Loving Marilyn Monroe

loving marilyn monroe

I have been fascinated by Marilyn Monroe for over 20 years.

My first memory of Marilyn is that Some Like It Hot was on television every Christmas Day for years.  I always tried to watch it, but never saw the full movie as dinner interrupted it each time.

I can remember the year I finally got to see it and my dad telling me that it was one of the greatest ever comedies.  I was 12 years old – Marilyn was a vision on the screen and I immediately wanted to know more about her. Continue reading “Loving Marilyn Monroe”

Norma Jeane to Marilyn : Modelling to Movie Stardom

Modelling to Movie Stardom

It was in the autumn of 1944 David Conover photographed Norma Jeane Dougherty for the first time.   Conover saw something in the eighteen year old and organised a two week modelling trip through California.

By August 1945 Norma Jeane had signed with Emmeline Snively at the Blue Book Modelling Agency.  A month later she appeared as a model at her first trade show for Blue Book and within a couple of months began working with the photographer Andre de Dienes.

Continue reading “Norma Jeane to Marilyn : Modelling to Movie Stardom”

Gladys Baker – Marilyn’s Mother – Part Three

Gladys Baker

In 1949, Gladys Baker married John Stewart Eley, an electrician. However Eley neglected to inform Gladys that he was already married – his first wife living in Boise, Idaho. The couple lived in Los Angeles but Eley died just three years later of a heart infection.

During Marilyn’s career Gladys spent the majority of her time in and out of care facilities or hospitals.  Over the period of time that Marilyn was making a living as an actress, she paid for Glady’s care with her earnings. Little is known of this period of Gladys’ life due to Marilyn wanting her privacy respected.  As Marilyn’s star began to rise, she even led people to believe her mother was dead.  It wasn’t until an article appeared in the media disclosing that Gladys was alive and well, that people realised Marilyn wasn’t an orphan. Continue reading “Gladys Baker – Marilyn’s Mother – Part Three”

Sir Laurence Olivier 1907 – 1989

Laurence Olivier

Sir Laurence OIivier was born on 22nd May 1907 in Dorking, Surrey to Reverend Gerard Kerr Olivier and his wife, Agnes Louise.  Olivier was the youngest of three children.

In 1924, Olivier began his acting education at the Central School of Speech Training and Dramatic Art. Olivier’s sister had been a student there and was a favourite of Elsie Fogarty, the founder and principal of the school. Olivier’s star began to rise between 1930 and 1935 when he starred on stage for Noel Coward and worked with the likes of Gloria Swanson and Greta Garbo. Continue reading “Sir Laurence Olivier 1907 – 1989”

Charles Stanley Gifford

Charles Stanley Gifford

Who was Charles Stanley Gifford? Was it he who fathered the world’s most famous screen icon, Marilyn Monroe, as Gladys said it was, and Marilyn believed it to be? Or was it her mother Gladys’ estranged husband, Edward Mortensen, as per her birth certificate?

Over the years much has been made of the fact that Marilyn did not know who her father was, however, that would appear to be a half truth. Marilyn seemed in fact, to be quite sure about who her father was and tried to contact him on a number of occasions. Continue reading “Charles Stanley Gifford”

Happy Birthday Mr. President Dress

Happy Birthday Mr. President Dress

What is now known as the “Happy Birthday Mr. President Dress” has become one of, if not THE, most famous dress of all time.

In early 1962, having been asked to perform at a Democratic fundraiser & JFK’s 45th birthday celebration, Marilyn approached Hollywood designer Jean Louis to design a dress that “only Marilyn Monroe could wear.”

The colour of the nude souffle chiffon dress was said to match Marilyn’s skin tone and was embelleshed with 2,500 hand sown round crystals, strategically positioned so that her modesty was maintained. The dress was a column design with a scoop neck, sleeveless but with shoulder straps, and a zipper that went from the bottom of Marilyn’s rear to her lower back. The zipper was hidden by a hook and eye tab closure. The dress was so form fitting that Louis incorporated an 18 inch slit in the bottom so that Marilyn could walk in it. Continue reading “Happy Birthday Mr. President Dress”

Gladys Baker – Marilyn’s Mother – Part Two

Gladys Baker

On her return to Los Angeles and with the beginning of her friendship with Grace McKee, Gladys Baker started going out dancing and dating, leading to the two women having a reputation amongst their male co-workers.  However, on 11th October 1924, Gladys shocked everyone when she suddenly married Edward Mortensen.  Though her new husband was very much in love with her, the same could not be said for Gladys, and soon she fell for one of her bosses at Consolisdated Films, a 25 year old divorcee named Charles Stanley Gifford.

Continue reading “Gladys Baker – Marilyn’s Mother – Part Two”

Gladys Pearl Monroe – Marilyn’s Mother – Part One

Marilyn Monroe Family Tree

Gladys Pearl Monroe was born on 27th May 1902, to Otis and Della Monroe. Gladys had one brother named Marion and when she was a child the family moved constantly. When Gladys Pearl Monroe was just seven, Otis contracted syphillis of the brain and died in the California State Hospital for the mentally ill. At the time the family did not know that syphillis was the cause of death, thinking Otis was insane, and so began a fear within the family that insanity was a family trait. In 1910, the family settled in Los Angeles and by 1912 Della had remarried to Lyle Arthur Graves, although the marriage was short lived – they were divorced by 1914.
Continue reading “Gladys Pearl Monroe – Marilyn’s Mother – Part One”

Some Like It Hot – Black Dress

In 1958 Orry Kelly, an Australian fashion designer (1897 – 1964), was signed on as designer for the movie “Some Like It Hot”. Amongst his designs for the movie were a silver/white dress which, in his words, was “of nude souffle draped on the bias to lift her breasts and push her tummy in.  It was so slightly beaded over her breasts that her nipples were not covered and [director] Billy Wilder had to light her with a single spot that left the area strategically in darkness.”
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Timeline of Marilyn’s Last Day

Timeline Marilyn's Last Day

Timeline – Marilyn’s Last Day

There has been much speculation, controversy, rumour and intrigue surrounding the circumstances of the night Marilyn died – Here are the facts as we know them:

08.00am  Eunice Murray arrives at 12305 Fifth Helena Drive.

09.00am  Marilyn gets up, has some grapefruit juice and tells Mrs. Murray that Pat Newcomb has stayed over.

10.00am  Larry Schiller calls to the house to discuss Marilyn’s nude photos from the set of “Something’s Got To Give” appearing in Playboy magazine.
Continue reading “Timeline of Marilyn’s Last Day”