Happy Birthday, Mr. President

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John F. Kennedy thanking Marilyn Monroe

"Happy Birthday, Mr. President" was a short song sung by actress/singer Marilyn Monroe on May 19, 1962 for then-President of the United States, John F. Kennedy, at a celebration for his forty-fifth birthday. Sung in a sultry voice, Monroe sang the traditional "Happy Birthday to You" lyrics, with "Mr. President" inserted as Kennedy's name.

Monroe continued the song with a snippet from the classic song Thanks for the Memory, for which she had written new lyrics specifically aimed at Kennedy.

Thanks, Mr. President

For all the things you've done

The battles that you've won

The way you deal with U.S. Steel

And our problems by the ton

We thank you so much

Afterwards, President Kennedy came on stage and joked about the song, saying, "I can now retire from politics after having had Happy Birthday sung to me in such a sweet, wholesome way," alluding to Monroe's delivery, her racy dress, and her general image as a sex symbol.^[1]

The song and Monroe's performance have been remembered for numerous reasons. First, it was one of her last major public appearances (Monroe died August 5, 1962). In addition, there are persistent rumors that President Kennedy and Marilyn Monroe had had an affair,^[2] giving Monroe's performance another layer of meaning.

1 History
2 Impact
- 2.1 References in Popular Culture
3 Media
4 References

[edit] History

President Kennedy's birthday celebrations were held at Madison Square Garden on May 19, 1962, and more than 15,000 people attended along with numerous celebrities, including Marilyn Monroe. Monroe's dress was noted for being sheer and flesh colored with 2500 rhinestones sewn into it. The dress was so tight-fitting that Monroe had to be literally sewn into it; she wore nothing under it.^[3] It was designed by Jean Louis.

Peter Lawford was at the event that night to introduce Monroe. He made a play on the actress's lateness by giving her a number of introductions throughout the night, after which she did not go on stage. As she finally came on stage several hours into the show, Lawford introduced her as the "late Marilyn Monroe".^[1]

The event was choreographed by Carol Haney of Pajama Game fame.

While the original song is generally sung for children, Monroe's performance was notably sultry.

[edit] Impact

Monroe's dress from the event

Monroe's dress has become famous as a symbol of the song, selling in 1999 at auction in New York for over US$1.26 million.^[3] To celebrate Prince Charles's 50th Birthday, pop singer Geri Halliwell sang to him in a similar way, replacing 'Mr President' with 'Your Royal Highness'.

[edit] References in Popular Culture

In The Simpsons episode "Rosebud", Waylon Smithers imagines a nude Mr. Burns popping out of a cake and singing "Happy Birthday, Mr. Smithers" to him in a similar tone to Monroe's performance.
John F. Kennedy, Jr. put Drew Barrymore on the cover of his magazine George in a dress very similar to Monroe's.
Madonna did a parody of Monroe's performance when she hosted the television show Saturday Night Live in 1985.
Dave Chappelle talked about this and the Lewinsky Scandal in his HBO special, "Killing Them Softly."
In the film Wayne's World, Wayne (Mike Myers) dons one of his girlfriend's (Tia Carrere) bras and gets her to laugh by singing the song to her in a mock-sultry voice reminiscent of Monroe.
On an episode of MTV game show Remote Control celebrating the birthday of then-announcer Colin Quinn, the "Sing Along with Colin" channel was changed to "The Birthday Channel"; upon this channel being selected, then-hostess Kari Wührer sang "Happy Birthday, to Mr. Quinn" in a similar sultry voice.
In an episode of The Golden Girls, Blanche Deveraux sings the song to Premier Gorbachev while Rose is in Russia on a "Mission of Peace", substituting "Mr. President" with "Mr. Number One Communist."
In the Luc Besson film Leon, Mathilda and Leon play celebrity charades, and one of her impersonations is of Marilyn Monroe singing this song.
In an episode of Sabrina the Teenage Witch, Aunt Hilda Spellman sings the song to the head of the witch's council (as seen on an old film), substituting "Mr. President" with "Mr. Head of Witch's Council."
In an episode of The Sopranos, Tony Soprano visits a woman he believes is his deceased father's mistress, and while they are reminiscing, she shows Tony a lipsticked handkerchief embroidered with Kennedy's monogram and provides provenance -- a story of a brief fling with Kennedy. On his next visit, as a reciprocal gesture, Tony shows her a white uniform cap he purchased at an auction, reputed to have been Kennedy's. She puts it on, and in a somewhat horrible impersonation of Monroe's performance, sings "Happy Birthday, Mr. President" to Tony.
On the Australian radio show The Shebang, a one-off call-in segment was done where callers could request Fifi Box (the female half of the duo) sing a song of their choice as punishment for her turning up to work with a cracking voice and a hangover. One of the callers requested she would sing 'Happy Birthday, Mr. President' (which she did).
The Ford Motor Company once ran a series of commercials in which the song was sung to an F-150 pickup truck, on its anniversary.
In an episode of One Tree Hill, Brooke Davis (Sophia Bush) sings "Happy Birthday, Mr. President" to boyfriend Chase (Stephen Colletti).
Subversive UK comedy Monkey Dust portrayed actor Brian Blessed in Monroe's dress, shouting the words of "Happy Birthday, Mr. President". Blessed is an iconic actor often famed for his loud delivery