Friday, December 07, 2012

A Merry Marilyn Xmas



However one feels about the gigantic Forever Marilyn statue by Seward Johnson in downtown Palm Springs, there is no denying that the piece has been a hit with both tourists and locals.



Many of the student painted Christmas banners on Palm Canyon Drive this year focus on Marilyn Monroe iconography...



...including a few parody items such as a swarthy Santa with hairy legs posing for his elves, a Santa having his picture taken under the statue, and a Santa who laments, "What a distraction!"



Part of the statue's appeal is that the old bank which used to take up the corner of Tahquitz and Palm Canyon has been razed, which opens up a downtown view to the glorious San Jacinto mountains just a few blocks away. Oddly enough, the giant Marilyn looks perfectly in proportion with the foothills. The ubiquitous Coachella Valley real estate developer John Wessman is proposing a six-story luxury hotel for the site which is a terrible idea. It would be great if the city just bought the statue and kept the open space as a tourist attraction.

3 comments:

Christine Okon said...

how can you NOT love something like this?

Matthew Hubbard said...

Recently, I was looking at lists of movie posters. The poster for the 1958 version of Attack of the 50 Foot Woman was the best known icon of My People And Our Agenda in pop culture, though the film stinks on ice. As this statue moves around the country, I think it has a shot at becoming a worthy competitor, or at least I can hope.

Civic Center said...

Dear Matt: I was thinking of Your People and Your Agenda, finally, when taking these photos.

Dear Chris: Glad this amused you.