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Arthur Miller: Advocate or Antagonist? – Part I

Arthur Miller: Advocate or Antagonist

Disclaimer: This article is my opinion based on research done over the years I’ve been a Marilyn fan. It is based on the facts that we know to be true, taken from the most reliable sources we have.

This is not an article written to make you fall in love with Arthur Miller. My reason for doing it is to try to provide you with all the facts we have so that you can have an informed opinion about him.

Misconception 1: Arthur cheated on his wife with Marilyn.

When Marilyn met Arthur for the first time, he was married to his first wife, Mary Slattery, with two young children. They met through mutual friend Elia Kazan at a party. Author Michelle Morgan writes in Marilyn Monroe Private and Undisclosed, that Marilyn was open about her attraction to Arthur, whilst a “terrified” Arthur fled California after spending time with her. The two kept in touch by letter but did not meet again for four years.

Continue reading “Arthur Miller: Advocate or Antagonist? – Part I”
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‘The Girl’ Who Inspired A Generation

The Girl

When you hear the name Marilyn Monroe, what’s the first thing that comes to mind?  Do you think of ‘The Girl’ in The Seven Year Itch, or someone who inspired a generation? Most people think of her as the blonde bombshell of the fifties.   A woman who was dumb but beautiful.  The headline from when she married Arthur Miller in 1956 speaks volumes for how she was viewed – “Egghead Marries Hourglass” – can you tell which one is Marilyn in that?

The truth of who Marilyn was couldn’t be further from this.  Books like The Girl: Marilyn Monroe, The Seven Year Itch, and the Birth of an Unlikely Feminist  by Michelle Morgan are making great strides toward changing perceptions but it will take time.  It seems Marilyn played a dumb blonde so well, it’s stuck! Continue reading “‘The Girl’ Who Inspired A Generation”

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My Sources of Information

Sources of Information

People often ask me what my sources of information are; which books, websites, forums etc. I reference, so I decided to do an article highlighting three or four sources I use regularly.

Marilyn Monroe A Day In The Life – April VeVea

This book was self-published in 2016 and, in my opinion, is one of, if not the best source of Marilyn information out there. Marilyn’s life is set out year by year and the book references all the events in her life, from childhood right up to her death, that information is available for. Continue reading “My Sources of Information”

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The Marilyn Monroe Collection Interview – Part Two

In part two of my interview with Scott Fortner – owner of The Marilyn Monroe Collection – Scott talks more about his collection, bidding at auctions and how he became an integral part of the longest running Marilyn Monroe fanclub, Marilyn Remembered.

When was the first time you saw something of Marilyn’s in person and what was it?

Well that’s an interesting story.  The first time I even made a connection between Marilyn and her personal possessions was when I saw her trunk that was filled with her personal items in the Marilyn Monroe Encyclopedia by Adam Victor.  The trunk had been auctioned by Christie’s in 1995.  I just thought, “Man, that is so cool!”  And, quite luckily, that trunk and many of its contents, including Marilyn’s personal childhood Brownie camera, are part of my collection today. Continue reading “The Marilyn Monroe Collection Interview – Part Two”

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The Marilyn Monroe Collection Interview – Part One

The Marilyn Monroe Collection

The Marilyn Monroe Collection is a collection of her belongings, owned by super-fan, Scott Fortner.  I love nothing more than when a genuine fan is able to buy something of Marilyns at auction – so you can understand how excited I am to share part one of my interview with Scott, which gives us insight into his love of Marilyn and how he has acquired one of,  if not, the world’s largest private collections of her belongings.

When did you become a Marilyn fan?

I don’t remember exactly when I became interested in Marilyn.  In junior high I saw Loni Anderson in “The Jayne Mansfield Story” and that’s really when I started to develop an interest in old Hollywood.  Very soon after that I discovered Marilyn and the rest is history. Continue reading “The Marilyn Monroe Collection Interview – Part One”

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Marilyn And Her Mother

Marilyn And Her Mother

Much has been said over the years about the relationship between Marilyn and her mother – it was difficult and strained, this much we know.  Gladys’ mental illness made things so that, by the end of Marilyn’s life, the two women had no real relationship at all.

Continue reading “Marilyn And Her Mother”

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The Truth About Marilyn’s Dress Size

The Truth About Marilyn's Dress Size

In this article I am going to reveal the truth about Marilyn’s dress size.

There are many myths that surround Marilyn Monroe – mostly about her death – but one such myth I’d like to dispel is the controversy surrounding her true dress size.  People have argued about this over the years – most adamant that she was a size 16, plus-sized or, in some cases even obese and many articles have been written on the subject, some good, some bad – I’ve included a link to a very good one here.

A lot of people use Marilyn to hold her up as the example of a real woman, others to mock her as being “fat” or “very big”.  The truth of the matter is that Marilyn was a curvy woman but she was also very petite.  So let’s get to the bottom of this here: Continue reading “The Truth About Marilyn’s Dress Size”

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The End of Marilyn and Milton

The End of Marilyn and Milton

Following the the end of Marilyn and Milton Greene’s friendship, their lives went in different directions.  Milton carried on his photography and life with his young family, and Marilyn spent the next few years married to Arthur Miller and trying to start a family of her own.  This proved more difficult than she imagined and thus led to the end of her marriage to Miller in 1960. Continue reading “The End of Marilyn and Milton”