My journey ends here...
1959
Marilyn
started this year with a depression she tried to lighten by
taking some sedatives to fight against tension and anxiety.
But Amytal
and Nembutal were themselves depressant , and she found herself in a
real vicious circle between insomnia, provoked sleep, hazy mornings and
gloomy days. She took her regular sessions with Dr Marianne Kris up again but they didn't seem to be very salutary. Dr Kris prescribed her the sedatives she needed.
JANUARY
:
Marilyn continued her lessons with Lee
Strasberg and worked at the Actors
Studio, which didn't much please to Arthur, because the gap didn't stop widening between him and the Strasbergs.
She meticulously read the screenplays her agents sent her but none of them seemed interesting to her.
With Arthur, she thought about new improvements to bring to their house of Roxbury.However, she didn't live as a recluse and met the greatest writers.
Carl Sandburg, who had briefly met Marilyn on the set of "Some Like it Hot", visited her in her apartment.
Tuesday, January 20 : Lew Schreiber (one of the head of the Fox) and Frank Ferguson (one of the studio's lawyers) consulted the list of directors approved by Marilyn. The studio had until April 14 of this year, to suggest her a film.
But they couldn't do it as long as there were no firm commitment from one of the 16 directors on the list.
Billy Wilder, who appeared on the list, refused to shoot once again with her, after the trying shooting of "Some Like it Hot".
Joshua Logan was also on the list, but Marilyn was angry at him to have cut her big scene in "Bus Stop". As for John Huston, he was busy with the shooting of "The Unforgiven" until May of this year.
The name of Lee Strasberg also appeared on the list, but he had never directed a movie.
Remained an interesting name, the one of Elia
Kazan, who was still under contract with the Fox.
The studio got hold of a dear subject to Kazan, a screenplay around theTennessee Valley
Authority, based on 2 novels, "Mud on the Stars" of William
Bradford Huie and "Dunbar's Cove" of Borden Deal. For the studio, this movie would be called "Time and Tide".
But
before an agreement was signed, Kazan had to officially agree. So it
was impossible to the Fox to set Marilyn to work before.
Arthur suggested her the screenplay of "The Misfits", but she wasn't sure to want to play it, even if she considered the movie as a love gift.
Miller earned 250 000$ from the Marilyn
Monroe Productions for this "gift". Miller suggested John Huston as director and included Clark Gable, Montgomery Clift, Kevin
MacCarthy and Eli Wallach in the distribution.
Miller had to convince Clark Gable by explaining him it was "kind of a western of the East, which dealt with the lack of meaning of our lives and maybe also the way we've come where we are".
But if the shooting was planned for a long time, John Huston took his time to read the various versions of the screenplay of "The Misfits".
FEBRUARY :
Thursday, February 5 : Carson McCullers invited them in her house of Nyack (State of New York), where Karen Blixen joined
them to talk for a long time
about poetry (
,
,
,
).
The meal was made of oysters, white grapes, champagne and a soufflé.
In the evening, the New York presentation of "Some Like it Hot" took place. Marilyn
attended with Arthur Miller (
,
,
;
,
,
,
).
This showing plunged Marilyn in despair. Arthur Miller, as many of the critics, found her an incredible comic talent.
Billy Wilder showed her at the peak of her talent. She proved herself
to be brilliant and though, in her paranoia, she was sincerly convinced
that Wilder had decided to show her worse side.
In an interview given by Wilder in the New York Herald Tribune, she discovered how the director joked about her . She rushed, yelling, in Miller's office.
Wilder suggested that for his mental and physical health, there was no way for him to start another shooting with Marilyn.
Arthur Miller and Wilder exchanged furious telegrams : Miller accused Wilder to have overburden his wife with work while he knew she was pregnant; Wilder enumerated the affronts and humiliations he had suffered from Marilyn during the shooting, and also the loss of hundreds of thousands million dollars for the delay of the shooting, while expressing his sadness for her miscarriage.
Tuesday, February 10 : Marilyn and Arthur Miller attended the representation of "Macbeth" at the New York Metropolitan Opera
(
,
,
,
,
,
).
Thursday, February 19 :
Frank Ferguson
(lawyer of the Fox) informed his manager, Lew Schreiber they had
to notify Elia Kazan about the subject of the movie "Time and Tide",
on Wednesday, February 25
at the latest, if they wanted to respect the extension of 30 days to inform Marilyn.
Accompanied with Abe Lastfogel, head of the William
Morris Agency which represented him, Kazan met Spyros Skouras
(head of the Fox). He officially agreed to shoot "Time and Tide", in
return for which once he would be relieved of the movie, he would be
exempted from shooting the 5th and 6th movie planned in his contract of
1950.
Thursday, February 26 : Marilyn received the Crystal Star (
) for the "Best Foreign Actress in "The
Prince
and the Showgirl » ; it was a French award presented to her at the French Film Institute (
,
;
,
,
,
,
;
,
,
,
,
,
). May Reis also attended the party
(
,
)
MARCH
Wednesday, March 4 : Kazan sent a telegram to Buddy Adler (producer at the Fox), promising to come on Wednesday, April 1st at the latest, for work sessions with Calder Willingham, who worked on the movie screenplay.
Immediately, Adler
asked Lew Schreiber to warn Marilyn, informing her she would
officially shoot "Time and Tide", under Elia Kazan's direction, asking
her to come on Tuesday, April 14.
Tuesday, March 17 : Marilyn arrived in Chicago for the roadshow of "Some Like it Hot" (
,
;
) ; at the Ambassador East where a lunch was offered (
,
),
Marilyn was charming with the press (
,
,
).
Sunday, March 29, release of "Some Like it Hot" (
;
,
,
,
).
The premiere took place at the Lowe’s Capitol Theater in New York (
,
,
,
To celebrate the release of the movie, the Strasbergs gave a party in their apartment.
MAY:
Wednesday, May 13 : Miller accompanied Marilyn who received the David Di Donnatello award for the "Best Foreign
Actress in 1958" (
)
in "The Prince and the Showgir" ; this award was given to her by
the Cultural Italian Institute of New York (686 Park
Avenue). 400 people attended the ceremony where the prize was presented
to her by the manager of the
Institute, Filippo Donini (
,
,
,
,
,
,
,
).
Miller
hadn't much progressed in the modification of the screenplay of "The
Misfits" when John Huston stopped in New York before going to Ireland,
having finished the shooting of his movie.
Wednesday, May 20 : Marilyn and Miller attended the annual exhibition organised by the "American Academy of Arts and
Letters": 
.
JUNE :
Miller ended the re-writing of the screenplay and sent it to John Huston.
Several days later, this one sent a telegram of congratulations to Miller for his work , while announcing his arrival in New York.
Miller
and Huston met in June. Without any ambiguity, Huston announced him
that the screenplay needed a complete revision.
If Miller managed to
end the re-writing before the end of summer, Huston thought about
beginning the shooting of "The Misfits" in April 1960. Otherwise,
he would start the shooting of "Freud", even if the screenplay, written
by Jean-Paul Sartre, wasn't much ready.
Monday, June 22 : Marilyn entered the Lenox Hill Hospital in New York to have a surgery on Tuesday 23 , another one of her endometritis by Dr Mortimer Rodgers.
Friday, June 26 : Arthur Miller took her back to their New York apartment (
,
,
).
SUMMER
Miller and
Marilyn withdrew in Connecticut; Miller wrote all the time, without
giving in to temptation to contact John Huston.
No question to
show him something else than concrete results.
While Miller was writing, Marilyn ensured that she put her marks in the old property.
She made add some dark wooden beams and attic rooms, and install an additional room next to the kitchen. She put some pictures of Arthur in the solarium, and some posters of his plays.
She did some shopping in Roxbury and Woodbury, not far from there, often twice a day.
Jerry Wald, producer at the Fox, suggested her "Let's Make Love", directed by George Cukor, with Gregory Peck.
At the beginning, the movie had to be directed by Billy Wilder, who, despite the difficulties felt on the shooting of "Some Like it Hot", had agreed to collaborate once again with Marilyn; but this one was still committed in another movie.
Marilyn agreed to make the movie, but the screenplay was still modified by Miller. When Gregory Peck learned that Miller was reviewing the screenplay and that his role dwindled, he withdrew.
Many stars were approached for the part : Yul Brynner, Cary
Grant, Rock Hudson, Charlton Heston, William Holden and James Stewart
declined the proposal.
George
Cukor engaged Evelyn Moriarty as Marilyn's stand-in in "Let's Make Love"; she remained her stand-in in her following movies ("The Misfits" and "Something’s Got
to Give").
Marilyn, according to her contract, could only shoot "Let's Make Love" if the Fox would sign with Cukor.
At
the end of summer, while the Fox was negotiating with Cukor, Arthur
Miller hurried to end the new version of his screenplay.
AUGUST
Saturday, August 15 : the Millers attended a representation of "Macbeth" at the Boston Arts Center Theater
(
,
).
SEPTEMBER :
Tuesday, September 1st : Marilyn gave an interview to Lester Markel, the director of the Sunday Times
(
).
Wednesday, September 2
: Miller sent a telegram to John Huston, in Ireland, informing
him that he had almost finished his screenplay of "The Misfits".
Wednesday, September 16 : the Fox reached an agreement with George Cukor.
Thursday, September 17 : the Fox sent a letter to Marilyn, calling her for the pre-production of "Lets Make Love" on Monday, November 2.
She had to sign her obligations toward the Fox, before even deciding anything toward "The Misfits".
Gregory Peck had to be released on February 1st, 1960; it would be a bit tight but she should be on time to shoot "The Misfits".
Saturday, September 19 : Marilyn, on Spyros Skouras request, was in Los Angeles (
,
).
Miller didn't accompany her. He had thought that if he had gone with her, it would only awaken his political resentements.
So it was Frank Taylor (Miller's friend and publisher) who accompanied Marilyn this evening.
The Fox organized a banquet at the Café de Paris in the honor of Nikita Khrouchtchev, the Communist Party First Secretary,
came to visit the Fox studios (
;
;
).
Frank Sinatra was the master of ceremony. The guests were, among others, in addition to the heads of the studio (Buddy Adler
) and reporters,
Elizabeth Taylor, Debbie Reynolds, Judy
Garland (
) and Kim Novak.
Marilyn arrived at George Cukor's arm, to promote their next movie "Let's Make Love"
(
,
,
,
,
,
,
).
It
was for this occasion she saw Billy Wilder again (with who she hadn't
any more contact since the shooting of "Some Loke it Hot" in1958) and their relationship thawed.
Sunday, September 20 : Marilyn met, during 4 hours, Jerry Wald, producer of her next movie, and George Cukor.
Nobody
took offence to the fact Marilyn hadn't yet read the screenplay of the
movie, all the more so as Cukor had asked the screenplay would be
modified. Marilyn promised to refrain from peeping to the script, as
long as it wouldn't be definitive.
But nevertheless, she had few
demands.
If,
through her contract, she wasn't entitled to her say about the choice
of the cameraman for this movie, she clearly made understood she
had a preference for Harry Stradling who had worked with Elia Kazan on
"A Streetcar
named Desire".
Dancing
in front of a camera was certainly the thing that much worried
Marilyn; so she called her old friend, choregrapher Jack Cole, who had already worked with her on "There's No Business Like Show Business" and " Gentlemen Prefer Blondese.
She was enchanted to shoot with Gregory Peck and George Cukor.
After the meeting, she flew back to New York (
,
,
,
,
).
Monday, September 21 : Marilyn attended the premiere of Yves Montand one-man-show, "An Evening with Yves Montand" at the Henry Miller Theater in Broadway. The show had a huge success.
This evening, Marilyn was accompanied by Montgomery Clift, Arthur Miller working on the last changes of "The Misfits"
(
,
,
).
But she was so delighted by the show that she went back, accompanied by Miller and Norman and Hedda Rosten, the following evening, on Tuesday, September 22. The 2 couples went backstage to greet and meet Yves Montand and his wife, Simone Signoret.
Sharing the same political ideas, they became friends.
Miller had met Yves Montand and Simone Signoret in 1956 in Paris, to put a last touch on his play "The Crucible", performed by the couple Montand-Signoret, for 2 years.
What's more, Miller as Montand, had dealt with the US government Passport Division.
In 1949 and 1957, Montand was banned to enter the USA and his reservations had been cancelled. This time, he had been allowed to enter the US territory because he had vigorously denied his belonging to the Communist Party.
Montand's commitment went on and when his lease at the Henry Miller Theater ended, he went to perform at the Longacre.
During their stay, the Millers and the Montands saw themselves a lot.
Thursday, September 24 : Miller finally sent the second version of the screenplay of "The Misfits", on which he regardless, intended to work on the end.
Saturday, September 26 : Huston sent a telegram to Miller
: "Brilliant screenplay".
This evening, they attended the premiere of Judy Garland's show at the Palace
Theater of New York.
For the main character of the novel with the same title, on which the movie was based, the author, Truman Capote, had been much inspired by Marilyn. When she had arrived in New York, Marilyn was a young woman, full of life and hope, sure that the future would smile to her. By playing the character of Holly Golightly, she thought maybe living for a while this time of relative innoncence.
At the same time, she seemed wanting to hinder Arthur's movie projects, doing her best to block them, while he did everything to achieve them.
She prepared 2 scenes from "Breakfast at Tiffany’s" for the private lesson with Lee Strasberg, and played them in front of Truman Capote, who thought that she was perfect for the part.
But
the counter-publicity she had from her wrangles with Billy
Wilder during the shooting of "Some Like it Hot", had made her persona non grata at the Paramount.
Finally, Audrey Hepburn was chosen, despite Truman Capote's objections.
Norman
Rosten, who was working on the movie version of Arthur's play "A View From
the Bridge", did many stays at their home, in Roxbury.
But when they were in New York and that they had some arguments, Marilyn spent the night at the Strasbergs place.
Lee
Strasberg also needed to be comforted.
Strasberg was refused for the position of manager of the new theater of the Lincoln Center.
The Actors
Studio was in negotiation with the Lincoln Square Project (at that time called the Lincoln Center) since 1956.
With
Elia Kazan and Cheryl Crawford, Lee Strasberg suggested that the
theater was inserted to a cultural complex made up of
the Metropolitan Opera, the New York
Philarmonic and the New York City Ballet.
He was convinced that the Actors Studio would be the theater company in residence, and considered himself worthy of occupy a position of cultural leadership.
Instead of that, Robert Whitehead, recruited to set up the theater, asked Kazan to be his partner.
Robert
Whitehead who had co-produced "A View From the Bridge" organized a
meeting between Arthur Miller and Elia Kazan. The 2 men talked together
with pleasure. None of them mentionned the reason of the quarrel which
separated themsince
1952.
Miller agreed to write for the new theater, which was a huge argument
to encourage Kazan to accept the position of manager of
the Lincoln Center.
To Kazan, Arthur Miller was the playwright to who he was the closest. To Miller, Kazan was the ideal stage director of the autobiographical play he was working on.
Sunday, September 27 : they attended the AFHU ceremony (American Friends of the Hebrew University) at the Bellevue
Stratford Hotel in Philadelphia : 
.
OCTOBER
Wednesday, October 14 : choregrapher Jack Cole arrived at the Dance Players Rehearsal Hall of New York.
The Fox, in its wish to satisfy Marilyn, did its best to engage Jack Cole.
Being very popular, he had commitments for television and in Broadway, and could only work on the movie several weeks each time.
Gregory Peck had to be available for February 1st, 1960, Cukor had to shoot with a very tight schedule and Jerry Wald, the producer of the movie, thought it was preferable that Marilyn mastered her musical acts before her arrival in Los Angeles.Cole knew that Marilyn didn't have much gift for dance. He also knew she was a perfectionist. So they would need much time to develop her first important act.
The rest of the week wasn't much better : there were days where Marilyn didn't appear, some others when she came
(
,
,
) and others when she came but did nothing.
Monday, October 19 : with all those delays, Jack Cole wasn't sure to be able to present a single act enough ready to be shot on November 3. He wasn't even sure to want to take part in the movie. He asked the Fox to send someone right away, to settle the problems with Marilyn.
Wednesday, October 21 : an official press release announced that Elia Kazan had accepted the position which "made him a partner in the development and the direction of the Lincoln Center theater". Nevertheless, his reconciliation with Arthur Miller wasn't mentioned, nor Miller'sprojects.
Saturday, October 24
: George Cukor arrived in New York, with the intention to speak to
Marilyn and to make some spottings for 3 days of outdoor
shootings. He stayed at the Plaza
Hotel.
Marilyn bitterly complained about the screenplay, and it was obvious that the shooting should be postponed until the plot was modified as she wanted to.
Miller agreed to work again on the screenplay for a couple of weeks.John Huston had told him that he intended to start the shooting of "The Misfits" in April 1960 and that nothing should force him to postponed this date. So it was in Miller's interest and so the Fox one to shoot "Let's Make Love" as fast as possible.
Miller met Cukor and Jerry Wald, and an agreement letter was prepared. With 15 000$, Arthur promised to fill Marilyn's role out, but he didn't want it to be mentionned : his work had to remain secret. If his name would be credited in Cukor's movie, "The Misfits" couldn't be considered as his early stages as a screenwriter, nor as his first work especially written for Marilyn.
His contract specified that he had to give his work back on "Let's Make Love" on November 14 at the latest.
Saturday, October 31
: Huston sent a telegram to Miller to inform him that Clark Gable
agreed to shoot "The Misfits", but that he wouldn't get involved before
talking about it with his agent in Los
Angeles, George Chasin of the MCA (the same than Marilyn's one).
NOVEMBER:
Monday, November 2 :
Arthur
Miller and Marilyn left New York to Los Angeles (
,
,
;
,
).
Monday, November 9 : beginning of the shooting of "Let's Make Love" in Los Angeles.
The shooting started with Marilyn's musical acts (
,
,
,
,
,
,
).
Gregory Peck wasn't present on the set.
Arthur had well got ahead with the screenplay's modifications.
Friday, November 13
: Arthur
Miller gave the modified screenplay of "Let's Make Love" to Jerry
Wald who gave it to Gregory Peck. But this one, noticing that
Marilyn's part had been considerably filled out to the detriment of his
one, asked that his contract was broken.
He
suggested to return the 100 000$ advance which had been paid if the
production would release him. Buddy Adler (producer at the Fox)
reluctantly agreed, while the casting managers got involved in the
frenetic search of a stand-in. The names of
Charlton Heston, James Stewart, Kirk Douglas, Cary Grant, Peter Lawford, Tony Curtis and
Rock Hudson were suggested but nothing succeeded. For a while, the shooting of "The Misfits" might have been postponed in April.
Miller suggested Yves Montand to stand in for Gregory Peck beside Marilyn in "Let's Make Love"; the Fox, not really enthusiastic, nevertheless agreed.
Montand had made a triumph with his one-man-show, and at that time, was in San Francisco.
The
couple Montand-Signoret intended to go back to France for
Christmas, before Montand's tour in Japan. The Fox sent them, as a
matter of urgency, a copy of the screenplay in
San Francisco.
Marilyn did many round-trips between New York City and Hollywood for
the fitting of the costumes, the color-tests, the meetings with George
Cukor and the work sessions with Paula Strasberg, who was hired in the crew, as usual.
There were also the rehearsals and the pre-recordings of several songs.
It was at that time that she called the "masseur of the stars", actor Ralph Roberts.
He was very respected by his colleagues for his huge knowledge about
physiotherapy and the specific muscular problems of the actors and the
dancers. Marilyn had met him in 1955 at Lee Strasberg's place, while Roberts was both their friend and disciple.
Marilyn had learned he had helped a lot Judy Garland during a shooting. So she called him and from this moment, he became one of her closest friend.
The Fox had just laid its hands on Montand for "Let's Make Love" that Clark Gable let them down for "The Misfits".
Back in Los Angeles, Gable had changed his mind. He considered that the screenplay didn't hold water.
Director John Huston, urged Miller to talk to him; Gable and Miller had met at producer and agent Charles Feldman's place in 1951.
Miller convinced Gable, who read the screenplay again, and finally agreed to play the suggested part. Maybe that the base salary offered (750 000$) had something to do with it.
Miller
also thought about engaging Montgomery Clift. He called Elia Kazan who
was shooting with the actor, to know when this one would have finish
the shooting of "Wild River". Kazan thought that Montgomery Clift
would be released at the beginning of January.
Sunday, November 15, fitting of the costumes for "Let’s Make Love" (
).
Friday, November 20, fitting of the costumes for "Let’s Make Love" (
,
,
).
DECEMBER :
Marilyn
made a picture session with Philip Halsman (
,
,
).
Since the beginning of the shooting of "Let's Make Love" on November 9 and until December 4, Marilyn's lateness, registered at the entry of the studio, cost Cukor more than 27 hours of rehearsals, about 3 days and a half.
Friday, December 4 : Miller suggested the part to Montgomery Clift for "The Misfits", who agreed : the distribution of the movie was complete.
The date of the beginning of the shooting was scheduled on March 24, 1960.
John
Huston arrived in Los Angeles. He agreed on the casting but wanted
to cut the screenplay. United Artists wouldn't distribute the movie
which exceeded 2 hours and a half. On the other hand, for Miller, the
length was a good asset. But obviously, Huston had a much more
realistic view of Miller's work.
When Huston left the USA to spend Christmas in St Cleran, his manor in Galway, Ireland, nothing was decided. He invited Marilyn and Miller to join him.
During the week of December 7, Marilyn made Cukor wait on the set of "Let's Make Love" for more than 12 hours and almost 10 hours at the beginning of the following week.
Tuesday, December 15 : new fitting of the costumes (
,
,
).
Thursday, December 17 : she saw the tests with Buddy Adler (producer at the Fox), George Cukor (the director), Jerry Wald
(the producer of the movie) and several managers of the studio.
But the color tests were disastrous : Marilyn had visibly lost her magic in front of the camera. She had a not much becoming make-up and hairstyle, and her blue dress didn't please her. She didn't look llike the image she had, the image of a woman out of the ordinary.
Buddy
Adler advised Jerry Wald and Cukor to view a scene of "Bus Stop" and "The Seven Year Itch",
which were for him the best example of what he wanted. And above
all, every reel of "Some Like it Hot" would show them Marilyn "like she
had to be".
Friday, December 18 : Marilyn called in sick. Ditto on Monday 21, Tuesday 22 and Thursday 24, the day before Christmas. What she thought about her tests was obvious.
Meanwhile, at the Fox, Arthur had been once again asked to modify the screenplay of "Let's Make Love".
Wednesday, December 23 : Miller officially began the sceond serie of revision, paid 5 000$ more, he had to hand in for January 4, 1960.
This year, she received the prize "Ducal, Actiz de Cine" awarded by Chile (
).
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