Once Marilyn Monroe (1926-1962) arrived a bonafide superstar in Hawks' gloriously garish Gentlemen Prefer Blondes in 1953, a new bar was set and her focal point was now comedy as opposed to the nominal roles in melodramas and musicals beginning with 1948's Ladies of the Chorus directed by Phil Karlson, she would cut her chompers on. In director Billy Wilder she would at last happen upon a director who knew how to milk her best qualities. The Seven Year Itch and Some Like it Hot would respectively would capture - and unforgettably so her most endearing qualities and her demure and innocent sexuality.
Consequently and not dissimilar to Jayne Mansfield (1933-1967) who was a Mensan - as a result of hosting innate sexual charisma Marilyn is usually remembered and admired for all of the wrong reasons, and I am not in any way implying she wasn't worth all the rhapsodizing over but let us acknowledge her lovely soul and that she was a mite deeper than many believed, she did happen to read and understand the works of James Joyce, surely that must impress you more than that melanocytic nevus of hers.
*In addendum to this fun-size article (hey, it's Augusta time afterall) I wrote earlier in the day, all about Miss Monroe, I have been apprised that the Lifetime network is soon to premiere a mini-serial event depicting the 'secret world' of Norma Jean.