Loretta Young, Rita Hayworth…

Below are 4 Paper Doll Collections for fans and collectors of Gone With the Wind and Vivien Leigh…

Below are even more beautiful paper dolls for collectors…

Marilyn Monroe Gift Idea: Storage Ottoman

January 24, 2016 By Joi Leave a Comment

Marilyn Monroe collectors and fans of the Golden Age of Hollywood will love this gorgeous Marilyn Monroe Storage Ottoman (available on Amazon).

Not only is the ottoman a beautiful accent for any room, it’s also a perfect place for storing vintage magazines, photographs, stamps, or anything else you want to keep safe and protected.

Storage ottoman provides discreet extra storage for household items
Measures At 12-in x 12-in x 12-in
High Quality Textured Linen Weave; Folds Flat For Easy Storage
Comfortable and soft feeling when sitting
Fashionable Marilyn Monroe design for the house interior

Set of Nine Chris Consani Posters

November 11, 2015 By Joi 2 Comments

I’m fortunate enough to have some Chris Consani prints and, as someone completely obsessed with old Hollywood, I’m always looking to add to my collection.

The Nine Chris Consani Posters bundled in a set (pictured here) would be the ideal way to get a jump on your own collection. If you aren’t familiar with Consani’s work, let me assure you this – they are pure joy and unlike anything you’ve ever seen.

This set would be a gorgeous way to bring the fun of the Golden Age of Hollywood into your own home – they’d also make pretty darn amazing gift ideas for other fans of Marilyn, Humphrey, James, and Elvis.

Click through the link or picture for more information.

Beautiful Marilyn Monroe Bed Set

June 27, 2015 By Joi Leave a Comment

The beautiful Marilyn Monroe Bedding Set pictured above is available on Amazon and would make possibly the best gift for a Marilyn Monroe fan of all time.

Made of 100% cotton, the set includes the bedspread, 1 Flat Sheet and two pillowcases. The black, white, and red theme is just perfect. Add a vase of roses to your bedside table and a great looking Marilyn Monroe print (or two or fifty) on the wall and you’re in business.

Click the link above or the picture, itself, for more information.

More Marilyn Monroe Bed Sets, Blankets, and More on Amazon.