‘I’m Over All That’: Marilyn and Shirley MacLaine

First posted here on December 29, 2013 Actress Shirley MacLaine was honoured by the Kennedy Center this week for her ‘exemplary lifetime achievement in the performing arts.’ She began her career on Broadway as understudy to Carol Haney in The Pajama Game, and made her screen debut in Hitchock’s The Trouble With Harry (1955.) Among MacLaine’s most famous...

Remembering Tommy Rettig: Marilyn’s Child Co-Star

First posted here on December 27, 2013 In an article for the Times-Ledger, the Greater Astoria Historical Society takes a fresh look at the career of child actor and native of Queens, New York - Tommy Rettig. “Thomas Noel Rettig was born Dec. 10, 1941, and grew up in Jackson Heights. His father, Elias, was...

When Marilyn Touched Down in Illinois

First posted here on December 23, 2013 A rare photo of Marilyn en route to Bement in 1955 has been posted at The News-Gazette today. She was invited to the small rural town where her hero, Abraham Lincoln - then a lawyer, and just three years later, America's first Republican president - stayed at the...

Remembering Julian Myers and Marilyn

First posted here on December 23, 2013 Writing for Deadline, Pete Hammond recalls his friend, Julian Myers – ‘the ultimate Hollywood press agent’ – who died on Saturday, December 21st. “He started off as nearly  a charter member of USC’s Film School in 1937 and then worked in Columbia’s story department , but it was landing his...

Remembering Marilyn and Colin Wilson

First posted here on December 13, 2013 Colin Wilson, the British author whose first novel, The Outsider, was published to acclaim in 1956, has died aged 82, reports The Guardian. Initially feted as a major literary discovery, Wilson failed to repeat his early success, but published over a hundred books. He also met Marilyn Monroe in London...

Eleanor Parker: Marilyn’s Secret Hollywood Ally

First posted here on December 10, 2013 Actress Eleanor Parker – perhaps best-known for her role as the scheming baroness in the 1965 musical, The Sound of Music – has died aged 91. Born in Ohio, Eleanor Jean Parker made her screen debut at 18, in They Died With Their Boots On (1941.) However, her scenes were cut. Signed to Warner...

Jean Kent: Marilyn’s ‘Showgirl’ Co-Star Dies at 92

First posted here on November 30, 2013 The British actress Jean Kent has died aged 92, after a fall at her home in Westhorpe, Suffolk, reports the BBC. She was born in Brixton, South London in 1921, Jean was the only daughter of variety performers Norman Field and Nina Norre. She made her screen debut in...

When Vivien Leigh Met Marilyn

First posted here on November 25, 2013 2013 marks the centenary of the birth of one of cinema’s greatest stars, Vivien Leigh. An excellent new book by Kendra Bean, Vivien Leigh: An Intimate Portrait, takes another look at The Prince and the Showgirl, and reveals how Vivien really felt about Marilyn Monroe playing opposite her husband, Sir...

Travilla: The Man Who Dressed Marilyn, at Julien’s

First posted here on November 3, 2013 Items from the estate of Hollywood costumer William Travilla will go under the hammer at the Icons and Idols: Fashion event at Julien’s Auctions on November 8, 2013, the Daily Mail reports. "Sketches of Marilyn Monroe's most iconic dresses, drawn by costume designer William Travilla, are going up...

‘Either Way’: From Marilyn to Ella

First posted here on October 29, 2013 Either Way: From Marilyn to Ella is a new album from French jazz singer Anne Ducros. Inspired by Ella Fitzgerald’s story about how Marilyn lobbied for her to perform at the Mocambo nightclub in Los Angeles in 1954, the album is a tribute to both women. Either Way features covers of...