Marilyn Monroe: The Rise and Fall of Hollywood’s Shining Star
Kathleen Lindsay
Stevens-Henager College
Abstract
In this paper I will be telling the story of one of America’s most beloved Hollywood Icons, Marilyn Monroe. This is the true tale of the life, death, and career of Hollywood’s most elite actresses. I will be going beyond the façade of the Marilyn Monroe most of the world knows, and tell the real and honest story that is fascinating, inspiring, and ultimately heartbreaking.
Marilyn Monroe: The Rise and Fall of Hollywood's Shining Star
Marilyn Monroe is one of the most recognized Hollywood icons in American history. Mention her name to almost anyone, of any age here in America and instantaneously most will visualize an image of a platinum-blonde bombshell, wrapped in diamonds, with curves that most women only dream of having, and who could forget that infamous mole on her left cheek? If you walk down Hollywood Boulevard her image is plastered on various items of memorabilia throughout every single souvenir shop in sight. Many recognize her, many claim to love her, and many are inspired by her. But not many know the real story behind the glitz and glamour that made Marilyn one of America’s most beloved and recognizable icons in history. The following is the incredible, inspiring, and ultimately tragically heartbreaking story of the life, death, and career of Marilyn Monroe.
Marilyn was born Norma Jeane Mortenson on June 1, 1926 in Los Angeles, California to Gladys Mortenson, a divorced film cutter at Consolidated Film Industries. The identity of Marilyn’s father is still unknown. Gladys, unmarried, and with no help from her family, struggled to make ends meet. When Norma Jeane was six months old she was baptized and Gladys’s mother thought that it would be better if she gave her child the last name “Baker”, which was Gladys’s first husband’s last name, and the same last name Gladys’s other two children had. Shortly after the baptism Norma Jeane was taken in by the Bolender family, who were experienced foster parents and neighbors of Gladys’s parents. Gladys had slipped into a major depression and could no longer take care of her three young children. She was admitted to an in-patient psychiatric hospital, and Norma Jeane was separated from her two siblings; something that would continue to break her heart till the day she died. Norma Jeane reminded with the Bolenders until the age of seven, but still received regular visits from her mother. In 1933, Norma Jeane was taken back into custody of her mother and they moved into a small Hollywood house; part of which Gladys rented out to help pay the bills. The following year in 1934 however, Gladys descended into a deep depression again and was soon committed to a psychiatric hospital for a second time, leaving young Norma Jeane in the care of her friend Grace. Grace had doted on her and taken very good care of her, but was married soon after taking her on, and so at the age of nine she was placed in an orphanage. She was briefly fostered before returning to live with Grace and her new husband Erwin Goddard.
In 1942 Grace’s husband Erwin had secured employment on the East coast and Norma Jeane was facing a return to the orphanage she so dreaded. The then 16-year-old Norma Jeane found a way out by marrying her 21-year-old neighbor, James (“Jimmie”) Doughtery. They had a brief courtship, and were married six months after their first date which prompted Norma Jeane to drop out of high school during her sophomore year. The first year of the marriage went smoothly, but inside Norma Jean was still struggling with her abandonment issues. Despite her secret struggles, Norma Jeane just wanted to make her marriage work, and to have the stability she had always longed for growing up. She tried her best to be a traditional housewife, tending to Jimmie, cleaning the house and even learning how to cook. Shortly after their first year of marriage in 1943, Jimmie joined the Merchant Marines during World War II. He was then shipped overseas, and Norma Jeane was forced to move in with Jimmie’s parents and got a job at Radio Plane Munitions Factory where she packed and inspected parachutes, and also painted and sprayed chemicals on air plane parts to make them more fire resistant. It was there at the Munitions Factory that she was spotted by an Army photographer who suggested she might pursue a career in modeling. Norma Jeane took that advice and in 1945 signed up with Blue Book modeling agency where she was prompted to get a perm, start bleaching her hair blonde and attend “charm” classes. And sure enough, after she had lightened her hair she began booking like crazy, one magazine after another.
After her first national magazine cover for
Family Circle in April, 1946, Norma Jeane got her first taste of “fame” and was immediately addicted to it. Needless to say, it wasn’t all a bed of roses though. Her husband Jimmie was not happy that she was modeling in bikinis and showing her body to the world. Norma Jeane was no longer happy in the marriage, and with the lack of support from her husband it prompted her to file for divorce. Norma Jeane moved to Las Vegas to get her divorce in order, and shortly after it was finalized in May of 1946 she moved back home to Los Angeles. After a few months of staying with her half-sister Bernice and her mother Gladys, who was still unstable and would soon return to the metal institution, Norma Jeane moved into the Studio Club. In July of 1946 Norma Jeane’s agent, Harry Lipton was able to talk Twentieth Century-Fox Film Corporation casting director Ben Lyon into meeting his new client. Norma Jeane thought her first big break had finally arrived.
A week after Norma Jeane’s screen test with Twentieth Century-Fox it was shown to Howard Hughes, an eccentric millionaire and head of RKO Pictures. Hughes was so impressed he signed Norma Jeane on the spot. Ben Lyon was also impressed, but he had one request. He suggested Norma Jeane change her name to Marilyn because he thought it would be more fitting than her given name of Norma Jeane, and he was also quite fond of the actress Marilyn Miller. Taking the suggestion from Lyon, Norma Jean also changed her last name to Monroe because it was her mother’s maiden name. “The origin of one of the most recognizable names in Hollywood history was that simple, despite the number of fakers who later claimed to have given her the name.” (Glatzer, 2008) p35.
On August 24, 1946 Marilyn agreed to a contract with Fox that she would be employed at the rate of $75 a week and that contract also allowed her to take acting lessons with their coaches. Marilyn finally felt that she was on the path of stardom, and that this contract was her big break. Of course, “her ‘big break’ being short term for the group of young, no-name actors, pay them minimal salary for six months or a year, give them small parts here and there, and see who stood out.” (Glatzer, 2008) p34. The first six months of her contract Fox didn’t really do much of anything with Marilyn. She took her obligatory drama classes and picked up a few new makeup tips. But she did not appear in any films but she was an extra in a few films in which most of her appearances were cut. By the end of her first six month contract with Fox, they ultimately decided to sign her for a second six month contract. Her salary was bumped up to $150 a week, so with more pay and the contract extension, it bought her the time to land two small screen appearances. The first role she worked on was
Dangerous Years, but it was her second film to be released. Marilyn’s second role was a small part in
Scudda Hoo! Scudda Hay!, and after editing was complete she had only one line in the film: “Hi, Rad.” The rest of her part was cut.
“One of the problems that would plague Marilyn’s entire career had already begun: She was consistently late. This wasn’t a ‘diva-behavior’ that she picked up after becoming a big star; it’s a characteristic that was present from the start (though it certainly got worse as her career progressed.)” (Glatzer, 2008) p38. Once her contract with Fox was finally up, Fox decided not to renew her contract again. All in all, in her year at Fox, Marilyn made appearances in just three B-movies. So after the Fox contract ended Marilyn returned to modeling. Along with side modeling jobs, Marilyn started hanging around some Hollywood elites in the film industry. One man in particular, Joe Schenck, an executive producer and co-founder of Twentieth Century-Fox. Joe took a strong interest in Marilyn. Rumors swirled that the two were an item, but Marilyn would always strongly deny that. Joe did a lot of entertaining and loved to have beautiful women around, and Marilyn knew that she was being used for eye-candy but she did what she felt was needed to boost her career. Eventually to repay Marilyn for her social favors, Joe asked his friend Harry Cohn at Columbia Pictures to sign her. So Marilyn auditioned and in March of 1948, and Harry offered her a contract with Columbia at the rate of $125 a week. Marilyn was thrilled with her contract with Columbia. She was convinced that this was going to be a huge opportunity for herself and her career. Within her first few months at Columbia Marilyn was given her first chance to sing as a chorus girl in
Ladies of the Chorus. While working on
Ladies of the Chorus, Marilyn was paired up with drama coach Natasha Lytess. The two formed a close bond and would work closely throughout most of Marilyn’s career.
After
Ladies of the Chorus was released, the reviews were less than stellar, though Marilyn got a few positive mentions:
Variety called her musical numbers “nifty” and also said she presented “a nice personality”;
Motion Picture Harold said “She is pretty and, with her pleasing voice and style, she shows promise.” Columbia agreed and had much faith in Marilyn. “She played a series of inconsequential characters until 1950, when John Huston's thriller
The Asphalt Jungle provided her with a small but influential role. Later that year, Marilyn's performance as Claudia Caswell in
All About Eve (starring Bette Davis) earned her further praise. From then on Marilyn worked steadily in movies such as:
Let's Make It Legal, As Young As You Feel, Monkey Business and
Don't Bother to Knock. It was her performance in 1953's
Niagara, however, that delivered her to stardom. Marilyn played Rose Loomis, a beautiful young wife who plots to kill her older, jealous husband (Joseph Cotten). Marilyn's success in
Niagara was followed with lead roles in the wildly popular
Gentlemen Prefer Blondes (co-starring Jane Russell) and
How to Marry a Millionaire (co-starring Lauren Bacall and Betty Grable).
Photoplay magazine voted Marilyn the Best New Actress of 1953, and at 27 years old she was undeniably the best-loved blonde bombshell in Hollywood.” (CMG Worldwide, 2006)
Finally by the end of 1953, Marilyn was getting the attention and recognition she had yearned for her whole life. Even her love life was on the right track. But something from her past was about to come back and haunt her, and threaten to ruin her career and new found love. Marilyn short on cash in 1951 posed nude for an unnamed photographer in order to pay her rent. After fame had suddenly found Marilyn this photographer sold the photographs to a calendar company. The first shot of the nude Marilyn was her stretched out across red velvet. The second shot, was Marilyn seated behind the red velvet. It was that second shot that proved to be most popular over time, and in fact, the very first issue of
Playboy featured this shot as a centerfold and a clothed Marilyn on the cover. If not for Marilyn gracing the pages of that fist issue of
Playboy, the magazine might not have sold enough to even get to a second issue. It is still the most sought after, valuable issue to this day. But in 1953 this was unacceptable in society and nearly cost Marilyn her career. Even through this tough time, the man in her life still remained at her side. On January 15, 1954 Marilyn married Joe DiMaggio, a baseball superstar, at San Francisco’s City Hall. For their honeymoon Marilyn joined Joe on a business trip to Tokyo, Japan. While she was there, Marilyn performed for the GI’s stationed there, which would become a passion for Marilyn after that first performance.
Joe and Marilyn’s marriage seemed smooth from the outside looking in. But as time would go on Joe began to despise Marilyn for her career. He wanted a stay-at-home traditional wife and kids. Marilyn did get pregnant but miscarried only a few weeks after the pregnancy was discovered. This put a huge rift in their already increasingly strained marriage. The straw that broke the camel’s back was in September of 1954 while Marilyn was shooting her newest movie,
The Seven Year Itch. Marilyn was doing a scene with her co-star Tom Ewell; she was standing over a subway grate and below was a fan that was blowing up Marilyn’s skirt exposing her panties. This would eventually become one of the most famous images in film history. Joe happened to be visiting the set the day this scene was shot, and he lost it when he saw his wife showing her legs and white, nearly see-through panties to hundreds of film crew and passersby. Joe had stormed off the set visibly angry, but Marilyn stayed behind to finish the day’s work. After Marilyn arrived home they had an explosive fight that became violent. She knew then that the marriage was over. She loved Joe, but at that time she loved her career more. Marilyn legally separated from Joe three weeks later on October 4, 1954 and officially divorced on October 27, 1954. The two were only married nine months. One month to the day after their legal separation, Marilyn was admitted to a New York hospital to undergo gynecological surgery. Marilyn suffered from a condition called Endometriosis that plagued her with pain throughout her life since puberty, and many believe because of the pain she endured and lack of sleep due to the immense pain, that this was the start of her addiction to pain and sleeping medication. But despite the circumstances, the ever faithful Joe stayed with Marilyn until she was released from the hospital. This would ultimately bond the two of them forever.
Though Marilyn was still heart-broken over the loss of Joe, and the demise of their short marriage, by 1955 she was determined to revise her image of the “dumb blonde”. Even though it is what had gotten her into the spotlight. “But now that she had the opportunity and experience, Marilyn wanted to pursue serious acting. She took a hiatus from Hollywood and moved to New York City to study under Lee Strasberg at his Actors Studio. In 1956, Marilyn started her own motion picture company, Marilyn Monroe Productions. The company produced Bus Stop and The Prince and the Showgirl (co-starring Sir Laurence Olivier). These two films allowed her to demonstrate her talent and versatility as an actress. Marilyn received further recognition for 1959's
Some Like It Hot, winning a Golden Globe for Best Actress in a Comedy.” (CMG Worldwide, 2006). By 1956 while still on hiatus in New York, Marilyn’s insomnia had worsened and her mental state was shakier than ever. She grew more and more interested in pills and alcohol to deal with the loneliness and sleeplessness. Though she was very depressed she seemed well to those around her, and was even welcomed to the elite Actors Studio (as mentioned above courtesy of CMG Worldwide), where she met Lee Strasberg, and acting teacher and artistic director at the Actors Studio. Marilyn was mesmerized by Lee, and wanted to make him proud. Her acting was definitely up to par, but Lee could see right through her façade. Her depression ran deep, and the littlest things would set her off into a crying rage. Lee told Marilyn that she needed to be in therapy before he could work with her and take her theater career to the next level. So Marilyn obliged and went on to do great work with Lee and the Actors Studio.
While working on Bus Stop, in 1957 Marilyn formed her own production company with friend Milton Greene. They named it Marilyn Monroe Productions. Marilyn met playwright Arthur Miller. The two of them worked on
Bus Stop together. Though he was still married at the time, the two fell in love and they began a not very well kept secret affair. Reporters hounded Marilyn about the romance, but she firmly denied it because he was “Married!” and stated that the two were just “Professional friends”. But not long after rumors surfaced, Arthur filed for a divorce that was granted in June 1957. So after Marilyn was done filming
Bus Stop, She went back to New York to be with Arthur. Soon after she returned to New York she was scheduled to leave for London to film The Prince and the Show Girl (The only film to be released by Marilyn Monroe Productions) in August, and asked Arthur to be there with her. But there was one pretty big problem; Arthur’s passport had been revoked due to suspected Communist involvement. There were hearings about it, but Arthur refused to give up any names or information so he was ultimately declared in contempt of Congress. “After his hearing, reporters asked Arthur why he needed the passport in the first place, and he responded that he was going to London to discuss a production of one of his plays, ‘and I will be there with the woman who will then be my wife.” (Glatzer. 2006). The tabloids back then were nothing like they are now, but you can bet your bottom dollar that this caused frenzy in the press! “Marilyn would later say that it was unexpected—Arthur hadn’t officially proposed before he announced it to the world—but she accepted, and converted to Judaism for him.” (Glatzer, 2006). A few days after the hearing there was a press conference held at Arthur’s farm in New York. One reporter asked what kind of wedding they were going to have; Marilyn answered “Very quiet, I hope.” Ironically they refused to give any wedding details to the press, but they actually got married later that night in a quick, intimate civil ceremony. Then two days after the civil ceremony, they had a Jewish ceremony at Arthur’s agent’s home following a small reception with a small number of friends in attendance. They were happy, and soon after the wedding Arthur was granted his passport and the two headed off to England.
While in England Marilyn met the Queen, she was elated about this. It had always been a dream of hers and it had finally come true. Also while filming The Prince and the Showgirl, Marilyn found out she was pregnant. This was another dream of hers, also shared by Arthur. But as soon as the excitement came, it would pass with yet another discouraging miscarriage. Marilyn was shattered by this, and fell deeper into depression and depended on pills and alcohol more than ever. Depressed and unbalanced Marilyn “didn't make another film until the 1959 hit
Some Like It Hot. This comedy was Marilyn's biggest hit; she won a Golden Globe Award for it. The next year Marilyn made two more movies;
Let's Make Love, with Yves Montand, and
The Misfits, written by Arthur Miller with a part for Marilyn.” (MarilynCollector, 2008). As Marilyn worked on
Some Like It Hot, her health continued to decline, and she grew increasingly dependent on drugs. She often went to the set late, and was constantly forgetting her place for scenes and lines. Her third marriage was in shambles; Arthur was skeptical about the truth about Marilyn’s second miscarriage and thought it was a ploy to get sympathy, time off of work, and more drugs. This devastated Marilyn and only sent her further into an already drastic downward spiral.
“Early in 1960, Marilyn was consulting with Dr. Ralph Greenson, a prominent psychoanalyst to Hollywood stars. As common during this period, he relied heavily on drug therapy, routinely prescribing barbiturates and tranquilizers in addition to his psychotherapy.” (The Marilyn Pages, 2007). The dependence she developed on Dr. Greenson would prove to be a fatal decision for Marilyn. In July 1960 the filming for
The Misfits, a short story by Arthur Miller that was adapted to become a feature film began. “While on location the Millers lived in separate quarters and were barely speaking. Meanwhile, pills for Marilyn were regularly flown in from her Los Angeles doctors, including Dr. Greenson. Allan Snyder recalled, ‘It took so long to get her going in the morning that usually I had to make her up while she lay in her bed.’ But once again, she managed to give an exceptional performance. (The Marilyn Pages, 2007). The film got rave reviews, but Marilyn’s marriage was getting worse for both she and Arthur, by the day. So shortly after
The Misfits was released, Marilyn divorced Arthur in January of 1961.
Shortly after the divorce Marilyn purchased a house in the Brentwood section of Los Angeles. At the urging of her psychoanalyst, Dr Greenson, she hired Eunice Murray to be her housekeeper. Murray, calling herself a nurse, had neither the training nor credentials. This, proving the power Dr. Greenson had over Marilyn. She obeyed him faithfully in order to continue her very heavy drug habit. She was afraid to say “no” to him in fear that he would stop supplying her with the lethal narcotics that would eventually be the cause of Hollywood’s most beloved actress’ demise. It has been suspected that Eunice Murray was a "spy" for Dr. Greenson who continued to have more and more control over Marilyn's life, seeing her almost daily when she was in Los Angeles.
A reported affair with John F. Kennedy began in late 1961, but this is all pure speculation. The speculation only increased after the President's gala birthday celebration in Madison Square Garden on May 19, 1962, where Marilyn sang her now infamous "Happy Birthday" tribute to JFK. The Attorney General, Bobby Kennedy was also reported to have had an affair with Marilyn shortly before her death. But again, this is still pure speculation. There was never any solid evidence to support these allegations.
“Marilyn began production on
Something’s Got to Give in April 1962. Much has been said about her inability to show up on the set and her trip to New York for the Presidents birthday celebration...but her illnesses had been well documented by physicians and she had obtained permission from the Studio well in advance of the trip to New York. The Studio was deeply in debt over their production of
Cleopatra starring Elizabeth Taylor and Richard Burton. The filming was way behind schedule and costing millions over budget. It is theorized, if Fox scrapped the Marilyn Monroe film with far fewer expensive sets and actors, they possibly could have been reimbursed by the insurance company for losses due to a star's illness, and recoup monies spent. Fox fired Marilyn and filed suit against Marilyn Monroe Productions on June 7, but the suit was later dropped. Marilyn had been seeing Joe DiMaggio frequently during this time and had finally agreed to remarry him. The wedding date was set for August 8, 1962.” (The Marilyn Pages, 2007). Fox decided to rehire Marilyn to complete
Something’s Got To Give on August 1, 1962 with the set salary at $250,000, which was twice the amount Fox had offered to pay her when they originally signed her for the movie in April.
Sadly, Marilyn would never complete the film. She was found by the housekeeper Eunice, sprawled out on her bed, completely naked, cold to the touch and unresponsive. There were empty bottles of pills scattered on Marilyn’s night stand and even in her bed. The phone was next to her, off the hook. Marilyn Monroe was declared dead in the early morning hours of August 5, 1962. She was only 36 years old. Much has been speculated about the events surrounding her death and others involvement in it. But whatever the cause, it is highly unlikely that it was suicide. It could possibly have been the result of a tragic accidental drug overdose, or it has also been speculated since her death that someone possibly administered the drugs other than Marilyn herself. But the autopsy cited Marilyn’s death as a “probable suicide” and lethal doses of Nembutal and Chloral Hydrate were found in her blood. There never was an investigation after the death and the case was closed until it was reopened in 1982. That investigation would later conclude that that there was no evidence of murder or foul-play. Efforts to have the case reopened again starting in 1986 have continuously failed.
Joe would fly to Los Angeles to claim Marilyn’s body, after she lay in a morgue unclaimed for hours. He did all of the funeral arrangements. At the funeral he laid himself over the casket crying, saying repeatedly, “I love you, I love you, I love you.” Joe never recovered from Marilyn’s death. He had fresh roses delivered to Marilyn’s crypt in Hollywood, three times a week for twenty years. Joe never remarried, and it is said that his last words before he passed away in 1999, were, “Finally I will be with my Marilyn again.”
It has been 48 years since the death of Marilyn Monroe. The world still mourns her. The world is still fascinated by her. Elton John wrote a song about Marilyn,
Candle In The Wind that was released in 1973. It is a song about an eventful life, and in the song he sings, “Your candle burned out long before your legend ever will.” It is a fitting and beautiful tribute to America’s most famous and loved icon. Elton John would later revise this song for Princess Diana and sing it live at her funeral. Marilyn Monroe's career as an actress spanned 16 years. She made 29 films, 24 in the first 8 years of her career. She may be gone, but she lives on forever and will never be forgotten by Hollywood and the millions of devoted Marilyn Monroe fans, I being one of them.
References
CMG Worldwide. (2006) Biography. Marilyn Monroe’s Official Website. Retrieved June 27, 2010, from, http://marilynmonroe.com/about/bio3.html
Glatzer, J. (2008) Dreaming The Hardest. The Marilyn Monroe Treasures. (p. 34, 35, 38)
MarilynCollector. (2008) Biography. Legend Marilyn Monroe. Retrieved June 27, 2010, from, http://www.marilyncollector.com/legend/index.html
The Marilyn Pages. (2007) Marilyn Biography and Images. Retrieved June 30, 2010, from, http://www.ellensplace.net/marilyn.html
