A special edition of Yours Retro magazine, 100 Greatest Movie Icons, is now available in the UK – and Marilyn tops the list! Her Monkey Business co-star Cary Grant takes second place, with Bette Davis (All About Eve) coming 7th, Sir Laurence Olivier (The Prince and the Showgirl) 18th, Tony Curtis (Some Like It Hot) 19th, and Clark Gable (The Misfits) 20th. Ginger Rogers (also in Monkey Business) is at #29, Jack Lemmon (also in Some Like It Hot) at #32, Lauren Bacall (How to Marry a Millionaire) at #36, Robert Mitchum (River Of No Return) at #46, Donald O’Connor (There’s No Business Like Show Business) at #58, and Mickey Rooney (The Fireball) is 60th. Bringing up the rear are Montgomery Clift (also in The Misfits) at #73, Claudette Colbert (Let’s Make It Legal) at #87, and last but not least, the great Barbara Stanwyck (Clash By Night) is ranked 90th.
Of all Marilyn’s illustrious co-stars, her good friends Jane Russell (Gentlemen Prefer Blondes) and Betty Grable (How to Marry a Millionaire) are perhaps the most notable omissions. Marilyn’s 3-page spread is only slightly marred by a couple of misattributed quotes (can you spot them?) Overall, though, it’s a great read for lovers of classic film. Interestingly, The Prince and the Showgirl – which features one of Marilyn’s best performances, but is often neglected – is named here among her top 5 movie highlights. Yours Retro: 100 Greatest Movie Icons is available now from UK newsagents, or to order online from Great Magazines.