- An outfit she wore in THE SEVEN YEAR ITCH has sold for $58,750 (£34,150) at a charity auction in Beverly Hills. (December 9, 2003)
- £40,000-worth of baubles that belonged to Marilyn Monroe have been stolen from an exhibition in London -- Despite being guarded by high security, thieves managed to nick the jewels, which included a gold ring and bangle that Marilyn wore on her first date with Joe DiMaggio, from a display at the County Hall Gallery. (April 16, 2003)
- A black-and-white photograph of Monroe sold for $22,200 Tuesday at Christie's auction house in London -- the head-and-shoulders portrait, taken in about 1949 and dedicated to Hollywood agent John Hyde, who helped boost Monroe's career when it was at a standstill, was bought by Hyde's former employers, the William Morris Agency. (December 19, 2002)
- The trouble on the set Monroe's last movie, THE MISFITS (1960) is unveiled -- According to a publicist then at the Mapes Hotel, Monroe's frequent tardiness caused annoying delays for co-stars Clark Gable and Montgomery Clift and director John Huston. (October 3, 2002)
- She left only £1million in her will when she tragically died from a drugs overdose in 1962 but the estate will rake in £20million this year.
- Marilyn's image has promoted - among other things - Chanel fashions, Mercedes cars, Gateway computers, Mikimoto pearls and Levi jeans.
- Her image also adorns 2,000 slot machines in Las Vegas. In a normal year the income from licensing her image is £2million.
- Among those who attended the 40th anniversary of her death on Monday, August 5 was Robert Slatzer, who wrote a book about Monroe's life and mysterious death and claimed to have been married to her briefly.
- The circumstances surrounding Monroe's apparent drug overdose at age 36 at her Brentwood home has long prompted rumors that she was murdered, although the death was listed a suicide.
- Her career as an actress spanned 16 years. She made 29 films, 24 in the first 8 years of her career.
- When she was born, her mother, Gladys, listed the fathers address as unknown.
- A reported affair with John F. Kennedy began in late 1961. At the President's gala birthday celebration in Madison Square Garden on May 19, 1962, Marilyn sang her now famous Happy Birthday tribute to JFK. The Attorney General, Bobby Kennedy was also reported to have had an affair with Marilyn shortly before her death.
- Had been seeing Joe DiMaggio frequently during this time and had finally agreed to remarry him. The wedding date was set for August 8, 1962. Fox rehired her on August 1 to complete Somethings Got to Give with a salary of $250,000, which was two and a half times the original amount. Of course these events would never come to pass due to her untimely death on August 5, 1962.
- Her infamous Playboy nude spread only came about because she was desperate for cash and her career was going nowhere, a new documentary shows.
- Living legend Jane Russell found it funny that crew members used to be scared of Marilyn Monroe.
- Her fans are gearing up for a bidding frenzy over photos from the cinematic legend's last fashion shoot.
- The dress she wore while singing Happy Birthday to President John F. Kennedy is being auctioned.
- New details have emerged regarding the recorded comments of Marilyn Monroe during a 1962 interview that are included in a new British TV documentary, Marilyn on Marilyn.
- The BBC has obtained tapes of an interview with Marilyn Monroe recorded only weeks before her suicide death on Aug. 6, 1962.
- New York Christie's has told Daily Variety columnist Army Archerd that its Oct. 27 auction of 1000 Marilyn Monroe items is likely to be its biggest celebrity auction ever.
- Al Shrimm of World Collectible Center has told Forbes magazine that he has received six-figure offers for photographs apparently taken of Marilyn Monroe shortly before her death, in which she is made-up and dressed to look like Jacqueline Kennedy.
- Author Truman Capote envisioned her in the part of Holly in BREAKFAST AT TIFFANY'S (1961).
- Billy Wilder directed her in THE SEVEN YEAR ITCH (1955) and SOME LIKE IT HOT (1959). He grew to despise her demands for star treatment and her poor work ethic, and thus included the party-girl Monroe-esque character in THE APARTMENT (1960).
- United Artists executives were unhappy with the rough cut of THE MISFITS, so director John Huston, producer Frank E.Taylor, and writer Arthur Miller (I) all agreed to reshoot several scenes. Clark Gable, had script approval, however, and he rejected the idea. Other disagreements over the final cut resulted in the elimination of a shot of her naked breast from the bedroom scene.
- A doctor was on call 24 hours a day for both her and Montgomery Clift, during the filming of THE MISFITS (1961).
- After many takes of a kissing scene in SOME LIKE IT HOT, Curtis complained that kissing Monroe was like kissing Hitler. (Although he subsequently admitted it was a pleasure.)
- In HOW TO MARRY A MILLIONAIRE (1953), on the plane, Pola is reading a book called Murder By Strangulation which is how her character met her demise in NIAGARA (1953).
- Groucho Marx informed her that he had a role which called for a young lady who can walk by me in such a manner as to arouse my elderly libido and cause smoke to issue from my ears. Monroe obliged and was quickly cast in LOVE HAPPY (1950).
- Required 47 takes to get It's me, Sugar correct, instead saying either Sugar, it's me or It's Sugar, me. After take 30, director Wilder had the line written on a blackboard. Another scene required Monroe to rummage through some drawers and say Where's the bourbon? After 40 takes of Monroe saying Where's the whiskey?, `Where's the bottle, or Where's the bonbon?, Wilder pasted the correct line in one of the drawers. After Monroe became confused about which drawer contained the line, Wilder had it pasted in every drawer. 59 takes were required for this scene (SOME LIKE IT HOT).
- Was often expected to provide her own wardrobe. The sweater with the grey body and black sleeves that she wears in HOME TOWN STORY (1951) worn previously in THE FIREBALL (1950) and in the final scene in ALL ABOUT EVE (1950).
- MOVE OVER, DARLING (1963) was a reshot version of SOMETHING'S GOT TO GIVE, the film she was working on when she died.
- Not without a distinct ring of irony, the 9-month-old Monroe-DiMaggio marriage officially ended during the shoot of THE SEVEN YEAR ITCH (1955).
- RIVER OF NO RETURN (1954) ran over schedule and budget due to mishaps caused when director Otto Preminger, insisted that actors perform their own stunts for the scenes of the raft struggling down the rapids. On one occasion, she had to be saved from drowning when her boots filled with water, and on another occasion, she and Robert Mitchum, had to be rescued when their raft became stuck on a rock and was on the verge of overturning.
- SCUDDA HOO! SCUDDA HAY! (1948) originally contained more footage of Monroe, but most of her scenes were cut.
- She wanted the film (SOME LIKE IT HOT (1959)) to be shot in color (her contract stipulated that all her films were to be in color), but Wilder convinced her to let it be shot in black and white when costume tests revealed that the makeup that Tony Curtis, and Jack Lemmon wore gave their faces a green tinge.
- She was pregnant during the filming of SOME LIKE IT HOT, as a result she looked considerably heavier. She had no known children and several miscarriages in her career.
- She was promised the lead role in THE SEVEN YEAR ITCH (1955) if she appeared in THERE'S NO BUSINESS LIKE SHOW BUSINESS (1954) to boost the box-office potential. The role of Vicky was written especially for this purpose, and songs such as Heatwave originally intended for Molly were assigned to her.
- The classic shot of Monroe's dress blowing up around her legs as she stands over a subway grating was shot on Manhattan's Lexington Avenue at 52nd St. The original footage wasn't used, however, as Wilder re-staged the scene in a studio and got a more satisfactory result (THE SEVEN YEAR ITCH).
- THE MISFITS was her last completed film.
- BUS STOP(1956): She objected to the color of Hope Lange's hair, claiming that it was too fair and detracted from her own. As a result, Lange's hair was darkened.
- Marilyn's 'claim to fame' was with 'NIAGARA'
- Her first film role was in SCUDDA HOO, SCUDDA HAY!
- Edward Mortensen was not her father; her mother divorced Mortensen and got pregnant around 14 months later. Because she was unmarried she put Mortensen as the father on the birth certificate to protect her reputation.
- Was sexually assulted by Grace Gifford's boyfriend. She was sent away because of this and went to live with her uncle's mother-in-law. There she was sexually assulted for the second time in her life, by her 13 year old cousin. She was only 12.
- Marilyn achieved her full adult height, 5 ft 5, by the age of ten.
- She didn't have a step father. Her mothers last marriage was over before she was born.
- Had a half brother as well as a sister but he died when he was young.
- According to her sister's book, she was not named after movie stars, her mother states she was named after a woman she met in Louisville named Norma Jeane Cohen when she was working in Louisville to be near her son.
- Marilyn converted to Judaism in order to marry Arthur Miller.
- When Marilyn bleached her hair to her trademark white blonde, her widows peak never took to the dye that well. To counter this, she would style her hair by placing her hair over the left side of her face to cover this.
- A silver oyster plate used by Monroe during filming of THE MISFITS sold at auction for $1,000 -- the plate was among more than 600 items auctioned off Saturday at Lightning Auctions. (November 4, 2002)
- Nominated for Best Foreign Actress at BAFTA Awards for THE PRINCE AND THE SHOWGIRL (1958)
- Nominated for Best Motion Picture Actress - Comedy/Musical at Golden Globe Awards for BUS STOP (1957)
- Nominated for Best Foreign Actress at BAFTA Awards for THE SEVEN YEAR ITCH (1956)
Quotes- (About the foster home of Albert and Ida Bolender where she lived the first 7 years of her life) "They were terribly strict...they didn't mean any harm...it was their religion. They brought me up harshly."
- "The world around me then was kind of grim. I had to learn to pretend in order to...I don't know...block the grimness. The whole world seemed sort of closed to me...(I felt) on the outside of everything, and all I could do was to dream up any kind of pretend-game."
- "Grace McKee arranged the marriage for me, I never had a choice. There's not much to say about it. They couldn't support me, and they had to work out something. And so I got married."
- "My marriage didn't make me sad, but it didn't make me happy either. My husband and I hardly spoke to each other. This wasn't because we were angry. We had nothing to say. I was dying of boredom."
- "Hollywood is a place where they'll pay you a thousand dollars for a kiss and fifty cents for your soul"
- "I knew I belonged to the public and to the world, not because I was talented or even beautiful, but because I had never belonged to anything or anyone else."
Awards- Golden Globe Awards: World Film Favorites (1962)
- Golden Globe Awards: Best Actress in a Leading Role-Musical or Comedy, SOME LIKE IT HOT (1960)
- David di Donatello Awards: Golden Plate, THE PRINCE AND THE SHOWGIRL (1958)
- Golden Globe Awards: World Film Favorites (1954)
- Photoplay Awards: Most Popular Female Star (1953)
- Photoplay Awards: Special Award (1952)
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