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1955

JANUARY


Friday, January 7, press conference at the home of the lawyer Frank Delaney () for the annoucement of the creation of the Marilyn Monroe Productions. Marilyn was the President with 51% of the

capital, and Milton Greene owned the 49% left ().

She wore a white satin dress and an ermin coat, designed par Norman Norell (,,

).

The columnist Elsa Maxwell was there (), so was the actress Marlene Dietrich

(,).

Being late extending the signature of her contract and writing the $100 000 bonus promised for "The Seven Year Itch", the Fox was legally in the wrong.

The Fox threatened Marilyn to have penalties if she wouldn't appear on the filming of the next movie scheduled by the studio, "How to Be Very, Very Popular". But Marilyn had no intention to shoot this movie.

Sunday, January 9, she flew to Hollywood where she had to shoot the last takes of "The Seven Year Itch".

Wednesday, January 12 Marilyn worked the whole day.
A notification for the costume tests for "How to Be Very, Very Popular" was brought to her.

She didn't appear and the Fox ordrered her to come on Saturday, January 15 for the pre-production work but Marilyn flew to New York City and the studio suspended her.


Wednesday, January 19, she settled at the Gladstone Hotel () and would stay there until March.

Week-end in Connecticut at Fleur Cowles', from Look magazine; Marilyn met the humanist Bertha

Spafford-Vester (,).


Work session at the Marilyn Monroe Productions' office, in Milton Greene's studio, at 480 Lexington Avenue

(,).

Sunday, January 23 with Milton they went to Boston, Massachussetts, to meet Henry Rosenfeld

(), a rich ready-to-wear manufacturer. He had varied his professionals activites and Milton hoped to convince him to invest in movie production. Their professional collaboration didn't succeed but he started a friendship with Marilyn.

She spent few days with Joe DiMaggio at his brother Dominic's home in Wellesaley, in the suburbs of Boston.

Tuesday, January 25, dinner with the DiMaggios (,,).

Wednesday, January 26, interview at the Gladstone Hotel with the journalist George Carpozi Jr and

the photographer George Miller (,;,,).

Friday, January 28, picture session with Milton Greene (,).




FEBRUARY


Friday, February 4, Marilyn appeared at the Actors Studio. She met Elia Kazan () who

introduced her to Lee Strasberg (). He agreed to welcome her for the collective lessons

(,,,) and to give her private lessons.

3 evenings a week, she worked at the Strasberg's and often remained to have dinner with his family

().

In line with those new meetings and future plans, Milton introduced her to the psychoanalyst Margaret

Hohenberg
().

Since mid-February, Marilyn started a therapy with several appointments a week, at the psychiatrist's office

().

Picture session at Milton's studio (,).

Saturday, February 26, with DiMaggio, they attended Jackie Gleason's birthday party, at the Toot's Shor

 (,,,,).


Monday, February 28, presentation of the gala organized by Mike Todd and the Ringling Brothers Circus

() at the Madison Square Garden, in aid of the Arthritis and Rheumatismal Affections Foundation,

which would take place on March 30, 1955 (,).


End of February
, dinner of the "Young Executives and Professionals" for the "United Jewish Appeal" at the Plaza

Hotel in New York City (,,).



MARCH



Picture sessions with Milton Greene (,;,,,

).


Wednesday, March 9, premiere of "East of Eden" at the Astor Theater, New York City ().

She was accompanied with her agent Jay Kanter ().

She volunteered for being an usherette (,).

Among the attendees were Milton Greene (,,), Sammy Davis Jr

(), the reporter Earl Wilson () and the entertainer Milton Berle

(,).


The evening was in aid of the Actors Studio : this fund-raising had to be used for the purchase of an ancient

Greek church that would be the head office of the company ().

A supper was organized after the projection (,,).

Friday, March 11, Friars Club's party () at the Waldorf Astoria with Milton Berle as master of

ceremonies (,,).


Milton Greene accompanied her (,,). Sammy Davis Jr () and

Dean Martin were also invited (,).

Mid-March, picture sessions with Ed Feingersh : in Grand Central Station (,,

), at Brooks' for the costume test for the evening of March 30 at the Madison

Square Garden (,,), at Costello's

(,,), at the Ambassador Hotel (;

,;), at Elizabeth Arden's (,,).

He also followed her on Thursday, March 24 when she got ready (,,) to attend

the premiere of the play "Cat On a Hot Tin Roof" at the Morosco theater (,,,

,).


Monday, March 28, Marilyn attended the representation of the play "The Seven Year Itch" at the Fulton

Theater where she met again Tom Ewell with whom she had filmed the movie ().


Wednesday, March 30, charity evening for the Arthritis and Rheumatismal Affections Foundation at the

Madison Square Garden. She made an original entrance riding a pink elephant named Karnaudi (),

in front of 18 000 people (). The photographer Ed Feingersh took some pictures that

night (,,,,,).


Thursday, March 31, party with the sailors of the USS Bennington ship at the Grand Ballroom of the Astor

Hotel (,,,,

,,).


In March, meeting with the reporter Edward Murrow in preparation for his program "Person to Person"

which would be broadcasted live on April 8 (,,,

).



APRIL


She moved in at 2728 Waldorf Towers in a 3 rooms apartment, at the 27th floor ().

She purchased a sport black Thunderbird ().

She was represented by the Arthur Jacobs' agency () which was in charge of the public relations of the Marilyn Monroe Productions.


John Springer () and Lois Weber () worked for Marilyn at the New York City office,

and Rupert Allan () and Pat Newcomb () were at the Los Angeles office.


Friday, April 8, broadcasting live on CBS of the program "Person to Person". The filming took place at the

Greene's farmhouse in Weston, Connecticut (,,,,

,,;).


Tuesday, April 26, "Newspaper Public Convention" (or Banshee Luncheon) at the Waldorf Astoria

(,). Were also invited Milton Berle (,),

the head of the FBI, J.Edgar Hoover () and the columnist Hedda Hopper ().


She visited Mary Karger who lived in New Jersey (,

,,).

 MAY



Party at El Morocco with the writer Truman Capote (,,). He celebrated the end of the representations of his play "House of Flowers".

Leaving the Actors Studio (,,,).



JUNE



Wednesday, June 1, premiere of "The Seven Year Itch" at the Loew's State Theater

(,).

Joe DiMaggio accompanied her (,,,,

).

This evening, Marilyn also celebrated her birthday at the following party at the Toot's Shor (,

).

Friday, June 3, official release of "The Seven Year Itch" (,,

,).

Tuesday, June 7, she went to view the play "Damn Yankees" (,,).

Monday, June 27, she went to view the play "Inherit the Wind" at the Broadway National Theater

().


At Richard Rodgers', one of the Greene's neighbours in Weston (,,

,,,,).




JULY




Coney Island ,,


She spent some time with Norman and Hedda Rosten (, at their home in New York City 

or in Long Island (,,).


With Norma Rosten she went to the White Barn Theater, Westport (,).

Picture sessions with Milton in Weston (,,).



AUGUST

Saturday, August 6, Marilyn went to Bement (Illinois) where she had been invited to attend the city's

centenary festivities. She was accompanied with her hairstylist Peter Leonardi () and with the photographer Eve Arnold who took pictures during the whole day there.

She took off from La Guardia Airport, New York City () and landed in Chicago, Illinois ()

where she stopped there for 2 hours (,). Then she took a flight to Champaign, Illinois, along with Carleton Smith, director of the National Arts Foundation, native of Bement

(,).

Visit of the National Arts Foundation Museum ,

Exhibition on Abraham Lincoln at the Bryant Cottage ,

Breah at Carleton Smith's ,

After being a judge for a beard contest (,), she attended the historical show about

Bement (,).

Then she was escorted by the police directly to the Chicago Airport (,

) from where she took a flight to New York City, where she arrived around 2.00 AM.

She went to watch Eli Wallach playing in Broadway "Teahouse of the August Moon" (,

).

Picture session at Judy Holliday's who lived in the Dakota Building; she played Marilyn atthe Blue Angel Supper

Club ().


SEPTEMBER


The Labour Day week-end, September Saturday 3, Sunday 4 and Monday 5, she was with the Rostens in

their home in Long Island (,,).

Picture session with Eve Arnold in Miller Place (,,) and Mount Sinai

(,,,).

Party at the Actors Studio (,).

Picture session at Milton Greene's studio, with Maurice Chevalier (,).



Thursday, September 29, premiere of "A View From the Bridge" written by Arthur Miller (,

,), at the Coronet Theater, New York City.

Then supper at El Morocco ().

She moved in an apartment belonging to Milton Greene, the E8 on the 7th floor, located 2 Sutton Place

South (,).



OCTOBER


Wednesday, October 5, premiere of "The Diary of Anne Frank" at the Cort Theater in Broadway, in which

Susan Strasberg, daughter of Lee and Paula Strasberg, played the leading role (,

,,).

Picture session at Milton Greene's studio (,).


Monday, October 31, the final judgement of divorce between Marilyn and Joe DiMaggio was rendered

().




NOVEMBER

The Marilyn Monroe Productions' lawyer,  Frank Delaney resigned and was replaced by Irving Stein

().

Thursday, November 10, with Lee Strasberg, Marilyn attended the representation of the play "A Hatful of

Rain", then they had dinner with the author Michael Gazzo and the director Frank Corsaro (,

).


Thursday, November 17, "1955 Thanksgiving March of Muscular Dystrophy Drive" (,,

).

The Marilyn Monroe Productions proposed a contract to the Fox :

* a $100 000 bonus for "The Seven Year Itch"
* filming 4 movies during 7 years (from 1955 to 1962) with a $100 000 bonus a year, in monthly payments and a percentage of profits of her movies
* filming one movie per year produced by the MMP
* possibility to produce herself in 6 TV and radio programs
* disc recording
* the list of the directors Marilyn wanted to work with : George Cukor (), Vittorio De Sica,

John Ford, Alfred Hitchcock, John Huston (), Elia Kazan (), David Lean, Joshua Logan

(), Joseph L.Mankiewicz, Vincente Minelli, Carol Reed, George Stevens, Lee Strasberg
¨
(), Billy Wilder (), William Wyler and Fred Zinemann.




DECEMBER



Picture session at Milton Greene's studio (,).
Monday, December 12, picture session with Marlon Brando at Milton Greene's studio (,

,,,).


Then they attended the premiere of "The Rose Tatoo", an fund-raising evening for the Actors Studio

(,,,,).

Then they attended a supper given at the Sheraton Astor Hotel with among others the Strasbergs

(,), the Rostens (,), Arthur

Jacobs (,) and Jayne Mansfield ().



Thursday, December 29
, the Fox' executive team held its regular meeting in New York City; one of the points discussed concerned the Marilyn Monroe Productions' proposal. The President of Fox, Spyros Skouras

(), encouraged the commitee to approve the contract : the studio needed her.


Saturday, December 31, Marilyn signed her new contract with the Fox; she had managed to submit the studio.
She could celebrate her victory withe the Greenes in their house in Connecticut where they celebrated the New Year.




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