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Le 5 décembre 1959, Marilyn Monroe a accepté l'invitation à l'avant-première sur la côte Ouest du film "Voyage au centre de la Terre" (réalisé par Henry Levin avec Pat Boone, James Mason et Arlene Dahl). 
Marilyn fait la promotion de la vente des tickets pour le film, disponibles au théâtre et à la clinique éducative, au 13033 Ventura Blvd. Les bénéfices de la vente sont destinés à l'agrandissement des installations de la clinique éducative de Californie, qui accueillent des enfants atteints de lésions cérébrales, située à North Hollywood.
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On December 5, 1959, Marilyn Monroe accepts the invitation to the West Coast premiere of the film "Journey to the Center of the Earth" (directed by Henry Levin with Pat Boone, James Mason and Arlene Dahl).
Marilyn is promoting ticket sales for the film, available at the theater and clinic, 13033 Ventura Blvd. Benefits from the sale go to enlarge facilities at the California Educational Clinic for brain-damaged children, located in North Hollywood. 
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~ ~ ~ ~ ~
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Les enfants Virginie Mavaro (de North Hollywood) et Charles Pearlman (de Reseda) se joignent au révérend Robert Q. Kennaugh, directeur exécutif de MEND, Inc. (Mental Education in New Directions), pour demander à Marilyn d'assister à l'événement qui aura lieu le 15 décembre au théâtre El Portal à North Hollywood.
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Children Virginia Mavaro (of North Hollywood) and Charles Pearlman (of Reseda) join the Rev. Robert Q. Kennaugh, executive director of MEND, Inc. (Mental Education in New Directions), in asking Marilyn to attend the event  which will take place Dec. 15 at the El Portal Theater in North Hollywood.
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~ ~ ~ ~ ~

- Dans la presse -

Valley Times, 05/12/1959 - USA (North Hollywood)

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Van Nuys News, 03/12/1959 - USA (CA)

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~ ~ ~ ~ ~
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La grande première officielle du film en présence des acteurs a lieu le 15 décembre 1959 à Nashville, dans le Tennessee.
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The big official premiere of the film in the presence of the actors takes place on December 15, 1959 in Nashville, Tennessee..
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source image et information: Tessa Digital Collection of the LA Public Library

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

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Marilyn's Lost Photos - site web - en italien

cliquez sur la bannière / Click on banner
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Site italien présenté en rubriques:
-"Bio" contient une biographie (dont la source est wikipédia), ses préférences, les prix officiels qu'elle a reçu, et ses mariages;
-"Movies" contient sa filmographie avec les films listés et pour chaque film, une brève fiche technique illustrée;
-"Extra" contient les films en DVD, une galerie photos (par photographes, de célébrités avec Marilyn, des scans de magazines italiens et des affiches de films;
-"Links" contient des sites web de Marilyn ou sur les années 1950s.
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© All images are copyright and protected by their respective owners, assignees or others.
copyright text by GinieLand.

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

Vente aux enchères "Hollywood Legends: Danger, Disaster & Disco" du 12 au 14 juin 2024 à Los Angeles aux USA, en ligne par Julien's Auction
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Auction "Hollywood Legends: Danger, Disaster & Disco" from June 12 to 14, 2024 in Los Angeles, USA, online by Julien's Auction
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Vente aux enchères qui propose 1220 lots sur l'univers du cinéma (photographies, costumes de films, accessoires de tournage etc...) du vintage au contemporain.
Il y a 17 lots concernant Marilyn Monroe (dont certains sont des reventes d'enchères antérieures): des effets personnels (vêtements, lingerie, foulard et ceinture, chèques), des tirages photographiques, et un guide de son dernier film "Something's Got to Give".
Parmi les lots totalement inédits, qui proviennent de la propriété d'Anna Strasberg et n'avaient pas été proposés à la vente de Christie's de 1999, on retrouve la robe rouge de soirée de John Moore (malheureusement très abîmée), de la lingerie (deux brassières en très bon état), un foulard noir transparent aux motifs de coeurs porté par Marilyn au baptème du fils de Clark Gable en 1961, et une ceinture.
En lien avec Marilyn: l'appareil photo (avec trépier et malette de rangement) du photographe Tom Kelley.
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Auction which offers 1220 lots on the world of cinema (photographs, film costumes, filming accessories etc...) from vintage to contemporary.
There are 17 lots relating to Marilyn Monroe (some of which are resales from previous auctions): personal effects (clothing, lingerie, scarf and belt, checks), photographic prints, and a promptbook of her latest film "Something's Got to Give".
Among the completely unpublished lots, which come from the property of Anna Strasberg and had not been offered at Christie's sale in 1999, we find John Moore's red evening dress (unfortunately very damaged), lingerie (two brassieres in very good condition), a transparent black scarf with heart motifs worn by Marilyn at the christening of Clark Gable's son in 1961, and a belt.
Related to Marilyn: the camera (with tripod and storage case) of photographer Tom Kelley.

Pas de catalogue édité
No published catalog
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-  Sur le blog: les lots -
12-14/06/2024, JULIEN'S: Hollywood Legends - Lots
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All photos are copyright and protected by their respective owners. 
Copyright text by GinieLand.

Enchères  "Hollywood Legends: Danger, Disaster & Disco"
du 12 au 14 juin 2024
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- 17 lots avec Marilyn Monroe -
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12-14/06/2024, JULIEN'S: Hollywood Legends - Vente
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Vêtements, Lingerie, Accessoires
Clothes, Lingerie, Accessories 

 Lot 027: Marilyn Monroe | Ceil Chapman Black Jersey Three-Quarter Evening Dress

A Ceil Chapman three-quarter black jersey evening dress belonging to Marilyn Monroe.  Monroe was photographed wearing the dress as she and Joe DiMaggio attended an event hosted by Bob Hope.  Hope hosted a gathering on December 16, 1953 to honor two-star general William F. Dean after the general appeared as a guest on Hope's television show.

 A three-quarter length strapless form-fitting dress, composed of black jersey cut on the bias. The dress features asymmetric gathering throughout, a boned bodice, and a black silk taffeta structural fanned applique at the left hip that goes until the hem. There is a Ceil Chapman label present at the side zip closure, no size tag is present.
Ceil Chapman began her eponymous label in label in 1940, quickly becoming the designer for cocktail dresses. Chapman's client roster included Elizabeth Taylor, Deborah Kerr, and Jayne Mansfield. Her cocktail dresses were known for their sculptural fit as well as their ease of wear.
The lot comes with the original auction hang tags from "The Personal Property of Marilyn Monroe," October 27-28, 1999. PROVENANCE Lot #237, "The Personal Property of Marilyn Monroe," Christie's New York [Sale 9216], October 28, 1999
Estimate: $30,000 - $50,000 - Sold: $254,000

 Lot 1178: Marilyn Monroe | Unfinished Black Taffeta Cocktail Dress

An unfinished black cocktail dress belonging to Marilyn Monroe.
Unfinished black silk taffeta cocktail dress, no label present. The dress has a low-cut v-neckline with a fitted bodice and an exposed back, a basque waist, and fitted skirt with weighted hem. The dress is unfinished, showing that it was still being fitted for Monroe, which is evident with the unfinished seams, pinning (specifcally at the waistline), and basting throughout. The dress is very delicate, showing moderate wear, discoloration and tearing, at the weighted hemline.
The property comes with the original lot hang tag from "Property From The Estate Of Marilyn Monroe." PROVENANCE: Lot #22 "PROPERTY FROM THE ESTATE OF MARILYN MONROE" Julien's Auctions, June 4, 2005.
Estimate: $6,000 - $8,000  - Sold: $22,750

 Lot 1179: Marilyn Monroe | Personally Owned Skirt

A hand-tailored piece; made of tan wool, straight and knee-length, side zip closure, back kick pleat; one of the star's signature "every day" skirts, though this one is unfinished with stitching still evident at the waistband and hem.
PROVENANCE Former Lot 381, "From the Archives of Marilyn Monroe's Personal Property," Julien's Auctions, Los Angeles, November 16, 2018
Estimate: $4,000 - $6,000 - Sold: $9,100

 Lot 1180: Marilyn Monroe | White Lace Brassiere

A white nylon floral lace brassier with ivory cotton velvet trim belonging to Marilyn Monroe.
A white lace push-up bra with boning and underwire, lined with a satin blend lining, and adjustable nylon/elastic straps. The bra features two-quarter cups that lift and emphasize a pronounced bust. There is an adjustable hook-and-eye closure at the back, and no size or manufacture tags are present.
The bra comes with Christie's inventory tags, the property was taken in by the auction house for "The Personal Property of Marilyn Monroe" but never offered at auction.
Estimate: $1,000 - $2,000 - Sold: $9,525

 Lot 1183: Marilyn Monroe | 1958 Event Worn Evening Dress Designed By John Moore, Talmack

A red lace evening gown designed by John Moore for Talmack worn by Marilyn Monroe for the Gigi premiere on July 10, 1958, at the Paramount Theater in Los Angeles, CA (Metro-Goldwyn-Meyer 1958). Monroe was also photographed in the body-con flamenco-style dress by photographer Gene Lester for a series of images taken on January 1, 1955.
A form-fitting flame red lace evening dress with an asymmetric flared skirt at the hips, lined with tulle to create volume and a wide hem. The gown has built-in bra cups with a conical shape that creates a sweetheart neckline; there were two spaghetti straps but only one strap remains, which has come detached at the back of the bodice. There is a Talmack, John Moore, New York label, but no size tag or composition tag present.

 John Moore was a well-known New York designer who worked for Elizabeth Arden, Jane Derby, and Talmack. He garnered the prestigious Cody Award while designing at Talmack in the 1950s before starting his label in 1963, which ceased production in 1971. Moore and Marilyn were friends as well as designer and muse; the designer would often write to Marilyn encouraging her to visit him and see his recent designs that were designed with Monroe in mind. 

This dress is in fragile condition with the fabric shredding at both the lining and exterior fabric, stains, discoloration throughout, and structural damage to the skirt and lining. There has been light restoration work with applique done to the lace at the left bracup and basting done to the seams at the skirt, which has come undone.
The dress was gifted directly to the consignor by Anna Strasberg, who became executor of Monroe's estate following the death of her husband Lee Strasberg.
Estimate: $4,000 - $6,000 - Sold: $52,000

 Lot 1184: Marilyn Monroe | Brassiere Lace Cup Liner

A lace brassiere liner belonging to Marilyn Monroe.
The liner has two cups that are hand-sewn together with scallop edges with bust darts to create conical shape cups, composed of ivory colored floral lace.
The liner comes with Christie's inventory tags, the property was taken in by the auction house for "The Personal Property of Marilyn Monroe," but never offered at auction.
Estimate: $1,000 - $2,000 - Sold: $10,400

 Lot 1185: Marilyn Monroe | 1961 Black Tulle Heart Print Scarf

A black tulle heart print head scarf with a lucite ring belonging to Marilyn Monroe.
Sheer black tulle scarf with novelty heart print (in black). The scarf has a plastic gold fleck ring for the scarf to wrap and be tied. Monroe wore the scarf when she attended the June 1961 christening of John Clark Gable, who was born after the unexpected death of this father, Clark Gable, with whom she had costarred in The Misfits (United Artists, 1960). The christening was held at Saint Cyril's church in Los Angeles.
The property comes with Christie's inventory tags, the property was taken in by the auction house for "The Personal Property of Marilyn Monroe" but never offered at auction.
Estimate: $400 - $600 - Sold: $25,400

 Lot 1186: Marilyn Monroe | Waist Cincher

A waist cincher belonging to Marilyn Monroe.
The waist cincher is composed of a silk faille that is boned with elasticated panels at the back with hook-and-eye closures.
Estimate: $200 - $300 - Sold: $5,850
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Photographies
Photographs

 Lot 1182 : Marilyn Monroe | 1956 Cecil Beaton Photograph
A print of a photograph of Marilyn Monroe taken by Cecil Beaton in 1956. The print is likely from the late 1960s, or early '70s. The famed photographer had only one shoot with Monroe, which was in February 1956 at the Ambassador Hotel in New York. Beaton documented the shoot writing how the Monroe was 90 minutes late and how her presence during the shoot was shy, and buoyant, like an adolescent pretending to be a grown-up, creating this enigma.
Beaton wrote about the shoot in his diary, saying, "The real marvel lies in the paradox – somehow we know that this extraordinary performance is pure charade, a little girl’s caricature of Mae West… There is an unworldly, a winsome naiveté about the child’s eyes that, quick as a flash, will screw up into a pair of sexy, smoldering slits and give you a synthetic ‘come-hither’ look." 8 x 10 Inches
Estimate: $600 - $700 - Sold: $650

 Lot 1188: Marilyn Monroe | 1962/1982 Limited Edition Oversized Black and White Contact Sheet Signed By Bert Stern
A 1982 later print with a semi-gloss finish, depicting 12 images of the nude star as she poses holding a geometric-print scarf; lower margin with penciled annotations by Stern reading "12/15 Marilyn 1962 Bert Stern;" verso with Stern's further annotations reading "Taken / 1962 / 12/15 Bert Stern / Marilyn Monroe / Contact Sheet #1;" verso also displays black ink credit stamp reading in part "1982 Bert Stern;" rolled. Please note there are evident tears and/or rips on the 3rd images from the left in the top and middle rows. 35 x 47 inches
Estimate: $2,000 - $4,000 - UNSOLD.

 Lot 1191: Marilyn Monroe | Milton Greene Signed Limited-Edition "Black Sitting" Print
A framed limited-edition print of Marilyn Monroe with her legs crossed taken by Milton Greene that's signed by the photographer in the lower right and numbered 168/300 in the lower left. 42 x 52 x 1 inches
Estimate: $1,000 - $2,000 - Sold: $2,857.50

 Lot 1192: Marilyn Monroe | Milton Greene Signed Limited-Edition "Black Sitting" Print
A framed limited-edition print of Marilyn Monroe with her legs uncrossed taken by Milton Greene that's signed by the photographer in the lower right and numbered 260/300 in the lower left. 50.5 x 40.25 x 2 inches
Estimate: $1,000 - $2,000 - Sold: $1,625

 Lot 1193: Tom Kelley | Vintage 8x10 Deardorff Camera with Case, Tripod, and Marilyn Monroe Prints
An 8x10 Deardorff camera used by famed Hollywood photographer Tom Kelley. This camera, circa early 1950s, shows signs of being modified and updated over the years as techonology advanced. The bellows do not have noticable cracks. The lensplate is affixed with a metal plate with an engraved serial number 2937. The serial number on the lens is 777969.
Together with a tripod and a vintage fabric-lined case made of wood and cardboard  that is painted and stenciled with "Tom Kelley Studios Inc." on the top and on the center front.
Kelley photographed many notable celebrities and politicians, including Greta Garbo, Marlene Dietrich, Winston Churchill, and John F. Kennedy. However, he is most renowned for taking nude photographs of young pre-fame Marilyn Monroe in 1949. The photos, which became known as the "Red Velvet Session" and appeared in the "Golden Dreams" calendar, were purchased by Hugh Hefner and used to launch the first issue of Playboy magazine in 1953.

 Also together with three vintage prints of Monroe that were taken by Kelley, including one nude, one with clothing superimposed onto Monroe's body and the word "Entrancing" printed in the lower center, and a glossy print numbered 51/95 that's been signed by Kelley in the lower right. Case, 16 x 9 inches
Estimate: $4,000 - $6,000 - Sold: $10,400
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Something's Got to Give

Lot 1189: Marilyn Monroe | "Something's Got To Give" Wardrobe Test Photo
A 1980s-era print with a semi-gloss finish, double weight paper, depicting Marilyn Monroe in a wardrobe test shot wearing a "nurse's uniform" from her uncompleted comedy Something's Got to Give (20th Century Fox, 1962), verso with a black ink credit stamp reading "Edward Weston Collection." 14 x 11 inches
Estimate: $200 - $300 - Sold: $455

Lot 1190: Marilyn Monroe | "Something's Got To Give" Promptbook

A promptbook for Marilyn Monroe's final and uncompleted film Something's Got to Give (Twentieth Century Fox, 1962) that was personally owned by the actress. The 32 pages are bound in a black paper cover with a label that reads "Marilyn Monroe / "Something's Got To Give."
Accompanied by the original Christie's lot card, a grey Christie's folder dated October 27, 19999, and a note from Christie's Vice President on Christie's stationery regarding the 1999 sale. 8.25 x 9.25 inches
PROVENANCE Lot 496, "The Personal Property of Marilyn Monroe," Christie's, October 27, 1999
Estimate: $3,000 - $5,000 - Sold: $12,700
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Chèques
Checks

 Lot 1181: Marilyn Monroe | 1952 Handwritten and Signed Check

A counter check from the Canadian Bank of Commerce that's been handwritten in blue ink by Marilyn Monroe. The amount is $27.50 and the check is dated June 13, 1952. The entire check is handwritten by Monroe and she has signed it in the lower right. The front and back of the check have been stamped several times and there is a three-cent Canadian stamp affixed to it. It's believed that Monroe wrote this check while on location in Canada filming the drama Niagara (Twentieth Century Fox, 1953). Check, 3 x 6.5 inches
Estimate: $1,000 - $2,000 - Sold: $6,500

 Lot 1187: Marilyn Monroe | 1959 Signed Check

A Marilyn Monroe Productions check made out to Monroe for the sum of $10,000, dated November 30, 1959, and signed in ink in the lower right by the actress. The check is stamped “Paid, December 8, 1959 / Colonial Trust Company.”
Together with the original Julien's Auctions card. 3.25 x 8.25 inches
PROVENANCE:  Lot 141, "Property From the Estate of Marilyn Monroe," Julien's Auctions, June 4, 2005
Estimate: $1,000 - $2,000 - Sold: $9,100
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© All images are copyright and protected by their respective owners, assignees or others.

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LIFE 75 years
The Very Best of Life
Authors: Life editors
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Publication Date: November, 08, 2011
Relié 224 pages
Language English
Editeur: Life
Publisher Price: $ 127,99 / 110 € 
ISBN-10: 1603202129
ISBN-13: ‎ ‎978-1603202121
Dimensions: ‎31.12 x 3.81 x 40.64 cm
Ou le commander ? sur Original Life Mag + sur amazon
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Description: In this deluxe commemorative edition, LIFE’s editors focus on the publication’s achievements more tightly than they ever have before: This is truly the best of everything LIFE has accomplished.
In these pages are the best war photos ever taken for LIFE;
the best photo essays ever to grace our pages (including the works of Capa and Parks and Smith);
the loveliest pictures from Hollywood (in fact, the best pictures of Marilyn Monroe ever taken by such as Halsmann, Eisenstaedt and her dear friend Milton Greene);
the best sports pictures, the funniest pictures we ever ran.
The best pictures from the space race, and the most significant pictures to the human race, including Lennart Nilsson’s “Life Before Birth.”

   This is a premium volume of LIFE, and beyond its 200-plus pages, which include a review of every LIFE cover ever published, there is, included here, the ultimate premium:
The first-ever LIFE issue, with the Margaret Bourke-White photograph of the Fort Peck Dam on the cover, reprinted in its entirety, at actual size (which was really big 10 1/2″ x 14″) and able to be detached.
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LIFE has come a long way. LIFE, you, those places, LIFE itself. This book tells, and celebrates, that voyage.
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- sommaire / Contents -
Introduction
To See the World
To Eyewitness Great Events
To Watch the Face of the Poor and the Gestures of the Proud
Things Hidden Behind Walls and Within Rooms
The Women that Men Love and Many Children
To See and Be Amazed
The Covers
Back to the Future
Back to the Beginning

Info: Pas d'édition en français pour ce livre, disponible qu'en anglais.

Vous avez le livre ?
Apportez votre critique, votre avis ou votre note
.
Do you have the book ?
Give your opinion, and a note (/10)

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

Marilyn Monroe & Robert Mitchum

I met Marilyn
A stunning collection of brand new exclusive interviews
chronicling Marilyn's life and beyond by those who knew her
Author: Neil Sean
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Prix: 15,81 €
Date de sortie: 18 septembre 2016
Broché 148 pages
Langue: anglais
Éditeur: CreateSpace Independent Publishing Platform
ISBN-10: 1537196707
ISBN-13: 978-1537196701
Ou le trouver ? sur amazon 
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Description (quatrième de couverture):  Marilyn Monroe's career as an actress spanned 16 years. She made 29 films, 24 in the first 8 years of her career.
Born as Norma Jeane Mortenson on June 1, 1926 in Los Angeles General Hospital, her mother, Gladys, listed the fathers address as unknown. Marilyn would never know the true identity of her father- she became the legend that is Marilyn Monroe and to this day creates as much buzz in the media world as she did in her lifetime.
Having been a fan of the legend that is Marilyn Monroe since an early age, it seemed whoever I interviewed had either met / worked and known something about her during my journalistic career. As the years went on I noticed this even more to the point I was lucky enough to meet and interview some very famous people whom have not had their “Marilyn “stories told before.

I started with a trusty cassette player which along the way had me meeting the likes of Sir Lawrence Oliver, Charlton Heston and even Sir Norman Wisdom, what is fascinating when reviewing the tapes along with never broadcast interviews with Tony Curtis, Mickey Rooney and Debbie Reynolds to name just a few is how revealing the whole conversations are.
I urge everyone to take a look at the book if you’re a true Marilyn fan as it will give you a rare insight into her final months and as Ricci Martin (Son of Dean) who met Marilyn many times told me “it’s the biggest story in the world of showbiz ever and yes I was party to it in many ways which is frightening“.
"I met Marilyn" will shock, delight and leave you with a brand new view of the movie icon and it’s been a pleasure to share this story of the blonde sex symbol who became a legend with you.
Neil Sean
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.Extraits (cf article du Daily Mail ): 
Jack Lemmon  - co-star in "Some Like It Hot" in 1958
Lemmon used to live at silent movie star Harold Lloyd’s old house, which was next door to a well. He recalled: ‘One day I was coming back home and there’s this helicopter doing a low lazy circle above it. 'And there were these guys in funny suits and funny glasses, standing around watching Marilyn Monroe and JFK having a frolic in the pool. ‘So whatever stories you’ve heard about Marilyn, that one is true: it was a big affair for her and she was in a deep relationship with JFK. 'Whether he thought the same, we’ll never know. I think for sure she shouldn’t have got mixed up in the Kennedy clan. But she was the type of girl that looked straight into trouble and no one could ever advise her.’ Marilyn, as it turned out, wasn’t remotely embarrassed that he had seen her naked in the pool with the President.
In any case, Lemmon said with a laugh, he had already seen quite a lot of her beautiful body while making Some Like It Hot. He and Tony Curtis, who played cross-dressers in the classic film, had both liked Marilyn very much, he said, despite her continual lateness on set. ‘She was a very unhappy girl, though. She had a lot of problems, yet no one seemed to know what they were,’ said Lemmon. ‘Still, what she created — which in effect was Marilyn Monroe — must have been hard to conjure up day after day on a movie set.’ Time after time, he said, she would be dressed and fully made-up but wouldn’t come out of her dressing-room. It was as if there were a force field holding her back at the door. ‘I felt for her make-up man,’ he mused, ‘because she’d always find fault with her look and blame the make-up. Either that or she said she looked too fat. And, yes, she was fat at that stage because she was expecting a baby [which she later lost] though none of us knew that. She just loathed the way she looked on camera — but all I could see was one sexy girl in her prime. ‘I know the extras loved her because they got paid overtime when she failed to show up on time. Quite a few got new things like cars or paid off their mortgages on the back of her lateness. But when you look at her performance, she was wonderful — truly great. She steals every scene she’s in, so she was right to make us all wait until she got that “magic moment”.
Lemmon felt her erratic behaviour may have been linked to problems in her marriage. He described her husband, playwright Arthur Miller as ‘a bore’ and ‘a terrible misery’. ‘I felt Miller thought she was a crackpot. But she was the breadwinner, and not him. Even if he didn’t really like her, what could he do? He was on the Marilyn payroll.’ Lemmon kept in touch with the star and saw her several times in the months before her death. ‘She looked great, though totally different in many respects — slimmer and with different hairstyles. I think she was trying to recreate herself and move ahead with the times.’
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Norman Wisdom, on set in Pinewood in London in 1956
The unlikeliest of friendships blossomed while Marilyn was making The Prince And The Showgirl in 1956. But it wasn’t her co-star Laurence Olivier who connected with her — it was the British slapstick comedian. He’d been on set at the Pinewood lot, making another film, when he suddenly realised Marilyn was watching him. ‘In fact, she quite unintentionally ruined a couple of takes — she couldn’t help laughing, and on two occasions she was politely escorted off the set,’ he said. ‘We had a few cups of tea and she came to my dressing-room for a chat. She was a great girl and not at all depressed, like people paint her out to be.
‘The bigger story was that while she loved being a movie star, she also wanted a family. I think she was more fascinated with my little children, Nicolas and Jackie, than with me. 'She wanted to know all about them. And I’d always talk to her about them as I think it made her happy — she giggled when I told her the daft things they did.’
Wisdom’s fondest memory was of passing her one day in a Pinewood corridor. ‘It was lunchtime so it was crowded, but she caught hold of me, kissed and hugged me, and then walked away laughing. The people around me couldn’t believe it.’
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Charlton Heston, during Golden Globes in 1962
Just five months before she died, the actress attended the Golden Globes to receive an award — which was presented to her by Heston and fellow stars Rock Hudson and Stefanie Powers. Heston, then riding high as the star of Ben-Hur, remembered the occasion vividly, not least because she looked ‘stunning’.
‘She’d turned up with this guy Jose — a real user, the type who knows being pictured with Marilyn will do him a lot of good,’ he said. ‘He was far younger than her and that was a problem, because he had an eye for the ladies. But Marilyn, I think, liked the fact he paid her a lot of attention.
‘She was very lonely and felt she had no friends there, really. And by the time she came up to receive her award, she was steaming drunk.
‘She uttered just a few words and left the stage, leaving us all a bit lost for words. Then once I’d joined her backstage, she made a lunge for me and started to kiss me all over, thanking me again and again for the award. I tried to tell her it was nothing to do with me. ‘We sat down to chat and she kept placing her hand on my thigh and giving me the come-on look. ‘I started saying: “Look, Marilyn you’re a swell girl, and I think you’re beautiful . . .” ‘She stopped me right there and said: “But you don’t want me, do you?” I had to gently explain that I was happily married. ‘As the room was filled with some of the best-looking men in Hollywood, I wondered: “Why me? Was it because I wasn’t showing interest in her?”
'It always baffled me, but I did wish I could have helped her. I never saw her again. As she left the awards, she was virtually carried out. She looked so unhappy.’
The following day, Marilyn rang Heston to ask if he’d like a cameo role in her next movie, Something’s Got To Give. But he was shocked to discover that she had very little idea of what the movie was about.
After that, he said: ‘I had calls from her from time to time, but I never knew how serious she was about wanting to work with me. Anyway, I knew that it could be dangerous.’ Although Heston never had any intention of getting entangled with Marilyn, he regretted that they’d never made a film together. ‘I felt she was a good actress and had the potential to be an even greater one,’ he said.
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Eddie Fisher, at different parties
One man who wasn’t wild about Marilyn was the singer who’d married two stars in succession — Debbie Reynolds and Elizabeth Taylor — and he’d learned quite a bit about the seamier side of Hollywood.
Marilyn, he told me, was ‘a user’ — reeling in men who could be useful to her, then discarding them when they’d served their purpose. ‘Marilyn Monroe was a serious player. She used people — she played them off, and I was a victim, too. When I first met her at the start of the Fifties, she made a beeline for me and asked me out on many occasions for a date. ‘But she wasn’t the “Marilyn” creation then — pretty, yes, but fake. And that was the problem. ‘The people who fascinated her were the likes of Ava Gardner and Liz [Taylor]. Why? Because they were genuinely beautiful girls. ‘Marilyn told me: “I know I’m a manufactured look — the blonde hair and make-up. I get it. But I also hope I give some hope to the ordinary girls like me who may not be the greatest beauties.” ’
The truth, says Fisher, is that Marilyn was insanely jealous of Liz Taylor’s beauty, and to a lesser degree her fame. He recalled one night in the early Sixties when the two beauties went to Las Vegas to see a performance by Frank Sinatra, who was then dating Marilyn. Also there was Fisher — then desperately trying to keep his crumbling marriage together. Taylor had recently fallen in love with Richard Burton, her married co-star in the film Cleopatra, but the affair was on hold because he refused to leave his wife. ‘So we were sitting together at a table — myself and Liz and some of Frank’s pals,’ said Fisher. ‘Marilyn arrived late, unsteady on her feet and already loaded with booze — but not enough to forget the impact she was having on the room. ‘It was always about her and the effect she could create when she entered a room...’ He laughed. ‘Watching Marilyn and Liz, two of the world’s most celebrated women, being cordial to each other was a great experience for me, as you’d have never guessed they loathed each other or indeed were any kind of rivals. [It was all] smiles and hugs: you got the impression they were the best of friends.’
But Marilyn, knowing full well that Taylor’s marriage was vulnerable, had something else on her mind. ‘She was between husbands,’ said Fisher. ‘So during the interval of the show, she was very friendly and kept kissing and touching me. ‘And then she dropped her bombshell: “Imagine what people would say if we were found out to be having an affair?” ‘She was deadly serious as she knew that this would take the flame of interest right off Elizabeth. ‘I scolded her, but she was very keen to pursue her suggestion and gave me her room number for later that evening. When I reminded her she was Sinatra’s date, she just shrugged and said: “If you like me, you will come along.” ’So did he? Fisher refused to elaborate. In any case, his marriage fell apart shortly afterwards, when Taylor left him for Richard Burton.
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Debbie Reynolds, at parties
Eddie Fisher’s first wife had much fonder memories. Marilyn was a bright girl, you know,’ said Reynolds, star of Singin’ In The Rain.
‘I think she applied herself to being what people wanted her to be. To me, she was a very kind soul, quiet and not at all movie-starish. ‘I liked her. But to someone else, she could be bawdy and fun, playing whoever she thought that person wanted her to be.’
Reynolds followed all the twists of Marilyn’s lurid love life, but never thought the worse of her. ‘We knew each other well because we attended the same church,’ she said. ‘Marilyn was very religious, which may surprise some people. Her faith was very important to her and I think that it helped her many times. 'She told me it was the one thing in her life that hadn’t let her down. She’d attend church looking very low-key: she could switch that “Marilyn” persona on and off.
‘After my marriage ended, she was concerned for me as a single mother with two children. I think having a child would maybe have saved her, because at 36 she was on her own. ‘I saw her two days before she died. She looked wonderful: super-slim and very girlish. So all the stuff you read about her being depressed and washed-up wasn’t true. Or if it was, she was doing a brilliant acting job of hiding it.
‘I’d warned her to be careful with the Kennedys because they just used people. I mean, Joe Kennedy [JFK’s father] was known for that.
‘She was a movie star and that was something both brothers liked. But once they’d used her like a tissue, they thought she’d just blow away. But she wouldn’t listen. ‘She was such a sweet and innocent girl, but she was used by men. For all her fame and beauty, they took advantage of her and she paid the ultimate price.’
Did Marilyn take an overdose after being dumped by JFK’s brother, Robert? Debbie shook her head. ‘I believe she was murdered because too many people were afraid the truth would come out,’ she said. ‘When you look at the evidence and the way people messed around in that vital time when she was dying — well, none of it stacks up. But we’ll never know the truth.’
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Joan Rivers, at parties
One night in the early Sixties, the comedienne could barely believe her luck: she was seated at a dinner party next to Marilyn. At the time, the bawdy New Yorker was trying to make her name as an actress.  ‘What I remember most is how tiny she was — not the big buxom blonde we see in the media,’ said Rivers.
‘We talked about the New York theatre and I asked her advice about acting agents. She was really helpful. Then Marilyn suddenly turned to me and said: “Men, they’re all the same. They’re just stupid and they like big boobs.” ‘I loved her for saying that, because she knew that’s what it was all about for her — boobs and nothing else. I realised she was far brighter than anyone ever thought.’
Marilyn was then in her mid-30s but Rivers recalls how she kept pointing out liver spots on her hands and saying she’d have to cover them up by wearing gloves because people would say she was getting old.
They also discussed homosexuals in showbusiness. ‘One thing about Marilyn,’ Rivers said, ‘was that she wasn’t a great gay fan: she loathed the idea that some men might not find her attractive. ‘I told her about my gay pals and she looked bemused. She had a hard time even believing Rock Hudson was gay.’
Like Debbie Reynolds, Rivers was convinced Marilyn was murdered. ‘Sure, she was a pill addict and had problems, but none of the story of her death stacks up. I blame the Kennedys: without a doubt, she got mixed up in some terrible trouble. ‘Given all she had going for her, why would she suddenly kill herself? She wasn’t the type to do it.’
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NB: un livre de témoignages de personnalités qui ont connues et / ou simplement rencontrées Marilyn. Dans le même genre que They Knew Marilyn Monroe

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La page tumblr "Always Marilyn Monroe" est entièrement dédiée à Marilyn Monroe et créé par une anglaise (Megan) avec des posts relatifs à l'actu de Marilyn, ou encore les livres que possède la créatrice de cette page. Le menu en haut permet d'accéder à une FAQ et les posts des blogs sont thématisés dans la partie "LINKS" par années, photographes, films, citations... avec photos et gifs. Enfin,  la partie "Archive" permet d'avoir un visuel plus aisé des posts par mois.
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