Prompted by Walter Winch.e.l.l, who, it would seem, was trying to get a good reaction from Joe for his column, Joe found himself on the set that night. Watching his wife perform in such a provocative-even if very obviously staged-moment infuriated him. Billy Wilder described the look on DiMaggio"s face as "the look of death." Even though Marilyn wore two two pairs of panties for modesty, under the klieg lights there was still more visible than what Joe would have been comfortable with. James Haspiel was present for the filming, and he recalled, "I must confess I had no trouble seeing through Marilyn"s sheer panties. Most of the published photographs from that night do not ill.u.s.trate this intimacy. I think they shot the scene fifteen times so it was a very exciting, intimate situation being played out over and over again before my eyes. Nonetheless, I could fully appreciate DiMaggio"s anger. Indeed, Joe stood there sour-faced. In defense of Monroe, I am reasonably convinced that in her dressing room she did not see what the powerful klieg lights then put on display." pairs of panties for modesty, under the klieg lights there was still more visible than what Joe would have been comfortable with. James Haspiel was present for the filming, and he recalled, "I must confess I had no trouble seeing through Marilyn"s sheer panties. Most of the published photographs from that night do not ill.u.s.trate this intimacy. I think they shot the scene fifteen times so it was a very exciting, intimate situation being played out over and over again before my eyes. Nonetheless, I could fully appreciate DiMaggio"s anger. Indeed, Joe stood there sour-faced. In defense of Monroe, I am reasonably convinced that in her dressing room she did not see what the powerful klieg lights then put on display."
DiMaggio rushed back to the St. Regis Hotel and waited for his wife to join him there at the end of her workday. Then he took out his rage on her, slapping her around the room. The altercation was so noisy, in fact, that other hotel guests reported it to the hotel"s management, afraid that someone was getting badly hurt. Natasha, in the room next door, was alarmed enough to pound on the door to the DiMaggios" suite. "Is everything okay in there?" she shouted out, knowing, of course, the answer. The door swung open and there was Joe, eyes blazing, face reddened. "Get outta here," he told her brusquely. "Mind your own business, for once." Later that night, Milton and Amy Greene had dinner with Joe and Marilyn. They noticed bruises on Marilyn"s back. The next day, Gladys Witten, a studio hairdresser, noticed bruises on Marilyn"s shoulders, "but we covered them with makeup," she said.
"That was the last straw," recalled Stacy Edwards, who met Joe in New York earlier in that day. "The way I heard it, Joe let her have it. It was pretty bad. After he hit her, she told him she"d had enough and wanted out of the marriage. I spoke to Joe maybe three weeks later and asked him about that night. He said, "Things got out of hand, I admit it. But she p.i.s.sed me off so much. She didn"t care what I thought about anything, she just wanted to do what she wanted to do." That was DiMaggio. He could be a sweetheart if everything was going his way. If not, he was pretty mean. To tell you the truth, I lost a lot of respect for Joe when I found out he hit Marilyn Monroe. I thought to myself, "How could any man hit such a beautiful creature?" "
Years later, Marilyn admitted to her hairdresser, Sydney Guilaroff, very famous in his time for his work with Hollywood stars, "Joe beat me up twice. The first time, I warned him. "Don"t ever do that again." I"m not going to stand for it. Then, after he witnessed me filming a s.e.xy scene for The Seven Year Itch The Seven Year Itch, he slapped me around the hotel room. I finally screamed at him, "That"s it." I don"t know what makes a man beat a woman-vulnerable and weak-I just don"t understand it."
The DiMaggios left New York on September 16. The next day, Marilyn did not show up for work at the studio. Her doctor said she was home in bed with the flu. It would be four days before she could return to work. Even Darryl Zanuck-arguably a cruel man himself, with his comments about his star Monroe-felt badly about what was going on in her private life. He sent a note over to Billy Wilder a.s.suring the director, "Others could give a good performance, but nothing could make up for Marilyn"s personality in this film."
Billy Wilder summed up Marilyn"s appeal best when he told her biographer Donald Spoto, "She had a natural instinct for how to read a comic line and how to give it something extra, something special. She was never vulgar in a role that could have become vulgar, and somehow you felt good when you saw her on the screen. To put it briefly, she had a quality no one else ever had on the screen except Garbo. No one."
What"s most stunning about Marilyn"s performance in The Seven Year Itch The Seven Year Itch is that she was able to rise to the occasion despite the misery of her private life. That"s what real movie stars do-they give all they have when on camera, even when they seemingly have nothing left to give. She inhabited the role of The Girl as if born to it. With her arresting beauty, she is totally aware of the effect she has on men, even joking about it. But the jokes are on her, not the men. Melissa Anderson of the is that she was able to rise to the occasion despite the misery of her private life. That"s what real movie stars do-they give all they have when on camera, even when they seemingly have nothing left to give. She inhabited the role of The Girl as if born to it. With her arresting beauty, she is totally aware of the effect she has on men, even joking about it. But the jokes are on her, not the men. Melissa Anderson of the Village Voice Village Voice wrote, "So arresting is Monroe"s presence that when she"s not on-screen, we wait impatiently, wondering, "Where have you gone, Mrs. DiMaggio?" " She wears white throughout most of the film, appearing in a pastel pink shorts outfit briefly and in a slinky evening gown in one of Sherman"s fantasy sequences. It is apparently meant to point out the character"s virginal purity and her total lack of guile. Her short, curly hairdo by Helen Turpin is timeless and the one most closely a.s.sociated with Marilyn for the rest of her life. wrote, "So arresting is Monroe"s presence that when she"s not on-screen, we wait impatiently, wondering, "Where have you gone, Mrs. DiMaggio?" " She wears white throughout most of the film, appearing in a pastel pink shorts outfit briefly and in a slinky evening gown in one of Sherman"s fantasy sequences. It is apparently meant to point out the character"s virginal purity and her total lack of guile. Her short, curly hairdo by Helen Turpin is timeless and the one most closely a.s.sociated with Marilyn for the rest of her life.
That said, Marilyn"s emotional problems took their toll during filming. This, along with her tardiness and ill-preparedness-by one report as many as forty takes for a single scene-was said to have added over a million dollars to the film"s $3.2 million budget. It still managed to earn a nice profit, taking in $12 million at the box office for Fox. The still shot of the famous billowing-dress scene that so infuriated Joe became the film"s graphic signature, and Fox"s marketing team decreed that it be blown up to a height of fifty-two feet. The enormous Monroe image was then cut out and placed in front of Loew"s State Theatre in Times Square when the movie opened. It caused a sensation.
Marilyn Divorces Joe.
She knew what she had to do-but that didn"t make it any easier for her. The much-reported story is that she called her attorney, Jerry Geisler, and told him that she wanted a divorce. However, Marybeth Cooke worked for Geisler at the time and she tells a different story. She recalled, "We all knew that Marilyn Monroe was still crazy in love with Joe, but that he was beating her up. Still, she did not want to let him go. I have to say-and Jerry would not have wanted anyone to know this at the time-that Marilyn called him from New York and told him that she might want a separation from Joe, but she wasn"t sure. When she got back to Los Angeles, she was not calling Jerry to ask him to file divorce papers. She thought maybe he knew someone who could talk to Joe and make things better. She was desperate to find a way to save her marriage. It was Jerry who said, "Look, I like you a lot, Marilyn. As a friend, I have to tell you-you have to get this creep out of your house." That was not like Jerry. He represented the biggest names in Hollywood and never injected his personal opinions. But with Marilyn Monroe, it was different. When he found out what was going on, he was very upset, I remember him saying, "G.o.d d.a.m.n it, I"m a big fan of Joe DiMaggio"s, too. Or at least I was was a fan." " a fan." "
On October 4, Jerry Geisler-middle-aged, stout of frame, and balding above a ruddy face-was ready to serve "Joltin" Joe" DiMaggio with divorce papers. Marybeth Cooke continued: "I remember him saying, "Christ, almighty, I just called Marilyn to ask her where Joe was so I could serve him myself out of respect and guess where he is? At home with her!" It turned out he was still living in the same house, though I believe in separate bedrooms, or maybe on separate floors. He went to the house and gave Joe the papers. He told me DiMaggio glanced at the papers, said, "Thanks a lot," popped a beer, and then went back to watching television. When he got back to the office, Jerry sank into a chair and looked drained. I asked him, "Are you okay?" He said, "I just told Joe DiMaggio that Marilyn Monroe is divorcing him. How do you think I feel?" I think at about that same time, he and Marilyn sent a memo to Darryl Zanuck telling him that DiMaggio wasn"t allowed on the property. So, it was really over.
"The next morning was chaos at Marilyn"s home on Palm Drive in Beverly Hills. I had to meet Jerry there and give him some papers, but I couldn"t even get into the house there was so much media in front of it, just camped out and waiting for the next shoe to drop. I finally got into the house and it was just teeming with people. It was also a mess. I couldn"t believe the clutter-it looked as if it hasn"t been tidied up-ever! There was food left out in the kitchen and on plates in the living room. There were crushed, empty beer cans on the floor... clothes strewn about... ashtrays filled with cigarettes... I mean it was really a pigpen. Someone who worked for Marilyn-I can"t recall who wouldn"t let me upstairs to her room, where I knew Jerry was. I was told she was too sick to be disturbed, or, as it was put to me, "She has taken to her sick bed." So, I left. I spoke to Jerry that night, who told me, "The kid is sick, she"s on drugs, she"s sad... she"s a mess." The next day was the press conference. I didn"t go. It was a zoo."
Marilyn Monroe emerged from her home on the morning of October 6 to meet the press wearing an all-black ensemble: a skintight black sweater with a matching gabardine skirt and heels along with a black leather belt. She leaned on Jerry Geisler for support as he told the a.s.sembled reporters that "Miss Monroe will have nothing to say to you this morning. As her attorney, I am speaking for her and can only say that the conflict of careers has brought about this regrettable necessity." While reporters shouted questions at her, Marilyn seemed ready to faint. "I can"t say anything today," she said, her voice almost a whisper. "I"m sorry. I"m so sorry." She then broke down and began to cry, her head on the attorney"s shoulder. Never in any reporter"s fantasy could the scene have been any more melodramatic-and newsworthy. Even when she didn"t intend it, Marilyn Monroe always gave a good show. Photographs from that brief press conference appeared all over the world that night and the next day. It wasn"t an act. "She was at the end of her rope that day," said Marybeth Cooke. "Jerry had to take her straight to a doctor"s office where she was given more pills to get through the rest of that day. Then he took her back to her house where she went right to bed. She didn"t want to speak to anyone. I remember thinking, this girl is only twenty-eight. How much longer can she endure this kind of life?"
Indeed, Marilyn was very difficult to reach during this difficult time and even her beloved half sister, Berniece, could not get through to her. Therefore, on October 8, she sent her a letter: Dear Marilyn, Dear Marilyn,The news about you and Joe came as a shock and we were very sorry to hear it. I know you are lonely-do try and come visit us and it may help you over the cloud. You are very busy and all, but if you could fly here for a few days I"m sure you would feel better. We three are just the same as when you saw us last, except a little fatter and older, ha ha. Mona Rae is very busy in school and loves it. She is trying hard to become a cheerleader for the football team this year. We love you loads and hope to see you soon.Your sister,Berniece If Berniece had known of some of the bizarre situations unfolding in her half sister"s life, she might have tried even harder to get her to Detroit. However, Marilyn was keeping a lot of the sadness of her life from Berniece. First, she didn"t want to worry her. Second, she just didn"t want her to have the information in case any reporter ever tried to trick it out of her. Every time she talked to Berniece, she would say the same thing to her before ending the call: "Please promise me that you won"t give out stories about me." One might have thought, given all they shared, that Berniece would be the last person Marilyn would feel she"d have to worry about in terms of discretion. However, that wasn"t the case. A sister of Jim Dougherty"s gave a story about Marilyn to the press, and even though it would be flattering, Marilyn would still be very unhappy about it. It was getting to the point where she felt she couldn"t trust anyone.
Sinatra.
One of the people Marilyn Monroe did trust during this time was Frank Sinatra. Lena Pepitone, her maid and sometimes seamstress, once recalled that while Marilyn"s divorce from Joe DiMaggio was being finalized, she went to live with Sinatra for a couple of weeks so that she could regain her emotional bearings. Much of what Pepitone recalled in a book she wrote with William Stadiem t.i.tled Marilyn Monroe-Confidential Marilyn Monroe-Confidential has been called into question. However, this memory of hers is in fact true. has been called into question. However, this memory of hers is in fact true.
It"s difficult to determine when Frank and Marilyn first met. She had always been a fan of Sinatra"s. His friend Joey Bishop recalled the time Marilyn went to see Frank at the Copacabana, "sometime in the fifties. I"m doing my act, and in the middle of it in comes Marilyn Monroe walking into the room like she owns the joint," Bishop remembered. "Of course, I lost the crowd. Who"s gonna pay attention to me when Marilyn Monroe walks in? There wasn"t an empty seat in the house, so they pulled a single chair up for her to sit in and stuck it ringside, about four feet away from me. I looked down at her and I said, "Marilyn, I thought I told you to wait in the truck." " Like many people"s memories of their star-crossings with Marilyn, Joey"s is a little off. What actually happened was that Marilyn was with a group of friends in New York when she decided she wanted to see Sinatra perform at the Copa. However, the show was sold out. "So?" she asked her friends. "What does that have to do with me? Of course we can get in." Marilyn and her group then took a cab to the nightclub. As soon as the management saw her, they made quick arrangements. They brought a table into the packed club-Sinatra was already onstage, not opening act Bishop-as the Copa staff put white linens on the table and moved it right to the front of the nightclub in an empty corner. Frank stopped his song, winked at Marilyn, and continued with the show.
At this time-in 1954-Frank Sinatra was miserable about the slow erosion of his marriage to actress Ava Gardner, said to be the love of his life. Now the two consoled each other over their losses: Frank"s over Gardner and Marilyn"s over DiMaggio. Another friend of Frank"s, Jimmy Whiting, recalled, "Marilyn was real dependent on Frank. There were many late-night phone calls to him. She used to say, "If I have any problem in the world about anything, there"s only one person I know can help: Frankie." Frank"s feeling was hey, if I can help out the dame, I will. She"s a good kid."
Jim Whiting has a funny memory regarding Sinatra. "He heard that Marilyn"s... you know what... was visible underneath her panties in that scene in The Seven Year Itch The Seven Year Itch where her dress blows up. So he got an early "screening copy" of the film and invited a whole bunch of guys over to see her... you-know-what. We all sat in his darkened screening room watching the film and waiting and waiting and waiting for this one scene. Finally, the dress starts blowing up and every neck and head in the room craned forward. The dress is up and up and up... nothing... no you-know-what. You couldn"t see it! Frank said, "G.o.dd.a.m.n it! If she wanted to sell tickets to this movie, all she had to do was show her... you-know-what." Except he didn"t say "you-know-what." " where her dress blows up. So he got an early "screening copy" of the film and invited a whole bunch of guys over to see her... you-know-what. We all sat in his darkened screening room watching the film and waiting and waiting and waiting for this one scene. Finally, the dress starts blowing up and every neck and head in the room craned forward. The dress is up and up and up... nothing... no you-know-what. You couldn"t see it! Frank said, "G.o.dd.a.m.n it! If she wanted to sell tickets to this movie, all she had to do was show her... you-know-what." Except he didn"t say "you-know-what." "
After they began living together, Frank and Marilyn both admitted to still being in love with their estranged spouses. Therefore, for a time there was nothing s.e.xual going on between them. They were just sharing a vast, common loneliness. Frank wasn"t interested in anything more, though it was difficult for his friends to fathom that he had one of the most beautiful and sought-after movie stars living in his apartment with him and was not intimate with her.
As it happened, Marilyn had a habit of not wearing clothing around the house. Everyone who knew her well knew that this was the case. She always said she would rather be naked; her friends and staff were used to seeing her au naturel. When she stayed with Frank during this time, she did not change that behavior. One morning, according to one friend of Sinatra"s, he awakened, went into the kitchen wearing just his shorts, and found Marilyn standing in front of the open refrigerator with her small finger in her mouth, trying to decide between orange juice and grapefruit. She was naked. "Oh, Frankie," she said, probably feigning embarra.s.sment, "I didn"t know you got up so early."
"That was the end of anything platonic between the two of them," reported Jimmy Whiting. "He told me that he took her right there in the kitchen, up against the closed refrigerator. "Man," he told me, "I never had s.e.x like that. She is one fantastic woman."
"Actually, Frank had been going through this whole impotency trip at this time. Way too much sauce [liquor]. The booze was completely ruining his s.e.x life. He was getting too old to drink like that and then expect to also perform in the sack. He was frustrated by it because one thing Sinatra always prided himself on was his ability to satisfy a woman."
Apparently, Marilyn cured Sinatra of his impotency, at least for a while. She said that she didn"t care how long it took; she was determined that he was going to acquit himself in bed with her. They were s.e.xually innovative. For instance, according to Sinatra"s friends, he and Marilyn engaged in intimacies one night on the roof of the Sands Hotel, above the Las Vegas strip. Interestingly, a memo dated May 30, 1959, from Jack Entratter to the hotel"s security staff, confirms as much. It reads, "Please be advised that Mr. Frank Sinatra is permitted twenty-four-hour access to the roof of the Sands Hotel. Mr. Sinatra will use his own discretion in choosing to entertain any guest on those premises. Thank you."
"What I heard around the office was that Marilyn and Frank had an argument when she drunkenly confessed to him that while she was attempting to cure him of his impotency, she had been "faking it," not achieving s.e.xual satisfaction herself," recalled Wesley Miller from Wright, Wright, Green & Wright. "Frank was upset about that revelation and, apparently, said, "Jesus Christ, if I can"t satisfy her, then what the h.e.l.l am I doing with her? Why"d she even have to tell me that? Did I have to know that? h.e.l.l, no, I did not." " (While Frank took Marilyn"s confession as an affront to his masculinity, others who knew her well said that she rarely felt satisfaction during s.e.xual relations and that this problem was the consequence of her many psychological problems.) Despite any problems with her, Frank always felt that Marilyn was intelligent, witty, s.e.xy, and exciting. "Frank said that Marilyn was like a shooting star," observed actress Esther Williams, "and you couldn"t help but be fascinated by her journey. While you knew she was going to crash and burn, you didn"t know how. However, you knew it was going to be a merry ride. The only reason Sinatra wouldn"t allow himself to become more serious about Marilyn, he had said, was because he was still so wracked with pain about Ava. It was too soon. Also, he would never end up with another actress. He had made that promise to himself."
As much as they got along, Marilyn and Frank did argue from time to time. Once, she almost absentmindedly walked naked into a poker game he was having with friends, which infuriated him. "Get your fat a.s.s back in your room," he scolded her, always the charmer. However, he could never stay angry at her for long. He truly loved Marilyn-though he was not in love with her-and he understood her frailties. Obviously, she was weak and delicate, traits he was usually not fond of in a woman. He would never allow any of his women the luxury of vulnerability, but with Marilyn it was different. She was special.
After that poker-game incident, when his friends had departed, Sinatra went back into her bedroom, as Marilyn later remembered it, "kissed me on the cheek, and made me feel like a million. From then on I always dressed up for him, whether or not anyone was coming over."
The Wrong Door Raid.
Marilyn"s time at Frank Sinatra"s did not last long. They could never really connect romantically, though they did love each other. She soon moved out of his apartment and was on her own again. At around this time, another gentleman came into her life as a potential suitor, but this too would not work out for her. He was Hal Schaeffer, the musical coach of her recent films. He actually arranged the highlight of Gentlemen Prefer Blondes Gentlemen Prefer Blondes, Marilyn"s stunning routine of "Diamonds Are a Girl"s Best Friend." The two had a flirtation going on for some time. Schaeffer, who sounds as if he had his own emotional issues, was so distraught that Marilyn did not want to take things any further with him, he reacted by trying to kill himself. Schaeffer may have been hoping Marilyn would rush to his side if he tried to do himself in, and of course she did. However, the time she spent at his bedside in the hospital was just more time for Joe to act out in a jealous rage. Now that he clearly no longer had a hold on Marilyn and Sinatra was also out of the picture for the time being, she was adrift emotionally, and she turned to Hal. It"s difficult to imagine that what the two of them shared was serious for her, though it was to him. It was brief and definitely a diversion for her. By this time she had become so dependent on sleeping pills-freely given to her by the studio"s physician-it"s likely her judgment was impaired. That said, Schaeffer was kind, gentle, and understanding, and he was also creative-about as opposite to DiMaggio as possible.
When Joe DiMaggio heard about Hal Schaeffer in Marilyn"s life, he simply could not accept it. How dare his estranged wife replace him so quickly? What right did she have to move on without him? For a couple of weeks, he and his best friend, Frank Sinatra, did what best friends often do when faced with love lost in their lives-they began to commiserate about it. "We dagos gotta stick together," Frank told Joe. "So let me take care of this thing. Let me come up with something that"ll screw with the divorce. Then she"ll see the light and you"ll be in like Flynn."
The next day, Frank made a few telephone calls and was eventually referred to a company called City Detective and Guard Services. Joe Dougherty (no relation to Jim Dougherty) was one of the detectives working for the company. He recalled, "The divorce hearing was set for October 27. Sinatra hired us about a week earlier. He said, "I want you to follow Marilyn and this bozo she"s s.c.r.e.w.i.n.g-Schaeffer somethin" or others-and take pictures of them in the act. Then, Joe DiMaggio is gonna use it against her and get that broad back in his life." I was thinking, "If this doesn"t p.i.s.s off his wife, I don"t know what will. So how"s he going to get her back doing this thing is beyond me." But a job is a job and so, fine, we signed a deal and got right to work.
"We did what we were paid to do. We followed Marilyn Monroe all over the G.o.dd.a.m.n city waiting for her to hook up with this guy. She knew we were on her tail, too, which must have rattled her because once she almost crashed her car into a tree trying to evade us. Another time, she ran a red light and almost hit an old woman walking across the street with a shopping cart. When she got out of the car and started apologizing to the woman, we started snapping away thinking, well, at least we got some good pictures of Marilyn Monroe maybe we can sell or something later on. Looking back on it now, it was a dirty business. We bugged her car. We bugged her apartment. We bugged his car. We bugged his apartment. I don"t know what they had going on but I can tell you that we didn"t get one G.o.dd.a.m.n thing to use against her. If they were hooking up, I don"t know where they were doing it."
Hal Schaeffer confirms, "We were followed everywhere. It was sick and twisted. She was absolutely scared to death. How a man could do that to a woman, I don"t know. It just confirmed to her that she had made the right decision in letting him go."
On October 27, Marilyn-again in all black except for white gloves and pearls-stood before a judge and detailed her reasons for her divorce pet.i.tion. "Just the night before, Joe had shown up at her house to try to talk her out of it," said Marybeth Cooke. "Jerry [Geisler, her attorney] couldn"t believe his nerve, and was especially surprised that Sidney Skolsky had arranged the meeting. That made no sense. Everyone who cared about Marilyn wanted it over-not extended. But, luckily, Marilyn stood her ground. She told Joe it was over. He left, angry as ever."
In court, Marilyn said that DiMaggio was "cold and indifferent" to her and that days would go by when he wouldn"t speak to her. "Cold and indifferent"? That wasn"t DiMaggio. The problem was that he was just the opposite, a hothead who was furious because he couldn"t have her in his life the way he wanted her.
The stress of being married to him had made her sick on numerous occasions, Marilyn continued. She said she even offered to give up her career at one point, but that nothing would have satisfied him. She wasn"t even allowed visitors when he was around, she claimed. Inez Melson, Marilyn"s business manager, then took the stand and testified that she had witnessed DiMaggio "push her away and tell her not to bother him." * * Natasha Lytess had earlier stated that she had a few things on her mind and hoped to have her day in court, too, but Melson told her that it wasn"t the time or place for whatever she had to say about the Monroe-DiMaggio alliance. Joe DiMaggio didn"t make an appearance. The divorce was granted-final decree to be effective in a year"s time. End of story? Not quite. Natasha Lytess had earlier stated that she had a few things on her mind and hoped to have her day in court, too, but Melson told her that it wasn"t the time or place for whatever she had to say about the Monroe-DiMaggio alliance. Joe DiMaggio didn"t make an appearance. The divorce was granted-final decree to be effective in a year"s time. End of story? Not quite.
"We figured our job was over when the divorce was granted," said Joe Dougherty. "But Sinatra and DiMaggio still had plans for Marilyn. DiMaggio said that she probably hadn"t hooked up with Schaeffer because she was too smart to do it before the divorce was granted. Now that it was a done deal, he was sure that she and the guy would start having s.e.x. And he still wanted to catch them in the act. "Why?" I asked him. He said, "Who are you to ask me questions? I just want to screw with her, that"s why. Satisfied now?" Well, that wasn"t a good enough reason for me, so I pulled out of it. The company I was working for, though, wanted the money so they just replaced me with another guy, and the surveillance of Marilyn Monroe continued."
To fully understand just how jealous Joe DiMaggio was, consider the details of what has, over the years, become known as "The Wrong Door Raid." It happened on the night of November 5, 1954. Frank, Joe, and Frank"s friend Hank Sanicola were eating at a favorite Italian restaurant called Villa Capri when the maitre d", Billy Karen, came to the table and said that there was a phone call for Sinatra. Sinatra went to take the call and, according to Hank Sanicola, returned saying, "Let"s go, fellas. They found Marilyn and that little jerk at some dame"s apartment in Hollywood." The fellows, who"d had a few too many drinks by this time, took off without paying their bill. As they walked out of the restaurant, the maitre d" came running after them. "We"ll pay it later. Christ almighty," Sinatra exclaimed. "The h.e.l.l with that," said Billy Karen, "I"m comin" with you guys. I want in on this thing."
Five minutes later, Sinatra, DiMaggio, Sanicola, and Karen met two detectives in front of the building in question. The bunch of them then walked up to the apartment and, with a good kick from slugger DiMaggio and a hearty shove from crooner Sinatra, broke the door right off its hinges. All of them then rushed into the apartment, one person shouting out, "Get your paws off Marilyn Monroe!" and another hollering, "We caught you red-handed. The jig is up!" But guess what? Wrong apartment. Thus "The Wrong Door Raid." The poor woman who actually lived in the unit had been snugly tucked away and probably counting sheep by this time. Suddenly awakened by the sound of a crashing door and a bunch of goons screaming at her while shining flashlights in her face, she sat up in bed, gathered her bedclothes at her chest, and then screamed so loud that people three blocks away would complain about the ruckus the next morning. * *
Today, more than fifty years later, Hal Schaeffer says that he and Marilyn actually were were in the apartment building together-just obviously not in the apartment that was raided. "I think I"d be dead today if they had found me in there with Marilyn," he says. "They came in there and started destroying things, I mean, these guys were thugs. We heard the whole thing from the apartment we were in-which belonged to a student of mine. Marilyn was scared to death. She said, "Jesus Christ, Hal. We gotta get out of here. If Joe finds us here, he"ll kill us both." We managed to get out through a back door when all attention was focused elsewhere. I can"t say I have good memories of that night." in the apartment building together-just obviously not in the apartment that was raided. "I think I"d be dead today if they had found me in there with Marilyn," he says. "They came in there and started destroying things, I mean, these guys were thugs. We heard the whole thing from the apartment we were in-which belonged to a student of mine. Marilyn was scared to death. She said, "Jesus Christ, Hal. We gotta get out of here. If Joe finds us here, he"ll kill us both." We managed to get out through a back door when all attention was focused elsewhere. I can"t say I have good memories of that night."
Frank Sinatra was terribly embarra.s.sed by this chain of events. After all, he was the one who had hired the detective company that botched the job. "He came down to our office the next day and was so p.i.s.sed, honest to G.o.d, I was afraid for my life," said Joe Dougherty. "He had three henchmen with him and said, "You guys are lucky we don"t tear this G.o.dd.a.m.n building apart brick by brick." "
A controversy exploded years later over this raid as a result of a retrospective report about it in Confidential Confidential magazine. In February 1957 the sensational magazine would publish a story ent.i.tled "The Real Reason for Marilyn Monroe"s Divorce from Joe DiMaggio." As a result, the California State Senate Investigating Committee would begin a probe to determine just how those kinds of stories about celebrities were leaked to scandal publications, and what the practices of certain unethical private detectives had to do with any of it. As part of the investigation, Sinatra would be called to testify about his partic.i.p.ation in the raid. Of course, he was furious about being dragged into any investigation by the media. He despised publications like magazine. In February 1957 the sensational magazine would publish a story ent.i.tled "The Real Reason for Marilyn Monroe"s Divorce from Joe DiMaggio." As a result, the California State Senate Investigating Committee would begin a probe to determine just how those kinds of stories about celebrities were leaked to scandal publications, and what the practices of certain unethical private detectives had to do with any of it. As part of the investigation, Sinatra would be called to testify about his partic.i.p.ation in the raid. Of course, he was furious about being dragged into any investigation by the media. He despised publications like Confidential Confidential and could not have cared any less how its reporters gathered their information. Though he wanted nothing to do with any of it, he was still compelled to testify. and could not have cared any less how its reporters gathered their information. Though he wanted nothing to do with any of it, he was still compelled to testify.
Under oath, Sinatra swore that he had only driven Joe DiMaggio to the scene of the break-in, where they then met two private detectives who had been hired by DiMaggio to keep Marilyn under surveillance. Frank lied and claimed that while he stood by his car having a smoke, DiMaggio, Sanicola, Karen, and the two private investigators broke into the wrong apartment. DiMaggio, though, insisted that he didn"t break into the apartment either. In fact, eventually all of the princ.i.p.al players began denying involvement in the raid, as if none of it had ever occurred and it was all a figment of someone"s wild imagination. Because of so much conflicting testimony, a grand jury convened and compelled Frank to testify again. He had his story, though, and he was sticking to it. He didn"t change a word, except to add that, yes, he did pay the $800 for the surveillance. He had to admit this much, because the detective agency presented his check as evidence. However, he said he had only advanced the money for DiMaggio, and was paid back by him. Everyone was lying about this event, though, it would seem-even Sheila Stewart Renour, whose apartment Hal Schaeffer and Monroe were using for their a.s.signation. She claimed that it was she, not Hal, who was in the apartment with Marilyn. Unless she was watching TV while the other two were in the bedroom, then she was lying under oath, too. The notion of perjury didn"t seem to mean much to any of these witnesses.
One more postscript to "The Wrong Door Raid": This ridiculous bit of business marked the end of Frank Sinatra"s friendship with Joe DiMaggio. It rankled Sinatra that since he was a Los Angeles resident he was forced to spend hours testifying in a Los Angeles courtroom while DiMaggio, a Florida resident, was not compelled to testify. Sinatra had to bear the brunt of the investigation, whereas DiMaggio was able to walk away from it with nary a problem-especially galling to Sinatra since he had orchestrated the whole matter as a favor to DiMaggio.
Marilyn in New York.
It was time for a change. After her marriage to Joe DiMaggio, Marilyn felt engulfed by so much sadness and confusion that she would say she believed she had no one to whom she could turn. She missed her Aunt Grace terribly. It seemed that everywhere she looked in Los Angeles, there were memories of Grace. Though she and her half sister, Berniece, were close, it was really a telephonic relationship. There was only so much she felt she could explain under those circ.u.mstances. Moreover, Berniece had her own family and her own problems as well. Marilyn didn"t want to burden her. As for Natasha Lytess, she was so possessive of Marilyn it had become impossible to be around her without the outbreak of some kind of turmoil. She wanted to direct Marilyn not only on the soundstage, but also in her life. It was exhausting work trying to placate Natasha. On one hand, Marilyn was fed up with her. On the other, Natasha had seen to it that her student had become so dependent on her, Marilyn wasn"t even sure she could act without her. Hal Schaeffer was a kind and understanding man, but he"d just been a temporary diversion. The Wrong Door Raid had been embarra.s.sing to Marilyn and she could barely face Hal after it; she felt that she brought chaos into the lives of anyone who came into her world. Meanwhile, she was being bombarded by letters from her mother, Gladys. They were showing up almost every day-pleadings for Marilyn to secure her release, along with books and pamphlets on Christian Science.
In November 1954, Marilyn went into the hospital to have an operation intended to solve her painful problems with endometriosis. She wasn"t sure it would be successful, but she knew she had to try because the condition had just gotten worse in the last year. After she was released, she made an important decision: She was moving to New York. Manhattan promised new vistas for Marilyn Monroe, a fresh start. She would move into the Gladstone Hotel, meet new friends, go to the theater, and enjoy the freedom of a new and exciting environment.
On January 7, 1955, Marilyn held court at a major press conference to announce her future plans, begin a new phase in her career. As eighty members of the media feverishly took notes and photographs-and she did look stunning in a white satin dress and matching ermine coat, her hair now platinum-she formally announced the establishment of a new company. She and her friend photographer Milton Greene, were starting a new production company, Marilyn Monroe Productions. She would be president, he vice president. She explained that she wanted to find plum roles for herself in worthwhile projects and, if possible, even produce them. "We will go into all fields of entertainment," she said, "but I am tired of the same old s.e.x roles. I want to do better things. People have scope, you know."
At this same press conference, Marilyn"s lawyer let it slip that she was no longer under contract to Fox. He would later say he had found a loophole in her contract. The executives at Fox begged to differ, though, and promptly held their own press conference to say that Marilyn was still legally bound to the studio, whether she and her attorney liked it or not. Moreover, they had a new role for her. As if to put her in her place, the studio came up with a vehicle called How to Be Very, Very Popular How to Be Very, Very Popular in which she would play-a stripper. Marilyn, of course, had other ideas. At this same time, in early 1955, she began to tell the press that she was dreaming of essaying the female lead in Dostoevsky"s in which she would play-a stripper. Marilyn, of course, had other ideas. At this same time, in early 1955, she began to tell the press that she was dreaming of essaying the female lead in Dostoevsky"s The Brothers Karamazov The Brothers Karamazov. This was a surprise, to say the least. Indeed, there was some cynicism about it, too. Later, at a different press conference, a reporter asked her if she really thought she was up to the task. She said, "I don"t want to play the brothers, I want to play Grushenka. She"s a girl." With a raised eyebrow, the writer then challenged Marilyn. "Spell that name, Grushenka," he said. A flicker of annoyance crossed her face and she said, "Look it up."
Natasha Lytess was still in Los Angeles wondering when Marilyn would be sending for her. Or, as she wrote to Helena Albert, "I am being kept from Miss Monroe by 3000 miles and a circle of vultures. I don"t know how to reach her and I must say the situation is dire." What Natasha didn"t know was that Marilyn had screwed up the courage to break free of her. She began taking private acting lessons with Constance Collier, * * and, shortly thereafter, with Lee Strasberg, who ran the Actors Studio, specializing in so-called "method acting." Indeed, it was Strasberg who began to convince Marilyn that, if she put her mind to it, she could be the kind of actress who would be accepted in a Dostoevsky role. But was such a thing really possible? and, shortly thereafter, with Lee Strasberg, who ran the Actors Studio, specializing in so-called "method acting." Indeed, it was Strasberg who began to convince Marilyn that, if she put her mind to it, she could be the kind of actress who would be accepted in a Dostoevsky role. But was such a thing really possible?
In the 1950s, there was a certain segment of movie stars who were considered cla.s.sic, highly talented actors-and that would include women such as Elizabeth Taylor, Joan Crawford, Bette Davis, and Katharine Hepburn. When people thought of them, they thought of cla.s.sy, well-bred women. However, that"s not what came to mind when people thought of Marilyn Monroe-and she knew it. What drew people to Marilyn wasn"t her cla.s.sic acting ability or her regal bearing-it was her s.e.x appeal. Crawford and Hepburn were as much known for their complex thoughts as they were for their acting. No one thought Marilyn was complex, just sizzling hot. No one was looking for depth from Marilyn, they were just looking for cleavage. In some ways, Darryl Zanuck was right about her. What she did, she was the best at doing it-and anything more was a risk. She was willing to take the risk-indeed, she wanted wanted to take it-but would others allow it? A couple of her roles along the way suggested that there was more to her than what met the eye, but some people felt that she should just be satisfied with her success and leave well enough alone. That wasn"t Marilyn. She was restless. She was imaginative and not willing to settle for the status quo. to take it-but would others allow it? A couple of her roles along the way suggested that there was more to her than what met the eye, but some people felt that she should just be satisfied with her success and leave well enough alone. That wasn"t Marilyn. She was restless. She was imaginative and not willing to settle for the status quo.
Her sense of dissatisfaction bled into the rest of her life. Because she felt she was viewed as just a bubble-headed blonde, she not only thought she couldn"t have the career she wanted, she also believed she couldn"t have the kind of relationships she wanted-indeed, the kind of life life she wanted. "She realized that she would have to ease into a new image," noted Charles Casillo, "an image that would allow her to age and continue to grow in her work and still remain "Marilyn." " she wanted. "She realized that she would have to ease into a new image," noted Charles Casillo, "an image that would allow her to age and continue to grow in her work and still remain "Marilyn." "
Now, at twenty-eight, she was determined to do something to rectify her image, both professionally and personally. Thus her connection with Lee Strasberg in 1955.
Lee Strasberg"s version of "The Method"-inspired by the teachings of Stanislavsky-required an actor to use "sense memory," drawing from his own past experiences. The concept was that in doing so the actor would create a character with more depth and interest. Strasberg"s devout belief in sense memory would become quite controversial. It would be the reason why some other founding members of the Group Theatre, like Stella Adler and Sanford Meisner, rejected Strasberg"s concept and would teach their own versions of Stanislavsky"s method. Though these new instructors" concepts were also based on Stanislavsky"s system, Strasberg and his devotees would not budge from their position that self-examination and reflection upon one"s past was integral to the creation of a fine actor. Many noteworthy actors would come through the studio at different times during their careers, including James Dean, Marlon Brando, Robert Duvall, Montgomery Clift, Sally Field, Dustin Hoffman, Paul Newman, and Sidney Poitier.
"My father wanted to arouse everything undealt with, everything repressed about Marilyn"s past, and to tap all her explosive energy," Lee Strasberg"s daughter, Susan, once explained. "To bring all that up, he said she"d have to work on it in a formal, professional setting." Strasberg"s acting theories appealed to Marilyn. After all, it was familiar terrain for her in that Natasha Lytess had always wanted her to draw from her own life and then imbue her performances with aspects of her sadness and confusion-and even come to terms with her past in order to be a better actress. The difference, of course, is that Natasha, being the controlling woman she was, actually dictated to Marilyn what experiences she should draw from and, moreover, even attempted at times to manipulate those experiences-such as when she encouraged her to meet her father in order to then extract from that relationship what might benefit her acting. But Lee Strasberg presented his own set of problems, too. Though Marilyn made every attempt to follow his instruction, he didn"t believe she was successfully accessing her past emotional pain.
"Lee was particularly hard on Marilyn," says a cla.s.smate of Monroe"s. "I think he saw her as a way to rebuild his reputation."
Indeed, when Strasberg became artistic director of the Actors Studio, he claimed to have trained a number of actors who didn"t actually study under him. When Sanford Meisner, the acting teacher and founder of the highly respected Neighborhood Playhouse, heard that Strasberg was claiming responsibility for the success of actors Meisner himself had taught, sparks flew. Meisner, seeking to set the record straight, spoke often of Strasberg"s attempts to take credit where credit was not due, and the two would have an animosity for each other that would last the rest of their lives. "I think [Lee"s] feeling was that if he could make Marilyn Monroe a great actress, people would see him as a miracle worker. She wasn"t considered a "real actor" in the New York theater community, and he tried like h.e.l.l to turn her into one."
"He was mean to her," recalls another cla.s.smate. "He"d say things like "that"s how someone who"s never felt before would do the scene, now try to do it like someone who can experience emotion." "
Still, Marilyn dedicated herself to Strasberg"s cla.s.ses-at the studio, and also privately at his home-even though she sometimes felt that the other students looked at her more as a curiosity than as a real actress.
As part of Marilyn"s new life in New York, she began to undergo a.n.a.lysis with a therapist named Margaret Hohenberg. She"d been recommended to her by Milton Greene, but it was at Lee"s insistence that she underwent such psychotherapy. Moreover, Hohenberg was a psychiatrist whom Lee Strasberg said he approved of, which suggests that maybe he was having a little too much influence on Marilyn. Some even began to wonder if perhaps he was to be "the new Natasha." Only time would tell. One thing was certain: Lee Strasberg may have been a capable acting teacher, but privately his life was as much a mess as those of some of his troubled and conflicted students-including Marilyn. "Our household revolved around my father, his moods, his needs, his expectations and his neuroses," recalled his daughter, Susan. "He was teaching people how to act, but that was nothing compared to the drama in our house... our entire family were intimate strangers."
While Marilyn had been in a.n.a.lysis in the past, she was more determined than ever to now understand herself and her mother as well as other influences in her life. She had seen so much emotional and mental deterioration in her family, she"d always believed that if she faced problems head-on on a psychiatrist"s couch, she would have an advantage that had been out of reach for her ancestors. In other words, if she ever felt she was losing her mind, at least she would have some recourse and would be able to do something about it, unlike Della and Gladys. That may have been a logical and worthwhile pursuit in and of itself, but coupled with the kind of introspection going on every day in Strasberg"s acting cla.s.ses, it was definitely too much, too quickly.
Many people in Marilyn"s new life whom she had known prior to this time-such as Arthur Miller, the playwright whom she had met a few years earlier and with whom she had stayed in close contact over the years-were concerned about subtle changes in Marilyn"s personality that were becoming evident during this time. Indeed, the combination of Strasberg"s influence to dig deep within herself for her acting along with Hohenberg"s insistence that she do the same thing for her life was turning Marilyn into a different kind of person-a darker and often more morose person. She had long believed that her focus on her earlier pain and misery was a destination in and of itself, that there was a payoff in it. Now, at long last, those feelings were being confirmed for her. Yes, she should should concentrate on her past. Yes, she concentrate on her past. Yes, she should should bring it all to light on a daily basis and identify herself with it. And why not exaggerate it, too? It was as if she had found the key to becoming a better person and a better actress-her pain. Therefore, she began to concentrate daily on her darkest self, her saddest self. Though she may have thought this was a treasure trove of dramatic interest-and maybe it was-the problem was that she wasn"t able to just turn off all of those emotions when she wished and go about her day. Indeed, in the months and years to come, she would become more depressed than ever as the misery of her past weighed heavily on her mind. After a day of dealing with her personal pain in such an intensified setting, how could anyone expect her to just drift off and go to sleep? No. She had to have sleeping pills. Then, the next day, she would need more medication to function. If it went particularly badly in cla.s.s or in therapy, she would need something else for her anxiety-a sedative would do nicely. She was so dependent on pills by this time, it"s a wonder she could function at all. "I remember that she would ask me, "Do you want a pill?" " recalled her friend John Gilmore, "and she would reach into her purse and come out with a handful. She"d just put them all out on the table and say, "You can take this one to sleep and this one for anxiety and this one for..." It was very disconcerting." It should be noted, though, that in the 1950s, many actors and actresses depended on drugs to get through the day. Everyone from Elizabeth Taylor to Marlon Brando to Montgomery Clift to Tallulah Bankhead was addicted to one drug or another. Their lives and careers were not enhanced either by such excessive self-medicating. bring it all to light on a daily basis and identify herself with it. And why not exaggerate it, too? It was as if she had found the key to becoming a better person and a better actress-her pain. Therefore, she began to concentrate daily on her darkest self, her saddest self. Though she may have thought this was a treasure trove of dramatic interest-and maybe it was-the problem was that she wasn"t able to just turn off all of those emotions when she wished and go about her day. Indeed, in the months and years to come, she would become more depressed than ever as the misery of her past weighed heavily on her mind. After a day of dealing with her personal pain in such an intensified setting, how could anyone expect her to just drift off and go to sleep? No. She had to have sleeping pills. Then, the next day, she would need more medication to function. If it went particularly badly in cla.s.s or in therapy, she would need something else for her anxiety-a sedative would do nicely. She was so dependent on pills by this time, it"s a wonder she could function at all. "I remember that she would ask me, "Do you want a pill?" " recalled her friend John Gilmore, "and she would reach into her purse and come out with a handful. She"d just put them all out on the table and say, "You can take this one to sleep and this one for anxiety and this one for..." It was very disconcerting." It should be noted, though, that in the 1950s, many actors and actresses depended on drugs to get through the day. Everyone from Elizabeth Taylor to Marlon Brando to Montgomery Clift to Tallulah Bankhead was addicted to one drug or another. Their lives and careers were not enhanced either by such excessive self-medicating.
It now seems ironic that in Marilyn Monroe"s quest for clarity, her mind became even more clouded. Some of the notes she took during therapy at this time reveal her to be conflicted and, as always, terribly insecure-but also not necessarily cogent. "How or why I can act," she wrote one day, "and I"m not sure I can-is the thing for me to understand. The torture, let alone the day to day happenings-the pain one cannot explain to another." She also wrote, "What is there I"m afraid of? Hiding in case of punishment? Libido? Ask Dr. H." And another: "My problem of desperation in my work and life-I must begin to face it continually, making my work routine more continuous and of more importance than my desperation."
Marilyn"s half sister, Berniece, would notice troubling changes in Marilyn"s personality and blame them more on her therapy than on her acting cla.s.ses-but that"s because Berniece didn"t understand Lee Strasberg"s methodology. "She couldn"t handle all of that therapy," Berniece would say. "It made things worse, not better."
In fact, throughout 1955, as Marilyn"s studies with her acting teacher intensified, she began to rely even more on her psychiatrist. Marilyn"s increasing reliance on Dr. Hohenberg suggests that, on some level, she may have felt she was ill-equipped to handle her own life. She may have started therapy at Strasberg"s insistence, but she could have done it by seeing the doctor once a week. However, by the end of 1955 she was going at least three times a week, and also telephoning her constantly for advice and direction.
Almost as a backdrop to Marilyn Monroe"s search for herself in both her life and career was the legal warring that was going on between her and Fox. It continued throughout 1955. However, by the end of the year, Marilyn would, at long last, be the victor. "Fox offered her a new contract-four more movies over the next seven years," said Wesley Miller from Wright, Wright, Green & Wright. "If memory serves, she would get $100,000 per upcoming film and $500 a week for expenses. She would also have subject, director and cinematographer approval-a huge win for her. Finally, she would be able to veto a nonsensical movie if it came her way. She would also be able to work in television and onstage if she wanted to do so."
As for "Marilyn Monroe Productions," its first of two new projects would be the film version of William Inge"s Broadway play Bus Stop Bus Stop, for Fox, of course. Also on tap, a film version of Terence Rattigan"s The Sleeping Prince The Sleeping Prince. Both of these were not only worthwhile projects, they were worthy of the time and energy Marilyn had put in to recla.s.sify herself in the minds of those with whom she and her lawyers had negotiated at Fox. What she learned was that she didn"t have to settle for just being a brainless but pretty face, even if that would have been the easier way to go. "There is persuasive evidence that Marilyn Monroe is a shrewd businessman," a writer for Time Time magazine noted after the deal was announced-high praise for someone who"d been thought of as a dumb blonde. magazine noted after the deal was announced-high praise for someone who"d been thought of as a dumb blonde.
Maybe her Aunt Grace was right, after all... about a lot of things. Indeed, no matter how complicated Norma Jeane"s life would become, Grace G.o.ddard was someone who had been able to grab her "niece" by the collar and force her to simplify things and think in a less complex manner. Whereas Lee Strasberg would chastise Marilyn and tell her that she wasn"t thinking thinking enough or wasn"t enough or wasn"t feeling feeling enough, Grace would tell Marilyn that she was fine just as she was at any given time. In a sense, Strasberg kept trying to add complexity to a woman whose mind was too busy to begin with, while Grace had sought to quiet that mind by offering straightforward and effective advice. Her wisdom may have seemed pedestrian to someone like Lee Strasberg, but, it could be argued, it was far more valuable and maybe even prescient. "You already have everything in you that you need," Grace had told Marilyn the summer before she died. "As you see yourself, so will others. It"s not so complicated, Norma Jeane. Just believe in yourself," she concluded, "and I guarantee that others will follow." enough, Grace would tell Marilyn that she was fine just as she was at any given time. In a sense, Strasberg kept trying to add complexity to a woman whose mind was too busy to begin with, while Grace had sought to quiet that mind by offering straightforward and effective advice. Her wisdom may have seemed pedestrian to someone like Lee Strasberg, but, it could be argued, it was far more valuable and maybe even prescient. "You already have everything in you that you need," Grace had told Marilyn the summer before she died. "As you see yourself, so will others. It"s not so complicated, Norma Jeane. Just believe in yourself," she concluded, "and I guarantee that others will follow."
Arthur Miller.
In the spring of 1955, Marilyn began a new chapter in her story with a man who would become one of the great loves of her life, the playwright Arthur Miller, whose drama A View from the Bridge A View from the Bridge was currently playing in New York. (Marilyn saw it three times and loved it.) was currently playing in New York. (Marilyn saw it three times and loved it.) Miller was tall and thin, almost Lincolnesque in bearing. His face somehow seemed full of wisdom. His large spectacles and serious expression made him appear humorless, but this was misleading. He was gregarious, thoughtful, and not as bookish as most people expected. Rather, he was a sports enthusiast and enjoyed the outdoors. He could not be considered handsome, at least not by the standards of the day, but he had an imposing presence. What was interesting about Marilyn"s choices in men was that they were almost always of the "everyman" variety, which was perhaps one of the reasons why she was so beloved by men in this country in the 1950s. The perception was that any "normal" guy in America could have a chance with the most beautiful woman in the world because, after all, look at the men with whom she had been involved: Jim Dougherty, Johnny Hyde, Joe DiMaggio... even Frank Sinatra wasn"t considered a strikingly handsome man. She went for depth, always, not appearances.
Marilyn first met Miller in August of 1951 on the Los Angeles set of her film As Young as You Feel As Young as You Feel, when he showed up there with Elia Kazan. Kazan hoped to direct Miller"s screenplay of The Hook The Hook, a politically charged story about waterfront workers and racketeers. The two men were in town to try to secure a movie deal for it. (The movie would never be made, however, because the work was viewed as anti-American during a time when the shipping of military men and weapons was vital to the Korean War.) Miller-who was ten years her senior-would later recall of his first meeting with Marilyn on the set, "The shock of her body"s motion sped through me, a sensation at odds with her sadness amid all this glamour and technology and the busy confusion of a new shot being set up." * *
Novelist/playwright/essayist Arthur Asher Miller was born in New York City"s Harlem in November 1915. In 1944, he won the Theater Guild"s National Award for The Man Who Had All the Luck The Man Who Had All the Luck. Despite critical acclaim in New York, the play closed after only six performances. A few years later, he published his first novel, Focus Focus, about anti-Semitism, to little acclaim. He then adapted George Abbott and John C. Holmes"s Three Men on a Horse Three Men on a Horse for television. However, his first major breakthrough came in 1947 when his for television. However, his first major breakthrough came in 1947 when his All My Sons All My Sons was produced in New York at the Coronet Theater. The play was directed by Elia Kazan, with whom Miller would have a long-term personal and professional relationship. was produced in New York at the Coronet Theater. The play was directed by Elia Kazan, with whom Miller would have a long-term personal and professional relationship. All My Sons All My Sons won the New York Drama Critics Circle Award and two Tony Awards in 1947. The work for which he is best known, though, is won the New York Drama Critics Circle Award and two Tony Awards in 1947. The work for which he is best known, though, is Death of a Salesman Death of a Salesman, which premiered on Broadway in February 1949, also directed by Kazan. Salesman Salesman won the Tony Award for Best Play as well as a Pulitzer Prize. He was married when he met Marilyn and lived on the East Coast with his wife and their two children. won the Tony Award for Best Play as well as a Pulitzer Prize. He was married when he met Marilyn and lived on the East Coast with his wife and their two children.
At the time that Arthur Miller and Marilyn Monroe began secretly dating, he was having a great deal of difficulty in his life, constantly hounded by the House Un-American Activities Committee (HUAC). It"s difficult to trace Miller"s problems with HUAC. Some reports say that he was being investigated as far as back at 1944 simply because he was viewed as a powerful and influential left-wing writer and public person. When he wrote All My Sons All My Sons, the FBI called it "party line propaganda" just because it had to do with someone selling defective parts to the United States Air Force. In 1949, the FBI declared his Death of a Sale Death of a Salesman "a negative delineation of American life." It was felt that the FBI had something to do with his story "a negative delineation of American life." It was felt that the FBI had something to do with his story The Hook The Hook meeting a dead end in Hollywood. J. Edgar Hoover had it in for Arthur Miller, that much was certain, and he turned the heat up after Miller"s play meeting a dead end in Hollywood. J. Edgar Hoover had it in for Arthur Miller, that much was certain, and he turned the heat up after Miller"s play The Crucible. The Crucible.
The Crucible had been inspired by the experience of Miller"s friend Elia Kazan, who had appeared before HUAC in 1952. Under fear of being blacklisted from Hollywood, Kazan named eight people from the Group Theatre-a popular theater company in New York-who, he said, were just mildly interested in Russian history, particularly in the Russian Revolution. HUAC took Kazan"s naming of names to mean he was fingering members of the Communist Party, which he most certainly was not doing. In discussing the extent and effects of HUAC"s activities, Miller developed the idea for had been inspired by the experience of Miller"s friend Elia Kazan, who had appeared before HUAC in 1952. Under fear of being