Marilyn Monroe-Breakthrough

 

 

 

In 1948, Monroe signed a six-month contract with Columbia Pictures.  She was introduced to the studio's head drama coach Natasha Lytess, who became her acting coach for several years.

 

Monroe starred in the low-budget musical “Ladies of the Chorus”. Monroe was capitalized as one of the film's bright spots, and the film enjoyed only moderate success.

 

During her short stint at Columbia, studio head Harry Cohn softened her appearance somewhat by correcting a slight overbite she had.

After the release of the poorly reviewed Ladies of the Chorus and being dropped by Columbia, Monroe had to struggle to find work. She particularly wanted film work but the offers didn't come.

 

Monroe returned to modeling. In 1949, she caught the eye of photographer, Tom Kelley and he convinced her to pose nude. Monroe was laid out on a large fabric of red silk and posed for countless shots. She was paid $50 and signed the model release form as "Mona Monroe". This was the only time that Monroe was paid for her nude posing.

 

Thereafter, she had a small role in the Marx Brothers film “Love Happy”. Monroe impressed the producers. The producers sent her to New York to feature in the film's promotional campaign. “Love Happy” brought Monroe to the attention of the talent agent, Johnny Hyde, who agreed to represent her.

 

Monroe had brief roles in three films: “A Ticket to Tomahawk”, “Right Cross”, and “The Fireball” all in which were released in 1950. The films didn't bring no attention to Monroe's career.

 

Hyde soon thereafter arranged for her to audition for John Huston, who cast her in the Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer drama “The Asphalt Jungle” as the young mistress of an aging criminal. Her performance brought strong reviews.  Monroe was seen by the writer and director, Joseph Mankiewicz. He accepted Hyde's suggestion to cast Monroe in a small comedic role in “All About Eve” as Miss Caswell, an aspiring actress, described by another character as a student of "The Copacabana School of Dramatic Art".

 

Mankiewicz later commented that he had seen an innocence in her that he found appealing, and that this had confirmed his belief in her suitability for the role. Following Monroe's success in these roles, Hyde negotiated a seven-year contract for her with 20th Century Fox, shortly before his death in December 1950.

 

It was at some time during this 1949–1950 period that Hyde arranged for her to have a slight bump of cartilage removed from her somewhat bulbous nose which further softened her appearance and accounts for the slight variation in look she had in films after 1950.

 

In 1951, Monroe enrolled at University of California, Los Angeles, where she studied literature and art appreciation.

 

Afterward Monroe had minor parts in four films: the low-budget drama “Home Town Story” with Jeffrey Lynn. She then appeared in three comedies: “As Young as You Feel”, “Love Nest”, and “Let's Make It Legal”. All in which were filmed on a moderate budget and only became mildly successful.

 

In March 1951, she appeared as a presenter at the 23rd Academy Awards ceremony. In 1952, Monroe appeared on the cover of Look magazine wearing a Georgia Tech sweater as part of an article celebrating female enrollment to the school's main campus.Monroe unsuccessfully auditioned for the role of Daisy Mae in a proposed “Li'l Abner” television series based on the Al Capp comic strip, but the effort never materialized.