Four More Releases of Marilyn Monroe Films; Hackman and Hopper on View in ‘Hoosiers’

We remember Marilyn Monroe, one of the big movie stars of the ‘50s, both as the quintessential buxom, dumb blonde and as a tragic figure--one of those performers supposedly used and abused by Hollywood. But what about her acting? Thanks to CBS-Fox, there’s plenty on home video to allow you to judge for yourself.

The company just released four of her old movies and dropped the price on six others. All are $19.98.

The debuts are “Monkey Business,” “River of No Return,” “Let’s Make Love” and “Niagara”: In the wacky “Monkey Business,” (1952) Monroe plays a brainless secretary who has a crush on a stuffy, married chemist (Cary Grant). It’s a supporting role but a vivid one, showing off her flair for light comedy. The movie is about the search for a youth serum, which is discovered accidentally by a chimp. The chemist, his wife (Ginger Rogers) and staff of the chemical company take the drug, with often funny but mostly silly results. Seeing dapper Grant do some of the dumb things he does in this movie is more unsettling than amusing.

Monroe has to do some serious dramatic acting in “River of No Return” (1954) and is often unconvincing. It’s the story of a tough saloon singer (Monroe) braving Indian attacks, crooks and rapids as she sails down a treacherous river searching for her crooked husband (Rory Calhoun), accompanied by a farmer (Robert Mitchum) and his son (Tommy Rettig). Some tense river-rafting sequences are interspersed with some tacky scenes obviously photographed on a set against back projections. Still, it’s a fairly satisfying Western.

In “Niagara,” (1953) a fairly riveting thriller, Monroe delivers one of her best dramatic performances as a conniving woman out to kill her husband (Joseph Cotten). Though it’s obvious in some scenes that she’s stretching her limited acting range, she’s still effective as this sexy, sinister character.

“Let’s Make Love” (1960) is a low-energy comedy featuring Monroe as a singer-actress romancing a billionaire (Yves Montand). Once again, in this relatively undemanding role, she demonstrates her talent for light comedy. There’s great chemistry between Monroe and Montand but director George Cukor, hampered by a weak script, can’t take full advantage of it.

Her comedy talents are best showcased in three previously released but repriced movies: “How to Marry a Millionaire” (1953), “Gentlemen Prefer Blondes” (1953) and “Some Like it Hot” (1959), possibly the funniest movie of the ‘50s.

NEW RELEASES: HBO’s “Hoosiers,” directed by David Anspaugh, is “Rocky” and “David and Goliath” on a basketball court. Set in the early ‘50s and based on the legendary 1954 Milan High School team, it’s about a squad from tiny Hickory, Ind. that’s whipped into championship shape by a coach (Gene Hackman) with a shady past. Like the team, which is more scrappy than talented, he’s battling for respectability while battling local leaders who disprove of his unorthodox methods. Meanwhile, he’s romancing a prissy teacher (Barbara Hershey) and trying to keep his aide Shooter (Dennis Hopper) sober.

Critics liked “Hoosiers”--arguably the best sports movie of the decade--lauding the cast, especially Hopper, who received a best supporting actor Oscar nomination. But Hackman, in a role requiring him to totter between toughness and sensitivity, really carries the movie. This performance ranks with his best--in “Bonnie and Clyde” and “I Never Sang For My Father.” If you’re in the mood for suspense (those final games are tension-filled) or plain old uplift, this movie is laced with both.

Critics were mixed about RCA/Columbia’s “Blind Date,” which stars Bruce Willis of TV’s “Moonlighting” and Kim Basinger. The slapstick farce, directed by Blake Edwards, isn’t always on target, but it does have a high-spirited silliness and is sprinkled with some hilariously goofy humor. Willis plays a junior executive who gets a blind date (Basinger) to accompany him to a business dinner. But he doesn’t realize until too late that alcohol makes her surly and uninhibited. She wrecks a restaurant and a wedding while he, trying to one-up her, is a drunken terror at a ritzy party. Of course, love blooms amid the chaos.

Usually playing the silent, sexy tart, Basinger shows a previously untapped talent for screwball comedy. Willis’ role is a variation of his live-wire, smart-aleck TV character. But strangely, the best bits in the movie belong to John Larroquette, who plays the heroine’s persistent suitor, and William Daniels--the suitor’s wealthy father. A box-office hit, grossing $40 million, this should be one of the fall’s most popular rentals.

Paramount’s “Some Kind of Wonderful” is another of writer-producer John Hughes’ teen fairy tales. Though Howard Deutch is the director, any movie Hughes is involved in is considered his by critics. This one, a box-office hit generally liked by critics, is essentially a replay of his “Pretty in Pink.” This time a poor boy (Eric Stoltz) pines for a rich girl (Lea Thompson) and is too dense to notice that his tomboy buddy (Mary Stuart Masterson) is crazy about him. The tomboy even helps him plan and execute his dream date with the rich girl. There’s also a villainous rich guy who eventually has to be put in his place.

As played by Masterson, the tomboy is incredibly appealing. You’re rooting for her to get her man (boy, actually). It’s a rather vivid and authentic recreation of a teen trauma. The comedy/drama is so well made that most teen-movie fans should get caught up in it. But most adults will probably be wondering what all the fuss is about.

In Paramount’s “Heat,” Burt Reynolds plays Nick, a former hot-shot mercenary reduced to taking menial assignments in Las Vegas just to survive. But he does a favor for an ex-girlfriend, helping her get revenge for a sexual assault by a mobster and his bodyguards. After he brutalizes them, they’re looking for revenge, which results in a climactic, bone-crunching confrontation. As a violent, tough-guy thriller, it works. If you like this genre--and Reynolds--you’ll probably like the movie, which critics dismissed as a dismal rehash. Reynolds looks properly world-weary, though critics contended he just looked bored.

COMING MOVIES: “Who’s That Girl,” the comedy starring Madonna, didn’t do as well as her tour or her album. Its home video debut is Nov. 11 on Warner Video.

Another Burt Reynolds action movie, Orion’s “Malone,” is due Oct. 29. CBS-Fox’s “Project X,” a suspense drama starring Matthew Broderick, is also an Oct. 29 release. An acclaimed Michael Caine thriller, “The Whistle Blower,” will be available on Nov. 18 on Nelson Entertainment.

Next week: “Angel Heart,” “Raising Arizona,” “Square Dance” and “Police Academy 4: Citizens on Patrol.”

CHARTS (Compiled by Billboard magazine) TOP VIDEOCASSETTES, RENTALS 1--” ’Crocodile’ Dundee” (Paramount).

2--”Black Widow” (CBS-Fox).

3--”The Color Purple” (Warner Video).

4--”The Bedroom Window” (Vestron).

5--”The Three Amigos” (HBO).

6--”A Nightmare on Elm Street 3: Dream Warriors” (Media).

7--”The Mission” (Warner Video).

8--”Over the Top” (Warner Video).

TOP VIDEOCASSETTES, SALES 1--” ’Crocodile’ Dundee” (Paramount).

2--”An American Tail” (MCA).

3--”Jane Fonda’s Low-Impact Aerobic Workout” (Lorimar).

4--”Callanetics” (MCA).

5--”Top Gun” (Paramount).

6--”Jane Fonda’s New Workout” (Lorimar).

7--”Kathy Smith’s Ultimate Video Workout” (JCI).

8--”Here’s Mickey!” (Disney).