Some Like it Hot filmed at the Hotel Del Coronado

Article en ligne sur hoteldel.com

SOME LIKE IT HOT FILMED AT THE HOTEL DEL CORONADO
Named #1 Comedy by the American Film Institute

Regarded by critics as one of the finest American movies ever made, Some Like It Hot continues to delight audiences 50 years after it debuted in 1959; in fact, the American Film Institute named it No. 1 on their list of the 100 best comedies of all time.

Filmed in 1958, the United Artists movie was shot on location at the Hotel del Coronado, Southern California’s landmark Pacific resort. The Del’s iconic Victorian architecture made it the perfect backdrop for the film’s 1929 setting, along with acting icons Marilyn Monroe, Jack Lemmon and Tony Curtis.

Says author and scholar Laurence Maslon, who will release The Some Like It Hot Companion in September (published by Collins Design, an imprint of HarperCollinsPublishers in the US and Anova Books in the UK), “There have been a lot of movies shot on a lot of locations, but only a few marriages of celluloid and place can be considered truly legendary. Chief among those magical moments is the sight of Marilyn Monroe cavorting on the beautiful beach at the footsteps of the Hotel del Coronado.”

Plot
The Prohibition-era story follows the exploits of Lemmon and Curtis, out-of-work Chicago musicians who accidentally witness a gangland slaying. Making a run for their lives, the men disguise themselves as women and join an all-girl band traveling by train to Florida. Here, a ukulele-strumming singer, played by Monroe, catches the eyes of both men, but it is Curtis’ character who assumes still another identity – an unlucky-in-love millionaire – to successfully woo and win Monroe.

Lemmon’s cross-dressed character, meanwhile, is vigorously pursued by a bona fide millionaire, played by Joe E. Brown. The hilarious gender-shifting romantic romp is played out at California’s famed Hotel del Coronado, which director Billy Wilder found to be the perfect substitute for Florida in the Roaring Twenties.

Sunshine … California-Style
At least one Floridian was less than happy about Wilder’s decision to shoot the movie in San Diego. Miami Mayor Robert King High reportedly said it was “a sacrilege” to let Southern California play the role of Florida’s “Sunshine State.” This sour criticism was ably met by Coronado’s mayor, who wired back, “Some like it hot, but not as hot as Miami in September.” The mayor’s rebuttal also referenced Florida’s gnats, mosquitoes and hurricanes, none of which plagued the temperate island of Coronado.

An “Uproariously Improbable Set”
Like all American resorts, the Hotel del Coronado had endured some tough years during the Depression and World War II, but it was this period of benign neglect that helped preserve the resort, making it the perfect setting for Wilder’s 1929 story, which he co-wrote with I.A. Diamond. Said Wilder, “We looked far and wide, but this was the only place we could find that hadn’t changed in thirty years. People who have never see this beautiful hotel will never believe we didn’t make these scenes on a movie lot. It’s like the past come to life.”

Although at least one critic didn’t believe the hotel was real, describing The Del as “an uproariously improbable set.” The hotel’s 1888 Queen Anne Revival-style architecture does tend toward the fanciful, with rambling white clapboard, lazy verandas and red-turreted roofs, which an earlier writer had characterized as a cross between an ornate wedding cake and a well-trimmed ship.

Although only exterior scenes were filmed at hotel, the interior scenes do look very Del-like (right down to the placement of the lobby elevator and stairs). This probably explains why so many Some Like It Hot devotees – even after seeing the Hotel del Coronado for themselves – absolutely refuse to believe that the movie’s interior scenes were not filmed at The Del.

Only at The Del: The Stars Align
During filming, Marilyn Monroe was accompanied by her husband, esteemed playwright Arthur Miller (he made two special trips from the East Coast to join her at The Del). Also in Monroe’s entourage was acting coach Paula Strasberg, along with Monroe’s secretary and press agent. Coronado police officers were assigned to guard Monroe throughout her stay.

Meanwhile, Tony Curtis’ wife, Janet Leigh, was also on hand (Leigh was pregnant with their second child, Jamie Lee Curtis, at the time). Jack Lemmon’s future wife, Felicia Farr, also joined the troupe.

By almost everyone’s account, Monroe was very difficult to work with throughout the film’s production – her tardiness and inability to remember lines have become legendary. Interestingly, however, quite a few reports confirm that Monroe was “on her mettle” during the entire Coronado portion of filming.

In fact, in his book Conversations with Wilder (1999), writer/director Cameron Crowe addressed Billy Wilder about this aspect of the film, saying, “I grew up in San Diego [and] the legend is that the hotel was the most magical part of the filming … that Marilyn felt relaxed there.”

To which, Wilder replied, “Yeah, that was fun. We had a good time there. Marilyn remembered her lines … everything was going according to schedule.” Added Crowe: “Marilyn seems fully engaged in those scenes.”

According to another source, Wilder speculated that Monroe was inspired at The Del, where adoring spectators were plentiful because she preferred a live audience. Wilder later told Crowe that the Coronado fans were “screaming and yelling,” and then added that when he wanted the crowd to quiet down, he had her say, “‘Shhh’ … they listened to her.” In the end, Wilder probably characterized Monroe the best, calling her “a calendar girl with warmth, with charm.”

And a last bit of Del trivia: During her stay, a hotel chef reported that Marilyn fancied his cold soufflé vanilla pudding with egg-white decoration, which she requested daily.

Favored by the Fans, Overlooked by the Oscars
The movie was a box office success, grossing over $8 million initially and earning several million more over the next few years – somewhere between $10 and $15 million.

Monroe’s financial deal – she received between $100,000 and $300,000, as well as 10 percent of the film’s gross profits – was a very lucrative arrangement in its day, and Some Like It Hot turned out to be her most profitable venture.

The movie was also a critical success. Variety called it the biggest hit of 1959; Monroe received a Golden Globe for her performance, as did Jack Lemmon. The film itself also won a Golden Globe for “best comedy.”

In spite of its financial success and public accolades, the film received only one minor Academy Award for “Best Black and White Costume Design.” Today it is thought that Some Like It Hot was just too risqué for 1959, when the big winner that year was Ben-Hur (also in the running for various Academy Awards were the likes of Diary of Anne Frank, Room at the Top, Pillow Talk and Porgy and Bess).

The Some Like It Hot story line is racy, and Monroe’s costumes are incredibly revealing, even by today’s standards (though, according to Wilder, Marilyn was not interested in fashion … as long as the costumes revealed “something,” she was satisfied). Ahead of its time perhaps, present-day reviewers marvel that the movie still comes across as such a wholesome film; this was Monroe’s forte: she was sexy, but childlike.

Although this is the Monroe film most shown on television today, the actress reportedly never liked her performance.

Fun Film Facts
Writers Wilder and co-author I.A Diamond were inspired by another cross-dressing comedy, the 1932 German musical Fanfare of Love, and they deliberately set the story in the past because, as Diamond put it, “When all the costumes look peculiar to us, a guy in drag looks no more peculiar than anybody else.”

Much like The Del itself – which was designed as it was being built – the last 15 minutes of Some Like It Hot was being written and rewritten as it was being filmed.

The film was shot in black and white because Wilder thought that male actors in female make-up would look too ridiculous in color. The black-and-white format – which also suited the period style of the film – did not appeal at all to Monroe, who contractually insisted that all her films be shot in color. Wilder was able to convince her that the 1920s setting would look more authentic in black-and-white. Interestingly, Wilder (who chose to make many of his movies in black and white) later said that Some Like It Hot was the one movie that would have benefited from color.

Although Wilder hired one of the world’s most famous female impersonators to teach Lemmon and Curtis how to walk in high heels, Lemmon refused the help – he didn’t want his character to be that adept as a woman.

Monroe’s character, “Sugar Kane,” is supposed to be 25 years old, although Monroe was 32 when the movie was made.

After Some Like It Hot, Monroe and Curtis never worked with Billy Wilder again, but Jack Lemmon remained one of the director’s favorite actors, and they made six more films together.

What to Look For
At one of the previews, the first shot of Lemmon and Curtis dressed as women was such a crowd-pleaser that Wilder added in every other shot he had for that scene (and, if you look carefully, you’ll be able to see them walking by the same railroad car again and again). In addition, Wilder deliberately didn’t show the characters as they transformed themselves from men to women because he knew the comic impact would be greater if audiences were introduced to “the ladies” all at once.

Monroe was displeased at her initial entrance – also at the train station – and Wilder and Diamond concurred. They rewrote the scene so that Monroe's entrance was punctuated by steam blasts from the train.

The film clearly shows The Del’s two original front entrances. When the resort opened in 1888, the hotel offered a combined men’s and women’s entrance and a separate “unaccompanied” women’s entrance, which afforded lone women travelers a discreet way to check in. Though the two entrances survived past the 1958 filming of Some Like It Hot, only one remains today.

In the scene where Curtis and Monroe run out to the yacht, it is supposed to be night, but it’s obviously not dark; Monroe’s frequent tardiness made it impossible to shoot the scene at night.

In the role of gangster Spats Colombo, George Raft parodies the gangster role he played in the 1932 film Scarface, in which his character repeatedly flipped a coin. In Some Like It Hot, Spats Colombo is very irritated when he sees someone else flipping a coin, demanding, “Where did you pick up that cheap trick?” Raft – who didn’t accompany the cast to Coronado – was at The Del in 1936, during the filming of Yours for the Asking.

When Lemmon’s female character is telling Curtis’ male character about his engagement to a real millionaire, he punctuates ever line with a flourish of maracas. Wilder anticipated the scene being so successfully funny that he wanted to allow “space” for the audience laughter, and the maracas were added to provide the appropriate pauses.

There were two scenes that supposedly gave Monroe the most trouble: The scene where she knocks on the door and says, “It’s me, Sugar” required 47 takes; another scene, where Monroe had to rummage through a dresser drawer for a bottle of bourbon, proved even more challenging, requiring 59 takes. In fact, Wilder claimed that after he put the cue inside one of the dresser drawers, Monroe couldn’t remember which drawer it was in.

The last line – uttered by Joe E. Brown when he says to Jack Lemmon, “Nobody’s perfect” – was never intended to remain the last line, but Wilder and Diamond couldn’t come up with anything they liked better, so it stayed. Ironically, it has become a classic last line.

In some publicity photos, including the film’s poster, Monroe just doesn’t look like herself. That’s because a body double was used for several publicity shots; it was Sandra Warren, an actress who appeared as one of Sweet Sue’s Society Syncopators. Her body was uncannily like Monroe’s, although Monroe face was ultimately superimposed.

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The Hotel Del Coronado — Victorian Elegance

Article publié le 18/05/2011
en ligne sur looplane.com

The Hotel del Coronado is a luxury hotel with a glamorous history.  Set on the beach sands of Coronado Island, across the San Diego Bay in California, it has become an icon. It is sometimes called The Del and boasts one of the earliest Victorian wooden buildings of early California. The history of this hotel goes deep and it has been named a National Historic Landmark since 1977.

Built in 1888, the Hotel del Coronado has been named one of the top ten hotels in the world by USA Today. It was the backdrop of the movie, “Some Like it Hot,” with Marilyn Monroe, Tony Curtis and Jack Lemon.

Marilyn and Tony Curtis, 1958.

  
 Tony Curtis and Marilyn Monroe on the steps of the Del, 1958.

 
Marilyn Monroe during the filming of Some Like It Hot at the Hotel del Coronado. With make-up man Whitey Snyder and security guard – 1958

  
 Marilyn Monroe and Joe E. Brown on the deck at the Del, 1958.

In the mid-1880′s grand hotels were being built to lure visitors to new areas of California. Coronado Island and North island were  purchased for $110,000 with the intent to build a grand hotel that would draw attention to an otherwise stark landscape. With construction beginning in 1887, they had to tackle the problem of bringing in lumber from Oregon and labor from Chinese Immigrants in San Francisco.

This was one of the first hotels with electric lighting and the wiring was inspected by Thomas Edison. As they neared the completion of the hotel they ran out of money and investors. They turned to John Spreckles, the sugar manufacturer, who loaned them $100,000 to finish the hotel. He later bought the original owners out and owned the hotel until 1948.

During World War II, the hotel was used to house Navy pilots being trained and families of officers going off to war.

After the war the hotel was sold and by 1960 it had fallen into disrepair. It was then purchased by John Alessio who began renovating it for $2 million. He then sold it in 1963 to a man named Lawrence. More money was poured into the hotel refurbishing it and adding rooms totaling $150 million dollars. In 1996, the hotel was sold to the Travelers Group. They upgraded the hotel again, keeping the original Victorian architecture and decor. In 2005 they added additional cottages and villas to the grounds to be used for more guest rooms. The hotel has been sold and currently is owned by Blackstone Group and KSL Resorts and Strategic Hotels.

Many notable travelers have been guests of the hotel. Presidents, British Royalty, movie stars and other famed guests have spent many a night on the shores of the Coronado. L. Frank Baum, the author of the book and movie, The Wonderful Wizard of Oz, stayed at The Del while  working on his book.  Stories abound that he based the Emerald City after the Hotel.  

Top 10 Beach Icons, USA Today
#1 Best Beach in the Southern California, Travel Channel
#2 Best Beach in the United States, Travel Channel
America’s Best Beaches, Wall Street Journal
America’s Top 10 Beaches,”Dr. Beach,” 2008 & 2009

The Hotel del Coronado has been rated:

Top 10 Resorts In The World, USA Today
Top 20 Hotel Spas in the World, Travel + Leisure
Reader’s Choice for the Best Place To Get Married, Ranch & Coast
Top 50 Resorts For Parents & Kids, Travel +Leisure Family Magazine
500 Greatest Hotels in the World, Travel + Leisure Magazine
Top 100 U.S. Resorts, Travel + Leisure Magazine Readers Poll
#2 Best Place in the World to Get Married, Travel Channel
Best Resort Getaway, Los Angeles Magazine
Best Resort in San Diego, Orange County Register Readers Poll
Best San Diego Resort, Travel + Leisure en Espanol
Top 15 Family Resorts, Travel + Leisure Family Magazine

Marilyn Monroe and The Hotel del Coronado
The Del Beach Village
The Hotel Del Coronado

Le Platine Hôtel : 100 % Marilyn Monroe
Par Laetitia Le Mouel, publié le 25/11/2011,
en ligne sur journaldesfemmes.com

 © S. de P. Platine Hôtel Façade de l'hôtel et portrait de Vincent Bastie  

Situé dans le 15e arrondissement de Paris, proche de la Tour Eiffel, cet hôtel 3 étoiles a opté pour une déco qui rend hommage à Marilyn Monroe, au cinéma et aux années 1950.
Vincent Bastie, qui a signé la déco de l'Hôtel du Petit Moulin, du Burgundy et du Seven Hôtel, est l'architecte d'intérieur qui a créé l'univers glamour du Platine Hôtel.  

Chambres thématiques >>

© S. de P. Platine Hôtel La chambre noir/doré et la chambre rouge/blanc  

Au total, quatre thèmes ont été sélectionnés pour les 46 chambres de l'hôtel aux matières élégantes : le noir/doré, le rouge/blanc, le rose pâle/vert pistache, et le noir/jaune.  

 Têtes de lits sexy >> 

 © S. de P. Platine Hôtel Deux chambres ponctuées de rose pâle et vert pistache

A l'aide de clichés géants en noir et blanc, Marilyn, naturelle, habille tous les murs des chambres. Disposés derrière les lits deux places, ces magnifiques portraits pris par André de Dienes et Georges Barris, font office de séduisantes têtes de lit.

Pellicules de film >>

 © S. de P. Platine Hôtel Des chambres qui mettent en scène la pellicule de film au cinéma

Le Platine Hôtel est également composé de chambres dans lesquelles la pin-up aux formes pulpeuses apparaît au plafond. En effet, c'est l'image de la pellicule de film qui permet de créer un prolongement de la tête de lit jusqu'au plafond et nous plonge dans l'univers du septième art. Ici encore, on retrouve de superbes portraits de la star.

 Salles de bains colorées et lumineuses >> 

 
© S. de P. Platine Hôtel Salles de bains du Platine Hôtel  

La surprise de l'hôtel, ce sont ses salles de bains pleines de lumières et de couleurs. Très astucieuse, la fibre optique parcourt le carrelage de manière à créer des points lumineux aléatoires situés aux intersections des carrés. Esthétique, l'effet visuel confère à la pièce une dimension féerique qui est accentuée par un spot placé au-dessus des douches. Il change régulièrement de couleur et plonge ainsi la salle de bains dans diverses ambiances.  

 Suites avec baignoire >>   

 
© S. de P. Platine Hôtel La suite en rouge et blanc 

Le Platine Hôtel est composé de deux suites avec baignoire. L'une qui reprend les codes rouge/blanc, l'autre en noir et doré. Si vous avez envie de vous détendre, un Spa est à votre disposition. L'institut Omnisens y propose une large gamme de soins.

Esprit Happy Days >>

© S. de P. Platine Hôtel La salle de petit-déjeuner  

Fauteuils de tournage, sol en damier, banquette et tables de "diner" américain en rose pastel et turquoise : la salle de petit-déjeuner de l'hôtel nous transporte dans l'Amérique des années 1950.  

Ambiance Mad Men >> 

© S. de P. Platine Hôtel Bar de l'hôtel au rez-de-chaussée
et affiche du film "Certains l'aiment chaud" sur le palier d'escalier  

Côté bar, de la moquette aux appliques murales en passant par le splendide mobilier vintage, notamment composé des tables basses laquées RED Edition, le décor reflète parfaitement l'ambiance "fifties". Coup de cœur pour la moquette pied-de-poule qui habille les couloirs, ainsi que les paliers des étages dans l'escalier, qui arborent d'immenses affiches de films dans lesquels Marilyn Monroe a joué.

 En Savoir Plus >>

Le Platine Hôtel est le premier projet de la Compagnie Hôtelière de Bagatelle. Si vous aimez le cinéma et l'esprit vintage, inspirez-vous de cette déco glamour à souhait !
Où : Platine Hôtel, 20 rue de l'Ingénieur Robert Keller 75015 Paris/ 01 45 71 15 15
Le site : Platine Hôtel

> sur le blog: l'article de l' hotel Platine

La rivière sans retour
Sur le tournage

Pendant le tournage de River of no return (La rivière sans retour) au Canada l'été 1953, Marilyn Monroe loge à la chambre 816 du Banff Spring Hotel, situé à Alberta. Elle pose ici, le 17 août 1953, avec son pied plâtré.

- photographies de John Florea -

Marilyn et Bill Miller, un employé de la production
  

 La rivière sans retour
Sur le tournage

Le 24 juillet 1953, Marilyn Monroe se rend à Seattle pour prendre l'avion en direction du Canada, pour tourner les scènes extérieures de River of no return (La rivière sans retour) réalisé par Otto Preminger, avec l'acteur Robert Mitchum. Elle fait une escale à Vancouver, où elle reste une journée: elle est interviewée par des journalistes de la presse locale, visite Stanley Park, rencontre le chef des Indiens Mathias Joe Capilano (elle sera prise en photos par le photographe de la presse locale: William Cunningham); puis se rend à Jasper, et part en voiture à Alberta, où se trouve son hôtel: un chalet du Banff Spring Hotel.

> Marilyn à Seattle

> Marilyn à Vancouver
Elle est interviewée par Monty Mc Farlane
   
   
 

> Marilyn et Robert Mitchum et Rory Calhoun
  
 

> Marilyn à Jasper
   
> avec Harry Home et Sandy Robinson (des habitants de Jasper)
 
  

> Marilyn au Banff Spring Hotel

> dans la presse
 

> sur le web: article Marilyn visits Vancouver

La rivière sans retour
Sur le tournage

Pendant le tournage de River of no return (La rivière sans retour) au Canada l'été 1953, Marilyn Monroe loge à la chambre 816 du Banff Spring Hotel, situé à Alberta.

> avec le pied plâtré
 

> dans la presse

Lune de miel au Japon
Honeymoon in Japan

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Lundi 01er février 1954
Monday, February 1st, 1954
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L'arrivée à l'aéroport: A Haneda, l'aéroport international de Tokyo, entre 4000 et 5000 fans de cinéma et de base-ball se sont infiltrés sur la piste de l'aéroport sans autorisation et attendent l'arrivée de Marilyn Monroe et Joe Di Maggio, accompagnés de Lefty O'Doul. Prévu pour arriver à 13h45, l'avion de la Pan American parti d'Honolulu (à Hawaii) atterit à 17h40 (heure du Japon), en raison d'intempéries. Un employé de la Pan Am dira aux reporters que "avec Marilyn à bord, ça aurait pu être une cabine surchauffée." La foule s'agglutine sur le tarmac et s'impatiente à attendre dans un vent froid glacial; un jeune japonais dira néanmois que "Ça vaut la peine d'attendre". 
Marilyn, Joe et Lefty O'Doul descendent de l'avion et s'arrêtent sur la nacelle pour saluer la foule. Dans la foule, se trouvent des stars de cinéma japonaises (une 15aine dont l'actrice et chanteuse Fubuki Koshiji, l'actrice Yumeji Tsukioka, l'artiste Teruko Akira) et 20 étudiants de la Shochiku Opera Company qui sont là pour les accueillir avec des bouquets de fleurs. Les fans déchaînés parviennent à franchir les barricades et brisent des vitres. La foule hurle à tue-tête "Mon-Chan !" (qui peut se traduire par "Douce Fille") pour désigner Marilyn.
C'est en fait une foule en délire, complètement hystérique, où une centaine de personnes s'agglutine contre la rampe empêchant le couple de descendre, des japonais arrivent même à grimper sur la nacelle où le couple se tient; ils grimpent aussi sur le toit de la voiture décapotable qui les attend, allant jusqu'à presque la déplacer et risquant de la faire écraser sur le couple de stars; ils renversent les photographes japonais des escabeaux, poussent les journalistes, secouent les stars japonaises, et frappent même les dirigeants des compagnies aériennes américaines, dans l'unique but de s'approcher au plus près pour observer Marilyn et Joe.
La police japonaise ne parvenant pas à faire face, la police militaire américaine (les gardes de l'US Air Force) est appelée à intervenir. Un officier de la police japonaise va alors déclarer: "Si elle avait essayé de traverser cette foule, ils lui auraient probablement arraché tous ses vêtements."
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The arrival at the airport: At Haneda, Tokyo's international airport, between 4,000 and 5,000 cinema and baseball fans have infiltrated the airport runway without authorization and await the arrival of Marilyn Monroe and Joe Di Maggio, accompanied by Lefty O'Doul. Scheduled to arrive at 1:45 p.m., the Pan American plane from Honolulu (in Hawaii) landed at 5:40 p.m (Japan time), due to bad weather. A Pan Am employee told reporters that "with Marilyn aboard it could have been an overheated cabin." The crowds gather on the tarmac and wait impatiently in a bitter cold wind; a young Japanese will nevertheless say that "It's worth waiting for".
Marilyn, Joe and Lefty O'Doul get off the plane and stop on the basket to greet the crowd. In the crowd, there are Japanese film stars (around 15 among actress and singer Fubuki Koshiji, actress Yumeji Tsukioka, artist Teruko Akira) and 20 students from the Shochiku Opera Company who are there to welcome them with bouquets of flowers. The raging fans manage to cross the barricades and break windows. The crowd screams at the top of their lungs “Mon-Chan!” (which can be translated as “Sweet Girl”) to designate Marilyn.
It is in fact a delirious crowd, completely hysterical, where a hundred people crowd against the ramp preventing the couple from getting off, some Japanese even manage to climb onto the basket where the couple is standing; they also climb on the roof of the convertible car that is waiting for them, almost moving it and risking having it crash into the star couple; they knocked the Japanese photographers off the stepladders, pushed the journalists, shook the Japanese stars, and even hit the executives of the American airlines, with the sole aim of get as close as possible to observe Marilyn and Joe.
The Japanese police being unable to cope, the American military police (the US Air Force guards) are called to intervene. A Japanese police officer then declares: "If she had tried through that mob, they would probably have torn all her clothes off."
.

.
- captures -

Marilyn, désorientée mais conservant son éternel sourire et saluant les admirateurs, reste une vingtaine de minutes sur les marches de la nacelle. Joe remonte dans l'avion et la ramène à l'intérieur. Face à la dangerosité de ces fans en furie, on demande à Marilyn, Joe et Lefty d'aller se réfugier dans la soute à bagages de l'avion, le temps de mettre en place un service de sécurité renforcé. 
.
Quelques journalistes sont conviés à monter à bord de l'avion pendant quelques minutes. Marilyn refuse de s'exprimer. Un officier de la police militaire dira qu'elle était "malade" à cause du voyage en avion, mais aussi à la vue de la violence de l'accueil.
Plusieurs soldats postés en Corée vont parler à la presse dès l'arrivée de Marilyn Monroe au Japon, à travers Robert Pennell, correspondant du service de presse internationale en Corée, sollicitant tous sa venue en Corée:
- Pfc J.G. Ulieny, 21 ans, de Chicago dit: "Au diable ces troupes basées au Japon. Amenez Marilyn ici où elle est vraiment appréciée. Cette fille ferait vraiment fondre un peu de glace autour de ces bunkers. Marilyn est notre pin-up préférée."
- Cpl Robert R. Woodbury, 21 ans, de Flushing (NY), dit: "Joe a toujours été mon idole. Mais après qu'un gars soit resté figé en Corée pendant un moment, il change parfois d'idole. Faisons venir Marilyn ici, par tous les moyens. Remettez Joe aux femmes dans la Marine du Japon."
- Sgt Gilbert E Postelle, 25 ans, de Talihina (Okla), dit: "Voyons comment cette blonde réchaufferait un régiment entier."
- Pfc Walter Henry Steen, 20 ans, de Brooklyn, dit: "La photo de Marilyn est sur pratiquement tous les casiers et bunkers de Corée. Elle devrait venir ici et recevoir les hommages de ses fans."
- Pfc Johnny Jones, 21 ans, de Tacoma (Wash), dit que : "C'est merveilleux de savoir qu'une femme comme Marilyn existe."
Puis face aux réactions des propos des GI's reportés dans la presse, Marilyn prend la parole le lendemain (le 02 février) et souligne qu'elle est en lune de miel et qu'elle souhaite découvrir au maximum le Japon, déclarant: "J'adorerais aller en Corée et j'attends d'y aller depuis longtemps, mais j'ai peur de ne pas pouvoir faire ce voyage."
La presse nommera Joe comme "le mec de la poupée" ou encore "l'ourson Joe" ! Il passe en second plan pour les reporters et auprès des admirateurs (japonais et américains); tandis que Lefty O Doul passe de son côté complètement inaperçu alors que ce sont bien les deux ex-star de base-ball qui étaient les invités d'honneur à l'origine. Marilyn est la star que tout le monde veut voir.
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Marilyn, disoriented but maintaining her eternal smile and greeting admirers, remains for around twenty minutes on the steps of the basket. Joe gets back on the plane and brings her back inside. Faced with the danger of these furious fans, Marilyn, Joe and Lefty are asked to take refuge in the baggage hold of the plane, while a reinforced security service is put in place.
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Some reporters are invited to board the plane for a few minutes. Marilyn refuses to speak. A military police officer will say she was "sick" because of the plane trip, but also because of the violence at the reception.
Several soldiers stationed in Korea will speak to the press as soon as Marilyn Monroe arrives in Japan, through Robert Pennell, International News Service correspondent in Korea, all requesting her visit to Korea:
- Pfc J.G. Ulieny, 21, from Chicago says: "The hell with those base troops in Japan. Get Marilyn over here where she's really appreciated. That gal would really melt some of the ice around these bunkers. Marilyn is our favorite pinup girl."
- Cpl Robert R. Woodbury, 21, from Flushing (NY), says: "Joe's always been my idol. But after a guy has frozen in Korea for a while, sometimes he changes idols. Let's have Marilyn over here by all means . Turn Joe over to the women Marines in Japan."
- Sgt Gilbert E Postelle, 25, from Talihina (Okla), says: "Just seeign that blonde would warm an entire regiment."
- Pfc Walter Henry Steen, 20, from Brooklyn, says: "Marilyn's picture is on practically every locker box and bunker hall in Korea. She ought to come here and receive the homage of her fans."
- Pfc Johnny Jones, 21, from Tacoma (Wash.), says: "It's wonderful just to know that a woman like Marilyn exists."
Then faced with the reactions to the GI's comments reported in the press, Marilyn spoke the next day (February 2) and emphasizes that she is on her honeymoon and that she wants to discover Japan as much as possible, declaring: "I'd love to go to Korea and have been waiting to go for a long time, but I'm afraid I won't be able to make it this trip."
The press will refer to Joe as "The doll's guy" or even "Pooh Joe"!. He takes a back seat to reporters and admirers (Japanese and American); while Lefty O Doul goes completely unnoticed even though it was the two ex-baseball stars male who were the guests of honor originally. Marilyn is the star everyone wants to see.
.

.
Ces photos ont été prises dans la soute de l'avion par Kashio Aoki qui était stewart de la Pan Am et qui a aidé Joe et Marilyn pendant le vol; le couple l'autorise à prendre quelques photos avec son appareil personnel. Pendant plus d'un demi siècle, Aoki avait gardait ces photos dans son album personnel dédié à la mémoire de Marilyn. Ce n'est qu'à la fin du XXème siècle qu'Aoki céda les droits en revendant ses photos à la société Edward Weston Collection. 
.
These photos were taken in the hold of the plane by Kashio Aoki who was a Pan Am steward and helped Joe and Marilyn during the flight; the couple allows him to take a few photos with his personal camera. For more than half a century, Aoki had kept these photos in his personal album dedicated to Marilyn's memory. It was only at the end of the 20th century that Aoki ceded the rights by reselling his photos to the Edward Weston Collection company.
.

 * * * * *
.

Des officiels de la compagnie aérienne et de l'industrie du cinéma décident de faire éviter la douane et l'acceuil organisé au couple et de les amener au plus vite à leur hôtel.
Il était initialement prévu que Joe et Marilyn fassent la route de l'aéroport jusqu'à l'hôtel (une 30aine de km) dans une voiture décapotable à travers un itinéraire déterminé (Shinbashi - Tsuchibashi - Yomiuri Honmae - Kajibashi - Baba Sakimon - Hôtel Impérial)  où leurs admirateurs japonais auraient pu les apercevoir tout le long de la route. Marilyn refuse de monter dans la décapotable; elle lève les yeux et dit sèchement: "je ne suis pas une pièce maîtresse", ce à quoi elle présentera ses excuses plus tard, en expliquant qu'elle avait "un léger état grippal". Avec la violence de la foule, il est décidé d'amener à la porte de sortie de la soute de l'avion la voiture avec la capote fermée, escortée par une ligne de voitures de police qui doivent traverser la foule. Après avoir attendu 20 minutes, Joe, Marilyn, et les O'Doul refont une tentative de sortie. La foule bondit en avant, mais la police parvient à dégager un passage pour qu'ils puissent monter dans la voiture. Le chaos se déchaîne à nouveau, et plusieurs personnes dans la foule essayent d'ouvrir la portière. Pendant que la police tente de les retenir, d'autres parviennent à monter sur le toit de la voiture, menaçant de faire tomber le toit sur le couple à l'intérieur ! Le toit de la voiture sera tout cabossé.
Et l'itinéraire pour rejoindre l'hôtel est modifié. Des dizaines de milliers d'admirateurs (on parle jusqu'à 100 000 personnes) bordent les routes et submergent le couple de bouquets de fleurs. Des hordes de policiers escortent la voiture jusqu'à l'Imperial Hotel, où les attendent là aussi, une foule toute aussi excitée..
.

Airline and motion picture officials decide to have the couple avoid customs and the organized reception and to bring them to their hotel as quickly as possible.
It was initially planned that Joe and Marilyn would drive from the airport to the hotel (about 20 miles) in a convertible car along a predetermined road (Shinbashi - Tsuchibashi - Yomiuri Honmae - Kajibashi - Baba Sakimon - Imperial Hotel)  where their Japanese admirers would be able to see them all the way along the road. Marilyn refuses to get into the convertible; she looks up and says dryly, "I'm not a showpiece", to which she later apologizes, explaining that she had "a slight touch of the flu". With the violence of the crowd, it was decided to bring the car with the hood closed to the exit door of the plane's hold, escorted by a line of police cars which had to pass through the crowd. After waiting 20 minutes, Joe, Marilyn, and the O'Douls try to get out again. The crowd surged forward, but the police managed to clear a path so they could get into the car. Chaos breaks out again, and several people in the crowd try to open the door. While the police try to detain them, others manage to climb onto the roof of the car, threatening to bring the roof down on the couple inside! The roof of the car will be all dented.
And the route to reach the hotel is modified. Tens of thousands of admirers (we're talking up to 100,000 people) line the roads and shower the couple with bouquets of flowers. Hordes of police escort the car to the Imperial Hotel, where an equally excited crowd awaits them there too.
.

- captures -

.
L'hôtel Imperial: Devant le chic et luxueux hôtel Imperial de Tokyo, qui se trouve en plein centre ville, une autre immense foule d'admirateurs attend le couple stars qui arrive à 22h. Cette fois, deux lignes de policiers (environ 200 policiers) les retiennent en arrière pour les tenir à distance de l'entrée de l'hôtel. Mais près d'un millier de personnes parviennent à atteindre les portes de l'hôtel, certains se retrouvent coincés dans les portes tournantes. La police les repousse, mais le poids de cette foule tourbillonnante brise une porte vitrée dans le hall ainsi que des rochers dans le jardin rocailleux entourant l'hôtel, pendant que d'autres poussent plusieurs personnes dans un étang glacé dans le jardin de l'hôtel. Un policier dira: "Avec cette femme, il faut prendre plus de précautions qu'avec Syngman Rhee." [nb: Rhee était le Président de la Corée]. 

.
vue de l'Imperial Hotel (1958)
 

The Imperial Hotel: In front of the chic and luxurious Imperial Hotel in Tokyo, which is located in the city center, another huge crowd of admirers awaits the star couple who arrive at 10 p.m. This time, two lines of police officers (around 200 officers) hold them back to keep them away from the hotel entrance. But nearly a thousand people manage to reach the hotel doors, some getting stuck in the revolving doors. Police push them back, but the weight of the swirling crowd shatters a glass door in the hall and rocks in the rocky garden surrounding the hotel, while others push several people into an icy pond in the hotel's garden. A policeman will say: "With this woman, we must take more precautions than we did with Syngman Rhee." [nb: Rhee was the President of Korea].
.

.
Il était prévu une fête d'accueil à l'arrivée de Marilyn Monroe,  Joe Di Maggio, et Lefty O'Doul; ainsi qu'une conférence de presse à 20h dans une chambre de l'hôtel. Mais face à ces événements d'une foule trop dangereuse, de la fatigue de Marilyn et du retard de leur arrivée, la conférence de presse prévue a été reportée au lendemain.
.
A welcome party was planned for the arrival of Marilyn Monroe, Joe Di Maggio, and Lefty O'Doul; as well as a press conference at 8 p.m. in a hotel room. But faced with these events of a crowd too gangerous, Marilyn's weariness and the delay in their arrival, the planned press conference was postponed until the next day.
.

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Il y aura tout de même un accueil formel et une brève conférence de presse dans la cohue d'une salle de l'hôtel, où se tiennent bon nombre de reporters photographes et journalistes.

.
There will still be a formal welcome and a brief press conference in the crowded room of the hotel, where a number of photographers and journalists are present.
.

.
* * * * *

- photographies de Dave Cicero -

* * * * *
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Parmi les représentants japonais qui les acceuillent figurent Shoji Yasuda (président du journal Yomiuri), Ryuji Suzuki (président de la ligue centrale du Japon), et Shigeru Misuhara (manager de l'équipe de base-ball japonaise des Giants).
.
Among the Japanese representatives who welcomed them were Shoji Yasude (president of the Yomiuri newspaper), Ryuji Suzuki (president of the Japan Central League), and Shigeru Misuhara (manager of the Japanese Giants baseball team).
.

.
- Joe, Marilyn & Ichiro Inumaru -
fils du Président de l'hôtel Imperial - Il sera président de l'hôtel en 1986
son of the president of the Imperial Hotel - He becomes the president of this hotel later in 1986.

     
.
- Joe, Marilyn & Lefty avec Matsutaro Shoriki -
propriétaire du journal Yomiuri Shimbun, manager de l'équipe de base-ball Yomiuri Giants
owner of the Yomiuri Shimbun newspaper, manager of the Yomiuri Giants baseball team

.
- Joe, Lefty O'Doul & Marilyn -
 
 
     

   
.

     
Marilyn feuillete le magazine japonais de cinéma
"Eiga No Tomo", édition de mars 1954
Marilyn leafs through the Japanese cinema magazine
"Eiga No Tomo", March 1954 edition

* * * * *
.

Les fans réunis à l'extérieur devant l'hôtel continuent à scander le nom de Marilyn, surnommé au Japon "The honorable buttocks-swinging Madam" ("L'honorable madame aux fesses qui swinguent").
Marilyn et Joe séjournent dans deux suites de l'hôtel Imperial: la n°244 qui est la chambre et la n°248 qui est un salon de réception.

 Quand Marilyn regagne sa chambre, elle se met au lit car en plus d'être épuisée du voyage et du stress des conditions de l'arrivée sur le sol Japonais, elle souffre de maux d'estomac (en fait, d'endométriose chronique, une maladie non diagnostiquée à l'époque). Un médecin est appelé et lui propose de faire une injection mais elle refuse. M. Tokujiro Namikoshi, praticien et grand maître de Shiatsu, est alors appelé (cf photo ci-contre Namikoshi avec Muhammad Ali) - il a été recommandé par Lefty O'Doul qui avait eu son dos soigné par Namikoshi lors de sa venue au Japon en 1951. Quand il entre dans la chambre, il trouve Marilyn allongée sur le lit, vêtue d'une robe de soie violette. Il lui demande d'enlever sa nuisette (il restera le seul japonais à avoir vu Marilyn entièrement nue), de s'allonger sur le ventre, et il se met à califourchon sur son dos, pour faire un point de pression sous l'omoplate gauche (point stratégique en relation avec le ventre). Il témoignera: "Lorsque j'ai appliqué une pression plus forte, elle a légèrement gémi. J'ai concentré toute mon attention sur le bout de mes doigts (...) faisant même une prière. Je pense avoir maintenu la pression pendant environ 10 minutes. J'ai su que sa douleur avait disparu en voyant ses muscles, qui s'étaient raidis à cause de la douleur, se relâcher et ses membres se décontracter. (...) Puis j'ai glissé ma main jusqu'à sa taille et c'est seulement à ce moment là que j'ai eu le privilège d'admirer son corps. Et quel corps merveilleux ! Une peau de porcelaine blanche, sans défaut, la rendait encore plus belle que la peau enneigée d'une japonaise. (...) J'ai été en contact avec des peaux de milliers de femmes dans le cadre de mon activité, mais je n'ai jamais connu personne avec une peau comme celle-ci. J'ai tenu son cou et ses épaules. Je sens une petite bosse dans la nuque, une caractéristique de l'insomnie. Elle se retourne sur le dos, et quelle vue éblouissante ! Des courbes exquises de son torse mince et à sa taille plus voluptueuse avec un petit ventre rebondi. En remontant à la verticale du nombril jusqu'au bas ventre, je lui met un mouchoir sur son entre-jambes. Je dois éviter de nouvelles distractions ! J'ai fait une pression sur sa cuisse, en haut, de l'intérieur vers l'extérieur avec un déplacement de la gauche vers la droite, ce qui a permis de détendre la plante des pieds, la tête, la poitrine puis le sein.
Les gens m'ont souvent demandé par la suite si je ne m'étais pas senti comme un homme à ce moment là. Je réponds qu'il n'y a aucune plaisanterie à faire (...) je pense que l'excitation que j'ai ressenti se situait au bout de mes doigts. C'était vraiment le plaisir du toucher des doigts, de l'extase".
Marilyn se rétablie et les douleurs au ventre ont disparu. C'est alors que Cappy Harada (Tsuneo "Cappy" Harada est le manager qui arrangeait les tournées de base-ball au Japon avec Joe et O'Doul) est entré et a demandé une faveur à Marilyn: "Je suis désolé Marilyn, mais pourriez-vous sortir et venir sur le balcon pour faire signe juste une fois, pour qu'ils repartent heureux ?" Marilyn accepte; elle se rhabille immédiatement. Elle fait donc une apparition sur le balcon de l'hôtel vers minuit, pour tenter de calmer la foule qui rugit et s'excite davantage, criant "Wow" et "Mon-Chan!" pour désigner Marilyn, applaudissant: deux japonais essayent même d'escalader le mur de briques. La police les attrape pour les mettre à terre. Choquée, Marilyn déclare que "Ces gens, ils sont fous" et son salue au balcon la fait ressentir "comme si j'étais un dictateur ou un truc de ce genre."
.

.
Fans gathered outside the hotel continue to chant Marilyn's name, nicknamed in Japan "The honorable buttocks-swinging Madam".
Marilyn and Joe are staying in two suites at the Imperial Hotel: n° 244 which is the bedroom and n° 248 which is a reception room.

When Marilyn goes to her room, she goes to bed because in addition to being exhausted from the trip and the stress of the conditions of arrival on Japanese soil, she suffers from stomach aches (in fact, from chronic endometriosis, an illness undiagnosed at the time). A doctor is called and offers to give her an injection but she refuses. Mr. Tokujiro Namikoshi, practitioner and great master of Shiatsu, is then called (see photo opposite Namikoshi with Muhammad Ali) - he was recommended by Lefty O'Doul who had his back treated by Namikoshi when he came to Japan in 1951. When he enters the bedroom, he finds Marilyn lying on the bed, wearing a purple silk dress. He asks her to take off her nightie (he will remain the only Japanese to have seen Marilyn completely naked), to lie down on her stomach, and he straddles her back, to make a pressure point under the shoulder blade left (strategic point in relation to the stomach). He will testify: "When I applied stronger pressure, she moaned slightly. I focused all my attention on the tips of my fingers (...) even saying a prayer. I think I maintained the pressure for about 10 minutes. I knew her pain was gone when I saw her muscles, which had stiffened from the pain, relax and her limbs relax. (...) Then I slid my hand up to her size and it was only then that I had the privilege of admiring her body. And what a wonderful body! White porcelain skin, without blemish, made her even more beautiful than the snowy skin of a Japanese woman. (...) I have come into contact with the skin of thousands of women in the course of my work, but I have never known anyone with skin like this. I held her neck and her shoulders. I feel a small bump in the back of her neck, a hallmark of insomnia. She turns onto her back, and what a dazzling sight! From the exquisite curves of her slim torso to her more voluptuous waist with a little plump belly. Going vertically from the navel to the lower abdomen, I put a handkerchief on his crotch. I must avoid new distractions! I put pressure on her thigh, at the top, from the inside to the outside with a movement from left to right, which allowed me to relax the soles of the feet, the head, the chest and then the breast.
People often asked me afterward if I didn't feel like a man at that time. I answer that there is no joke to be made (...) I think that the excitement I felt was at the tips of my fingers. It was truly the pleasure of the touch of the fingers, the ecstasy."
Marilyn is recovering and the stomach pains have disappeared. That's when Cappy Harada (Tsuneo "Cappy" Harada is the manager who arranged baseball tours to Japan with Joe and O'Doul) comee in and asks Marilyn for a favor: "I'm sorry Marilyn, but could you go out and come to the balcony and wave just once, so they can leave happy?” Marilyn accepts; she gets dressed immediately. She therefore makes an appearance on the hotel balcony around midnight, to try to calm the crowd which is roaring and getting more excited, shouting "Wow" and “Mon-Chan!” to designate Marilyn, applause: two Japanese people even try to climb the brick wall. The police catch them to put them on the ground. Shocked, Marilyn declares that "These people, they're mad" and her salute from the balcony made her feel "as if I was a dictator of something".
.

- captures -
     

- videos -
.
- video des actualités de la Paramount sur Getty -

- video des actualités d'Universal sur Getty -

- video 1 des actualités japonaises sur NHK -

- video 2 des actualités japonaises sur NHK -
.

- - - - Dans la presse - - - -
.
Daily News, 01/02/1954 - USA (California)
The Bee, 01/02/1954 - USA (Virginia)
Pasadena Independent, 01/02/1954 - USA
    
.
The Pomona Progress Bulletin, 01/02/1954 - USA (California)
 
.
The San Francisco Examiner, 01/02/1954 - USA
 
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(1) articles sans source - 01/02/1954 - USA
(2) articles sans source - 02/02/1954 - USA
   
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Daily News, 02/02/1954 - USA (New York)
The Mainichi, 02/02/1954 - USA
   
.
Birmingham Post Herald, 02/02/1954 - USA (Alabama)
Fort Worth Star-Telegram, 02/02/1954 - USA (Texas)
   
.
.The Daily Clintonian, 02/02/1954 - USA (Indiana)
   
.
.Time, 15/02/1954 - USA
  
.
presse japonaise - sans source - JAPON
 
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Eiga No Tomo , 04/1954 - JAPON
   

Sources Web:
.
- Journée du 01er février du blog japonais "La Métamorphose de MM" sur ameblo officeroader
- Article "Visite de Marilyn au Japon" du blog japonais ameblo Oogie-Baja
- Articles de presse USA sur newspapers.com

© All images are copyright and protected by their respective owners, assignees or others.
copyright text by GinieLand. 

 Les Désaxés
Sur le tournage 

Le 5 août 1960, une soirée est organisée au Mapes Hotel, à Reno dans le Nevada, lieu de tournage du film The Misfits, pour fêter un double anniversaire: celui de Kay Gable (la femme de Clark) et celui de John Huston. L'équipe du film y est conviée: Marilyn Monroe, Clark Gable, John Huston, Frank Taylor (le producteur du film).

Marilyn Monroe et Joe DiMaggio, en Mars 1961,
sortent de leur hôtel Tides Motor Inn à St Pete en Floride.

Niagara
Sur le tournage

 Marilyn Monroe pendant le tournage du film Niagara
au Canada, dans sa chambre du General Broke Hotel.
Photographies de Jock Carroll

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