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REIS May

Born Mae Reiss.

Date of birth : November 8, 1904, New York.

Date of death : October 20, 1987, New York.

 

Occupation private secretary.

Address 

1940, 245, 11th street, New York (with her mother Rose) ()

61 Perry Street, New York.

Story

Her parents were Philip Reiss and Rose LIPKOWITZ (or LIPKOWIG)(born circa 1870 in Austria).

Fatherless at the age of 9; she had to take care of her mother and her sick grand-mother.

From the adolescence, she had worked to meet her needs and her brother Irving's ones (he later became

director, among others, of the movie version of "All my Sons" of Arthur Miller (,,

,)).

She was secretary at the Actors Studio for 5 years, from 1947 to 1952; she belonged to the staff that auditionned people who wanted to integrate the studio.

She resigned in Spring 1952 as a protest, because Elia Kazan, for who she was secretary, had betrayed the group by giving names at the House Un-American Activities Committee.

She had alos worked for Arthur Miller until 1955.

She started working as Marilyn's private secretary in 1957. 

In charge of the screenplays sent to Marilyn, of the researches needed by her business, she became a main character in Marilyn's life, her friend, her confidante and, as some biographers notices it, a maternal figure.

She was dealing with Marilyn's New York secreterial work : she answered to the admirers, she managed her

schedule, she screened the phone calls and co-operated with artists agents and publicists .

Letter to Inez Melson dated May 5, 1958 .

She was there during the shooting of  "Some Like It Hot" in 1958 ,,

;,

On February 26, 1959, she accompanied Marilyn when she received the Crystal Star Award for the "Best Foreign Actress" for "The Prince and The Showgirl", given to her at the French Institute

,

Letter from John C.Taylor, one of Arthur Miller's lawyer .

Invoice from Bergdorf Goodman dated June 28, 1960, May Reis signed for Marilyn .

She is described as a slight and restrained woman, she had good references since she had worked for Arthur Miller and Elia Kazan.

She attended Marilyn's birthday during the shooting of "Let's Make Love" in 1960 .

 
She found her way around the emotional war Arthur Miller and Marilyn engaged in on the set of "The Misfits" (1961) 

,;;;;;

Invoice for the rent of a typewriter for a month, dated April 13, 1960 .

Letter to Aaron Frosch dated September 23, 1960 .

After their break-up, she couldn't bear her work demands any more and resigned from Marilyn: but the two women remained linked until Marilyn's death. 

At the beginning of 1961 she made Marilyn getting out of the Columbia Presbyterian Hospital after her nervous breakdown. Biographers differ from knowing if she still worked for Marilyn or if she helped her, out of friendship, because she worried about her.

On March 8, 1961, she accompanied Marilyn at Augusta Miller's funeral, in Brooklyn, New York

,,;
Letter she sent to Marilyn, dated April 22, 1961 .

On June 28, 1961, she accompanied Marilyn at the Polyclinic Hospital, when she had a gallbladder surgery 

Telegram she sent to Marilyn "Marge Stengel" when she lived in Doheny Drive, dated December 25, 1961

.

On May 18, 1962, she attended Marilyn's rehearsals for John Kennedy's birthday at the Madison Square Garden

She attended Marilyn's funeral on August 8, 1962 ,,

 

Marilyn requited her for her loyalty towards her in her will, but she had to wait 10 years before receiveing her 10 000$ legacy.

Since September 1964, she became Barbra Streisand's private secretary.

 

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