Beauty and the Bumpkin (5/30/08)

We've talked before about the odd juxtapositions that fate sometimes brings, but in researching topics for today, we came across one that struck us as so odd that we were compelled to note it: On June 1, 1926, both Marilyn Monroe and Andy Griffith were born. The two would seem to have little in common, but both were born into poverty (Monroe was a ward of the state, and Griffith slept in dresser drawers until his parents were able to afford a bed for him). And after a period of struggle, each achieved show business immortality -- she as a sex goddess and he as a down-home sheriff/philosopher. Obviously, Monroe had the tougher time. She battled personal demons while juggling three marriages (and who knows how many affairs) with an acting career that pigeonholed her as an empty-headed sex symbol. Griffith's career had its own bumps. Despite his dramatic performance in "A Face in the Crowd," he was typecast as the folksy Andy Taylor, and his film career never really took off. He failed in four other television series before hitting big in Matlock -- as, yes, a folksy lawyer. While there's no indication that the two ever met, there are enough intersections in their lives -- two examples: composer Earle Hagen wrote the whistling theme to "The Andy Griffith Show" and was also nominated for an Oscar on one of Marilyn's last films, and Monroe had an affair with Elia Kazan, who directed Griffith in "Crowd" -- to make the idea of a meeting of these two icons of the 1950s just plausible enough. One can only speculate what their conversation might have consisted of, but we'd bet it wouldn't have been about football. Suggested Sites... Monroe Online - fansite with tons of photos and information about Marilyn. Wikipedia: Andy Griffith - overview of the actor's life and career. "What It Was, Was Football" - the comedy routine that made Andy Griffith a star. Wikipedia: Marilyn Monroe - biography and facts, from Norma Jeane to the Kennedys. Taylor Home Inn - fans in Wisconsin who have recreated Andy Taylor's home as a B&B.

Directory categories: Andy Griffith, Marilyn Monroe, The Andy Griffith Show, Classic Hollywood Actors, Television Comedies

Archived under: 1950s, Actors, Andy Griffith, Birthdays, Celebrities, Comedians, Entertainment, Hollywood, Marilyn Monroe, Movies, Sitcoms, TV