Book Description
With explosive new revelations concerning the "National Security Matter" that led to the cover-up of her murder, The Last Days of Marilyn Monroe is a page-turning account of one of the most shocking crimes of the century. Donald H. Wolfe meticulously chronicles her final days, names the killer, documents the mode of death, and identifies those who orchestrated the cover-up. The pieces of the puzzle regarding Monroe's mysterious death finally lock in place with the testimony of the remaining two key witnesses who have come forward for the first time.
Assistant District Attorney John Miner, present at the autopsy, reveals his secret interview with Dr. Ralph Greenson, Monroe's psychiatrist. He also explains why Marilyn Monroe was a homicide victim, and why he is calling for a new investigation and the exhumation of her body.
Newly discovered CIA and FBI files document the dark secret in Marilyn's relationship with the Kennedys, the truth behind her break-up with the President, the shocking facts about the star's last weekend at Cal-Neva, and the many bizarre events that took place at Marilyn's home the day she died.
Customer Reviews:
about the "late" Marilyn Monroe.......2007-02-25
Hi ! I may be wrong but I don't think Don got it right this time - his book on the Black Dahlia, on the contrary, is by far the most convincing that was ever written on the subject. What killed Marilyn is most probably a serial killer that I happen to have encountered myself. His name is nervous breakdown. But why for godsake did Peter Lawford introduced her as the "late" Marilyn Monroe at Kennedy's birthday party ONLY 3 months before she died and would for ever be referred to as the late Marilyn Monroe ? Was it a most cynical inside joke given the fact that - as we know it now - he and his brother-in-law Robert F. Kennedy are rumoured to have visited Monroe on the day she died ?
murdered or not mr. wolfe doesn't tell real story not profitable for him.......2006-06-01
Nancy Miracle wrote the real story and Mr. Wolfe stole what he could the only real story is told and available through the marilyn monroe foundation marilyn monroe had a real life and that real life is available =through the marilyn monroe foundation only
Card Carrying Psychiatrist?.......2005-10-22
I share the concern of amazon reviewer Thomas Hughes that author Donald Wolfe accuses people close to Marilyn of being communists.
This didn't detract much from Mr. Hughes' love of the book, but it sure gives me a problem.
The 2005 movie "Good Night And Good Luck" spells out the danger of accusing people of communist tendencies. Donald Wolfe should watch it.
I can try to defend just one of the deceased victims of Mr. Wolfe's witch hunt. Dr. Ralph Greenson was the best known psychoanalyst in California in the 1950s and 60s. He was a professor at the UCLA medical school in that era before David Geffen put his name all over it.
I simply cannot believe that Dr. Greenson attended Communist Party meetings as late as 1962 when he counselled Marilyn as the last months of her life ticked away. He also supported JFK, so why support a leader who tries to overthrow communism in Cuba?
UCLA probably was just as bureaucratic and underfunded in 1962 as it is today, but it's a real stretch to think that a professor at the medical school endorsed communism. Then I'm supposed to believe that he hired one Eunice Murray to spy on Marilyn on behalf of the party?!?
Don't get me wrong, I accept that Jack and Bobby used women as toys including Marilyn. But the Communist Party could care less about that.
mr. spoto is insidious he mentions nancy miracle but in such a way as to discredit her real story.......2005-09-13
he tries in this book but fails and because he just researched the old story through the old hollywood lies but when he does mention nancy maniscalco her real daughter and in such a way as if she were related to the kennedy's it makes one sick what a sellout if he was that close to the reality and then went for the old crapola see www.marilynmonroefoundation.com for how to get the real uncensored story of the real woman and her daughter published by the marilyn monroe foundation
Don was right!.......2005-08-07
Donald Wolfe nailed the theory of Marilyn's death years ago....I know him personally....no one cared then and his book sat idle. This book tells it as it probably was. Good job Don.....you finally have the answers......
Book Description
Written at the height of her fame but not published until over a decade after her death, this autobiography of actress and sex symbol Marilyn Monroe (1926-1962) poignantly recounts her childhood as an unwanted orphan, her early adolescence, her rise in the film industry from bit player to celebrity, and her marriage to Joe DiMaggio.
Customer Reviews:
Some Like It Hot, but this was ....Alright.......2007-08-14
The book was all about Marilyn , her life, loves and all verbatim. I know and understand more about her childhood and personal life through this book. I loved reading it and seeing all the photographs it included. I must say that the ending was so abrupt;In a way it shows how fast and unbelievably sudden Marilyn left us. The funny, witty, and even smart comments she wrote was clear to everyone she was an intelligent lady that will be remembered forever.
Good Buy.......2007-05-12
This book had a lot of information about Marilyn as well as many pictures. Good Buy!
Her Story.......2007-04-10
It was very interesting to read this book, since it came from Marilyn's own words. You read so many books written about her, but with MY STORY, I felt like I was having an intimate chat with a close girlfriend. I only wish there was more. I finished it in a few hours and found myself wanting to learn more about her years after her divorce from DiMaggio.
Surprising insights from a "blonde bombshell" movie icon.......2007-04-06
Reading this book one realizes that in real life Marilyn Monroe was very observant and insightful, the antithesis of the bubble-headed role she projected both on screen and in public. In simple, almost childishly naive conversational tones, she describes her childhood as an orphan, sexually abused by an older man and married (to another man) by her late teens. She recounts the struggle as a young actress - the seemingly endless round of casting calls and dashed hopes until she begins to get noticed by the powers that be.
Her persona may be that of someone lacking street smarts, but she is also perceptive. Her observations of the usual cast of characters at Hollywood - the movers, shakers, stars and wannabes of all stripes - is surprisingly deep. She describes the myriad women whose movie roles for ten years has been limited to walk-on extras, as walking "ten feet towards nothing" after each fleeting appearance.
Her tone is wisful and longing but she never devolves into self-pity. Her famed vulnerability and her adult/child appeal comes through as very real personality traits, not as an on screen creation. She sees herself as just another pretty girl, and cannot comprehend the magic spell she cast on Hollywood and her fans. It comes as a surprise to read her revelation about sex being no big source of pleasure for her.
I would have loved to see at least a chapter's worth of commentary on her writings. Other than for the obvious luminaries who greatly impacted her life, many people she mentioned would be unfamiliar names to readers of this book. A little background on their influences on her life would have been a welcome addition to the book.
Product Description
Inside Marilyn Monroe is an intense, personal memoir spanning more than a decade (1952-1962) by the then-actor John Gilmore, detailing his acquaintanceship with the most important movie star in the world, Marilyn Monroe. From Hollywood to New York, from New York back to Hollywood, the casual hello-goodbye friendship building to a point where Monroe and Gilmore were about to make a picture together but tragedy struck in Marilyn's life. Gilmore turned from acting to devote himself to writing and his memoir gathers Marilyn's personal life through many asscoaites and stars known to Marilyn and Gilmore. Revealed is a treasure-trove of facets of Marilyn's life previously unknown. Gilmore's memoir shuns the conspiracy theories as he instead focuses on Marilyn as she really was, not as the media-created, cardboard sexpot, but the living and breathing "wonder" that she was. IThis haunting, highly personal memoir contains many photographs never before published and are made public for the first time.
Customer Reviews:
Searching for Marilyn.......2007-08-22
I read this book with much interest as it is one of the few works (if not standing by itself), that has does not follow the tradition aimed at commercial priority, a dedication to harvesting "bucks" from "what's hot in the media." Rather, John Gilmore's memoir on Marilyn Monroe offers a painful interior view of a troubled, misunderstood, and grossly exploited young woman in possession of enormous potentialities and abilities never to be fully realized. I propose that it must be difficult for some readers and MM "conspiracy fans" to accept the devastating view this book tends to provide. However, it seems to round out a picture of a Marilyn we have been conditioned to ignore in favor of her cultural, societal value. One reviewer attempts to discredit the author's credentials, while another considers him a genius "of the heart". The latter reviewer has a point, considering that what Gilmore gives to us about MM goes to the heart, not only of his subject, but to the reader as well. For this, I applaud this author who has brought to me rekindled interest in all things Marilyn. I recently attended the Marilyn Monroe 45th Memorial Service in Westwood, California, where Gilmore gave an impressive and moving talk, an eloquent and glowing tribute for one who passed away 45 years ago. He was apparently swept off his feet by the Marilyn he met so long ago, and perhaps has carried a torch all these years. In my opinion, he has underplayed his past association with Marilyn considerably in the memoir, INSIDE MARILYN MONROE, yet the emotional content cannot be overlooked, nor can the reader avoid confronting it. For years, Marilyn's impact was blurred, earlier movies and the like having left little reverberation in the wake of her success. Now solidly resurrected into a media wonder, a ploy as deliberate and marketed as her blown-dress shot on Times Square, all of course to MM's credit, though the real person she was, long absent from the hoopla and commercial brouhaha, in fact overlooked or lost, emerges in Gilmore's book like a sudden gust of fresh sea air. She never saw the fortunes made in her name or the bartering of her few personal possessions for millions of dollars.
Gilmore's writing is superb, confidentially toned. He has provided for me a pipeline to deeper emotions. The work is anti-exploitive, a memoir following little or no formula, and thus reminding me of the line "genius is never loyal to patterns." It is possible that this author's work (I have read several of John Gilmore's books), conflicts with the commercially programmed approaches which by their nature cloud issues but at the same time to assure high returns. Another well-understood line is that truth often proves a bitter pill to swallow. Perhaps a day will come when we might "turn that dial" to a channel that gives us an unvarnished truth. Gilmore's memoir on Marilyn Monroe appears to do just that. He is certainly on the right path. Until such a time as we may "switch" to a more meaningful media avenue, it is the varnish that will be marketed, not the truth that lies beneath. In reading this memoir, I feel I am confronting an out-of-the-way view on this enormously popular subject. Marilyn, a refreshing yet a bitter pill Gilmore gives us. There is little "glam" writing here, and an absence of judgment, The reader may find beauty and happiness in life and rejoice in witnessing the loveliness that life offers. This is what real literature is all about, always tragic by nature. It is in this niche that author Gilmore seems committed, regardless of the toes he steps upon. INSIDE MARILYN MONROE is a literary achievement in a day of crass exploitation, and though it might prove that bitter pill for some, the rewards of being able to get this close to Marilyn, to who she was and what drove her, tortured her, far outweighs the harshness Gilmore reveals about us now, the frail, faulted, silly humans scrambling for the Almighty Dollar. A work well done, standing almost as a hallmark in a media awash with insincerity. This book, a treasure trove for Marilyn fans, should be required reading in every class on Popular Culture.
Skimming Marilyn Monroe.......2007-08-21
I was hesitant to buy this , as the title of this book about one of the most continuously exploited beings who ever lived seemed faintly suggestive of vulgar possibilities, but bought it I did. I started out not liking it, then I kind of liked it, I really wanted to.... but then I decided that overall I wasn't at all crazy about it. I know little about John Gilmore except that his name is unknown to most, he wrote a fairly successful book about the famous Black Dahlia murder, and he was seemingly on the periphery of old 1950's Hollywood. He may very well have known James Dean intimately and he may very well be one of those kooks who has repeated his stories so many times that now he himself believes them. At the most, he is a man who admittedly met Marilyn Monroe half a dozen times and therefore wrote a book about her. There are things in this book that even I as an avid and lifelong M.M. student hadn't heard before, and rare photos that I have never seen. And his quotes re: M.M. from other people who knew her in New York and Hollywood are sometimes interesting and insightful, if being second hand rememberences. But, though this rememberance is overall a sympathetic portrait, my problem with this book, other than that he didn't really "know" Marilyn at all, is that it presents only a Marilyn so inarticulate and intellectually crippled as to being rendered almost mute. It has been established that M.M. was an extremely insecure person who spent her short life trying to overcome the emotional scars of her early life. But, as many newsclips , interviews, and rememberences of others through the years show, she was often confident, articulate, self aware, and objective about her "image" and herself during her lifetime, and, undoubtedly, a huge troubled screw up much of her life as well (gee, just like a "real" human being...). To me, this rememberence presents only the troubled, insecure creature. This is not the Marilyn who singlehandidly reunited the estranged Arthur Miller and Elia Kazan in full view of an Actors Studio benefit. Who wittily quipped "I'm the same person, it's just a different suit.." to the interviewer who queried M.M. on what she interpreted as a more "refined" M.M. style. Not the Marilyn about whom photographer Elliott Erwitt said "she was a very bright person...very rarely does one meet a truly witty woman. Marilyn Monroe was one." And to the interviewer who posed the question "What is your nightmare", she replied "The H bomb, what's yours?".. or to another interviewer who asked "How does it feel to be Marilyn Monroe?" she replied "Well...how does it feel to be yourself?" No, there is no sign here of the Marilyn who bravely pursued self growth and awareness much of her entire life, in the face of overwhelming odds and extreme and very public preconceived prejudices . And while this very well may be the only view of Marilyn that Mr. Gilmore may have been exposed to in his six brief encounters with her, I simply didn't find it interesting enough to warrant having purchased the book. It abruptly ends with what everyone already knows, of course, her death...with Mr. Gilmore informing us what Marilyn was thinking in her final moments.."she wondered if she was dying..." "she knew there was a kind of electrical impulse to do with the heart that was governed by nature..." I am curious as to how he knows this. Ultimately, though I think the author attempted to present a sympatetic portrait, it is simply too one sided and at best limited to the 50 year old rememberences of one who never really knew the person. It has all the feel of one attempting to make a whole cloth out of some very spare pieces of fabric, and the positive and glowing reviews of this book have all the feel of p.r. blurbs supplied by acquaintances. I would not bother buying it if I had it to do over again. But....as always, our dearest Marilyn oddly transcends all the facts, myths, lies,...and remains Hollywoods most beautiful, supernatural, legendary , most adored citizen and film icon, and her ghost still now and probably will forever haunt the early morning misty streets of that largely imaginary town, as well as the minds of more people than almost anyone else ever in existance. That is her triumph.
Better than I expected.......2007-08-13
I was surprised to find this book more appealing than I had expected.
It is a memior only of the author's interaction with Monroe. He does not
speculate about other aspects of her life, which I found refreshing. So,
while limited, it does give some good insight into MM and the author does
not claim to be more than he was in her life. If you are a fan, then I
think you will enjoy the book.
The Crème de la Crème of Marilyn Monroe Biographies.......2007-06-26
John Gilmore's genius is at its peak in this penetrating biography. Because of a fascination with Marilyn Monroe that began before puberty, I have read every single book ever written about her. I love her. But I'd long been frustrated that none of the books I read gave actual breath to the real human being that Marilyn/Norma Jeane was. Not until now. At long last the book I'd been searching for all my life has been written. Even better, it's been written by one of my favorite authors. And the prose is breathtaking: "Trying to reach Gladys [Marilyn's mother] was like stirring the air, floating her further away." Finally, I can experience what it truly was like to be inside the skin of Marilyn Monroe. Opening John Gilmore's book on Marilyn means stepping into a time machine that has the capacity for mingling and merging energies to the point where the reader becomes one with Marilyn/Norma Jeane. It's more than the ultimate Marilyn Monroe experience. Reading INSIDE MARILYN MONROE illuminates the mind to a greater compassion and understanding of the human condition. To my loved ones, friends and family, there is no other book about life that I'd more strongly recommend than this one. It is an awakening. Through Marilyn Monroe, John Gilmore takes us on a journey to greater enlightenment. He does so with integrity. Every phrase he writes reverberates with truth. He knows that no matter how hard some people try to twist reality to their vision, for whatever reasons, the truth remains. And he is not afraid of facing the truth, going deep, to the core. This is why I respect him so much as a writer. I do believe he is a genius of the heart. There is no other book than this one that captures so clearly what motivated Marilyn to become a star greater than Jean Harlow. Such insights make this book a treasure for aspiring stars everywhere. Thanks to John Gilmore, the light will always shine. Especially if he performs INSIDE MARILYN MONROE on an Audio CD made available to the public. For it's about time John Gilmore shares his acting talents with his fans. I've heard him read and he's amazing. Van Gogh's Ear: The Celebrity Edition
a very sensitive an touching book about Marilyn Monroe.......2007-05-22
This is one of the most sensitive and touching book I have ever read and owned about Marilyn Monroe. I recommend it to any Marilyn Monroe fan. It a most have.
Amazon.com
This extraordinarily thoughtful book by Barbara Leaming, a literary star among movie-star biographers, offers the last thing you'd expect in a book on Marilyn Monroe: new information from verifiable sources. Sure, lots of the tragedy is familiar: an abused, confused girl from an orphanage with a mother in a madhouse rises from sexual party favor for homely showbiz men to the movie superstar who pushes them around, until she crashes, a victim of self-loathing and drug addiction.
The thing about a tragedy is that its heroine isn't a victim--she's responsible for her fate. Leaming does scholarly spadework, digging up hard facts from sources like UCLA's 20th Century Fox collection and the diary-like first drafts of Arthur Miller's semiautobiographical work, and she makes sense of Monroe's motives. She even apparently solves Monroe's suicide with clues from the star's psychiatrist's letters in the Anna Freud collection. Her last overdose may have happened just because her shrink went to dinner with his wife and she felt abandoned.
But until pills killed her, Monroe wasn't a candle in the wind. She burned with ambition and knew how to craft a persona and play power games--with moguls and with the commie-busters hounding her husband Miller. Leaming plausibly analyzes the Miller-Monroe-Elia Kazan love/hate triangle, sizes up the Kennedy connection, busts her acting coach Lee Strasberg as "chillingly mercenary," and deftly shows just how her life entangled her art, film by film.
This book has a woman's touch: it's a work of sharp intellect and emotional insight unclouded by lust or star worship. --Tim Appelo
Book Description
Barbara Leaming's Marilyn Monroe is a complex, sympathetic portrait that will totally change the way we view the most enduring icon of American sexuality. To those who think they have heard all there is to hear about Marilyn Monroe, think again. Leaming's book tells a brand-new tale of sexual, psychological, and political intrigue of the highest order. Told for the first time in all its complexity, this is a compelling portrait of a woman at the center of a drama with immensely high stakes, a drama in which the other players are some of the most fascinating characters from the world's of movies, theater, and politics. It is a book that shines a bright light on one of the most tumultuous, frightening, and exciting periods in American culture.
Basing her research on new interviews and on thousands of primary documents, including revealing letters by Arthur Miller, Elia Kazan, John Huston, Laurence Olivier, Tennessee Williams, Darryl Zanuck, Marilyn's psychiatrist Dr. Ralph Greenson, and many others, Leaming has reconstructed the tangles of betrayal in Marilyn's life. For the first time, a master storyteller has put together all of the pieces and told Marilyn's story with the intensity and drama it so richly deserves.
At the heart of this book is a sexual triangle and a riveting story of betrayal that has never been told before. You will come away filled with new respect for Marilyn's incredible courage, dignity, and loyalty, and an overwhelming sense of tragedy after witnessing Marilyn, powerless to overcome her demons, move inexorably to her own final, terrible betrayal of herself.
Marilyn Monroe is a book that will make you think--and will break your heart.
Customer Reviews:
Good, but missing something.......2006-08-12
I am a Marilyn Monroe bio junkie, and this bio was good; however, I was disappointed in the ending.
I felt the author tied up Marilyn's death too quickly, simply stating that the actress committed suicide. The reason this bothered me as a reader is because there are questions as to whether Marilyn really did commit suicide.
This is a good book to learn about Marilyn's youth and her start in Hollywood, as well as her marriages; however, if you want to investigate the death of Marilyn, I recommend Goddess: The Secret Lives of Marilyn Monroe by Anthony Summer OR Marilyn Monroe: The Last Days by Donald H. Wolfe. Both books are thoroughly researched, and the authors inform their readers of how they obtained information.
Readable retread........2006-08-01
This book is a very well written highly readable retread of everything you already know about Monroe.
However, it does have a particularly strong emphasis on financial issues, contract negotiations and Monroe's money battles with the studios. This book contains far more detail about Monroe's financial dealings with Hollywood than you will probably find anywhere else. Not sure why though
Besides giving the reader all they've ever wanted to know about Monroe's finances (it is unbeleivable by today's standards that Monroe was living in rinky dink apartments and using a party line after becoming a major star) the reader is given reams of detail on her early relationship with Aurthur Miller and Miller's homo erotic professional, personal and political rivalry with Elia Kazan. Miller and Kazan are given almost as much ink as Monroe in this book.
Ms. Leamer tows the party line on Monroe. No one will argue that Monroe was not a tragic figure but it's old. There's more to Monroe's story than her tragic insecurity and her fragility and vulnerability (she wasn't so vulnerable when it came to negotiating her later contracts though nor was she so over wrought with sensitivity that she couldn't turn Milton Greene out afte all he'd done for her). Why was the most beautiful woman in the world alone so much? Could it be because she was tedious, draining, overwrought, consuming and manipulative? Maybe. But we can't look to writers like Ms. Leaming to explain.
This book is well suited to a first time reader of material on Monroe. It is a good read that does a good job of weaving together the chain of events that led to Monroe's stardom. It fails, however, to put Monroe into perspective. It fails to veer from the well worn and explain to the reader why Monroe was living in a cluttered three bedroom bungelow when she was the biggest star on the face of the Earth. Has the myth of Monroe been woven since her death by people like Ms. Leamer? There must be some explanation in Monroe's behavior and relationships that explains why she died alone, in a middle class home, on a Saturday night with only her house keeper for company and why this is so incongruous with the surreal stature Monroe is viewed with today.
We surely won't find out from books like this.
bravo leaming!.......2006-01-31
i am a huge fan of barbara leaming, she is the one the best writers and she has managaed to humanize marilyn as no one has before, the book was fluid and wasn't over-whelming as most marilyn books are, hurrah! barbara! if there is a chance that you are reading this, i would love if you wrote about dorothy dandridge, i think she'd make a great subject for you!
Marilyn Monroe By: Barbara Leaming.......2006-01-23
Film star, singer, model, oh, the life! Born on June 1, 1926, to Gladys Baker, a star was born. But it wasn't as easy as it sounds. Growing up in orphanages and foster homes isn't exactly the perfect childhood. Norma Jeane's mom was admitted to a mental institution at age nine, when she was sent to an orphanage. She later moved in with a family friend until she was sixteen. They couldn't afford to take care of her any longer so she had to make a decision: go back to an orphanage or get married. That's when she chose to marry Jimmy Dougherty (age 21) on June 19, 1942. He was sent off to the South Pacific after joining the Merchant Marines, so Norma Jeane had to find a job. She began to work in an assembly line at the Radio Plane Munitions factory in Burbank, CA. Yank Magazine photographer, David Conover, was the one who "discovered" Norma Jeane as a model. He began giving her modeling jobs as her new career. Norma Jeane divorced Jimmy Dougherty in 1946 because he made her choose between a career and their marriage. She chose career. On August 26, 1946, she signed her first studio contract with Twentieth Century Fox. Not too long after, she died her hair blonde and was told to change her name. Norma Jeane was soon to be known as Marilyn Monroe. And now, her movie career started! Her very first movie role was in The Shocking Miss Pilgrim, in 1947. She began starring in many other movies until she starred in Niagara, where is said to have jumped her career ahead. On January 14, 1954, Marilyn married a famous baseball star, Joe DiMaggio. They soon divorced on October 27, 1954 due to "conflict of careers." Marilyn owned her own motion picture company named, Marilyn Monroe Productions. On June 29, 1956, she married Arthur Miller. He wrote part of the movie, The Misfits for her. Starring Marilyn and her favorite actor, Clark Gable. That was to be their last completed film. On January 20, 1961, Marilyn divorced Arthur. Not soon after winning the Golden Globes award for female- World Film Favorite, she was found dead at age 36 in her bed on August 5, 1962. There is no real proof as to how she died, but all we know is that there was an empty bottle of pills found lying next to her along with a telephone in her hand. This book is one of the best books I've ever read. Biographies are normally boring, but this one is not. Barbara Leaming used her very vivid detailed vocabulary to describe the wonderful life of the newest sex symbol, Marilyn Monroe.
This book is so wonderful because it actually shows and describes real life troubles of one of the most famous people of her time. Marilyn Monroe had a very hard childhood. Her mom was sent to a mental institution so she had to go to an orphanage and later to a foster home where they brought her up very strictly and religiously. Marilyn never had a stable place to live until she was pretty much forced to marry at the age of sixteen! It seemed that every time that Marilyn would find love, they would run away because her career didn't exactly fit the role of a "house wife." Marilyn wasn't accepted by anyone but her fans. And they just didn't understand the real her. Her whole life, Marilyn tried so hard to be someone that she wasn't. All she wanted was to be loved and no one accepted her for who she really was.
Marilyn Monroe is a very good book because it shows how hard you have to work to accomplish what you want to be in life. Marilyn wanted to be a movie star all her life. Stardom was everyone's dream. But, it's not as easy to accomplish as you may think. Marilyn Monroe was turned down by many of people. Not everyone wanted to have someone who represented sex in their movies. Not everyone was looking for that kind of girl, most producers were looking for the homey kind of girl and Marilyn just didn't fit that role. Marilyn was suspended from her career without an income for a while because she just simply refused to accept the job without looking at the script first. People in the show business like to take advantage of everyone. Marilyn Monroe had searched every where for someone to help her with her acting. No one wanted to work with her. Until Lee Strasberg noticed her talent and helped her when she moved to New York City. Becoming a star isn't easy and this book shows you just exactly why it isn't.
This book is also good not only because it shows you the troubles of being an actress, but it also shows you how wonderful being a star can be and all the benefits from it. In Marilyn Monroe's career she completed a total of 30 films and left one unfinished. She won many awards such as: 2 Golden Globe awards for being a Female World Film Favorite, she was titled Playboy "sweetheart" of the month, she was titled one of the 100 sexiest women, she was titled Best Foreign Actress numerous times, and many others. She was even so famous that she started her own motion picture company: Marilyn Monroe Productions. Marilyn Monroe was featured on a 32 cent stamp, she married many famous people, and she even got to star in a movie with her all time favorite actor, Clark Gable! What a dream come true. So, being a star isn't always about all the hard times. I would say that all the good things that came out of her stardom make up for all of Marilyn's misfortunes.
All together, this book is one of the best books I've ever read. Part of that being that I'm a true fan of Marilyn's and part of that being that author, Barbara Leaming, has wonderful talent and made this book so worth reading. Just her vocabulary and wording helps you actually feel like you were there with Marilyn when she went through her whole life. I recommend this book to anyone who is interested in reading. This book is worth your time. Read it.
Page-turner but wrong conclusion.......2004-07-28
I gave this book 4 stars simply because once I started it I couldn't put it down. Of course I love Marilyn Monroe. Who wouldn't after seeing one of her films? But this is the first book I've read about her. Leaming has a fast-paced, journalistic style. She gives a lot of facts, but also a lot of speculation. I took one star away because one could actually rename the book: Marilyn Monroe as described by the men around her. And she knew a lot of selfish users! On the one hand they tell us she's a vicious ballbreaker. On the other, we hear that she's nothing but a weak, mentally ill junkie. Which is it? She couldn't be both at the same time. My impression is that she had to fight misogyny with both fists from the day she was born until the day she died. And she was brilliant, regardless of the alcohol/pill habit...Based on Leaming's account, I would call Dr. Ralph Greenson an extremely questionable figure. He appears to spend all his time hovering around just one client, Marilyn. He knows the first thing she needs is to get off alcohol and pills, yet instead he guarantees that she's always amply supplied with both. He personally chooses Marilyn's lawyer, Mickey Rudin, and her housekeeper, Eunice Murray. Greenson has no concern whatsoever about doctor-patient privilege (confidentiality), and even has a private lunch with Marilyn's boss in Fox's executive conference room weeks before her death. What sort of a shrink is this?...Leaming concludes that Marilyn killed herself, but my opinion, based on the same material, is that it was someone else who decided to silence her permanently.
Book Description
Based on more than 150 interviews, this in-depth biography casts new light on every aspect of Marilyn Monroe's thirty-six years: her mysterious childhood and adolescence; her complex marriages; her personal and professional relationships; and the truth about her death.
Customer Reviews:
Finally--Facts and not Fiction.......2007-07-24
Donald Spoto, a very well respected biographer, has written what is probably the best biography of the 50s icon. Contrary to a previous review here, he does not spend that much time on her death; what he DOES do though is give very plausible facts from inside sources that make sense. The hysterical theories and ravings of conspiracy loons that abound out there are not to be found here, and Spoto easily strips away their credibility. Spoto has obviously interviewed people that actually knew Marilyn, not fans who have one snapshot taken with the star that they turn into a career. Get this book--it is the one to refer to.
Spoto's biography delivers.......2007-03-20
It is hard to imagine the kind of painstaking research that went into creating this comprehensive work of exquisite detail. Spoto not only captures the unique essence of MM's engaging personality, he includes the minutiae of her life experiences to such a degree that even someone who did not grow up surrounded by her iridescent image would feel a part of this era. Especially interesting are the intricate details of her early life, which would later so greatly affect her vulnerable psyche.
Unfortunately, what put me off were the conclusions he draws regarding the controversial circumstances of her death. He offers some bizarre theories, apparently of his own supposition, based on less than concrete evidence and woven to fit unanswered questions. You may find his theories plausible; you may find them ridiculous. Although he does argue a somewhat convincing case, I have never seen or heard of any other documentation that would support these claims. I believe the only real conclusion to be drawn is that we will never fully answer all the questions surrounding the mystery of her death.
This is the story of a very special lady, a lost and deeply lonely little girl who would reach her whole life for an intangible dream of fulfillment that would slip again and again through her fingers. This comprensive work does well in capturing the spirit of that struggle, and those who exploited it. Judge for yourself the validity of Spoto's allegations. Beyond that, you will find this a thorough and engrossing portrayal of our most luminous screen goddess.
GREAT BIOGRAPHY ABOUT "MARILYN"........2007-03-11
This is one of the best biographies I have ever read
about the icon "Marilyn Monroe".
Highly recommended.
Not convinced............2007-03-04
I have read many Marilyn biographies and all have inconsistencies.
Spoto's version is just the same -- he spends a lot of time pontificating about the details and the aftermath of Marilyn's untimely death.
Minute details were also different from other Marilyn bios I have read.
Mugsy, her dog, according to Spoto was male and adopted by Marilyn.
In another bio, the dog's name is spelled Muggsie is female and was purchased by Jim Dougherty to be a companion to Marilyn during his Merchant Marine days.
I figure if writers can't get that small detail correct (both authors claim to have interviewed Jim Doughtery), how can the authors get the real version of Marilyn's death correct?
I doubt anyone will ever know the truth about Marilyn's life and death.
The Best Book On Marilyn.......2007-02-08
I bought my first book on MM back in 1982 (Yep, it was Robert Slatzer's book!). Since that time, I have read close to 20 books on MM. I think for anyone who wants the closest thing to the truth regarding, among other things, Marilyn's death, her supposed "secret marriage", and her reported "affairs" with both John and Robert Kennedy, this is the book to read. Great job by Donald Spoto! He captures the real woman behind the MM mystic. I love the chapter of MM entertaining the troops, and how great an experience it was for both her and the soldiers.
Average customer rating:
- A careful and thoughtful biography
- Marilyn Monroe, Private and Undisclosed by Michelle Morgan
- WOW, another great Marilyn book
- A must for any Marilyn Monroe fan
- A Fine Read with a Fresh & Delightful Approach!
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Marilyn Monroe: Private and Undisclosed
Michelle Morgan
Manufacturer: Carroll & Graf
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ASIN: 0786719583 |
Book Description
A comprehensive and meticulously researched treasure trove of information that brings to light the ordinary domestic details to the countless controversies of Marilyn Monroe’s life. Dozens of people who knew or were related to Marilyn — from the key players in her life (family, friends, and colleagues) to casual acquaintances — cover Marilyn’s foster childhood to her mysterious death.
This is a candid, human portrait of a woman whose star has only become brighter with passing generations.
Customer Reviews:
A careful and thoughtful biography.......2007-10-07
Years of research went into this biography, and it shows. Michelle has written an outstanding book, featuring interviews with many people who've never spoken publicly about Marilyn before. It's a very well balanced view of the woman who became a legend: it depicts her as neither angel nor devil, but a combination of both, depending on who's being quoted. The last page gave me chills. It's a beautiful book and well worth reading.
Marilyn Monroe, Private and Undisclosed by Michelle Morgan.......2007-09-19
I have read just about all that has been written on the subject and this book pretty well tells it all. Very well written and quite interesting.
WOW, another great Marilyn book.......2007-09-05
I have been a Monroe fan since 1953 (How To Marry A Millionaire) and a collector since 1959 (Some Like It Hot). I make it a point to buy every book published and released on Marilyn, and find that this newest addition to the collection is among the best. Ms. Morgan is obviously a great fan of Marilyn having researched this book for many years before putting it all down on paper. Compared to some other authors who splash some facts mixed with speculation and rumor and rush out a new "expose", Michelle Morgan went the extra distance to find people who knew Marilyn and can add their insights to the Marilyn canon.
I was especially taken with the reminiscences of George Chakiris who appeared in the "Diamonds Are A Girl's Best Friend" number in Gentlemen Prefer Blondes. I've told people for years that he was in that number but no one believed me. Can you imagine the thrill of working on that scene?
And the photos are not to be believed. Why has it taken so many years for some of these to surface when hundreds of previous authors have interviewed Marilyn's family and friends? This is an amazing accomplishment and I am very thankful to Ms. Morgan for her tenacity and endurance in getting this book put together. The book has a luscious jacket, is very heavy (so no reading on the subway on the way to work) and comes with a bookmark ribbon so you don't have to try and read this all in one sitting. Though that certainly is a temptation.
Personally, I flipped out by her "Sources" section where she lists all of the documents that she used in researching for this book. I was especially floored by the listing of magazine and newspaper references. I have many unmarked clippings from old movie magazines and can now update my log with the date or writer or source name that I didn't have before. And the "Sources" section also provides a listing of documents that I can add to my "want list".
Kudos to Michelle Morgan for a crowning achievement.
A must for any Marilyn Monroe fan.......2007-08-29
This is the best book on Marilyn sense the book her sister wrote.
Michelle Morgan is a gifted writter.
It was so hard for me to put down. It's filled with never before seen photos throughout the book.
I was disapointed when I finished it because I wanted to keep going.
If you read this book you will not be disapointed.
A Fine Read with a Fresh & Delightful Approach!.......2007-08-28
It's been a while since we've been treated to a new book about Marilyn, the last one I believe was "The Many Lives of Marilyn Monroe" by Sara Churchwell. I find Michelle Morgan's book well worth waiting for!
Written in a very straight forward manner; Private & Undisclosed is definitely worth buying & reading even for those who have read Marilyn's story time & time again. There is something very appealing in the author's approach to her story; one that has no agenda other than sharing the details of Monroe's life in a simple & honest fashion. Interviews with by-standers, extras, & common folk who were there to witness events in Marilyn's life but never before contacted to share their stories, are both plentiful, refreshing, and thoroughly delightful to read!
The tiny little photographs that accompany the story (& are very difficult to see in good detail...) are then shown in a larger version after every few chapters. This is greatly appreciated.
Many of the photos have not been widely seen or published before now; though many of the pictures labeled as such will be quite familair to hard-core Marilyn collectors. Even a few quite popular & excessively used pictures have been listed as previously unpublished. However, there are still enough unseen or rarely used pictures to make it worthwhile to add this slightly over-size hardcover to your MM collection!
Book Description
Hollywood Blondes: Golden Girls of the Silver Screen examines the lives and careers of Tinseltown's most memorable blonde bombshells. Twenty-two classic actresses are profiled including Marilyn Monroe, Jean Harlow, Carole Landis, Betty Grable, Marie McDonald, Thelma Todd, Lana Turner, Jayne Mansfield, Barbara Payton, Veronica Lake, Grace Kelly, Alice Faye, Mae West, Carole Lombard, and Judy Holliday. Each chapter has a complete filmography. There are more than one hundred rare photographs featured throughout the book.
Customer Reviews:
Great news for the Marie McDonald fans.......2007-09-28
I was beyond thrilled when someone told me there was a chapter about Marie McDonald in this book. I have been a huge Marie fan ever since I saw her in Promises Promises but there is not a lot of information about her out there. Thank goodness for Hollywood Blondes! This has to be the most detailed and accurate look at Marie's turbulent life. I thought they picked some stunning photos of Marie too. I wasn't surprised when I learned the authors started MarieMcDonald.org
I also like the other chapters in Hollywood Blondes. It was a good mix of bombshells from the 30s, 40s, and 50s.
A True Winner.......2007-09-25
I didn't like this book - I LOVED IT!!!!!!!!!! If you think the stars today live crazy lives you should see the messes these classic stars got themselves into. I like to consider myself a classic film expert and I was very pleasantly surprised by how much I learned. There is a lot of information packed into this book. There are tons of quotes sprinkled throughout the book which made you feel like you were hearing the actresses tell their own story. Adding a detailed filmography at the end of every chapter was a great idea too. Also most books like this give you one or two pictures of each actress but this one is filled with dozens of great photos (some were a little dark). The best part for me was discovering actresses like Carole Landis and Barbara Payton who I didn't think much about before.
You can tell the authors have a lot of respect for these actresses because they are all written about in a mostly positive way. I hate books that treat the stars like they were saints but Hollywood Blondes doesn't do that. It gives you all the real dirt about their bad marriages, their drug problems, and their sad endings. Fanatics probably won't like seeing their idols exposed but you have to face the fact that celebrities are human beings. These blondes may have been gorgeous and talented but they were also very flawed women. After reading it you really feel sorry for them yet you still want to run out and rent their films.
I did find some factual errors but that is true with every book. There are definitely not as many errors as some of these other reviewers claim. The Jayne Mansfield and Jean Harlow chapters were actually two of my favorites. I am looking forward to Michelle Vogel and Liz Nocera's next book!
Michelle Vogel Hits Another Mark.......2007-08-16
This book is sensational. From the gorgeous cover to the well written text. Vogel andher co-author, I do not know but am now a fan of, have really been great in their work. This book went into why Hollywood Blondes lived such tortured lives. Sure there are things in here, that some reviewers can and will disagree with. But it's unfair and tasteless to claim facts are wrong and you (the reviewer) knows more about a star like Jean Harlowe than the writer. Maybe the writer got information from someone other than you. Maybe if you are such a Jean Harlowe nut, you should write a book yourself. I found this book to be more than 99% accurate, sometimes writers have their own way of doing things and finding research and you shouldn't assume they didn't do their homework. These authors most certainly DID do their homework and the book is written brilliantly! I enjoyed the Lana Turner chapter most of all. The way Vogel writes it, gives you the feeling of almost being in the room as an observer in many dramatic and shattering scenes played out in this blonde beauty's life. Great job, Ms. Michelle Vogel. Looking forward to your next book.
Young Kid Who Appreciates Old Films.......2007-06-26
My mom and I have been reading one chapter of this book each night. Now that I'm on vacation from school we watch a movie from the actress we read about the night before the following day. My mom has always talked about these actresses and I've enjoyed knowing more about their personal lives. It gives me a better understanding of their acting when I know who they were in real life.
All the famous ones are covered in "Hollywood Blondes" - My favorites are Marilyn Monroe, Judy Holliday, Betty Grable and Jean Harlow. The detailed filmographies have helped us track down which movies we want to see too. It's a real bonus to have the filmographies of each actress after their chapter.
Not all of the movies are available anymore but old movies are being found and restored all the time so hopefully some of the lost films will become available in the future. If you're a fan of the blonde actresses from many years ago, whatever your age, this is a really fun and enjoyable book to read :) :)
If you think famous people of today like Lindsay Lohan, Britney Spears and Nicole Ritchie have their problems, after reading this book, it seems that old Hollywood celebs had the same pressures, addictions and problems. Many of the women in this book were addicted to drugs and alcohol. They had so many marriages and men in their lives, I found it hard to keep up and there were even some murders! I also found it interesting that as beautiful as they all were, their self esteem was very low. Probably the reason why they used drugs and alcohol to feel better about themselves.
Well, that's it. I just really liked this book and wanted to let you all know about it. Thanks!!!!!
Hollywood Blondes Doesn't Deliver The Goods.......2007-06-11
Hollywood Blondes is the title of a new but highly superficial and unoriginal book on the flaxen actresses of the silver screen by Michelle Vogel and Liz Nocera. Weaving the reader in from silly hair color commercial catchphrases, to the history of how blonde hair was revered throughout the ages, (throughout the centuries women have use horse dung, horse urine, and saffron to lighten their hair) to the introduction, these two self-proclaimed "film historians" do themselves in and let the reader know what they are in for....which certainly is NOT knowledge of famous blonde actresses.
From telling the readers about the psychological effects that blondes are supposed to be lovelier, and that only a few percentage of the world's population are naturally blonde, one gets the idea that they are over-wording just to use up more space in the book.
I will limit myself discuss the Jean Harlow chapter and add a couple of notes here on other actresses I am familiar with, so others can write their reviews on other stars they know more about.
While Jean Harlow's hair did become damage from over-bleaching, it wasn't true that, "She had no other choice but to wear a platinum blonde wig in her last seven films." In fact, Harlow was not a platinum blonde since 1935. She opted for a platinum colored wig in 1935's China Seas, as she was letting her own hair grow in. The only two films that she wore wigs after that were in Riffraff----the movie that introduced Harlow to the world as a "brownette"in 1936, and in Wife vs. Secretary. Harlow wore her own natural hair color of honey blonde hair in her other films from 1935 on, including Saratoga, her last film in 1937.
Here are some mistakes about Jean Harlow that were written on this book.
--Jean Harlow was not born in St. Louis, Missouri. It was Kansas City Missouri. Betty Grable was the one born in St. Louis.
--Harlow's mother was never referred to as "Mama Jean"; she was known as "Mother Jean."
--Jean's grandfather, Skip Harlow, was not an architect; he was a real estate broker.
--Clara Bow did not make a film called The Love Parade with Harlow. It was The Saturday Night Kid, in which Jean had a minor part.
--Charles McGrew did want Jean to have their child at the time she was pregnant.
--Howard Hughes was never "infatuated" with Jean; he was never interested and neither was she. There was no romance between the two.
--Canine star Rin Tin Tin did not die "cradled in her (Jean''s) arms." That is just a myth added to the Harlow legend.
--MGM Mogul Louis B. Mayer was not "obsessed" with Harlow; he never offered her a mink coat to have sex with her. That is a tall tale fabricated by novelist, Irving Shulman, who wrote an unaccountable, undocumented, un-researched, and false account on her life.
--Paul Bern, Jean Harlow's second husband, did not buy Jean "a mansion on Easton Dr, in Benedict Canyon." after they got married. That house was already his.
--Jean was never suspected of "being the killer" in Paul Bern's death; that is a plot from one of Jean''s movies.
--Jean did not "witnessed" Dorothy Millete killing Paul Bern. Jean was at her mother's house where she had spent the night.
--It was not "one of the biggest mistakes" for Jean to turn down King Kong, as we know it Fay Wray did nothing but scream and scream in it since the star of the picture was and will ever be: Kong!
--The character of Lola Burns in Bombshell is not patented after Jean Harlow, as the writers claim, but after Clara Bow. However, this was Jean's favorite role.
--While John Barrymore was in Dinner at Eight where Harlow was featured, Greta Garbo and Joan Crawford were not. The authors were thinking of Grand Hotel, in which Jean never appeared.
--Jean did not buy" a big mansion." She purchased the lot and her mother build it. It was called the ``White Palace," not "the big white house."
--MGM never tried to "destroy all copies" of Harlow's novel Today is Tonight. Mother Jean sold MGM the book after Jean''s death. MGM bought it help out Mother Jean economically.
--Reckless was not "loosely based on Jean and Paul Bern's real story." It was a script patented after Broadway star Libby Holman, whose husband, Zachary Smith Reynolds, had killed himself the same year that Bern did.
--Jean and her mother did not move in "a modest bungalow on North Palm Drive." It was a beautiful, Spanish styled, two-storied large home in Beverly Hills.
--Jean did not "collapsed into his (Clark Gable''s) arms" on May 24. The time was May 29 and the actor was Walter Pidgeon.
--Gable did not call "William Powell who took Jean home." She was driven in a limo back to her house by herself.
--William Powell died in 1984 not "1980."
--Mary Dees was not Jean's "long-time stand-in." Dees was hired to complete Saratoga. She never met Jean Harlow.
--Mother Jean did not die in "the same room at Good Samaritan Hospital," and she did not die on June 7th either; Mother Jean died of a massive heart attack on June 11, 1958.
As for Marilyn Monroe, the authors inform us that, "Without a doubt, Marilyn Monroe's persona was a creation of men, for men." That's part of the Monroe legend but it isn't true. By taking on Harlow's favorite color of white dresses to Lana Turner's hair styles, and Betty Grable's make up, Monroe presented her own version of the dumb blonde in the 1950's.
The misquote attributed to director Billy Wilder, where Marilyn said she was the only blonde in the films, didn't happen in Some Like It Hot (1959). The incident to what the writers are recalling was from Something's Got To Give (1962), Monroe's last and uncompleted film, and the director was George Cukor. If people watch Some Like It Hot, they can see that Monroe was in an all-blonde-girls-band. Another misquote attributed to Colombia Pictures' mogul Harry Cohn; he never said "Get me another blonde!," when he heard that Monroe had died in 1962. Monroe made only one film at Columbia when she was a starlet in 1948. She was never a contract player at Columbia; they had their own bombshell in Kim Novak. Any Monroe fan knows that she attained stardom at 20th Century Fox Films with the release Niagara in 1953, and had been that studio's contract player from 1951 till 1962.
According to the authors, Jayne Mansfield was "the poor man's Marilyn Monroe." In all my years of researching the library's microchips newspapers on Mansfield I never read that she was referred to that way. Mansfield was a Broadway star, given a highly-paid contract by Fox. Mansfield was that studio's premiere blonde star of the late 1950's. The only two films Monroe made at Fox, after her departure, were Bus Stop in 1956, and her last, Something''s Got To Give. Jayne''s market value at 20th Century Fox was twenty million dollars in late 1950's and early 60's money, which is about one hundred million in today''s money.
In a grave error the authors state that Lana Turner's Cheryl Crane "...shot and killed her (Turner's) gangster boyfriend, Johnny Stompanato..." and then telling us that "Cheryl stabbed him with the knife" in the Lana Turner chapter. At this rate one wonders, who did this book's editing? I found most of the chapters that I read to be careless, rehashed stuff from similar and equally badly written books. The authors use unverified websites as reference, quote sensationalist books, and worse, misquote a lot and resort to tabloid-trash writing. I would advise any reader to skip this book at all costs, not even for the photographs, which are studio-standard photos that any fan is probably familiar with. The writers just didn't care or know about reporting fresh, insightful, and true accounts of these stars' lives.
Customer Reviews:
FIVE STARS FOR ANTHONY SUMMERS!.......2006-12-28
WOW! As an avid reader of Marilyn Monroe books I have finally stumbled across the most in-depth and personal account of this truly unique woman. I finished this book in 3 days! It's an absolute page turner and you are sure to discover many things that will shock you. By the end of the book I was emotionally attached to Marilyn. The very last chapters will leave you in desperate longing to help Marilyn, yet in utter frustration with her and everyone in her life. Why such a tragic ending for an immaculate screen goddess? The real tragedy is that she never realized the consequences of her actions. Her lifestyle- non-stop drugs & sexual promiscuity- destroyed any ounce of hope & future that was awaiting her. This book teaches many lessons and unfortunately, the most beautiful woman in the world lost her life in the process. Then there's the question of her death being a murder. - I hope that one day the truth comes out so that dignity and respect can finally be given to woman who was stripped of everything during her lifetime, but her soul. *A Hollywood drama till the very end.*
RIP NJ
Pulitzer for Research!.......2005-09-24
I bought this book after reading the 2005 LA Times story of the police medical examiner who believes Monroe did not kill herself. He believes she was administered a morphine overdose by suppository. Also, the psychiatrist who was very close to Monroe at her death and was criticized for this closeness believed the same theory. In the LA Times article, this book was mentioned as a definitive journal of her life and death. Also, it alluded that the psychiatrist's statements were shared with this author and in this book. Therefore, on that recommendation that this was the definitive Marilyn Monroe book, I felt a need to understand and investigate her life and death.
I was not disappointed. I remain absolutely amazed at the completeness of the research involved in this book. Be forewarned this is not a short read. But it is well worthwhile. He completely documents disagreements in sources and presents clearly his beliefs based upon the research. An important fact from early and mid-life that I had never seen emphasized was exactly how few movies she made at the end of her life, something like only 5 in the last 10 years. In my 52 year lifetime, Marilyn clearly had the most unique combination of sex and innocence that drew people in. It's difficult to describe her appeal. Probably closest would be Pamela Anderson who unfortunately feels the need to wear massive make-up hiding the very attractive wholesome girl she was when initially discovered. Much like Marilyn.
But where this book is at its best is describing the DiMaggio/Miller marriages, the many close friendships late in her life and what they expose about her potential suicide, the Kennedy relationships and ultimately her death. These story lines are so engrossing that it is difficult to put the book away for the night but the book is such a time commitment that it's not the type to be read in a few hours.
I cannot stress how detailed is the research on the last three years of her life including Sinatra, Lawford and the Kennedys. Based upon all the exhaustive research, I still believe this was a suicide. She had tried too many times before and sadly, was totally addicted to narcotics. What is more interesting is her relationship with the Kennedy's. But would they really have been involved in foul play when at that time the press ignored politician affairs? Marilyn's life is a great tragedy and this book does a fabulous job of summarizing. I strongly recommend this book if you have any interest in this icon. Be forewarned. This is not a quick weekend read but well worth the hours spent.
Possibly the most complete that it can get.......2003-03-26
There will never be "the definitive" Marilyn Monroe biography without the intimate contributions of husbands No. 2 and 3, Joe DiMaggio and Arthur Miller. Even if the fabled playwright shares publicly his life with filmdom's eternal goddess, DiMaggio never did and, obviously, never will. Still, this contribution by Anthony Summers, first published in 1984, may be as close as it gets. In his acknowledgements, Summers claims a near-obsession that consumed almost two years of his life. Little wonder: he claims and minutely credits and cites more than 600 subjects who were interviewed in the course of his research. About the only criticism that can be lodged is the book's title. Implying we're about to read nothing more than the sexual conquests of the world's most famous woman of her time, we instead get a thoroughly comprehensive life history that begins even before her birth June 1, 1926, and continues well beyond her death that swelteringly hot August night in 1962. In between, thanks to Summers' prose and sources whose claims were checked and rechecked for confirmation, we get something that few other writers have achieved, much less attempted: a psycho-biograhy that explains the reasons for the legendary insecurity that Norma Jean Baker could never quite overcome even as the world's most desired woman. Even in his passages about the amazing but all-too-short film career, Summers manages to keep us focused on Norma Jean and her reality behind the facade that was Marilyn. Of course, Summers has to deal with his subject's still conroversial death, and "The Candle Burns Down," the segment of the book that centers on Monroe's final days, is so detailed that Summers' own explanation for Marilyn's death sounds as plausible as any theory posited. No, he doesn't buy into the theory that she was murdered by the mob or Kennedy operatives, but that her death was an accidental overdose of Seconals. But Summers does submit that Monroe was cruelly exploited sexually and passed sexually from one Kennedy brother to the other, one the president and the other the attorney general, and that it was Robert Kennedy who found the overdosed star in her home and arranged for the ambulance to the hospital and, after her death en route, covered up his involvement with the help of brother-in-law Peter Lawford. Summers' exhaustively researched finished product distinguishes itself from most other Monroe books in that he doesn't exploit his subject's insecurity and private demons or sexual prowess. Instead, Monroe is treated here with dignity and respect and, in the end, we are left with the feeling that we have read Norma Jean's life history, not that of a creation named Marilyn. And it is on Norma Jean's fears that prevented her alter-ego from recognizing her own worth as both a person and actress that accounts for the legend that is Marilyn Monroe. Summers' book is an important contribution to the literature that seeks to explain and understand the fragile psyche of this truly and tragically wounded soul.
Great book.......2003-01-26
Great book : reliable, serious, honest. That brilliant journalist succeeds in giving us a correct image of the Marilyn's life.
However he shouldn't have shown a photograh of her dead : she has the right to be respected in death.
Arnaud Curgy, from France
For hardcore Marilyn fans.......2002-08-28
I read this book back in high school when it first came out in hardcover (I'm really dating myself here). Back then I was a Marilyn Monroe fanatic. Every book, movie, poster, magazine, or collectable I could find, I bought.
I must say that I'm still a huge Marilyn fan and have well over 50 books written about her. To this day, Goddess is still the best written, most profound, well meant, and indepth attempt of portraying her story. If you call yourself a Marilyn fan, then there is no question about it. You must read this book.
Witnesses, documents, and photos (including her heartbreaking autopsy photo) will add to the text and leave you breathless.
Average customer rating:
- Wonderful Book
- Beautifu images and beautuful words
- New photos, old text
- A must for all Marilyn admirers !!!
- "GENTLE PORTRAITS...SAD, PASSIONATE, FUNNY"
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Marilyn Monroe
Manufacturer: "Harry N. Abrams, Inc."
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Binding: Hardcover
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My Story: Illustrated Edition
ASIN: 081095933X |
Book Description
More than any other pinup girl or star of the silver screen, Marilyn Monroe (1926-1962) has captivated the minds of an entire generation. With her come-hither stare and womanly figure, she continues to be one of Hollywood's sexiest women. While many photographers captured Monroe's obvious sexuality, Eve Arnold, the only woman to have photographed her extensively, captured some of the most tender images ever seen of the Hollywood starlet.
Following a 1952 photo shoot for Esquire magazine, Monroe and Arnold forged a wonderful friendship. Marilyn Monroe chronicles the six photography sessions that took place over the course of their 10-year bond, including a two-month-long session while Monroe was shooting The Misfits. With almost 100 photographs-this new edition includes 48 previously unseen photographs not published in the long-out-of-print first edition-combined with Arnold's revealing text, this poignant book gives great insight into the career and personality of one of the world's most beloved icons. Perfect for fans of Hollywood's golden era and anyone intrigued by Monroe's captivating image, this book shows a sensitive side to Marilyn Monroe that is rarely seen.
Customer Reviews:
Wonderful Book.......2007-05-07
My wife loves this book. Very nice photos and stories. Extremely pleased.
Beautifu images and beautuful words.......2006-01-26
Man these are gorgeous photos. Marilyn is that rare bird that created some of the best photos ( I don't want to call them photos more like art pieces) ever! I disagree w/ the reviewer K.S. Pettry about Monroe being a sociopath, first of all a "sociopath" has no conscious so let's get our facts straight. Hey the woman, was HUMAN and complex, and to try and pin her down and label her to make ourselves feel comfortable is futile. Eve Arnold's prose is very astute and right on,and not in the least syrupy or trite. I mean everyone has their own opinion, but unless this particular reviewer knew both women, I'd hesitate before I'd call Ms. Arnold a hanger-on. All in all a gorgeous book, a feast for the eyes.
New photos, old text.......2005-12-22
It seems as if every maid, massuse, hair dresser, photographer, etc, who ever knew Monroe became her best life long buddy who had a special place in Monroe's heart (according to Bert Stern, Monroe all but fell in love with him during his famous shoot). This book is no exception.
The text of this book is the same tired old Monroe worship. You will read the same prose about Monroe's etheral angelic fragility, her profound effect on people, her inner and outer glow and tragic insecurities. You will read of what a student she was of the camera and of what a natural she was. Some real revelations. Why are people so afraid to admit that along with being the biggest, most elusive, enigmatic icon who ever lived, Monroe was a sociopath with hygiene problems. So what if she didn't like soap. So what if she was notorious for using people then shutting them out of her life. I mean, the girl wasn't perfect. It's imperfections that are the most interesting. You won't get any of that here.
There are however, some fresh photographs not published a million billion times like the Stern and Milton Greene pictures. But, Arnold thinks so much of her narratives that she doesn't have the courtesy to caption the photographs. Instead of a caption with the photographs, you get a flowery, wordy, overwrought, analysis of the circumstances surrounding the photographs prior to each section.
For the two dozen or so, fresh photos I would definitely recommend this book. There are some beautiful pictures, many in color. Aside from that, it is just another book written by a Monroe hanger on who used her for self promotion.
A must for all Marilyn admirers !!!.......2005-09-30
This new printing of Eve Arnold's book is exquisite.
Not only do we see some of the best Marilyn photos ever captured, but Ms. Arnold's text also provides a loving, articulate, and rare personal insight into the real, true Marilyn.
In addition to her superb camera work, Eve Arnold shows that she is also an erudite, poetic and amusing journalist, allowing her readers an unparalled and honest view into the Marilyn Monroe persona.
I love this book !!
"GENTLE PORTRAITS...SAD, PASSIONATE, FUNNY".......2005-08-22
In her touching introduction actress Anjelica Huston writes: "Here are gentle portraits of a ravishing child-woman - feline, innocent, anxious, trusting, sad, sweet, passionate and funny...." Quite true.
Photographer Arnold and Monroe enjoyed a ten-year friendship, in fact, interestingly enough, the two met at a party given by actress Huston's father, John Huston. At the time Monroe was still a relative unknown but was intrigued by photographs Arnold had taken of Marlene Dietrich. These were unposed photos not at all like the studio-lit, formal shots so popular. Monroe wanted Arnold to do the same for her. As this volume reveals, Arnold did it beautifully.
1n 198 pages we find photos of Monroe primarily beginning on Long Island in 1952 and concluding with shots of the filming of "The Misfits" in 1960 and an appointment with hairdresser Kenneth in 1961.
Of course, Monroe was a sex symbol yet these photographs by Arnold reveal not only her sexuality but her vulnerability, her humor and her amazing natural beauty.
This is a new edition of the 1987 volume, and includes 28 previously unseen photos. It's a must-have for Monroe fans and cinema buffs alike.
- Gail Cooke
Book Description
From January through October 2003, a group of individuals engaged in an in-depth discussion of the death of one of the 20th century's most beloved figures, Marilyn Monroe. The result is The DD Group, the highly detailed work of author David Marshall. It chronicles MonroeÂ's final day and her tragic and puzzling demise.
Using available information including police reports, vintage magazine and newspaper accounts, documentaries and biographies, and correspondence with some of the principals in the case, the group had one purpose—to reconstruct the events of Monroe's last summer and reach an understanding of what likely took place on August 4, 1962.
By verifying sources, considering agendas, and, above all else, applying logic, the DD Group was able to weed through the conflicting and often contradictory reports. Through careful research and study, they arrived at the most comprehensive understanding of the events surrounding Monroe's disturbing death.
Download Description
From January through October 2003, a group of individuals engaged in an in-depth discussion of the death of one of the 20th century's most beloved figures, Marilyn Monroe. The result is The DD Group, the highly detailed work of author David Marshall. It chronicles Monroe's final day and her tragic and puzzling demise.
Using available information including police reports, vintage magazine and newspaper accounts, documentaries and biographies, and correspondence with some of the principals in the case, the group had one purpose-to reconstruct the events of Monroe's last summer and reach an understanding of what likely took place on August 4, 1962.
By verifying sources, considering agendas, and, above all else, applying logic, the DD Group was able to weed through the conflicting and often contradictory reports. Through careful research and study, they arrived at the most comprehensive understanding of the events surrounding Monroe's disturbing death.
Customer Reviews:
A wonderful, intelligent and compassionate insight.......2007-08-27
Just finished the book this morning. Couldn't put it down since I purchased it a couple of days ago! I believe it has demystified so much here about Marilyn that it has to be very close to the last word on the subject. I took an interest in MM a few years ago and read many books on her. I was so impressed with her life that I wrote a three-act play called "Bye Bye Baby" about her last thee days. It hasn't been staged yet but one lives in hope! It was heavily biased by the Slatzer, Wolfe angle [murder] but since I read this book I'll have to re-write it removing this bias. After I read it I immediately went to Matthew Smith's Last Words to see if the DD Group's versions matched in any way. I believe, with a little bit of editing, it has second-guessed the Marilyn's tapes which weren't published at the time! It all makes sense now!!! However, although I really believed all along that she had been murdered, I now believe she did kill herself and that she made her mind up after RFK'S visit. It would seem that her whole world caved in then. When she asked Dr. Greenson "Did you take my Nembutal?" I think she was calling his bluff. She probably told him earlier that she only had one or two left and hid the 24 or 25. He may well have given her a shot of a small, controlled amount of Nembutal, with this knowledge in mind, when he returned, advising her to go to bed immediately. [I think most psychiatrists can and do give shots]. Remember that her total well-being depended almost entirely the esteem in which the Kennedys held her. If that was lost irretrievably, MM was lost. And it looked pretty final at 4.00 that Saturday. Dr. Greenson alone couldn't keep her from ending her life, even though he was indispensable to her in many ways. She was too intelligent for them all but must have made up her mind that afternoon.
MM must have felt lonelier that evening than any other time in her life and in that lonely bed in Brentwood she must have sobbed herself into that deep, deep sleep. I do believe now that she did say "Say goodbye to Jack..." to Peter Lawford. It's so, so tragic.
This book is a wonderful, intelligent and compassionate insight!!! I am forever in their debt.
Seoirse O Dochartaigh, Donegal, Ireland
another view ?.......2007-01-30
I liked the format of this book, researcher sharing comments and formulating their opinions. Perhaps a better way of looking at what happened than individual writers have done. Worth a look see.
Groundbreaking and Intelligent.......2006-03-18
David Marshall's "The DD Group: An Online Investigation Into the Death of Marilyn Monroe" is a must-read for anyone interested in learning the truth about the premature demise of Hollywood's most enduring star. The book examines all aspects of Miss Monroe's death by carefully reconstructing her final hours and analyzing the facts in a logical, detailed, and organized manner. Medical and forensics evidence is carefully dissected, and the possible agendas and questionable credibility of several key associates of Miss Monroe's {as well as a number of contemporary biographers} is presented for consideration. The book contains numerous startling new facts never revealed in any other Monroe biography, information which is compelling, ground-breaking and startling in the extreme. The intense research conducted by the participants of the group is impressive and unprecedented, and Mr. Marshall did an admirable job condensing what must have been an intimidatingly vast amount of information into a concise, well-written and thoroughly gripping investigative report. I highly recommend this book to anyone searching for the truth about what happened to Marilyn Monroe on the night she died. Fact and fantasy will become very easy to discern, and readers will arrive at a possible conclusion which is credible, realistic, and devoid of sensationalism. This book is a tremendous accomplishment, and you will never look at the death of Marilyn Monroe the same way again.
The BEST researched, most detailed Marilyn book........2006-01-27
What a remarkable detailed account of Marilyn's last days. The book focuses mostly on the last day however gives detailed information from other times that relate to the events on Aug.4, 1962. This would be a good book for someone just beginning to research MM or for someone who has read all before it and has their own conclusions about her death, since this book references other popular biographies written about Marilyn. This book is great becuase it's only purpose is to provide detailed information both before and after death so as to help the reader decide on their own conclusion. Although the author has his own beliefs which he shares with the reader, there is absolutely no intention of pursuasion to try and promote any one idea or theory. A personal thanks goes out to David Marshall and all who helped make this book possible, as it the best read on Marilyn Monroe I have come across yet. I have read many biographies and documentaries on Marilyn, and absolutely could not put this book down. I hope all others will enjoy it as much as I have.
MARILYN MONROE WAS MURDERED !....Or was she?-YOU DECIDE!.......2005-04-08
David Marshall has taken on quite the task of organizing and presenting a years worth of online discussions based on Marilyn Monroe's last days in his new book, "THE DD GROUP; An Online Investigation Into the Death of Marilyn Monroe" and he has done it admirably.
Having had the privilege of starting the online club Forever Marilyn's Death Discussion (www.forevermarilyn.com) and being one of the original members that contributed to the discussion which lead to the writing of this book I am personally pleased to share with you my review of this highly unique book on Marilyn Monroe's death.
With all the controversy that still swirls around Ms. Monroe's untimely death here is FINALLY a book that takes on every theory fearlessly and without prejudice. Diving head first into Marilyn's final days is a group of educated scholars on Monroe's life, each one with a different and valid opinion on her mysterious death.
This 497 paged soft-covered book is well worth the $30.95 cover charge. Aimed at educating the reader on the facts of Marilyn's death this book goes well beyond the confines of the timeline of August 4, 1962. The cast of characters in Monroe's life, as well as the events surrounding her last days are mapped out in the 23 chapters of this hefty book. The only draw back to this nonfictional piece of work is the lack of an index. But with each chapter covering so specific of details you hardly notice this tiny omission.
Much of the material in this phenomenal book is new in presentation. Facts on Monroe's death that you thought you knew are thrown into question and material never before released is presented in a revealing and titillating light that may startle even the most educated of readers.
Mr. Marshall skillfully lays out the theories of the original ten online DD Discussion Members in a format that is easily accessible to even the most novice of fans and is backed by impeccable research. From start to finish this book is riveting, holding the reader spellbound as you are challenged to come to your own opinion by the end of the book. That is not to say conclusions are not drawn by the author himself, but Mr. Marshall allows for plenty of room for the reader to take the information available and form their own opinion.
If you have ever wondered about or questioned the death of one of the world's greatest (and most tragic of) movies stars then this is, without hesitation, THE Marilyn Monroe book for you!
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