Sips, Lips or Strips
Copyright© 2026 by Zappedfan
Chapter 1: The Set-Up
Korea, 1954
“When the U.S.O. asked me to come to Korea,” Marilyn Monroe said, “Joe said, ‘That’s ridiculous! She doesn’t have an act!’”
The crowd of 12,000 troops all laughed.
“But Milton somehow convinced him to let me go,” Marilyn finished.
She smiled at her production company partner, photographer Milton Greene, stage left, who was functioning as her announcer for this show.
“And Milton came up with an idea. It’s not exactly an act. But, I think you’ll find it ... very entertaining.” Marilyn winked at the men and they all whooped.
“This is working out pretty well,” she thought, “I’m glad Milton and Joe were able to put their differences aside for this. They’re usually so jealous of each other.”
Marilyn giggled a little and then said, “We’re all going to pretend we’re at a Hollywood cocktail party.”
The men were nodding attentively. This sounded interesting.
“And we’re going to play one of the games I’ve played at these parties...” she paused for effect and then said, “One of the naughty ones.”
“WHOAH!” the servicemen all shouted with approval.
“The name of this game is ‘Sips, lips or ... strips’ and it’s usually played by an equal number of boys and girls,” she explained.
“But here I’m the only girl with 12,000 boys.”
Marilyn looked thoughtful for a second, “And all those nuns in Catholic school said I’d never go to heaven,”
The G.I.s laughed and applauded.
“Now, the boys in the game try to get the girls to do something naughty that they don’t want to do and the girls try to, you know, hold out,” Marilyn continued, “So it’s like dating.”
The men all laughed again.
She turned to a couple of the MPs who were guarding the stage and said, “You can set up now.”
The MPs carried out a folding table and opened it up.
“The game is played in rounds,” Marilyn continued, “Each round, one of you that Milton has selected will ask me a question that YOU think I’d be too embarrassed to answer.”
The MPs set up ten shot glasses like bowling pins and filled them from a bottle.
“After all, the press is here and they’ll probably print anything juicy.,” Marilyn concluded.
The audience laughed.
Milton signaled to troops standing at the foot of stage right and stage left.
“If I answer the question truthfully, as Milton will judge it,” Marilyn said, “I win the round.”
A line of men, each holding a blue index card, climbed the stairs at each end of the stage and proceeded to microphones at her right and left.
“If, I’m too embarrassed to answer, I’ll forfeit the round,” she continued, “That’s when the boy who asked the question chooses, sips, lips or ... strips.”
The crowd cheered.
“Now, once I forfeit, that question can’t be asked again, even if it’s re-worded,” Marilyn insisted, “Again, Milton’s the judge.”
She and Milton exchanged nods.
“You win the game if I forfeit ten rounds,” Marilyn held up both hands and showed them her ten fingers.
The crowd oohed.
“I win if I win five rounds,” She held up just her right hand and five fingers.
The crowd booed.
“Hey, I’m a little out-numbered here.” Marilyn said sternly with her hands on her hips.
They laughed.
“But if you prefer, we can stop the game when I’ve forfeited five rounds,” she said.
The crowd took just a second to think about that then all yelled in unison, “Nooooo.”
“You’re not going to get further than five anyway” she thought. But she continued to pretend. It was all part of the tease.
She turned to the table. “Okay, so if I forfeit a round, one of the things you can make me do is drink a shot. That’s the ‘sips’ in the name. And just to be sure that I don’t enjoy the drink ... it’s tequila.”
She held up the bottle. The men all laughed.
“The rule is I have to swallow the whole shot then lick the inside of the glass.”
The men all ooohed.
“Now when I play this game in Hollywood, the boys almost always choose sips,” She explained to the quizzical looks of the crowd, “Because they know from experience that if I get enough tequila in me, they’ll probably get the other two things anyway.”
The crowd all laughed.
“And if anybody here doesn’t think that’s real tequila,” Milton interrupted, “The MPs brought it here from the Officer’s Club in Seoul, didn’t you boys?”
The MPs all nodded.
“It’s 80 proof if any of you were wondering.” The oldest MO announced.
The men cheered.
“Good old Milton,” Marilyn thought, “He thinks of everything. It’s a shame Joe is so suspicious of him.”
“Now, speaking of the other two things...” Marilyn continued.
The men cheered.
“If I forfeit a round one of the other things you can make me do is kiss you,” she explained.
The men cheered again.
“HOWEVER...” Marilyn cautioned, “There are a couple of rules about the kiss.”
She turned around and drew an imaginary line connecting her hips.
Speaking over her shoulder into the microphones, Marilyn said, “This is the 38th parallel.”
The men all laughed.
“Your hands are the North Korean Troops,” she continued as she placed her own hands on her back.
“They can go as far south as the 38th parallel,” Marilyn continued as she lowered her hands on her back, “But if they cross over into the Demilitarized Zone,” she said as she placed her hands on her own butt.
The men all cheered.
Marilyn swung around and pointed at them, “I’ll slap you as hard as you would slap those North Koreans.”
The men laughed at this.
Milton interrupted, “And don’t forget we have over a hundred MPs up here to protect our star.”
Marilyn nodded to the MPs and then to Milton.
“It’s nice that Milton is still protecting me,” she thought, “Even though I’m not sleeping with him anymore since I married Joe.”
“Okay, let’s see now,” Marilyn continued, “Those are the rules for sips and lips.”
The men leaned forward in anticipation. Marilynheld her finger to her chin and looked up thoughtfully.
“Was there another thing?” she asked.
“STRIPS!” the crowd yelled in unison.
“Oh right,” Marilyn nodded as if she had forgotten. “Now, if I forfeit a round and you choose strips, I’ll give you one thing I’m wearing.”
The crowd oohed.
“For your information, I’m presently wearing two earrings, two shoes, one dress,” Marilyn pretended to blush.
The men oohed.
“One ... slip.”
The crowd oohed.
“One garter belt, two stockings...”
More oohing.
“One ... one ... oh my goodness ... bra,” She continued.
Now the crowd cheered.
“And one pair of panties.”
The men all stood and cheered.
“Wait a second,” Milton interrupted.
He made a show of counting on his fingers.
“Two earrings, two shoes, one dress, one slip, one garter belt, two stockings, one bra and one pair of panties.”
He faked a stern look at her. “That’s ELEVEN things,” he said, “And you said the game is over when you forfeit ten.”
This was all in the script she had worked out with Milton.
“That’s right,” Marilyn answered turning to the audience,”The panties AREN’T in play!”
The men all booed.
“Hey,” she answered, “We can still stop at five.”
The men settled down.
“Over the years,” Marilyn continued, “I’ve learned how to take off my bra at cocktail parties without exposing myself.”
The men oohed.
“I’ve become a master at it, actually,” she finished, “But I haven’t figured out yet how to do that with my panties.”
The men laughed in agreement.
“I’m not doing it with my bra either,” Marilyn thought, “Not here. You boys will be lucky if you see my slip.”
“Okay, the first question is from Private Ed Nunez, Milton announced.
Ed tapped the microphone on her left to see if it was working and asked, “Miss Monroe, at what age did you lose your virginity?”
“HA!” Marilyn pointed at Ed, “I was sixteen and I was MARRIED!” she declared proudly.
“A week after my sixteenth birthday, I married my next door neighbor, Jimmy, and I lost my virginity to him ON OUR WEDDING NIGHT!” Marilyn nodded in victory.
Ed turned to Milton who nodded agreement.
“So all you newsmen feel free to report that Hollywood’s scandalous sex symbol was a virgin bride.” Marilyn folded her arms in front of her chest in self satisfaction, “That won’t bother me at all.”
“Our star wins the first round,” Milton announced, “Four more until she wins.”
The men booed.
She smiled broadly at them.
“You know,” Marilyn teased, “When I get back to Hollywood, I’m going to brag that I beat 12,000 G.I.s at sips, lips or strips.”
The men chuckled. That was another line scripted by Milton.
“The next question is from Sergeant Bob Randall,” Milton announced.
Bob stepped up to the microphone on her right and asked, “Miss Monroe, how old are you?”
“Me?” Marilyn answered, “I just turned twenty two.”
“I can’t allow that answer,” Milton said, “You forfeit.”
The audience applauded and she faked a frown.
Milton addressed Bob, “So, Bob, tell us if she sips, gives you her lips, or ... strips?”
She held her arms out to Bob and puckered slightly.
“Strips” he answered.
The crowd cheered. She shrugged, took off an earring and held it out to Bob.
“Take your prize.” She said.
He did, gladly and left the stage.
“I can’t believe he’d rather have an earring than a kiss,” Marilyn said, “What is he a pirate?”
Another laugh.
Milton continued. “The next question is from corporal Juan Gonzalez,”
Juan stepped up to his mike and with no pleasantries asked, “How much do you weigh?”
“FORFEIT!” Marilyn shouted with a laugh, “I’m not even giving you a ballpark figure on THAT one.”
Laughter.
“What’ll it be, Juan?” Milton asked, “Sips, lips, or strips?”
“I’ll bet Juan is a man,” Marilyn said, “Who can appreciate the effect tequila has on a girl.”
@Strips.” He answered.
The crowd cheered.
Marilyn shrugged, took off the other earring and held it out to Bob. “Take your prize.” She said.
He did, gladly and left the stage.
This was going just as she and Milton planned. He put the guys with the age and weight questions near the front of the line so that they wouldn’t be able to ask those questions when she was down to her slip, if she even decides to go down to her slip. And the best part was the troops now thought that they were winning. But it was all part of the tease.
“Wow,” she said holding her hair back. “My ears are totally naked.”
The crowd laughed.
“Airman Toby Rogers has the next question,” Milton announced.
Toby asked “Marilyn Monroe, what are your measurements?”
“Why don’t you find out?” Marilyn answered as Milton handed him a tape measure.
Toby was a little bewildered but then saw her raising her arms straight up and motioning him over with her head. He grinned from ear to ear and then walked over to her and wrapped the tape around her waist.
“Thirty-eight, no lie,” he announced into her microphones.
He then measured her waist, “Twenty-two, WOW!”
Marilyn turned to the news men, “Are you getting this?” she asked.
Laughter.
Toby then dangled the tape and stared at her hips, not knowing how to proceed.
“The Thirty-eighth parallel is unguarded,” Marilyn said with a smile.
The crowd laughed again and Toby measured her one last time.
“Thirty-six. Perfect!” he announced.