Perseus Academic: Marilyn Monroe: Platinum Fox by Cindy De La Hoz

At Fox she was the blonde everyone preferred. Marilyn Monroe: Platinum Fox celebrates the twenty films and character portrayals Marilyn brought to life at 20th Century-Fox. The relationship between star and studio spanned the entire length of her career, a time in which Marilyn became the studio's most valuable asset while evolving from a pretty brown-haired girl in a blue pinafore who passed before the camera in a flash to the sizzling platinum blonde who splashed seductively in a pool in her last moments on film. Illustrated with hundreds of photos from the Fox archives (many published here for the first time), this unique volume is filled with behind-the-scenes notes, trivia, film storylines, and character profiles. The images coupled with quotes by the wittiest screenwriters of the day, plus memorable moments created with Hollywood's leading directors and cinematographers, show why Marilyn remains the most incandescent star the screen has ever known.

Cindy De La Hoz is a film historian and collector. Lucy at the Movies is her first book. She is also author of Marilyn Monroe: Platinum Fox.