Something's Got to Give (1962)

Unfinished remake of "My Favorite Wife," due to the firing of Marilyn Monroe from the film. She was eventually re-hired, but died in August, 1962. Film was never completed.

Director:

George Cukor

Writers:

Bella Spewack (screenplay), Sam Spewack (screenplay),

Stars:

Marilyn Monroe, Dean Martin, Cyd Charisse

Cast

Cast overview:
Marilyn Monroe	...	Ellen Wagstaff Arden
Dean Martin	...	Nicholas 'Nick' Arden
Cyd Charisse	...	Bianca Russell Arden
Tom Tryon	...	Steven Burkett / Adam
Alexandra Heilweil	...	Lita Arden
Robert Christopher Morley	...	Timmy Arden
Wally Cox	...	Shoe Salesman
Phil Silvers	...	Johnson
John McGiver	...	The Judge
Grady Sutton	...	The Judge's Clerk
Eloise Hardt	...	Miss Worth

Storyline

Years after his wife, Ellen, was lost at sea, Nick has her declared legally dead and remarries. That same day, Ellen is rescued from a desert island and returns home. This unfinished remake of "My Favorite Wife" was the last film Marilyn Monroe worked on before her death in 1962. Most of the footage was unseen, until it was restored into a 37-minute short which aired on television on June 1, 2001.

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Plot Keywords:

remake | unfinished film | blonde | lead actor's last film

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Genres:

Comedy | Short

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Details

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Release Date:

1 June 2001 (USA)

Also Known As:

Marilyn - Ihr letzter Film

Filming Locations:

Stage 14, 20th Century Fox Studios - 10201 Pico Blvd., Century City, Los Angeles, California, USA

Company Credits

Production Co:

Twentieth Century Fox Film Corporation

Technical Specs

Runtime:

37 min 37 min (2001)

Sound Mix:

Stereo (Westrex Recording System)

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

2.35 : 1

Did You Know?

Trivia

Dean Martin refused to finish the film with anyone but Marilyn Monroe as his co-star, so when Monroe died unexpectedly in August 1962; the film was abandoned.

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Quotes

Ellen Wagstaff Arden: Come on, the water's so refreshing! You know, after you finish doing, uh... you know.

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Connections

Featured in Calendar Girl (1993)

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Soundtracks

"Something's Gotta Give"
Written by Johnny Mercer
Courtesy of Twentieth Century Music Corporation
Vocal version performed by Frank Sinatra
Courtesy of The Frank Sinatra Estate

User Reviews

Interesting relic

American Movie Classics broadcast the salvaged remains of this unfinished movie in its documentary MARILYN MONROE: THE FINAL DAYS. The concept of the film is interesting, but what we see is also a bit sad since it is only a fragment which comes to an abrupt end.

The story is 1960s fluff, a sharp contrast to the turmoil both in Marilyn's life and in the country that soon would lose its innocent view of the world. Evidently numerous scenes and inserts are missing from what was filmed. For example, when Dean Martin discovers that his presumed-dead wife Marilyn is not dead, his reaction is, at most, slightly surprised.

It could have been an amusing little film which would have been remembered as Marilyn's first feature with a little bit of nudity. American Movie Classics is to be commended for letting us glimpse this tidbit of the past.