Immortal Marilyn

20th September 2016

3

BOOK REVIEW: Marilyn Monroe: A Day In The Life By April VeVea

By Immortal Marilyn | Book Reviews | No Comments

Marilyn Monroe: A Day In The Life By April VeVea
Paperback: 210 pages
Publisher: CreateSpace Independent Publishing Platform; 1 edition (18 July 2016)
Language: English ISBN-10: 1523337877
ISBN-13: 978-1523337873

I really enjoyed this book. It’s a great source for identifying specific important dates in Marilyn’s life, from childhood to her last day. What’s particularly interesting is that although it’s not a biography, you can at times get a feeling of the person she was with her spending habits and decisions she made in her career, as well as her health; It’s like a personal insight.

The book is meticulously researched with as much known evidence sourced from historic documents and personal papers that have been accumulated by April VeVea over time to form a chronological timeline of Marilyn’s schedules with a fascinating insight into her personal and professional relationships and business details and her day to day activities. April doesn’t form any conclusions or assumptions, but instead presents the documents as they are. I will find it useful for looking up dates and events and see what order they fall on.

There’s ten pages of pictures inside, all of which have come from private collections which help make it special.

19th September 2016

2

BOOK REVIEW: Conversations With Marilyn by WJ Weatherby

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Conversations with Marilyn by W.J. Weatherby
1976 Mason/Charter Publishers
ISBN 088405148X

Marilyn’s Contemporaries: Jayne Mansfield

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Jayne’s Life and Career

Vera Jayne Palmer was born on April 19, 1933, nearly seven years after Marilyn, in Pennsylvania. Jayne’s father died when she was only three while he was driving, an event witnessed by the little girl who was in the front seat, sitting in her mother’s lap. Jayne never got over seeing his death. Jayne recalled her father introducing her to Shirley Temple and wanted to be just like her childhood idol. When Jayne was six, her mother remarried and relocated to Texas with Jayne in tow. Jayne quickly proved herself to be an intellectual and would eventually become a concert violinist and could also play the viola and piano. She also wound up being able to speak four additional languages to English: Spanish, German, Italian, and French and could speak a little Hungarian.

Jayne shows off her curves in a bikini.

By 1950, Jayne was married to Paul Mansfield with her first child, Jayne Marie, being born in November of that year. Jayne soon enrolled in college and would frequently take her daughter with her to class but her Hollywood dreams never died. In 1953 Jayne finally moved to Hollywood to pursue her dream of stardom. Jayne wanted to play ethnic roles but was told to dye her dark brown hair blonde in order to get signed. In early 1955, short a husband, she was signed to Warner Brothers but was dropped by June and went to film the independent production The Burglar in Pennsylvania. Jayne’s agent advised her to try out for George Axelrod’s new Broadway bound play Will Success Spoil Rock Hunter. Reluctant but willing, Jayne went in a bikini covered by a mink coat. She was instantly given the role.

Jayne with Joan Blondell in Will Success Spoil Rock Hunter?

Jayne skyrocketed to fame in October. Critics praised her acting ability and Hollywood soon came knocking. After the dust settled, Twentieth Century Fox won out for signing Jayne in 1956, buying out Will Success Spoil Rock Hunter for $150,000 and signing Jayne for $2,500/week. Fox and newspaper columnists billed her, at this point, as the “Rich man’s Marilyn Monroe.” Jayne soon began making The Girl Can’t Help It, a technicolor “Rock and Roll” musical with Tom Ewell, Julie London, Little Richard, and Abby Lincoln. Right after filming commenced, Jayne started John Steinbeck’s The Wayward Bus before filming Will Success Spoil Rock Hunter in 1957. All were successful with the public and Jayne looked to be the next Marilyn.

Jayne’s mistake was marrying Mickey Hargitay in 1958. Fox wanted a single blonde bombshell, not another married one. Jayne was cast in The Sheriff of Fractured Jaw, her last “A” list starring production. While filming, Jayne discovered she was pregnant, the second of her five children. Jayne was given the career death sentence of being in European and independent productions in between nightclub acts in Las Vegas and pregnancies throughout the late 1950’s and 1960’s. By the time Jayne passed away on June 29, 1967, she was reduced to b-list movies and subpar nightclub performances.

Marilyn Connections

“Marilyn and I are entirely different. We’ve really never been in competition. I admire Marilyn and she’s told me she admires me.”

Jayne in the gold lame dress made famous by Marilyn in Gentlemen Prefer Blondes.

Marilyn in the gold lame dress.

Besides being blonde and having exceptional figures, Marilyn and Jayne were very, very different. Jayne came from an upper-middle class background and had a stable home life. Jayne admired Marilyn but never aspired to be the next Marilyn, she wanted to be known for her own persona. Sadly, she was told the exact same thing as Marilyn had been told seven years before and she embraced the dumb blonde image with much more gusto that Marilyn. Jayne was confident in her 163 IQ and that the “dumb blonde” was a persona, although she did want to do more dramas as well, versus Marilyn thinking that people actually thought that was her.

Jayne and Marilyn took some of the same pre-fame steps. Both were signed to Emmeline Snively’s Blue Book Modeling Agency and both posed for Earl Moran. In fact, when recounting all the women he had drawn through the years, Moran remembered Jayne and Marilyn having two of the most exceptional figures and both being standouts. Photographers were also commonly shared amongst the two women. Jayne posed for Marilyn’s friend and frequent collaborator, Milton Greene in 1955 at his studio. Jayne and Marilyn both also posed for Bruno Bernard, Phillipe Halsman, Frank Powolny, and a host of other 1950’s and 1960’s photographers.

Jayne and Marilyn were spotted with four of the same men at different times in their lives. Marilyn dated Nick Ray, on and off, from 1950-1952, before meeting Joe DiMaggio. Jayne dated Nick Ray, on and off, from 1956-1957, before settling down with Mickey Hargitay. Ray even gifted Jayne a black baby bunny that she had to feed with a baby bottle. While in New York, Jayne was spotted dancing with Joe DiMaggio at El Morocco. Jayne and Marilyn were both spotted with George Jessell, Jayne in 1956 and Marilyn in 1948. The final male they had in common, albeit not romantically for either, was James Haspiel who followed Jayne almost as much as he followed Marilyn.

Jayne and Marilyn had other male connections as well, in the form of co-stars. Tom Ewell was the romantic lead for both, starring with Marilyn in The Seven Year Itch and Jayne in The Girl Can’t Help It. Dan Dailey was Jayne’s love interest in The Wayward Bus yet played the father of Marilyn’s love interest in There’s No Business Like Show Business three years before. Tony Randall starred with Jayne in Will Success Spoil Rock Hunter before starring in Let’s Make Love. Groucho Marks starred in Will Success Spoil Rock Hunter as well and had been with Marilyn in Love Happy nearly nine years before. Probably the most well known collaboration is Jayne with Tommy Noonan in Promises, Promises. Noonan had starred with Marilyn exactly ten years before in Gentlemen Prefer Blondes.

One of the lesser known connections is Something’s Got To Give. Originally slated to begin filming in 1961, Jayne was at first promised the role. When Marilyn came in and agreed to do it, Jayne was dropped. While Marilyn was supposed to be the first A-list American star to appear nude in a mainstream production after the installment of the Hayes Code in Something’s Got To Give, the title wound up going to Jayne in Promises, Promises.

Marilyn and Jayne at the premiere of The Rose Tattoo.

Jayne and Marilyn were photographed together once, at The Rose Tattoo premiere. Jayne was openly snubbed by Marilyn. The women didn’t really run in the same social circles but did meet one another a few times, including when Marilyn attended Will Success Spoil Rock Hunter in October of 1955. It’s likely that is when Marilyn told Jayne she admired her. Any other meetings were reported to be cold although Jayne would claim a somewhat civil but distant friendship before and after Marilyn’s death.

One of the more interesting similarities is that Jayne was in high demand like Marilyn was, but on the nightclub and appearance circuit. While Marilyn was in “A-list” productions her whole life, Jayne was commanding a much higher salary for nightclub performances. In 1961 Jayne was making $35,000/week in Vegas while Marilyn was only offered $5,500/week in 1962.

Jayne and Marilyn both suffered with prescription medication addiction issues. Jayne was put on diet pills by Fox to lose baby weight and soon was addicted while Marilyn was put on barbiturates and other medication to help her obtain sleep. Both women also have JFK rumors swirling around them although, like Marilyn, Jayne’s rumors are unfounded and have a dubious beginning.

In closing, Jayne is much more than a Marilyn wannabe or impersonator. To refer to her as such is the same as saying that Marilyn wanted to be Betty Grable or Betty Grable wanted to be Alice Faye. Both women were beautiful, blonde, and intelligent and deserve to be given the same respect that they weren’t offered in their lifetimes.

Marilyn and Jayne in the same dress.

Jayne wears the same striped top Marilyn wore for a photo shoot.

Finally, the clothes. Jayne was spotted in more than one Marilyn outfit through the years being both women frequently borrowed from the Fox Costume Department.

– April VeVea or Immortal Marilyn

16th September 2016

5

Collector’s Corner: Fraser Penney

By Immortal Marilyn | Collector's Corner, IM Articles | No Comments

Welcome to Immortal Marilyn’s Collector’s Corner! This series showcases Marilyn collectors from around the world, taking a look at everything from books to dolls to the rare and unique in the world of Marilyn collectibles and memorabilia.

This week we are proud to introduce IM admin and longtime Marilyn collector, Fraser Penney!

How long have you been collecting?
I started saving stuff from magazines from around the fall of 1976 onwards. It was very slow to start. Clippings mostly. I was 12 and would usually go into town and meet up with friends on a Saturday; we’d go round the records shops and books shops and places like that. I saw her poster and wanted it but I remember having to wait about a year before I was allowed to buy it. There was a book I bought after saving up for what seemed like an eternity.

Fraser’s impressive library of Marilyn books and more.

What is in your collection? Do you focus on one particular area or collect all kinds of Marilyn items?
At first, I just collected the books and clippings and it progressed to other things like postcards and posters and photos. I began writing to someone in England and they were a great help at finding things and knowing what had been published beforehand and would send me out-of-print books. This eventually expanded to foreign language books which this friend was able to find for me. Then I started collecting magazines. Once I found a source, I got vintage ones. At the time I wanted to have the Life magazines so just focussed on them and then once they were complete I would move onto Photoplay etc So for the most part it was books and magazines. I tried to collect all I could from when she was alive as it gave you an idea of how she was before the tragedy that befell her. Over the years I went through phases and trends and collected plates and ceramics, film posters and a little bit of everything. When eBay started it also brought opportunities to purchase items like the 1950’s drink trays with and coaster sets and many vintage items which I love.

What is your most prized item?
It’s difficult to pick one thing but it would probably be something my mother bought me; she used to bring things to me she saw without me even having to ask for them and we collected the Franklin Mint porcelain dolls together, so I have great memories of those times when they would arrive. There was a boy at school who brought me a magazine with her on the cover that he had found; it’s creased from where he had folded it but it meant a lot and it’s one of the first things I had. It’s not worth very much but I value it because of the memory attached.

What item would you most like to add to your collection?
If I could add anything it would be her autograph, on a cheque or something, maybe a photo. It’s something that always seemed out of my budget so it would be wonderful to have one some day.

Some of Fraser’s rare magazines.

Is there any advice you’d offer to a new collector?
I would just say collect what you like and what you can afford but be selective. It’s easy to get carried away collecting Marilyn as she is on so many things. It’s always good to get advice about books, as there’s so many now and they’re not always truthful; I collected them all in the past but choose to add only the quality, well researched books now or the picture books, which are always lovely. You don’t have to have everything on her, it doesn’t mean you’re any less a fan. Some of the nicest collections I have seen are not that big. I think a good thing is to find something you like and focus on making that your forte. There’s so many different fields to collecting now. It could be something relating to her films, like the advertising things or vintage stills. Or maybe even her personally owned items if your pocket stretches that far. It really is a personal thing for most and we all have different ideas and aspirations. For me at first it was the books so that’s how I began. I think the thing is to choose quality over quantity but if you like something then have it.

Fraser Penney and his books.

What do your friends and family think of your collection?
They just accept it. I usually get a text or told if something is on TV or they see something somewhere. Even if I am in the town and in a shop the staff will direct me to something if it is related to her, I’m always moved when they think of me along with her as someone I like. I think when they get to know me really well they see I am very passionate about her and some have wondered what makes this so, what is so special about her? And they become aware that there was indeed a person there and not the image everyone is familiar with and try to educate themselves about her. It has on occasion caused problems as sometimes when I have had relationships, for example, it has been brought to my attention that she is in that relationship also because I like to have her pictures up or I am reading something about her or buying something for my collection. It’s usually a sign that the relationship is not going to last as it’s like they’re jealous of an old movie star. I was once forbidden to refer to her, but that’s another story. I try not to let it define me as there’s many things I am interested in and passionate about but Marilyn is very visual which can become a presence. As time moves on I think the old friends I’ve had for years can see for themselves she was something special as she’s never been forgotten and she is picked up by younger generations.

11th September 2016

4

Marilyn’s Contemporaries: Gene Tierney

By Immortal Marilyn | IM Articles, Marilyn's Hollywood | No Comments

Welcome to the first installment of IM’s new feature: Marilyn’s Contemporaries. This regular feature will discuss other actors and actresses who were working at the same time as Marilyn. We’ll talk about career similarities and differences, connections to Marilyn, and generally look at the players on the Hollywood stage throughout Marilyn’s career!

Our first installment focuses on Gene Tierney.

Gene’s Life

Born in New York in 1920, only six years before Marilyn, Gene would rise to fame in the 1940s, when Marilyn was still a fresh-faced teen named Norma Jeane. After a few brief appearances on the stage, Gene signed her first screen contract in 1938. Like Marilyn, she did a brief stint at Columbia Pictures before landing at Fox. Most of her most memorable screen roles were in the 1940s at Fox, including Laura and her Academy Award nominated role in Leave Her To Heaven.

Gene Tierney in a publicity still for Laura, 1944.

By 1952, when Marilyn was poised to become the world’s biggest star and Fox’s biggest moneymaker, Gene’s contract with Fox expired and she was free to pursue projects as she liked.

Gene in Plymouth Adventure, 1952, the year Marilyn rose to stardom.

Unfortunately, the next few years saw mental illness begin to cast a shadow over her career. She spent time in psychiatric hospitals and underwent shock treatment for severe manic depressive episodes, which she later said caused serious memory loss. Tierney would eventually become an outspoken opponent of the use of electroshock therapy.

Things came to a head for Tierney in 1957, when she stood on a ledge 14 stories up while staying with her mother in Manhattan, causing police to arrive at the potential suicide scene. She later recounted the experience as the opening to her autobiography, Self Portrait. She wrote that the apartment was across the street from the building where Marilyn lived with Arthur Miller, and recounted how when Marilyn passed away she thought of that moment, standing on the ledge looking out at Marilyn’s building:

“I do not like to think that in 1958 I had a grim impulse to commit suicide, but there is no nicer way to describe it. I survived. Some don’t. When Marilyn Monroe took her own life a few years later, the scene on the window ledge came flooding back to me. I remembered with a chilling clarity that morning, the wind plucking at me, staring at the building where Marilyn lived. Now Marilyn was gone, and I endured.”

Gene spent a year in an institution after this event. She was finally released and made a return to films, although she retired in 1964, making one more appearance on television in the 1980s. Gene passed away in 1991 of emphysema, the result of a many years as a heavy smoker. She had picked up the habit in the 1940s in an effort to lower her voice on film; it eventually ended her life.

Gene Tierney and Oleg Cassini.

Gene had two children with husband Oleg Cassini. During her first pregnancy she contracted rubella from a fan, resulting in a premature birth and severe disabilities in daughter Daria. The couple’s second child, Christina, was healthy, but the marriage never recovered from the stress of Daria’s birth and eventual placement in an institution – as well as other issues including Cassini’s playboy ways. The divorce became final in 1948. Ten years later, Gene would wed Texas oilman and former husband of another dark-haired beauty, Hedy Lamarr, W. Howard Lee. The couple remained together until his death in 1981.

Gene’s open and honest discussions of her mental illness and all she suffered during treatment in her autobiography offer a window into how bipolar disorder was treated in the 1950s.

Marilyn Connections

Aside from living across the street from Marilyn in 1957 when she reached a low point in her battle with mental illness, Gene also had some other connections with Marilyn.

Gene and Marilyn in the red velvet Cassini

In 1941, Gene married fashion designer Oleg Cassini, who created many costumes for her on-screen roles. Among them was a red velvet gown worn by Gene in Where the Sidewalk Ends, 1950. The gown wound up in Cassini’s shop, where Marilyn purchased it as she was rising to fame as a starlet. Marilyn wore the gown on multiple occasions, including to accept her Henrietta Award in 1952. A second Cassini gown worn by Gene in On The Riviera would be worn by Marilyn for several photo shoots, as well as to the premiere of Monkey Business in 1952.

Gene and Marilyn both wearing another Cassini gown.

Gene worked with many of the same people as Marilyn, including directors Otto Preminger, Nunnally Johnson, and Jean Negulesco. Like Marilyn, she starred opposite Clark Gable, and also appeared in a film with character actress Thelma Ritter. In one of her final film appearances, Toys in the Attic, Gene starred with Dean Martin, who was Marilyn’s last leading man in the incomplete Something’s Got to Give.

Of course, one of the saddest connections the two shared was that of suffering through mental illness. Gene speaks candidly in her autobiography about her depression and suicidal impulses. She mentions Marilyn when talking about how her illness began to affect her memory, giving her new insight and empathy into Marilyn’s difficulty remembering lines on set.

Although Marilyn’s “affair” with JFK is mostly rumor and conjecture – in spite of it being considered a well-known fact – Gene did in fact have a relationship with Kennedy shortly after her separation from Oleg Cassini in 1946. The Kennedy family didn’t consider Gene an appropriate bride for their political aspirations, however, and the relationship ended.

Gene in a very Marilyn glamour shot.

It’s been rumored that Gene didn’t like Marilyn and spoke rudely of her after her husband Oleg Cassini, known for his philandering, had a brief affair with the rising starlet and brought her to a party. There’s no evidence to support that this ever happened, and Gene’s attitude towards Marilyn in her autobiography is clearly kind and sympathetic. She doesn’t mention this event happening; however, she admits that her mental illness caused her to behave in ways she regrets and that she has lost portions of her memory, so it is possible she forgot speaking unkindly of Marilyn.

Like Marilyn, Gene worked at Fox, dealt with the studio system, and struggled with depression. Unlike Marilyn, however, Gene was lucky enough to have a support system and – eventually – the right help. Although there’s no clear record that the two knew each other (it’s likely they did attend the same events and probably met at some point, and there remains the claim that Cassini was seeing Marilyn), it’s clear from Gene’s autobiography that she thought of Marilyn frequently after her death, and felt a great deal of empathy for Marilyn. Although the timing didn’t work out, it seems possible that the two might well have been friends given the right opportunity.

– Leslie Kasperowicz for Immortal Marilyn

7th September 2016

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The Happy Birthday Mr. President Dress Is Coming Up For Auction

By Immortal Marilyn | Marilyn News | No Comments

Better start that loan application, Marilyn fans. The Julien’s auction set for this November just got another big ticket item – the big ticket item from the 1999 Christie’s auction.

The Jean Louis gown Marilyn wore to sing Happy Birthday to President Kennedy at Madison Square Garden in May of 1962 went for $1.26 million in 1999, and it’s coming up for auction again on November 17, 2016. The Julien’s auction that includes the David Gainsborough-Roberts collection was announced months ago and has already exhibited in the U.K. has added more Marilyn items since, including items from Monroe Six member Frieda Hull. Now the auction will also include one of the most famous gowns in history.

If you’re like most fans and a multi-million dollar gown (Julien’s is estimating it will sell for $2-3 million) is out of the budget range, you can still see the dress in person. It will be exhibited in Jersey City, New Jersey from Sept. 25 – Oct. 22 at MANA Contemporary and then in Ireland at the Museum of Style Icons from Oct. 29 – Nov. 6. It will then be on display at Julien’s in Los Angeles from Nov. 11th through the auction weekend of Nov. 17-19.

If you do have some cash stashed away, maybe for a less pricey item in the sale – you can get details on the auction and how to bid on the Julien’s site.

5th September 2016

4

Blonde is Fiction: Hollywood To Get It Wrong Again, This Time Through Netflix

By Immortal Marilyn | IM Articles, Marilyn News | No Comments

Many in the Marilyn community will have already heard that yet another movie based on Marilyn’s life is in the works – another adaptation of Joyce Carol Oates’ Blonde. Already made as a miniseries in 2002, the book is now spawning a second version, this time at Netflix.

The biggest problem with Blonde is not that it’s completely inaccurate. In fact, no one should expect it to be accurate. Why? Because it’s a novel – it’s fiction. It was never presented as anything else by the publisher. And yet…here we go again. The world at large is assuming that it’s Marilyn’s true story, and that is the biggest problem with Blonde and its adaptations.. You’d think that with just a little research it would become obvious that it’s a fictional movie based on a fictional novel, but in the world of internet publishing, research and truth are, as usual, optional.

Case in point, this story over at Moviepilot that runs with the idea that perhaps Blonde will finally tell Marilyn’s true story. Here’s another internet writer calling it a biopic. And yet another one, again referring to it as a biopic. A biopic is a biographical movie. Blonde is not biographical; it’s fiction. Did I say that already? It bears repeating.

And really, it’s easy to see how people believe it’s a biography, even though Oates is a fiction writer and a well-known one at that. A quick search for the book returns a load of Google images featuring covers of the book that show Marilyn’s image. Although the original book cover doesn’t show Marilyn’s face and clearly states it’s a novel, things have gotten murkier in later editions.

The original cover for Blonde, stating “A Novel” clearly.

Here’s the original cover, which shows what appears to be the back of Marilyn’s head during filming of The Seven Year Itch skirt scene, pretty recognizable to any fan. However, it states “A Novel” in big letters.

From here, it gets less obvious that the book is fiction. An updated cover moves “A Novel” into smaller letters and uses another familiar image of Marilyn, although her face is still not seen.

Then, multiple editions, particularly foreign ones, just give up entirely pretending it’s not about Marilyn. The words “A Novel” are long gone and a wide variety of Marilyn images are used. No wonder people think it’s a biography.

The words “A Novel” become smaller.

One of the most famous photos of Marilyn used here.

This one features a famous photo of Marilyn by Bert Stern.

There’s plenty of fiction based on Marilyn’s life out there. Love it or hate it, it’s Marilyn’s appeal that keeps writers interested in using her story to inspire their own work. The big problem isn’t with the writing of fiction, but with the lack of effort put into making sure the public knows it’s fiction.

Marilyn’s fans already spend a great deal of their time educating people on the truth behind the tabloid nonsense that has been sold about Marilyn time and again. It’s hard enough to respond to all the lies that have been told in actual biographies, never mind fiction. But here we are again – Netflix is taking on a project that has been in the works for some time – previously with Naomi Watts attached to star, then Jessica Chastain, although no one knows who will take the role this time. Once again, Marilyn’s story will be told wrong, and the public will take it at face value.

Is it too much to ask that a reputable biography be used to make a truthful biopic about Marilyn? Apparently so. Not only does the public prefer the sensational tabloid trash, they also apparently prefer straight-up fiction.

All we can do as Marilyn fans is spread the word – Blonde is fiction. Please, oh internet writers, stop referring to it as a biopic. It’s not a biopic. It’s just a fictional movie based on someone’s imagination of a life like Marilyn’s. Marilyn deserves better than to have her life story told as fiction, when no one yet has managed to tell her truth on the screen.

3rd September 2016

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