Itinerary: Marilyn

Incurably late to the set, Marilyn Monroe often pushed her co-workers to the breaking point, particularly on the shoot of “Some Like It Hot.” As frustrated as he was, director Billy Wilder cut Monroe some slack. “My Aunt Minnie would always be punctual and never hold up production,” he said to one cast member. “But who would pay to see my Aunt Minnie?”

Indeed, the camera loved Monroe, from the moment an Army photographer took some snaps of her working at a plane company, thus launching her modeling career. It took longer for Monroe to be viewed as more than a pretty package.

Friday

Despite her huge film success in the 1950s, Monroe longed for respect as an actress, so she broke her contract with 20th Century Fox and went to study at the Actor’s Studio in New York, where Lee Strasberg became her drama coach. Monroe, then 28, was essentially adopted by the Strasbergs, and Lee became the heir to her estate. (His second wife, Anna, who still controls Monroe’s estate, auctioned off her belongings at Christie’s in 1999.) Though Strasberg had many famous students, it’s Marilyn Monroe’s name that is on one of the theaters at the Lee Strasberg Creative Center.

Currently running at the Center’s Marilyn Monroe Theatre (7936 Santa Monica Blvd., Hollywood, [323] 650-7777): “Possible Worlds,” a rumination about the many ways life can work out by John Mighton. It’s produced by the Group at Strasberg, a 7-month-old company founded by Strasberg’s son, David Lee Strasberg. It runs Friday and Saturday at 8 p.m. and Sunday at 5 p.m. through July 29. Tickets are $17 and $19.

Before or after, stop by the cabaret the Cinegrill, inside the Hollywood Roosevelt Hotel (Cinegrill, Hollywood Roosevelt Hotel, 7000 Hollywood Blvd., L.A., [323] 466-7000). Monroe is said to have been a frequent patron of the club, and some say that her ghost appears in a mirror that hangs in the hotel. Another option is the Rainbow Bar and Grill (9015 Sunset Blvd., West Hollywood. [310] 278-4232), which is where Monroe met Joe DiMaggio on a blind date back when the restaurant was called the Villa Nova.

Saturday

Howard Hawks’ 1953 musical comedy “Gentlemen Prefer Blondes” captures Monroe in the type of role that made her famous. The story revolves around Monroe and Jane Russell, two girls from Little Rock, Ark., who go to Paris in search of fame and fortune (in the form of a rich husband). The film is wonderfully satiric, however, and though Monroe and Russell both fulfill sexual stereotypes, it’s their relationship that carries the film. That, and the song-and-dance numbers, including “Bye Bye Baby” and “Diamonds Are a Girl’s Best Friend.” The Alex Film Society screens “Gentlemen Prefer Blondes” at 2 and 8 p.m. Saturday at the Alex Theatre (216 N. Brand Blvd., Glendale. $7-$8.50. [800] 233-3123).

Sunday

When Anna Strasberg auctioned Monroe’s belongings two years ago, the Ripley’s Believe It or Not! Museum paid $2.4 million for the actress’ makeup case, fur-trimmed glass slippers and a few other items. They are on display through Sept. 3 at the museum (6780 Hollywood Blvd., Hollywood. Open daily 10 a.m.-10 p.m. Closes at midnight Friday and Saturday. $6.95-$9.95; free under age 5. [323] 466-6335).

The Hollywood Entertainment Museum (7021 Hollywood Blvd., Hollywood. Open daily, 10 a.m.-6 p.m. $4-$7.50; under age 5, free. [323] 960-4833) had film historian Chris Horak curate its Monroe exhibit commemorating her 75th birthday. Marilyn Remembered, a group of memorabilia collectors, provided about 85% of the display’s 200 items. Included are many photographs, including a GI’s snapshots of Monroe during her USO tour of Korea. The Happy Birthday, Marilyn exhibit is on view through Aug. 15.