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‘Marilyn 1962’ Optioned For TV

French author Sebastien Cauchon’s novel, Marilyn 1962, has been optioned as a 10-episode TV mini-series, Variety reports.  Sebastien is a longtime admirer of MM, so this is great news for the fan community – and while we wait, let’s hope an English edition of his book is also on the way!

“Berlin-based Barry Films (Life) partnered with Marianne Maddalena (Scream) to option rights to Marilyn 1962, Sebastien Cauchon’s novel chronicling the last months in the life of icon Marilyn Monroe.

The critically-acclaimed book, which was published by Editions Stock in France and Chuokoron Shinsha Publishing in Japan, sheds light on what Monroe’s life and psyche was like on the year of her death, through the perspectives of twelve people in her closest entourage – from her feared publicist to her controversial doctor.

Cauchon, who has been passionate about Monroe for most of his life, said he got access to archives which emerged within the last several years at sales auctions. These memorabilia allowed him to identify members of Monroe’s entourage before her death in 1962. He also conducted interviews with photographers such as Bert Stern, George Barris, Douglas Kirkland, Larry Schiller and Bob Willoughby who spoke about their relationships with Monroe and her entourage.”

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Book News: ‘Marilyn 1962’

Marilyn 1962, a novel (in French) by Sebastien Cauchon about Marilyn’s inner circle during her final months, has just been published in paperback and via Kindle. It is also the subject of an article in the latest issue of Elle magazine (French edition.) As yet there is no English translation for Marilyn 1962, but watch this space.

“Eunice, Whitey, Cherie, Ralph, Inez, Paula, Agnes, Evelyn, May and Ralph again as well as Larry and Pat.

Behind these twelve names: colleagues, friends or close friends around whom Marilyn Monroe lived her last months in Los Angeles in 1962. Her family. In reality nearly all of her employees. Amongst them, not one whose daily professional life was not tied to their privileged relationship with the actress. For a long time simply recurring names stumbled across in the pages of biographies or spotted at the end of film credits. Bit players in Marilyn’s world whose faces could be seen on her periphery in press photographs if you took the trouble to scan the background. A small, attentive, salaried group composing her ‘entourage’ as it is commonplace to define those whose lives revolve around celebrities.

A shadow army with a subtle and shifting social order composed of allies from the outset as well as new recruits, the strong-willed and the discreet, top professionals as well as no-hopers. An entourage at the heart of which co-existed latent conflicts, open hostilities, suspicion, dedication, plots and sometimes sincere camaraderie. What did it mean to them to rub shoulders with Hollywood’s greatest star?”

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Marilyn’s Vanity Fair: A Tale of Many Covers

Marilyn makes the cover of Vanity Fair‘s August issue (French edition only.) If the photo looks familiar, that’s because it was previously used on Vanity Fair‘s US edition, back in October 2008.

And by comparison with Bert Stern’s original photo, you can tell that poor Marilyn has fallen victim to the digital airbrush!

Some fans have suggested that another, more flattering Stern photo could have been used…

The magazine includes an article about Lawrence Schiller’s photos of Marilyn, filming the poolside scene in Something’s Got to Give. As some readers may recall, an extract from Schiller’s book, Marilyn & Me, was published in the US edition of Vanity Fair in June 2012. The French article, however, is written by MM superfan Sebastien Cauchon.

Which begs the question – why wasn’t a Schiller photo used on the cover? Many fans were asking the same question in 2012, when an Andre de Dienes photo was used on the US cover of Vanity Fair, and not Schiller.

The answer, according to Sebastien Cauchon, is that Schiller’s poolside nudes don’t include a full-face, colour shot of Marilyn making eye contact with the camera. Marilyn & Me‘s original cover (later rejected) showed a pensive, full-face shot of MM in a fur hat, on the set of Something’s Got to Give – but not a nude. Presumably Vanity Fair‘s editors felt that a cheerful beach shot from De Dienes – though taken 13 years previously – was more in keeping with the summery, au naturel theme.

And as Sebastien Cauchon explained to members of Immortal Marilyn’s Facebook group this weekend, his article differs from the 2012 extract because its main subject is the proposed Playboy cover shoot Marilyn was considering at the time of her death (though according to Schiller, she was having second thoughts about the project.)

The article includes Hugh Hefner’s letter to Schiller and fellow photographer Bill Woodfield, explaining the concept of the mooted cover – click on the photo below to read in full.

The photo shoot went ahead with model Sheralee Connors taking Marilyn’s place, and was featured in Playboy‘s 1962 Christmas issue.

Photo by Fraser Penney