First posted here on July 31, 2013
Heritage Auctions are holding an Entertainment & Music Memorabilia sale on August 10th, including several very desirable Marilyn-related items. Among the lots, two sets of rare Korea photos have attracted the attention of the Daily Mail:
“A set of 13 black and white photographs, taken by an official army photographer, capture touching behind the scenes moments from the tour.
Monroe, who was aged 28 at the time, is seen in combat boots and black trousers and a flight jacket chatting to soldiers and signing autographs in the 8ins by 10ins prints.
Several images show her on stage wowing crowds in a sparkling cocktail dress while in others she is wearing her famed houndstooth dress from her film Gentlemen Prefer Blondes.
A set of four colour slides depict Monroe mingling and laughing with troops and signing autographs.
A 90-second clip of unseen footage from the visit shot by a young soldier shows her arriving in an army helicopter, meeting troops then leaving in the helicopter.
The images were bought by a collector in the 1990s direct from the photographer and have never been published.
Margaret Barrett, director of entertainment at Heritage Auctions, said: ‘These photos came from a collector who bought them about 18 years ago for very little money.
‘It isn’t known who shot the photos but we think it would have been an official Army photographer because they are professional images.”
Also on offer is the ‘possibly worn’ silver evening gown from Love Happy; some offscreen clothing; letters from Jean Negulesco and William Inge, and one from Marilyn to Inez Melson; two books owned by MM; and scripts for Don’t Bother to Knock, Gentlemen Prefer Blondes, How to Marry a Millionaire and Let’s Make Love.
UPDATE: Marilyn’s Love Happy dress sold for $30,000; a skirt worn by Marilyn on location for Niagara fetched $12,187.50; and a sweater from circa 1950 reached a top bid of $8,437.50.
A photo inscribed by Marilyn to film extra Lou Benjamin (“When you come back – come around”) sold for $20,000; and an engraved Sterling silver money clip, gifted by Marilyn to Fox soundman Harry Roberts, fetched $4,375.
An 8mm reel of footage from Korea (about 1 minute 34 seconds long) sold for $7,187.50; the black-and-white Korea photos fetched $3,250; and the colour slides totalled $1,187.50.
Two snapshots – one signed by Marilyn, another by Betty Grable) fetched a total of $5,156.25; a Saks Fifth Avenue business card, autographed by Marilyn, sold for $3,000.
A set of four screenplays from Monroe films reached $8,125; and two Marilyn-owned books (Max Lerner’s The Unfinished Country and Walter Gellhorn’s American Rights) reached a total of $1,625.
And finally, a telegram to Marilyn’s Some Like It Hot co-star George Raft, referencing her illness during production, fetched $500; and a set of four letters to Marilyn totalled $625, including one from Jack Hirshberg, a publicist on the set, dated 17 December, 1958 – “Dear Marilyn, I was terribly saddened to read that you had lost your baby. I remember our chat about children and know how extremely disappointed you must be …”
The Marilyn Archive 
Recent Comments