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Click here to read an extensively researched and very well written
thesis about Marilyn's death contributed to this site by Melinda Barclay.
Contributed by Daniella Klein
Only the public can make a star. It’s the studios who try to make a system out of it.
Marilyn Monroe had great insight to have said this. She had life experience to back it up. Marilyn’s real name was Norma Jeane Baker. She was a sweet, innocent, vibrant young woman who got caught up in the glamour of show business. As fame took hold of her, she became less and less herself, and more and more “Marilyn”. This persona created by the media was glamorous, outspoken, and unmistakably sexy. Marilyn Monroe was merely an image created by the media, and not truly Norma Jeane at all. This image was created, killing the true spirit inside of this woman, and eventually killing this woman altogether.
No one ever told me I was pretty when I was a little girl. All little girls should be told they are pretty, even if they aren’t.
Norma Jeane met Andre De Dienes, her preferred photographer, at the age of nineteen, and he immediately saw her potential. “...she was wearing a skimpy sweater, her curly hair tied in a ribbon to match...she seemed unsure of herself. With her childlike smile...I immediately felt how much I could draw out of her still childlike face, from her well-rounded yet coltish body, from this unpolished beauty.”* Andre immediately began photographing her. They traveled around America, and Andre fell more and more in love with Norma Jeane. “Norma Jeane had something of a schoolgirl about her...models usually have to be dragged out of bed...but there she was, fresh as a daisy...wearing a smile.”
I am not interested in money. I just want to be wonderful.
Marilyn’s hair became paler and paler, and she began to know how to put on make-up. Andre De Dienes had said, “I taught her how to make the most of herself...never to set foot outside her door unless she seemed on top form....thanks to me...she toned down her laugh and learned how to stand up, sit down, and hold out her hand...done with the utmost propriety and provocativeness.”* It was at this point in her life, in the late summer of 1946, that Norma Jeane found her new name. Monroe was her mother’s maiden name, and Marilyn came from actress Marilyn Miller. Marilyn Monroe was born.
I want to grow old without facelifts. I want to have the courage to be loyal to the face I have made.
No one, not even Andre, was allowed to call her by her other name. Marilyn continued to pose for photographers, and audition for movies. The mediocre contracts that she did land led her nowhere. “In spite of everything she did not forget our lessons...she took up the right stance...pushing out her breasts...an inviting smile and sparkling eyes...I was the only one to spot the infinitesimal changes which were gradually transforming Norma Jeane into Marilyn underneath her carefree manner.”* Marilyn was now twenty and had never experienced the thrill of success. “...already there was a shadow over her radiance, in her laughter.”
I don’t want to play sex roles anymore. I’m tired of being known as the girl with the shape.
Millions of people became Marilyn’s fans. They admired and loved her, but saw nothing but her breasts, her hips, her legs. On camera, she was still the same as ever, charming, beautiful, elegant. In reality, she had lost that vibrancy and glow that defined her character. “She came to see me one evening...she looked unwell and admitted she could no longer sleep...what sorrow, what trouble tormented her?...pale lips, dark-circled eyes, silent and tense...”* In the summer of 1953, nine years before her death, at two o’clock in the morning, Andre received a call from Marilyn, requesting for him to take pictures of her. She brought him to a darkened Beverly hills street, using the headlights of his car for light. She wore no make-up, hair disheveled, with dark-circled eyes. These are Andre’s last pictures of Marilyn, and are dark, blurry, frightening. When they had finished the shoot, she said to him, “You usually write captions for your photos. You can put “The end of Everything” underneath these.”* That is exactly what he did.
Hollywood is a place where they’ll pay you a thousand dollars for a kiss and fifty cents for your soul.
Andre watched Marilyn slip deeper and deeper into her fit of depression. “I watched from afar as she slid into a private hell befogged by tranquilizers and a variety of sleeping pills.”* Her career had turned into an ordeal. She was constantly late on set, and forgot her lines. Some days she did not show up at all. He last saw her alive on June 1, 1961. He knew too well how badly she was sleeping, the bitterness inside of her. “...her success was a sham, her hopes thwarted...the next day she left a bouquet outside my door: a selection of her latest photos. Smiling, radiant - utterly misleading. I little guessed that this was our last goodbye.”*
Marilyn Monroe died on August 5, 1962 of an overdose of sleeping pills. Norma Jeane had died ages ago. Overwhelmed with grief, unhappy with what she had become, feeling betrayed by her public. Sir Laurence Olivier put it best when he said, “Popular opinion and all that goes to promote it is a horribly unsteady conveyance for life, and she was exploited beyond anyone’s means.”
Marilyn Monroe
&
her Legacy
Contributed by Clarissa Fischer, 7th Grade
Marilyn Monroe has spread the word "wow" over the United States and Europe for over six decades. Gathering confidence as she grew older, Miss Monroe told America that she had a style and she wasn’t going to change it. From her platinum locks to her glamourus wardrobe, she set a standard for American beauty that no one else could match.
Ever since she was born Norma Jeane Mortensen, everyone around her knew she was not just your average little girl. At the age of four she decided she wanted her father’s last name- Baker. She lived with her mother Gladys Baker until she was six and Gladys was sent to an insane asylum. Norma Jeane lived with approximately nine foster families until she was 12 and sent to the local orphanage.
James E. Dougherty was the boy-next-door and Norma Jeane’s legal guardian, Grace, wanted her out of the orphanage. So she arranged that Norma Jeane be married to James when she was only 16. During the newly-weds marriage, James was drafted into the Navy for four years. In that time away from eachother, Norma Jeane began to pursue her childhood dream: acting. Not knowing how to get started, she was approached one day by a talent scout. He got her a modeling job, and thats when her career begun.
Though she cherished having real biological father’s name, she took the studio’s advice and took the first name Marilyn and her grandmother’s name Monroe. Through many photo shoots and interviews with scouts on the side, she finally made her way into her first movie, The Shocking Miss Pilgrim, as an extra on the set. As Marilyn Monroe, she gained popularity after small roles in Asphalt Jungle and All About Eve. In 1954 she married the American baseball legend, Joe DiMaggio. Nine months later they were divorced due to "career conflict differences".
Feeling the need to shed her image as the typical Hollywood shallow blonde, Monroe took some time off to take acting classes. In June of 1956, she married the great playwright Arthur Miller. He wrote the western The Misfits especially for his wife, Monroe co-starred with Clark Gable, her childhood idol. The couple divorced in 1961, just months after The Misfits came out as Monroe’s last completed film.
In 1962, she won the Golden Globe award "Most Popular Star". On August 5th, 1962, Marilyn Monroe was found dead in her California home at the age of 36. Her death was declared a suicide by an overdose of sleeping pills, but many signs show it was murder, making it impossible for a suicide. Marilyn Monroe left a mark on the world that can never be changed. She set the standards for modeling and acting that no one can ever even attempt to meet. She was the ultimate role model for young women and girls who admired her glamour and image.
Somehow her name will always remain sacred; people with the last name ‘Monroe’ will name their child anything but Marilyn, keeping the name sterilized and untouched.
Without Marilyn, would the world still be tied to the modest syles of the 50’s? Would her housekeeper have never disappeared at the time of Monroe’s death? Who would have been the role model for the millions of young girls in that time?
The standard 50’s and 60’s woman was hearty and strongly built. Marilyn Monroe never changed her body for anyone but herself, only having electrolysis to remove her widow’s peak. Her measurments remained 35-22-35, the average for any hard-working American woman.
How do you know that she set a standard for beauty throughout the world? Madonna’s idol is Marilyn Monroe- in her early days Madonna dyed her hair blonde, and had similar clothing to that of Marilyn. Britney Spears, a modern day pop star, has in every way tried to copy Madonna. So does this mean that Britney Spears is a modern-day Marilyn Monroe?
Marilyn Monroe
Somebody once said that Marilyn Monroe played the best game with the worst hand dealt in the game of life. Marilyn Monroe, born Norma Jean Mortenson, personified Hollywood glamour with an unparalleled glow and energy that captivated the world. Brought into the world in a traumatic situation that would effect the later part of her life, she managed to become a legend. Marilyn was therefore great but misunderstood in many ways. Surpassing her stereotypical sex goddess appeal, Marilyn learned to go beyond the struggles that were placed upon her in her journey through life to become known as one of the greatest Hollywood divas that ever existed.All Marilyn Monroe desired was being known as a real actress, however, from the beginning Hollywood never took her seriously. She was looked upon as a commodity of flesh; a mere pretty face. In fact Marilyn was often heard saying, "I don't mind making jokes, but I don't want to look like one"(marilynmonroe.com, 4-5-2001). However, Marilyn, despite the fact that part of her name came from the famous sex queen of the 1930s (Marilyn Miller), never bothered to find out much about her. Too bad if she did she might have learned some valuable lessons. Because of this name and the image that was set out by Marilyn, she was perceived by society as a shallow dumb blonde when in fact she was much more.
In all ways, Marilyn Monroe was fully exploited on screen and every other way people could think of. Hollywood producers began taking advantage of her naturalness by making it appear somewhat lewd and suggestive. Marilyn Monroe often had a brilliant and true philosophy about life as a celebrity. She said, "Hollywood is a place where they pay you a thousand dollars for a kiss and fifty cents for your soul. I know, because I turned down the first offer often enough and held out for the fifty cents"
(marilynmonroe.com). "Everybody is always tugging at you. They'd all like a sort of chunk out of you. I don't think they realize it, but it's like 'grrr do this, grr do that...' But you do want to stay intact--intact and on two feet." Marilyn had not only a bitter childhood but was often exploited by the public as an adult.
In order to overcome all the misunderstandings that society placed upon this woman, she went through a lot. Marilyn desired respect- she was a nonconformist woman in a conformist era. "Miss Monroe knows the world, but this knowledge had not lowered her great and benevolent dignity; the world’s darkness has not dimmed her goodness."(Dame Edith Stiwell) Others were as physically beautiful as she was, but there was obviously something more in her, something that people saw and recognized in her performances and with which they identified.
It is very true that Marilyn Monroe is very great but in fact misunderstood. She took bad situations and made a brilliant career out of herself. She deserves the respect she often does not receive and should be remembered forever as a legend. Marilyn Monroe was a legend. In her own lifetime she created a myth of what a poor girl from a deprived background could attain. For the entire world she became a symbol of the eternal feminine. But I have no words to describe the myth and the legend. Nor would she want us to do so. I did not know this Marilyn Monroe, nor did she (Strasbourg).
What Really Happened To Marilyn?
By Josh Barnard
Whenever a greatly beloved public figure dies, especially when they’re taken before their time, the public suffers a great shock. When the shock wears off, the public is left wanting to know why it happened. Sometimes, though, there is no clear explanation, or the one given doesn’t seem to make sense. Such is the case of Marilyn Monroe, the most legendary actress ever to grace the silver screen. She was found dead in the guest house of her Los Angeles home, and the official ruling was a suicide by overdose of sleeping pills. However, to many people this explanation of her death just doesn’t ring true. Since her death on the night of August 4th, 1962, nearly forty years ago, many theories on the events surrounding her death have been brought up for consideration. Each new theory has its strong points and its weaknesses, but not everyone is able to agree on what the one true explanation is.To understand some of the theories on what exactly happened to the vibrant actress, it is important that one first understand some of her turbulent past, and some of the events leading up to her mysterious death.
The woman that history will know forever as Marilyn Monroe began her life as a shy little girl named Norma Jeane Mortenson, born to a single mother in Los Angeles on June 1st, 1926. Norma Jeane’s father left her mother before Norma Jeane was born, so the little girl grew up never knowing who her father was. This early abandonment would haunt her for the rest of her life, instilling in the impressionable young girl a permanent fear of being left alone in the world and a constant need for support from others. This need to be with someone would ultimately be Norma Jeane’s downfall, leading her to seek support from people who were unworthy of her trust.
Her mother, mentally unstable and an alcoholic in an era before alcoholism was recognized as a disease, was unable to give Norma Jeane the upbringing she needed, and so when her mother was institutionalized, Norma Jeane was sent from foster home to foster home until there were no more families available to take her in. The only choice was to place her in the Los Angeles Orphans’ Home. This was another heavy blow to the child’s self-esteem- it made her feel as though she wasn’t anyone on the world, and that, along with the accompanying feeling of being completely worthless, hurt more than anything else that she’d ever experienced.
A short while before she turned eleven years old, Norma Jeane moved in with her mother’s best friend, Grace McKee, and her husband Doc. Doc, an extremely heavy drinker, made sexual advances towards Norma Jeane, so she was once again sent to a series of foster homes. She was assaulted in at least two of the foster homes, and possibly more, all before she was twelve years old. Each time Norma Jeane was taken out of one the foster homes, it sent a strong message to her. Since it was she, the victim, who was being punished for these assaults, she reasoned, then she must be bringing the attacks upon herself.
Eventually, a marriage was arranged for Norma Jeane to be wed to James Dougherty, the son of the McKee’s neighbor, because Grace and Doc were moving, and were unable to bring her along. Norma Jeane was given the option of either dropping out of high school and getting married, or returning to the Los Angeles Orphans’ Home. Rather than endure spending more time in the oppressive atmosphere of the orphanage, Norma Jeane accepted the marriage arrangement. However, she was again left with the now familiar sense of abandonment when her new husband joined the Merchant Marines to go and fight when World War II broke out. Like many military wives did, Norma Jeane took a job in a defense factory. One day a photographer showed up to take pictures for a magazine story about women working to defend the country. He saw Norma Jeane, took some pictures of her, and told her that she was pretty enough to model. He then put her in contact with a modeling agency, who in turn found her a film agent. A little more than a year later, she had divorced James Dougherty, negotiated a contract with Twentieth Century-Fox, and changed her name to Marilyn Monroe.
After some initial difficulties in locating work, she found one particular agent named Johnny Hyde who had friends in high places, and was able to get Marilyn noticed. Her career took off rapidly, one successful movie after another. She was attracting a good amount of attention from people in all walks of life. She caught the eye of powerful men, men with influence both famous and infamous, men with greatly varied roles to play in the public spotlight. Some of these men may have played a darker role, one hidden from the public spotlight, when they planned and executed a horrendous plot to end the life of America’s most famous sex symbol. One such man was none other than John F. Kennedy, the President of the United States.
Monroe first came to Kennedy’s attention at a party in the White House, where Monroe was performing. Kennedy was impressed by her performance, and told her so. Marilyn was attracted to the young president, and Kennedy reciprocated the attraction. Thus their relationship started. Initially just a friendship, things progressed at a rapid pace, and their relationship soon developed into an affair. Although Monroe and Kennedy thought that they were concealing their activities, it was actually common knowledge among White House officials and the Hollywood elite. At one point, one of Kennedy’s advisors actually pulled him aside and told him that he ought to be more discreet with his affair. One final event would prove to be the proverbial straw that broke the camel’s back. At President Kennedy’s forty-fifth birthday celebration, held at Madison Square Garden and broadcast live to home televisions across the nation, Marilyn performed a searing rendition of "Happy Birthday" while wearing a dress that was so tight that she literally had to be sewn into it. At this point President Kennedy, who was deeply embarrassed and angry over Marilyn’s performance and his wife’s refusal to attend the celebration because she "didn’t want to be made a fool of", decided that enough was enough, and cut off all communication between himself and the controversial starlet. After she persisted in her attempts to contact him, Kennedy sent his brother Bobby to end the affair and explain to Monroe that her repeated calls were to stop at once. Bobby, however, didn’t merely deliver the message and leave. He took advantage of the vulnerability of the fragile woman, and started his own affair with her.
During the course of Bobby’s affair with Marilyn, Bobby told Marilyn much information about what he was accomplishing in his role of Attorney General, particularly news concerning his campaign against organized crime, top secret information about the Cuban Missile Crisis, and details about a government plot to assassinate Fidel Castro. After meeting with Bobby, Marilyn would often go home and write in her diary, a little red book that was one of her most prized possessions, concerning all that she and Bobby had talked about.
Marilyn’s affair with Bobby was short lived, however, because Bobby felt that his public image as a devoted family man was being threatened every time he had a rendezvous with Marilyn. In order to cut off communication with her, Bobby had the telephone number to his White House office changed, as well as his home phone number. He then sent a messenger, much as his older brother had done, to tell Marilyn that their relationship was over, and to stop trying to contact Bobby. She received no explanation, no goodbye.
This second complete cutoff fell heavily on the fragile actress, bringing back the childhood feelings of abandonment and worthlessness that had followed after her father left, as well as memories of what that abandonment had done to her mother. She experienced a vast array of feelings, from anger to desolation, confusion to loneliness. In the midst of this plethora of feelings, Marilyn managed to get Bobby on the phone one last time, at which point she told him that she was going to ‘tell all’ at a press conference she’d scheduled for August 5th, 1962. Sadly, she never made it to that conference. She was found dead the night of August 4th, of an apparent suicide.
Of all of the multitude of theories as to what actually went on during that fateful summer night, the one that has the most supporting evidence points the finger of blame at John and Bobby Kennedy. When Marilyn threatened to go public with the affairs that she’d carried on with both men, the theory proposes, both men must have visualized both of their careers going down the drain. In addition, Marilyn possessed information that constituted a possible breach in national security, and had handwritten notes and letters from both brothers that would substantiate her claims, not to mention prove both brothers’ adulteries. The theory advances the idea that after Marilyn threatened Bobby with going public, Bobby panicked. Those who favor this theory hypothesize that Bobby, although supposedly out of town that night paid a visit to Marilyn’s new home in Brentwood, California with her current psychiatrist, Dr. Ralph Greenson, and Peter Lawford, the Kennedy brothers’ brother-in-law. A highway patrolman came forward and stated the he pulled over a vehicle that night, and when he found the driver to be Bobby Kennedy, he let the car go. This effectively proves their presence in the area that night. While they were at Marilyn’s home, they either gave her an injection with enough barbiturates to kill her, or used a medicated enema to deliver the fatal dose. It had become commonplace, and indeed the fashionable thing to do among Hollywood stars to have an enema, so it wouldn’t have really raised any suspicions for that type of equipment to be found in Marilyn’s home. The enema theory is slightly more plausible than the injection theory, since the autopsy says there were no needle marks found on Marilyn’s body, but to many people the autopsy report itself is suspect since there are dozens of eyewitness reports stating that Marilyn had been receiving vitamin shots on the set of "Something’s Got To Give", her prophetically titled last film, within the last few weeks. In addition, police weren’t called until three to four hours afer her body was found, and when they arrived, Eunice Murray, Marilyn’s housekeeper, was washing Marilyn’s bed sheets, possibly to remove any evidence.Also suspicious is the fact that every time Murray was questioned about the events of that night, she gave a slightly different version of her story, altering dates and other details.
Another theory is that her psychiatrist, Ralph Greenson, is the person who is responsible for Marilyn’s death. She began seeing him for appointments in 1960, and he quickly gained a large amount of influence over her. In his own words, he "was going to be her one and only therapist." Dr. Greenson believed in using large quantities of drugs for therapy, and prescribed her Nembutal and Chloral Hydrate, the two drugs found in her system during her autopsy. Greenson grew more and more controlling over Marilyn as time passed, at one point convincing her not to do a film, though her better judgment told her she ought to. He also kept her on a steady supply of barbiturates. He eventually began to tell people that Marilyn suffered from schizophrenia in order to make himself more prominent among his peers. At this point, two versions of this particular theory are formed. The first holds the opinion that Marilyn’s death was indeed accidental. It advances the idea that another psychiatrist had, without the knowledge of Dr. Greenson, prescribed another strong barbiturate, which Marilyn may have taken at some point on August 4th. Then, after being summoned to Marilyn’s home, Dr. Greenson may have found her in a greatly distressed state (after she received the message from Bobby Kennedy telling her not to contact him) and, with no harmful intent, gave her the medication (possibly the medicated enema) which, coupled with what was already in her system, would have been enough to cause her death. When asked about Marilyn’s pill problem, director John Huston had this to say, "Marilyn wasn’t killed by Hollywood. It was the goddamn doctors who killed her. If she was a pill addict, they made her so."
The second version of this theory paints a somewhat darker picture of Dr. Greenson. It postulates that Marilyn saw how Dr. Greenson was manipulating her and cutting off all of her relationships one by one, and that she decided to do something about it. She may have done or said something to Greenson indicating her need to distance herself from him, and he may have reacted badly. One author, Donald Spoto, who wrote a biography on Marilyn even showed that Greenson had actually physically beaten the actress at one point several months before her death, a claim validated by a visit to the doctor for a possible broken nose and two black eyes. The theory states that Greenson may have visited Marilyn, possibly in an attempt to convince her to continue receiving his therapy, and found her already under the influence of some kind of barbiturate. At this point it’s possible that he decided to end her life rather than be forced to give up his monopoly on her. Whether either of these theories is true or not, it’s apparent that her counseling and drug t herapy through Dr. Greenson did more harm than good. Spoto points this out, saying "His tactic was disastrous. Instead of leading his patient to independence, he did exactly the opposite…he was certain he could prevail on her to do anything he wished."
Of course, all of these theories may just be a typical grief reaction of the public responding to the death of a star who was loved by all. Had this happened a few months earlier or later, the suicide theory would be more plausible. But the idea that Marilyn would commit suicide at that particular time in her life doesn’t make sense. She had recently been engaged to remarry baseball legend Joe DiMaggio, a wedding that was scheduled to take place on August 8th, just three days after her supposed suicide. She had been rehired to work on a film she had recently been fired from, at a significant raise in pay. Also, she had just bought her new home in Brentwood, a gesture that represented her attempt to take back control of her life.
On top of all of these things is the physical evidence that there was more to the story than appeared. For one, though Marilyn supposedly died of an overdose of sleeping pills, there was absolutely no pill residue found in her stomach. In addition, there was no drinking vessel found, suspicious since Marilyn refused to take so much as one pill without something to drink (the estimated number of pills she would have needed to take to produce the level of chemicals found in her blood was somewhere between forty and fifty, all within five minutes or so.) Raising further questions were the bruises on Marilyn’s left side, bruises consistent with bruises that would appear on someone who was forcibly held down.
Faced even with this wide array of evidence pointing to foul play, some people still feel that this is an open-and-shut suicide case, and maybe they’re right. Perhaps people are just unwilling to come to terms with the fact that sometimes bad things happen to wonderful people. Or maybe not…
Whichever theory is actually true, there can be no doubt that this talented and gorgeous actress as taken from her public far before her time. However, though she may be gone physically, she's still very much here in spirit, a fact shown by the huge number of fans she still retains today, almost 40 years after her untimely death. Marilyn Monroe is the very definition of a legend, and she can rest in peace knowing that though she may be gone, she'll never be forgotten.
Here is a link to a great essay by Lisa DeGroff about Marilyn's acting.
Click HereAn essay by Heather Lindley, Upland High School
In a quiet room the words "Marilyn Monroe" are muttered and heads turn, people suddenly reminded of the actress/ sex-symbol tune in to hear the gossip. Scenes like this would have been typical back in 1950's, but even today people are still on the edges of their seats to hear more. The words Hollywood Glamour go along with Marilyn just as well as Bloomingdale's and a credit card. Along with most people Marilyn did go through rough times, but most of the time she was the girl every girl wanted to be and the woman every man wanted to be with. From stardom to the Kennedy scandal, Marilyn believed in living life to its fullest.
Norma Jean Baker, better known as "Marilyn Monroe", was born June 1,1926 in Los Angeles to Gladys Baker. Marilyn's mom, Gladys, worked as a film cutter at RKO studios, soon people discovered Gladys had a physiological problem and admitted her into a mental institution, Gladys was not the first it ran in the family starting from Marilyn's great grandfather. Gladys's best friend, Grace McKee took Marilyn in. After several years Grace put Marilyn in an orphanage after her husband made sexual advances toward Marilyn. "Gladys had some how communicated the notion that as an illegitimate child Norma Jean was the embodiment of her own sins and had to be snuffed out"(Leaming, Barbara: Marilyn Monroe, 54). Marilyn started to believe her mom as time went by, Grace put Marilyn in a series of foster homes, a number of which she was sexually assaulted. After a while Grace gave up and took Marilyn in again, only this time she was going to teach Marilyn not only how to be sexy but how to be a star. For most of Marilyn's childhood she dreamt of being on the big screen, Grace taught her that being sexy was okay, so Marilyn started to flirt and attract all men that had any connection to fame.
On June 19,1942 Marilyn married Jimmy Dougherty, whom she had been dating for six months. Jimmy and Marilyn stayed married for two years but then Jimmy joined the Merchant Marines and was sent off to the south pacific. After Jimmy left Marilyn started work at the Radio Plane Munitions factory in Burbank.
Several months later, photographer David Conover saw her while taking pictures of women contributing to the war for Yank magazine. He couldn't believe his luck. "She was a photographer's dream" (David Conover). He used her for the shoot and then began sending modeling jobs her way. The camera loved Marilyn, and within two years she was a highly regarded model with many popular magazine covers to her credit. When Jimmy returned in 1946 Marilyn had to make a choice, the family life she always wanted with Jimmy or the stardom she always dreamt of herself! Marilyn divorced Jimmy in June of 1946, and signed her first studio contract with Twentieth Century Fox on August 26, 1946. "My marriage didn't make me sad, but it didn't make me happy either. My husband and I hardly spoke to each other. This wasn't because we were angry. We had nothing to say. I was dying of boredom."(Marilyn Monroe). Then Norma Jean dyed her hair blonde and then legally changed her name to Marilyn Monroe, Monroe being her grandmother's maiden name. To Marilyn there was only one place to go, up!
Marilyn's first major role was a small part in The Shocking Miss Pilgrim, in 1947. From then on Marilyn played small roles until The Asphalt Jungle in 1950. It provided her with enough media to get signed to All about Eve later that year. From then on Marilyn worked steadily in movies such as: Let's Make It Legal, As Young As You Feel, Monkey Business and Don't Bother to Knock." It was her performance in 1953's Niagara, however, that delivered her to stardom." (Www.marilynmonroe.com/bio). Marilyn played Rose Loomis, a beautiful young wife who plots to kill her older, jealous husband. Marilyn's success in Niagara was followed with lead roles in Gentlemen Prefer Blondes and How to Marry a Millionaire. "…and at 27 years old she is undeniably the best-loved blonde bombshell in Hollywood."(Photoplay magazine: 1953). Coming with Marilyn's success of stardom came romance, during 1954-1962 Marilyn married Joe DiMaggio, famous baseball player, Arthur Miller, screenplay writer, and had plans to remarry Joe 2 days after her death, she even had alleged affairs with President Kennedy. On the early morning of August 5, 1962, 36-year-old Marilyn died in her sleep at her Brentwood, California home. The world was stunned. On August 8, 1962, Marilyn's body was laid to rest in the "Corridor of Memories" at Westwood Memorial Park in Los Angeles, California.
Marilyn's life is what inspires most actresses today; she had a vibrant spirit and true talent at just about anything she did. Today, the name "Marilyn Monroe" is equal with beauty, sensuality and sparkle. "I knew I belonged to the public and to the world, not because I was talented or even beautiful, but because I had never belonged to anything or anyone else."(Marilyn Monroe)
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