In 1956, two of the most famous women in the world met. Both women were the same age - 30, but their lives could not have been more different. The occasion? The Royal Film Performance. The women? Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth the Second and Marilyn Monroe. The result? An iconic moment in time.
How did this meeting come about?
Marilyn's arrival in London
In July 1956 Marilyn and her new husband, Arthur Miller, arrived in London, where Marilyn was set to start work on her latest film, The Sleeping Prince (later renamed The Prince and the Showgirl) with Laurence Olivier. She made it known that she hoped to meet the Queen while there and was thrilled when she was issued an invitation to the Royal Film Performance, which was held every year in aid of the Cinematograph Trade Benevolent Fund. It would take place at the Empire Theatre on Monday, October 29th.
Here is footage of Marilyn arriving, as well as footage of the Queen going down
the line meeting the stars (with audio from a 1960 interview in the background).
A crowd of around 2000 waited outside the theatre to catch a glimpse of the stars. Marilyn was one of the last to arrive at "The Queen's Show," as she had nicknamed the event. She stood outside and waved to the crowd for two minutes, while they chanted her name, before making her way inside.
Her dress, designed by Madame de Rachelle with Marilyn's input, caused quite a stir once she removed her cape. It was described by the Daily Telegraph as "gold tissue with topaz shoulder straps" and by the Daily Record as a strait-jacket, due to its tightness.
The safety-pin incident actually happened at a press conference.
The Queen, however, didn't bat an eye at Marilyn's revealing dress. Rather, she remarked on the fact that they were "neighbors." With Princess Margaret, who was also in attendance, they talked about biking (Marilyn was gifted a bicycle on her arrival by the Daily Sketch).
When asked about what she thought of the Queen afterwards, Marilyn replied that she was "very warm-hearted. She radiates sweetness." She also demonstrated her curtsy to the press.
Marilyn apparently made a big impression on the Queen too, as she was later reported to have watched all of Marilyn's films. The source also quoted the Queen as saying, "I thought Miss Monroe was a very sweet person. But I felt sorry for her, because she was so nervous that she had licked all her lipstick off" (People, 1961).
Whether this is true or not, I believe the Queen probably saw at least some of Marilyn's films.
I'll leave you with this article from the Evening Standard with its' extensive write-up about Marilyn.
This month I watched season 1 of The Adventures of Ozzie and Harriet. The entire show is on Tubi and the quality is fantastic. My family and I also watched season 4 of All Creatures Great and Small.
* indicates a rewatch
Secret Enemies (1942) - James Craig, Faye Emerson
*The Adventures of Tartu (1943) - Robert Donat, Valerie Hobson, Glynis Johns
China Sky (1945) - Ruth Warrick, Randolph Scott, Philip Ahn, Anthony Quinn, Ellen Drew
*Act of Violence (1949) - Van Heflin & Janet Leigh, Robert Ryan, Phyllis Thaxter
*Mystery Street (1950) - Ricardo Montalban, Elsa Lanchester, Marshall Thompson, Jan Sterling, Betsy Blair
Them! (1954) - James Whitmore, James Arness
Soldier of Fortune (1955) - Clark Gable & Susan Hayward
*12 Angry Men (1957) - Henry Fonda, Lee J. Cobb, Jack Warden, Ed Begley
*King Creole (1957) - Elvis Presley, Carolyn Jones, Walter Mattheau, Dean Jagger, Dolores Hart
*In Search of the Castaways (1962) - Hayley Mills, Maurice Chevalier, Michael Anderson Jr. Wilfred Hyde Park
*Somewhere in Time (1980) - Christopher Reeve & Jane, Christopher Plummer
*Swing Shift (1984) - Goldie Hawn, Kurt Russell, Christine Lahti, Ed Harris
The Client (1994) - Susan Sarandan, Tommy Lee Jones
Under the Tuscan Sun (2004) - Diane Lane, Sandra Oh
Least Favorite Film: I would have really liked Under the Tuscan Sun if it wasn't for all of the s*x. It could have been a sweet movie. In Search of the Castaways was just as corny and cringy as it was when I first watched it 20+ years ago (checked out on VHS from the library when you still had to pay a dollar to borrow it for two days). According to the trivia on IMDb it was the third most popular film of the year after The Longest Day and Lawrence of Arabia!?!
Favorite Movie: It would have to be Them! I had lots of great rewatches too.
Anytime I see Dick Wessel in a movie I have to take a screenshot. Here he is in Them!
This month my family and I watched seasons 2 & 3 of All Creatures Great and Small. I also got back into The Rockford Files - I'm almost done with season 1. I started reading Hayley Mills' memoir, Forever Young. I found an autographed copy at a used bookstore for $7!!!
* indicates a rewatch
Hotel Reserve (1944) - James Mason
Johnny in the Clouds/The Way to the Stars (1945) - John Mills, Michael Redgrave, Trevor Howard
Canyon Passage (1946) - Dana Andrews & Susan Hayward, Brian Donlevy, Patricia Roc, Lloyd Bridges, Andy Devine, Hoagy Carmichael, Ward Bond
*Gentleman's Agreement (1947) - Gregory Peck & Dorothy McGuire, John Garfield, Celeste Holm, Anne Revere, Dean Stockwell, June Havoc, Jane Wyatt
Fort Dobbs (1958) - Clint Walker, Virginia Mayo, Brian Keith
The Gallant Hours (1960) - James Cagney
The Cardinal (1963) - Tom Tryon, John Huston, Romy Schneider, Carol Lynley, Burgess Meredith, Ossie Davis
*The Mean Season (1985) - Kurt Russell
*Big Trouble in Little China (1986) - Kurt Russell, Kim Cattrall, James Hong
*Overboard (1987) - Goldie Hawn & Kurt Russell, Roddy McDowall, Katherine Helmond
Rose Hill (1991 Hallmark) - Jennifer Garner, Kevin Zegers
Stepmom (1998) - Julia Roberts, Susan Sarandan, Ed Harris
*Shanghai Noon (2000) - Jackie Chan, Owen Wilson, Lucy Lui
The Magic of Ordinary Days (2004 Hallmark) - Keri Russell
EPiC: Elvis Presley in Concert (2026) - Elvis Presley
Least Favorite Film: I watched an hour of Cimarron (1960) but it was on the depressing side. I'll probably finish it one day though. The Cardinal was ok. Romy Schneider's final scene, however, was excellent (acting-wise).
Favorite Movie: Hotel Reserve was interesting. I want to seek out more of Mason's early work.
This month me and my family watched the first season of All Creatures Great and Small (the current one). I really enjoyed seeing Diana Rigg in a couple of episodes!
* indicates a rewatch
One Hour with You (1932) - Maurice Chevalier & Jeannette McDonald, Genevieve Tobin, Charles Ruggles, Roland Young
One in a Million (1936) - Sonja Henie, Don Ameche, Adolph Menjou, Jean Hersholt
*The Awful Truth (1937) - Cary Grant & Irene Dunne, Ralph Bellamy
*Stagecoach (1939) - Claire Trevor & John Wayne, Thomas Mitchell, Donald Meek, Andy Devine
Lost Angel (1943) - Margaret O'Brien, James Craig, Marsha Hunt, Keenan Wynn
Cinderella Jones (1946) - Joan Leslie & Robert Alda, S.Z. 'Cuddles' Sakall, Edward Everrett Horton
Call Northside 777 (1948) - James Stewart, Lee J. Cobb, Richard Conte, Helen Walker
The Stratton Story (1949) - James Stewart & June Allyson, Frank Morgan, Agnes Moorehead
Riding Shotgun (1954) - Randolph Scott, Wayne Morris
Just My Luck (1957) - Norman Wisdom, Margaret Rutherford
*27 Dresses (2008) - Katherine Heigl & James Marsden
The Best of Me (2014) - James Marsden (with alternate ending)
*Tomb Raider (2018) - Alicia Vikander, Dominic West
What Happens Later (2023) - Meg Ryan & David Duchovny
Least Favorite Film: One in a Million and Cinderella Jones. One Hour with You had a lot of singsong rhyming dialogue.
Favorite Movie: Lost Angel was really cute. I also enjoyed The Stratton Story, though it was a little more personal for me as my dad lost his leg in a motorcycle accident in his early 20s (before any of us kids were born). Riding Shotgun was good (though I feel like it needed to be longer to explain better why the entire town was so quick to condemn someone they knew).
This month I watched season two of A Man on the Inside. It was good but not as heartfelt as the first season. I was glad to see some recurring characters from season 1 and there was a fun casting surprise. I also watched The Mrs. Bradley Mysteries (1999-2000) starring Diana Rigg. Also finally watched Elvis' first movie. Now the only one I have left is Kissin' Cousins, but I don't know if I can bring myself to actually watching it. The trailer looks pretty bad lol.
Thank You, Jeeves! (1936) - David Niven, Arthur Treacher, Willie Best
More Than a Secretary (1936) - Jean Arthur & George Brent, Ruth Donnelly, Reginald Denny
*After the Thin Man (1936) - William Powell & Myrna Loy, Elissa Landi, James Stewart
*Another Thin Man (1939) - William Powell & Myrna Loy, C. Aubrey Smith, Virginia Grey, Patric Knowles, Ruth Hussey
*Mr. Smith Goes to Washington (1939) - James Stewart & Jean Arthur, Claude Rains, Thomas Mitchell, Edward Arnold, Eugene Palette, Harry Carey, Guy Kibbee, Beulah Bondi
*It’s a Wonderful World (1939) - Claudette Colbert & James Stewart, Nat Pendleton, Guy Kibbee
*The More the Merrier (1943) - Jean Arthur & Joel McCrea, Charles Coburn
They Got Me Covered (1943) - Bob Hope & Dorothy Lamour
The Second Woman (1950) - Robert Young & Betsy Drake, Florence Bates
Sky Full of Moon (1952) - Carleton Carpenter, Jan Sterling, Keenan Wynn
*The Naked Spur (1953) - James Stewart, Robert Ryan, Janet Leigh, Ralph Meeker, Millard Mitchell
The Bounty Hunter (1954) - Randolph Scott, Dolores Dorn, Marie Windsor, Ernest Borgnine
Love Me Tender (1956) - Richard Egan, Debra Paget, Elvis Presley, James Drury
The Revolt of Mamie Stover (1956) - Jane Russell & Richard Egan, Joan Leslie, Agnes Moorehead
Ride Lonesome (1959) - Randolph Scott, Pernell Roberts, Karen Steele, James Best, James Coburn, Lee Van Cleef
Dear Brigitte (1965) - James Stewart & Glynis Johns, Cindy Carol, Bill Mumy, Ed Wynn, Fabian, Brigitte Bardot
Before We Go (2014) - Chris Evans & Alice Eve
Least Favorite Film: Surprised myself by realizing I don't really like Another Thin Man?! There are several funny parts of course, but overall I wasn't much on it. I'm guessing this is the fourth time I've watched the first four films (I really wish I had started keeping track of my films in college when I started more new-to-me films). We got the last two Thin Man films on dvd later. The plot of The Revolt of Mamie Stover is pretty terrible but it was filmed in Hawaii so at least the scenery is gorgeous.
Favorite Movie: I really enjoyed everything else I watched. I didn't remember much of It's a Wonderful World and found it way funnier than I remembered! I wish there were more Jeeves movies. They Got Me Covered was also really funny. The Second Woman reminded me of Rebecca (1940).
Favorite Quote: "That poor kid. That poor, spooky little kid." James Stewart, a literature professor, upon learning his son is a genius at math in Dear Brigitte.
Did you keep track of the movies you watched in 2025? Was there a star or movie you discovered that you can't live without now? Let me know in the comments!
I started watching season 4 of The Avengers and am greatly enjoying it (first 10 episodes this month)! It's on tubi but was missing season 1, so I hadn't started it. Then I decided to just go ahead and start with season 2 and was confused when Diana Rigg wasn't listed in the opening credits. So I googled it and discovered that season 1 only has three surviving episodes and that Diana Rigg was in seasons 4-6. I like Honor Blackman too (season 2 & 3) so I will definitely go back and watch those at some point. To give you a glimpse of why I started watching it: Out of Africa => composer John Barry =>James Bond - On His Majesty's Secret Service with Diana Rigg => The Avengers.
* indicates a rewatch
*The Thin Man (1934) - William Powell & Myrna Loy, Maureen O'Sullivan, Nat Pendleton
*Remember the Night (1940) - Fred MacMurray & Barbara Stanwyck
The Perfect Snob (1941) - Charles Ruggles, Cornel Wilde, Lynn Bari, Anthony Quinn
*I'll Be Seeing You (1944) - Ginger Rogers & Joseph Cotten, Shirley Temple, Spring Byington
*Christmas in Connecticut (1945) - Barbara Stanwyck & Dennis Morgan, S.Z. "Cuddles" Sakall, Reginald Gardiner, Sydney Greenstreet, Una O'Conner
Smart Woman (1948) - Constance Bennett & Brian Aherne
It Happens Every Spring (1949) - Ray Milland, Paul Douglas, Jean Peters
*The Secret Garden (1949) - Margaret O'Brien, Herbert Marshall, Dean Stockwell, Gladys Cooper, Elsa Lanchester, Brian Roper, Reginald Owen
*White Christmas (1954) - Bing Crosby, Danny Kaye, Vera Ellen, Rosemary Clooney, Dean Jagger, Mary Wickes
*We're No Angels (1955) - Humphrey Bogart, Peter Ustinov, Aldo Ray, Leo G. Carroll, Joan Bennett, Basil Rathbone, Gloria Talbot
5 Against the House (1955) - Guy Madison, Kim Novak, Brian Keith
Kidnapped (1960) - James MacArthur, Peter Finch, Bernard Lee, Peter O'Toole, Finlay Currie
Out of Africa (1985) - Meryl Streep & Robert Redford
*Mickey's Christmas Carol (1987) - Alan Young
*Elf (2003) - Will Ferrell, James Caan, Bob Newhart, Zooey Deschanel, Edward Asner, Mary Steenburgen
*Blind Dating (2006) - Chris Pine
The Contractor (2022) - Chris Pine, Ben Foster
Backstairs at the White House (1979 Mini-Series) - ep. 1, loads of familiar faces
Least Favorite Film: Smart Woman and Out of Africa were both just ok. The score for the latter was gorgeous though, as was Mr. Redford ;)
Favorite Movie: Definitely It Happens Every Spring.
Favorite Quote: These two pick-up lines from 5 Against the House.
"I'm a stranger in town, can you direct me to your house?" - Brian Keith
"Excuse me, I'm writing a new telephone book and I'd like to include your name and number."
Novak has a stunning, or as the posters say "sizzling," character introduction.
.jpg)
.jpe)
.jpg)
