Strollin' With Diamonds!!!
She's the first person that comes to my mind when I hear
talk of the glamor days of Hollywood.
Her face is one of the most well known images in the world, even 41 years
after her death, her fame continues. Many have tried to emulate her, but for those of us who remember...there will always be only one,
MARILYN MONROE
Marilyn Monroe had a glamorous and exciting existence,
but Norma Jeane had a lonely, tragic life.
There are many opinions about the details of her life
and many questions surrounding her death.
I don't know the truthful answers.
Marilyn Monroe was born at 9:30 AM on June 1st, 1926,
in the Los Angeles General Hospital
registered under the name of
Norma Jeane Mortenson.
Her mother, Gladys Monroe,
gave her to a foster family
where she lived until she was 7.
Then her mother,
following her grandfather's suicide,
reclaimed her and brought her back.
Soon thereafter her mother's friend,
Grace McKee,
had Gladys declared insane
and committed to a psychiatric hospital,
and took custody of Norma Jeane.
Then Grace met Ervin Silliman Goddard
and married him.
Goddard brought one of his 3 daughters
back to live with them,
and then Grace sent Norma Jeane away
at the age of 9
to the Los Angeles Orphans Home
where she became occupant number 3463
for several years.
Two years later Grace brought Norma Jeane home
but Goddard tried to molest her, and so she went
to live with her mother's brother's mother, Olive Brunings.
Just after Norma Jeane's 12th birthday
she was assaulted by one of Olive's sons
and went to live with Grace McKee's aunt, Ana Lower.
Several years later Ana developed health problems
and Norma Jeane went back to the Goddards
where she met a neighbor's son, Jim Dougherty.
Right after her 16th birthday, Norma Jeane married him.
In 1944 Jim was called to military service
and she went to live with her mother-in-law.
Norma Jeane got a job at an airplane factory.
The Army sent a photographer
(David Connover)
to take pictures
of women helping with the war effort.
The photographer was impressed by Norma Jeane
and suggested she apply for a modeling position
at the Blue Book model agency.
By 1946 she was on 33 magazine covers
and was posing for top photographers.
Grace McKee arranged a divorce for her.
In July 1946 Norma Jeane did a screen test at
Twentieth-Century Fox and got a contract
which she signed using the name Marilyn Monroe.
She got a role in Scudda-Hoo! Scudda-Hay! and
her only words were 'Hi Rad!' he alszo got a bit part in
Dangerous Years.
Twentieth-Century Fox did not renew her contract in 1947.
Then she had an affair with Johnny Hyde, executive
vice-president of the William Morris Agency, and
he got her a cameo in the Marx Brothers movie
Love Happy and small roles in The Asphalt Jungle
and All About Eve.
When Hyde died in 1950, Marilyn went to Famous Artists
who soon got her a seven-year contract with Fox.
By the end of 1951 Marilyn was receiving 2000 - 3000 fan
mail letters per week and because of her popularity
the studio gave her the starring role in Don't Bother To Knock
and Monkey Business.
In 1952 she began an affair with baseball great Joe DiMaggio.
In June she got a co-star role in Gentlemen Prefer Blondes.
On January 14th, 1954 she married Joe DiMaggio in San Fransisco.
After their honeymoon Marilyn started work on The Seven Year Itch
but she was frequently late and unproductive on the set.
She also had problems with her marriage and got divorced
on October 27th, 1954.
At Christmas, Marilyn moved into a New York City apartment
and enrolled at Lee Strasberg's Actors' Studio.
She also began her relationship with playwright Arthur Miller
around this time.
On June 1st, 1955 The Seven Year Itch premiered
and became the biggest movie of the summer.
On June 29th, 1956 she married Arthur Miller
On July 1st, 1956 they had another, Jewish, wedding ceremony.
Then they went to England, where she began work on
Marilyn Monroe Productions' first independent movie,
The Prince and the Showgirl.
Marilyn went back to Hollywood to work on the movie
Bus Stop.
Marilyn had more problems on the movie set and was taking
large doses of sleeping pills.
After Bus Stop she started work on the movie
Some Like It Hot and although her problems
continued, she did finish it, and it became the biggest hit of 1959.
In July of 1960 Marilyn went to Nevada to film The Misfits.
The movie was a disappointment and Marilyn was depressed.
On January 20th, 1961, the day of President Kennedy's inauguration,
she divorced Arthur Miller.
Marilyn's therapist had her committed to the New York Hospital
for several days. Marilyn smuggled a note out to Joe diMaggio
who came from Florida the next evening and got her released.
She was with him again until April 1961, when she returned to
Los Angeles to start work on the movie Something's Got To Give
but after the first day she stayed at home sick in bed.
On May 19th, 1961, she went to Madison Square Garden and sang
Happy Birthday, Mr. President to President Kennedy, and then
went back to L.A. and the movie set. She almost overdosed on drugs
and Joe DiMaggio came to her rescue again.
They decided to remarry and set the date for August 8th, 1962
but on the evening of August 4th, Marilyn died.
There was no suicide note, and she was found naked in bed
with no signs of violence, according to the police investigation.
Although there are many different rumors and conspiracy theories
surrounding her death, they are all unproved, and we can only guess
or believe whatever we want to believe about it.
All we can agree on, probably, is that Marilyn was a very beautiful and
talented woman who found fame and fortune but was unsatisfied with
her life, and died tragically.
I hope this "Strolling" feature has brought back memories for some and
and for our younger members, I hope it gave you some insight into
Marilyn Monroe.
Until next time, see you out strolling.
Song: "Diamonds Are A Girls Best Friend"
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