"some Like it Hot": Marilyn's Songs at Oregon Festival of American Music at John G Shedd Institute for the Arts

Marilyn Monroe landed her first big role in 1952, co-starring in Monkey Business with Cary Grant and Ginger Rogers; just 10 years later she was dead, having made 15 films of varying quality and success which, together with her carefully-cultivated style and public persona, made her one of the icons of the age. Monroe first sang in a film in 1948's Ladies of the Chorus, scored her first "hot" song with "Kiss" in 1953's Niagara, then knocked 'er dead that same year with a slew of unforgettable songs as the quintessential "dumb" (not-so-dumb) blonde Lorelei Lee in 20th Century Fox's remake of the 1949 musical adaptation of Anita Loos' 1925 satire Gentlemen Prefer Blondes, and, of course, most notably, with "Diamonds Are A Girl's Best Friend", one of only 3 songs from that show's rich score by Jule Styne and Leo Robin that made it into the film...

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Marilyn Monroe landed her first big role in 1952, co-starring in Monkey Business with Cary Grant and Ginger Rogers; just 10 years later she was dead, having made 15 films of varying quality and success which, together with her carefully-cultivated style and public persona, made her one of the icons of the age. Monroe first sang in a film in 1948's Ladies of the Chorus, scored her first "hot" song with "Kiss" in 1953's Niagara, then knocked 'er dead that same year with a slew of unforgettable songs as the quintessential "dumb" (not-so-dumb) blonde Lorelei Lee in 20th Century Fox's remake of the 1949 musical adaptation of Anita Loos' 1925 satire Gentlemen Prefer Blondes, and, of course, most notably, with "Diamonds Are A Girl's Best Friend", one of only 3 songs from that show's rich score by Jule Styne and Leo Robin that made it into the film. Monroe wasn't principally a songstress, but her small body of work included quite a few opportunities to do just that. Ken and company take on the best from those films, including There's No Business Like Show Business (1954), Bus Stop (1956), Some Like It Hot (1959...ah, what a film!), and Let's Make Love (1960).

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