6 Hilarious Times Marilyn Monroe’s ‘Happy Birthday, Mr. President’ Was Parodied in Film and TV
On May 19, 1962, Marilyn Monroe did something that she probably never would have guessed would become an iconic part of not just her legacy, but of American pop culture: she sang her “Happy Birthday, Mr. President” to President John F. Kennedy at a Democratic party fundraising gala at New York’s Madison Square Garden. The event was to celebrate JFK’s 45th birthday, which fell 10 days later, on May 29, and it caused quite a stir at the time! Over 60 years later, it remains a cultural touchstone that has been copied many times in movies and TV, and parodies and spoofs.
Here are six times when fictional characters tried to channel Marilyn’s birthday wish to JFK.
1 The Larry Sanders Show
©Showtime / TV Guide / courtesy Everett Collection
In the 1993 Season 2 episode “Larry’s Birthday,” when the production crew of the late-night talk show decides to make videos for host Larry Sanders’ (Garry Shandling) birthday, assistant Darlene Chapinni (Linda Doucett) sings “Happy Birthday, Mr. President” to Larry in her video.
2 Curb Your Enthusiasm
In the Season 2 episode “The Thong,” Larry David does an impersonation of Monroe’s performance, singing “Happy Birthday, Mr. President John Tyler” to a man named John Taylor, who he is having lunch with after donating his time to a charity auction. David can’t stop talking about how Tyler shares a name with a former president, mostly to fill a lot of awkward silences, which is how the song comes about. (As you may have guessed, singing Monroe’s song does not help the lunch go any better.)
3 The Sopranos
Fran Felstein (Polly Bergen), the ex-lover of Tony’s father Johnny Boy, sings it to Tony (James Gandolfini) in the Season 5 episode “In Camelot.” After an encounter at Johnny Boy’s grave, Tony and Fran decide to spend more time together, so Tony can learn more about his father and mother’s relationship.
4 30 Rock
Claire (guest star Jennifer Aniston) gives studio president Jack (Alec Baldwin) a very unwanted birthday tribute in the Season 3 episode “The One With the Cast of Night Court.”
5 Breaking Bad
In the Season 2 episode “Mandate,” Skyler White (Anna Gunn) impersonates Monroe’s performance, adding “of Benecke Fabricators Incorporated” after “Mr. President,” to Ted Benecke (Christopher Cousins), her employer and the company president.
6 Wayne’s World
In the movie Wayne’s World, Wayne (Michael Myers) puts on a lacy brassiere and sings it to girlfriend Cassandra Wong (Tia Carrere) in an effort to make her laugh while she takes an important phone call.
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