Goodbye, Norma Jean (1976)

Aspiring actress Norma Jean Baker lives in squalor in the early '40s as she works at the munitions plant and dreams of being a movie star. Abused as a child and an adult, she lacks ... See full summary »

Director:

Larry Buchanan

Writers:

Larry Buchanan, Lynn Shubert

Stars:

Misty Rowe, Terence Locke, Patch Mackenzie

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
Misty Rowe	...	Norma Jean Baker
Terence Locke	...	Ralph Johnson
Patch Mackenzie	...	Ruth Latimer
Preston Hanson	...	Hal James
Marty Zagon	...	Irving Oblach
Andre Philippe	...	Sam Dunn
Adele Claire	...	Beverly
Sal Ponti	...	Randy Palmer
Paula Mitchell	...	Cynthia Palmer
Jean Sarah Frost	...	Ethel
Lilyan McBride	...	House Mother
Burr Middleton	...	Sleasy Photographer
Stuart Lancaster	...	George
Ivy Bethune	...	Ruby Kirshner
Robert Gribbin	...	Terry (as Robert Gribbon)

Storyline

Aspiring actress Norma Jean Baker lives in squalor in the early '40s as she works at the munitions plant and dreams of being a movie star. Abused as a child and an adult, she lacks self-confidence, but photographer Ralph Johnson takes some publicity shots and convinces her to try for her dream, and supports her as she's bounced from casting couches to sleazy photo shoots. She befriends once-powerful producer Hal James, who tries to steer her toward her dream of stardom, to where she will eventually be known as Marilyn Monroe.

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Plot Keywords:

lesbian | female nudity | showbiz | price of fame | rape | 

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Taglines:

She was soon to become the greatest sex symbol the world has ever known.

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Genres:

Biography | Drama

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Certificate:

R

Details

Country:

Australia USA

Language:

English

Release Date:

February 1976 (USA)

Also Known As:

Ciao Norma Jean

Filming Locations:

Los Angeles, California, USA

Company Credits

Production Co:

Austamerican Productions

Technical Specs

Runtime:

95 min

Sound Mix:

Mono

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

2.35 : 1

Did You Know?

Trivia

Part of a cycle of movies made during the mid-to-late 1970s about Tinseltown, Old Hollywood and its Golden Age including the Silent Film era. The pictures include Fedora (1978), Inserts (1975), Valentino (1977), Nickelodeon (1976), Silent Movie (1976), The Wild Party (1975), The Last Tycoon (1976), Hearts of the West (1975), The Day of the Locust (1975), The World's Greatest Lover (1977), Gable and Lombard (1976), Goodbye, Norma Jean (1976), Bud and Lou (1978), and W.C. Fields and Me (1976). Bogie (1980) and Mommie Dearest (1981) would soon follow as well.

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Connections

Edited into Goodnight, Sweet Marilyn (1989)

User Reviews

AWFUL TRASHY DON'T WATCH IT.

I made the mistake of watching this and buying it. I have a lot of stuff to say to make this movie seem like junk and it is.

Marilyn was never forced to have sexual relations with any of her casting directors. The studio names were messed up, the modeling agency she was at was not named the same. It's full of nudity and Marilyn didn't do anything like that until Somethings Got To Give and the famous Playboy issue. She wasn't raped by a police man. All the none sense about the "Whamo ammo" girl trash is all false. The names are wrong, except for Norma Jean Baker, that seems to be the only thing Larry Buchanan could spell.

I hated this movie and if anyone wants to disagree with me and say its good then they're wrong and wasting their time.

I'd give it 1/2 out of 4 stars.