Thread by @classicblondess

It’s (almost) June 1st which means it’s time to share Marilyn’s life story. Marilyn was born at 9:30 am to Gladys Pearl Monroe. Gladys listed her second husband, Edward Mortensen, as the baby’s father, although her dad was actually Charles Stanley Gifford.

Within two weeks, Norma Jeane was placed with the Bolenders. They took in children who were in need of a home for $25/month. Gladys dutifully paid for Norma Jeane’s care for seven years and visited Norma Jeane almost every weekend.

I’m not going to say that Gladys was always the perfect mom, but it’s worth noting that she did make an effort with Norma Jeane. Her dream was to live with and care for Norma Jeane and her two other children, Berniece and Robert. Gladys would take Norma Jeane on weekend getaways,

including Catalina. Sometimes she’d also bring Lester, the Bolender’s adopted son. The Bolenders wanted to adopt Norma Jeane as well, but Gladys wouldn’t hear of it, insisting that she was working towards providing a home for her children. (Pictured: Norma Jeane and Lester)

The Bolenders worked hard to provide a stable environment for their kids. Norma Jeane received a dog, Tippy, who was tragically killed by a neighbor.

The Bolenders were also quite religious. They’d had Norma Jeane baptized by Aimee Semple McPherson and Norma Jeane graduated from the Hawthorn Community Sunday School in 1930. The Bolenders thought movies were sinful, a stark contrast from Gladys’ career as a film cutter.

It’s worth noting that Norma Jeane was not named after Norma Shearer. Instead, she was named after a little girl Gladys had helped care for in Kentucky (she was there in a desperate attempt to get her kids back in 1923) named Norma Jean Cohen.

In 1929, a fire broke out at Gladys’ work. She heroically led people out of the burning building, but her job moved to Santa Monica. Unable to continue working at Consolidated, Gladys got a job at Columbia studios.

During this time, Gladys briefly moved in with the Bolenders. This would give Norma Jeane some much needed time with her mother, but it also led to conflicts with Gladys living a very hedonistic lifestyle (by 1920s standards) compared to the Bolenders’ strict religiousness.

In 1931, Norma Jeane started school at Ballona Elementary. She’s on the left hand side in this class picture:

In 1933, Gladys rented an apartment at 6021 Afton Place. She took Norma Jeane with her that June. Norma Jeane struggled with leaving the Bolenders, feeling like she’d left her family to be with someone she hadn’t gotten to spend much time with.

Gladys eventually purchased 6812 Arbol Drive (a four bedroom home) and a new Plymouth. It was a risky venture to undertake during the depression, but Gladys purchased the home through a New Deal program for $5,000. Unable to pay for it completely on her own, Gladys rented rooms.

TW//Sexual Abuse

It is during this time that Norma Jeane was molested. Accounts differ on who it was, but Marilyn named a Mr. Kimmell. When Norma Jeane told Gladys, she slapped the little girl and told her not to say such a horrible things about a boarder.

During this time, Gladys learned her son, Robert, had died. She screamed at Norma Jeane, “Why couldn’t it have been you?” This will mark the beginning of Gladys’s swift mental decline.

In January of 1934, Gladys was found under the stairs of her home manically laughing and sobbing by a member of the Atkinson family (a family boarding rooms in the home). Gladys was deemed insane and put in a state hospital. Norma Jeane would continue living with the Atkinsons.

It’s worth noting that Arbol Drive was in an affluent area, and the Atkinsons were negligent. It wasn’t uncommon to see Norma Jeane outside playing with beer bottles and cigarette butts. The state welfare board was eventually contacted.

Their first stop was Edward Mortensen. Marilyn recalled: “I never called myself Mortensen at any time because Mr. Mortensen was not my father. He proved that to the satisfaction of the authorities, and for that reason, he had no financial responsibility for me.”

Eventually, Grace McGee was declared both Gladys’s and Norma Jeane’s legal guardian. She sold off Gladys’s estate, and just under $4000 was put in a trust for Norma Jeane’s care.

Grace married Doc Goddard in August of 1935. This is where there’s some confusion. People claim that Grace took Norma Jeane to the orphanage to spend time with Doc. In actuality, she was legally required to place Norma Jeane there for a year starting in September of 1935.

In 1936, Grace was awarded guardianship of Norma Jeane; however, the child still needed to finish her year at the Los Angeles Orphan’s Home. Grace pulled her out in October of 1936.

Took me half an hour, but I found the documents I needed. It is worth noting that Marilyn would later claim she was pulled out of the orphanage on the day of Jean Harlow’s death. This is categorically false. We know this because Grace kept meticulous records of her expenses which

include boarding. Grace would need to file for reimbursement from Gladys’s estate which she did several times throughout her life. Second, Marilyn would claim her care was paid for by government checks. According to Grace’s records, it was pulled from Gladys’s estate.

While I am in no way saying that monetary items make up for a fractured family life, it is worth noting that Grace spoiled Norma Jeane. This 1941 expense list shows a coat that would cost $257.44 in 2022 dollars and a $30 allowance.

After 14 months with Grace, Doc and Doc’s children, Norma Jeane moved in with her Aunt Olive, cousins and Olive’s mother, Ida Martin. Norma Jeane wouldn’t have fond memories of Ida, remembering her as a harsh disciplinarian. This may be due to Olive’s husband (Gladys’ brother)

abandoning the family and presumably dying. Regardless, Marilyn was close with her cousin, Ida Mae. In March of 1938, a flood destroyed Martin’s home. Grace kept up the payments to help them rebuild, but Norma Jeane went to live with Grace’s brother’s family, the Atchinsons.

TW// Sexual Assault

She then returned to the Goddard’s home where Doc kissed her and possibly fondled her in bed. She was swiftly moved to Ana Lower’s home where she would live until 1940.

It is worth noting that there are families that Norma Jeane lived with temporarily that I have not mentioned; however, these moves weren’t permanent and it’s doubtful they received any meaningful payment.

Norma Jeane loved living with Ana. She was also reunited with the black baby grand piano her mother had purchased for their home back in 1934 being Ana had bought it when Grace liquidated the estate.

Ana began to suffer health issues and Norma Jeane returned to live with Grace and Doc. She was also reunited with Doc’s kids, Bebe, Nona and John. Nona wasn’t accepting of Norma Jeane, but Bebe adored her.

Norma Jeane’s life would remain stable for the next two years. She graduated from the ninth grade and began attending high school.

In 1942, the Goddards needed to relocate to West Virginia. Norma Jeane had gone on several dates with the boy next door, Jim Dougherty, and it was decided the couple would marry to avoid Norma Jeane going back to the orphanage.

I’ve seen a lot of people accuse the Goddards of not wanting to take Norma Jeane. This is untrue. They legally could not take her, and Doc needed to follow his job.

There is much debate about how much Norma Jeane loved Jim. I think the best way to describe it was a teenage crush that resulted in a quick marriage ceremony out of necessity. Norma Jeane and Jim had happy moments with one another, but they were most likely mutually infatuated.

In 1943, Jim got on with the Merchant Marines as a fitness instructor and the couple moved to Catalina island. It seems to have been a relatively peaceful time in Norma Jeane’s life.

She even wrote a letter to her sister during this time

Jim was sent off to the Pacific front in the spring of 1945. Norma Jeane went to live with his mother who got her a job at Radioplane. Norma Jeane started as a diode before transferring to become a parachute inspector. She also kept in contact with Grace.

During that time, Norma Jeane was spotted by an army photographer named David Conover. A modeling career was born.

In 1945, she would purchase her piano back from Ana for $10.

And she began modeling exclusively, leaving her job at Radioplane.

She eventually went over to Blue Book Modeling Agency. Her first job was modeling filing cabinets.

By the end of the year, she was dating Andre de Dienes, a photographer. She was also still very much married to Jim. de Dienes photos pictures below.

In 1946, she was advised to go blonde by Blue Book owner Emmeline Snively. Norma Jeane agreed, and the process was paid for by Frank and Joseph in exchange for Norma Jeane posing for ads. Sylvia Barnhart supervised the coloring process.

We’re going to end here for right now. I’ll finish the rest in the morning. 🥰

On March 16, 1946, Jim was back on leave and took Norma Jeane to the Cocoanut Grove. By that point, Norma Jeane had her own apartment and there simply wasn’t room for Jim. The couple argued during his trip with Jim asking her to stop her modeling career.

The following month, Norma Jeane made her first national cover with The Family Circle.

On July 5, 1946, Norma Jeane filed for divorce from Jim in Las Vegas. She was legally required to stay in the state for 60 days; however, she spent almost all of her time in California working.

On July 17th, Norma Jeane met with Fox’s Ben Lyon for an interview. She had a screen test a few days later and signed a contract with Fox on July 26, 1946. She was paid $150/week ($2,223.92 in 2022 dollars).

A few days later on September 5th, she and Grace signed a waiver saying she could work. This was due to Norma Jeane being 20 years old. However, this was unnecessary being Norma Jeane had been married.

On December 5, 1946, Norma Jeane’s name was changed to Marilyn Monroe. For clarity, I’ll be using Marilyn throughout the rest of the thread.

Marilyn’s divorce was granted in September 1946. She celebrated with her mom, sister, niece, Ana and Grace. These are the last known photographs of Marilyn with Gladys.

Marilyn spent her time at Fox working to perfect her acting ability. However, in July of 1947, Marilyn learned they would not be picking up her option. She was out of work.

However, Marilyn was savvy, and she aligned herself with John Carroll and his wife, Lucille Ryman. John was a successful actor and Lucille worked as head of talent at MGM. They would pay struggling starlets a salary in exchange for earnings, placing girls in their apartments.

Lucille would later recall: "Under Marilyn's baby-doll kitten exterior, she is tough and shrewd and calculating or she wouldn't be where she is today.” During this time, it’s likely Marilyn and John started an affair. However, John wasn’t going to leave Lucille for a starlet.

Lucille had also been on the merry go round before. However, she also held fondness for Marilyn and would later help her land the role of Angela in The Asphalt Jungle.

In March 1948, Marilyn returned to the Fox lot to appear in the employee production Strictly for Kicks. It didn’t get the Fox heads to re-sign her, and she eventually found her way to Columbia, the same studio her mom had worked at.

Marilyn was styled in the same vein as Rita Hayworth with Cohn hoping she would give Rita a run for her money.

During this time she would meet two of the most influential people in her life, Natasha Lytess and Fred Karger.

Natasha worked as a dramatic coach of Columbia. She and Marilyn would spend the next 7 years working together, with Natasha following Marilyn to Fox.

Fred Karger worked as a music arranger and singing coach. Marilyn would consider him the first love of her life and the couple dated on-and-off for a few months. She would befriend Karger’s family who would remain staples in her life until her death.

Marilyn would receive her first starring role at the studio in a B-picture called Ladies of the Chorus.

When her six month option came up in September 1948, Marilyn was dropped. This is likely due to refusing sexual advances from Harry Cohn which Marilyn would recall in her ghostwritten autobiography, My Story.

Marilyn returned to modeling work, making deals with photographers she’d worked for in the past and getting work through Emmeline Snively. One of her most famous deals was with pinup artist Earl Moran.

That December, Marilyn did two things. First, she gave Fred Karger an engraved gold watch that she’d make payments on long after they broke up. Second, she met Johnny Hyde at a New Years Party.

Hyde previously represented the likes of Rita Hayworth and Linda Darnell. He was infatuated with the starlet, eventually leaving his wife for her in the Spring of 1949. He dedicated much of his time to get her work.

However, Marilyn wasn’t given money by Hyde at regular intervals. On May 27, 1949, needing to fix her car, she posed nude for Tom Kelley. She was given $50 and signed the release as Mona Monroe.

I want to put a side note here that A New Wrinkle was actually published as a calendar first in 1951. I have only seen one of those calendars in the 15 years of dedicated Monroe-fandom I have under my belt. The most famous is the 1952 Golden Dreams calendar.

August 1949, Marilyn went to Durango, Colorado for on location filming for A Ticket to Tomahawk. Johnny Hyde had helped her get the role of Clara, a chorus girl.

It is sometimes claimed Marilyn met Milton Greene during this time due to a telegram he received signed “Marylin.” However, Marilyn was in Durango when it was sent while the telegram originated in New York.

Marilyn received the role of Angela in The Asphalt Jungle and rang in the New Year with Johnny Hyde (pictured below).

Hyde was still working for Marilyn and helped her land the role of Miss Caswell in All About Eve for Fox. This contract was temporary.

I’m going to make a side note here that it may feel like I’m rushing through, but the thread has to end at some point, so I’m posting major events rather than every document and photo I have.

While not a contract player, Fox did use Marilyn’s image to help advertise the film, including making a deal with LeGalion for Sortilege perfume.

On December 18, 1950, Johnny Hyde passed away. He’d been working to get Marilyn back at Fox full time. Marilyn was kicked out of their shared home by his family and promptly moved in with Natasha Lytess.

However, his work had paid off. On May 11, 1951, Marilyn got a long-term contract with Fox. She was paid $500/week ($5,559.79 in 2022 dollars).

Marilyn spent 1951 making a number of films back to back. This would be her schedule for the next few years until her walk out on Fox at the end of 1954.

Her hard work paid off, and Marilyn received the Henrietta Award for Best Young Box Office Personality in 1952. Supposedly, the Oleg Cassini dress led a columnist to say she dressed poorly.

In response, Fox photographer Gene Kornman photographed Marilyn in a Travilla-designed potato sack dress in February of 1952.

Travilla recalled: “Marilyn has the most fantastically perfect figure in the world. No matter how you dress her, she looks sexy. You could even put her in a burlap bag. I know because I did it. She still looked great—although I doubt if she’d like it for a regular wardrobe.”

Around this time, Joe DiMaggio noticed a starlet in some photos with White Sox players. He knew he had to meet the woman and promptly got to work to set up a date.

The two met at Villa Nova, Marilyn would recall: “He arrived alone…I arrived alone…we left together.”

I’m March, news of Marilyn’s nude calendar broke. Marilyn was advised to deny it was her in the photos. Instead, Marilyn made arrangements to “spill the beans” to Ailne Mosby.

Fox anxiously awaited what would happen with her. If the public wouldn’t accept her explanation, she would be dropped. Luckily, people sympathized with the struggling starlet.

As a sign of support, Joe visited her on the set of Monkey Business on the film’s final shooting day in April.

On April 18, Fox picked up her option. Her salary was raised to $750/week. Ten days later, Marilyn had her appendix removed. She affixed this note to her stomach:

I’ve seen a lot of people wonder why she would be worried about her ovaries when they were removing her appendix. It was due to the incision used. Rather than risk a scar in a noticeable place, Marilyn’s stomach was cut open just above the pubic area.

Marilyn survived the calendar scandal, but another was on the horizon. While she had always claimed she was an orphan, it was revealed her mother was actually alive. Marilyn went straight to the press in early May to clarify why she’d lied.

Again, Fox waited to see how the public would handle it. Again, they were surprised when they readily accepted Marilyn. Fun Fact time: This is also when Marilyn admitted to never seeing a Jean Harlow film to Louella Parsons.

On June 1st, Marilyn was announced to have received the role of Lorelei Lee over Betty Grable. Grable was reportedly devastated. However, Marilyn receiving it likely wasn’t a huge shock for Marilyn because she’d been sent to New York to watch Carole Channing in August 1951.

In June, Marilyn left to begin filming Niagara. She stopped in New York where she was spotted out with Al Martino.

I want to point out that the Joe and Marilyn relationship wasn’t always on steady ground in early to mid 1952. Both went out with other people.

While filming Niagara, Marilyn met Robert Slatzer. I have written extensively about Slatzer here:

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On August 3, 1952, Marilyn attended a party thrown in her honor by Fox at Ray Anthony’s home.

On September 2, Marilyn was made Grand Marshall at the Miss America pageant. In response to criticism on her dresses, she reportedly said “I thought people were staring at my Grand Marshall badge.”

Marilyn never said this. In fact, it was said by her publicity agent Roy Craft who didn’t want to wake her up for a quote. Marilyn would later say, “Yes. That’s the only joke Roy ever made up for me, and I didn’t like it.”

During this time, Marilyn was renting a home at Castillian Drive. This is falsely reported as Marilyn and Joe’s Honeymoon Home, but they were well out of it by the time they got married.

In November, so time and hair tests began on Gentlemen Prefer Blondes.

David Conover visited her on set.

It is during this time that the first costume for Diamonds is photographed. Some biographers erroneously claim it was deemed unsuitable due to the calendar story just breaking; however, as we can see, the calendar story was broken months before.

What’s more likely is that it was known the costume wouldn’t pass the censors, so Zanuck had it scrapped. It was eventually repurposed and worn by Sheree North.

I’m going to skip ahead a little bit to February 9, 1953, when Marilyn was awarded The Fastest Rising Star of 1952 award by Photoplay. Joan Crawford famously compared Marilyn to a burlesque show, resulting in Marilyn claiming she was hurt by Crawford’s comments.

In March, filming began on How to Marry a Millionaire. The press expected fireworks between Grable and Monroe, but they got along well. There’s no evidence Betty told her “I’ve had mine, now go get yours,” with the claim coming several years later by Walter Winchell.

However, Betty did say that to Dan Dailey. Betty was smart enough to realize her time at Fox was coming to an end, and she quit her contract as soon as filming ended with Fox’s blessing.

On June 26, Marilyn and Jane Russell placed their hands at Grauman’s. Joe DiMaggio didn’t come but did meet Marilyn afterwards at Chasen’s.

In August, Marilyn went to Canada to begin filming River of No Return. She routinely fought with director Otto Preminger. Fun Fact Time: This dress is a repurposed Betty Grable gown.

During filming, Marilyn sprained her ankle after slipping on some rocks. She had to put her leg in a cast. Joe came to visit her as well.

Shortly after returning to Los Angeles, Marilyn met Milton Greene. You can see the cast on her foot:

At the end of September 1953, Grace killed herself by overdoing on barbiturates.

On November 4, 1953, Marilyn attended the premiere of How to Marry a Millionaire with Lauren Bacall and Humphrey Bogart.

On November 14, Marilyn met King Paul and Queen Frederika. You’ll notice she’s wearing the brown suit she would wear the following year to marry Joe DiMaggio.

Marilyn was shortly after called to begin filming The Girl in Pink Tights. She refused. On December 23, 1953, she flew to San Francisco to spend the holiday season with Joe and his family.

On January 14, 1954 Joe and Marilyn were married. There are going to be allegations of abuse in some of the following tweets.

On January 26, 1954, Marilyn was suspended for a second time by Fox for not making Pink Tights. This would the start of the end of her working relationship with the company.

On January 29, 1954, Joe and Marilyn picked up their passports to go to Japan. Marilyn was also negotiating her appearances in Korea.

On February 1st, the couple left for a working honeymoon. Marilyn’s finger was noticeably bandaged. There are several stories relating to this incident.

The first is that Marilyn hugged Joe from behind and he threw her off of him, not knowing who was hugging him.

The second is that Marilyn and Joe were fighting. He slammed her finger in a suitcase, resulting in her needing a splint. Regardless of what happened, her finger was clearly injured.

While in Honolulu, the couple ate at Trader Vic’s.

On the 2nd, the couple arrived in Tokyo. People were more enthralled in seeing Marilyn than Joe, even though he was the prime reason they were out there.

From February 16-19, Marilyn toured Korea to sing to 100,000 troops. Random fun fact: Michael Caine saw her perform.

Marilyn returned to Tokyo to be with Joe. She proudly told him that he never had heard so much cheering. He responded with, “Yes, I have. And they’ll boo just as loudly.”

Due to her hectic Korea schedule, Marilyn got sick and was on antibiotics until the couple departed on the 23rd.

On March 8, Marilyn accepted Photoplay’s Best Actress award. Sydney Skolsky accompanied her.

Whispers in Hollywood were wondering about the state of the DiMaggio’s marriage.

On April 15, 1954, Marilyn’s suspension was finally ended. She held a press conference in her dressing room.

She was promptly put in There’s No Business Like Show Business. During filming, she visited the set of Desiree. Heavy bruising was noted on Marilyn’s left arm. She claimed she bit herself in her sleep, but people around her believed it was signs of abuse from Joe.

Reports also suggest that Joe visited her when she was filming Heat Wave. When she went to hug him, he pushed her away and wouldn’t pose with her in photos. Emmeline Snively visited that same day to compare Marilyn’s measurements.

On September 8, 1954, Marilyn arrived in New York to film exteriors for The Seven Year Itch.

On September 15, Marilyn filmed the dress blowing sequence. Joe was reportedly furious. Accounts differ on what happened after, so I’m going to share some quotes.

‘She said she had screamed and yelled for us…Her husband had got very, very mad with her, and he beat her up a little bit. … It was on her shoulders, but we covered it up, you know … a little makeup, and she went ahead and worked.’ - Gladys Whitten

‘I was sitting on the bed with her mink around me, and Marilyn started to get undressed. She forgot I was sitting there and that she was taking off her blouse. … Her back was black and blue — I couldn’t believe it, so she just said, ‘Yes…’- Amy Greene to Anthony Summers

‘They loved one another, but they couldn’t be married to one another. … Sometimes he gave her a bad time — he’d hit her up a bit.’ - Whitey Snyder

Regardless of what happened, the marriage was over. Marilyn announced her divorce on October 6, 1954.

On November 6, a wrap party for the Seven Year Itch was thrown at Romanoff’s. It doubled as Marilyn’s official welcome to Hollywood. Random Fact: Marilyn is wearing the dress @TheMitziGaynor wore in There’s No Business Like Show Business.

Six days later, Marilyn went to the hospital to receive an operation for her endometriosis.

Her first public appearance after that was to support Ella Fitzgerald at The Tiffany Club. I’ve written about it in detail here: classicblondes.com/2018/04/10/ell…

In December of 1954, Marilyn moved in with Milton and Amy Greene. She celebrated Christmas with the couple.

On January 7, 1955, Marilyn announced the formation of Marilyn Monroe Productions. The reception was lukewarm at best, and the Arthur P. Jacobs company got to work to remake Marilyn’s image.

I forgot to mention it above, but in November of 1950, Marilyn received a chin implant and minor work on her nose. You can see the scar from the chin implant in this 1955 photo:

Marilyn had first met Lee Strasberg in 1951. She threw herself into working with him, although, she never officially joined the Actor’s Studio.

On March 9, 1955, Marilyn worked as an usherette at the East of Eden premiere. She became reacquainted with Arther Miller, whom she’d first met in 1951. They would begin an affair that lasted about a year before he divorced his wife.

If you don’t read the Ella article, I’m just going to quick note that Marilyn was photographed in New York while Ella was performing at The Mocambo in LA.

On June 1, 1955, Joe and Marilyn attended the premiere of The Seven Year Itch. Marilyn firmly said no reconciliation was happening. The couple ended up fighting.

Marilyn was firmly entrenched in her affair with Arthur, something Joe likely didn’t know about. Her summer was spent with Arthur and the Greenes.

On October 31, 1955, Marilyn’s divorce from Joe became final.

On December 12, 1955, Marilyn attended the Rose Tattoo premiere as did Jayne Mansfield. While it’s not the only time they were at the same event, it would be the only time they were photographed.

On February 9, 1956, Marilyn and Olivier announced The Prince and the Showgirl to be completed after Bus Stop.

Marilyn drafted her first will at this time. She left half her estate to Arthur Miller.

On February 25, 1956, Marilyn flew to Hollywood with Milton Greene to begin filming Bus Stop.

Marilyn and Arthur would exchange love letters during filming. He would refer to her as “Dearest Wife”: people.com/celebrity/read…

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On June 21, 1956, Arthur announced his intention to marry Marilyn. Marilyn didn’t know and was blindsided in the lobby of her building. However, she was overjoyed at the news.

On July 1, Marilyn converted to Judaism and married Arthur.

On July 14, 1956, the couple arrived in England to begin filming The Prince and the Showgirl.

Much has been made about Arthur’s diary entry, but it doesn’t appear to have affected Marilyn as deeply as people claim. Filming was fraught with tension as Olivier and Marilyn fought constantly.

It is during this time that some people claim Marilyn had a miscarriage. This is untrue. It was Vivien Leigh who miscarried.

This would also signify the end of Marilyn’s partnership with Milton. Contrary to what is claimed, their separation was acrimonious, going so far as to argue about a salad bowl.

Marilyn would publicly accuse Milton of stealing from her, saying that her company wasn’t made to give him 50% of her earnings. This also signaled the end of MMP and Marilyn’s production efforts.

I’m trying to shorten this up a bit being it’s about 7 hours of tweeting so far, but the main things to know about 1957 are that Marilyn took time off to start a family and suffered an ectopic pregnancy. Here she is with Arthur leaving the hospital.

On July 8, 1958, Marilyn arrived in Hollywood to film Some Like It Hot. She did not want Tony Curtis cast.

While there, she visited her plastic surgeon only to discover that her chin implant had dissolved.

Filming was cantankerous. Marilyn discovered she was pregnant in September, around the time she took some of the Fabled Enchantress photos.

By the time filming wrapped in November, no one was talking to Marilyn. In December, she lost her baby at around 4 months. Marilyn was devastated, especially being she’d been unable to curb her drug and alcohol use.

The film opened in March 1959 to rave reviews. Marilyn was in Chicago to promote it.

In November of 1959, Marilyn arrived in Los Angeles to begin filming Let’s Make Love with Yves Montand.

The film would not be completed until March of 1960 due to a writer’s strike. Arthur made rewrites. Marilyn would eventually start an affair with Yves Montand.

On March 8, Marilyn won a Golden Globe for Best Actress.

Scheduled to be completed*^

Marilyn celebrated her 34th birthday on set with Yves. By this time, Arthur discovered the affair as Marilyn was not at all discreet.

Filming finally ended in late June. Yves returned to his wife. Marilyn was devastated. Marilyn couldn’t wallow in her despair. She had to prepare for filming The Misfits.

Miller and Marilyn arrived in Reno on July 20th to begin filming. At this time; they were sharing a room. By the end, their marriage would be over and the entire cast and crew was forced to pick sides.

Besotted with problems, including Huston gambling away the film’s budget and Marilyn overdosing, the film wouldn’t finish until November 1960.

When Arthur and Marilyn returned to New York, he promptly moved out. The press hounded the blonde star once they found out.

On January 20, 1961, Marilyn went to Juarez, Mexico to obtain a divorce. It was immediately granted.

Afraid of MM’s threats of suicide, Dr. Marianne Kris put her in the Payne Whitney Mental Hospital on February 5th. Marilyn was eventually transferred to the ward for “severely disturbed” patients. She was released on February 10th when Joe demanded Dr. Kris have her released.

Marilyn was promptly entered into Columbia hospital due to “exhaustion.” In actuality, these were attempted to get her much needed mental health care and detox her from pills. Marilyn sent a long letter to Dr. Greenson during this time.

On March 6, 1961, Marilyn was released from the hospital.

During this time, she became more involved with Joe, eventually accompanying him to Florida.

On June 11, 1961, Marilyn attended the christening of the late Clark Gable’s infant son.

On June 29th, Marilyn had her gallbladder removed. She was released on the 11th to large crowds. The stains on her dress are from her stitches bursting open.

I’m going to skip forward again. That’s not to say nothing happened during this time, but it’s getting to be a much longer thread than I expected. Marilyn purchased her first home for $57,720.15 in February of 1962.

On March 5, 1962, she received her second golden globe award for World Film Favorite.

On April 10th, makeup and costume tests are completed for Something’s Got to Give. Marilyn will make an agreement with Fox to perform at JFK’s birthday gala the following month.

The following day, Marilyn is sent a letter thanking her for agreeing to participate at the gala.

Against Fox’s wishes, Marilyn attends the JFK gala. Her hair is done by Mr. Kenneth and makeup by Marie Irvine. Her dress is made by Jean Louis.

Marilyn is described as wearing beads and skin. Her date that night is her former father-in-law, Isidore Miller.

The crew isn’t especially welcoming of Marilyn when she gets back. She’ll be fired on June 6th.

In the coming months, Marilyn will fight bad publicity from the firing, posing for the likes of Bert Stern and George Barris. She’ll also become more depending on Engelberg and Greenson, relying on Engelberg to give her a constant stream of pills.

The last photos of Marilyn are taken on July 28, 1962 at the Cal-Neva.

Marilyn passes away on August 5, 1962 at roughly 1 am, although her body had begun shutting down several hours before. She was 36 years old.

Inventory of Marilyn’s estate