Something's Got To Give (1962)

Star of the month... Marilyn Monroe

Something's Got To Give is Marilyn Monroe's final film, which is still incomplete.

Marilyn goes for a skinny dip

The comedy is a remake of the 1940 screwball comedy 'My Favorite Wife', and was to be directed by George Cukor and to co-star Dean Martin, Cyd Charisse, Phil Silvers, Tom Tyron and Wally Cox. The film was abandoned after Marilyn's death, and the 37 minutes of footage which still survives is included in the documentary 'Marilyn: The Final Days'.

Ellen Wagstaff Arden (played by Monroe) has been lost at sea in the Pacific for five years and declared legally dead. Meanwhile her husband Nicholas Arden (played by Martin) has just remarried a new wife, Bianca (played by Charisse). Whilst they are on their honeymoon, Ellen is rescued and returns to her husband and his new wife. Upon learning Ellen had spent the past few years on a desert island with another man, Stephen Burkett (played by Tyron), Nicholas becomes jealous.

The pool scene

Marilyn filmed a scene where she appears swimming nude in a swimming pool. The studio had provided Marilyn with a flesh coloured body suit, however Marilyn took it off and was filmed wearing only bikini bottoms. Had the film been finished and released, Marilyn would have been the first mainstream film star to be appear in a Hollywood film nude.

Watch a video of The pool scene:

Production cancelled

Production of the film stopped once Cukor had filmed every scene not involving Marilyn, and she was still unavailable. As a result, 20th Century Fox fired Marilyn and replaced her with Lee Remick. This led Dean Martin to quit as his contract specified he would be starring with Marilyn. With the production already $2million over budget, Fox decided to shut down the project. Marilyn was found dead in her home less than two months later.