The worst year of Marilyn Monroe in cinema

 If there is one year in Marilyn Monroe’s filmography that stands out as particularly weak, it is 1951. In this article I want to focus on exactly that moment in her career, a year in which she had not yet made the definitive leap to major roles and where her on-screen appearances form a rather uneven part of her trajectory. At the end, before starting, I should note that there will be spoilers, so do not read this if you have not seen any of these films, or skip the sections where I talk about them. During that period, Marilyn appears in four films: Home Town Story, As Young as You Feel, Love Nest and Let’s Make It Legal, which together form what I consider the weakest point of her filmography.

Home Town Story was written and directed by Arthur Pierson, and stars Jeffrey Lynn as Blake Washburn, Donald Crisp as John MacFarland, Marjorie Reynolds as Janice Hunt, and Alan Hale Jr. as Slim Haskins. Marilyn Monroe appears as Iris Martin in a supporting role, a very small part compared with the main characters. The film follows Blake Washburn, a small-town newspaper editor who attacks big business to support his political ambitions, only to find his views challenged when tragedy strikes and he ends up needing help from one of the businessmen he had been condemning. It is a short film, running just over an hour, built around that shift in attitude and the idea that large-scale industry has its place too. 

As Young as You Feel was directed by Harmon Jones and written by Lamar Trotti from a story by Paddy Chayefsky. The film stars Monty Woolley as John R. Hodges, Thelma Ritter as Della Hodges, David Wayne as Joe Elliott, and Jean Peters as Alice Hodges; Marilyn Monroe appears in a small role as Harriet, the company secretary. The film follows John R. Hodges, a printer who is forced to retire at age 65 under company policy and decides to pose as Harold P. Cleveland, the president of the parent company, in order to get back into his old workplace and expose the system. From there, the film turns into a chain of misunderstandings involving family members, executives, and the company itself, in a comedy about retirement, power, and appearances. 

Love Nest was directed by Joseph M. Newman and written by I. A. L. Diamond, based on Scott Corbett’s novel The Reluctant Landlord. It stars June Haver as Connie Scott, William Lundigan as Jim Scott, Frank Fay as Charley Patterson, and Jack Paar as Ed Forbes; Marilyn Monroe appears in a supporting role as Roberta “Bobbie” Stevens. The film follows Jim and Connie Scott, a couple trying to settle into postwar life by buying an old apartment building in New York, only to be overwhelmed by maintenance problems, eccentric tenants, and domestic tension. Things get more complicated when Bobbie, Jim’s former army companion, enters the picture and stirs up jealousy and romantic confusion.

Let’s Make It Legal was directed by Richard Sale and written by Robert Riskin. It stars Claudette Colbert as Miriam Halsworth, Macdonald Carey as Hugh Halsworth, Zachary Scott as Victor Macfarland, along with Barbara Bates and others; Marilyn Monroe appears in a supporting role as Joyce Mannering. The film follows Miriam and Hugh Halsworth, a married couple on the verge of divorce after years of strain and constant arguments. Hugh, a charming but irresponsible man, reconnects with his former girlfriend Joyce, which reopens tensions and triggers a series of romantic and family complications. Within this setup, the story explores marriage dynamics, money, and second chances, in a light comedy tone driven by misunderstandings and personal relationships.

1951 is, in my opinion, Marilyn Monroe’s worst cinematic year for a number of reasons. First of all, it was a relatively minor year. It is important to consider that Marilyn came from 1950, the year in which she started to gain some recognition and appeared in top-level films such as The Asphalt Jungle and All About Eve. By contrast, in 1952 Marilyn would begin to take on larger roles: in Clash by Night and Monkey Business she would still be in supporting roles but with greater importance, and in Don’t Bother to Knock she would already have a leading role. At that point she was clearly on her way to becoming a star. And in 1953, well, that was her breakout year: three films as the lead and she suddenly became the most popular actress in the world. Compared to that, 1951 was clearly a smaller year, in which she made four films, yes, but all of them quite minor and not particularly significant for her career.

Speaking specifically about the films, it is worth noting that I have only seen these four once, as is the case with many of her supporting roles, so I know what I am talking about, but I might change my mind in some aspects upon revisiting them. Even so, honestly, based on a single viewing, they feel like the four weakest films of her filmography. They are very basic projects, with little or no real substance. If I had to single one out, I would say Let’s Make It Legal is the weakest of Marilyn’s career.

That said, in terms of acting there is still some improvement compared to her earlier work. Although the roles are still supporting, in the 1940s and in 1950, apart from exceptions like The Asphalt Jungle and All About Eve, most of her appearances were essentially background or extra-level parts. Here, at least, she is a proper supporting character, and some roles even have interesting moments: Harriet in As Young as You Feel is a fun part, especially a scene where she argues with her boss; Iris in Home Town Story also has a playful edge; and Bobbie in Love Nest feels almost like a “prototype” of the girl from The Seven Year Itch. Some might argue that other years are worse, such as 1947 or 1949, which would make sense, but in those years Marilyn only appeared in one film each, and in roles that were barely more than extras. That is true, but both Dangerous Years and Love Happy, while not major films or comparable to her later work, still feel significantly stronger than the four films of 1951.

In conclusion, I would say these are quite weak films and that it was a year that did not mean much for Marilyn, but this is only my opinion. If someone thinks Marilyn had worse years, 1947 or 1949 are probably the most obvious candidates, and that would make sense, but even though 1951 has more films, I find them worse. Still, I could understand that view.