But claims about celebrity homes require documentation, and in this case, no verifiable evidence has surfaced showing that Marilyn Monroe ever owned this property.

In fact, many news articles are relying on vague wording such as “it is said that Marilyn Monroe lived here,” which reflects longstanding Palm Springs lore rather than documented ownership.

I’ve conducted extensive research. The house was built in 1961. No property records tying Marilyn Monroe to the home have been found.

What is very well documented is Marilyn Monroe’s purchase of 12305 Fifth Helena Drive in Brentwood in January 1962, the only home she is widely known to have owned in her lifetime.

On a personal note, I own Marilyn Monroe’s personal financial records covering January through August 1962.

These documents record her January 1962 deposit on the Brentwood property, along with her ongoing income and expenses for the final eight months of her life. There is no reference in these records to the purchase of a home in Palm Springs.

As someone who owns and researches various documents from Marilyn Monroe’s files and archival materials, I have learned that many long-repeated stories about her life simply do not hold up when examined against the historical record. This is yet another example.

Palm Springs certainly played a role in Marilyn’s life, and she visited the area over the years. But historical connections and real estate ownership are not the same thing.

In Marilyn Monroe history, association is not ownership. Documentation is what matters.

The post The Truth About the “Marilyn Monroe Doll House in Palm Springs” in the News appeared first on The Marilyn Monroe Collection.

1964: The First Mention of Murder – Frank Capell, Maurice Reece, Jack Clemmons in The Strange Death of Marilyn Monroe

Not long after Marilyn’s death, right wing extremist and writer of The Herald of Freedom newsletter Frank Capell, together with FBI informant Maurice Reece, head of the Motion Picture Alliance for the Preservation of American Ideals, and LAPD Officer Jack Clemmons met up to discuss her death. Yes, this was the same Jack Clemmons who was the first officer on the scene at Marilyn’s home following the report of Marilyn’s death (he wasn’t a detective or investigator, just an officer). Maurice shared with Capell stories of rumors about Marilyn and Robert Kennedy having been romantically involved. From there, due to their hatred of the Left and Liberalism and Communism, and all that the Kennedys represented, they hatched a plan that Marilyn didn’t kill herself but instead was killed by the Attorney General to keep their affair quiet. There was absolutely no evidence of this. It was merely a ploy to incriminate Kennedy as part of his run for Senate. Capell turned to his friend columnist Walter Winchell to distribute this murder theory as part of his reporting. Through his column in the New York Daily Mirror, Winchell began to insinuate that there was more to Marilyn’s death than an overdose of pills. Capell then went a step further and published a short pamphlet about the concocted murder conspiracy titled, The Strange Death of Marilyn Monroe in 1964. This is where the first echo of murder began. The publication didn’t get much notice.

Soon after, an unsourced and uncredited memo was submitted to the FBI, which claimed Kennedy was deeply involved with Marilyn and had promised to divorce his wife to marry her. It also states Kennedy was in town the night of August 4 and registered at the Beverly Hills Hotel. Bobby Kennedy, however, was in the Bay Area near San Francisco that weekend. He was not in Los Angeles. The memo, which is now believed to have been submitted by Maurice Reece, cited Winchell as a source, however he and Capell were the ones feeding the information about the murder theory to Winchel to begin with. Again, this was a fabricated story, made up solely to discredit Kennedy during his Senate Race.

That same year, Capell and Clemmons wrote another made up story attacking Republican Senator Thomas Kuchel. Even though he was in their party, he supported the civil rights act and therefore wasn’t conservative enough. They claimed he’d been arrested after having performed a homosexual act in an automobile. This story was a step too far. In February of 1965, Capell and Clemmons were indicted for conspiracy to commit libel. Jack Clemmons was forced to resign from the LAPD.

1973: The First Mention of CIA Involvement in Marilyn Monroe’s Death and Ambulances at Marilyn’s Home in Marilyn: A Biography by Norman Mailer

In 1973, just over ten years after Marilyn’s death, Norman Mailer authored Marilyn Monroe a biography and, in his closing, he again surfaced the topic that Marilyn was murdered, but this time by the CIA or the FBI, out of their hatred for the Kennedy family. Again, it was clear speculation. The FBI documented Mailer’s claims in their files. Under intense pressure and scrutiny by the press, Mailer changed his story. He claimed,

“I did not say I think she was murdered, I think there was motive for her to be murdered. It’s opinion entirely, it’s my opinion. It’s based on no evidence whatsoever that I had.”

He admitted that she more than likely accidentally killed herself. See a YouTube clip of that interview here.

Mailer’s book is often dismissed for its sensational speculation, such as alleged affairs and conspiracy theories involving the Kennedys, he also referenced reports of an ambulance outside Monroe’s house that night. Mailer conceived that these sightings hinted at a possible cover-up or obfuscation surrounding her death. Neighbors claimed they saw an ambulance at around 10 p.m. the night before her body was officially discovered. This claim was later picked up by conspiracy narratives and expanded upon by later authors, but it’s not clear what Mailer himself made of it beyond including it as part of his speculative account. Eventually, it was reported that there were two different ambulances at Marilyn’s home. Read more about this on my blog here.

It was Mailer’s book that really perpetuated the myth that Marilyn was killed, but again, there was no proof or evidence of this.

1975: The First Mention of Marilyn Monroe’s Red Diary and a Press Conference in The Curious Death of Marilyn Monroe by Robert Slatzer

In 1975, Robert Slatzer released The Curious Death of Marilyn Monroe. He repeated the same theories as Capell and Mailer, but he also added even more lies.

It’s Slatzer who created the red diary theory, which allegedly included all the secrets the Kennedy brothers shared with Marilyn. It’s because of that diary that RFK had her killed. The diary was never even mentioned previously, prior to Slatzer’s book. While Marilyn wrote extensively in journals, she wrote mostly about herself and her feelings, not about others. No red diary has ever been found.

It’s also in Slatzer’s book where he asserted that Monroe confided in him just days before her death that she was considering “holding a press conference to expose her relationship with Robert Kennedy (and possibly John F. Kennedy).” There is no evidence of Marilyn ever having scheduled a press conference.

While there is photo evidence that Slatzer had actually met Marilyn while she was filming Niagara in 1952, that’s as far as their connection went, although he claims he knew her for the rest of her life. He is not listed in her 1962 phonebooks, which are part of my Marilyn Monroe Collection. Still, Slatzer claimed that he and Marilyn were married on October 4, 1952, in Tijuana. However, one of Marilyn’s personal signed checks shows that she was shopping in Los Angeles at Jax on that date. There’s no way she could have been doing both.

The most damning evidence here, however, is that Capell and Slatzer produced Slater’s book together. Capell agreed, in writing, that all information from his pamphlet could be used to write the book. The signed agreement went on further to say that Slatzer could take credit for writing the book and Capell would remain silent, thus, the book was ghostwritten by Capell. Note the nearly identical titles of their books:

Frank Capell wrote The Strange Death of Marilyn Monroe.

Robert Slazter wrote The Curious Death of Marilyn Monroe.

1975: The First Mention of the Washing Machine Theory and Marilyn’s Staged Bedroom

Jack Clemmons returned to the scene and was interviewed for Slatzer’s 1975 book with new allegations: “Marilyn’s death scene seemed staged.” He said there was no drinking vessel in MM’s bedroom. However, police photos show there was a glass on the floor next to her bed. This is also when he introduced the washing machine theory. “Eunice was doing laundry,” but there’s no evidence Marilyn even had a washing machine. In fact, she sent her laundry out to be cleaned. Laundry receipts prove this, which today are part of the Collection.

When he was on the scene, he didn’t ask her why she was doing laundry that early in the morning, nor did he ask what she was laundering. There was no mention of Murray doing laundry or a staged death scene in his initial police report.

These three books are responsible for starting the conspiracy theories that we hear regularly today. Every other book has merely copied these theories, and many have taken them further with greater embellishments and lies.

1976: The First Mentions of Wiretapping and Mafia Involvement in Marilyn Monroe’s Death in Who Killed Marilyn Monroe by Anthony Scaduto

Yet another book that added to the conspiracies was Who Killed Marilyn? And Did the Kennedy’s Know? By Anthony Scaduto, under the pen name Tony Sciacca.

Released in 1976, Scaduto relied heavily on Mailer and Slatzer for source material and it’s in his book that we first start to hear about the mafia being involved in Marilyn’s death, again, completely speculative and unfounded.

Why? Because as the Attorney General, Bobby Kennedy was a serious thorn in the side of the mob. It was in this book that we first heard of Marilyn’s home being wiretapped by Jimmy Hoffa. It was claimed that there were recordings of Marilyn with one or both Kennedy brothers in her home, but when the tapes were heard following a raid, there were no recordings of Marilyn and the Kennedys.

1982: The First Mention of Marilyn Monroe Dying by Lethal Injection in Marilyn Monroe Murder Cover Up by Milo Speriglio

In 1982, Milo Speriglio published Marilyn Monroe Murder Cover Up. Spriglio was a private detective, who had worked with both Mailer and Slatzer. His book built on the idea that the mafia was involved and that they were working with the CIA to protect RFK, and Marilyn was paid a visit by hired gunmen from Chicago, ordered to kill Marilyn by Sam Giancana. He claims she died by injection and not an oral overdose of pills. His source was Lionel Grandison, a coroner’s aid and clerk at the LA Coroner’s Office. Grandison claims he was coerced into signing the death certificate. He also claimed Marilyn’s red diary, which had arrived at the morgue with Marilyn’s body, was missing, which he claims to have seen. He also said he observed extensive bruising on Marilyn’s body, which isn’t consistent with the autopsy report. However, the records show that no personal property accompanied Marilyn to the coroner’s office the night she died. This theory makes no sense. The mob hated the Kennedy family. Why would they have worked with RFK to have Marilyn killed, the one person who was hellbent on destroying him? Several weeks after Marilyn’s death, Grandison was fired for stealing from the dead who were in the morgue.

1985: The First Mention of Marilyn’s Death by Lethal Enema in Goddess: The Secret Lives of Marilyn Monroe by Anthony Summers

The idea of the enema first surfaced in Anthony Summers 1985 book Goddess: The Secret Lives of Marilyn Monroe. He followed the same narrative as the prior books: the Kennedys, Hoover, the Mob, etc. He implied, through second and third hand testimony that cannot be corroborated, it was the red diary that made her a liability. He also said she threatened a press conference to tell all about her relationship with the Kennedys. Her cause of death: Someone, wanting to calm her down, gave her a barbiturate-laced enema. He also states she was found comatose in her home and picked up by an ambulance to be taken to the hospital. Allegedly, she died on the way to the hospital. In 1982, the LAPD interviewed the alleged ambulance drivers, but they say when they arrived Marilyn had already died. He also used Jeanne Carmen as a reference, and there’s no evidence Marilyn even knew her. Also, if there was to have been a Marilyn Monroe press conference, it would have been announced in advance.

Marilyn Monroe’s Prior Overdoses

On the topic of suicide, while the general population is very aware of the various murder conspiracies, few are aware that Marilyn had serious mental health problems that weren’t property treated, and she’d overdosed using drugs and medications prior to August of 1964.

1950: She took an overdose of sleeping pills following the death of Johnny Hyde.

1957: Following an ectopic pregnancy, she overdosed on Nembutal while recovering at home. Husband Arthur Miller and psychiatrist Dr. Marianne Kris. Intervened. In a letter to Lee Strasberg in late 1957, she wrote:

“I am supposed to be happy now, I have all I ever wanted, but I feel sadder than ever. The world seems very far away from me, and I am so very alone.”

1961: Marilyn was recently divorced from Miller and in a deep depression. She had told friends she was suicidal and had thought about jumping out of an open window. She was then hospitalized at Payne Whitney Psychiatric Clinic’s psychiatric ward. Dr. Kris had her admitted for rest, but she was placed in a locked ward. Upon release, she was transferred to Columbia Presbyterian Medical Center.

In a letter to Dr. Ralph Greenson after being released, Marilyn described her feelings:

“I felt I was in a prison for a crime I hadn’t committed. I felt trapped… I was sure they were going to harm me… I kept thinking to myself, if I can’t get out of here I will kill myself.”

Marilyn’s personal letters often contain expressions of deep loneliness and feelings of being misunderstood:

To writer and friend Norman Rosten (1961):

“I’m only one among many… I’m alone. I’m always alone no matter what.”

To psychiatrist Dr. Greenson (1961):

“The world around me seems so empty and far away and I feel so left out.”

History and facts, demonstrated here, verify that the murder conspiracies started years after her death, and were initially generated as a way to discredit Bobby Kennedy during his run for Senate, and actually had nothing really to do with Marilyn. She was used as a pawn in the game to discredit Kennedy. Layers and layers of lies and embellishments have been added, and there are no multiple theories, when in fact it is most likely that Marilyn Monroe took her own life, either accidentally or intentionally. There were prior attempts, and unfortunately, she was unable to return that fateful night in August of 1962. And the world lost one of the greatest stars of all time. Fortunately, her legend and likeness is as strong today as it was when she was alive, if not stronger. Her memory and accomplishments will live on for decades to come.

It’s important to note that the 1982 investigation into the death of Marilyn Monroe eliminated the possibility of every single murder conspiracy.

View the full 1982 Police Investigation Report here.

The post Marilyn Monroe Murder Theory Mayhem appeared first on The Marilyn Monroe Collection.

And then there’s the tiles…

Most fans know about the tiles at the front door of the house. Four tiles laid in cement show a crest with three running dogs and three Viking war horns with the words “Cursum Perficio.” The source of the tiles was previously unknown. They are, in fact, the Hunter family crest and motto. Rather than the macabre “My journey ends here,” translation, the Hunter family “Cursum Perficio” motto means, “I will persevere.”

LA’s Cultural Heritage Commission meets tomorrow (1/18) and might approve a Historic Cultural Monument designation, which would then go to the Planning & Land Use Committee, then LA City Council.

Many fans believe the house should be a museum, much like Graceland. Unfortunately, in its current location, that can never happen. However, I have been in contact with the current owners of the home, and they have offered to relocate it to a site where it can be visited by Marilyn’s fans. The owners have also invited me to be involved as an advisor as part of relocating the home.

I will post as to the outcome of the CHC meeting tomorrow. Marilyn showed a lot of perseverance during her 36 years. We feel our journey doesn’t end here either. Instead, we will persevere, like Marilyn and the Hunters, in attempts to save 12305 Fifth Helena in a way that’s acceptable for all parties.

The post Monroe Preservation Group Uncovers the History of “Cursum Perficio” appeared first on The Marilyn Monroe Collection.

With a very heavy heart, I write to share that my friend Anna Strasberg, third wife of Marilyn’s acting coach and mentor Lee Strasberg, passed away on January 6, 2024. In my work with Julien’s Auctions, I came to know Anna very well. I know that many Marilyn Monroe fans have very strong feelings about the Strasbergs. I can personally say, however, that she was very misunderstood. Intensely private, she rarely let Marilyn fans in. In fact, I may be the only one. At first, out of respect, I called her “Mrs. Strasberg.” During one of my many visits to her home in New York, she finally said, “Scott, call me Anna. My friends call me Anna.” In our many talks she would tell me, “I can’t talk about Marilyn to anyone else. You’re the only one who gets it.”

I can say unequivocally that Anna was a Marilyn Monroe fan. She did her best to promote and protect Marilyn. With that said, it wasn’t a position she relished or asked for. Lee didn’t even know he was in Marilyn’s will until after she died. In knowing Anna, I came to understand that in some ways, inheriting Marilyn’s estate was both a blessing and a burden.

In the photo below, Anna and I are sitting at her dining room table, in the same apartment in which Lee and Paul lived with Susan and John. She very much loved animals. Here, she’s petting my dog Milo.

I’ve written twice about Anna Strasberg, once in 2016, and again in 2019. If you’d like to learn more about the REAL person who has been such a mystery in the Marilyn community for decades, click the links below.

The Marilyn Monroe Collection Exclusive Interview with Anna Strasberg

Finding Marilyn Monroe with Anna Strasberg

Rest in peace, Anna. It was my honor to know you and call you friend.

The post In Memory: Anna Strasberg appeared first on The Marilyn Monroe Collection.

This is it!

As part of working with Julien’s Auctions to inventory Marilyn’s personal archives in her two filing cabinets, I discovered a get-well greeting card from Stanley Gifford, Marilyn’s father.

For years it was believed that Gifford was her father, and it was proven definitively through DNA testing earlier this year. However, there was never any evidence that father and daughter had any kind of relationship. The discovery of this greeting card rewrites history. There was indeed some kind of personal relationship between them, and this card proves it.

“I discovered the card purely by chance while I was preparing Marilyn’s personal archives for auction at Julien’s Auctions,” said Scott Fortner, Marilyn Monroe historian/collector and co-host of the All Things Marilyn podcast, as quoted in a People.com news article. “This is the only known documented evidence of a relationship between Monroe and Gifford, which solves the mystery of whether or not she knew or had contact with her biological father.”

“Dear Marylyn,” begins Gifford’s message, with Monroe’s name spelled incorrectly, before the card’s pre-filled text reads, “This cheery little get-well note comes specially to say that lots of thoughts and wishes, too, are with you every day.”

My co-host Elisa Jordan and I discuss the discovery of the card and many other interesting facts and details in our latest episode of All Things Marilyn. Listen here.

The card will be up for auction at Julien’s Auctions December 17-18.

The post Rewriting History: Marilyn Monroe and Stanley Gifford appeared first on The Marilyn Monroe Collection.

MARILYN MONROE: HER SUIT FROM JOE DIMAGGIO WEDDING
Going, Going … Up for Sale!!!

Link here.

The article reads,The two-piece wedding suit Marilyn Monroe wore for her marriage to Joe DiMaggio is hitting the auction block … and it’s expected to fetch seven figures.

Marilyn’s ‘fit from the January 1954 wedding to the New York Yankees star will be offered to the public through Gotta Have Rock and Roll, and although it’s one of her more conservative looks … folks at the auction house think the winning bid will be spectacular — somewhere between $1.5 and $2 million!

The historic clothing is a two-piece dark brown Serge wedding suit, with a white fur collar on the jacket. Marilyn and Joe’s wedding was a huge event back in the day … and there are tons of photos and videos of them kissing while she’s in the wedding suit.

And, here’s a fun fact: glamorous Marilyn totally went mainstream for her big day!

Gotta Have Rock and Roll says she originally bought the suit at Macy’s, and it was later gifted to the mother-in-law of her personal photog, Milton Greene.

Bidding opens today and the auction runs through Dec. 9.

The listing on Gotta Have It Collectibles is here. It reads as follows:

On January 14, 1954 the iconic movie star Marilyn Monroe wed the Yankees superstar athlete Joe DiMaggio. This was the most important wedding in Pop Culture history. Never before has there been a wedding of this stature of two iconic figures that were the leaders in their fields. This iconic moment was captured in hundreds of photographs and video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NZd7dD-HOyE. Gotta Have Rock and Roll is proud to auction the two-piece suit Marilyn Monroe wore at this historic wedding.

Marilyn’s wedding suit is a two-piece dark brown serge wedding suit, with a white fur collar on the jacket. The measurements are as follows: Jacket: shoulder to cuff 20”, shoulder to waist 19”. Skirt: waist measures 27”, waist to hem 25” The jacket has been shortened from the original length by a few inches. A tailor would be able to put the jacket back to its original length. Very good condition. Comes with original Sotheby’s auction catalog and a Gotta Have Rock & Roll Certificate of Authenticity.

Provenance: Originally the property of Marilyn Monroe purchased at Macy’s department store. Gifted to the mother-in-law of Milton Greene. Milton Greene was a personal photographer to Marilyn Monroe.

Sotheby’s September 30, 1990 “Cocktails” Auction

Below are scans of the Sotheby’s “Cocktails” auction catalog, showing this suit and also the lot description. Note that there is no mention of the suit having been altered.

The history of Marilyn Monroe’s suit:

It’s been reported that Marilyn purchased the suit “last minute” from either Joseph Magnin’s or Macy’s just prior to her wedding to Joe DiMaggio. This story first appeared thanks to writer Alice Hoffman who accompanied Marilyn to San Francisco for the ceremony. Hoffman established this myth in a later article published in Modern Screen magazine. Some believe this wasn’t an off-the-rack suit, and that it was designed specifically for Marilyn by Twentieth Century-Fox costume designer Charles Lemaire.

Marilyn wore the suit at least two other times, once before her wedding to DiMaggio, and once after:

November of 1953, when she meet the King and Queen of Greece on the Fox lot:

February of 1954, when she and Joe were returning from Japan at the end of their honeymoon. Note in the photos below the absence of a white fur collar on the suit. 

Charles LeMaire did design several other outfits for Marilyn, and even film costumes, including All About Eve.

Is it the same suit?

A big issue of concern revolves around a label sewn inside the suit currently up for auction that reads, “National Recovery Board, Coat and Suit Industry,” and “Consumers Protection Label, Manufactured under the Fair Labor Standards Act.” See screenshots below from the auction website:

And of course, there are significant differences in the garments themselves:

1. The buttons on the suit in these images are different.
2. The suit being offered has six buttons from collar to waist. The suit Marilyn wore when she married Joe DiMaggio in San Francisco on January 14, 1954 had more than six buttons.
3. The collar on these two suits is different (note the corners).
4. The suit Marilyn wore had a fabric embellishment tied at the collar. The suit offered by Gotta Have It Collectibles does not.
5. Marilyn’s wedding suit appears to be a reflective, shiney material. The suit up for auction appears to be flat, and lacking the same luster.

Gotta Have It explains some of these differences by saying the jacket has been altered from its original design. The lot description on the Gotta Have It website reads: “The jacket has been shortened from the original length by a few inches. A tailor would be able to put the jacket back to its original length. Very good condition.”

The questions needing answers are these:

1. Why would a two-piece suit designed for Marilyn Monroe by Twentieth Century-Fox costume designer Charles LeMaire have a “Consumer Protections Act” label sewn inside? Answer: It wasn’t. Marilyn purchased it off the rack at I. Magnin in Los Angeles in 1952.
2. Why does the jacket up for auction have a fur collar sewn onto it, when the last time Marilyn wore it in 1954 there was no collar? Yes, the collar could have been returned to the jacket, but again, note the differences in the collar on the jacket up for auction and the collar Marilyn wore. Answer: It’s believed it’s not the original collar.
3. Why doesn’t the lot description from the 1999 Sotheby’s auction indicate the garment was altered? In fact, the significant differences in the two suits isn’t even mentioned. Answer: Unknown.
4. The Gotta Have It auction description for the suit references a copy of the 1999 Sotheby’s catalog is included but there is no mention of the original sales receipt from that auction. Answer: Gotta Have It has stated they will provide proof of that auction sale to the successful bidder.

UPDATE:

Had a quick text chat with Joshua Greene today. He spoke to his mom Amy and clarified the following:

1.  Amy recalls that Marilyn told her she purchased the suit at I. Magnin in Los Angeles. It was not purchased in San Francisco. It was not designed by Charles LEMaire. This would explain the label in the suit. 

2. Marilyn did offer the suit to Amy. Amy gave it to her mother, Nina, who did alter the garment. She was shorter than Marilyn and not as thin. Nina wore it to church and other events for years. Amy believes both the skirt and the jacket were altered. 

3.  The garment was auctioned by the Greene family at Sotheby’s in 1999. 

I assume it’s the original garment up for auction based on my conversation with Joshua, (as long as this is the same suit that was auctioned at Sotheby’s in 1999, which Gotta Have It states they can verify. Unfortunately, it’s significantly altered, the buttons aren’t original, and it was worn many times by Amy’s mother. 

Any potential buyers with further questions are invited to reach out to me personally via email. (See my About the Collector page.)

The post Gotta Have It Collectibles Offers Marilyn Monroe’s 1954 Wedding Suit…Or Is It? appeared first on The Marilyn Monroe Collection.

• The action of singling someone out for cruel or unjust treatment.
• The process of being victimized, either from a physical or a psychological or a moral or a sexual point of view.

• There is no evidence that Marilyn’s mother Gladys attempted to drown young Norma Jeane in a bathtub.  Keith Badman’s book Marilyn Monroe: The Final Years reports that in a 1968 interview with the BBC, Marilyn’s third husband Arthur Miller stated Marilyn had told him her mother had threatened her life three times. No other details were provided, and I’ve not been able to find the interview to verify this. There are no other known or documented attempts.
• It’s true that Gladys suffered from mental problems and was indeed institutionalized for most of her adult life. There was a short period of time when Marilyn lived with her mother when she was young. Most of Marilyn’s childhood, however, was spent with foster families and she had a brief stint at Hollygrove, an LA orphanage. She married her first husband at 16 in order to avoid having to return to the orphanage.
• Marilyn never accused Darryl Zanuck of raping her, nor did she ever expose this act.
• In the film, Marilyn’s second husband Joe DiMaggio beats her severely (off camera but the soundtrack ensures awareness) following the filming of the subway scene in Seven Year Itch on the streets of New York (during which Joe became visibly upset and left). There are conflicting reports on the topic of Joe physically abusing Marilyn. Neither of them ever commented about this publicly, but some close to her claimed Marilyn was bruised the next day. Makeup man Allan “Whitey” Snyder and hairstylist Gladys Whitten both claimed the next morning the bruises needed to be covered with makeup. Others have also commented on seeing bruising while Marilyn and Joe were married.
• There is no formal documented evidence of Marilyn ever having an abortion. One thing she wanted more than anything was to have children. She was expecting twice while married to her third husband Arthur Miller. In 1957, she suffered and ectopic pregnancy. In 1958, while filming Some Like it Hot, she was pregnant. It’s the reason she appears heavier than usual in the film. She miscarried in December that same year. Some believe that she became pregnant in 1956 immediately after they were married, during filming of The Prince and the Showgirl in England. However, it’s never been confirmed and in fact was denied by Miller.
• The three-way sexual relationship between Marilyn, Charlie Chaplin Jr. and Edward G. Robinson Jr. also arose from a crevice somewhere within the mind of the author. Chaplin Jr. writes in his biography that he and Marilyn dated briefly, but there certainly wasn’t any involvement with Robinson Jr.
• The film includes vile and disgusting sex scenes, which never happened. One shows Marilyn, Chaplin and Robinson in a movie theater during a showing of Niagara Falls. Marilyn masturbates each of them while one penetrates her with his fingers, all while others are present also watching the film. Another scene shows Marilyn kidnapped from an airplane and dragged by members of the Secret Service down a hotel hallway to a waiting President Kennedy who forces her to perform oral sex, then he rapes her. These  scenes insult the dignity of Marilyn Monroe and are yet another example of the malicious creativity of author Joyce Carol Oates.

I think it was/is a brilliant work of cinematic art obviously not for everyone. surprising that in a post#MeToo era the stark exposure of sexual predation in Hollywood has been interpreted as “exploitation.” surely Andrew Dominik meant to tell Norma Jeane’s story sincerely. https://t.co/YCehGfskds

— Joyce Carol Oates (@JoyceCarolOates) September 30, 2022

& here, I’m afraid, is an outtake. pic.twitter.com/1WxLzIKZh6

— Christina Newland (@christinalefou) September 27, 2022

• Norma Jeane (First Edition) by Fred Lawrence Guiles
• Marilyn Monroe by Maurice Zolotow

• Marilyn Monroe: Private and Undisclosed, The Girl, and When Marilyn Met the Queen, all by author Michelle Morgan.
• Icon: The Life, Times, and Films of Marilyn Monroe: Volumes 1 and 2, by author Gary Vitacco-Robles.

The post Blonde Review: The Victimization of Marilyn Monroe appeared first on The Marilyn Monroe Collection.

‘Blonde,’ the new Marilyn Monroe biopic, is an exercise in exploitation, not empathy

“Blonde” Is “The Passion of the Christ” for Marilyn Monroe

The CGI Talking Fetus in ‘Blonde’ Is an Abomination

Blonde film review: A ‘hellish rereading of the Marilyn myth’

The post Blonde: Fact or Fiction? appeared first on The Marilyn Monroe Collection.

Before-and-after photos also show significant tearing and stress to the seams.

Add to that the video shot by Darrell Rooney showing the tear to the right shoulder, together with footage shot by Inside Edition showing a very tattered and frayed kick pleat. None of this damage was evident when the gown was sold to Ripley’s in 2016, nor was it ever pointed out prior to the two fittings and/or being worn by Kim Kardashian on May 2 at the Met Gala. And, to be clear, Kardashian wore the dress at least three times, which has been verified.

“After receiving Kardashian’s request to wear the dress a couple of months ago, we had to make some decisions as far as whether or not we were willing to let Kim borrow the dress,” Joiner said. “We did two different fittings with her. The first one was in L.A. in April and then the second one later in April to see whether or not the dress would fit. The biggest challenge that we had is that we really wanted to make sure that we kept the integrity of the dress and the preservation, because it’s 60 years old, and we feel that it’s such an iconic piece of fashion, both from a historical perspective, but also from a pop culture perspective.”

Source: The Daily Beast Interview with Amanda Joiner, Vice President of Licensing and Publishing at Ripley Entertainment, May 3

Video footage of Kim Kardashian’s red carpet walk at the Met Gala lasts for approximately eight minutes from beginning to end. All one has to do is watch the videos of the April 2 fitting, posted by Ripley’s and TMZ (She Just Couldn’t Zip it Up, Problems Squeezing Into Marilyn Dress), to see how the garment was actually treated during the fittings. Quite simply, all of these videos and images verify the real story.

The post Marilyn Monroe Collection Official Statement in Response to Ripley’s Believe it or Not and Kim Kardashian Statements as to Marilyn Monroe’s JFK Dress Damage appeared first on The Marilyn Monroe Collection.

Was there a second stopgap opportunity? It is believed by many that Anna Wintour (Vogue’s Editor-in-Chief) reviews and approves/denies every garment being worn to the Gala in advance. Could Wintour have stopped this from happening? The irony: The event itself is an annual fundraiser to benefit the Met’s Costume Institute, which has an entire department focused on “preserving and conserving garments and accessories.”

So, here is the question: If it’s true that Wintour approves outfits for the Gala, why would she allow this historic gown to be worn?

Was the dress in its current state prior to the Gala? Let’s look at before/after photos, taken 52 days apart. These are screenshots from Ripley’s IG from May 2, and this fitting occurred on 4/21. The right photo was taken by @1morrisette on 6/12. By my count, there are seven crystals missing from the gown in the after photo, which were present during the fitting. The screenshots show only a portion of the dress. There are likely many more missing.

It’s never been implied that the gown was in perfect condition. My own photos show some crystals missing prior to the auction. However, it’s significantly more today. I don’t think we need to ask why when we see the video of the fitting.

No one else has worn the dress. From Ripley’s own May 2 press release: “The multi-million-dollar dress has rarely been separated from its dress form, let alone worn by anyone other than Monroe. Great care was taken to preserve this piece of history. With input from garment conservationists, appraisers, archivists, and insurance, the garment’s condition was top priority.” Really?

Theis before/after photo evidence shows that there actually was damage done to the dress due to being worn. The state of the dress today is in fact not, “the way it was when Kim wore it.”

The post Marilyn Monroe’s Dress is “Not the Way it Was” when Kim K Wore It appeared first on The Marilyn Monroe Collection.