1954, New York - Marilyn par Jean Howard
Marilyn Monroe à New York dans l'appartement studio de Jean Howard sur la 77ème rue; photographiée par Jean Howard (l'ex épouse de Charles Feldman qui est le producteur et agent de Marilyn) en 1954.
Pour cette séance photos, Marilyn arrive avec une heure et demie de retard. Elle commence par prendre place devant la cage aux oiseaux de la photographe (un cadeau de Tony Duquette, décorateur de plateau), vêtue de sa petite robe noire qu'elle surnommait sa "robe porte-bonheur". Mais la photographe souhaite autre chose, voulant s'écarter des stéréotypes de photographies sexy et glamour de Marilyn. En farfouinant dans son dressing, elle prête à Marilyn sa veste noire en taffetas de chez Hattie Carnegie et s'ensuit une série de photographies d'une Marilyn plus naturelle.
Quelques temps plus tard, à une soirée donnée par Gloria Vanderbilt, Marilyn a surpris Jean en déclarant: "Jean a pris les meilleures photos de moi que je n'ai jamais eu".
Marilyn Monroe at Jean Howard's home studio, in New York, on the 77th Street; photographed by Jean Howard (Charles Felman's former wife, her husband is the agent and producer of Marilyn), in 1954.
For that shooting, Marilyn arrives an hour and a half late. She begings to took place in front of the birdcage (a gift of Tony Duquette to Howard, a designer for films), dressed in her little black dress that she called her "lucky dress". But the photographer wants something else, willing move away from stereotypes of sexy and glamorous pictures of Marilyn. Looking in her closet, she loans her favorite Hattie Carnegie black taffeta jacket and they took a sitting of photos of a more natural Marilyn.
Sometimes later at a Gloria Vanderbilt's party, Marilyn startled Howard by saying, "Jean took the best pictures of me I've ever had."
- "Lucky Dress" Sitting -
- Séance "Robe Porte-Bonheur" -
- "Jacket" Sitting -
- Séance "Veste" -
- "Jacket" Sitting & Birdcage -
- Séance "Veste" et Volière -
sources
anecdote dans le livre "Jean Howard's Hollywood A Photo Memoir" 
photos des archives d'American Heritage Center sur Jean Howard Papers
© All images are copyright and protected by their respective owners, assignees or others.
copyright text by GinieLand.
Sur le tournage de la scène coupée de Seven Year Itch
Sept ans de réflexion
Sur le tournage - scène coupée
La plupart des photographies ont été prises par le photographe Sam Shaw.
Mostly of the photographs were taken by Sam Shaw.
> Sur le plateau de tournage, avec Tom Ewell, Robert Strauss et Billy Wilder
On the set, with Tom Ewell, Robert Strauss and Billy Wilder
> Avec Billy Wilder et Natasha Lytess
> Avec Robert Strauss
> Avec sa coiffeuse Gladys Rasmussen
> Avec le journaliste Sidney Skolsky
> Avec Charles Feldman (son agent) et Billy Wilder
Photographie de Milton H Greene
Photographs by Milton H Greene
> Avec son maquilleur Whitey Snyder et sa coiffeuse Gladys Rasmussen
with makeup artist Whitey Snyder and haidresser Gladys Rasmussen
All photos are copyright and protected by their respective owners.
copyright text by GinieLand.
Icons of Hollywood 12/2011 - The Seven Year Itch
lot n°720: Marilyn Monroe extensive archive of production
and publicity material from The Seven Year Itch
(TCF, 1955) Extensive archive of production and publicity materials representing all facets of the film, The Seven Year Itch. The archive contains significant correspondence and consultations, with 1,000+ individual pieces including Billy Wilder’s 5 pg. contract signed three (3) times and dated June 1st, 1954, author George Axelrod’s 10 pg. contract signed, Billy Wilder’s signed payment agreement, copy of producer Charles Feldman’s letter sent to “Mr. and Mrs. Joe DiMaggio” framing the reasons he, the director and the studio want Marilyn in the film, confidential correspondence between Wilder and Zanuck with heated exchanges at times, a pair of scripts bearing numerous annotations in Darryl Zanuck’s hand, together with extensive collections of copies of legal documents, inter-office memos, and telegrams, intimate exchanges between Zaunck and Charles K. Feldman, as well as other correspondence to and from Harry Sokolov, Irving Cohen, Irving “Swifty” Lazar, Spyros Skouras, and many other studio heads.
Charles K. Feldman (1904-1968) was one of the most powerful agents in Hollywood and had notable creative input as executive-producer on several important films, Pittsburgh, Red River, A Streetcar Named Desire, and notably, The Seven Year Itch. The archive begins with early correspondence regarding George Axelrod’s screenplay being purchased by Feldman and negotiating with Billy Wilder to direct. Lew Wasserman was acting as agent for Wilder and numerous exchanges are present with drafts of agreements including a fascinating dialogue on Wilder having no interest in Tom Ewell or Walter Mathau as the lead, but instead he wanted Jamest Stewart, Gary Cooper or William Holden. Wilder’s 5 pg. contract is present, dated June 1st, 1954, signed three (3) times and initialed five (5) times, as well as his signed payment agreement dated November 23, 1954.
An official secretarial copy of a fantastic 5 pg. letter, dated May 17, 1954, from Feldman to “Mr. and Mrs. Joe DiMaggio” frames the reasons that he, director Billy Wilder and Twentieth Century-Fox want Marilyn Monroe in the film, “When all of us met, you, Marilyn, expressed a repeated and definite desire to appear in THE SEVEN YEAR ITCH. I bought the play for over $250,000 and as I would not sell it today for a million dollars, it is conceivable…this film could show profits in the millions – for everyone believes it will be a tremendous hit!” Numerous secretarial copies of typed letters sent to Wilder from Zanuck about the lead male role include a number of insights, “If I had read the script at the time we were casting…I would never have recommended Holden or anybody else except Ewell. No one I can think can play this particular script. I didn’t quite understand at the time but in re-reading I believe that Holden would have been as big an error as Gary Cooper. That is a great play…but I tell you that in spite of the enormous success of this play on the stage it would not be, in my opinion, fifty percent of the picture it will be with Marilyn Monroe. She is an absolute must for this story…nothing would make up for her personality in this subject.” Another telegram from Zanuck states, “Monroe was particularly outstanding. Keep up the tempo of the dialogue…I’m really impressed by everything I saw.”
A pair of Zanuck’s personally hand-annotated scripts are present, one a Temporary Incomplete with 11 pages of annotations with an interesting note during the scene Richard is scrutinizing the cover design for Little Women, where he Zanuck pens, “? The Scarlet Letter – play off the Adultress later.” Another Final script bears 24 pages of handwritten notations with suggestions for cutting the reading scene way down. Another Zanuck TLS to Charles Feldman, dated Sept. 20, 1954, advises against the “voice over” scenes and sends along his 10-page breakdown of differences between the play and the script and 12 pages of annotated dialogue with Zanuck’s suggestions stapled to the margins on small strips of blue paper.
When principal filming began and just after Marilyn and DiMaggio’s divorce, some exchanges become heated between Feldman and Zanuck, including a 2 pg. office memo from Oct. 22, 1954, “There have been tough days – rough days - immediately after the divorce proceedings, the 18-takes have only happened on rare occasions with the girl…For the last two weeks this girl has worked as hard as anyone I have known in my life. Incidentally I don’t know how Kazan worked with you but I can tell you that on STREETCAR, it was a daily occurrence for us to have 25 to 30 takes with Marlon Brando and Vivien Leigh. This has not been happening on ITCH. In my opinion, and I think you agree with me, Billy is probably one of the most cooperative of all the directors in the business, and he has never been accused, to my knowledge, of taking unnecessary time – certainly not on ITCH.” Five days later Feldman writes to Zanuck reiterating Billy and Marilyn’s hard work, the tightness of the script and requesting some retakes, including the dress blowing scene. There is criticism though, with some correspondence that relates to Wilder taking too long to film scenes and difficulties with Marilyn taking company time to rehearse.
There is a strong concentration of material on the risqué nature of the publicity done for the film, specifically relating to large promotional billboards that featured the iconic billowing white dress scene, “They’re replacing a big cardboard cutout of Marilyn outside Loew’s Theatre in Times Square. It was showing Marilyn with her skirts blowing above her waist. Not good taste…Some papers refuse to accept wind blowing ad because of Kefauver investigation and pressure groups…this is a very delicate situation…sensational business so far at opening.” Much difficulty arose with censors upon the film’s release, including a complete rejection by the Irish Censor & Appeal Board stating, “this film is incapable of cutting without destroying its continuity. It is indecent and unfit for general exhibition.” Even a telegram from Wilder to the president of the Catholic Legion of Decency states, “I do not have the reputation of having ever been connected with pictures of a lascivious character. Obviously, the picture deals humorously with a man’s temptations but they are very human and utterly harmless. As one reviewer put it quote the play has been laundered snow white unquote. Am afraid that additional bleaching will make the picture disintegrate into an incomprehensible nothing.”
All in all, a rich trove and fascinating glimpse into the project’s inception, it’s transformation from stage to screen, all the various legal wrangling between agents, producers, directors and other studio heads during filming, and finally the fallout over the overt sexuality that faced cinema goers after the film’s release. Interested parties are strongly encouraged to view this material in person.
Estimate: $30 000 - $50 000
lot n°726: The Seven-Year Itch German R’65 A-0 oversize
poster by Fischer-Nosbisch
(TCF, 1955/R1965) Executed in the very early style of Andy Warhol’s fashion illustrations (the smaller size German poster for this release is in his full pop-art style) by the husband and wife design team of Fischer and Nosbisch. Distinctive enough to have graced the pages of “In Style” magazine some years ago as a recommended décor suggestion. Near-Mint, unused folded condition, 33” x 47”.
Estimate: $200 - $300
6/11/1954 Romanoff's Party
Le 6 novembre 1954, Marilyn Monroe est l'invitée d'honneur d'une soirée organisée par son agent Charles Feldman, au restaurant Romanoff's à Beverly Hills, afin de marquer la fin du tournage de The Seven Year Itch (Sept ans de réflexion). Pour représenter le film, l'acteur Tom Ewell et le réalisateur Billy Wilder sont présents. Et de nombreuses personnalités, stars du cinéma et producteurs influents, sont invités: Humphrey Bogart, Lauren Bacall, James Stewart, Doris Day, Susan Hayward, Gary Cooper, Clifton Web, Darryl Zanuck, Jack Warner, Sidney Skolsky, Groucho Marx, Loretta Young... mais surtout, l'idole de Marilyn, l'acteur Clark Gable. Il s'agit de leur première rencontre et Marilyn danse avec celui qu'elle imaginait enfant, être son père ! Elle lui demande même un autographe.
Photographies prises par Sam Shaw et Jean Howard.
>> Marilyn à table avec Billy Wilder
>> Marilyn embrasse Charles Vidor, Billy Wilder est debout. 
>> Marilyn embrasse Sidney Skolsky,
au côté de Jean Howard (femme de Charles Feldman) et Clark Gable.
>> Marilyn et Barry Fitzgerald
>> Tom Ewell, Billy Wilder et Marilyn
>> Charles Feldman, Marilyn, Jean Howard et Clark Gable 
>> Marilyn discute avec Darryl Zanuck
>> Marilyn avec Humphrey Bogart
>> Les invités: Humphrey Bogart, Susan Hayward...
>> Humphrey Bogart, Marilyn et Clifton Web
>> Marilyn danse...
... avec Charles Feldman
... avec Clark Gable
... avec Clifton Web
... avec Tom Ewell
... avec Sidney Skolsky
Radieuse dans une robe de velour rouge au décolleté prononcé, les ongles vernis de rouge et un fourreau blanc sur les épaules, Marilyn était bien la plus belle de la soirée.
Un carton publicitaire représentant Marilyn dans la robe blanche du film était disposé sur chacune des tables des invités. Une carte photographique de Marilyn circula de table en table et les invités la dédicacèrent. Marilyn garda cette carte toute sa vie. Elle fut vendue à la grande vente chez Chritie's en 1999.
>> Clark Gable signe la photographie de Marilyn
>> Planche Contact
4/12/1954 Marilyn au Palm Spring Racquet Club
Des instantanées de Marilyn Monroe portant son manteau beige
le 4 décembre 1954 au Palm Spring Racquet Club
ci-dessus, avec Charlie Farrell (propriétaire du Racquet Club)
> à la "Bamboo Room" avec William Powell, Charlie Farrell,
Charles Feldman et Milton Greene (assis en second plan)
> photo de presse
ci-dessus, avec Milton Greene (à droite)
et John Reiley des Monroe Six
© All images are copyright and protected by their respective owners, assignees or others.
copyright text by GinieLand.
