Marilyn+Monroe

During the mid-1900’s, finding a beautiful and talented woman was not common. Many woman only focused on home life and the war effort. There was no stereotypical actress or example of a successful woman. That was until the infamous Marilyn Monroe came into the spotlight. Though she had many personal demons, her accomplishments as a model, singer, and actress has made her one of the most revering woman in American history. On June 1, 1926, Gladys Baker Mortenson gave birth to beautiful, brunette baby girl whom she named Norma Jean Mortenson. The alleged father, Martin Edward Mortenson, and Gladys got divorced prior to Norma Jean’s birth and Gladys would change her last name to Baker. Norma Jean would deny that Mortenson was father, and her mother Gladys would try to convince Norma that her father was a Clark Gable lookalike, Charles Stanley Gifford. In Norma’s early years, Gladys was mentally unstable. She claimed to have heard voices and see things that weren’t actually there. Therefore, Norma spent her first 7 years in a foster home with parents Ida and Albert Bolender. In 1934, Gladys attempted to care for Norma. However, she did not have the mental stability to care for a child. She was sent to a mental hospital where she was diagnosed with schizophrenia. Norma then moved in with her mother’s best friend, Grace Mckee, who would be the first person to encourage Norma to be a star. When Norma was 9, Grace took her to an orphanage. Grace was to marry Doc Goddard and could not take care of Norma at the time. 2 years later, she would move in with the newlyweds. However, the arrangement did not work as well as Grace planned. Doc was a heavy drinker and was continually making sexual advances at Norma. Grace decided it would be better if Norma lived with other foster families. By the time Norma was twelve, she had been assaulted and violated. Even though she was the victim, Norma always felt as if she had brought the attacks upon herself. The only thing that kept the young victim going was her dream of being s star. Although they didn’t live together, Grace was continually taking Norma to the movies and encouraging her to keep pursuing her dreams. Unfortunately, Grace wasn’t exactly clear with the rest of her messages. Sometimes she would say that the reason Norma was being treated the way that she was because of her sexuality and provocative behavior. On the other hand, Grace said her beauty and sexuality would one day get her to all the places she wanted to be. The only thing Norma took from these experiences was that her appearance would give her great power when she became a star. When Norma became 15, Grace announced that she and Doc were moving to the East Coast and could not take Norma with them. Grace then gave her an ultimatum: go back to the orphanage or get married. Norma Jean Baker chose marriage, she would marry James Dougherty on June 19, 1942, just before the end of her sophomore year in school. The two fell in love, especially Norma. This is the first time she had a strong male figure in her life, a figure like a father. She even began to call in daddy. In Spring of 1944, James joined the Merchant Marines and was shipped off. Norma, just 17 years old at the time, would join the Radio Plane Company. A year later, Norma’s dreams would slowly start to activate. The First Motion Picture Unit sent photographer David Conover to take pictures of women of the war effort. Norma caught his eye and he photographed her. When the company saw her pictures, they told Conover to continue to photograph her and make her a model. In the year of 1946, Norma appeared in //Yank// Magazine and was sent through Blue Book Modeling Agency. Norma then went though a screen test with Twentieth Century-Fox. She then signed a one year contract with the company. The agents at Twentieth Century did not believe that Norma Jean was an appropriate name for a woman like her. This was the birth of the infamous name, Marilyn Monroe. Marilyn came from the theory that she looked like actress Marilyn Miller, and Monroe was her mother’s maiden name. Through all of this, James and, now Marilyn’s, marriage did not hold strong. He did not approve of her career and she became dedicated to her dream. The young couple divorced in 1946. Not only had her marriage fallen through, but it became apparent that her career wasn’t working either. She had done everything Twentieth asked her to do. She studied hard, she dedicated her life to her work, she even died her brown hair blonde to fit some of her parts. However, by 1947, Marilyn had only two, very small parts in film. Twentieth would renew contract. In 1948, Monroe was then signed with Columbia Pictures. Here she met two people who would be very important in her life. One was her acting coach Natasha Lytess, whom she allegedly had a lesbian relationship with. Another was Johnny Hyde. After a short career in Columbia, Monroe was dropped, however she kept relations with Hyde. After her second drop with an acting company, Monroe turned to acting for a short period. In 1949, photographer Tom Kelley convinced Marilyn to shoot in the nude. He promised that the pictures would not be used in a magazine or for public view. A year later, Hyde helped Monroe land two acting gigs, her first two movies that mattered. After her appearances in the to films of //The Asphalt Jungle//and //All About Eve//__,__ Hyde was able to negotiate a seven year contract with Twentieth Century-Fox once again. However, shortly after her success began, Johnny’s health began to fail. When Johnny Hyde was claimed dead in 1950, Natasha Lytess would find an unconscious with a mouth fill of dissolved pills. This was the first sign of what would become a long, painful battle with prescription drugs. Monroe’s troubles didn’t stop there. In 1952, Tom Kelley’s nude photos of Marilyn were leaked and used in a calendar. Marilyn was mortified and when interviewed, she claimed she needed the money. Just when she thought things wouldn’t get better, 1953 brought about better times. Monroe was photographed for the first time in LIFE magazine. That year Monroe was also casted in //Gentleman Prefer Blondes// with actress Jane Russell. After the premier of the movie, the two woman were asked to imprint their handprints on the Hollywood Walk of Fame. Monroe was chosen for this part due to her reputation as the newly stereotypical “dumb blonde.” The film further enhanced this image that Marilyn had come to create. She had become known as “the girl.” This image was a woman, of power, beauty, and sexuality. This woman caught everyone’s eye and became a sex symbol. Her image was very much appreciated when she was Playboy’s first centerfold in late 1953. This title was Marilyn’s and everyone would know it for a very long time. In late 1954, Marilyn Monroe married MLB star Joe Dimaggio. After a short honeymoon in Japan, Monroe was sent to Korea to perform for American Marines. Dimaggio did not like this at all. Like many men in her life, Joe Dimaggio did not appreciate her image as a sex symbol and felt as if it took away from her role as a wife. He also did not like how provocative she dressed. He would insult her and demand her to change her clothes very often. There had been many claims that Dimaggio had mentally abused Monroe on many occasions. The straw that broke the camels back was when Monroe was shooting one of her most famous films, //The Seven Year Itch.// In this film, Marilyn stars in her iconic skirt-blowing scene. As Dimaggio watched the filming of this scene, he became infuriated and left the set. After the filming was over, Dimaggio began to get loud and violent with Monroe. Not too long after, Marilyn filed divorce on grounds of abuse. During and after her divorce, Marilyn Monroe starred in 3 of her top films. These films include //Bus Stop, The Prince and The Showgirl,// and //Some Like it Hot.// Around this time, she also met author and play writer, Arthur Miller. Although it was an uncommon couple, even being called The Egghead and The Hourglass, the two got married in a civil ceremony on June 29, 1956. The ceremony took place in White Plains, New York. A week later, Monroe converted to Judaism and the two were again married, but this time is a Jewish ceremony. That August Monroe and Miller tried to have a child, however Monroe lost her unborn child early into the pregnancy. Due to female issues Marilyn had, she was forced to terminate a ectopic pregnancy a year later. While working on her film //Some Like it Hot,// she miscarried once more. Her willingness to keep trying to create a family with her husband is just one example of how dedicated Marilyn was to Arthur. Her dedication became very apparent when she risked her career to stand by her husband’s side during the Red Scare. Though the couple was always in the public eye due to its uniqueness, it was in broad daylight when a Communist scandal broke lose. During McCarthyism, many members of the entertainment world were accused by the House Un-American Activities Committee (HUAC) of being Communist or being associated with the party. When accused, entertainers were given the chance to be set free if they were to name suspected communist. Being one of the accused, Miller refused to give up names, unlike his close friend Elia Kazan who named Miller. HUAC chairman Francis Walter proposed a deal to Miller. If Miller agreed to let his wife pose for Walter’s campaign poster, he would let go Miller go. When he refused and continued to be stubborn, Miller was convicted. When Miller was sent to Washington for his hearing, Marilyn joined him. At the hearing, Monroe spoke for her husband. It is said that her words were to have greatly contributed to the appeal if Miller’s conviction. However, Monroe claims that her husband did not do enough for her. During the filming of her movie //Let’s Make Love,// Monroe’s health began to deteriorate. In 1960, Marilyn was rushed to an LA hospital for 10 days. On top of her health issues, it is said that Miller became interested in a German photographer, Inge Morath. The two met on the set of his film //The Misfits,// which Marilyn also starred in. His lack of help and his wandering interests both contributed to their divorce in late August, 1961. She began to see a psychiatrist, Dr. Ralph Greenson. After many doctors visits and prescriptions, Dr. Greenson noticed a progression towards addiction. After the divorce was finalized, Monroe was admitted to Payne Whitney Psychiatric Clinic. Due to her erratic behavior, she was put into a room locked from both sides. After several hysterical tantrums, Marilyn was put into a padded room and threatened with a straight jacket. Within a couple weeks, the patient was allowed one phone call. She chose to call her ex-husband, Joe Dimaggio. Although it was not a pretty divorce, she still saw him a father figure and someone to care for her. He immediately picked her up and demanded she be moved to another hospital. Monroe was moved to Columbia Presbyterian Hospital and discharged a month later. She soon returned to work and continued to catch the attention of men all over the country. In October of 1961, Marilyn met one important man at costar Peter Crawford’s beach house. This man was the United States President, John F. Kennedy. In February on 1962, John and Marilyn met up at a dinner. That night, JFK asked Monroe for her number, and she gave it to him. That same night, he called her and asked if she would meet him in Palm Springs that following March. John also included that his wife would not be joining them. After the spontaneous weekend, it seemed that Marilyn had become obsessed with Kennedy. Kennedy did not feel the same. He admired the image that came along with her as entertainment, but not as a wife. He even told her she was not first lady material. Jackie Kennedy was not naive and knew what had happened. She was not mad, instead she was disgusted. She wondered why John would want to get involved with such a troubled woman. Unfortunately, Jackie was the only one who saw how troubled she was. After being rejected by Kennedy and an increase in her mental instability, Monroe became more dependent on prescription drugs and alcohol. Although this was a constant fear throughout her life, her fear of inheriting her mother’s schizophrenia became a bigger issue. In April of 1962, the troubled star began work on her last film with Fox Studio’s, //Somethings Gotta Give.// However, her work ethic was also deteriorating along with her health. While her contract stated that she work for thirty five days, Monroe only showed up for twelve. That June, Monroe was fired and sued for a half of a million dollars for breach of her contract. However, Fox wanted to complete the film and negotiated a deal on August 1, 1962 to resume work in the Fall. Three days later, Marilyn spent the majority of her day with her psychiatrist. The next day, on August 5, 1962, Marilyn Monroe was found dead by her housekeeper. She was found face down on her bed, nude. Her cause of death was an overdose on sedatives. Although many will say it was a waste of a career because of her death, they forget to look at Marilyn Monroe’s contributions to America. Her ability to fight through her childhood and find a strength in the horror allowed her to fulfill her dreams. Through sexual assault, depression, three failed marriages, and countless health issues, Marilyn created an image never thought of before. She made the image of a successful, platinum blonde, sex symbol a favorable trait to have. Monroe set the standards for a great portion of people in the entertainment business. Her image has helped create the image of many actresses and personalities today such as Pamela Anderson and Anna Nicole Smith. She has also showed us how to find strength and goodness in a negative situation. With 30 successful films and millions of fans within about 12 years, her success has encouraged thousands of people today to break out of their shells and pursue their dreams. Without people like Marilyn Monroe, many people would still be afraid to continue through the hard times to reach a goal.