BLONDE {PART 1 OF 2} (TV)
Summary
The first installment in this two-part miniseries depicting a fictionalized version of the life of Marilyn Monroe, based on the novel by Joyce Carol Oates. The program begins as Marilyn awakens on a beach and then explains that her mother Gladys was initially afraid of her newborn daughter, but then named her "Norma Jean" after her favorite starlets and "Baker" after her favorite husband, though he was not the father. Norma's grandmother warns the young girl about Gladys' "changes in moods," admitting that her daughter was unfit to be a mother. Gladys ignores her worries, however, and on Norma's birthday takes her to "meet" a photograph of her absent father, promising that he will someday return to them. Gladys gives her a doll and a lonely birthday party, and adult Marilyn asserts that she was "never unhappy" during her childhood despite her mother's erratic behavior. Young Norma is then devastated by the death of her grandmother, though Gladys is largely unsympathetic, and she later sends Norma to the pictures alone while she tries to find work as an actress, though cautions her to stay away from men.
Norma then receives piano lessons and seems to develop an inappropriate relationship with her teacher, Mr. Pearce. When wildfires break out in Los Angeles, Gladys attempts to drive to Norma's famous father's "fireproof mansion," but flies into a rage when she is stopped by the police and takes to her bed for several days. She soon suffers a complete breakdown and sets fire to her home, and Mr. Pearce intervenes and has her committed to a sanitarium. He leaves Norma at an orphanage, as she has no other relatives, though she remains convinced that her father will someday retrieve her. She vows to work hard and avoid addictions like Gladys', and she soon meets a kindly married couple looking to adopt. Gladys refuses to sign over her rights, however, so she is sent to live with "Aunt Elsie" and her husband as a foster child. Years pass and a teenage Norma attempts to pursue acting, though she is overwhelmed with nerves at her auditions. Her teacher, Mr. Haring, praises her writing skills and attempts to romance her, though she refuses to do more than kiss. Elsie hears rumors of Norma's many "boyfriends" and declares that she should marry, pointing out that all the eligible young men will soon be headed off to war. Norma is initially terrified at the idea of being ousted from her home, but realizes that she will "never be alone" if she marries and bears children.
Elsie introduces Norma to Bucky Glazer and the two are married after a brief courtship, though Norma is disappointed when Gladys does not attend the wedding. Over time, Norma bonds with a neighbor's baby and pretends it is her own child, though when she expresses a desire to help the war effort, Bucky sternly forbids her from working outside of the home. He persuades her to pose for "glamour shots" to impress his friends, though she is uncomfortable with assuming a provocative persona, and she is upset when her neighbor abruptly moves away with her baby. Bucky enlists in the Marines and Norma attempts suicide, panicking at the idea of being alone again and desperate for a child. Bucky states that they were too young to be married, and Marilyn reflects that she was "free" for the first time after his departure. She soon takes a job painting military airplanes, and an unscrupulous photographer, Otto, soon convinces her to pose "for the boys." Bucky is angered to see the suggestive photos in the newspaper, and Otto soon takes her to see Hollywood agent Isaac Shinn, who immediately declares that he can secure a studio contract for her if she changes her image and becomes a "glamour girl."
Despite her uncertainty, Norma continues posing for pin-up photos and finally visits Gladys at the sanitarium, though she appears not to recognize her. She takes Shinn's advice and adopts a sexier image, complete with blonde hair, and heads to an audition, though she is first sent to a "meeting" with studio boss Mr. R, who takes advantage of her sexually. She is then stunned to receive the part without an audition, and Mr. R and Shinn declare that she needs an appealing new name and rechristen her "Marilyn Monroe." The studio cuts her part from the film, however, and she returns to Otto, who finally convinces her to pose for fully-nude "art photos," though admits that she is not truly a "dumb blonde" at all. Later, she forms a strong bond with Cass Chaplin, disowned son of the famous Charlie, and auditions for another small role in "The Asphalt Jungle." The director declares that she is "too intense" and cannot act, but he gives her the part anyway and Marilyn is upset to be judged on her looks rather than her talent. Cass tries to reassure her and gives her a "magic" pill to help her sleep, and the director soon declares that despite her lack of refined technique, she has a kind of "genius" onscreen. As she prepares for the film's premiere, Shinn orders her to forget both Otto and Cass, declaring that he himself "invented" her and that she is destined for bigger things. At the party, Marilyn receives praise for her role and is overwhelmed when she meets the famous Clark Gable, realizing that he strongly resembles the photo of her "father" from her childhood. Gable seems nonplussed by her claim, however, and Shinn continues introducing her around, determined to make her a star. Commercials deleted.
Details
- NETWORK: CBS
- DATE: May 13, 2001 9:00 PM
- RUNNING TIME: 1:26:07
- COLOR/B&W: Color
- CATALOG ID: B:83858
- GENRE: Drama
- SUBJECT HEADING: Drama; Biography; Monroe, Marilyn
- SERIES RUN: CBS - TV, 2001
- COMMERCIALS: N/A
CREDITS
- Jay Firestone … Executive Producer
- Adam Haight … Executive Producer
- Robert Greenwald … Executive Producer
- Liz Selzer Lang … Co-Executive Producer
- Jacobus Rose … Co-Executive Producer
- Philip Kleinbart … Supervising Producer
- Bradley H. Gordon … Co-Producer
- Ashley Aitken … Associate Producer
- Joyce Chopra … Director
- Joyce Eliason … Writer
- Joyce Carol Oates … Based on the novel by
- Patrick Williams … Music by
- Poppy Montgomery … Cast, Norma Jean Baker / Marilyn Monroe
- Patricia Richardson … Cast, Gladys Baker
- Patrick Dempsey … Cast, Cass Chaplin
- Wallace Shawn … Cast, I.E. Shinn
- Griffin Dunne … Cast, The Playwright
- Titus Welliver … Cast, The Baseball Player
- Eric Bogosian … Cast, Otto Ose
- Niklaus Lange … Cast, Bucky Glazer
- Richard Roxburgh … Cast, Mr. R
- Jensen Ackles … Cast, Eddie G
- Skye McCole Bartusiak … Cast, Young Norma Jean
- Ann-Margret … Cast, Della
- Kirstie Alley … Cast, Elsie
- Tony Harvey … Cast, Mr. Pearce
- Trish Noble … Cast, Dr. Mittelstadt
- John Lee … Cast, Director J
- Matthew O'Sullivan … Cast, Lee Strasberg
- Andrew Clarke … Cast, Laurence Olivier
- Warwick Rimmer … Cast, Agent
- Steve Vidler … Cast, Warren
- Emily Browning … Cast, Fleece
- Don Halbert … Cast, Max Lunie
- Robyn Cuming … Cast, Director B
- Gary Lantzsch … Cast, Mr. Haring
- Michael Carmen … Cast, Director H
- Colin MacPherson … Cast, Whitey
- Mark Lee … Cast, Porn Dealer
- Jennifer Congram … Cast, Yvet
- Lisa Heenan … Cast, Mrs. Mount
- Richard Neal … Cast, Mr. Mount
- Mark Mitchell … Cast, Texas Oilman
- Alan Lock … Cast, Doctor Bob
- Craig McDonald … Cast, Casting Director
- Bruce Hughes … Cast, Clark Gable
- Ben Anderson … Cast, Drama Teacher
- Marita Wilcox … Cast, Bess Glazer
- Glenn Morshower … Cast, Officer
- Angela Stapleton … Cast, Delivery Nurse
- Erik Donnison … Cast, Gynecologist
- Greg Parker … Cast, Doctor Bender
- Soula Alexander … Cast, Dee Dee
- Hamish Hughs … Cast, Louis Calhern
- Donna Ponterotto … Cast, Neighbor Woman
- Megan Will … Cast, Pier Little Girl
- James Bridekirk … Cast, British Reporter
- Brett Tucker … Cast, Actor at White Party
- Phillip Lowe … Cast, Buddy 1
- Richard Morgan … Cast, Buddy 2
- Renee Henderson … Cast, Jane Russell
- Vonnie Pilgrim … Cast, Old Woman
- Kim Knuckey … Cast, Restaurant Owner
- Jim Daly … Cast, Plane Supervisor
- Constance Landsberg … Cast, Sanitarium Nurse
- Keir Saltmarsh … Cast, Radio Reporter
- Alistair Reid … Cast, Actor
- Bernard Curry … Cast, Assistant to Director J
- Lew Luton … Cast, Doctor #2
- Simone Oliver … Cast, Fair Princess
- Stuart Halusz … Cast, Dark Prince
- Bev Killick … Cast, Ladies' Room Attendant
- Chris Fortuna … Cast, Guy in the Library
- Mark Guerin … Cast, Director HH
- Cathy Godbold … Cast, Assistant #2
- Roxanne Baker … Cast, Little Girl
- Craig Blumeris … Cast, Man
- Jonathan Newton … Cast, Boy who tries to kiss Norma Jean