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Marilyn Monroe: A Life
From Beginning to End
(Biographies of Actors),
by Hourly History.
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Badly written as English language level goes.
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"“Give a girl the right shoes, and she can conquer the world.”
"—Marilyn Monroe"
Strangely enough, this isn't be the only volume in the Hourly History series that is published with no introduction, but proceeds straightaway with a first chapter.
Is this denigrating treatment especially because of popularity and success of this beautiful girl who strived to have her performances on screen taken seriously, not content to be seen as an object?
Or is it an additional help for a government machinery that dought to cover up a questionable death, of a then slightly inconvenient person, that might just have been neither accident nor suicide?
Unless it's understood by most readers of the series that only those certified as loyal followers of church shall remain exempt from denigrating treatment at hands of the publishers and the designated authors, usually ignorant?
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"After having had his passport denied, Miller was forced to appear before the HUAC to testify. Just prior to his attendance, Miller had specifically asked the committee not to make him identify any of his associates who were under suspicion of communist connections. House Chairman Francis E. Walter had initially agreed, but once Miller was before them, went back on this pledge and began to demand that Miller divulge information about his colleagues anyway."
Wasn't that exactly what his play had depicted the witchhunters do?
"Despite the risk of guilt by association, Marilyn Monroe was there with Miller and stood by his side during the whole ordeal. Monroe would go on to marry Miller on June 29, 1956, and to further prove that she was fully devoted to her new husband she even officially converted to Judaism. Remarkably, this was a move that led the nation of Egypt, which was in a bitter struggle with Israel at the time, to make the impulsive move to ban all of Marilyn’s films from the country."
Safe bet, they all watched secretly!
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"Although not as blatantly, Americans expressed their disdain for the marriage as well, a feeling that was perhaps encapsulated best by Walter Winchell’s remark that “America’s best-known blonde movie picture star is now the darling of the left-wing intelligentsia.” It has never been proven that Miller was in fact a communist, but he was most certainly left-leaning in his political ideology and a stark contrast to Marilyn’s previous husband’s conservatism. At least when it came to her choice in men, Marilyn Monroe was showing the world that variety is the spice of life."
Author unwilling to admit she wasn't a dumb bombshell, there.
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"Marilyn Monroe was born into this world as Norma Jeane Mortenson on June 1, 1926, in Los Angeles, California. Her mother Gladys was not yet ready to be a parent when Norma Jeane was conceived and had her placed in the care of two foster parents named Albert and Ida Bolender.
"Residing in the small town of Hawthorne, Southern California, the Bolenders were a family of Christian fundamentalists who sought to instill these values on the young Norma Jeane. Her mother in the meantime was soon relegated to just visiting on the weekends, during which she would take her daughter back to Los Angeles to shop and treat her to the occasional movie. Some say that it was those weekend trips to the cinema that sparked Norma Jeane’s lifelong interest in the arts.
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"A couple of months after her sixteenth birthday, James and Norma Jeane were married. But just as World War II was drawing to a close, James took up a position with the Merchant Marines and was stationed overseas. According to James, Norma Jeane hated to see him go and was at first quite saddened at this interruption of what had been a relatively idyllic domestic life. James was her first real piece of security, and now he was going to be shipped off thousands of miles away. James recalls that before he left, Norma Jeane practically begged him to get her pregnant so that she could have a “little piece of him” to remember him by in case he was lost at sea.
"While Dougherty no doubt was flattered by some of the melodrama that had erupted in his honor, he insisted that the time wasn’t right; she was too young, and furthermore, if he was lost at sea, it wouldn’t make any sense for her to have the burden of being a single mother. Norma Jeane who recalled her own mother’s struggles with being an unprepared parent soon agreed with his argument. As fate would have it, after declining the opportunity to have a baby with her first husband, she would never be a mother during her sojourn on this Earth and would die childless."
Wonder why that's pointedly said only of women, but never of males worshipped by church?
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"Accepting her role as the lonely newlywed, Norma Jeane moved in with her mother-in-law, and not long after James left to fill his post with the Merchant Marines, she began her first nine-to-five job, working at a local radio plane factory. Here she was one of many women trying to do their part for the war relief effort during World War II. Norma Jeane worked hard, spraying airplane parts with fire retardant and examining military parachutes as part of a quality control team. It was here that she would encounter her first rendezvous with fate when she was discovered by photographer David Conover who was on the site doing a piece on the female contributions to the war.
"After Conover introduced Norma Jeane to a modeling agency, she received her first official contract in the industry. And it wasn’t long after signing on as a model that Norma Jeane would begin to craft the image that would make her famous; sheering her long hair and bleaching it blonde. She soon became the agency’s most successful model and appeared on the cover of several magazines.
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"Norma Jeane made such an impression that her husband James claims he first saw her on the cover of a magazine when he was still overseas in Buenos Aires. According to James, after he got over his shock of seeing his wife’s picture printed on the front page, he pointed out as much to his comrades in arms, and they wouldn’t believe she was his spouse.
"This extra exposure as a model soon landed Norma Jeane a screen testing with the film company 20th Century Fox. The aspiring actress was initially given a six-month contract and a weekly salary of $125, and in more ways than one, it was here that Marilyn Monroe was conceived. The suggestion to give up the name of Norma Jeane Dougherty came from a talent scout named Ben Lyon. After accepting the first name of Marilyn which Lyon had suggested, Norma took on her mother’s maiden name of Monroe, and thus, Marilyn Monroe was born."
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"“In Hollywood a girl’s virtue is much less important than her hairdo. You’re judged by how you look, not by what you are. Hollywood’s a place where they’ll pay you a thousand dollars for a kiss and fifty cents for your soul. I know, because I turned down the first offer enough and held out for the fifty cents.”
"—Marilyn Monroe"
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"Shortly after signing the contract with 20th Century Fox, Marilyn Monroe served her husband with divorce papers. According to James, there was no real malice involved in the separation; it was more or less a mutual understanding since they both knew she couldn’t remain his adoring housewife and vigorously pursue her career in Hollywood at the same time.
"During her first six months with 20th Century Fox, Marilyn was hopeful that she would be able to land her first big break. Unfortunately, she was mainly relegated to small walk-on roles such as the minute part she played in the lackluster Scudda Hoo Scudda Hay in 1947. After final editing, her time on this film had been reduced to just one clip, in which she walked on screen for a few moments to say hello to one of the main characters of the film.
"Adding insult to injury, shortly after the final release, 20th Century Fox let Marilyn know that they did not intend to renew her contract. She was devastated, but she wasn’t about to give up, and simply returned to her successful career in modeling while she relentlessly sought to make new connections in the movie world.
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"Her determination paid off when she was assigned another six-month contract, this time with Columbia Pictures. In this deal, she was promised a starring role in what turned out to be a rather low-budget musical called Ladies of the Chorus.
"Marilyn was indeed cast in a leading role, but the film was not the box office success she had hoped and quickly faded from memory. After this latest stint in Hollywood, her contract came to an end again and was, to her disappointment, not renewed. For the rest of the late 1940s, Marilyn got by through filming some of the very first commercials for television, famously starring in a Royal Triton gasoline advertisement."
Author mentions a questionable photo shoot for a calendar.
"For her, the photo shoot was just a way to pay the rent, and she could never have foreseen the lasting controversy that these pictures would create in the years to come. Fortunately for Marilyn, she soon found other ways to pay the bills, including a small role in the 1950 film Asphalt Jungle in which she played Angela Phinlay, the girlfriend of a gangster.
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"In this movie, she was able to break out of her usual typecast roles and show that she could excel with dramatic parts if she was given the opportunity. Shortly after this film, she was cast in the movie All About Eve in which she played the character of Miss Caswell, an aspiring actress who often had to resort to using her sexuality to score acting roles; something Marilyn could certainly relate to.
"This character was supposed to be the antithesis of the aging actress Eve played by Anne Baxter, who was depicted as using her cunning and conniving to get promoted rather than having to use her body. Despite some of the irony with her own life that was inherent in the plot, Marilyn’s performance was fairly well received, and she showed that she could more than hold her own when placed alongside more seasoned stars such as Anne Baxter.
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"This success enabled her to sign on once again with 20th Century Fox, this time for a seven-year contract that began in force in December 1950. The following year proved to be a pivotal one for Marilyn’s career, starting in March 1951 when she was made the official presenter of the 23rd Academy Awards, putting her on the national stage like never before.
"Later that year she was busy with several supporting roles in films such as Home Town Story, As Young as You Feel, Love Nest , and Let’s Make it Legal. Although the roles were small, she received a fair amount of praise for her portrayals in the films, and despite the dumb-blonde stereotype she was often typecast into, she was cited as “one of the brightest up and coming actresses.”
"Marilyn was elated to receive such accolades, and she was just as determined not to let her supporters down. Serious about developing her craft further she enrolled in acting classes and became a student of the seasoned actor and director Michael Chekhov. As her ability grew, so did her fan base; it is said that by 1951 she was receiving several thousand letters every single week. Marilyn Monroe had made it."
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"“A smart girl leaves before she is left.”
"—Marilyn Monroe"
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"Marilyn Monroe began 1952 with a bang. She had acquired the leading role in the movie Don’t Bother to Knock in which she played the part of a mentally disturbed babysitter who is abusive to the ones she is supposed to be babysitting. By all accounts, this film has been categorized as a B-movie, but despite the low-budget quality of the piece, Marilyn’s performance is widely viewed as one of her best.
"Shortly after she finished up Don’t Bother to Knock, Marilyn was introduced to famed baseball player Joe DiMaggio. After just a few dates, the two seemed to be smitten with each other and would develop a long-lasting relationship. Meanwhile, her dramatic prowess in Don’t Bother to Knock led her to be cast in the thriller Niagara in 1953.
"In this film, Marilyn was playing the role of yet another mentally disturbed woman, this one with murderous intentions against her husband played by celebrated actor Joseph Cotton. This film was Marilyn’s first big-budget movie and proved that she could hold her own in an A-list film.
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"But with success came trouble; her past indiscretions would come back to haunt her when in December 1953, a man named Hugh Hefner would purchase the prints to the nude calendar photos from Marilyn’s early career. They ended up being published in a magazine Hefner was developing called Playboy. Although rather mild by today’s standards, in the social mores of the early 1950s this created a publicity crisis for the starlet, and her handlers were sent in for immediate damage control. Against the wishes of 20th Century Fox, however, Marilyn sought to bring the media storm to a close by being honest about the affair and openly admitting to her role in the photos.
"She went on the record to admit that it was her in the images, and when a reporter asked her what she “had on” during the photo shoot, she glibly answered, “The radio.” And that was all it took; Marilyn seemed to prove the old expression correct that honesty is the best policy and with it, she seemed to reshape the American conception of morality. With Marilyn’s admission, it was no longer quite so scandalous for a movie star to be seen in such a compromising position.
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"The drama soon blew over, and if anything, it only helped her popularity. The following year she would star in the blockbuster film, Gentlemen Prefer Blondes which—as the name might imply—worked to cement her infamous characterization as the ditzy blonde bombshell that would, for better or for worse, become her legacy. In the movie, she played the character of a showgirl named Lorelei Lee who was an expert gold digger.
"The scene that would become her most famous on-screen appearance would involve this character’s singing of the song, “Diamonds Are a Girl’s Best Friend.” Shortly after the release, Marilyn and her fellow actress in the film, Jane Russell, pressed their hand and foot prints into the cement at Grauman’s Chinese Theatre in Hollywood, further securing Marilyn Monroe’s fame and legacy into the hearts of millions.
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"The films that she would star in afterward would all capitalize on the same formula: Marilyn playing a knockout blonde with a low IQ. But when the films finally began to flounder in the box office, Marilyn had had enough. And when producers at Fox began demanding that she return to finish up her contract and appear in a brand new mediocre film called The Girl in Pink Tights, Monroe refused. The executives at 20th Century Fox were enraged at this development and suspended her from the company on January 4, 1954. The story garnered considerable attention in the media, but Marilyn ignored any negative attention and refused to budge on the issue.
"Around the same time, Marilyn was busy preparing for her wedding her long-time boyfriend Joe DiMaggio. Joe being the observant Catholic that he was, wished to have a Roman Catholic priest oversee their marital vows. But there was one small problem with this plan; the local archbishop of San Francisco, a man named John J. Mitty refused to recognize the marriage. According to the archbishop, the church had never officially recognized his divorce from his first wife Dorothy, and if he were to go forward with his marriage to Monroe, he would face excommunication from the church.
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"George Solotaire, a close friend of DiMaggio’s, said that the baseball legend reacted to this verdict by stating, “I’d rather head for hell in due course than give up my Garden of Eden. In other words; let them excommunicate me.” Determined to move forward with or without the official blessing of the Catholic Church, the two were wed in a private civil ceremony on January 14, 1954.
"This privacy could not be maintained outside of the municipal building they were married in, however, and as soon as they stepped out the door, the press was there to greet them. Thousands of camera flashes erupted as soon as they caught sight of the couple, and a flood of questions ensued. One reporter asked Marilyn, “What do you want out of this marriage?” At which Marilyn famously responded, “I’ve got what I wanted. I’ve got Joe.”"
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"“It is wonderful to have someone praise you, to be desired.”
"—Marilyn Monroe"
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"Shortly after the wedding, 20th Century Fox had Hollywood attorney Lloyd Wright give the newlyweds a call and—as if they were delivering Marilyn a wedding gift—announced the lifting of the suspension of her contract. However, Lloyd stipulated that 20th Century Fox would do so only if Marilyn agreed to return to work immediately after her honeymoon to begin rehearsal for the film role that she had already declined, in the production of The Girl in Pink Tights.
"Both Joe and Marilyn were upset with the bargain that 20th Century Fox was attempting to strike, but the news seemed to affect Joe DiMaggio the most. DiMaggio took the casting of his newlywed wife in such a sultry role as nothing short of a direct affront to him and his marriage. He told Wright in no uncertain terms that he would never sign off on a contract that would have his wife running around “half-naked,” portraying a “woman of easy virtue.”
"By the time Joe had hung up the phone, Lloyd and his Hollywood associates knew that now they weren’t just dealing with Monroe, but they also had to play ball with Joe DiMaggio. At first, Marilyn Monroe enjoyed the paternalist protective qualities of her husband, and she most certainly did not want to return to the same type of roles she had grown so tired of before. Their partnership seemed to have developed on a unified front that was refreshing for them both. However, it wasn’t long before Marilyn started to become a bit too stifled under Joe’s avid protection.
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"Shortly after they delivered their rebuff to 20th Century Fox, Marilyn and Joe traveled to Japan to finish the rest of their honeymoon in the Far East. Post-war Japan was just beginning to get excited about baseball, and Joe DiMaggio had received an invitation from the regional newspaper Yomiuri Shimbun to come and kick off the Japanese baseball season. But before they even landed the plane, a U.S. military general by the name of Charles Christenberry intercepted the couple with a special request. After congratulating them on their wedding, he broached the topic, “How would you like to visit Korea for a few days and entertain the American troops currently stationed in Seoul as part of the UN occupation force?” The Korean War had just ended a few months before in July 1953, and it was quite common for American entertainers to be asked to perform for the bored soldiers still stationed along the 38th parallel.
"It was a rather open-ended question that seemed to be addressed to both of them, but it was Joe who took the bait first and replied to the general, “I’d like to, but I don’t think I’ll have time this trip.” And then in a classically awkward moment, the general smiled as he corrected the former baseball star, “I don’t mean you, Mr. DiMaggio. My inquiry was directed at your wife.”"
" ... Marilyn accepted the general’s request, and Joe would have to—grudgingly—accept as well. This one scene seems to be emblematic of their entire marriage.
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"As soon as the power-couple landed in Asia, they were mobbed by fans and photographers wherever they went. It’s said that Monroe was followed around by the Japanese press as if she were some sort of visiting head of state. And to make matters even worse for DiMaggio, in more than one publication he was referred to as Mr. Marilyn Monroe. It was all a bit too much for him to take from the very beginning, and on February 16, when Marilyn boarded a helicopter bound for her gig with the USO in South Korea, DiMaggio was almost relieved.
"Marilyn’s first stop during her visit was to a field hospital where she visited wounded veterans of the war. Everyone was very grateful to see her, and she proved to be a welcome distraction from some of the misery they had suffered during the brutal conflict fought over North and South Korea. Over the next four days, Monroe performed on ten different occasions to about 60,000 troops of all different ranks and branches of service.
"It was here that Marilyn Monroe’s stage persona truly became larger than life, and seemed to take her over completely. She would later recall that when she entertained those adoring soldiers, it was the first time in her life that she really felt appreciated, that she felt wanted and loved. Like a drug, she couldn’t quite get enough of it. When she made her exit from the stage during her last performance, she announced to the crowd as they gave her a standing ovation, “This is the best thing that ever happened to me.” Referencing the new home that awaited her with DiMaggio in California, she requested of her fans, “Come see me in San Francisco!”"
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"“I have too many fantasies to be a housewife; I guess I am a fantasy.”
"—Marilyn Monroe"
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"Not long after their return to the United States from their honeymoon, DiMaggio suddenly announced he had to make a business trip to New York. Left by herself, Marilyn took the opportunity to catch up with an old friend of hers by the name of Lotte Goslar who happened to be in the San Francisco Bay area upon their arrival. Marilyn and her friend hung out around downtown San Francisco and over dinner together she related what she had experienced on her honeymoon.
"Monroe was especially excited to relay what had happened to her in Korea. She told her friend, “Before I went over there, I never really felt like a star. Not really, not in my heart. I felt like one in Korea. It was so great to look down from the stage and see all those young fellows smiling up at me. It made me feel wanted.” Marilyn felt that she had finally come into her own, and on April 14, 1954, when Lloyd Wright and company came calling again, Marilyn took this new-found confidence and used it to renegotiate her contract altogether.
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"She managed to gain a substantial salary increase, and after 20th Century Fox informed her that they were foregoing any future production of The Girl in Pink Tights, she landed a lead role in the musical There’s No Business Like Show Business instead. In this film, Monroe starred as a showgirl who loved the limelight, a role not too far off the mark for Marilyn. But her husband Joe DiMaggio was at the same time showing how much of an utter disdain he had for the business. DiMaggio had never been a fan of the Hollywood lifestyle, and despite his penchant for heavy drinking, Joe was actually a relatively conservative character. He never felt like he mixed well with the “Hollywood types,” so much so, that whenever Marilyn had to attend an award show or any other get-together of the Hollywood elite, he would insist on waiting in the lobby, making Marilyn go to the event by herself.
"Nevertheless, one of those Hollywood types that DiMaggio shunned, widely acclaimed producer and screenwriter Billy Wilder, would keep DiMaggio’s wife busy during the fall of 1954 with his new romantic comedy The Seven Year Itch. Marilyn began work on this project starting on August 10, filming on-site in Los Angeles. In this movie, she was cast in the role of the romantic interest of the main protagonist Richard Sherman, who has second thoughts after seven years of marriage.
"Strangely, even though Marilyn is playing a leading role in the film, she is only credited as “the Girl.” But despite her anonymity in the role, she easily steals the show, and in this movie manages to create one of the most iconic scenes of the twentieth century. Even though most of the film was produced in California, on September 15, Marilyn was sent to shoot the scene on Lexington Avenue in New York City. In this iconic setting, right around two o’clock in the morning just as the bars were beginning to close, she was placed standing on a subway grate in a white dress as an updraft in the vent blows her skirt up in the air for all to see. A crowd of thousands of men, some of them photographers from the press gathered to watch this live-action scene, all of them amassing around Lexington Avenue and 52nd Street in lustful anticipation.
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"Joe DiMaggio was at a nearby bar called St. Regis’s King Cole Bar, drinking with his usual entourage and blithely unaware of his wife’s antics until a friend tipped him off to what was going on. DiMaggio was finally dragged out to the site of Marilyn’s shoot and found himself staring in disbelief as his wife did take after take with her skirt blowing up into the air exposing her panties to the leering crowd of men.
"Billy Wilder managed to spot DiMaggio in the crowd and felt a little bad for him, claiming that he “had the look of death on his face.” This death mask only worsened as the increasingly out-of-control crowd of men ogling his wife’s undergarments began to boisterously shout things like “Take it off!” and “Let’s see more!” At this point, Wilder had Marilyn stop what she was doing and ordered her to go back to her trailer and put on a less revealing pair of panties.
"The pair that she was wearing was apparently far too revealing than the movie censors of the day would have allowed. But this small measure of decency wouldn’t be enough for the humiliated DiMaggio who angrily marched off before his wife returned to renew the shoot. He later went back to his friends to drown his angst in more alcohol as he lamented to them that he had just bore witness to his wife “performing a striptease act on Lexington Avenue.”
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"His disgust and rancor would reach a boiling point by the time he was reunited with Marilyn the next day, and although it is unclear exactly what occurred, she arrived on set afterward appearing as if she had been beaten. There had been previous rumors that Joe had gotten physical with her, but she had always denied such charges.
"This time, however, she was forthright with her cast mates and told them that Joe had hit her several times during the evening. The very next month on October 5, the two were legally separated. A few weeks later on October 27, 1954, Marilyn arrived at the Santa Monica Superior Court and received an uncontested divorce of her not even one-year-old marriage to Joe DiMaggio."
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"“I guess I have always been deeply terrified to really be someone’s wife since I know from life one cannot love another, ever, really.”
"—Marilyn Monroe"
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"Marilyn Monroe was only 28 years old, and she already had a pair divorces under her belt. But as upsetting as divorce universally is, Marilyn had other things to distract her at the time, and one of them was the box office returns for The Seven Year Itch which was accumulating over four million dollars at the box office by 1955. Inspired by her success and wishing for more artistic control, Marilyn left Hollywood for the East Coast with the intention of perfecting her craft.
"Back in New York, she began to study under the tutelage of the director of the prestigious Actors Studio, Lee Strasberg, and his wife Paula. The Strasbergs stressed that an actor needed to be able to relax, be natural, and get themselves to the point to where inspiration could spontaneously occur. Marilyn absorbed herself into these acting classes, taking in every detail.
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"As well as honing her craft she also developed a close relationship with Lee and Paula Strasberg, considering them akin to an adopted family. For Lee Strasburg, in particular, she would later glowingly recall, “He became my coach, friend, advisor, mentor, hero, champion, and savior.” For his part, her savior saw Marilyn as an actress with a tremendous amount of untapped potential.
"Lee believed that the comic and ditzy character that she portrayed on the big screen was not who Marilyn really was, and once he could get her to release her inner self and utilize her true emotions and feelings, she could become a formidable actress. Lee used an interesting approach with his students, using coaching techniques that bordered on Sigmund Freud’s psychoanalysis, in which he allowed the actor to analyze their deep reservoir of what he termed “sense memory.”
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"He encouraged artists to feel and sense their way to a more realistic portrayal of who they are. In order to break away from the cartoon character that the persona of Marilyn Monroe had become, Marilyn felt that this was just the kind of reflective process that she needed. Soon after she found a home for herself among the Strasbergs, another New York denizen of the production world that Marilyn would ingratiate herself with was Arthur Miller, the author of Death of a Salesman.
"She developed a fast friendship with Miller, and soon enough the two became romantically involved. Miller was still living with his wife and children at the time in Brooklyn Heights, New York, but that didn’t stop the two from having a thrilling affair. Marilyn and Arthur were going everywhere together, and Marilyn had nothing but praise for the man, maintaining, “I felt alone when I arrived in New York. Now finally, I have Arthur. He’s going to make my life better, a lot better.”
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"But unfortunately for Monroe, Arthur had some baggage she didn’t quite foresee. Due to the long-held suspicion of Arthur Miller having communist sympathies, he had been under FBI surveillance. And the more she involved herself with him, the more the FBI involved themselves with her.
"Even if Marilyn was aware of the bad attention she was gaining, she could have cared less; ... "
Who's the author? Correct English would be "couldn't have cared less", not "could have cared less".
" ... she was finally in control of her life and career. A fact that was evident when she returned to Los Angeles in February 1956 to begin her new project, a film called The Bus Stop. In full accord with her renegotiated contract with 20th Century Fox, Marilyn made sure that she had the final say in who would end up in the cast, as well as who would be the director, screenwriter, and cinematographer."
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"In this film, she played a saloon girl named Cherie who becomes enamored with the local ranch hand who kidnaps her. Leaving the glitz and glamour behind, Monroe attempted to go for a grittier realism, foregoing makeup and purposely trying to appear a bit rough around the edges. The move seemed to work, and she received rave reviews for her performance and was even nominated for a Golden Globe.
"The only thing to dampen her moment of triumph was the ever-increasing government scrutiny on her love interest Arthur Miller. Miller had been a target of Cold War anti-communist hysteria ever since his production of The Crucible gained him the attention of the House on Un-American Activities Committee (HUAC). Since The Crucible was believed to be a satire against the Cold War, the HUAC was determined to shut Miller down."
Satire? It was outright condemnation and expose, showing McCarthy and co as inheritors of Salem witch hunters.
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"After having had his passport denied, Miller was forced to appear before the HUAC to testify. Just prior to his attendance, Miller had specifically asked the committee not to make him identify any of his associates who were under suspicion of communist connections. House Chairman Francis E. Walter had initially agreed, but once Miller was before them, went back on this pledge and began to demand that Miller divulge information about his colleagues anyway."
Wasn't that exactly what his play had depicted the witchhunters do?
"Despite the risk of guilt by association, Marilyn Monroe was there with Miller and stood by his side during the whole ordeal. Monroe would go on to marry Miller on June 29, 1956, and to further prove that she was fully devoted to her new husband she even officially converted to Judaism. Remarkably, this was a move that led the nation of Egypt, which was in a bitter struggle with Israel at the time, to make the impulsive move to ban all of Marilyn’s films from the country."
Safe bet, they all watched secretly!
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"Although not as blatantly, Americans expressed their disdain for the marriage as well, a feeling that was perhaps encapsulated best by Walter Winchell’s remark that “America’s best-known blonde movie picture star is now the darling of the left-wing intelligentsia.” It has never been proven that Miller was in fact a communist, but he was most certainly left-leaning in his political ideology and a stark contrast to Marilyn’s previous husband’s conservatism. At least when it came to her choice in men, Marilyn Monroe was showing the world that variety is the spice of life."
Author unwilling to admit she wasn't a dumb bombshell, there.
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"“Nothing’s ever easy as long as you go on living.”
"—Marilyn Monroe"
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"Marilyn made what would be her only self-produced film, called The Prince and the Showgirl, in 1957. For this movie she would work with an entirely British cast and the leading man of the picture would be none other than famed actor Sir Laurence Olivier. Marilyn and Laurence seemed to get off on the wrong foot from the very beginning, however, and the chemistry was just not working for them from the outset of the production."
" ... The general audience wasn’t much kinder either, and the reviews were mixed at best, leading to a big letdown for the ambitious starlet.
"During this time, Marilyn began to show the symptoms of a dangerous addiction to alcohol and sleeping pills. She suffered from terrible insomnia and would often take handfuls of pills chased with shots of vodka just to get some rest. According to Arthur Miller, it was none other than Paula Strasberg who he derided as the “walking apothecary” who often provided Marilyn with her drugs of choice.
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"Miller was highly critical of the Strasbergs—especially Paula—and didn’t understand why Marilyn continued to finance them as her coaches and mentors. He didn’t believe in their methodology and felt that it was a waste of time at best and a con-job perpetrated against Marilyn for financial gain at worst. Miller was already coming to regret his marriage to the increasingly erratic Marilyn Monroe.
"And soon these doubts would be made known in an incredibly painful fashion, when by chance Miller had left an open notebook on a table that contained a passage written about her, voicing his concerns. In it, he vented his frustration over Marilyn’s behavior on set, and to Marilyn’s horror he sided with Laurence Olivier and stated that he had every right to have “anger and resentment.”
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"He also criticized Marilyn on a personal level referring to her as an “out of control child woman with endless emotional demands,” and furthermore was worried that the energy he had to expend to deal with her was killing his creativity as a writer. Instead of Marilyn being his muse, Miller was stating that she was his menace. Marilyn was crushed to read these passages and was immediately sent into a state of deep depression.
"After a visit from her psychiatrist Margaret Hohenberg, even greater concern developed over Marilyn’s precarious mental state. So much so that Dr. Hohenberg made special arrangements for Marilyn to meet Anna Freud, who was none other than Sigmund Freud’s daughter. During this pivotal meeting with the heiress of the famed psychoanalysis, Marilyn would receive a rather stunning diagnosis. Anna Freud concluded that Marilyn was suffering from paranoid schizophrenia."
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................................................................................................
"“Sometimes I feel my whole life has been one big rejection.”
"—Marilyn Monroe"
................................................................................................
"After growing up in the wreckage of her mother’s mental illness, Marilyn had always feared that she would suffer a similar fate. When Anna Freud first came to her conclusion about Marilyn Monroe’s mental state she kept it to herself, fearing to provoke more trauma in the patient. Instead, she notified Marilyn’s psychiatrist Hohenberg of her findings.
"Monroe would find out soon enough, however, and she now experienced a genuine terror that she would end up just like her institutionalized mother. Nevertheless, through all of her recent trauma, Marilyn persevered, and she and her husband purchased a new home together during the latter half of 1957. Marilyn seemed to be preparing a refuge for her family, and shortly thereafter she discovered that she was pregnant.
"This wasn’t the first time the actress was pregnant, she had been so before but miscarried. This time she was hoping she would be able to keep the pregnancy. She viewed having a baby as a form of glue that just might keep her marriage to Arthur Miller intact. Miller seemed to share some of this sentiment, hoping that having a child might slow down some of Marilyn’s more erratic behavior.
................................................................................................
"But it wasn’t meant to be. On August 1, 1957, Marilyn awoke with a terrible pain in her stomach and the sadness of the realization that another pregnancy had most likely eluded her. Miller immediately called an ambulance to take Marilyn to the hospital and there her fears were confirmed. It turned out that she was suffering from a dangerous form of ectopic pregnancy and the embryo would have to be removed."
"When Marilyn felt as if she had recuperated enough, she managed to score what would be her greatest role of all in the Bill Wilder comedic piece entitled Some Like It Hot. She starred alongside Tony Curtis and Jack Lemon, playing an aspiring singer named Sugar Kane Kowalczyk. It was yet another role that hit fairly close to home, with Marilyn playing a hopeful young entertainer, finding herself in comedic situations as she attempts to claw her way to stardom.
................................................................................................
"Wilder apparently had second thoughts about Marilyn after she was consistently late for takes and otherwise difficult to work with, but his doubts disappeared in March 1959 when the box office results came back. The film was a massive success and one of Marilyn’s most notable performances, earning her a Golden Globe for Best Actress in a Musical Comedy.
"By late 1959, Marilyn had garnered so much attention that even visiting heads of state were requesting her audience, as was the case when 20th Century Fox held a luncheon for the president of the Soviet Union, Nikita Khrushchev. The Soviet leader had apparently requested that Marilyn attend. Monroe readily assented to this invitation, but her husband Arthur Miller who was still under investigation for communism understandably declined to join her."
................................................................................................
" ... Khrushchev was received in style with the likes of Frank Sinatra, Judy Garland, Cary Grant, Gregory Peck, Bob Hope, Bing Crosby, Zsa Zsa Gabor, and Jimmy Stewart in attendance.
"It was a rather odd affair from the beginning with the Soviet president’s wife Nina seated between Bob Hope and Frank Sinatra showing them baby pictures of her grandkids, while her husband gave a speech that angrily railed against capitalism and the United States. As soon as Khrushchev had finished his harangue, he waltzed right over to none other than Marilyn Monroe.
................................................................................................
"Often underestimated for her ability with language, Marilyn impressed everyone in the room by excitedly greeting the Russian leader in fairly well-versed Russian. As it turns out she had been coached shortly before the event by her friend Natalie Wood who was a Russian speaker.
"Khrushchev was perhaps a bit more cautious under his wife’s wary eye, but he was obviously rather smitten. Marilyn’s charm had managed to break down his icy wall, and even the Soviet leadership proved to be a fan. Just leave it to Marilyn Monroe to end the Cold War without a single shot fired."
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................................................................................................
"“Imperfection is beauty, madness is genius and it’s better to be absolutely ridiculous than absolutely boring.”
"—Marilyn Monroe"
................................................................................................
"As 1959 turned into 1960, Marilyn Monroe was busy working on a film called Let’s Make Love. It was yet another romantic comedy which reprised the role that had made Marilyn famous. As for her leading man in this film, initially that part was intended for Gregory Peck, but once he saw some of the screenplay rewrites that Marilyn’s husband Miller had inserted into the script he declined the offer.
"Marilyn’s production team then inquired with both Cary Grant and Charlton Heston to fulfill the role, but both turned them down flat. Some believe that it was due to Marilyn’s reputation of being difficult to work with that caused them such difficulty in casting a leading man, but at any rate, the honor eventually fell on the shoulders of French actor Yves Montand."
................................................................................................
"Marilyn is reported to have become increasingly paranoid at this point and insisted that the FBI was following her and that Fox must have agreed to have her dressing room bugged with listening devices to send incriminating information back to the bureau. For anyone else to make such assertions, it would indeed seem like the ramblings of a paranoiac. However, Marilyn really was on the FBI’s radar due to her association with Miller. Marilyn even went so far as to have a private investigator look into the matter, but nothing was ever found."
Of course!
"As filming continued, Marilyn developed an affair with her leading man Montand. This latest excursion reportedly lasted six months; if Arthur knew of these happenings, it didn’t seem to concern him. Unlike Joe DiMaggio, Miller seemed to accept the fact that his wife was so larger than life, that more often than not she was public domain, and he had to share her as such. All the details would come out about the relationship after filming for Let’s Make Love came to a close, when Montand, himself a married man, openly confessed to the tryst."
................................................................................................
" ... Monroe’s next big role would be in the epic film The Misfits which she began work on in July 1960. Miller wrote the dialogue for this production and had promised that this piece would be a departure from her usual typecast roles.
"That same month while she was beginning production of this movie, Marilyn took the time to be a part of the 1960 Democratic National Convention where she donated $3,000 to back an up-and-coming star of the party; the then senator from Massachusetts, John F. Kennedy. Marilyn had briefly encountered Kennedy for the first time three years prior when both of them had attended a party that had been hosted by Kennedy’s sister Patricia and her husband, the actor Peter Lawford.
................................................................................................
"It was Peter Lawford that Kennedy would call upon to invite Monroe to an after-party of sorts at an Italian restaurant owned by another early Kennedy backer, Frank Sinatra. It was rumored among those in their respective inner circles that the two were already having an intimate relationship, and their behavior at Puccini’s seemed to confirm this belief.
"Marilyn was seated at a booth right next to John F. Kennedy, allegedly snuggling with him while he caressed her. After this outing, Marilyn was next seen with Kennedy at the Los Angeles Coliseum on the July 15, listening to his rousing acceptance speech as the official presidential candidate for the Democratic Party. Marilyn attended another after-party following this iconic event where rumors circulate that she skinny-dipped with the presidential candidate.
................................................................................................
" ... shortly after they had finished filming, Clark Gable died of a heart attack. Marilyn was stricken with grief, and like anyone else in such a bizarre situation, blamed herself for what had happened—as did a few others. But truth be told, Gable was known to be suffering from heart disease from his years of heavy drinking, smoking, and hard living. It is unfortunate that he had chosen such language to vent his frustration because the sheer coincidence of his passing did nothing to help the image of Marilyn Monroe.
"Understandably, Marilyn was devastated, and to make matters worse, the film itself was largely a box office failure. It became apparent that neither her professional nor personal collaboration with Arthur Miller was very successful, and the two were divorced soon thereafter. Marilyn would later comment about Miller, “He was a good writer, but a bad husband.” Miller, of course, had a few reservations of his own."
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"“I am trying to find myself; sometimes that’s not easy.”
"—Marilyn Monroe"
................................................................................................
"At a complete loss, Marilyn eventually reached out to the one lifeline she had left, Joe DiMaggio. She had often referred to Joe as her lifeguard who would pull her out of troubled waters when she had gone too deep; now she depended on him more than ever. Fortunately for her, Joe loyal until the end promised her that he would be there the very next day.
"As rocky as their marriage together had been, right when she needed him the most Joe was there to comfort and protect her. He immediately headed over to the psych ward that held her captive and demanded that she be released. The nurse practitioner at first refused to release Marilyn without her psychiatrist’s signature. But Joe wouldn’t have it any other way, and informed the nurse that if Marilyn was not released immediately, he would tear the place apart, “brick by brick.""
................................................................................................
................................................................................................
"“The nicest thing for me is sleep; then at least I can dream.”
"—Marilyn Monroe"
................................................................................................
"After busting Marilyn Monroe out of the institution that had held her confined, Joe and Marilyn began to rekindle their romance right where they had left it. Over the next few months, they were practically inseparable, but unfortunately, their renewed love interest would fizzle out over one of their more mundane hang-ups from the past: money.
"Joe had happened to pick up a receipt Marilyn had left behind from a grocery run, but Joe ever the scrutinizer had apparently determined that she had been overcharged for the items she purchased. After everything they had been through, it was this trivial issue that set off an explosion. It is quite common for couples to argue about money, but in the case of Marilyn Monroe and Joe DiMaggio, who were both well off, the penny-pinching was unexpected.
"Joe, who prided himself with his meticulous management of his finances, had always been appalled by what he deemed to be Marilyn’s inordinate waste of money. And to see this failure to mind her finances again, struck a nerve with him. So he confronted Marilyn and reprimanded her, “Why don’t you look the bills over before you pay them?”
"Resenting being treated like a child, Marilyn was immediately enraged and snatched the receipt out of Joe’s outstretched hand as she shouted at him, “It’s my money, not yours!” This then kicked off a major blowout that ended in Joe angrily marching out of the door. This argument over a grocery receipt would, a few days later, be compounded by a visceral exchange over a puppy."
................................................................................................
................................................................................................
"By February 1962, Marilyn was becoming more involved with the Kennedy clan meeting up with John F. Kennedy’s brother, Robert, at a dinner hosted by Peter Lawford. Marilyn sat right next to Robert and apparently impressed him throughout most of the night, not only with her looks but also with her politics. She asked him wide-ranging and in-depth political questions that left him fascinated by her."
" ... Kennedy clan allegedly abruptly cut off contact with Monroe. As crushing as this rebuke was, to make matters in her life worse, she had become so behind in the filming of Something’s Got to Give that 20th Century Fox decided to fire her from the project. It was only after protests from her co-stars that the contract was reinstated, but Marilyn was already too disturbed to work on set anyway."
"Marilyn Monroe was found dead on August 5, 1962. Due to the empty pill bottles and the toxicology test that ensued, her death was ruled an overdose and probable suicide. Some have since instigated conspiracy theories that perhaps the Kennedys had her killed because she was causing too much trouble."
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Table of Contents
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Norma Jeane Becomes Marilyn Monroe
From Foster Child to Movie Star
I’ve Got Joe
The Honeymooners
The Scene with the White Dress
Marilyn the Jew
Diagnosis of Paranoid Schizophrenia
Marilyn’s First Overdose
The Presidential Affair
Locked in the Psych Ward
Marilyn’s Last Year
Conclusion
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REVIEW
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Chapter 1. Norma Jeane Becomes Marilyn Monroe
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"“Give a girl the right shoes, and she can conquer the world.”
"—Marilyn Monroe"
Strangely enough, this isn't be the only volume in the Hourly History series that is published with no introduction, but proceeds straightaway with a first chapter.
Is this denigrating treatment especially because of popularity and success of this beautiful girl who strived to have her performances on screen taken seriously, not content to be seen as an object?
Or is it an additional help for a government machinery that dought to cover up a questionable death, of a then slightly inconvenient person, that might just have been neither accident nor suicide?
Unless it's understood by most readers of the series that only those certified as loyal followers of church shall remain exempt from denigrating treatment at hands of the publishers and the designated authors, usually ignorant?
................................................................................................
"Marilyn Monroe was born into this world as Norma Jeane Mortenson on June 1, 1926, in Los Angeles, California. Her mother Gladys was not yet ready to be a parent when Norma Jeane was conceived and had her placed in the care of two foster parents named Albert and Ida Bolender.
"Residing in the small town of Hawthorne, Southern California, the Bolenders were a family of Christian fundamentalists who sought to instill these values on the young Norma Jeane. Her mother in the meantime was soon relegated to just visiting on the weekends, during which she would take her daughter back to Los Angeles to shop and treat her to the occasional movie. Some say that it was those weekend trips to the cinema that sparked Norma Jeane’s lifelong interest in the arts.
................................................................................................
"The Bolenders eventually wished to make the young girl a permanent part of their family, but Norma Jeane’s mother Gladys had regained her feet enough by that time and was granted custody of Norma Jeane in 1933. Gladys had bought a small house in Hollywood, and for a short period, things were well. Just a little over a year later, however, Norma Jeane’s mother was institutionalized and diagnosed as a paranoid schizophrenic.
"She would go on to spend the rest of her life in and out of state-run institutions, and her daughter would be shifted back and forth between state institutions as well; becoming a complete ward of the state at the tender age of nine. A friend of Norma Jeane’s mother, a woman named Grace Goddard, eventually assumed a guardianship role over the girl and oversaw her placement in various foster homes.
"Grace would bring Norma Jeane into her own home when she was 15, but soon realized she couldn’t handle the burden, so she arranged to have the teenager married off instead. Luckily, she had a friend whose son was a young, single man by the name James Dougherty. Although their relationship was conceived as a marriage of necessity more than anything else, the two seemed to enjoy each other’s company, and James Dougherty would later insist that they were in love at the time.
................................................................................................
"A couple of months after her sixteenth birthday, James and Norma Jeane were married. But just as World War II was drawing to a close, James took up a position with the Merchant Marines and was stationed overseas. According to James, Norma Jeane hated to see him go and was at first quite saddened at this interruption of what had been a relatively idyllic domestic life. James was her first real piece of security, and now he was going to be shipped off thousands of miles away. James recalls that before he left, Norma Jeane practically begged him to get her pregnant so that she could have a “little piece of him” to remember him by in case he was lost at sea.
"While Dougherty no doubt was flattered by some of the melodrama that had erupted in his honor, he insisted that the time wasn’t right; she was too young, and furthermore, if he was lost at sea, it wouldn’t make any sense for her to have the burden of being a single mother. Norma Jeane who recalled her own mother’s struggles with being an unprepared parent soon agreed with his argument. As fate would have it, after declining the opportunity to have a baby with her first husband, she would never be a mother during her sojourn on this Earth and would die childless."
Wonder why that's pointedly said only of women, but never of males worshipped by church?
................................................................................................
"Accepting her role as the lonely newlywed, Norma Jeane moved in with her mother-in-law, and not long after James left to fill his post with the Merchant Marines, she began her first nine-to-five job, working at a local radio plane factory. Here she was one of many women trying to do their part for the war relief effort during World War II. Norma Jeane worked hard, spraying airplane parts with fire retardant and examining military parachutes as part of a quality control team. It was here that she would encounter her first rendezvous with fate when she was discovered by photographer David Conover who was on the site doing a piece on the female contributions to the war.
"After Conover introduced Norma Jeane to a modeling agency, she received her first official contract in the industry. And it wasn’t long after signing on as a model that Norma Jeane would begin to craft the image that would make her famous; sheering her long hair and bleaching it blonde. She soon became the agency’s most successful model and appeared on the cover of several magazines.
................................................................................................
"Norma Jeane made such an impression that her husband James claims he first saw her on the cover of a magazine when he was still overseas in Buenos Aires. According to James, after he got over his shock of seeing his wife’s picture printed on the front page, he pointed out as much to his comrades in arms, and they wouldn’t believe she was his spouse.
"This extra exposure as a model soon landed Norma Jeane a screen testing with the film company 20th Century Fox. The aspiring actress was initially given a six-month contract and a weekly salary of $125, and in more ways than one, it was here that Marilyn Monroe was conceived. The suggestion to give up the name of Norma Jeane Dougherty came from a talent scout named Ben Lyon. After accepting the first name of Marilyn which Lyon had suggested, Norma took on her mother’s maiden name of Monroe, and thus, Marilyn Monroe was born."
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October 31, 2022 - October 31, 2022.
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Chapter 2. From Foster Child to Movie Star
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"“In Hollywood a girl’s virtue is much less important than her hairdo. You’re judged by how you look, not by what you are. Hollywood’s a place where they’ll pay you a thousand dollars for a kiss and fifty cents for your soul. I know, because I turned down the first offer enough and held out for the fifty cents.”
"—Marilyn Monroe"
................................................................................................
"Shortly after signing the contract with 20th Century Fox, Marilyn Monroe served her husband with divorce papers. According to James, there was no real malice involved in the separation; it was more or less a mutual understanding since they both knew she couldn’t remain his adoring housewife and vigorously pursue her career in Hollywood at the same time.
"During her first six months with 20th Century Fox, Marilyn was hopeful that she would be able to land her first big break. Unfortunately, she was mainly relegated to small walk-on roles such as the minute part she played in the lackluster Scudda Hoo Scudda Hay in 1947. After final editing, her time on this film had been reduced to just one clip, in which she walked on screen for a few moments to say hello to one of the main characters of the film.
"Adding insult to injury, shortly after the final release, 20th Century Fox let Marilyn know that they did not intend to renew her contract. She was devastated, but she wasn’t about to give up, and simply returned to her successful career in modeling while she relentlessly sought to make new connections in the movie world.
................................................................................................
"Her determination paid off when she was assigned another six-month contract, this time with Columbia Pictures. In this deal, she was promised a starring role in what turned out to be a rather low-budget musical called Ladies of the Chorus.
"Marilyn was indeed cast in a leading role, but the film was not the box office success she had hoped and quickly faded from memory. After this latest stint in Hollywood, her contract came to an end again and was, to her disappointment, not renewed. For the rest of the late 1940s, Marilyn got by through filming some of the very first commercials for television, famously starring in a Royal Triton gasoline advertisement."
Author mentions a questionable photo shoot for a calendar.
"For her, the photo shoot was just a way to pay the rent, and she could never have foreseen the lasting controversy that these pictures would create in the years to come. Fortunately for Marilyn, she soon found other ways to pay the bills, including a small role in the 1950 film Asphalt Jungle in which she played Angela Phinlay, the girlfriend of a gangster.
................................................................................................
"In this movie, she was able to break out of her usual typecast roles and show that she could excel with dramatic parts if she was given the opportunity. Shortly after this film, she was cast in the movie All About Eve in which she played the character of Miss Caswell, an aspiring actress who often had to resort to using her sexuality to score acting roles; something Marilyn could certainly relate to.
"This character was supposed to be the antithesis of the aging actress Eve played by Anne Baxter, who was depicted as using her cunning and conniving to get promoted rather than having to use her body. Despite some of the irony with her own life that was inherent in the plot, Marilyn’s performance was fairly well received, and she showed that she could more than hold her own when placed alongside more seasoned stars such as Anne Baxter.
................................................................................................
"This success enabled her to sign on once again with 20th Century Fox, this time for a seven-year contract that began in force in December 1950. The following year proved to be a pivotal one for Marilyn’s career, starting in March 1951 when she was made the official presenter of the 23rd Academy Awards, putting her on the national stage like never before.
"Later that year she was busy with several supporting roles in films such as Home Town Story, As Young as You Feel, Love Nest , and Let’s Make it Legal. Although the roles were small, she received a fair amount of praise for her portrayals in the films, and despite the dumb-blonde stereotype she was often typecast into, she was cited as “one of the brightest up and coming actresses.”
"Marilyn was elated to receive such accolades, and she was just as determined not to let her supporters down. Serious about developing her craft further she enrolled in acting classes and became a student of the seasoned actor and director Michael Chekhov. As her ability grew, so did her fan base; it is said that by 1951 she was receiving several thousand letters every single week. Marilyn Monroe had made it."
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October 31, 2022 - October 31, 2022.
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Chapter 3. I’ve Got Joe
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"“A smart girl leaves before she is left.”
"—Marilyn Monroe"
................................................................................................
"Marilyn Monroe began 1952 with a bang. She had acquired the leading role in the movie Don’t Bother to Knock in which she played the part of a mentally disturbed babysitter who is abusive to the ones she is supposed to be babysitting. By all accounts, this film has been categorized as a B-movie, but despite the low-budget quality of the piece, Marilyn’s performance is widely viewed as one of her best.
"Shortly after she finished up Don’t Bother to Knock, Marilyn was introduced to famed baseball player Joe DiMaggio. After just a few dates, the two seemed to be smitten with each other and would develop a long-lasting relationship. Meanwhile, her dramatic prowess in Don’t Bother to Knock led her to be cast in the thriller Niagara in 1953.
"In this film, Marilyn was playing the role of yet another mentally disturbed woman, this one with murderous intentions against her husband played by celebrated actor Joseph Cotton. This film was Marilyn’s first big-budget movie and proved that she could hold her own in an A-list film.
................................................................................................
"But with success came trouble; her past indiscretions would come back to haunt her when in December 1953, a man named Hugh Hefner would purchase the prints to the nude calendar photos from Marilyn’s early career. They ended up being published in a magazine Hefner was developing called Playboy. Although rather mild by today’s standards, in the social mores of the early 1950s this created a publicity crisis for the starlet, and her handlers were sent in for immediate damage control. Against the wishes of 20th Century Fox, however, Marilyn sought to bring the media storm to a close by being honest about the affair and openly admitting to her role in the photos.
"She went on the record to admit that it was her in the images, and when a reporter asked her what she “had on” during the photo shoot, she glibly answered, “The radio.” And that was all it took; Marilyn seemed to prove the old expression correct that honesty is the best policy and with it, she seemed to reshape the American conception of morality. With Marilyn’s admission, it was no longer quite so scandalous for a movie star to be seen in such a compromising position.
................................................................................................
"The drama soon blew over, and if anything, it only helped her popularity. The following year she would star in the blockbuster film, Gentlemen Prefer Blondes which—as the name might imply—worked to cement her infamous characterization as the ditzy blonde bombshell that would, for better or for worse, become her legacy. In the movie, she played the character of a showgirl named Lorelei Lee who was an expert gold digger.
"The scene that would become her most famous on-screen appearance would involve this character’s singing of the song, “Diamonds Are a Girl’s Best Friend.” Shortly after the release, Marilyn and her fellow actress in the film, Jane Russell, pressed their hand and foot prints into the cement at Grauman’s Chinese Theatre in Hollywood, further securing Marilyn Monroe’s fame and legacy into the hearts of millions.
................................................................................................
"The films that she would star in afterward would all capitalize on the same formula: Marilyn playing a knockout blonde with a low IQ. But when the films finally began to flounder in the box office, Marilyn had had enough. And when producers at Fox began demanding that she return to finish up her contract and appear in a brand new mediocre film called The Girl in Pink Tights, Monroe refused. The executives at 20th Century Fox were enraged at this development and suspended her from the company on January 4, 1954. The story garnered considerable attention in the media, but Marilyn ignored any negative attention and refused to budge on the issue.
"Around the same time, Marilyn was busy preparing for her wedding her long-time boyfriend Joe DiMaggio. Joe being the observant Catholic that he was, wished to have a Roman Catholic priest oversee their marital vows. But there was one small problem with this plan; the local archbishop of San Francisco, a man named John J. Mitty refused to recognize the marriage. According to the archbishop, the church had never officially recognized his divorce from his first wife Dorothy, and if he were to go forward with his marriage to Monroe, he would face excommunication from the church.
................................................................................................
"George Solotaire, a close friend of DiMaggio’s, said that the baseball legend reacted to this verdict by stating, “I’d rather head for hell in due course than give up my Garden of Eden. In other words; let them excommunicate me.” Determined to move forward with or without the official blessing of the Catholic Church, the two were wed in a private civil ceremony on January 14, 1954.
"This privacy could not be maintained outside of the municipal building they were married in, however, and as soon as they stepped out the door, the press was there to greet them. Thousands of camera flashes erupted as soon as they caught sight of the couple, and a flood of questions ensued. One reporter asked Marilyn, “What do you want out of this marriage?” At which Marilyn famously responded, “I’ve got what I wanted. I’ve got Joe.”"
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October 31, 2022 - October 31, 2022.
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Chapter 4. The Honeymooners
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"“It is wonderful to have someone praise you, to be desired.”
"—Marilyn Monroe"
................................................................................................
"Shortly after the wedding, 20th Century Fox had Hollywood attorney Lloyd Wright give the newlyweds a call and—as if they were delivering Marilyn a wedding gift—announced the lifting of the suspension of her contract. However, Lloyd stipulated that 20th Century Fox would do so only if Marilyn agreed to return to work immediately after her honeymoon to begin rehearsal for the film role that she had already declined, in the production of The Girl in Pink Tights.
"Both Joe and Marilyn were upset with the bargain that 20th Century Fox was attempting to strike, but the news seemed to affect Joe DiMaggio the most. DiMaggio took the casting of his newlywed wife in such a sultry role as nothing short of a direct affront to him and his marriage. He told Wright in no uncertain terms that he would never sign off on a contract that would have his wife running around “half-naked,” portraying a “woman of easy virtue.”
"By the time Joe had hung up the phone, Lloyd and his Hollywood associates knew that now they weren’t just dealing with Monroe, but they also had to play ball with Joe DiMaggio. At first, Marilyn Monroe enjoyed the paternalist protective qualities of her husband, and she most certainly did not want to return to the same type of roles she had grown so tired of before. Their partnership seemed to have developed on a unified front that was refreshing for them both. However, it wasn’t long before Marilyn started to become a bit too stifled under Joe’s avid protection.
................................................................................................
"Shortly after they delivered their rebuff to 20th Century Fox, Marilyn and Joe traveled to Japan to finish the rest of their honeymoon in the Far East. Post-war Japan was just beginning to get excited about baseball, and Joe DiMaggio had received an invitation from the regional newspaper Yomiuri Shimbun to come and kick off the Japanese baseball season. But before they even landed the plane, a U.S. military general by the name of Charles Christenberry intercepted the couple with a special request. After congratulating them on their wedding, he broached the topic, “How would you like to visit Korea for a few days and entertain the American troops currently stationed in Seoul as part of the UN occupation force?” The Korean War had just ended a few months before in July 1953, and it was quite common for American entertainers to be asked to perform for the bored soldiers still stationed along the 38th parallel.
"It was a rather open-ended question that seemed to be addressed to both of them, but it was Joe who took the bait first and replied to the general, “I’d like to, but I don’t think I’ll have time this trip.” And then in a classically awkward moment, the general smiled as he corrected the former baseball star, “I don’t mean you, Mr. DiMaggio. My inquiry was directed at your wife.”"
" ... Marilyn accepted the general’s request, and Joe would have to—grudgingly—accept as well. This one scene seems to be emblematic of their entire marriage.
................................................................................................
"As soon as the power-couple landed in Asia, they were mobbed by fans and photographers wherever they went. It’s said that Monroe was followed around by the Japanese press as if she were some sort of visiting head of state. And to make matters even worse for DiMaggio, in more than one publication he was referred to as Mr. Marilyn Monroe. It was all a bit too much for him to take from the very beginning, and on February 16, when Marilyn boarded a helicopter bound for her gig with the USO in South Korea, DiMaggio was almost relieved.
"Marilyn’s first stop during her visit was to a field hospital where she visited wounded veterans of the war. Everyone was very grateful to see her, and she proved to be a welcome distraction from some of the misery they had suffered during the brutal conflict fought over North and South Korea. Over the next four days, Monroe performed on ten different occasions to about 60,000 troops of all different ranks and branches of service.
"It was here that Marilyn Monroe’s stage persona truly became larger than life, and seemed to take her over completely. She would later recall that when she entertained those adoring soldiers, it was the first time in her life that she really felt appreciated, that she felt wanted and loved. Like a drug, she couldn’t quite get enough of it. When she made her exit from the stage during her last performance, she announced to the crowd as they gave her a standing ovation, “This is the best thing that ever happened to me.” Referencing the new home that awaited her with DiMaggio in California, she requested of her fans, “Come see me in San Francisco!”"
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October 31, 2022 - October 31, 2022.
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Chapter 5. The Scene with the White Dress
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"“I have too many fantasies to be a housewife; I guess I am a fantasy.”
"—Marilyn Monroe"
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"Not long after their return to the United States from their honeymoon, DiMaggio suddenly announced he had to make a business trip to New York. Left by herself, Marilyn took the opportunity to catch up with an old friend of hers by the name of Lotte Goslar who happened to be in the San Francisco Bay area upon their arrival. Marilyn and her friend hung out around downtown San Francisco and over dinner together she related what she had experienced on her honeymoon.
"Monroe was especially excited to relay what had happened to her in Korea. She told her friend, “Before I went over there, I never really felt like a star. Not really, not in my heart. I felt like one in Korea. It was so great to look down from the stage and see all those young fellows smiling up at me. It made me feel wanted.” Marilyn felt that she had finally come into her own, and on April 14, 1954, when Lloyd Wright and company came calling again, Marilyn took this new-found confidence and used it to renegotiate her contract altogether.
................................................................................................
"She managed to gain a substantial salary increase, and after 20th Century Fox informed her that they were foregoing any future production of The Girl in Pink Tights, she landed a lead role in the musical There’s No Business Like Show Business instead. In this film, Monroe starred as a showgirl who loved the limelight, a role not too far off the mark for Marilyn. But her husband Joe DiMaggio was at the same time showing how much of an utter disdain he had for the business. DiMaggio had never been a fan of the Hollywood lifestyle, and despite his penchant for heavy drinking, Joe was actually a relatively conservative character. He never felt like he mixed well with the “Hollywood types,” so much so, that whenever Marilyn had to attend an award show or any other get-together of the Hollywood elite, he would insist on waiting in the lobby, making Marilyn go to the event by herself.
"Nevertheless, one of those Hollywood types that DiMaggio shunned, widely acclaimed producer and screenwriter Billy Wilder, would keep DiMaggio’s wife busy during the fall of 1954 with his new romantic comedy The Seven Year Itch. Marilyn began work on this project starting on August 10, filming on-site in Los Angeles. In this movie, she was cast in the role of the romantic interest of the main protagonist Richard Sherman, who has second thoughts after seven years of marriage.
"Strangely, even though Marilyn is playing a leading role in the film, she is only credited as “the Girl.” But despite her anonymity in the role, she easily steals the show, and in this movie manages to create one of the most iconic scenes of the twentieth century. Even though most of the film was produced in California, on September 15, Marilyn was sent to shoot the scene on Lexington Avenue in New York City. In this iconic setting, right around two o’clock in the morning just as the bars were beginning to close, she was placed standing on a subway grate in a white dress as an updraft in the vent blows her skirt up in the air for all to see. A crowd of thousands of men, some of them photographers from the press gathered to watch this live-action scene, all of them amassing around Lexington Avenue and 52nd Street in lustful anticipation.
................................................................................................
"Joe DiMaggio was at a nearby bar called St. Regis’s King Cole Bar, drinking with his usual entourage and blithely unaware of his wife’s antics until a friend tipped him off to what was going on. DiMaggio was finally dragged out to the site of Marilyn’s shoot and found himself staring in disbelief as his wife did take after take with her skirt blowing up into the air exposing her panties to the leering crowd of men.
"Billy Wilder managed to spot DiMaggio in the crowd and felt a little bad for him, claiming that he “had the look of death on his face.” This death mask only worsened as the increasingly out-of-control crowd of men ogling his wife’s undergarments began to boisterously shout things like “Take it off!” and “Let’s see more!” At this point, Wilder had Marilyn stop what she was doing and ordered her to go back to her trailer and put on a less revealing pair of panties.
"The pair that she was wearing was apparently far too revealing than the movie censors of the day would have allowed. But this small measure of decency wouldn’t be enough for the humiliated DiMaggio who angrily marched off before his wife returned to renew the shoot. He later went back to his friends to drown his angst in more alcohol as he lamented to them that he had just bore witness to his wife “performing a striptease act on Lexington Avenue.”
................................................................................................
"His disgust and rancor would reach a boiling point by the time he was reunited with Marilyn the next day, and although it is unclear exactly what occurred, she arrived on set afterward appearing as if she had been beaten. There had been previous rumors that Joe had gotten physical with her, but she had always denied such charges.
"This time, however, she was forthright with her cast mates and told them that Joe had hit her several times during the evening. The very next month on October 5, the two were legally separated. A few weeks later on October 27, 1954, Marilyn arrived at the Santa Monica Superior Court and received an uncontested divorce of her not even one-year-old marriage to Joe DiMaggio."
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October 31, 2022 - October 31, 2022.
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Chapter 6. Marilyn the Jew
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"“I guess I have always been deeply terrified to really be someone’s wife since I know from life one cannot love another, ever, really.”
"—Marilyn Monroe"
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"Marilyn Monroe was only 28 years old, and she already had a pair divorces under her belt. But as upsetting as divorce universally is, Marilyn had other things to distract her at the time, and one of them was the box office returns for The Seven Year Itch which was accumulating over four million dollars at the box office by 1955. Inspired by her success and wishing for more artistic control, Marilyn left Hollywood for the East Coast with the intention of perfecting her craft.
"Back in New York, she began to study under the tutelage of the director of the prestigious Actors Studio, Lee Strasberg, and his wife Paula. The Strasbergs stressed that an actor needed to be able to relax, be natural, and get themselves to the point to where inspiration could spontaneously occur. Marilyn absorbed herself into these acting classes, taking in every detail.
................................................................................................
"As well as honing her craft she also developed a close relationship with Lee and Paula Strasberg, considering them akin to an adopted family. For Lee Strasburg, in particular, she would later glowingly recall, “He became my coach, friend, advisor, mentor, hero, champion, and savior.” For his part, her savior saw Marilyn as an actress with a tremendous amount of untapped potential.
"Lee believed that the comic and ditzy character that she portrayed on the big screen was not who Marilyn really was, and once he could get her to release her inner self and utilize her true emotions and feelings, she could become a formidable actress. Lee used an interesting approach with his students, using coaching techniques that bordered on Sigmund Freud’s psychoanalysis, in which he allowed the actor to analyze their deep reservoir of what he termed “sense memory.”
................................................................................................
"He encouraged artists to feel and sense their way to a more realistic portrayal of who they are. In order to break away from the cartoon character that the persona of Marilyn Monroe had become, Marilyn felt that this was just the kind of reflective process that she needed. Soon after she found a home for herself among the Strasbergs, another New York denizen of the production world that Marilyn would ingratiate herself with was Arthur Miller, the author of Death of a Salesman.
"She developed a fast friendship with Miller, and soon enough the two became romantically involved. Miller was still living with his wife and children at the time in Brooklyn Heights, New York, but that didn’t stop the two from having a thrilling affair. Marilyn and Arthur were going everywhere together, and Marilyn had nothing but praise for the man, maintaining, “I felt alone when I arrived in New York. Now finally, I have Arthur. He’s going to make my life better, a lot better.”
................................................................................................
"But unfortunately for Monroe, Arthur had some baggage she didn’t quite foresee. Due to the long-held suspicion of Arthur Miller having communist sympathies, he had been under FBI surveillance. And the more she involved herself with him, the more the FBI involved themselves with her.
"Even if Marilyn was aware of the bad attention she was gaining, she could have cared less; ... "
Who's the author? Correct English would be "couldn't have cared less", not "could have cared less".
" ... she was finally in control of her life and career. A fact that was evident when she returned to Los Angeles in February 1956 to begin her new project, a film called The Bus Stop. In full accord with her renegotiated contract with 20th Century Fox, Marilyn made sure that she had the final say in who would end up in the cast, as well as who would be the director, screenwriter, and cinematographer."
................................................................................................
"In this film, she played a saloon girl named Cherie who becomes enamored with the local ranch hand who kidnaps her. Leaving the glitz and glamour behind, Monroe attempted to go for a grittier realism, foregoing makeup and purposely trying to appear a bit rough around the edges. The move seemed to work, and she received rave reviews for her performance and was even nominated for a Golden Globe.
"The only thing to dampen her moment of triumph was the ever-increasing government scrutiny on her love interest Arthur Miller. Miller had been a target of Cold War anti-communist hysteria ever since his production of The Crucible gained him the attention of the House on Un-American Activities Committee (HUAC). Since The Crucible was believed to be a satire against the Cold War, the HUAC was determined to shut Miller down."
Satire? It was outright condemnation and expose, showing McCarthy and co as inheritors of Salem witch hunters.
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"After having had his passport denied, Miller was forced to appear before the HUAC to testify. Just prior to his attendance, Miller had specifically asked the committee not to make him identify any of his associates who were under suspicion of communist connections. House Chairman Francis E. Walter had initially agreed, but once Miller was before them, went back on this pledge and began to demand that Miller divulge information about his colleagues anyway."
Wasn't that exactly what his play had depicted the witchhunters do?
"Despite the risk of guilt by association, Marilyn Monroe was there with Miller and stood by his side during the whole ordeal. Monroe would go on to marry Miller on June 29, 1956, and to further prove that she was fully devoted to her new husband she even officially converted to Judaism. Remarkably, this was a move that led the nation of Egypt, which was in a bitter struggle with Israel at the time, to make the impulsive move to ban all of Marilyn’s films from the country."
Safe bet, they all watched secretly!
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"Although not as blatantly, Americans expressed their disdain for the marriage as well, a feeling that was perhaps encapsulated best by Walter Winchell’s remark that “America’s best-known blonde movie picture star is now the darling of the left-wing intelligentsia.” It has never been proven that Miller was in fact a communist, but he was most certainly left-leaning in his political ideology and a stark contrast to Marilyn’s previous husband’s conservatism. At least when it came to her choice in men, Marilyn Monroe was showing the world that variety is the spice of life."
Author unwilling to admit she wasn't a dumb bombshell, there.
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October 31, 2022 - October 31, 2022.
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Chapter 7. Diagnosis of Paranoid Schizophrenia
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"“Nothing’s ever easy as long as you go on living.”
"—Marilyn Monroe"
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"Marilyn made what would be her only self-produced film, called The Prince and the Showgirl, in 1957. For this movie she would work with an entirely British cast and the leading man of the picture would be none other than famed actor Sir Laurence Olivier. Marilyn and Laurence seemed to get off on the wrong foot from the very beginning, however, and the chemistry was just not working for them from the outset of the production."
" ... The general audience wasn’t much kinder either, and the reviews were mixed at best, leading to a big letdown for the ambitious starlet.
"During this time, Marilyn began to show the symptoms of a dangerous addiction to alcohol and sleeping pills. She suffered from terrible insomnia and would often take handfuls of pills chased with shots of vodka just to get some rest. According to Arthur Miller, it was none other than Paula Strasberg who he derided as the “walking apothecary” who often provided Marilyn with her drugs of choice.
................................................................................................
"Miller was highly critical of the Strasbergs—especially Paula—and didn’t understand why Marilyn continued to finance them as her coaches and mentors. He didn’t believe in their methodology and felt that it was a waste of time at best and a con-job perpetrated against Marilyn for financial gain at worst. Miller was already coming to regret his marriage to the increasingly erratic Marilyn Monroe.
"And soon these doubts would be made known in an incredibly painful fashion, when by chance Miller had left an open notebook on a table that contained a passage written about her, voicing his concerns. In it, he vented his frustration over Marilyn’s behavior on set, and to Marilyn’s horror he sided with Laurence Olivier and stated that he had every right to have “anger and resentment.”
................................................................................................
"He also criticized Marilyn on a personal level referring to her as an “out of control child woman with endless emotional demands,” and furthermore was worried that the energy he had to expend to deal with her was killing his creativity as a writer. Instead of Marilyn being his muse, Miller was stating that she was his menace. Marilyn was crushed to read these passages and was immediately sent into a state of deep depression.
"After a visit from her psychiatrist Margaret Hohenberg, even greater concern developed over Marilyn’s precarious mental state. So much so that Dr. Hohenberg made special arrangements for Marilyn to meet Anna Freud, who was none other than Sigmund Freud’s daughter. During this pivotal meeting with the heiress of the famed psychoanalysis, Marilyn would receive a rather stunning diagnosis. Anna Freud concluded that Marilyn was suffering from paranoid schizophrenia."
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October 31, 2022 - October 31, 2022.
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Chapter 8. Marilyn’s First Overdose
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"“Sometimes I feel my whole life has been one big rejection.”
"—Marilyn Monroe"
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"After growing up in the wreckage of her mother’s mental illness, Marilyn had always feared that she would suffer a similar fate. When Anna Freud first came to her conclusion about Marilyn Monroe’s mental state she kept it to herself, fearing to provoke more trauma in the patient. Instead, she notified Marilyn’s psychiatrist Hohenberg of her findings.
"Monroe would find out soon enough, however, and she now experienced a genuine terror that she would end up just like her institutionalized mother. Nevertheless, through all of her recent trauma, Marilyn persevered, and she and her husband purchased a new home together during the latter half of 1957. Marilyn seemed to be preparing a refuge for her family, and shortly thereafter she discovered that she was pregnant.
"This wasn’t the first time the actress was pregnant, she had been so before but miscarried. This time she was hoping she would be able to keep the pregnancy. She viewed having a baby as a form of glue that just might keep her marriage to Arthur Miller intact. Miller seemed to share some of this sentiment, hoping that having a child might slow down some of Marilyn’s more erratic behavior.
................................................................................................
"But it wasn’t meant to be. On August 1, 1957, Marilyn awoke with a terrible pain in her stomach and the sadness of the realization that another pregnancy had most likely eluded her. Miller immediately called an ambulance to take Marilyn to the hospital and there her fears were confirmed. It turned out that she was suffering from a dangerous form of ectopic pregnancy and the embryo would have to be removed."
"When Marilyn felt as if she had recuperated enough, she managed to score what would be her greatest role of all in the Bill Wilder comedic piece entitled Some Like It Hot. She starred alongside Tony Curtis and Jack Lemon, playing an aspiring singer named Sugar Kane Kowalczyk. It was yet another role that hit fairly close to home, with Marilyn playing a hopeful young entertainer, finding herself in comedic situations as she attempts to claw her way to stardom.
................................................................................................
"Wilder apparently had second thoughts about Marilyn after she was consistently late for takes and otherwise difficult to work with, but his doubts disappeared in March 1959 when the box office results came back. The film was a massive success and one of Marilyn’s most notable performances, earning her a Golden Globe for Best Actress in a Musical Comedy.
"By late 1959, Marilyn had garnered so much attention that even visiting heads of state were requesting her audience, as was the case when 20th Century Fox held a luncheon for the president of the Soviet Union, Nikita Khrushchev. The Soviet leader had apparently requested that Marilyn attend. Monroe readily assented to this invitation, but her husband Arthur Miller who was still under investigation for communism understandably declined to join her."
................................................................................................
" ... Khrushchev was received in style with the likes of Frank Sinatra, Judy Garland, Cary Grant, Gregory Peck, Bob Hope, Bing Crosby, Zsa Zsa Gabor, and Jimmy Stewart in attendance.
"It was a rather odd affair from the beginning with the Soviet president’s wife Nina seated between Bob Hope and Frank Sinatra showing them baby pictures of her grandkids, while her husband gave a speech that angrily railed against capitalism and the United States. As soon as Khrushchev had finished his harangue, he waltzed right over to none other than Marilyn Monroe.
................................................................................................
"Often underestimated for her ability with language, Marilyn impressed everyone in the room by excitedly greeting the Russian leader in fairly well-versed Russian. As it turns out she had been coached shortly before the event by her friend Natalie Wood who was a Russian speaker.
"Khrushchev was perhaps a bit more cautious under his wife’s wary eye, but he was obviously rather smitten. Marilyn’s charm had managed to break down his icy wall, and even the Soviet leadership proved to be a fan. Just leave it to Marilyn Monroe to end the Cold War without a single shot fired."
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October 31, 2022 - October 31, 2022.
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Chapter 9. The Presidential Affair
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"“Imperfection is beauty, madness is genius and it’s better to be absolutely ridiculous than absolutely boring.”
"—Marilyn Monroe"
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"As 1959 turned into 1960, Marilyn Monroe was busy working on a film called Let’s Make Love. It was yet another romantic comedy which reprised the role that had made Marilyn famous. As for her leading man in this film, initially that part was intended for Gregory Peck, but once he saw some of the screenplay rewrites that Marilyn’s husband Miller had inserted into the script he declined the offer.
"Marilyn’s production team then inquired with both Cary Grant and Charlton Heston to fulfill the role, but both turned them down flat. Some believe that it was due to Marilyn’s reputation of being difficult to work with that caused them such difficulty in casting a leading man, but at any rate, the honor eventually fell on the shoulders of French actor Yves Montand."
................................................................................................
"Marilyn is reported to have become increasingly paranoid at this point and insisted that the FBI was following her and that Fox must have agreed to have her dressing room bugged with listening devices to send incriminating information back to the bureau. For anyone else to make such assertions, it would indeed seem like the ramblings of a paranoiac. However, Marilyn really was on the FBI’s radar due to her association with Miller. Marilyn even went so far as to have a private investigator look into the matter, but nothing was ever found."
Of course!
"As filming continued, Marilyn developed an affair with her leading man Montand. This latest excursion reportedly lasted six months; if Arthur knew of these happenings, it didn’t seem to concern him. Unlike Joe DiMaggio, Miller seemed to accept the fact that his wife was so larger than life, that more often than not she was public domain, and he had to share her as such. All the details would come out about the relationship after filming for Let’s Make Love came to a close, when Montand, himself a married man, openly confessed to the tryst."
................................................................................................
" ... Monroe’s next big role would be in the epic film The Misfits which she began work on in July 1960. Miller wrote the dialogue for this production and had promised that this piece would be a departure from her usual typecast roles.
"That same month while she was beginning production of this movie, Marilyn took the time to be a part of the 1960 Democratic National Convention where she donated $3,000 to back an up-and-coming star of the party; the then senator from Massachusetts, John F. Kennedy. Marilyn had briefly encountered Kennedy for the first time three years prior when both of them had attended a party that had been hosted by Kennedy’s sister Patricia and her husband, the actor Peter Lawford.
................................................................................................
"It was Peter Lawford that Kennedy would call upon to invite Monroe to an after-party of sorts at an Italian restaurant owned by another early Kennedy backer, Frank Sinatra. It was rumored among those in their respective inner circles that the two were already having an intimate relationship, and their behavior at Puccini’s seemed to confirm this belief.
"Marilyn was seated at a booth right next to John F. Kennedy, allegedly snuggling with him while he caressed her. After this outing, Marilyn was next seen with Kennedy at the Los Angeles Coliseum on the July 15, listening to his rousing acceptance speech as the official presidential candidate for the Democratic Party. Marilyn attended another after-party following this iconic event where rumors circulate that she skinny-dipped with the presidential candidate.
................................................................................................
" ... shortly after they had finished filming, Clark Gable died of a heart attack. Marilyn was stricken with grief, and like anyone else in such a bizarre situation, blamed herself for what had happened—as did a few others. But truth be told, Gable was known to be suffering from heart disease from his years of heavy drinking, smoking, and hard living. It is unfortunate that he had chosen such language to vent his frustration because the sheer coincidence of his passing did nothing to help the image of Marilyn Monroe.
"Understandably, Marilyn was devastated, and to make matters worse, the film itself was largely a box office failure. It became apparent that neither her professional nor personal collaboration with Arthur Miller was very successful, and the two were divorced soon thereafter. Marilyn would later comment about Miller, “He was a good writer, but a bad husband.” Miller, of course, had a few reservations of his own."
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October 31, 2022 - October 31, 2022.
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Chapter 10. Locked in the Psych Ward
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"“I am trying to find myself; sometimes that’s not easy.”
"—Marilyn Monroe"
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"At a complete loss, Marilyn eventually reached out to the one lifeline she had left, Joe DiMaggio. She had often referred to Joe as her lifeguard who would pull her out of troubled waters when she had gone too deep; now she depended on him more than ever. Fortunately for her, Joe loyal until the end promised her that he would be there the very next day.
"As rocky as their marriage together had been, right when she needed him the most Joe was there to comfort and protect her. He immediately headed over to the psych ward that held her captive and demanded that she be released. The nurse practitioner at first refused to release Marilyn without her psychiatrist’s signature. But Joe wouldn’t have it any other way, and informed the nurse that if Marilyn was not released immediately, he would tear the place apart, “brick by brick.""
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October 31, 2022 - October 31, 2022.
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Chapter 11. Marilyn’s Last Year
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"“The nicest thing for me is sleep; then at least I can dream.”
"—Marilyn Monroe"
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"After busting Marilyn Monroe out of the institution that had held her confined, Joe and Marilyn began to rekindle their romance right where they had left it. Over the next few months, they were practically inseparable, but unfortunately, their renewed love interest would fizzle out over one of their more mundane hang-ups from the past: money.
"Joe had happened to pick up a receipt Marilyn had left behind from a grocery run, but Joe ever the scrutinizer had apparently determined that she had been overcharged for the items she purchased. After everything they had been through, it was this trivial issue that set off an explosion. It is quite common for couples to argue about money, but in the case of Marilyn Monroe and Joe DiMaggio, who were both well off, the penny-pinching was unexpected.
"Joe, who prided himself with his meticulous management of his finances, had always been appalled by what he deemed to be Marilyn’s inordinate waste of money. And to see this failure to mind her finances again, struck a nerve with him. So he confronted Marilyn and reprimanded her, “Why don’t you look the bills over before you pay them?”
"Resenting being treated like a child, Marilyn was immediately enraged and snatched the receipt out of Joe’s outstretched hand as she shouted at him, “It’s my money, not yours!” This then kicked off a major blowout that ended in Joe angrily marching out of the door. This argument over a grocery receipt would, a few days later, be compounded by a visceral exchange over a puppy."
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October 31, 2022 - October 31, 2022.
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Conclusion
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"By February 1962, Marilyn was becoming more involved with the Kennedy clan meeting up with John F. Kennedy’s brother, Robert, at a dinner hosted by Peter Lawford. Marilyn sat right next to Robert and apparently impressed him throughout most of the night, not only with her looks but also with her politics. She asked him wide-ranging and in-depth political questions that left him fascinated by her."
" ... Kennedy clan allegedly abruptly cut off contact with Monroe. As crushing as this rebuke was, to make matters in her life worse, she had become so behind in the filming of Something’s Got to Give that 20th Century Fox decided to fire her from the project. It was only after protests from her co-stars that the contract was reinstated, but Marilyn was already too disturbed to work on set anyway."
"Marilyn Monroe was found dead on August 5, 1962. Due to the empty pill bottles and the toxicology test that ensued, her death was ruled an overdose and probable suicide. Some have since instigated conspiracy theories that perhaps the Kennedys had her killed because she was causing too much trouble."
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October 31, 2022 - October 31, 2022.
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Marilyn Monroe: A Life
From Beginning to End
(Biographies of Actors),
by Hourly History.
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October 31, 2022 - October 31, 2022.
Purchased October 31, 2022
ASIN:- B076RR9R6X
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https://www.goodreads.com/review/show/5076578137
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