GirlsGuideTo | Daily Distraction: Marilyn Monroe’s Best Movies

It’s still freakishly hot for most of the country, and I don’t know about you, but I’m getting really sick of sweating as soon as I walk out the door. Enough is enough, Mother Nature! We get it, we’ll stop leaving the lights on and switch to all Method cleaning products if you promise to cool it down a bit! So this weekend I’m going to be staying inside as much as possible. And probably watching the Olympics. Because, you know, that’s all I do right now. But I have to admit, I’ve been feeling a little bit of Olympic burnout…and my DVR is surprisingly empty. So what am I going to do?

Easy!

Sunday marks the 50^th anniversary of Marilyn Monroe’s death, so why not pay tribute to our favorite bombshell and have a movie marathon on her honor? Here's our countdown of our favorite films from the blond beauty:

5. "Bus Stop" (1956)
We love this film because it was a rare opportunity for Monroe to show some dramatic ability. But really, her whole range as a method actor is on display here: Joshua Logan's film, based on the William Inge play, offers the power of Monroe's abilities. She stars as Cherie, a lousy saloon singer toiling away in Phoenix until she can find a way to get to Hollywood. Yes, her Arkansas accent is kinda annoying – and if we're being honest, the way overzealous cowboy Don Murray carries her off and forces her into an engagement would merit a restraining order now. But Monroe also gets some quieter moments that reveal her vulnerability.

4. "The Misfits" (1961)
Trivia moment: This is not just Monroe's final film but Clark Gable's, too. Monroe's then-husband, playwright Arthur Miller, wrote the script for her to give her a meatier role. But by all accounts, alcohol and pills made her an absolute mess and she was frequently late to John Huston's set. Given that her newly divorced character is drunk most of the time, along with the lost souls with whom she seeks solace in the Nevada desert, it's hard to tell where the performance ends and real life begins. In an eerily ironic quote from Eli Wallach as he's toasting Monroe's character for her vitality, he says: "Here's to your life, Roslyn. I hope it goes on forever." Definitely not a light movie…it’s almost haunting.

3. "The Seven Year Itch" (1955)
Even if you’ve never seen this movie, you know one of film's most famous images: standing over a New York City subway grate, letting the wind from a passing train send her ivory, pleated halter dress billowing all around her. (The dress itself sold at auction last year for a whopping $5.6 million, including commission.) But the whole performance is a great example of her screen presence in a nutshell: naive, sweet, beguiling and irresistible. She's such an idealized incarnation of classic female allure, she's known only as The Girl. Working for the first time with Wilder (who famously had difficulty with her), based on the George Axelrod play, Monroe plays the sexy upstairs neighbor who bewitches Tom Ewell's character while his family is away for the summer.

2. "Gentlemen Prefer Blondes" (1953)
Describing her performance as gold-digging Lorelei Lee as iconic would not be exaggerating at all. Her rendition of "Diamonds Are a Girl's Best Friend" remains so enduring, it inspired Madonna's "Material Girl" video, down to the blonde waves, candy-colored pink dress, admiring back-up dancers and tightly structured choreography. It’s awesome. Monroe actually gets second billing behind Jane Russell in the musical comedy, based on the Broadway show about a couple of showgirls and best friends who travel to Paris, run into misadventures and revel in all the attention thrown their way. I think this movie deserves a spot on you girls’ night timeline!

1. "Some Like It Hot" (1959)
This was the first title that came to mind when I began pondering this list. It’s my most favorite Marilyn movie!!! Maybe that’s because it's the best film she was ever in – the Billy Wilder classic is listed as the greatest comedy ever by the American Film Institute – but also, the role of Sugar Kane Kowalczyk is just so quintessentially "her." Monroe is totally magnetic, with innocence and sexuality in equal measure. As the lead singer of an all-girl orchestra, she gets to sing, dance, play the ukulele and show off her comic timing. Monroe finds a tricky balance between her otherworldly looks and a down-to earth charm, and plays beautifully off Jack Lemmon and Tony Curtis. Don’t miss it!

Do you have any favorite Marilyn movies that I missed? Share in the comments!