Marilyn Monroe, the woman who popularized the stereotypical “dumb blonde” in film and became one of the most famous icons of pop culture, continues to influence the world of fashion and entertainment in the twenty-first century as very few women have throughout history. In addition, her name is synonymous with the phrase “sex symbol,” and many journalists and historians have described her as the one and only “queen of pop culture.”
Unfortunately, as with many other legends and icons of the last century, Marilyn didn’t have the happiest childhood and struggled for the better part of her adulthood with depression, insomnia, and an addiction to sedatives, which eventually led to her death. Her three marriages, her speculated and scandalous relationship with John F. Kennedy, and her tragic death at age thirty-six are some of the most widely known things about her life. The following list, however, of 25 Facts About Marilyn Monroe That You Probably Didn’t Know will stimulate your interest and help you realize why there will never be another sex icon like Marilyn Monroe.
25
Marilyn spent most of her early childhood in foster homes and orphanages because her mother was committed to a mental institution. Later, she lived with her mother’s best friend, Grace McKee, and her family. At sixteen, when McKee could no longer take care of her, Marilyn got married to avoid returning to the orphanage.
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24
According to her first husband, James Dougherty, she had a great love for animals and the homeless. Once, she tried to bring a cow into their home to get it out of the rain.
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23
She was “discovered” by press photographers during a World War II photo shoot at the Radioplane plant in California owned by actor Reginald Denny. She was one of the plant’s employees.
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22
When the budding actress Shelley Winters and Marilyn were roommates in the late 1940's in Hollywood, Shelley said that one day she had to leave and had asked Marilyn to wash the lettuce for a salad they were going to share for dinner. When she got back, Marilyn had the lettuce leaves in a small tub of soapy water and was scrubbing them clean. Apparently, Marilyn wasn’t good at cooking.
Source: Marilyn Monroe: Private And Undisclosed, Image: commons.wikimedia.org
21
Many people might not know this, but Marilyn wasn’t her real name. On Thursday, February 23, 1956, she obtained an order from the City Court of the State of New York to legally change her birth name from Norma Jeane Mortenson to Marilyn Monroe.
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20
In her autobiography, My Story, she recounted that her guardian told her she was a direct descendant of James Monroe. Her mother’s maiden name was Monroe, but there is no evidence she was a descendant of the U.S. president.
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19
Marilyn suffered from endometriosis, a condition in which tissues of the uterus lining leave the uterus, attach themselves to other parts of the body, and grow, causing pain, irregular bleeding, and in severe cases, infertility.
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18
Monroe was also a stutterer, a little known fact that was easily covered thanks to studio vocal coaches who provided her with dictation lessons.
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17
She reportedly became pregnant twice, in July 1957 and November 1958, during her marriage to Arthur Miller, but on both occasions she suffered miscarriages.
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16
The very popular version of “Santa Baby” that the majority of people think was sung by her was instead recorded by Cynthia Basinet for Jack Nicholson as a Christmas gift.
Source: Marilyn Monroe: Private And Undisclosed, Image: Wikipedia
15
Something only a few select comic fans probably know is that Batman writer/artist Bob Kane used Marilyn’s likeness as a reference when he drew Vicki Vale.
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14
In 1973, Elton John released a single in tribute to her entitled “Candle in the Wind.” In 1997, it was rerecorded with updated lyrics in memory of Princess Diana, becoming the second best-selling single of all time worldwide behind Bing Crosby’s “White Christmas.”
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13
She appeared on the first cover of Playboy in 1953. Maybe that’s why Hugh Hefner owns the closest burial vault to hers.
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12
Marilyn wasn’t well educated and didn’t graduate from high school. For the record, she didn’t even know how to spell her name; the first time she signed an autograph as Marilyn Monroe, she had to ask how to spell it. She didn’t know where to put the “i” in “Marilyn.”
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11
However, her personal library contained over four hundred books on topics ranging from art to history, psychology to philosophy, literature to religion, and poetry to gardening. Many of the volumes, auctioned in 1999, bore her pencil notations in the margins.
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10
She was proposed as a candidate wife for Prince Rainier of Monaco, but he was so taken with the actress Grace Kelly that he chose her to be his wife without a second thought.
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9
She was discovered dead in her home at 12305 Fifth Helena Drive in Brentwood, California. She was found with a phone in her hand, nude, and face-down on her bed.
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8
Ex-husband and baseball great Joe DiMaggio put fresh roses at her memorial site for numerous years after her death.
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7
In her memoir, Monroe claimed several different men had sexually abused her during her time in foster care.
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6
A 1982 review into the original inquest of Marilyn’s death, conducted on the twentieth anniversary, concluded that the actress most likely committed suicide or accidentally overdosed and was not murdered as some conspiracy theories have often suggested.
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5
She suffered from severe depression and insomnia for the better part of her adult life. Near the end of her life, in order to fall and stay asleep longer, she would often mix champagne with sleeping pills.
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4
During the filming of Niagara (1953), she was still under contract as a stock actor, so she received a smaller salary than her makeup man. This was also the only film in which her character died.
Source: Marilyn Monroe: Private And Undisclosed, Image: commons.wikimedia.org
3
The licensing of Marilyn’s name and likeness, handled worldwide by Curtis Management Group, reportedly nets the Monroe estate about $2 million a year (an estimated $150 million since her death). Keep in mind that her first modeling job paid her only five dollars.
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2
She became 1947’s Miss California Artichoke Queen, a humble little beauty title in comparison to what would follow. Marilyn would eventually be named the Sexiest Woman of the Century by People, Empire, and Playboy.
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1
Her “Happy Birthday, Mr. President” dress sold for $1,267,500, a world record for the most expensive piece of clothing ever sold. It is also in the Guinness Book of World Records.
Source: Marilyn Monroe: Private And Undisclosed, Image: Wikipedia