In my fourth post about The Lost Archive of Marilyn Monroe sale held at Julien’s Auctions on December 6, 2014, I take a closer look at Marilyn’s remarkable career. (You can read my previous posts here.)
“A vintage black and white RKO studio publicity photograph of Ginger Rogers inscribed, ‘To Norma Jean Baker Sincerely Ginger Rogers 1937.’ In 1937 the eleven-year old Norma Jeane was living with Grace McKee, a friend of her mother and a film cutter at RKO. Marilyn went on to co-star with Rogers in Monkey Business (1952.)
SOLD for $1,920
“Two sets of Marilyn Monroe owned vintage ski poles … similar to those used in a 1945 photoshoot with David Conover. Accompanied by a transparency of Monroe from that photoshoot and a small clipping showing the same.”
SOLD for $3,750
“A group of seven employment documents from Twentieth Century-Fox Studios. The documents date from 1947 to1949 and include two employment opening and four employment closing notices as well as one change of rate card. Notable are the cards filled out during her work on Dangerous Years (1947), indicated on the opening and closing cards as being for a ‘Sol Wurtzel Prod.,’ and a starting card dated August 27, 1949, for her role as Clara in A Ticket to Tomahawk (1950), indicating that Marilyn flew to the filming location with a closing card from this film dated October 21, 1949, stating that filming was finished. One closing card indicates her first firing from Fox. Dated August 25, 1947, the card explains ‘Option Not Exercised’ after only a year; the studio opted not to renew her contract at that time. She changed her name from Norma Jeane to Marilyn Monroe when she got her contract with Fox in August 1946. Her salary during this period ranged from $125 to $200 per week.”
SOLD for $2,560
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“A collection of five black and white original vintage photographs showing Marilyn Monroe in the Fox Studios employee stage show Strictly for Kicks. Accompanied by two copies of the April 1948 Action newsletter featuring an article on the production.”
SOLD for $1,024
At right…
“Original vintage photo of Marilyn Monroe with actor and golfer Joe Kirkwood Jr. marked on verso in pencil with their names.”
SOLD for $356
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A vintage original publicity photo taken by Laszlo Willinger for All About Eve (1950).
SOLD for $4,062.50
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“A five-page screenplay synopsis for the unproduced film Miss Nobody written by Garson Kanin. The typed document heading reads ‘Original Screenplay – 140pp.’ and ‘Henry F. Greenberg/ May 5, 1950.’ It is presumed Marilyn was approached to participate in the production. [Kanin later recalled Marilyn testing for another film, Born Yesterday (1950.) The role went to Judy Holliday, who won an Oscar for her performance.]”
SOLD for $192
At left…
“Vintage photo of a bulletin board with images of celebrities and reads ‘Your Miss Radar Contest.’ Marilyn’s photo hung on the bulletin board. Verso stamped ‘Official USAF Photo Fifth Air Force.'”
SOLD for $125
At right…
1951 cheesecake photo by Phil Burchman
SOLD for $768
“A Cary Grant typed, signed letter. The undated letter, written on his personal stationery, followed a recent trip to visit troops in Japan and Korea. The letter was accompanied by a gift he was asked by a soldier to take to Marilyn. Grant also offers his assistance if she should also go visit the troops in Asia. The pair worked together in Monkey Business (1952). A notation on verso is written in pencil in an unknown hand.”
SOLD for $3,840
“A 22-piece collection of Marilyn’s earning records from 20th Century Fox. The quarterly records span from 1946 to 1953 beginning after Monroe’s first contract with Fox in August 1946. The weekly accounting of Monroe’s salary illustrates the actress’ rise in star power throughout her career at Fox.”
SOLD for $6,250
“A two-page handwritten letter from journalist Sid Ross. Written on American Airlines stationery, postscript on a third page. The letter expresses Ross’ regret that Monroe couldn’t meet with him and goes on to offer her advice, including ‘Don’t be the baseball; be the bat.’ Accompanied by the original transmittal envelope postmarked May 17, 1953. Ross wrote an article about Monroe in 1952, and his brother, photographer Ben Ross, had three sittings with Monroe in the early 1950s.”
SOLD for $640
A pair of candid photos taken by Milton Greene on the set of River of No Return in 1953.
SOLD for $576
At left…
“Four vintage original photos of Marilyn dining with troops in Korea in 1954. Also present is an image of the ‘Anything Goes’ band performing on stage.”
SOLD for $500
At right…
“A typed, signed letter to from Bob Jennings, a staff writer at Parade Publications Inc. Dated March 6, 1956, Jennings’ letter refers to an article Jennings was writing about Korea that included Monroe. Accompanied by original transmittal envelope with numerous markings on the outside, including one that reads ‘important take care this afternoon!'”
SOLD for $1,152
At left…
“A signed letter from Twentieth Century-Fox Executive Manager Lew Schreiber, dated December 16, 1954, is in regard to Marilyn’s disagreement with the studio over her contract. In January 1955, Monroe formally announced the formation of Marilyn Monroe Productions Inc.”
SOLD for $1,250
At right…
“Telegram sent by Fox dated December 23, 1954, summoning Marilyn to meet with Lew Schreiber regarding The Seven Year Itch on December 28, 1954.”
SOLD for $1,280
“A Marilyn Monroe beard contest judge ribbon and photograph from the 1955 Bement Centennial. Accompanied by a vintage black and white photo stamped on verso ‘News Gazette/ Photograph,’ with photocopies of articles about the event. Marilyn attended the Centennial celebration and served as a judge in the beard contest, among other activities, after a resident assisted her in paying a hotel bill in exchange for her appearance. Originally from the estate of hairdresser Peter Leonardi.”
SOLD for $640
“Signed letter from Pat Newcomb to Marilyn; Milton Greene was cc’d. Dated April 24, 1956, the letter is in regard to an event for Nunnally Johnson. Typed on Arthur P. Jacobs Public Relations stationery, Newcomb references recent doctor’s orders have clamped down on Monroe’s social life in order to ‘complete the picture in good health.’ The film Newcomb refers to was Bus Stop, Marilyn’s first film under new contract with 20th Century Fox and her newly formed company, Marilyn Monroe Productions.”
SOLD for $320
At left…
Vintage publicity photo for Bus Stop (1956)
SOLD for $1,024
At right…
“A pair of papers with the typed lyrics of the song ‘That Old Black Magic,’ one on Chateau Marmont stationery with handwritten corrections and two smaller half sheets with the typed lyrics stapled together. Marilyn performed the song in Bus Stop.”
SOLD for $768
“Handwritten note from Marilyn re ‘Vera,’ the character played by Eileen Heckart in Bus Stop, including lines of Monroe’s dialogue as ‘Cherie’ … ‘I never had a friend before this – I mean one that was a girl…'”
SOLD for $3,520
“A telegram received by Marilyn Monroe from Warner Brothers, dated May 24, 1957. The two-page telegram is in regard to Monroe’s former business partner, Milton Greene, receiving a credit on the film The Prince and the Showgirl. Accompanied by an undated typed statement by Monroe regarding the situation with Greene, condemning his leadership of Marilyn Monroe Productions and his attempt to receive an Executive Producer credit for this film.”
SOLD for $384
A range of contact sheets featuring images captured during filming of Some Like It Hot (1959) and The Misfits (1961.)
A range of photos taken by Manfred Kreiner in Chicago during Marilyn’s 1959 promotional tour for Some Like It Hot.
At left…
A pair of original vintage photos for Let’s Make Love (1960.)
SOLD for $896
At right…
“A pair of telegrams from Let’s Make Love producer Jerry Wald. The first two-page telegram is dated October 22, 1959, and concerns to script changes and songs. The second two-page telefax, undated, concerns Frankie Vaughan being credited on the front of the film’s soundtrack album.”
SOLD for $448
Candid photo taken during filming of the ‘rodeo scene‘ for The Misfits in 1960.
SOLD for $384
“A 16mm reel of behind-the-scenes footage shot on the set of The Misfits (Seven Arts, 1961). The reel comes with the original envelope that is addressed to Marilyn from United Artists. Notes on the envelope read ’16mm publicity’ and ‘The Misfits/ film for Foreign Screening.’ Accompanied by a document from UA titled ‘The Making of The Misfits’/ (Narration for a 20-minute featurette)’ with a personal note affixed to the cover page.
The film begins with Marilyn Monroe arriving in Reno, Nevada, with Arthur Miller and being received at the airport, then then driving through Reno. The next scene appears to be a press conference with Monroe and co-stars Clark Gable, Montgomery Clift, Eli Wallach, Kevin McCarthy, Thelma Ritter, director John Huston and Marilyn’s husband, screenwriter Arthur Miller.
The approximately 19-minute film goes on to show a variety of behind-the-scenes activities of the cast and crew beginning with the filming of Monroe and Ritter in a street scene that was cut from the final version of the film.
Other segments of the include Marilyn at Harrahs Casino taking refreshment with Ritter, Houston and a dog Marilyn attempts to feed; the cast on location; street filming in Reno with the cast in a vehicle followed by a parade of observers; Marilyn signing autographs; Marilyn greeting and get on a horse; shots of the castMCA being filmed riding together; aerial images of the set; a baseball game being played on set; a football being tossed on set with Miller and Houston joining in the game; and Marilyn lounging with two other women on the hood of a car. The last part of the film shows the filming of a Misfits scene where Marilyn is swimming and playing with a dog in the water. The very last image is of Marilyn running from the water to embrace Gable. No audio. Accompanied by a DVD copy of the film.”
SOLD for $4,800
“A group of three letters from MCA Management Ltd. The first is dated May 17, 1955, and was sent to Marilyn in New York. The second is dated May 3, 1961 and is accompanied by a confidential letter typed on 20th Century Fox stationery addressed to George Chasin regarding a role for Monroe in a film adaptation of the book Zuleika Dobson by Max Beerbohm. The third is from Chasin, dated May 2, 1961, regarding two screenplays delivered via messenger to Marilyn’s bungalow at the Beverly Hills Hotel, where she was recovering from sinus trouble [Celebration, based on William Inge’s play, A Loss of Roses, later filmed as The Stripper with Joanne Woodward; and Lucy Crown, an unproduced adaptation of Irwin Shaw’s 1956 novel.]”
SOLD for $192
“Letter from the New York Post and a typescript copy of a Post article. The typed signed letter is from columnist Max Lerner, dated May 10, 1961. The typescript is of an article written by gossip columnist Earl Wilson circa 1961. Titled ‘Marilyn’s not A-Marryin’ ‘ and is typed on three pages.”
SOLD for $192
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