Marilyn Remembered Fan Club Updates

Published August 7, 2023

Some Like It NOT Dress on display in London

Our Esteemed Club President Greg Schreiner has asked if members would be willing to contact the Victoria & Albert Museum (more commonly known as the V&A) in London to express your concerns over their current “DIVA” Exhibition.

The Museum is displaying a dress that they believe to have been worn by Marilyn in the 1959 comedy “Some Like It Hot,” but as you can clearly see by the photos taken by Lorraine Nicol having just visited the exhibition and the great side by side comparison photos by April VeVea this is NOT the case. This dress is inathentic and WASN’T worn by Marilyn on screen.

The Victoria and Albert Museum in London is the world’s largest museum of applied arts, decorative arts and design, housing a permanent collection of over 2.27 million objects. It was founded in 1852 and named after Queen Victoria and Prince Albert.. so displaying a fake dress such as this is damaging to their reputation.

Not only that, but the DIVA Exhibition is to run in London until next April (and Greg has since informed us that the Dress will potentially be touring for a futher 4 years after this) so just think about the thousands of Marilyn fans who will see this dress and not even realise it’s not the real deal.

We have already been in contact with the V and A to express our concerns, but sadly have had no official response as to what they intend to do.

We are inviting you to share your concerns over the authenticity of the dress by contacting the V&A directly (please keep any communication respectful, it is believed the Museum acquired the Dress under good faith that it was the original.)

You can use this e-mail address here: [email protected]

Or contact them on their Social Media Channels:

Instagram
https://www.instagram.com/vamuseum/

Twitter/X
https://twitter.com/V_and_A

Facebook:
https://www.facebook.com/victoriaandalbertmuseum

Let’s see if we can do Justice for Some Like It Hot and Marilyn!

Thank you.

Published January 28, 2023

FAREWELL GEORGE S. ZIMBEL

Today we are mourning the passing of American-Canadian esteemed documentary photographer: George S. Zimbel, who died on 9th January 2023 at age 93.

Zimbel had an incredible career and captured some amazing photographs of iconic figures around the world including our girl Marilyn Monroe.
George was in attendance the night of the famous “upskirt” scene from “The Seven Year Itch” which was being filmed on the streets of New York in September 1954. It is claimed thousands of fans turned up to witness Monroe repeatedly walk over a subway grate whilst it blew cool air up her skirt, blowing it way over her head and creating one of the most iconic moments in cinema history.

George was lucky enough to be one of the photographers in attendance and was able to capture some of these iconic shots:

George said of this one specific shot:

“Finally when they started filming, DiMaggio walked right off the set, right in the middle of the film shoot, right in front of the camera, everything stopped… And that’s where I had my favourite photograph of serious Marilyn, she just stopped.. and the light is just coming down, light, light, light, light right on top of her head and it’s all black except for her. It was a heavy moment.”

For more information on George and his career, head to his website at:
http://www.georgezimbel.com

Published January 21, 2023

HAPPY 70TH BIRTHDAY ‘NIAGARA’

HAPPY 70TH BIRTHDAY “NIAGARA”

Today marks 70 years since the release of the 1953 film noir thriller ‘Niagara’starring Marilyn Monroe, Joseph Cotton, Jean Peters and Directed by Henry Hathaway.

“Marilyn Monroe and Niagara, a raging torrent of emotion that even nature can’t control!” read the tag line on billboards and advertisements. Twentieth Century FOX pulled out all the stops on what was to be Marilyn’s first starring role in a major motion picture.

The official synopsis of the movie reads as follows: “The splendour of both Niagara falls and Marilyn Monroe enhance this taut tale about a faithless wife plotting against her husband. Joseph Cotten stars as George Loomis, a disturbed Korean war veteran staying at Niagara Falls with his wife, Rose (Monroe). Thoroughly sensuous and constantly scheming, Rose intends to kill her husband and run off with her lover. But first she is going to drive George mad by flaunting herself before anyone who will notice.”

‘Niagara’ was first released in theatres on January 21st 1953 and grossed a healthy $2.35 million return on an outlay of $1,670,000 during its initial run. Today it is still among Marilyn’s most popular films. Happy birthday ‘Niagara!’

We’ll be celebrating 70 years of this film noir triumph in “Marilyn Remembered.” What are your thoughts on Marilyn’s big breakthrough role?

Published January 16, 2023

REMEMBERING GINA LOLLOBRIGIDA

Remembering Gina Lolobrigida (4th July 1927 – 16th January 2023)

“Italy’s Marilyn Monroe,” as she had been billed, was in New York in 1954, when Marilyn was in town shooting on location for “The Seven Year Itch.” The two met at the Trans Lux Theatre on Lexington Avenue and 5rd Street hours before the filming of the infamous billowing skirt scene.

They also met at a party thrown in honour of “La Lollo” by press agent Rupert Allan.

Lollobrigida’s film career spanned many international productions. Among her best English-language works are “Bread, Love and Dream” and “Beat The Devil.” In the 1980’s, she was a regular on TV Soap “Falcon Crest.”

. At the time of her death, Lollobrigida was among the last living, high-profile international actors from the Golden Age of Hollywood cinema.

Source: “The Marilyn Encyclopedia” by Adam Victor