Out On The Be-Bop 1950s Night- Norman Mailer’s “Marilyn”

Click on the headline to link to a Wikipedia entry for American novelist Norman Mailer.

Book Review

Marliyn, Norman Mailer

I had recently been re-reading Norman Mailer’s Marilyn- his take on the life of the legendary screen star Marilyn Monroe at a time when I had just viewed the American Masters (PBS) documentary on the musical career of the singer/songwriter Joni Mitchell. And although there is no obvious connection between the lives or the talents of the two women there is a tale of two generations hidden here. Marilyn represented for my parent’s generation, the generation that survived the Great Depression (1930s-style) and fought and bled through World War II the epitome of blond glamour, sex and talent. To my more ‘sedate’ generation long straight-haired blond Joni represented the introspective, searching quiet beauty that we sought to represent our longings for understanding of this easily misunderstood world. As this book and the Joni Mitchell documentary point out however they ‘represented’ our different male fantasy perspectives they also shared a common vulnerability attempting to be independent women. Such is the life of the great creative talents.

Mailer traces Monroe rise from poverty, the early struggle to find herself a niche in acting circles, through to the rocky and sometimes sleazy road (the inevitable casting couch) to stardom. As always with Mailer one gets his take on what the symbol of Marilyn meant to my parent’s generation, and let us face it especially for men. His portrayal does not evoke his preferred hipster, beat personality but its counterpoint in the 1950’s the heyday of Marilyn’s fame. Mailer also goes through Marilyn various affairs with men particularly the doomed marriage to the playwright Arthur Miller. Finally he gives some very interesting details on the behind the scenes drama in the creation of many of her well-known films. Marilyn while she was alive never drew my eye for the reasons that Joni Mitchell did. But much later, having seen the classic The Misfits in a film revival theater I will say just one thing about her looks and performance in that film. Wow. The marriage to Miller may have not worked out but she did right by him and herself with that performance. Yes, indeed.