Editing Marilyn Monroe (section)

=== 1954–1955: Conflicts with 20th Century-Fox and marriage to Joe DiMaggio ===
Monroe had become one of 20th Century-Fox's biggest stars, but her contract had not changed since 1950, so that she was paid far less than other stars of her stature and could not choose her projects.{{sfn|Churchwell|2004|p=68}} Her attempts to appear in films that would not focus on her as a pin-up had been thwarted by the studio head executive, [[Darryl F. Zanuck]], who had a strong personal dislike of her and did not think she would earn the studio as much revenue in other types of roles.{{sfn|Churchwell|2004|pp=68, 208–209}} Under pressure from the studio's owner, [[Spyros Skouras]], Zanuck had also decided that Fox should focus exclusively on entertainment to maximize profits and canceled the production of any "serious films".{{sfn|Banner|2012|p=217}} In January 1954, he suspended Monroe when she refused to begin shooting yet another musical comedy, ''[[The Girl in Pink Tights]]''.{{sfnm|1a1=Summers|1y=1985|1p=92|2a1=Spoto|2y=2001|2pp=254–259}}  
[[File:Monroe DiMaggio Wedding.jpg|left|thumb|Monroe and [[Joe DiMaggio]] shortly after their wedding, January 1954]]
This was front-page news, and Monroe immediately took action to counter negative publicity. She and DiMaggio, who had been dating for two years, were married at the [[San Francisco City Hall]] on January 14, 1954.{{sfn|Spoto|2001|p=260}} Fifteen days later, they flew to Japan, combining a "honeymoon" with his business trip.{{sfn|Spoto|2001|pp=262–263}} From Tokyo, she traveled to Korea, where she participated in a [[United Service Organizations|USO]] show, singing for over 60,000 U.S. Marines over a four-day period.{{sfn|Churchwell|2004|p=241}} After returning to the U.S., she was awarded ''Photoplay''{{'}}s "Most Popular Female Star" prize.{{sfn|Spoto|2001|p=267}} Monroe settled with Fox in March, with the promise of a new contract, a bonus of $100,000, and a starring role in the [[The Seven Year Itch|film adaptation]] of the [[Broadway theatre|Broadway]] success ''[[The Seven Year Itch (play)|The Seven Year Itch]]''.{{sfn|Spoto|2001|p=271}}

In April 1954, [[Otto Preminger]]'s [[western (genre)|western]] ''[[River of No Return]]'', the last film that Monroe had filmed prior to the suspension, was released. She called it a "[[Z movie|Z-grade]] cowboy movie in which the acting finished second to the scenery and the CinemaScope process", but it was popular with audiences.{{sfn|Churchwell|2004|pp=66–67}} The first film she made after the suspension was the musical ''[[There's No Business Like Show Business (film)|There's No Business Like Show Business]]'', which she strongly disliked but the studio required her to do for dropping ''The Girl in Pink Tights''.{{sfn|Spoto|2001|p=271}} It was unsuccessful upon its release in late 1954, with Monroe's performance considered vulgar by many critics.{{sfnm|1a1=Riese|1a2=Hitchens|1y=1988|1pp=338–440|2a1=Spoto|2y=2001|2p=277|3a1=Churchwell|3y=2004|3p=66|4a1=Banner|4y=2012|4p=227}}

[[File:Marilyn Monroe photo pose Seven Year Itch.jpg|thumb|upright|right|alt=Monroe is posing for photographers, wearing a white halterneck dress, which hem is blown up by air from a subway grate on which she is standing.|Monroe posing for photographers in ''[[The Seven Year Itch]]'' (1955)]]
In September 1954, Monroe began filming [[Billy Wilder]]'s comedy ''The Seven Year Itch'', starring opposite [[Tom Ewell]] as a woman who becomes the object of her married neighbor's sexual fantasies. Although the film was shot in Hollywood, the studio decided to generate advance publicity by staging the filming of a scene in which Monroe is standing on a subway grate with the air blowing up the skirt of [[white dress of Marilyn Monroe|her white dress]] on [[Lexington Avenue]] in Manhattan.{{sfn|Spoto|2001|pp=283–284}} The shoot lasted for several hours and attracted nearly 2,000 spectators.{{sfn|Spoto|2001|pp=283–284}} The "subway grate scene" became one of Monroe's most famous, and ''The Seven Year Itch'' became one of the biggest commercial successes of the year after its release in June 1955.{{sfn|Spoto|2001|p=331}}

The publicity stunt placed Monroe on international front pages, and it also marked the end of her marriage to DiMaggio.{{sfnm|1a1=Spoto|1y=2001|1pp=284–285|2a1=Banner|2y=2012|2pp=8–9}} The union had been troubled from the start by his jealousy and controlling attitude; he was also physically abusive.{{sfnm|1a1=Spoto|1y=2001|1pp=208, 222–223, 262–267, 292|2a1=Churchwell|2y=2004|2pp=243–245|3a1=Banner|3y=2012|3pp=204, 219–221}} After returning from NYC to Hollywood in October 1954, Monroe filed for divorce, after only nine months of marriage.{{sfnm|1a1=Summers|1y=1985|1pp=103–105|2a1=Spoto|2y=2001|2pp=290–295|3a1=Banner|3y=2012|3pp=224–225}}

After filming for ''The Seven Year Itch'' wrapped up in November 1954, Monroe left Hollywood for the East Coast, where she and photographer [[Milton Greene]] founded their own production company, Marilyn Monroe Productions (MMP)—an action that has later been called "instrumental" in the collapse of the [[studio system]].{{sfnm|1a1=Spoto|1y=2001|1pp=295–298|2a1=Churchwell|2y=2004|2p=246}}{{efn|Monroe and Greene had first met and had a brief affair in 1949, and met again in 1953, when he photographed her for ''[[Look (American magazine)|Look]]''. She told him about her grievances with the studio, and Greene suggested that they start their own production company.{{sfn|Spoto|2001|pp=158–159, 252–254}}}} Monroe stated that she was "tired of the same old sex roles" and asserted that she was no longer under contract to Fox, as it had not fulfilled its duties, such as paying her the promised bonus.{{sfn|Spoto|2001|pp=302–303}} This began a year-long legal battle between her and Fox in January 1955.{{sfn|Spoto|2001|pp=301–302}} The press largely ridiculed Monroe, and she was parodied in the Broadway play ''[[Will Success Spoil Rock Hunter? (play)|Will Success Spoil Rock Hunter?]]'' (1955), in which her lookalike [[Jayne Mansfield]] played a dumb actress who starts her own production company.{{sfn|Spoto|2001|p=338}}

[[File:Monroe Actors Studio.jpg|thumb|upright|left|alt=Monroe, who is wearing a skirt, blouse and jacket, standing below a sign for the Actors Studio looking up towards it|Monroe at the [[Actors Studio]], {{circa|1955}}]]
After founding MMP, Monroe moved to Manhattan and spent 1955 studying acting. She took classes with [[Constance Collier]] and attended workshops on [[method acting]] at the [[Actors Studio]], run by [[Lee Strasberg]].{{sfn|Spoto|2001|p=302}} She grew close to Strasberg and his wife Paula, receiving private lessons at their home due to her shyness, and soon became a family member.{{sfn|Spoto|2001|p=327}} She replaced her old acting coach, Natasha Lytess, with Paula; the Strasbergs remained an important influence for the rest of her career.{{sfn|Spoto|2001|p=350}} Monroe also started undergoing [[psychoanalysis]], as Strasberg believed that an actor must confront their emotional traumas and use them in their performances.{{sfn|Spoto|2001|pp=310–313}}{{efn|Monroe underwent psychoanalysis regularly from 1955 until her death. Her analysts were psychiatrists Margaret Hohenberg (1955–57), [[Anna Freud]] (1957), [[Ernst Kris|Marianne Kris]] (1957–61), and [[Ralph Greenson]] (1960–62).{{sfn|Spoto|2001|pp=312–313, 375, 384–385, 421, 459 on years and names}}}}

Monroe continued her relationship with DiMaggio despite the ongoing divorce process; she also briefly dated actor [[Marlon Brando]]. According to Brando, they maintained an intermittent relationship until she died.<ref>{{Cite book |last=Brando |first=Marlon |title=Brando: Songs My Mother Taught Me |publisher=Random House |year=1994 |isbn=978-0679410133 |pages=184 |language=en}}</ref> She began a more serious affair with playwright [[Arthur Miller]].{{sfnm|1a1=Spoto|1y=2001|pp=319–332|2a1=Churchwell|2y=2004|2p=253, for Miller|3a1=Banner|3y=2012|3p=285, for Brando}} Their relationship became increasingly serious after October 1955, when Monroe's divorce was finalized and Miller left his wife Mary Slattery.{{sfnm|1a1=Spoto|1y=2001|1p=337|2a1=Meyers|2y=2010|2p=98}}<ref>{{Cite news |last=Wood |first=Gaby |date=2005-02-13 |title='I like the company of women. Life is boring without them' - Arthur Miller |url=https://www.theguardian.com/film/2005/feb/13/theatre.arthurmiller |access-date=2024-09-08 |work=[[The Guardian]] |language=en-GB |issn=0029-7712}}</ref> The studio urged her to end it, as Miller was being investigated by the [[FBI]] for allegations of [[communism]] and had been [[subpoena]]ed by the [[House Un-American Activities Committee]], but Monroe refused.{{sfnm|1a1=Summers|1y=1985|1p=157|2a1=Spoto|2y=2001|2pp=318–320|3a1=Churchwell|3y=2004|3pp=253–254}} The relationship led to the FBI opening a file on her.{{sfnm|1a1=Spoto|1y=2001|1p=337|2a1=Meyers|2y=2010|2p=98}}

By the end of the year, Monroe and Fox signed a new seven-year contract, as MMP would not be able to finance films alone, and the studio was eager to have Monroe working for them again.{{sfn|Spoto|2001|pp=301–302}} Fox would pay her $400,000 to make four films, and granted her the right to choose her own projects, directors and cinematographers.{{sfn|Spoto|2001|pp=339–340}} She would also be free to make one film with MMP per each completed film for Fox.{{sfn|Spoto|2001|pp=339–340}}