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Marilyn Collectors Sought By Author

Marilyn at home by John Florea, 1952 (Colourised)

ES member MMcamera tells us there is a new Marilyn book in the works, similar to Jenna Glatzer’s Marilyn Monroe Treasures, which included facsimiles of original documents and memorabilia, and was released through Barnes & Noble in 2008.

Carlton Books are looking for fans who would be willing to share any items connected with Marilyn such as letters, receipts, notes, etc. Basically anything that could be reproduced.

If you or someone you know can help please contact:

Jennifer Barr
Project Editor
Carlton Publishing Group
20 Mortimer Street
London
W1T 3JW

Email: [email protected]
Telephone: 0207 6120477

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Marilyn’s Gold Dress in Philadelphia

Marilyn Monroe’s legendary gold dress, designed by Travilla for Gentlemen Prefer Blondes (1953), features in Icons of Costume, exhibition of Hollywood wardrobe design, at the James A. Michener Art Museum in Philadelphia until September 5th.

Marilyn wore the dress while singing ‘Down Boy’, but most of the scene was cut.

Nonetheless, Marilyn modelled the dress for some of her most famous studio portraits, and caused a sensation when she was once again sewn into it for her appearance at the Photoplay Awards in March 1953, to accept her award as ‘Fastest Rising Star’.

Philadelphia Enquirer

Michener Museum

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Vanessa Paradis à la Marilyn

This drawing of Vanessa Paradis, the acclaimed French singer and actress, as Marilyn Monroe, first appeared in Madame Figaro magazine and was posted on ES by ‘princesshapnick’.

Vanessa’s admiration for Marilyn goes back to 1988, when she penned a song, ‘Marilyn & John’, for her debut album, M & J. Vanessa has also appeared in several campaigns for Chanel, Marilyn’s favourite perfume.

British readers may remember Vanessa’s early hit song, ‘Joe le Taxi’, and she is also the longtime partner of another movie legend, Johnny Depp. Speaking in this month’s Harper’s Bazaar, Vanessa revealed that her love for MM is still strong:

“I adore her as a singer, as an actress and a woman. There is something just divine about her.”

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When Greta Thyssen Was Marilyn’s Stand-In

Greta Thyssen, 1950s

Greta Thyssen, a former Danish beauty queen who came to Hollywood in the 1950s, recalls the tense atmosphere on the set of her movie debut, Bus Stop, where she acted as a stand-in for Marilyn Monroe.

“Q: You made your film debut in Bus Stop (1956), and you doubled for Marilyn Monroe. Did you get to know Marilyn a little?

A: Yes, I did. And that was a time when they were really hard on her. I felt so upset for her, because everybody was speaking behind her back.”

New Jersey Star Ledger

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Marilyn at the Kentucky Bar

En route to Mexico

On Friday, January 20, 1961, Marilyn arrived in El Paso, Texas with her lawyer, Aaron Frosch, and publicist, Pat Newcomb, and they crossed the frontier to Ciudad Juarez, Mexico (also a US-Mexican border town), where Marilyn’s divorce from Arthur Miller was then finalised.

In order to avoid publicity, Marilyn timed her trip to coincide with President John F. Kennedy’s inauguration, which she watched on television during a stopover at Love Field Airport, Dallas.

Kentucky Club, Ciudad Juarez, Mexico

Before leaving Mexico, Marilyn is said to have visited the famous Kentucky Club in Juarez, where she bought a round of drinks for the bar’s patrons.

Unfortunately, in recent years Juarez has been plagued by drug cartel violence, and the Kentucky Club, first established during the Prohibition era, is now facing closure.

Source

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Marilyn in Korea: ‘This One Is My Favourite’

Spotted by MM fan Colby George at a US branch of Target, this wall print features a lovely, candid shot from Marilyn’s 1954 visit to Korea, where she entertained American troops – later describing her trip as ‘the happiest time of my life’.

Information from Scott Fortner:

“Would you like to know something amazing? On two occasions, I was lucky enough to go through the two ‘missing file cabinets’ full of Marilyn Monroe documents and property. These were the cabinets from the Vanity Fair article. I saw an original of this shot in one of the cabinets. Marilyn Monroe herself owned this actual photo of her. It was likely given to her when she was there in Korea and she saved it, or perhaps it was sent to her by the GI that took the picture. On the back in Marilyn’s own handwriting a passage written, ‘This one is my favorite.'”