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NEWCOMB Pat

 
Margot Patricia Newcomb.

Date of birth : July 9th 1930, Washington D.C.

 

Practise: Marilyn's press agent; she worked for the Arthur Jacobs agency.

 

Place of living : 120 South Canon Drive, Beverly Hills:.

 

Portrait  

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Story

Her grand-father was an eminent judge in Washington.

Her father, Carmen Adams Newcomb represented the big companies of the coal industry in Washington D.C, including the Great Lakes Coal and Coke Corporation which were ran by George Skakel (father of Ethel Skakel, future Mrs Robert Kennedy). The Skakels had purchased some vast hectares in the south of California for the 
enhancer of the city of Rancho Palo Verdes, and built the Del Amo shopping center (Orange County).
Supervised by Samuel Rosenman, the Fox board of directors sold in 1962 the land located behind the Fox studios to make it Century City; it was purchased by Alcoa Aluminium, a subsidiary company of Great Lakes Carbon Corporation.

Her mother was a social worker.

Pat Newcomb spent her childhood in Chevy Chase (Maryland) then settled with her parents in Los Angeles, because, in 1946, the Skakel family asked Carmen Newcomb to be watchful on their properties in California.

She attended the Immaculate Heart School in Hollywood, then the Mills College for girls in Oakland (California) where she graduated in psychology in 1952. At Mills Collège, she attended the courses of Pierre Salinger (he would later become the Kennedys spokesman).

In 1952 she was hired by Pierre Salinger as chargé of researches about the corruption in the teamsters union, because Salinger prepared an article about it. She helped him to meet Robert Kennedy.

She worked in the public relations agency of Arthur Jacobs.

She had gained the trust of her colleagues and clients and was worthy of the respect of everyone because of her discretion, her intelligence and her wit.

She was interested in politics, in particular in the deprived people issues and people deprived of their civic rights.
 

On March 1st 1956, she was present for the agreement signed between the Marilyn Monroe Productions and the Warner Brothers :  

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In March 1956 she had to go with Marilyn in Los Angeles and to deal with her press relations during the shooting of "Bus Stop" (1956)

Their relationship deteriorated during the outdoor shooting, so that Arthur Jacobs called her back in Los Angeles.

In 1959, with Liz Taylor and Eddie Fisher at the Tropicana Hotel, Las Vegas :

In November 1960 Rupert Allan (who was for a long time Marilyn's press agent) left Marilyn during the shooting of "The Misfits" (1961). Arthur Jacobs suggested to replace him with Pat Newcomb, and let John Springer deals with her business in New York; Marilyn agreed and Pat Newcomb came back to work with her. 

Her first mission was to deal with the consequences of the divorce between Marilyn and Arthur Miller. 
She accompanied Marilyn and her lawyer Aaron Frosch in Mexico City where the divorce was granted.

During the 18 following months, she became an essential member of Marilyn's circle, a friend as much as an employee.

In 1961 she also worked for Natalie Wood.

 
On March 5th 1961, she accompanied Marilyn who was leaving the Columbia Presbyterian Medical Center.

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She went with Marilyn at the beginning of 1962 in Mexico to buy some furniture for the house she had just purchased, on 5th Helena Drive.

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On March 5th 1962, she accompanied Marilyn at the Golden Globe Awards ceremony:

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In May 1962, she went with her in New York City, where Marilyn sang for John Kennedy.

May 18th 1962, rehearsals at the Madison Square Garden  

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In the lobby of Marilyn's building

May 19th 1962, John Kennedy's birthday party

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In July 1962 she organized the series of interviews and picture sessions. She wanted to give a boost to Marilyn's career, after the Fox had dismmissed her from the shooting of "Something's Got to Give".

She attended Marilyn's birthday party on the set of the movie :.

 

She was present during the picture session with George Barris, in West Hollywood :

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The morning of August 4th 1962, she was at Marilyn's home, because she had slept there. She woke up at noon, which made Marilyn angry, because herself, she was insomniac.

The versions are different about the exact time Pat Newcomb spent at Marilyn's home this day, mainly devoted to have sun baths beside the pool. The opinions varied depending on the time Dr Greenson began his analysis sessions with Marilyn.

 

According to her own words, she learned Marilyn's death in the following way : 
"The lawyer Mickey Rudin woke me up at 4.00 AM. He told me that Marilyn was dead of an overdose. I rushed at Marilyn's house. It had been written that I saw Marilyn's body, but it's not true. All the reporters were there, I was infuriated and I screamed, treating them as vultures. Then I came back home, not knowing anything else than anybody else about the way Marilyn died".

August 5th 1962  

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Later, she declared that Marilyn "seemed normal during this last day". However she was severe about the lack of coordination about Marilyn's different doctors, the reason why she had access to a huge quantity of sedatives and barbiturates.

During the 2 days following Marilyn's death, she dealt with the phone calls from reporters from the whole world. 

She thought (and was at the right place to do it) that Marilyn was dead of an accidental overdose.

She belonged to the rare people who attended Marilyn's funeral.

The partisans of the conspiracy theory based on her comings and goings during the years after Marilyn's death, to prove that she was a party to the dissimulations. It's said that immediately after Marilyn's burial, she flew to Hyannis Port, the Kennedys property. 

August 12th 1962, cruise on the "Manitou", offshore the Maine

 

In 1963, Walter Winchell asserted in an article that she worked in Washington D.C and had a place obtained by Robert Kennedy. The Kennedy's gratitude towards her was several times pointed out, despite her many public denials.

She worked as a specialist of information at the Information Agency; her work consisted in promoting the international cooperation and the American prestige abroad, by means of film industry.

She continued her public relations career, then, for several years, was the MGM vice president.

 

In 2008, at the LA opera : .

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