1. A Star Is Born
When Norma Jeane Baker was a little girl her guardian Grace was obsessed with Hollywood and starlets. She repeatedly told Norma that one day she would grow up to be a movie star just like Jean Harlow. Tony Robbins was right, positive reinforcement can move mountains.
2. A Brief History Of Time
She was born in 1926 to Gladys Baker, an unmarried movie technician. Due to her mother's mental instability she was raised in foster homes amongst neglect and abuse. At 16, she married a defense worker named James E. Dougherty. During World War II she became a pin-up model and was eventually signed to a modeling agency. In 1946 she divorced Dougherty, bleached her hair, signed a contract with 20th Century-Fox and became Marilyn Monroe. Her first starring role was in "Don't Bother to Knock" in 1952. A year later in 1953 Marilyn received her star along Hollywood's Walk of Fame and was immortalized by her handprints in the famous forecourt of Grumman's Chinese Theatre. A year later she married Joe DiMaggio. Two years later she legally changed her name to Marilyn Monroe and then married Arthur Miller. Their marriage soon ended but he wrote her last film, "The Misfits" in 1960. On the night of August 4th, 1962 she died of what is still considered mysterious causes.
3. Her Very Own Cheshire Cat
Like Alice in Wonderland, Marilyn made her way through the maze of Hollywood, but instead of relying upon the replies of a Cheshire Cat in the forest, Marilyn decided to find the answers to whys and ways all on her own. Spurned by her feeling of lack of education as a child, she made it a personal goal to learn as much about everyone and everything she came in contact with, seeking out the advice of experts in all fields she had questions about. She was also a passionate reader, collecting more than 200 great books ranging from Tolstoy, Whitman, Steinbeck, and Milton to Flaubert.
4. The M&M Files
The FBI had more than 100 pages of files on Marilyn and her activities. Many incidents were documented on her connection with the Communist movement, no matter how slight it might have been. One full page is dedicated to her being seen poolside with certain members of the American Communist Group in Mexico, while she was on vacation. Geez, what's a girl to do? Because of her marriage to Arthur Miller and his leftist's views, she was further investigated. Considerable concern was expressed when she later met with Robert Kennedy and expressed her views and questions about Mr. Miller's ideas. Yeesh, politics were heavy handed back in those days. Now we have sitcoms ridiculing our president and current leaders. Perhaps those shows keep the FBI just as busy these days.
5. Unsolved Mysteries
Further files followed her mysterious death, one document contains a letter written on January 20th, 1965 from the Mothers of World War II, Inc. expressing concern about a document they had received with questions about the late superstar's murder or suicide, detailing information about her link with the Communist group and a certain Attorney General named Robert F. Kennedy, which the FBI has recorded she met alone on many occasions. The list goes on and on, rumors circulate to this day about her death, unfortunately it most likely will never be revealed one way or another.
6. Pigs Fly
One thing is certain; Marilyn did have an affair with President John F. Kennedy. Well at least there are witnesses to the fact they shared a hotel room in Tahoe. Further rumors suggested the Robert Kennedy was also having an affair with her. Many suggest the "right wing" FBI and CIA agents were motivated to murder Marilyn in order to embarrass and undermine the Kennedy family. Apparently, President Kennedy was taking actions to limit the power of these two agencies after the Bay of Pigs incident.
7. Enquiring Minds
In order to bring some of these rumors to light, Norman Mailer wrote a book about Marilyn's death. One of his allegations was that Marilyn had made repeated calls to the White House on the evening of her death. He goes further to say that the LAPD and the FBI removed, a "paper tape", of Marilyn's telephone calls from the phone company in Santa Monica. He then states he had no proof of any of this other than, "writer's instinct". Because of his book he coined the phrase, "factoid" which means an event, which has no existence other than it, has appeared in print.
8. A Legend
Marilyn Monroe was the quintessential Hollywood superstar, a sex goddess who yearned to be more. Whatever her criticisms as an actress, in most of her films she exuded a bold yet attractive sexuality that set her apart from her peers of the time. Although intelligent, hardworking, and determined, she could not escape her own self-made image. She was, as her friend and director Lee Strasberg noted in his eulogy, "a legend in her own lifetime."
