1. Blood Brothers: The Marilyn Monroe Comparisons
Marilyn Monroe is mentioned repeatedly throughout Blood Brothers. But how do the references change their meaning over the play?

2. Who was Marilyn Monroe? b. Norma Jeane Baker
Norma Jeane was fostered due to her mother’s mental health and not being certain who her father was.
She returned to living with her mother at age 11 until her mother was taken away to a mental institution.
After her first husband joined the navy during WWII she started working in a factory where she was spotted by an army film maker. He suggested that she join a modelling agency.

3. Who was Marilyn Monroe? Norma Jeane DiMaggio
After success as a model Marilyn had a series of small movie roles before being given a 7 year contract with a film studio.
She had parts in 30 films over her lifetime, mostly playing a stereotypical ditzy blonde.
She married baseball player, Joe DiMaggio but divorced after only a few months.
She started her own production company to make allow her to find roles that weren’t typecasting her.

4. Who was Marilyn Monroe? d. Marilyn Monroe Miller
By the end of her life Marilyn was unable to work on films and relying on her psychologist, alcohol and sleeping pills to get her through the day. She was separated from her third husband when she died of a suspected overdose of her sleeping pills.

5. “He told me I was sexier than Marilyn Monroe” (Act 1)
Mrs Johnstone is described as a twenty-five year old woman at the start of the play. From the comparison to Marilyn Monroe we can tell that she is an attractive woman who has no problem finding a husband.
Marilyn Monroe was well known for playing ‘sexy’ roles and being naturally charming and sexy. One of the most famous examples of this is when she sang ‘Happy Birthday Mr President’.

6. “They said the bride was lovelier than Marilyn Monroe” (Act 1)
Mrs Johnstone had a quick wedding after she found out that she was pregnant. They had a small ceremony at the registry office.
Marilyn Monroe was married three times in her life. The first time was when she was only 16.

7. “… a wife he said was twice the size of Marilyn Monroe” (Act 1)
Mrs Johnstone’s husband leaves her when she is pregnant with Mickey and Eddie. These are her eighth and ninth children. He hasn’t wanted to take her dancing since their first child was born.
Marilyn Monroe was unable to have children and so kept her figure.

8. “a girl they say who looks a bit like Marilyn Monroe” (Act 1)
Mrs Johnstone is no longer being told that she’s sexier or lovelier than Marilyn Monroe. She’s just someone who bears a faint resemblance to her. Being a mother has taken a toll on her.

9. “live like kings, like bright young things, like Marilyn Monroe” (Act 1)
Mrs Johnstone is dreaming of the life she would like to give her children if she could afford to. Lots of it revolves around food (ham an’ jam an’ spam) which shows just how difficult life is for her and her family
Marilyn Monroe attended many parties and caught the eye of several famous producers.

10. “Says I’ve got legs likeMarilyn Monroe” (Act 2)
Mrs Johnstone is starting to enjoy her life again. She has found a new man who will take her dancing.

11. “Said I reminded him of Marilyn Monroe” (Act 2)
Mrs Johnstone has started a new life in her new house where the bills get paid on time but she’s still comparing herself to Marilyn Monroe.

12. “… he dreams all night of girls who look like Marilyn Monroe” (Act 2)
This is the turning point where the comparisons have moved on to becoming about Mickey.
He’s 14 and starting to wonder about girls and how to talk to them.
Marilyn was a pinup star before going into acting. She wore revealing outfits and was famous for her swimsuit shots.

13. “Each day I pray he’ll be ok, not like Marilyn Monroe” (Act 2)
This time Mrs Johnstone is referring to Eddie as he grows up without her knowing anything about his life.
Miscarriages, divorce, rejections by studios and anxiety about her acting skills meant that Marilyn became difficult to work with and spent some time in a mental health facility.

14. “It seems like jail’s sent him off the rails, just like Marilyn Monroe” (Act 2)
This is another comparison to Mickey’s life. He has come out of prison and is unable to get a job or control his temper.
Marilyn never went to jail but she did become very unreliable meaning that studios were reluctant to hire her.

15. “… treats his ills with daily pills just like Marilyn Monroe” (Act 2)
Mickey is dependant on the anti-depressants and seems to be focussed entirely on them. He finds himself unable to have a conversation with Linda until he’s taken his medication.
Marilyn became dependant upon sleeping pills and a suspected overdose of them is what is thought to have been the cause of her death.

16. “You’d think he was dead like Marilyn Monroe” (Act 2)
Mickey is not the man that he used to be since he came out of prison. He doesn’t seem to respond to Mrs Johnstone or Linda when they try to tell him that the medication is changing him.

17. “… an old movie with Marilyn Monroe” (Act 2)
This is the final line in the play and is the last line in the chorus of ‘Tell me it’s not true’.
Marilyn’s story has followed Mrs Johnstone and her sons throughout the play. Between these references and the first lines by the narrator we know that that this story is unlikely to end well.

18. Mrs Johnstone & Marilyn Monroe
Mrs Johnstone makes references to Marilyn Monroe all the way through Blood Brothers. In the first act they are all about her and the way that the men around her perceive her. Marilyn Monroe came out of poverty and a difficult family life, like Mrs Johnstone.

19. Mickey & Marilyn Monroe
In the second act these references are used to talk about Mickey and Edward. Mickey’s slip into becoming the ‘mad man’ at the end of Act 2 parallels Marilyn Monroe’s fall into depression and eventually death.