Marilyn Monroe on “The Jack Benny Show” (1953) - her 1st TV performance

Here is the Jayne Mansfield version from the 60s.

She shows up around 17 minutes in. Marilyns was better

Marilyn was a force of nature. Someone once described her as being the human equivalent of Niagara Falls. You could not do anything but stand back and watch in awe. The older I get the more I understand this comment. There was something about Monroe, that unexplainable ' It ' factor. What ever ' It ' was,MM had it in abundance. Now make way for our residents Monroe hater..the tedious Queen is sure to make a appearance.

What about Joi Lansing, the TV Marilyn?

Marilyn was one of a kind. The imitators couldn’t get her natural “it” factor.

Gosh Jane really was awful. I imagine MM was promoting Gentlemen Prefer Blondes in the 1953 version? I believe her payment was a cadaliac!

Why did they do an almost identical remake?

R5 that film already came out. She was speaking about How to Marry a Millionaire which she was still filming but already promoting it.

She mentions it in the interview after the skit.

Jayne probably requested to do that exact skit, word for word.

What a wonderful clip. Thanks OP.

Love all of your stories Misfit Girl, what an amazing thing to be able to have met her.

I must re-watch The Misfits again soon. I never really cared for HTMAM. The other 2 ladies pale in comparison to MM, especially Bacall who looks like her mother.

Wow I never saw that clip either and wow MM was breathtaking and such a presence. She must have won Anerica’s Hearts that night. And Jack Benny was flaming - was he gay? Very funny and his expressions were priceless. What a great clip.

Jack Benny was the greatest. The king of comedians.

she was just utterly stunning. This was live tv folks and she did it all in one take, no mistakes. So much for being unprofessional/ she got a 1953 cadillac conv as her payment for the show. She shipped tthe car to NYC when she moved there about 15 months after the Benny show. She sold the car after about 6 months in NY to actor Robert Wagner believe it or not. Marilyn and Wagner were friends as both were under contract at foz starting about 1950.

[Reply 11]. No true. First ,the Cadillac was a 1954 and not a 1953. Second, Monroe kept the Cadillac for a number of years. She is photographed standing next to it while filming Bus Stop in 1956. She later had the Caddy shipped to New York city and used it as her personal transportation threw 1957.

That clip is the moment in time when Marilyn was top of her game. Her mental health, no drugs, pretty stable. It's so sad she couldn't stay that way. But she is stunning in that skit. And talented. Great timing. Just so sad.

The definition of a movie star. Forever unequaled. Forever loved.

Note how Benny lets Monroe shine. You would not have gotten that from Milton Berle or Bob Hope. Benny's delivery style has aged well.

She really was brilliant at what she did. All the more impressive for being live!

[QUOTE] She was absolutely LOVELY and looked stunning!

MARY!

She was perfection

Love her

She was STRIKING

Her singing was lovely, as in the film. Was it live on TV or synced?

I loved her appearance on Martin and Lewis’ radio show:

Can I just say this is why I love the DL. The shared love of ideas, shows, songs, cat help (I've used that a few times). I was was born way after she died. But I have always loved her. Thank you so much! I will now rewatch that clip.

Jack Benny was not only a nice man but a real professional, and he knew when to step in and rescue a performer in trouble and when to stand back and let them shine. He was secure in his own talents and didn't freak out if he thought someone else might be getting more attention for a few moments.

His humor relied on him acting stereotypically gay which was seen by the public more as effete and silly than actually gay, but he also may have been gay in real life. Not sure anyone knows. But sometimes he doesn't just ping, he gongs.

By the way, "The Horn Blows at Midnight" is very funny. As is "George Washington Slept Here."

R23 I was born in 1986. So way after she died also.

What happened to her confidence? She has it in those clips.

R27 she was still early in her career there. Clearly Hollywood and men dumping on her over and over took a toll on her and made her lose her confidence.

r12 the jack benny show she was on was on live tv in sept 1953. The 1954 cadillacs werent available for delivery until oct 1953. This was a slightly used 1953 model. Marilyn did have the car shipped to NYC but only kept it for a while. Money became tight and she sold it to Wagner sometime in 1955. SHe had a new 1955 tbird that Milton bought her in 1955.

She was gorgeous