Marilyn Remembered Fan Club Updates

Published

Happy Birthday Jane Russell! June 21

13450969_10153689739322688_8246095680997731258_nToday we are taking a brief look at the life and career of Jane Russell who was born on this day in 1921. Jane was born Ernestine Jane Geraldine Russell in Minnesota, the only girl out of five children. Her father was in the US Army and her mother was an actress. After a brief move to Canada the family settled in Southern California where Jane attended Van Nuys High School along with a young man named James Dougherty, the future husband of Norma Jeane Mortenson.  After graduating high school Jane worked as a receptionist. She did a little modeling on the side and studied acting at Max Reinhardt’s Theatrical Workshop.

In 1940 she was discovered by Howard Hughes and he signed her to a seven year contract. Her first role was in The Outlaw which was filmed in 1941 but not released until 1943 due to problems with the Hays Code over her ample cleavage. Hughes reportedly designed a special bra for her to wear in the film but in her autobiography Jane said that the bra was extremely uncomfortable and she ended up wearing her own, with Hughes being none the wiser.

Although she co-starred with some of the most popular actors of the era – Frank Sinatra, Bob Hope, Clark Gable, Victor Mature, Vincent Price and Robert Mitchum (another alum of Van Nuys HS) – she is best remembered today for her role as wise-cracking Dorothy Shaw alongside Marilyn Monroe in Gentlemen Prefer Blondes.

Jane was married three times (her first marriage to her high school sweetheart lasted 25 years) and adopted three children.
She died on 28th February 2011 at the age of 89 in Santa Maria, California.

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Published

The Hat Sitting – June 1958

June 16th 1958 – Marilyn sits for Magnum photographer Carl Perutz in New York, shortly before flying out to Hollywood to film Some Like It Hot.

‘Carl Perutz took photographs from the 1920’s through the 1970’s. These pictures included a spectrum of topics including war, peace, birth, and death. After joining the U.S. Army shortly after the Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor, he rose to the rank of Captain through his work doing aerial reconnaissance flying in B17’s over North Africa, France, and Germany.

After the war he moved to Paris, met Robert Capa, and joined the photographic agency Magnum, which gained fame partly as the first agency to specialize in allowing its artists to retain copyright to their images. Unlike Capa, Carl had seen enough combat by 1946 and he began photographing artists of literature, the visual, the stage, and the screen. Of his various subjects, working with Helen Keller provided his most powerful experience. It is, however, his photographs of Marilyn Monroe for which he is becoming best remembered’

13436156_10153776699713121_412830361_n[photo & bio text copyright Pete Livingston, son of Mr Perutz]

Originally taken for a magazine article that never came to fruition, a limited number of the photos from the session were published but the rest were sadly lost. Fortunately, Marilyn had purchased a number of the prints, one of which can be seen here in her New York apartment, as detailed on this invoice dated 18 June 1958.

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The artist Jon Whitcomb used one of the published prints as inspiration for his 1959 portrait of Marilyn, which was to later accompany an Easter article in a women’s weekly magazine. At some point, the original Whitcomb artwork ended up in the collection of Joe DiMaggio – it is unclear if he purchased the portrait or if it was gifted to him. ‘Marilyn’ hung over Joes mantle in his San Francisco home until his death in 1999. In May of 2006, the DiMaggio family auctioned his belongings, including the painting, which went onto fetch $30,000.

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It’s worth mentioning that this photoshoot is the last time Marilyn is seen sporting her longer layered ‘1957’ hair, before it was restyled for Some Like It Hot, which she started work on, 4 August 1958.

Thankfully for all of us, the rest of Perutz’s photos were rediscovered in a warehouse in NYC in the 1980’s & here they are. [Copyright Pete Livinston]

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Published

The Marilyn Monroe we didn’t know: Bendigo exhibition has surprises in store

Her first name is all we need. We know who Marilyn is — or we think we do. Half a century after her untimely death, her image is as potent and ubiquitous as ever. So is there anything new to learn about Marilyn Monroe?

Bendigo Art Gallery has a major exhibition opening in March that is devoted to her. And its discoveries come not as sweeping revelations or reversals, but in the surprise of small details and unexpected insights.

There are, as you would expect, images and film clips, musical numbers, newsreel footage, archival material, posters and publicity items. There are costumes from her movies, striking, spectacular garments that have become familiar in their own right. There are also pieces from her personal wardrobe, garments that represented another facet of the self she wished to project.

Published

Marilyn Remembered in Australia!

We are excited to announce Marilyn Remembered’s participation in a highly anticipated exhibition. Bendigo Art Gallery and Twentieth Century Fox present “MARILYN MONROE” March 5 – July 10, 2016, at the Bendigo Art Gallery in Bendigo, Australia.

Sixty-five items from the private memorabilia collections of Greg Schreiner, Marilyn Remembered’s President and founding member, and Scott Fortner, Operations Chief, will be featured in this exhibit, including:

  • Several costumes Marilyn Monroe wore in her films, including The Prince and The Showgirl and Let’s Make Love
  • Costumes created by Oscar winning designer Billy Travilla for Marilyn’s role in Gentlemen Prefer Blondes
  • Gowns worn by Marilyn for various publicity photos and celebrity events, including the Monkey Business premiere
  • Clothing, furs, and accessories from Marilyn Monroe’s personal wardrobe, including her brilliant green Pucci blouse, the fur she wore to the 1953 film premiere of How to Marry a Millionaire, and the evening cape from her appearance at the East of Eden film premiere in 1955
  • Marilyn Monroe’s director’s chair from Bus Stop
  • Marilyn Monroe’s personal cosmetics
  • Marilyn’s Personal scripts from Niagara, How to Marry a Millionaire and others
  • Items from Marilyn’s childhood, books from her library, documents from her files, and other personal objects from the estate of Marilyn Monroe
  • Marilyn Monroe autographs
  • Original Marilyn Monroe costume sketches by Jean Luis and Billy Travilla
  • Original Marilyn Monroe photographs by Andre de Dienes and Cecil Beaton

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While the exhibit has not yet opened, visitors to Bendigo are already being greeted by “Forever Marilyn,” the 26′ statue created by Seward Johnson, previously featured in Chicago and Palm Springs.

For more details on the exhibit, visit the Gallery’s website here.
An opening reception for the exhibit will take place on Friday, March 4th at the Gallery. Opening reception and exhibit photos will be uploaded to our Facebook fan page. If you’re not yet a member, please join us by clicking here.