CursumPerficio

My journey ends here...

Theater

Young girl, Norma Jeane had a passion for theater.

At school, she got parts in several plays : "Petronella" and a musical show given for St Velentine's Day at Emerson High School. But it seems that she didn't impress enough the members of the theater club of her new school, Van Nuys High, to get a part.

In 1947 after the Fox had refused to renew her contract, she registered at the theatrical company Bliss-Hayden Miniature Theater, 254 South Robertson Boulevard, in Beverly Hills (today the The Beverly Hills Playhouse):

She appeared in 2 plays, "Glamour Preferred" and "Stage Door".

Although she received many praises from Lee Strasberg and despite her undisputable devotion to the theatrical art, she was much more a movie actress than a stage one. As many biographers noticed it, she was unable to put up with the daily vagaries, some days "with" some others "without", with no opportunity to play the scene again. Even the experienced stage actors can have difficulties to readjust themselves to the stage demanding rythm, once they've entered the movie world.

When she studied at the Actors Studio, she played several scenes from famous plays including "Anna Christie" of Eugene O'Neill, "Golden Boy" of Clifford Odets, " A Streetcar Named Desire" of Tennessee Williams.

Once, she would have greeted Broadway : after a representation of " Teahouse of the August Moon" , a play performed at the Martin Beck Theater (302 West 45th Street, New York, in which one of her friends, Eli Wallach, played, Marilyn went up on the stage for the curtain calls.

Season 1955-1956 : she often went to theater in Broadway; during this period, she saw Paul Muni in "Inherit the Wind" of Jerome Lawrence and Robert E.Lee, Susan Strasberg in "The Diary of Anne Frank", Edward G.Robinson and Gena Rowlands in "Middle of the Night" of Paddy Chayefsky.

In 1953 Marilyn attended the premiere of "Call me Madam", a play performed by Ethel Merman, her partner in "There's No Business Like Show Business".

Arriving

,,,;,,,;-,

with the reporters

,,,,;,,,,;

with DiMaggio

with Donald O'Connor

,,,

On March 9, 1955 Marilyn attended, with Milton Greene, the premiere of "East of Eden" at the Astor Theater, in New York.

Arriving

,,-,,-,,-,;,-,;

Usherette

,,-;,,,,

Seated

With Milton Berle

With Richard Davalos

With Sammy Davis Jr

With Milton Greene

,,-,,,

With Jay Kanter, agent at the MCA in New York

,-,;

With Earl Wilson

Interview

Party after the performance

,-,

Other

On December 12, 1955, she attended the premiere of "The Rose Tattoo", in New York.

Arriving

,,-,,,,,,

Others

,-,-,;,;

Seated

,;,,,

Interview

-,,

With Marlon Brando

arriving

,,,,,-,

dance

interview

With the Strasbergs

With the Rostens

,,,,,,

With Arthur Miller

With Arthur Jacobs

Alone

,;-,;,

On February 8, 1956 Marilyn attended the premiere of "Middle of the Night"

On December 4, 1956 Marilyn was an usherette for the premiere of "Baby Doll", to the benefit of the Actors Studio.

Preparation

At the Actors Studio

,,,,,,,,,,,,

Presentation to the press
alone

,,,,,,,

with Pearl Mesta

with the reporters

Marilyn leaving the Actors Studio

On December 18, 1956 premiere of "Baby Doll" at the Victoria Broadway Theater

arriving

with Arthur Miller

alone

in the auditorium

On November 18, 1957, Marilyn and Arthur Miller attended the premiere of the play "Conversation Piece" in New York, in which Arthur's sister, Joan Copeland, played.

arriving