The 1950s

//DISCLAIMER!! As a lot of you requested me to write a post about this subject and since I think it´s an important topic, I decided to post it.  Have in mind that this is only facts. Please respect each other and keep the comment section civil//

//1940´s workers//

After years of war, poverty and bank crisis, the world started to slowly open up again. People wanted to break free from the strict and boring past. Europeans wanted to catch up and listen to music everyone else was already dancing too.They wanted to eat the food that was no longer out of reach. It was a new time for the people, and it showed in the way they dressed and the things they did.

Nowadays, most people sees the 1950´s as the decade of glamour, elegance and luxury. They seem to forget all the other things behind it. What if we look under all that perfect facade? What will we find then?

//1950´s family//

Love is love

Something that was very common during this time was overt racism and segregation. African Americans had been fighting against racial discrimination for centuries, however, during the 1950´s, racism and segregation entered the mainstream of the ordinary american life. Parents didn´t let their children go to the same school as black children or sit next to them at the bus. As horrifying as it sounds, it was the truth back then and it still exists to this day, to some extent. People of colour was seen as something toxic, dirty or even dangerous. One wanted to be white, innocent and fairy-like as it was seen as then.

//Labelled water fountains in 1950//

Even though the majority of people thought of African Americans as something bad, there were still a few people who saw humans as humans, no matter what colour of skin they had. Two of these people were Mildred and Richard Loving. They were simply two family friends that fell in love, got married and started a family together - but in 1950´s Virginia, it was not so easy. In the state of Virginia and it´s anti-miscegenation laws, they committed a felony by marrying each other. Richard was of Irish and English descent, as Mildred was of African American and Native American descent, which made it an illegal act for them to marry.

"What are you doing in bed with this woman?" The Sheriff asked. Mildred simply answered "I´m his wife."
In July of 1958, the Lovings were being questioned by Sheriff R Garnet Brooks. The Sheriff did not hold back on his questioning and it ended with them being arrested for violating Virginia´s Racial Integrity Act. Richard spent one night in jail before being released by his sister who paid his bond. Mildred, however, was not allowed a bond. After her release three days after, the couple was left with a choice - to leave Virginia for 25 years or go to prison. The couple left Virgina and went to Washington D.C. After nine years in exile, they were allowed to visit family in Virginia.

In the late 1960´s, they went to court and worked hard to change the laws and make it legal for them to be married. It took almost ten years, but the Lovings were finally legally home in Virginia. They built a house and lived together until the 1970´s, when Richard died in a car accident. Mildred never remarried and continued to live in the house he built for them. 

"I believe all Americans, no matter their race, no matter their sex, no matter their sexual orientation, should have that same freedom to marry. Government has no business imposing some people’s religious beliefs over others. Especially if it denies people’s civil rights."- Mildred Loving.

//Richard and Mildred Loving//

In the 1950´s, the majority of people didn´t share the same view on love. Just as interracial couples, homosexuals were seen as something bad, and against the rules. Homosexuality was considered as a disease and something to be "cured". A lot of people also compared homosexuality to incest, with the reason that "Being with another man is like being with your brother". Since religion was an important part of life for most people, many also believed that the bible was against homosexuality, which was another reason to hate homosexual men and women.

On the photo below, you can see a romantic gay couple posing in a photo booth in 1953.
In a time when people could be arrested for simply holding hands with someone of the same sex or wear clothes from the wrong department, this photo could´ve given these two men a lot of trouble.

//J. J. Belanger and his love in 1953//

"The picture was once owned by the young man on the right-hand side ofhe image above, Joseph John Bertrund Belanger,” Kyle Morgan, an archivist at the ONE Archives, explains on Time. “Belanger, for most of his life, was a devoted collector of LGBT history. Born in Edmonton, Canada, in 1925, he served in the Royal Canadian Air Force and was a member of the Mattachine Society – an early instance of what today would be called an LGBT organisation — in the early 1950s. It is thanks to his passion and foresight that the image survives today."

Sex, abuse and prejudice

Sexual abuse wasn´t something people spoke about openly in the 1950´s. It was considered shameful and it was mostly the victim that was ostracised for telling and not the perpetrator. Just as sexual abuse, things such as mental illness and sex & dating were also seen as something shameful. One should have a "perfect" family and/or be a "perfect" housewife.

However, in the 1950´s,  sex was considered as something shameful and disgraceful. It was not something that should be done outside of marriage, but also in marriage it was not something to talk about openly. Another thing is that contraceptives was considered as encouragement to promiscuity. So if a doctor or school nurse wanted to prescribe or give contraceptives, it was an illegal act. The birth-control pill was not approved for contraceptive use in USA until 1960, but still not in all states and only for married couples. It wasn´t until about 10 years later that it was allowed for everyone to use.

Abortion was not legal in all states until 1973. Before it was legal, women went through long and dangerous procedures. A lot of the procedures ended with a huge amount of blood loss and sometimes it could even end with death.

"A woman should not have intercourse outside of marriage, and absolutely not do anything about it if something (god forbid) does happen. " - from a radio interview, ca 1950s.

The perfect housewife

//1950´s advert//

"The perfect housewife" of the 1950´s, should clean the house by herself, cook food for the whole family everyday, take care of the children and keep them away from disturbing the father in his work, be a good wife and greet the husband "with a warm smile and show sincerity to show your desire to please him" as said in a guide from 1955. She should be happy and cheerful (even when she´s not) and "be a little more interesting for him. His day may need a lift and one of your duties is to provide it. " She should never complain, ask questions or greet him with problems. "Arrange his pillow and offer to take of his shoes. Speak in a low, soothing and pleasant voice." A good wife should always make sure her husband is comfortable. She should prepare herself before his arrival from work. Touch-up the makeup and "be fresh looking". It´s important to know, "a good wife always knows her place."

//Guide from 1955.//

Women at the time had a much bigger role than they get credit for. Being a housewife in the 1950´s must have been exhausting. The constant strive to be perfect, from your hair-do and outfit, to curling the corners of the pillowcase and sorting out the porcelain. The requirements for men was not as high, as for women. Less were expected from them. They were expected to provide the family, more or less. While for women, not only should they take care of the house and family, they were the ones to have contacts and keep the family seen as a respectable family by others. If the husband was unfaithful or an alcoholic, it was the wife´s duty to protect her family´s reputation. Even though most of the times, it was very easy to see through it.

"While planning the wedding and thoroughly looking through the schedule, she was telling her future mother-in-law that he was not going to read the poem. The mother-in-law took her by the arm and told her to `stop being ridicolous´. She said that it was her job to make sure he reads it at the wedding. ´Darling, you have to make him believe that it was his idea. Otherwise it won´t work. This is something you should know as his future wife.´ She listened to her mother-in-law and decided to write the poem herself and give it to him before the ceremony. ´Love, here is that poem that you wanted to read. Remember how you talked about it?´ He nods and starts reading it. All of the guests loves it and you can hear the whispering. ´What  a romantic act!´ ´Such a lovely poem.´ They succeeded, everyone believ he wrote it." - A true story about a British couple from 1954.

//1950´s advert for coffee//

During the 1940´s, men were sent out to participate in the war. Since so many men were out fighting for their country, women had to step in and more or less take care of the society. More and more women got job in factories and agriculture, replacing those men who went to war. The Women´s Land Army was a British civilian organisation for women to work in agriculture, commonly known as Land Girls. They were also in the states, formally called Women´s Land Army of America. Only during wartime, it was acceptable for women to work as a mechanic or farmer, since it was more of a "manly job". As a way to lure young women into the factories, advertisers showed women a more glamorous side of the work. They mentioned that women did not care much about their appearance while at work, but that they were still feminine underneath the dirt. This was also a time when pants and jeans became more popular among women.

//Female workers, 1942//

Even though women did show themselves worthy and useful during the wars, as soon as it was peace again, it  pretty much went back to normal. Of course some things changed, but it was still not always acceptable for women to fulfil their dreams and proceed studies for a profession. Their destiny and their meaning with life was to became a good housewife and mother. Studies such as home economics and grooming were of course very important to achieve that.

//"Beauty schedule" from 1952.//

I hope you got a little insight on how the 1950´s could look like. I think it´s important to remember the downsides as well as the good things. Have in mind that all of these things I brought up in this post still exists today, but it has gotten a lot better in 60 years.

However, I hope you found this topic interesting and I hope you liked it.

Lots of love xx

Marilyn and her glam team

The infamous Marilyn Monroe makeup-look. The sleepy bedroom eyes, the plump red lips and the luminous and glowy skin. Everyone loves it and everyone has their own story of who created it and how it happened. The most popular opinion is that Max Factor "created" the famous makeup-look. The thing is, Marilyn never even met Max Factor. Yes, Marilyn could´ve used their makeup line once or twice. But there is no evidence whatsoever that Max Factor "created" Marilyn. First of all, Marilyn´s look wasn´t "created" by just one person. It took years to develop the right look for her and it took many methods to achieve that. Sure, Allan Snyder had a pig part in creating her look, but it was still Marilyn´s work. So why don´t we start giving credit to the woman who deserves it?

//Marilyn in 1949//

The beginning of the makeup look

In the absolute beginning of her career, Marilyn probably did most of her makeup by herself for shoots. As her career grew, she got more help from makeup artists.

//Marilyn with Clay Cambell at Columbia Studios//

In 1946, a 20-year old Marilyn stepped in front of the camera for her very first screen test. 20th Century Fox had assigned their best makeup artist Allan Snyder to prepare her face. However, their first collaboration did not go very well. Marilyn had only worked as a model before, and makeup at the time was different on movie. So, as Marilyn knew things, she asked Mr. Snyder to apply thick cakey makeup to her face. Apparently, the makeup was not at all flattering on camera and cinematographer Leon Shamroy shouted

“Whitey, what the hell have you got on that face? We can’t photograph her that way! Take this girl downstairs, wash the damn stuff off, do her face the way you know it ought to be and bring her back up!”

Marilyn was mortified by the response on the makeup. 

“I remember thinking that here was a very determined and ambitious girl, despite her obvious nervousness.” Allan Snyder later remembered. On the second try, the makeup had to be a lot better since Marilyn thereafter relied on him. He learned her everything he knew. Thanks to him, she learned the varying techniques for different makeup needs, such as black-and-white photos versus colour. 


As Marilyn´s fame and career continued to grow, she started to request Whitey to work with her on films. Together, they carefully developed the  Marilyn Monroe look. He followed her to various movie sets around the globe, including England, Canada, New York, San Diego and others. Whitey got to see the person behind the glamorous image. Marilyn had a lot of anxiety through her life and sometimes had trouble showing up to the set. Whitey was a good friend to her and helped her through some of these moments. They quickly became very close and they shared a lot of trust for each other.

As a light-hearted joke between the two, Marilyn used to joke with Whitey that if something happened and she would die first of the two, he was to prepare her makeup for her funeral. Marilyn even gifted him a money clip with the engraving “Whitey, dear…while I’m still warm—Marilyn”.

Whitey did indeed keep his promise to Marilyn. When Marilyn passed away in 1962, ex-husband Joe DiMaggio arranged her funeral. DiMaggio called Whitey and asked “Whitey, you promised—will you do it, please—for her?”


“I’ll be there, Joe,” Whitey told him.


When it was time for the funeral, Whitey took his makeup bag and drove to the mortuary in Westwood.  With the help of a bottle of gin, Whitey prepared Marilyn´s makeup for the last time before she was laid to rest.

//Hugging Whitey//

Hair 

As most of you probably already know, Marilyn wasn´t originally platinum blonde. As a little girl, she had very light blonde hair, but as so many others, her hair became darker as she grew older.

A woman named Emmeline Snivley, head of Blue Book Modeling Agency recommened she bleached it. So, Marilyn went to Frank and Joseph Hair Salon to bleach it. Technician Sylvia Barnhart did the work.

//Marilyn with Sylvia and Frank//

Marilyn had several hairdresser´s through her career, but the two most known ones are probably Gladys Rasmussen and Agnes Flanagan, because she worked with them the most. She also worked with Sydney Guilaroff and hairdresser of the stars Kenneth Battelle.

Marilyn and Gladys met in the beginning of the 1950´s, probably in 1952 at Fox. She helped style her hair for films such as How To Marry A Millionare (1953), River Of No Return (1954),There´s No Business Like Show Business (1954) and many more.

//Here is Marilyn helping Gladys with her hair for a change, 1954//

Marilyn met Agnes in 1950, at the set of "Fireball". Agnes worked with Marilyn for over ten years. They worked together at films like Some Like It Hot (1959), Lets Make Love (1960) and Something´s Got To Give (1962).

//With Agnes in 1962//

“Her hair is so curly naturally that to build a coiffure for her I have to first give her a straight permanent... The way we got her shade of platinum is with my own secret blend of sparkling silver bleach plus twenty volume peroxide and a secret formula of silver platinum to take the yellow out” As said by Gladys.


It´s said that for each and every movie Marilyn ever starred in, Marilyn dyed her hair a slightly different shade of blonde. She said she felt she wanted to give something different to her fans each time.

An example of that is in "Bus Stop" (1956) where Marilyn wore a more honey-blonde shade to fit her character.

Marilyn as Cherie in Bus Stop.

xoxo

Marilyn's korea trip

I can't even begin to tell you how much I love photos of Marilyn in Korea. It's one of my favourite "sittings" or occasions she was photographed in. One of the reasons why I love them so much is that I believe that she was genuinely happy and I can totally understand why she liked it there so much. Every man there adored her, even if some soldiers hadn´t even seen any of her movies. Marilyn said herself that it was the first time she really felt like she was a movie star. She felt like she belonged and everybody really appreiciated her. She really showed everybody the real Marilyn - a down to earth, kind, warm and  loving woman with the biggest heart. She was just as happy to see them as they were to see her. 💖

It was February of 1954 that Marilyn went to Korea to visit american troops.She performed ten shows in only four days, in front of an audience consisting of more than 100,000 soldiers and marines. During the trip, she did alot to help and encourage soldiers. She performed, posed for photos, helped serve food, talked and listened to soldiers telling their stories.

"I say the highlight of my life was (....) soldiers. I stood on an open stage and it was cold and snowy, but I swear I didn't  feel a thing, except good." - Marilyn.

(It´s hard to tell exactly what she said in the interview, but I think she said "I say the highlight of my life was performing for the soldiers".)

I'm completely and utterly convinced  that no world- celebrities today, would ever change clothes in a dressing room like this! 

"I felt I belonged. For the first time in my life I had the feeling that the people seeing me were accepting me and liking me... For the first time I felt like a movie star" - Marilyn.

"She gave us the feeling that she wanted to be there. She took her time, speaking with each of us about our lives and our hometowns and our civilian jobs." - Ted Cieszynski, army photographer.

"She was almost as courageous as we were because she was wearing a tight cocktail dress and nothing else, and it was freezing cold." - A soldier on Marilyn

"The movie star was at her glamorous best when she performed ten USO shows in four days for U.S. soldiers, airmen, Marines and sailors during the Korean War in early 1954.

I was with a group of Navy guys who happened to be at Daegu Air Force Base when we heard Marilyn would entertain there that night. We convinced our transport pilot to find something wrong with our R4D transport, so we could delay the return flight to our ship in Tokyo Bay for that one night.

It was a great evening for all the homesick guys who were dazzled by the movie star’s performance. The sight and sounds of Marilyn singing “Diamonds Are a Girl’s Best Friend” is a memory I still cherish. " - Ted Sherman 

"Of all of the performers who came to us in Korea, and there were a half dozen or so - she was the best... It was bitter cold, but she was in no hurry to leave. Marilyn was a great entertainer. She made thousands of GI´s feel like she really cared." - Army Corps of Engineers officer.

"Someone ought to go up to her and tell her she is Marilyn Monroe. She doesn´t seem to realize it. When you make a goof she tells you she´s sorry. When she goofs, she apologizes to me!" - Albert Guastafeste, the pianist that played in Marilyn´s band during the tour.

"It was the best thing that ever happend to me. I never felt like a star before in my heart. It was so wonderful to look down and see a fellow smiling at me." - Marilyn.

xoxo

The death of Marilyn Monroe

Was Marilyn Monroe murdered? Was it suicide? Was it accidental or intentional?

These are some questions that probably pops up in your mind when you think of Marilyn´s passing. For most people, this is a big mystery. Nobody knows for sure what happened and it´s all just a big question mark. I hope I can clear things up for you and hopefully answer some of your questions.

 I have hesitated many times about writing this. The last thing I want is to be disrespectful or rude to our beloved angel. I want to show respect, love and kindness towards her. And of course to show the truth about her. So because of that, I have decided to dedicate a post about this. To explain once and for all, what I believe happened.

The birth of a world famous movie star

So, lets start at the very beginning. Norma Jeane Mortenson was born on June 1st, 1926. Her mother, Gladys, worked as a cutter in a Hollywood studio. As a child, Norma Jeane never really knew who her father was. She used to pretend that silver screen star Clark Gable was her father. “Looking back, I guess I used to play-act all the time. For one thing , it meant I could live in a more interesting world than the one around me.”

She was a beautiful and loving child, but unlike most children, she was placed in foster care when she was thirteen years old. Little Norma Jeane had a very tough childhood and very little connection with her mother. In 1941, she was escorted by her handsome neighbour, James Dougherty, to a Christmas dance. By age 16, in  May 1942, she married James Dougherty. As Jim went overseas for the war effort, Norma Jeane started working at a factory, where she was "discovered". With her new modelling career, she became restless and soon requested a divorce from James Dougherty. By 1946, she started going by the name Marilyn Monroe, but she did not legally change it until 1956. 

Conspiracy theories, lies and rumours

As well as anything else concerning Marilyn, there is a lot of rumours and lies circulating on the Internet about Marilyn´s death. Famous magazines, websites and books such as the Daily Mail has helped spread the lies. 

“I refuse to let articles appear in movie magazines signed ' By Marilyn Monroe'. I might never see that article and it might be okayed by someone in the studio. This is wrong, because when I was a little girl read signed stories in fan magazines and I believed every word the stars said in them the  I'd try to model my life after the lives of the stars I read about. If I'm going to have that kind of influence, I want to be sure it's because something I've actually said or written.“ - Marilyn to Pete Martin, 1956.

Sometimes I´ve looked at what they reported me of saying, and I said `No No No!´ - Marilyn to Pete Martin

The Daily Mail is pure tabloid. It´s totally unreliable and they have proved that many times. 

Daily Mail´s false picture.

The picture above shows us bloody walls in Marilyn´s bedroom. This however, is just another one of Daily Mails lies. If you take a look at these photos below, do you see any blood?

Naahh, I didn´t think so.

I think it´s absolutely terrible that a big paper like the Daily Mail manipulates pictures and spread lies. Many people see it as a reliable source and they decide to believe it. I don´t blame anyone for believing this though, it´s hard to know what to trust nowadays.

Now, let´s just leave the lies behind and move on to the true things.

Death of a goddess

In the middle of the night on Saturday, August 4th in 1962, the blonde star that took the world by storm, passed away.

Marilyn´s housekeeper, Eunice Murray was the one who first found her. Arthur Jacobs, who worked on a agency which served Marilyn and the studio, was asked to take a call backstage during a concert in Hollywood. At 10:30 pm it was known by the world that Marilyn Monroe was dead.

Frank Neill drove to Marilyn´s Brentwood home and asked to send over security guards. At 4:30 am on August 5th, Sergeant Jack Clemmons was called to the house. Jack asked why there had been such a long delay before anybody called the police, Dr Greenson told him that he had to call the studio for permission before he could call the police.  Before long, a pack of reporters, or "vultures" as Pat Newcomb called them, was present. As they couldn´t be any more disrespectful, they  rushed into the bedroom to see and photograph Marilyn´s body.

Marilyn´s funeral was arranged by ex-husband Joe DiMaggio. It was held on August 8 at the Westwood Village Memorial Park Cemetery. Marilyn was buried in a green dress from one of her favourite brands, Emilio Pucci. Her long time friend and makeup artist Allan "Whitey" Snyder had done her makeup, just as promised.

A heartbroken Joe DiMaggio at Marilyn´s funeral.

 “Do you remember when Marilyn Monroe died? Everybody stopped work, and you could see all that day the same expressions on their faces, the same thought: ‘How can a girl with success, fame, youth, money, beauty … how could she kill herself?’  Nobody could understand it because those are the things that everybody wants, and they can’t believe that life wasn’t important to Marilyn Monroe, or that her life was elsewhere.“ - Marlon Brando 

Marilyn died of an a orally taken overdose, a combination of chloral hydrate and Nembutal. Both are sedative drugs she was using to help her sleep and for anxiety. Chloral hydrate is no longer authorised for use as a sedative nowadays. The combination of the two was lethal. She did pass away by her own hand, but whether it was accidental or a intentional suicide no one can know for sure. I personally do believe that it was an accident. I think she was taking her pills in an attempt to sleep, but she accidentally took too much. By the time she realised it, she tried to make a phone call, but it was too late.

Some of my most frequently asked questions:

Why was the window in her home broken? It was broken by Dr Greenson in order for him to get in the house. The door was locked. 

Why did it take so long for the police to show up? Well, it is still not sure why Murray took so long to call the police. Her story has changed so much over the years, that I think she has become a unreliable witness. I suppose it could be that the world most famous movie star died under her care and that it made her anxious and scared. Also, I do think it´s odd that when she was hired to be Marilyn´s housekeeper, it was told she was a nurse. Which isn´t true. However, I do think that Eunice Murray might know more than she has said. 

I thought she passed away because of barbiturates? She did. Chloral hydrate and Nembutal are both barbiturates. It´s basically the same thing. 

It says on Wikipedia that she died on August 5th. Why do you say 4th? She passed away at night, between August 4th and 5th. Her death was declared on August 5th, that´s probably why it says so on Wikipedia. 

Why and how do you think she died? She passed away of an orally taken overdose. I would say it was accidental suicide.

Why don´t you think she was murdered? There´s lack of evidence and reliable sources for me to believe that she was murdered. Often it leans towards the Kennedy´s, which I think is nonsense. Excuse my language, but rumours about her and the Kennedy´s are 99.9 % bullshit. 😉

Is it true that the pills where taken anally? No. Pills taken that way is an enema. It´s not possible for her to have taken them that way because her autopsy noted that she had fully formed fecal matter inside her. This would not be the case if she would have taken an enema.

Can you tell me where the doctors found the drugs (blood etc)? She had 4.5 mg of Nembutal and 8.0 mg of Chloral hydrate in her blood. She also had 13.0 mg of Nembutal in her liver. 

How do you know that it wasn´t taken with a needle? Well, John Miner and Dr. Thomas Tsunetomi Noguchi, who performed the autopsy on Marilyn, wrote that there was no needle marks. "There was no indication that the drugs had been administered by the way of a hypodermic needle."

Just as a little extra fact: When asked how Marilyn looked like dead, Dr Noguchi quoted the latin poet, Petrarch, "It´s folly to shrink in fear, if this is dying. For death looked lovely in her lovely face." 




Quotes;

“Thirty six is just great when kids twelve to seventeen still whistle!“ - Marilyn on turning thirty six years old, to Alan Levy for Redbook, 1962.  

“I´m thirtsix years old. I´m just getting started!“ -Marilyn to George Barris



“I had spoken to her only ten days before. She sounded happy“. - Isidore Miller

“She seemed normal the last day I saw her.“ - Pat Newcomb

“My father always felt that it was an accident that she killed herself.“ - Joan Greenson

“I believe that it was a manic phase, and something happened to suddenly depress her and she grabbed the pills. She had plenty of pills at bedside.I think she was suddenly depressed and in that sense in was intentional. Then i think she thought better of it when she felt herself going under because she called peter lawford. So, while it was intentional at the time, I do believe that she changed her mind.“ - Hyman Engelberg speculates in a documentary. 

“She was in a very good mood - a very happy mood. Friday night we had dinner at a quiet restaurant near her home. Saturday  she was getting things done inside the house. She loved it... When I last saw her, nothing about her mood or manner changed.“ - Pat Newcomb

Newcomb also stated that Marilyn waved goodbye to her from the front door and said "I´ll see you tomorrow. Toodle-oo!"

“I saw no signs of despondency when I talked to her. She gave me the impression of happiness...“- Carl Sandburg 

“I´m sure it was an accident. She was at my home a few days ago and she was happy... I just can´t believe it. SHe was a wonderful person and a wonderful talent.“- Dean Martin

“She did not commit suicide... If it had been suicide, it would have happened in a quite different way. For one thing, she wouldn´t have done it whitout leaving a note. There are oher reasons, which cannot be discussed, which makes us certain she did not intend to take her life.“ - Lee Strasberg

"Hold a good thought for me." 💖

It´s all about the angle

The alleged nose job that Marilyn is supposed to have done, is not true.


There is no evidence to prove a nose job, so as far as we know, she did not have surgery done to her nose. Personally, I don´t believe she did, but unless some reliable proof shows up, I don´t believe that she had the surgery. The only cosmetic surgery she had, was a small chin implant in 1950. However, the implant dissolved over time and almost disappeared.



The last few days, I´ve seen numerous "comparisons" of Marilyn, claiming they are evidence that Marilyn did a "huge"rhinoplasty. This is what my title is based on; As you can see below, all of these collages shows pictures of Marilyn in completely different angles and facial expressions. I don´t think that is a fair way of comparing her face, Since our face changes when we do other face expressions or if we´re photographed in different angles. The first one has the date wrong as well.

Below, are some collages that I´ve made, just to show you a better comparison. And as you can see, there is no surgery noticeable.

xoxo

Marilyn and animals

Marilyn had always been kind and loving towards  animals and she was a real animal lover. She had several pets during her life. Here are some of them; 

She had a mixed breed dog named Tippy in the early 1930´s when she lived with the Bolenders, but sadly, Tippy died in June of 1933. Tippy was run over by a car near the house. Ida Bolender told her that a neighbour killed the poor little dog with a shotgun, for being too annoying for him, because she thought it would comfort Marilyn if Tippy died fast and painless. However, the death of Tippy was a huge grief for little Norma Jeane.

During her marriage to Jim Dougherty she had a spaniel named Muggsie. Muggsie died shortly after she started her carrier in modelling.

On her 24th birthday to Jim Dougherty in 1950, she got a little chihuahua named Josefa as a birthday gift from Joseph Schneck, head production of 20th century fox.

 

In 1955, when she lived in New York City, she had a persian cat called Mitsou.

In the late 50´s, she and Arthur had a basset hound called Hugo and a parakeet named Butch.

 

In 1958, Marilyn and Arthur had a horse named Ebony.

In 1959, The Miller´s got a Siamese cat named Sugar Finney.

In 1962, Marilyn got a white poodle as a gift from Frank Sinatra. She called the dog "Maf Honey" as a light-hearted joke in honor of Frank. After Marilyn passed away, he was adopted by Frank´s secretary Gloria Lovell. Sadly, Maf was run over by a milk truck in August of 1974.

This photo of Maf is actually taken my Marilyn herself!

DId you know? Marilyn´s first husband, James Dougherty, wrote about how he came home to find his young bride trying to lead a cow into the kitchen, because she felt sorry for it for being out alone in the rain. She would scoop up fish she found on the beach and throw them back into the ocean. When she came across young boys tarpping pigeons to sell to a butcher, she met them every week and gave them the same amount of money they would have sold them for, just to set the birds free. She called friends in the middle of the night to give them updates on her pregnant cat, and she was intensly worried that her basset hound would injure his low slung male parts running over rocks.

That´s what I call a real animal lover! 💗

xoxo

Photographers

Sam Shaw

Sam Shaw was born in January 1912 in New York´s "Little Italy". He found himself drawn to art and photography at a very young age and he tried to find different ways to express his talented side. He started to work as a courtroom artist and later a cartoonist. In the 1940´s,  he got his very first professional photographer job at a magazine and later, he also became an employee at the famous photo agency, Magnum Photos. In the 1950´s, his talent and work took him to Hollywood, where he attended many movie sets and photographed several celebrities, such as Audrey Hepburn, Sophia Loren, Humphrey Bogart, Elizabeth Taylor, Marlon Brando and of course, our very own Marilyn Monroe. 

Sam met Marilyn for the first time at the beginning of her career, on the set of the film "Viva Zapata!" in 1951. Although Marilyn didn´t work with the film, she appeared at the film set a lot, especially since she was dating the director of the film, Elia Kazan at the time. Marilyn would also drive Sam to the set daily.

In 1954, the two met again. Sam was hired as a still photographer for her film "The Seven Year Itch" and he took some of the most famous photographs of Marilyn ever taken. He also took some photos of her at a club in New York, at a press conference and in her dressing room. 

Later, in the summer of 1957, Sam once again took, some of the most famous photographs of Marilyn ever taken. In these photographs, you can see a carefree, happy & confident Marilyn playing around in the nature, frolicking at a beach, enjoying time with her husband and their dog Hugo, shopping in New York, boating in Central Park and having long conversations on the telephone with friends. She really looked like herself and she looked really happy. Not like a world-famous movie star and absolutely not like a diva, that many still believes that she was. She was just enjoying herself and happy after the news that she was pregnant.

Sam Shaw passed away in 1999.

I must say that Sam Shaw is one of my absolute favourite Marilyn photographers. He really was a terrific photographer and I love his unique style in capturing a moment - rather than creating one. He wasn´t that kind of artist who only did glamorous and grand shoots, (even though that is very beautiful too) he believed in capturing candid moments that tells a story. He was also a very kind person and a great friend of Marilyn. He saw the real Marilyn, instead of just the movie star and he said such nice things about her. Even after her passing. And I love that about him.



"Marilyn found herself in the business of being a superstar. She became a business woman. … she laid the laws down. She became a tough, tough tomato. A tough tomato. She became a tyrant as a producer, a big tycoon trying to lay the law down to the Hollywood big shots. And she nearly beat them." - Sam Shaw, 1979

“"he represents the freedom which kids have today. Only, she was fifteen or twenty years ahead of the times, so she paid the price for her freedom."- Sam Shaw

"I think the major reason for her myth becoming larger and larger every day, for the legend growing on such a gigantic scale, is not the tragedy of her life. It’s the joy of the girl; she presented the joyous moment of a vibrant woman."- Sam Shaw



"Everybody knows about her insecurities, but not everybody knows what fun she was, that she never complained about the ordinary things in life, that she never had a bad word to say about anyone, and that she had a wonderful spontaneous sense of humour." - Sam Shaw

Milton H. Greene

Milton Greene is probably the most famous photographer, or at least one of them. Since he wasn´t only her photographer, he was a close friend to her, her business partner and they even lived together at one point. But more to that later...

Milton Hawthorne Greene was born 4 years before Marilyn, in New York, 1922. Just as Sam, his passion for photography began at a very early age and he began to take pictures at age 14. In the beginning, Milton was more into fashion photography, rather than spontaneous and candid moments as Sam. He began as an assistant for other photographers and already, by the age of 23, he was known as "Colour photograpy´s Wonder Boy." 


By the 1950´s, his work appeared at several famous magazines and newspapers, such as Life, Look, Harper's Bazaar and Vogue. Some of the celebrities he photographed were Marlene Dietrich, Cary Grant, Audrey Hepburn, Sophia Loren, Frank Sinatra, Grace Kelly and Marilyn Monroe.
In 1953, Milton got an assignment from Look Magazine to photograph Marilyn, and when she got to the location and saw a 27 year old man, she exclaimed; "But you´re just a boy"! A rather confused Milton answered with "And you´re just a girl." However, they became really fond of each other and became good friends right away.

A short clip from her Person to Person Interview from Youtube. Credit to the owner.

The next time Milton and Marilyn would work together was in 1954, in New York. Later that year, they took several photos in Arizona and Los Angeles as well. 

Below, are a photo of the two in Arizona. Isn´t it just the sweetest picture ever?

In 1955, Marilyn moved to New York and took classes at the Actors Studio, to improve her acting and to show the studio that she could play more than just a "dumb blonde". Milton agreed and really believed in her acting. So, the two established their own production company, Marilyn Monroe Productions. Together, they made two movies through MM Productions, "The Prince And The Show Girl" and "Bus Stop".As they made these two movies in 1956, they also made another sitting. "The Black Sitting" is one of their most famous sitting.In England, while shooting "The Prince And The Showgirl", some problems started to evolve, since Marilyn was now married to Arthur Miller. Allegedly, Arthur wasn´t that fond of Milton and pretty much wanted him replaced. It´s said that he was jealous of Milton and MM Productions. Soon, their friendship would be over.When it didn´t work out between them, they decided to end MM Productions as well. Arthur was shocked that Milton didn´t want the millions of his share, but only the amount of money he had put in. Milton said that he didn´t want to be one of the many people that took advantage of her. When Marilyn heard this, she had tears in her eyes.In January, 1957, Milton and Marilyn made their last sitting together. She was wearing a red swing dress with halter neck, and therefore, it was called The Red Sitting.Milton and Marilyn actually talked to each other four years after this, in July 1962. Milton´s wife Amy had a dream that Marilyn was in trouble and urged him to call her and check if she´s alright. He did call her, and they talked for a while. Milton asked if he should go to her as support, but Marilyn said no and that she would be alright. Milton called one more time before he took a plane to Paris and that was the last time they spoke to each other. On August 5th, the Greene´s got a call that said that Marilyn was dead. After a while on the phone, he hung up and turned to Amy, all pale and colourless, and said "You were right, I should have gone to her." 💔
Milton Greene passed away in 1985.

To be honest, I often get tears in my eyes when I think about Milton and Marilyn´s relationship. They were like each others soulmates, and it hurts me that it ended. I really wish things were different and that it all worked out. I think the end of Amy Greene´s quote below, speaks my mind pretty accurately.Milton was an excellent photographer and artist, and a wonderful human being. He´s the kind of person you wish you knew and had as a friend. Even though their friendship didn´t last, they were still lucky to have had each other and that kind of friendship. They had the best kind, if you ask me.

I was never jealous of Marilyn. Arthur was always jealous of Milton, which is interesting in a way. Arthur had another life. Why should he be jealous? I didn’t need Marilyn Monroe, but she sure as hell needed Milton Greene, and he needed her, because both of them were never the same after that. These two people should have been together through thick and thin. Nothing….nothing should have put them apart. I was smart enough to realize that. If Arthur had been smart enough to realize that, it would have been a whole other life for both of them.” - A part of a quote by Amy Greene, Milton´s wife.

“The clothes go off and the g*dd*mned hat goes on and the pictures are always just perfect and they are never vulgar. They aren’t glamorous pictures, in fact they border on being funny, on being a joke, comedic with fishnet stockings and a black hat and black this and that and a glass balanced on her knee and a big rip going up the ass, but they are gorgeous. They have that wonderful little-girl attitude, having a good time playing dress-up.” -Joe Eula on the Black Sitting

"No one gets to Marilyn without first clearing through him." - A reporter

“All I did was believe in her. She was a marvelous, loving, wonderful person I don’t think many understood.” - Milton Greene.

André De Dienes

Andre De Dienes was born in Transylvania in 1913. At age fifteen, a lonley and heartbroken Andre left home after his mother tragically committed suicide. He went across Europe until he arrived in Tunisia and bought his very first camera. He then continued his journey, back to Europe. In 1933, he studied art in Paris and bought his second camera.

The year was 1945, when Dienes got the chance to work with the nineteen year old Norma Jeane Baker. Dienes admitted later that he even remembers her outfit and hairstyle in detail and he even confessed that he was "completely love struck".

"When Norma Jeane arrived at my bungalow later in the afternoon, it was as if a miracle had happened to me. Norma Jeane seemed to be like an angel. I could hardly believe it for a few moments. An earthly, sexy-looking angel! Sent expressly for me! The impact Norma Jeane had on me was tremendous. As minutes passed, I fell more and more in love with Norma Jeane; there was an immediate rapport between us."

The next time she would hear from him was in 1946, now going by the name Marilyn Monroe.

The next time de Dienes and Marilyn were to work together was in 1952, at Bel Air Hotel in Stone Canyon.

His very last shoot with Marilyn was in 1953.

Andre De Dienes passed away of cancer in 1985.

"Dienes was a man not interested in the glamour or the politics of his work. For him it was about creating something beautiful and nurturing, an idea of the feminine ideal."

Richard C. Miller

Photographer Richard Crump Miller was born in California, 1912. He grew up in Los Angeles, where his father was the rector of St. James Episcopal hurch. Dick´s father had a 3¼x4¼ folding roll-film camera, whih sparked his interest in photography. In 1929, Dick was introduced to the Leica and Graflex cameras. He later studied cinematography at Stanford University and Pomona College. He did his final year at Usc, where, in 1933, he met Margaret, his future wife. They married in 1937.

During the war, Rihard got a job in the photo department at North American, where he was seen as a professional photographer. Although, after the war, he quit this job and started at another work. At his new work, he met Nicholas Murray, who also photographed Marilyn.

In the spring of 1946, he photographed a model provided through the Blue Book Models agency, run by Emmeline Snivley. She said "I´ve got a real cute girl. You ought to see her." The model´s name was Norma Jeane Dougherty.

"She was a cutie, and they had sold some covers of her already," 

"She was nice when she was Norma Jeane, very sweet. She posed very well, she was reative about her modeling. She came to dinner at the house. A nice, friendly girl."

Richard and Marilyn didn´t work together again, until 1958, when Marilyn was filming "Some Like It Hot". She smiled and said "Hi, Dick" but was not interested in reviving their freindship. 

The last time he photographed her was in 1960, during filming of "Let´s Make Love".

Richard Miller passed away in 2010.

Eve Arnold 

Eve Arnold was born in 1912, in Philadelphia. Since Eve´s parents immigrated from Russia, her father had trouble finding a job in America, so Eve grew up in poverty. In the 1940´s, when she had planned to study medicine, her boyfriend gave her a Rolleicord camera, which was the thing that started her interest in photography. In 1943, she got a "amateur" photograph job in Hoboken. Eve married Arnold Arnold, a indrustial engineer in 1948.In 1950, she got her first assignment to photograph at fashion shows. One year later, in 1951, Eve became an employee at the famous photo agency Magnum Photos.
Eve met Marilyn in the early 1950´s, at a party by director John Huston. Marilyn had recently worked with her film "The Asphalt Jungle" and Eve had just worked with movie star Marlene Dietrich.

"Marilyn asked – with that mixture of naïveté and self-promotion that was uniquely hers – ‘If you could do that well with Marlene, can you imagine what you could do with me?" - Eve later recalled.

In 1955, Eve took her first professional photos of Marilyn.at the premiere of "East Of Eden". The same year, she photographed Marilyn in Bement, Illinois and at an abandoned playground at Long Island. 

The next time Eve and Marilyn would work together was in 1956, at a press conference for her upcoming film project with Laurence Olivier.

After that, Eve and Marilyn wouldn´t work together until 1960, when Marilyn was filming "The Misfits". Eve stayed for two months, to support Marilyn during filming. Besides the on-set photos, she also took some wonderful pictures of Marilyn in a nightgown, bikini and nude in a bed.

The last photo session they did together was in July 1961, at her home.

"She looked fresh and rested, and she and Kenneth played up for the camera, she teasing him about his showing the more photogenic side of his face,” Eve observed. “We did just one roll of film. It was a simple photo and I did not want to tire her." - Eve Arnold.

The last time Eve and Marilyn spoke to each other was three months before Marilyn´s passing, while Marilyn was preparing for her infamous performance at Madison Square Garden in May, 1962. Marilyn offered Eve to attend, but Eve declined.

"I never knew anyone who came close to Marilyn in natural ability to use both photographer and still camera. She was special in this, and for me there has been no one like her before or after. She has remained the measuring rod by which I have – unconsciously – judged other subjects." 

"The bond between us was photography. She liked my pictures and was canny enough to realise that they were a fresh approach for presenting her – a looser, more intimate look than the posed studio portraits she was used to in Hollywood."

Eve Arnold passed away in 2012.

Ed Feingersh

Edwin Feingersh was born one year before Marilyn, in Brooklyn, 1925.

Ed took interest in  photography while serving in Germany during the war. After the war, he attended New York University and joined a camera club.

In the early spring of 1955, he worked with Marilyn for the first time and photographed her taking the subway (something she didn´t do often, in fear of being mobbed.), dining at a restaurant, shopping, getting dressed and just walking the streets of New York.

Ed´s photograph technique was pretty similar to Shaw´s, as he wanted to photograph real, candid shots instead of creating an illusion. His realistic and monochrome photographs are remembered as someof the most beautiful photographs ever taken of Marilyn.

However, Ed & Marilyn never worked again. Feingersh married unhappily to Miriam Sakol and after his marriage didn´t work out, he began to drink and fell into a depression. He passed away one year before Marilyn, in 1961.

Feingersh´s pictures of Marilyn wasn´t found until 1987, in a New York warehouse and bought by Michael Ochs.

 

"Eddie’s camera got it all, showing her rising tension against a visual jangle of wire hangers in the background."

"Just as Marilyn dreaded looking less than perfect in front of the cameras and was always late, so Eddie obsessed over what he did behind the camera and would let no one else develop or print his pictures."

James Haspiel

Die-hard fan James Haspiel was born in New York, 1938. James had seen "Clash By Night" at the age of 14, when he fell under Marilyn´s spell.

He met Marilyn in September 1954, when she was shooting her new film "The Seven Year Itch". 

James hung around with a fan-group called "Monroe Six" around her hotel in the city and he was desperate to see her again. In 1955, when Marilyn lived in New York, they quickly became friends. He would help her to do her shopping and she even invited him over to her place.

After that, they met again in 1957, when Marilyn was back in New York.




They met once again in 1959, and the last time they met was in 1961.

James wasn´t a professional photographer and he wasn´t hired to take photographs of her. He was fascinated by her and he desperately wanted to know more about her. James is nowadays mostly known for his devotion and and dedication for her, and of course, his wonderful candid shots of her.

George Barris

George Barris was born in New York, 1922.

He got his very first camera when he was only six years old, from his brother. That camera is what started his interest from the beginning. He soon realized that is was a profession to photograph and that he could make money of from it.

He first met Marilyn in 1954, during filming of "The Seven Year Itch". George was one of many photographers on set, to photograph Marilyn. 



The next time he would photograph Marilyn, was in the summer of 1962. He photographed Marilyn playing around at the beach, soaking up the sun, taking a drink, getting ready and just relaxing on the couch.  The session took place at Walter "Tim" Leimert`s house. He was also present at Marilyn´s birthday celebration during filming of her upcoming film, "Something´s got to give".

After Marilyn´s passing, George lived in Paris for twenty years. Sadly, he passed away in September of 2016.

"On my shopping spree for Marilyn, I went to two of her favorite stores, Jax on Wilshire Boulevard in Beverly Hills, and Saks Fifth Avenue. At Jax I bought her some beautiful slacks and decorative Emilio Pucci sport shirts. Then off to Saks for a bulky sweater, terry-cloth three quarter hooded beach jacket, a blanket, a large towel for those peek-a-boo beach shots, and a sexy bikini. I did not buy Marilyn any undergarments – she never wore them."- About his sitting with Marilyn

"To Marilyn-Norma Jeane, who became a legend in her lifetime.For all the joy and happiness you brought to a troubled world. We love you, we miss you. Thanks for your friendship" - From his book