Stories & Lifestyle: Marilyn Monroe

Norma Jean Mortenson was born on June 1, 1926 in Los Angeles, her mother was Gladys Pearl Mortensen, nee Monroe, an editing girl. The baker Martin Edward Mortensen, Gladys' second husband, was probably not the father, because his wife had left him in 1924, a few months after the wedding. During her first marriage she had given birth to two children who were living with her father Jack Baker ever since her divorce. Norma Jean was given to foster parents on June 13, 1926 already. In the fall of 1933 Gladys took her daughter back in, but at the beginning of the next year she had to be hospitalized because she suffered from depression. At last she was transferred to the Norwalk State Hospital, the hospital in which her mother, Della Mae Hogan, had died.

Youth and first marriage A friend of Gladys', editing girl Grace McKee, got custodianship for Norma Jean upon he own request. After getting married to a man with three children, however, she had to give Norma Jean to the Los Angeles orphanage. Afterwards, the child found a new home with Grace's aunt - Ana Lower.

Two and a half weeks after her 16th birthday, Norma Jean was married to the five years older factory worker James (Jim)Dougherty, so that she didn't have to go back the orphanage. He was the son of one of Grace's neighbors. In 1943, Jim joined the merchant marine. She was always grateful to him and considered him a good friend. While he was away, she met photographer David Conover and got a contract with a modeling agency. For some advertising photos she bleached her brown hair for the first time.

Emmeline Snively, director of the Blue Book Modeling Agency, talked film agent Helen Ainsworth into helping Norma Jean Mortenson to get a few screen tests. On July 23, 1946, she got her first contract with 20th Century Fox - limited to half a year - and adopted the name of Marilyn Monroe. She had taken the first step towards her big success. She got divorced on September 13, 1946.

Regardless of her contract, there were no parts for her. Her contract was extended for another half year at the beginning of 1947 anyway. She wasn't paid very much, though. It was rather difficult to make ends meet. In May 1949, Tom Kelley photographed her for the calendar "Golden Dreams." For the nude photos she got $50, she couldn't reject that money at the time. Of course, these pictures resurfaced at the height of her career and brought other people a lot of money.

Start of her film career In March of 1948, Marilyn Monroe signed a half-year contract with Columbia Studios. At a New Year's party she met agent Johnny Hyde, who not only got her a part in the last Marx Brother's movie (Love Happy) in 1949, but also left his family for her. In October Hyde got her the part of Angela in John Houston's gangster movie "The Asphalt Jungle."

Half a year after Hyde's death on May 11, 1951, Marilyn Monroe finally got the desired long-term contract with 20th Century Fox with a guaranteed fee. In "Niagara" (directed by Henry Hathaway) she proved that she could act, but movies such as "Gentlemen Prefer Blondes" (directed by Howard Hawks) or "How To Marry A Millionaire" (directed by Jean Negulesco), she was irrevocably reduced to the image of a simple-minded sex bomb.

Her financial situation didn't change a lot either. For "Gentlemen Prefer Blondes" she received $15,000, her fellow actress Jane Russel, on the other hand, $150,000.

Second marriage Marilyn Monroe and eleven-year older baseball star Joseph Paul "Joe" DiMaggio met in the spring of 1952. They got married on January 14, 1954 in San Francisco. Joe DiMaggio was a jealous man. He didn't like the fact that she let herself be marketed as a sex symbol. He was very angry when his wife, in September 1954, had to stand on a subway grating to have her skirt blown over her head for Billy Wilder's film "The Seven Year Itch." He was so jealous that he hit her. Two weeks later, they filed for divorce. They made up later, however, and stayed friends for the rest of their lives.

At the end of 1954, Marilyn Monroe turned her back on Hollywood and flew to New York, to found the "Marilyn Monroe Productions" together with photographer Milton H. Greene. She did this because she still only had adhesion contracts and despite millions of Dollars her films brought in, she was still being paid like a "nobody." She gradually started to rebel against the great names of the film industry. She wanted to prove that she was more than the dumb blonde she always had to portrait. Furthermore, she took acting lessons from Lee Strasberg, because she finally wanted to play some serious parts. This, however, offended many people again, because Strasberg was a very controversial teacher, his methods were not recognized, his school even considered to be a sect. In February 1956 she returned to Los Angeles. 20th Century Fox started working with the new production company and started making Marilyn Monroe films again.

Third marriage Playwright Arthur Miller, who knew Marilyn Monroe since 1951, got divorced from his wife to get married to the movie star on June 29, 1956 in a civil ceremony and two days later in a Jewish ceremony. He was a lot older than Marilyn, and she liked the fact. He, the intellectual, mature man - and she, the delicate and fragile woman. She was sure to have finally found a home. The following year, Arthur Miller wrote the screenplay "The Misfits" with a serious part for Marilyn. However, before she proved her acting skills in this movie directed by John Houston, she again played the dumb blond singer in Billy Wilder's "Some Like It Hot."

Arthur and Marilyn fought a lot afterwards, they mistrusted each other and both took too many pills. By 1958 Marilyn had had three miscarriages, which caused severe depressions. After she had recovered at the beginning of 1959, she took acting lessons again. During this time, Arthur gradually distanced himself from her. He was later accused of having married her to profit from her, that he just considered her to be decoration.

Problems start piling up Before flying to New York to visit some friends for Christmas, she announced her divorce from Arthur Miller. During her stay in New York, her depressions increased. Her New York psychiatrist had her admitted to the psychiatric wing of the NY Hospital, where she was put in a locked padded cell. Joe DiMaggio finally got her out of there. She returned to Los Angeles after that.

At the end of 1961, Marilyn hired Eunice Murray as her housekeeper at the urging of her psychiatrist Greenson. She spent Christmas with Joe DiMaggio, whom she met more often again over the following year. At the beginning of the new year, she had an affair with John F. Kennedy, later also with Kennedy's brother Robert. In April she started on her new film "Something's Got To Give." She left the set without permission, however, to sing Happy Birthday for Kennedy, and got into a lot of trouble with 20th Century Fox. On June 2, 1962, her 36th birthday, she was in front of the camera for the last time. After spending the evening alone, she took a high dosage of sleeping pills. One week later she was fired by Fox, which didn't upset her very much, however.

She got her life under control again, seemed optimistic and made plans - she planned a film about her favorite actress Jean Harlow, was re-hired fro "Something's Got To Give" by 20th Century Fox, and wanted to marry Joe DiMaggio for the second time on August 8.

The End On Wednesday, August 1, Marilyn fired Eunice because she was tired of her snooping around. For Sunday, August 5, she had an appointment with Jean Harlow's mother to talked about the planned movie. She was especially looking forward to her wedding with Joe. On Saturday, August 4, she spend most of the day with her psychiatrist who gave her medication. Around 7pm she talked with Joe's son on the phone, who said that she seemed cheerful and upbeat.

Just half an hour later she received a phone call from a good friend, and he found her in a completely different state. Marilyn could hardly speak, she just mumbled and he could hardly understand her. Marilyn probably died sometime between this phone call and midnight.

Marilyn Monroe died during the night from August 4 to August 5, completely unexpected, from an overdose of Nembutal and chloral hydrate. Until this day, the circumstances of her death have not been finally solved. There are rumors that the Kennedys had something to do with her death. Supposedly, Marilyn had threatened to tell the press in case Robert wouldn't admit the affair. That, however, doesn't go together with the planned wedding. Another theory is suicide. Her autopsy report stated that she had died of an overdose of barbiturates. However, she did not leave behind a suicide note and she seemed very cheerful when she talked to Joe's son on the phone that night. Years later scientists discovered that suicide was a very unlikely explanation. The barbiturates in her body had not all been consumed at the same time. She had probably been administered them all through the day in small dosages.

The deadly dose must have been caused by an enema. It is suspected that Greenson didn't know about the barbiturates and gave her an enema that, in combination with her medication, was a deadly dosage. However, there is no way to be 100% sure. The truth will probably never be revealed.

Find Marilyn Monroe's official homepage here: www.marilynmonroe.com