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My journey ends here...

1952

JANUARY :

Monday, January 7 : she recorded the song "Do it Again" written by B. G.DeSylva and composed by George Gershwin, she later sang it in front of 10 000 Marines, in Camp Pendleton (between Los Angeles and San Diego). This day, she also sang "Somebody Loves You".

At that time, she aspired to the part of Lorelei Lee in "Gentlemen Prefer Blondes", and she may did this performance to convince Darryl Zanuck, the head of the Fox, that she knew how to sing.

Friday, January 11 : fitting for the costumes of "We’re Not Married" (,,,), she shot in May.

She hired Inez Melson as financial advisor and administrator of her business, and asked her to take responsability for Gladys's guardianship.

A sum was taken regularly on Marilyn's income to provide for her mother's cares, and Inez Meslon visited her several times a month.

The mother and her daughter hadn't seen each other in 5 years, and hadn't exchange neither letters, nor phone calls.

FEBRUARY :

She shot "Monkey Business" with Cary Grant (,,,), directed by Howard Hawks ().

In this light comedy she played a secretary purely decorative.

The Fox tried hard to use its new young star a the best of her abilities, but it was the last secretary part of Marilyn.

During the shooting, Marilyn met the writer-screenwriter Ben Hecht (), with who she started to write her autobiography , in 1954.

Friday, Februrary 8, she received the prize of the "The Best Young Box Office Personality" by the Henrietta Awards:

,,,,,.

The ceremony took place at the Del Mar Club located 1910 Ocean Front Avenue, Santa Monica :.

Beginning of February :

She met Joe DiMaggio, the base-ball star, (), at the Villa Nova restaurant (), on Sunset Boulevard. This one wanted to meet her after after having ssen a picture of 1951 where Marilyn posed with 2 base-ball players of the Chicago White Sox ().

He asked one of his friends, David March (a friend from the Toots Shor’s bar in New York City ) to introduce him to Marilyn.

DiMaggio realized that she had never attended a base-ball game of all her life, and that she didn't know anything in sports.
And he, who didn't trust Hollywood and the fascination for what was, according to him, only cheap rubbish, made her understand that he wasn't interested at all in cinema.

This mutual indifference could have been harmful to any possible love story, but the alchemy achieved what the conversation couldn't reach. Marilyn appreciated this attractive man, tall and quiet , deferential and courteous.

After this first date, he called Marilyn every day and she agreed to go out again with him.

They soon appeared as the most popular couple, whose love story was fed by the paparazzis who hounded them in every places they went.

In Joe, she found a strong and silent defender, a man ready to protect and love her, no matter what. Equally important, being associated with him, a national hero, she saw the circle of her supporters extend beyond the movie-goers.

An acute lack of trust concerning love characterized both of them. Joe constantly warned Marilyn against the danger of being exploited, and she didn't loose time to react. They were both convinced that they owed their value only to the public success. However this apparent similarity didn't suggest good things : Joe's triumphs belonged to the past and he lived on them, while Marilyn hadn't yet reach the climax of her career.

From the beginning there were some obvious disparities between them, but nothing that couldn't be skipped over. Joe had a very "old school" vision of women, they had to be reserved, and it went without saying, to obey their man. Proud of Marilyn's beauty, he loved the fact she was admired but from a distance, and as soon as he suspected the slight attraction, even friendly , between a man and Marilyn, he became madly jealous. So, according to him, there were no best career for a woman than being a mother : didn't she want to think about retiring, so did her, so that they could have a real family life? Ma rilyn refused to promise anything, containing herself to answer that, indeed, starting a family was her dearest wish.

Saturday, February 2, she attended a party given for the release of "The African Queen" at the Romanoff restaurant :

,,.

She also attended the Junior Prom at the UCLA (University of California Los Angeles) (,,, ) and made publicity pictures in this university (,,,,,).

MARCH :

Saturday, March 1st :

Dr Elliott Corday Marilyn consulted for abdominal pains and a persistent temperature, diagnosed an appendictis. She begged him to postpone the surgery and for few days, she remained at the Cedars of Lebanon Hospital with antibiotics.

After a week, she went back to work whitout having had a surgery.

The Fox press department learned that a picture of a nude woman on the 1951 calendar of the John Baumgarth company, had been reprinted because of the demand, for the year 1952.

Now that Marilyn wasn't much seen in movies, magazines and newspapers, it didn't need many time to recognize her on the calendar.

Despite the usual rumors, it had never been proved that an actress had gone so far.

She was called at the Fox where she was asked whether the rumor was founded or not; she answered yes without any hesitation, that it was her on the calendar.

Thursday, March 13 :

Marilyn revealed the truth about the Baumgarth calendar (: pictures taken by Tom Kelley) with the help of her friend, the reporter Sidney Skolsky, to Aline Mosby, a United Press reporter.

The exclusive interview of Marilyn was published under the title "Marilyn Monroe admits she is the blonde posing nude for a calendar" in the Los Angeles Herald Examiner .

Within few days, the article was taken up by every press agencies, magazines and newspapers in the USA and in Europe.

So Marilyn changed what was brewing as a disaster into a triumph, winning with this only action, an unprecedented openness in the press and a very favourable reputation for her and for the Fox, a fame that they both couldn't have acquired in another way.

To the Fox management amazement, it won an important crowd in the movie theaters.

Monday, March 17 : for the first time, Marilyn saw DiMaggio playing base-ball, during a game of the Hollywood Stars against the first division All-Stars, for the benefit of the Kiwanis Club For Children

(,,,).

Wednesday, March 19 : she had an intimate dinner for two, again, with DiMaggio.

Joe didn't approve the calendar picture which was seen everywhere, apparently he didn't talk about it with her, but between the end of March and the beginning of April (while he was preparing his TV program with the Yankees), he didn't call her so often.

APRIL :

Monday, April 7 : she was on the cover of Life magazine, taken in picture by Philip Halsman.

One of the picture session had taken place at her home, in January, at the Beverly Carlton Hotel (,,,,,,;,,,).
Halsman, who had already taken pictures of her in 1949 (), found her less shy than before; she worked and had surrounded herself with pictures, serious books (books of the Fabian Society, an intellectual socialist English movement, with George Bernard Shaw, Steinbeck, Ibsen, Wilde, Zola and the Russian novelists) and art treaties (works of Goya, Botticelli and Leonardo Da Vinci).

Another session took place at the Fox Publicity department (,,,,,,).

The cover of Life magazine () proclaimed : "Marilyn Monroe : the talking point of all Hollywood"; inside, the article was accompanied with a small reproduction of the calendar picture, next to another one where she was at home, listening to a classical record, lost in thougts.

Thus, the most traditionally American magazine approved Marilyn Monroe (,,,,,).

She made other picture sessions at the Beverly Carlton Hotel (,,), with Andre De Dienes (,,,).

DiMaggio visited her on the set of "Monkey Business", the last day of shooting (,,).

Natasha Lytess straightaway considered DiMaggio as an enemy, this one, paid her back her animosity. Marilyn, who hugely liked both, tried to reconcile them.

Joe didn't mind to give few advices Marilyn carefully listened to; she had to be wary of the Hollywood conmen and of everything that was false in this city. She had to be wary of the reporters; she had to earn more money and save as much as possible. Marilyn listened to him but nothing seemed more important to her than his calm, his fatherly expression and his attractive physical appearance.

Friday, April 18 : the Fox renewed its option on Marilyn by lengthening her contract.

Her salary was raised up to 750$ a week, since May 11th.

It was one of the lowest salary paid at that time to any well-known actor . She hadn't yet officially signed with Charles Feldman

() and his agency, the Famous Artists Agency; her status at the William Morris agency was still vague. Nevertheless, Marilyn took the opportunity to ask the Fox to hire Natasha Lytess as main teacher of the firm (she had already been hired as Marilyn's teacher in 1951). This request was agreed and Natasha Lytess signed a 2-year contract with the Fox, the studio being both ready to satisfy Marilyn and too happy that her mentor, busy with other things, wouldn't always be present on Marilyn's shootings.

The reporters learned that, contrary to what Marilyn 's stories led to believe (the fact she was an orphan), her mother was still alive.

Gladys was at the Agnew State Institution and had a part-time job in a private nursing home, in the Eagle Rock area, near Pasadena, North-East of Los Angeles.

Wednesday, April 23, Gladys's husband, John Stewart Eley, died of a heart attack, aged 62.

It was shortly after that Gladys wrote to her daughter :

"Dear Marilyn,

Please my Dear daughter, I wish I hear from you. Here I just have problems and I'd llike to leave as soon as possible. I'd rather have ly child's love than her hate.

Tenderly, your mother".

This letter Marilyn kept throughout her life, hurt her deeply, of course, she wasn't angry at her, but she refused to visit her, although Gladys had begged her through Inez Melson.

Her mother remined her too much her unhappy past , a family history which, according to Grace McKee-Goddard, carried many somber and dangerous diseases she could inherit.

Inez Melson convinced Marilyn to name her as the legal guardianship of Gladys.

Monday, April 28 Marilyn was hospitalized at the Cedars of Lebanon Hospital of Los Angeles for an appendicitis, after weeks of intermittent pain (,,,,).

She was operated by Dr Marcus Rabwin, assisted by her gynecologist, Dr Leon Krohn.

Before the surgery, Marilyn, who was convinced that this procedure could compromise her ability to have kids, stuck on her belly, with scotch-tape, a pathetic note where she asked him to be very careful :

"Very important to read before the surgery. Dear Doctor, cut the less possible. It can seem unimportant I know but it's not about that - the fact that I'm a woman is important and means a lot to me. Please save (I couldn't ask more) what you can save, I'm in your hands. You have children and you must know what it means - please Doctor - I think you'll understand! thanks- for God's sake dear Doctor don't remove the ovaries- I beg you once again to do your best to limit the scars- I thank you from the bottom of my heart. Marilyn Monroe".

Joe DiMaggio sent her dozen of roses, while he was on the move, in New York City.

Allan "Whitey" Snyder, her make-up man and friend arrived at the hospital and made her radiant as she left, where the press was waiting for her. It was on this occasion that , jokingly, Marilyn had asked him to take care of her make-up, even after her death; to make him reminded it, she offered him a gold money clip from Tiffany, with the inscription "Whitey Dear, while I'm still warm, Marilyn" : .

Since this moment, Marilyn consulted Dr Leon Krohn, for her fertility problems.

MAY :

Now that it was known that her mother was still alive, the studios had to find a way to arrange with the press and the public opinion. Marilyn was once again called at the Fox and she gave an exclusive interview to reporter Erskine Johnson : "Behind my back, while I was a child, my mother spent many years at the hospital. Through the Los Angeles County, my guardian placed me in several foster families, and I spent more than a year at the Los Angeles Orphanage. I haven't known my mother intimately, and since I'm an adult, and able to help her, I have contacted her. Now I help her and and I want to keep helping her as long as she needs me".

The article "Marilyn Monroe confesses mother alone, living here" was published on Saturday, May 3 in the Los Angeles Daily News.

Tuesday, May 6 : Marilyn rested in her apartment of the Beverly Carlton Hotel. DiMaggio often visited her.

But admirers had discovered her address and plagued her with letters and visits; before the end of May, she took a luxurious suite at the Bel Air Hotel (,), with a pool and a terraced garden, for the amount of 750$ a month, she paid thanks to her salary of "Don't Bother to Knock".

She shot another movie, "We’re Not Married" (,,,) and rehearsed the musicals acts of her next movie, "Niagara", with a new vocal coach, Phil Moore : ,,.

Wednesday, May 21 : Marilyn was at the studio for the fitting of the costumes for her nex t movie, "Niagara" (,,,,,,,,,).

Friday, May 23, new fitting of the costumes of "Niagara": .

Tuesday, May 27, new fitting of the costumes of "Niagara" : .

JUINE:

Sunday, June 1st : Marilyn celebrated her birthday at the Bel Air Hotel of Los Angeles. She learned that she had got the part of Lorelei Lee in "Gentlemen Prefer Blondes", which shooting was scheduled in October. It was her first part in a musical.

Darryl Zanuck, producer at the Fox, had preferred her to Betty Grable, after having heard the non commercial recording of Marilyn singing "Do it Again", she had sang, at the beginning of this year, at Camp Pendleton.

Actually, Marilyn had got the part thanks to her incredible popularity rating; she cost 10 times less and was 10 years younger than Betty Grable, and than Jane Russell, her partner in "Gentlemen Prefer Blondes".

She met Hal Schaefer, singing teacher at the Fox, with who she took lessons to prepare her part in "Gentlemen Prefer Blondes".

Sunday, June 8 : she left a farewell note to Sidney Skolsky at Schwab’s and took a plane to New York City.

She met Joe DiMaggio with who she spent time at the Toot's Shor and at the Stork Club (), Joe's favourite places.

Tuesday, June 10 : Sidney Skolsky devoted her a whole column, making a summary of her life and career.

She started the shooting of "Niagara" in Buffalo (State of New York), on location. It was the second time she had the leading role of a movie. She stayed at the General Broke Hotel (), in Niagara Falls, during the shooting (,,,,,,,,,).

Henry Hathaway, the director of the movie, hadn't the reputation to be a director easy with the actors. Though, to everyone's surprise, Marilyn and him worked together seriously and in a good mood : ,.

It was her friend Allan Snyder who made up her, once again, during the shooting: ,,,.

During the week-ends of June and July, Marilyn left to Manhattan to meet Joe DiMaggio, who recorded the Yankees TV program he commented. In the stadium or in studio, he was nervous and not much self-confident facing the cameras, clumsy when he interviewed players or when he read his text or an advert . However, he didn't accept any advice from Marilyn who though, knew some astutenesses from her drama teachers (how to put the breath or how to focus). They stayed at the Drake Hotel; in respect of convention, they took 2 rooms but actually lived in one.

At that time, she read "The Thinking Body" of Mabel Ellsworth Todd (recommended by Michael Tchekhov), "Letters to A Young Poet" of Rainer Maria Rilke and "The Prophet" of Khalil Gibran.

Canadian photographer Jock Carroll took her in pictures during the shooting (,,,,).

Wednesday, June 18 : release of "Clash By Night" (,,,,).

In its publicity, prior the release of the movie, the RKO widely used the anecdote of the abandonned little girl, looking through the window of the orphanage, dreaming of better days.

The critics were favorable to Marilyn.

Thursday, June 26 : she was appealed to testify in front of judge Kenneth Holaday in the trial against Jerry Kaupman and Morie Kaplen, accused of selling nude pictures by mail order and, on this occasion, to have use Marilyn's name for their publicity

(,,,,,).

Roy Craft, publicist at the Fox was on her side (,).

Joe DiMaggio supported her on this occasion, which gave her, once again, the public sympathy.

The rumor of an imminent wedding between them started to spread in Hollywood.

JULY :

Back to Hollywood for the scenes of "Niagara" shot indoor (Joe had remained in New York with the Yankees), Henry Hathaway urged Marilyn to give up her lessons with Natasha Lytess who, according to him and many other people, only gave her a inferiority feeling and only made her more shy.

For some scenes, Hathaway asked her to wear her own clothes; Marilyn, without any embarrassment , answered him that she only owed old pants, sweaters and a black suit, bought for Johnny Hyde's funeral. That's why when she went out, she borrowed the clothes to the studio.

The reason was simply financial. From her 750$ a week, it remained her, after tax, only 500$, from which she deduced 10% she paid to the William Morris agency. Then, she had to pay almost 200$ a week for her lessons of singing, diction and drama , and each month, gave at least 50 or 60$ to Inez Melson and more for Gladys.

For 6 months, she rented a small house on the Hollywood hills,1121 Hilldale Avenue, West Hollywood :

But she ended by declaring that she wasn't ready for this kind of life, at a moment where she had so much to do, and moved in a suite at the Bel Air Hotel.

Saturday, July 12 : release of "We're Not Married" (;) ; it was one of the main movies in which Marilyn was put to take advantage of her growing popularity, while the Fox wasn't ready to entrust a leading role to her.

Friday, July 18 : release of "Don’t Bother to Knock" (

;

Joe, back to California, and 4 months after their meeting, introduced her to his family in San Francisco.

Marilyn probably liked the warm family atmosphere which reigned at the DiMaggio's home, but also understood what
was expected from her as a wife : cooking, ironing, houseworking and sewing.

Before the end of Summer, Joe asked her to think about the idea of giving the cinema industry up.

In the course of the month, she made a picture session for Leatherneck magazine, with photographer J.W.Richardson

(,,,).

AUGUST :

Sunday, August 3 : she attended a party organized by the Fox at the conductor Ray Anthony's home (,

) for the recording of the song "Marilyn" by Ervin Drake and Jimmy Shirl.
Marilyn, arrived by helicopter (,), delighted the guests by playing the percussions under Mickey Rooney's direction (;,,,).

Thurdsday, August 21 : she began on radio (after the first experience in 1946) by playing a murderer in "Statement in

Ful" for "Hollywood Star Playhouse" program.

The recording was made at the NBC studios (1500 Vine Street, Hollywood) (,,,,,).

Tuesday, August 26 : Marilyn was about to leave for the roadshow of "Monkey Business", but she missed her train, and the studio offered her the trip by plane (,).

Sunday, August 31 : the radio program "Hollywood Star Playhouse" was broadcasted on NBC.

SEPTEMBER :

Monday, September 1st :

A Governement Department asked her to pose with uniformed servicewomen for an advert, aiming to recruit more feminine employees for the US Army forces. She was approached by an Army photographer for picture sessions with young American women wearing the uniform, in order to encourage their fellow-countrywomen to join the Army. She was taken in picture in red dotted white dress, leaned to a balcony, exposing her femininity, so as soon as the picture was published, an official text from the Army cancelled the promotion and took the picture out, considering it too provocative and non suitable
(,).

She took part in a press conference (,) and posed with Miss Alabama 1952 :

Tuesday, September 2 :

The premiere of "Monkey Business" took place at the Stanley Theater () of Atlantic City (New Jersey)

(,).
For the roadshow, the Fox made sure that Marilyn led the Miss America parade (,,,). It was the first time such an event was led by a woman.

The Miss America election took place at the Atlantic City Convention Hall in Atlantic City, New Jersey.

She was welcomed at the Claridge Hotel of Atlantic City (,,).

She visited a children hospital : ,,,.,

She also went to New York City for the promotion, and stayed at the Sherry-Netherland Hotel (,,,,). She posed for the Sunday News magazine (,,).

In New York, she was seen with singer Al Martino (), and also with Danny Stradella, owner of the "Danny's Hide a Way" restaurant ().

Wednesday, September 3 : she left to the East Coast (,) to go back to Los Angeles

().

Friday, September 5 : release of "Monkey Business" (;,;,,

The movie had a respectable success. For the publicity, the studios put Marilyn's name forward rather than her partners's one, Cary Grant and Ginger Rogers, though more famous than her.

To protect herself from the Hollywood reporters who followed each of her movements at the Bel Air Hotel where she stayed, back from the roadshow of "Monkey Business ", Marilyn and DiMaggio rented a house at 2393 Castilian Drive
(), on the Hollywood heights. They rented it since September 15th

(), but from October 1st, Joe DiMaggio rather liked to live in San Francisco.

He accompanied her so that she revitalize her wardrobe, advising her and expressing his opinion, while she purchased blouses, dresses and suits.

The press talked a lot of quarrel and disagreement between them, and the rumor reached its climax when Joe left Los Angeles around October 1st , after, according to Marilyn, having insulted her.

Sunday, September 14 : she attended the patriotic party "I am an American", at the Hollywood Bowl (,

,).

Monday, September 15 : she took part in a base-ball competition for a charity, the "Out of This World Series Charity Baseball Game" at the Gilmore Field Stadium of Los Angeles (,,,).

OCTOBER :

Saturday, October 4 : Marilyn, accompanied with Natasha Lytess, went to do some shopping at Jax, a store on Wilshire Boulevard where she chose several pants (,), blouses (), corsages and accessories.

Thursday, October 16 : release of "O'Henry's Full House" (;,,) (date of shooting unknown).

Friday, October 17, Marilyn signed a check to Natasha Lytess, paying her the price of the lessons

().

Sunday, October 26 : she was the star of one of the episode of the Edgar Bergen's radio show (,,) and his jumping jacks Charlie McCarthy and Mortimer Snerd.

Tuesday, October 28 : Grace McKee-Goddard wrote to Marilyn. Noticing that Gladys didn't reach to a "complete recovery", Grace asked Marilyn to make Gladys transferred to the Rockhaven nursing home, in Verdugo City. Marilyn, as usual, followed Grace's advices, and Gladys joined Rockhaven in February 1953.

Friday, October 21, fitting of the costumes for "Gentlemen Prefer Blondes" (,,).

NOVEMBER:

Saturday, November 1st : Marilyn was in the studio for the fitting of the costumes, make-up and colorstests for her next movie "Gentlemen Prefer Blondes" .

She prepared her dancing acts with Jane Russell (,,) and choregrapher Jack Cole.

Saturday, November 8, hairdressing tests for "Gentlemen Prefer Blondes" (,).

Wednesday, November 12, fitting of the costumes for "Gentlemen Prefer Blondes" (,,,).

The shooting of "Gentlemen Prefer Blondes", a musical in Technicolor, started and lasted until March 1953.

She co-starred with Jane Russell in this movie directed by Howard Hawks, who had already directed her in "Monkey Business".

Marilyn played the part of Lorelei Lee and Jane Russell the one of Dorothy Shaw, her friend.

Lorelei and Dorothy left the USA to Paris ; they more or less escaped from many misadventures due to Lorelei's weakeness for rich men and her fragile fidelity to a dreary fiancé.

Marilyn and Jane Russell saved a not much convincing story from a complete flop, thanks to the energy they expended in the various dancing and singing acts.

Marilyn's legendary performance of "Diamonds are a Girl’s Best Friend" of Jule Styne and Leo Robin attracted much attention.
Surrounded by a dozen of men in tailcoats and black tie, Marilyn, wearing a pink bustier (

) , designed by William Travilla (

), literally threw radiance against the bright red of the curtain behind her.
It was her friend, make-up artist Whitey Snyder who took care of her make-up during the shooting.

On the set, Howard Hawks (,) was exasperated by Marilyn's repeated lateness, her nervous fragility and her dependence toward Natasha Lytess (,,,,).

He banned her from the set, but he had too, to go back over his position, because Marilyn's lateness had no more limits.

Jane Russell told how Marilyn was terrified, but despite their kind rivalry on screen, the 2 actresses became friends on the set.

The movie musical director, Lionel Newman, later talked about Marilyn's improvement during the recording of the songs.
Indeed, she liked singing with the orchestra, an unusual pratice, the actor usually singing over a pre- recorded musical tape.

Director Howard Hawks was less laudatory about her insistence of doing the shots again, even when he was glad of her work. He didn't shoot the musical scenes and asked the choregrapher Jack Cole to direct them.

For "Diamonds are a Girl's Best Friend", Marilyn nevertheless worked hard, as if she knew that this sequence would become a kind of national symbol. She asked for doing this scene again, 11 times (

), so much she wanted the song to be perfect..

Everyone liked her on the set, but because of her shyness, she didn't manage to express the same warm enthusiasm than Jane Russell. According to this one, Marilyn never gave the impression to be angry or unhappy. Her distress came for the main part from the tension which didn't stop to increase between Joe (who attended the shooting 2 or 3 times) and Natasha (about who Joe thought that Marilyn put her "over him").

In addition, when she insisted on doing a shot again, to change something in a singing act, to discuss with Natasha Lytess, she obtained it.

Howard Hawks finished the movie and managed to obtain a natural performance from an extremely tense Marilyn. One of the reason of the movie success is maybe that Hawks entrusted Jack Cole with the musical direction, with who Marilyn get on well.

On the basis of 1 250$ a week stipulated in her contract, Marilyn received about 15 00$ for the movie; Jane Russell was paid 150 000$. Marilyn was still linked to her contract terms, and her relations for the least complicated, with the William Morris agency and the Famous Artists agency, were far from being cleared up.

During the shooting, she received the visit of photographer David Conover (,) who had discovered her at the Radio Plane Munitions Company, in 1944.

Christmas : after a party given at the studio, she joined her suite of the Beverly Hills Hotel, where DiMaggio surprised her by waiting for her, while he had to spend the feasts with his family. He had decorated the place with a Christmas tree and prepared some champagne.

Marilyn later said that this 1952 Christmas was her best one.

Joe DiMaggio didn't much appreciate the idea that his future wife was the object of every look and every fantasy, everywhere in the country. At the moment he left a long public man career, she got involved on the path of glory she had wished so much and of which she was proud. DiMaggio was probably aware that a relationship with Marilyn would be delicate.

She attended a party with reporter Earl Wilson and actress Esther Williams : .