Marilyn in Blue

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The wig I am wearing is cyan, the skirt is royal, the tight sweater bloused over my prosthetic breasts is icy blue.

Marilyn in Blue
Originally posted 2006-02-20.

Marilyn in Blue

by Erin Halfelven

The wig I am wearing is cyan, the skirt is royal, the tight sweater bloused over my prosthetic breasts is icy blue.

Blue hose, blue shoes, blue nails, blue jewelry. No one will ever see me in my blue makeup. That's the idea.

It's a dream movie, Marilyn Monroe, Jack Lemmon, Tony Curtis, Walter Matthau in "Some Like it Cool!" And a hundred cameos by other Names.

We are all dressed in blue, the better for the computer to edit us out and edit in our classic film avatars. Fed thousands of frames of the original appearances of the original celebrities, the computer will recreate the icons we represent over our images. Cinema goers will see not us but our other selves.

David will appear as Jack Lemmon, Larry Fine, Roy Rogers, Elvis Presley, Harry Truman, Stan Laurel and Cary Grant. Stuart will be there as a young Tony Curtis, Rock Hudson, Moe Howard, Adolf Hitler, Franklin Roosevelt, and Jack Kennedy. Baggy-faced Al will seem to be Walter Matthau, Shemp Howard, John Wayne, Gregory Peck, Dwight Eisenhower, Charles deGaulle, Joe E. Brown, Bud Abbott and Jimmy Stewart. Marty will do the cameos for Lou Costello, Oliver Hardy, Joe Stalin, Curly Howard, Edward G. Robinson, Desi Arnaz, Alfred Hitchcock and Benny Hill.

I get to do all the important women's parts. Marilyn, of course, Jacquie Kennedy, Maureen O'Hara, Betty Grable, Dale Evans, Esther Williams, and Lucille Ball. Several other people fill in all the other cameos. All of us in blue.

I smile at my blue reflection. I do look eerily like Marilyn but that does not matter too much, the computer will make sure that Marilyn looks like Marilyn. It will recreate her image and even her voice, but the way she moves and her poses, vocal inflections and attitudes will be supplied by me. I will recreate Marilyn and the computer will make it perfect.

It's the hardest acting I've ever done but it is a real accomplishment to have been chosen for this project. Only Tony Curtis is still alive of the stars and he will do a cameo of himself as his older self meeting Stuart as his younger self. It makes your head spin.

The plot isn't important but it seems as if the boys aren't out of the woods yet with the mob. They have to recreate their appearance as members of an all-girl band, this time with Sugar helping them while they tour the world meeting famous people and defeating mobsters and spies.

And I get to play Marilyn playing Sugar. I want to squeal a Marilyn squeal because I'm so excited.

The director calls to me, "Norman, are you ready?"

"Call me 'Marilyn' or 'Sugar', Pete," I remind him in a breathless pout.

He rolls his eyes, "Marilyn then. Five minutes." He spreads his fingers as if I needed to count them.

I wink at him. I check my blue makeup one last time. Five minutes later, I sashay out to be Marilyn in front of the cameras, wiggling my padded, blue, butt for all I'm worth.

David utters the classic line, "Like Jello on springs."

I, Marilyn, Sugar, pretend I haven't heard him and give my booty a final twitch. This is going to look terrific on film.

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Comments

Reminds me of the story;

Reminds me of the story;
Like a Candle in the Wind by Laurie S.

OMG ! where's the rest ? I

OMG ! where's the rest ? I feel like I've been deeply kissed, than whamo Catholic School with the nuns !

Karen

Non-linear time in action

Rhona McCloud's picture

Binged on old series of Boston Legal last night where Denny Crain, as mentioned by Angela Rasch, played out a 60s style plot as illustrated by Kat Walker (Summer of Love) then you Erin took up the challenge to write an Andy Serkiss type motion capture actor by showing you had done it here 8 years ago…

Rhona McCloud

Marilyn in Blue

Way Cool!

    Stanman
May Your Light Forever Shine
    Stanman
May Your Light Forever Shine

The truly odd thing...

erin's picture

The really odd thing is the kernel of the Marilyn in Blue story was conceived in 1989 when those John Wayne Coors Light commercials were first aired. Fifteen years later, I thought technology was really almost past what I had thought up and wrote the story with the idea of expanding it. I posted what I had but there's a novel-length idea there somewhere.

It's been 25 years since I first thought of the story. :)

Hugs,
Erin

= Give everyone the benefit of the doubt because certainty is a fragile thing that can be shattered by one overlooked fact.

"Don't Dream-it", "BE it"

"Don't Dream-it", "BE it"


"We" "are" amused!

So, as it is written

So, it Shall Be Done!!
(Yul Bryner)

Konichiwa

Excellent Story.... Could

Excellent Story....

Could you be setting up a new universe to play in?

Universal invitation

erin's picture

The story is basically the idea I've had for about five years of the beginning of a novel. Last night I couldn't sleep and I decided to get the idea down in pixels. It turned into a short-short but there is certainly still enough of a springboard for a longer story. I'm not sure I'm ever going to write it so if someone else wants to take this jumping off point and explore the cliffs, go for it! :)

Hugs,
Erin

= Give everyone the benefit of the doubt because certainty is a fragile thing that can be shattered by one overlooked fact.

re: Marilyn in Blue

A nice short story which could be expanded. This leaves quite a few questions such as the life of the man playing Marilyn.

I would certainly read the story if you or somebody else continues it.

Hugs

Karen

Alternative Titles

I Blue It
Boy! Am I Blue
Blue and Brokenhearted
He Wore Blue Velvet
The Blue Scream of Death
Chromosomes and Chroma Key (rated XXy)
They Blue Me

Angela Rasch (Jill M I)

Angela Rasch (Jill M I)

Which...

erin's picture

...of those are you going to write? :)

- Erin

= Give everyone the benefit of the doubt because certainty is a fragile thing that can be shattered by one overlooked fact.

I love Marilyn

... so you can see I would appreciate this. An intriguing idea that would be even more intriguing if it were extended to embrace real life as well as film.

The big surprise for me is your statement that all the stars, apart from Curtis, are dead. A signal of my own mortality that the film stars I watched in the not so distant past are now dead. Most of old age, rather than tragically like Marilyn.

A nice quickie, Erin. Thanks.

Geoff

Legal fiction

erin's picture

You're welcome. I wanted to get the idea out before someone actually made the film. It could actually be done now, it's not science fiction. At this point, the problems would probably be getting legal releases. :)

- Erin

= Give everyone the benefit of the doubt because certainty is a fragile thing that can be shattered by one overlooked fact.

Releasing Legals

They shouldn't release all the bald legals. It's really a shame to compound their fallen follicles with imprisonment, but a necessity to maintain the sanctity of our lives. All of those Denny Crain wannabes suffering in cages...the thought makes my heart race.

Angela Rasch (Jill M I)

Angela Rasch (Jill M I)