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Betty Jo Tucker

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Books
· Cinema Stanzas Two: Poet Laureate of the Movies

· Cinema Stanzas: Rhyming About Movies

· The Reel Deal: Writing about Movies

· Susan Sarandon: A True Maverick

· Confessions of a Movie Addict


Short Stories
· Call 911!

· A Very Short Story

· The Ruby Slippers Caper


Articles
· My Ten Favorite Movies of 2024

· Paris Christmas Waltz Review and Film Poem

· The Fabulous Four

· Twisters Review and Film Poem

· A Family Affair Review and Film Poem

· Jim Henson: Idea Man Review and Film Poem

· The Fall Guy Review and Film Poem

· Tony Shalhoub and Monk

· The Beekeeper Review and Film Poem

· The Beekeeper Review and Film Poem


Poetry
· Maria Film Poem

· Wicked, A Short Film Poem

· Inside the Mind of a Dog Film Poem

· Ode to Simone Biles

· Faye Dunaway Film Poem

· Remembering Gene Wilder

· On Being 93

· My Sister's Birthday Poem (85 Years)

· The Holdovers Film Poem

· Oscar Best Pictures of 2023

         More poetry...
News
· Cinema Stanzas: Rhyming About Movies Now in Paperback

· Cinema Stanzas Two Now in Paperback

· Cinema Stanzas Two Wins Poetry Award

· First Place for Cake: A Love Story!

· Cinema Stanzas Poetry Award

· The Rocky Horror Picture Show: Then and Now

· Debbie Reynolds in the Spotlight

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The Mystery of Marilyn:Monroe: The Unheard Tapes
by Betty Jo Tucker
Last edited: Tuesday, May 24, 2022
Posted: Tuesday, May 24, 2022



     
I love a mystery! So my expectations were high about "The Mystery of Marilyn Monroe: The Unheard Tapes." Granted, it’s exciting to see some beautiful clips of Monroe in all her glory, but listening to tapes of people who knew her speaking on phones or other recording devices did not work out well. Many of those scenes include actors lip syncing real people, but that seemed too stagey for me.

However, director Emma Cooper made sure the ups and downs of Monroe’s career, marriages and mental health problems received coverage in this uneven documentary. Fortunately, we get glimpses of wonderful films where Monroe displays her talents as an actress and entertainer. I enjoyed watching the clips of Some Like It Hot, The Seven Year Itch, and Gentlemen Prefer Blondes. But I felt sad seeing how different she looked in her last movie, The Misfits.

It was also hard to take reliving the downfall of her marriages to baseball great Joe DiMaggio and the famous playwright Arthur Miller. Also, the way this documentary presents Monroe’s last few days made me tear up again. What WAS her relationship to the Kennedy brothers, Bobby and JFK? Did they have her killed as scandal sheets suspected?  

Marilyn Monroe died too soon.

The heights she reached? Over the moon!

A film icon with fans galore,

she always wanted even more.

Abandonment she feared mostly  

 and turned to drugs so frequently.

 

Was Monroe’s death a suicide?

New documentary has tried

to find the truth about this mess.

We hear on tapes that could be less.

    Most the info we’ve heard before.

about this star many adore.

Most of the tape information came from Anthony Summers, a journalist who wrote a book about Marilyn Monroe called “Goddess.” And although the official investigation into Monroe’s death declared it was the result of a barbiturate overdose, Summers wanted to find out the truth. He rounded up as many tapes of interviews as possible and he conducted many of his own, which he taped, of course. About the night of Monroe’s death, various discrepancies were discovered.   

My conclusion? We will never know the truth. But we do know Marilyn Monroe, who died at only 36 years old, left an incredible movie legacy that will still live on for many years to come. 

  I am good but not an angel. I do sin, but I am not the devil. I am just a small girl in a big world trying to find someone to love.” --- Marilyn Monroe

(Released by Netflix and rated “TV-MA”)

Web Site: ReelTalk Movie Reviewsj


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Reviewed by Ronald Hull
Reviewed on May 26, 2022
I really hate these exposé movies that claim they have new evidence but often just rehash older events. I find documentaries like presented by the history Channel with its recent pictorial of Mohammed Ali much more believable. Without the sneaky tactic of claiming there is something new under the sun to be revealed. Like the Kennedy involvement in Marilyn's death.

Marilyn Monroe was certainly an iconic star that all of the other blonde bombshells couldn't hold a candle to. Perhaps it was her vulnerability that shown through and caused her so much pain. Like having to bleach her pubic hair to keep her image. I finally got to see the Misfits recently and found that all of those great actors were much diminished and seemed to be coming together for one last fling. But I really enjoyed Marilyn's part in standing up for the horses finally showing what was going wrong with rounding them up.

Ron


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