•          HOME PAGE
• BIOGRAPHY
• FILES
• BOOKS
• LINKS
• COMMENTS
• S

GREENE Amy

 

Born Amy Franco.

Amy Greene-Andrews.

Date of birth : December 15, 1929, Havana, Cuba.

 

Profession New-yorker model and wife of Milton Greene.

 

In 1953 she worked as a fashion advisor.

 

Portrait ;;;,;

With Milton 

With Milton and their children ;;

Story

She left Cuba to the USA at the age of 4. Her father was a gambler and a dancer. They settled in Tampa, Florida, but her mother didn't like the place and they settled in the Bronx.

Before the age of 6 years, her parents divorced and she was sent in a convent.

During the adolescence she lived in the Upper East Side, Manahattan, with her mother.

As soon as she could, she spent her time in movie theaters.

Her first job consisted in seating the spectators at the Shubert Theater, New York City, during the show "Blommer Girl".

She was a young ballet dancer but after a fracture, she could'nt make it.

While in Central Park with her father, a photograph found she had a very nce face and wanted to take picture of her; it happened to be Richard Avedon and she started a modelling career.

At that time, she obtained an appointment with Milton Greene, in order to show him her book. But Milton was late at this meeting and Amy left without seeing him.

Few months later, her agency set another appointment with him.

They met before Milton flew to Paris where he covered the couture collections for Life magazine : with David Haft (Amy dated him sometimes), Milton organized a party at his studio. After the missed appointment, Amy said "Good evening, Milton Greene, good bye Milton Greene".

Bilingual, she obtained the place of manager of the Spanish-American Shop at Lord & Taylor. Realizing that she was too small to be a professional model, she had went on a training course to be saleswoman.

Fall 1952 : she went to the movie theater with David Haft (who owned the House of Swansdown, a company on

7th Avenue)(,). 

They were on the 5th Avenue when they saw Milton Greene, getting out of a taxi, crossing in front of them and entering the Savoy Plaza Hotel. They talked during a few minutes.

Few months later, during another going-out planned with David Haft, Amy went to David's home.
He announced her that he had invited Milton Greene for the evening, this one being just separated from Nelly Nyad, his former companion.

Milton arrived and while David was getting ready, he talked with Amy. This is the moment where they fell in love.

Amy called him back but Milton didn't answer her. She sent him a card for Christmas and this time, he called her.

He took her to Connecticut where he had a house; she remained there (,

,).

While Amy organized their wedding for September 1953, Milton went to Hollywood for a contract with Look magazine. 

Among others, he had to take pictures of Marilyn, Frank Sinatra, Gene Kelly.

Even if she still didn't know her, Marilyn called Amy to congratulate her about her wedding with Milton 

(,,;,).

After their wedding, the newly weds went in honeymoon, travelling to New Orleans where director Joshua Logan
directed Charles Boyer and Mary Martin in "Kind Sir".
For this occasion, Milton received the keys of the city to thank him for his publicity.

They arrived in Los Angeles in October 1953, for a fashion reporting for Look magazine. He met Marilyn again and photographed her with the Pekinese dogs of Sidney Guilaroff.

They had 2 sons, Joshua(born March 6, 1954) and Anthony (December 10, 1957-June 1, 2012).

Every biographers agree to tell that Amy and Marilyn became inseparable since the moment Milton and Marilyn became associates to found the Marilyn Monroe Productions.

 

End of 1954, when Marilyn turned away from her extremely restrictive contract with the Fox and wanted to

avoid Hollywood and the press, she found refuge at Greene's home, in Weston, Connecticut

She stayed there during several months and pratically became a member of the family. Joshua, the youngest son called Marilyn "Auntie"; she fed him, bathed him, looked after him when his parents were out and gave hil some presents, among them a huge teddy bear.

During the era where Milton dealt with the Marilyn Monroe Productions, Marilyn and Amy went out, did shopping and spent a lot of time together.

Everybody came to spend the week-end at the Greenes. There was never less than 8 or 10 people around the table. There were Nedda and Joshua Logan, Audrey Wood, one of their neighbors, Leonard and Felicia Bernstein, Richard and Dorothy Rodgers, Mike Todd.

On January 7, 1955, press conference for the launching of the Marilyn Monroe Productions




On March 9, 1955 Marilyn attended, along with Milton and Amy, the premiere of "East of Eden" at the Astor

Theater, in New York  -,,;.

On March 17, 1955, party at the New York Friars Club ,,.

Amy was there during the live program "Person to Person" on April 8, 1955 (Edward R.Murrow) 

,;

 In 1956 they went together on the set of "Bus Stop" ;.

 

The Greenes escorted Marilyn in England during Summer and Fall 1956, for the shooting of "The Prince and The Showgirl".

On December 18, 1956, she attended the premiere of "Baby Doll" at the Waldorf-Astoria

Their friendship didn't survive the complicated and agressive separation of the two partners.

She married Charles Edward Andrews ()(July 2, 1916, Wisconsin-July 2, 2004, New York), who worked for television.

 

BACK TO INDEX                                                                                                                                                  NEXT FILE