Remembering Marilyn (and Dorothy Kilgallen) at the Plaza

First posted here on July 21, 2013 One of Marilyn’s favourite New York hangouts was the Plaza Hotel, where in February 1956, she held a press conference with Sir Laurence Olivier – and, much to his amazement, chaos erupted when the strap on his co-star’s dress broke! John F. Doscher, a bartender (or ‘mixologist’) at the...

Marilyn’s Coroner and Pallbearer Remember Her Death

First posted here on August 7, 2012 Former coroner Bob Dambacher has spoken to Jeff Jardine of the Modesto Bee about his memories of investigating Marilyn’s death. “Bob Dambacher’s phone rang sometime about 7:30 a.m. His orders? Double-time it over to the Westwood Mortuary and pick up a body from an apparent suicide. Normally, Los Angeles...

Marilyn’s Death in the Mirror, and TIME

First posted here on August 5, 2012 UK tabloid The Mirror (formerly the Daily Mirror) has reposted its original front page story on Marilyn's death, written by Stan Mays and John Edwards on Sunday, August 5th, and published on Monday, August 6th, 1962. Interestingly, while it is often said that the investigation mistakenly placed Marilyn's...

Liz Smith on Marilyn’s Last Cheque

First posted here on July 10, 2012 Last week, a forensic psychologist commented on what may be Marilyn’s last signed cheque, for a chest of drawers, dated August 4th. (The cheque goes under the hammer at Heritage Auctions on July 24th.) “‘People about to kill themselves frequently engage in self-soothing behaviors,’ Dr. S. David Bernstein told The...

Dr. Thomas Noguchi: Marilyn’s Coroner Speaks

First posted here on June 26, 2012 ‘Coroner to the Stars’ Dr Thomas Noguchi, 85, has spoken to the Daily Telegraph about his role in Marilyn's autopsy. “Various bottles of pills, including an empty bottle of the sleeping pill Nembutal, had been found close to her body. Her name meant nothing to him. It was only...

Marilyn and the Chicago Mob Wives

First posted here on May 16, 2012 Nora Schweihs – currently starring in TV’s Chicago Mob Wives – is the daughter of notorious gangster Frank 'The German' Schweihs, who was alleged to have been involved in bringing about Marilyn’s untimely death by authors Milo Speriglio and Adela Gregory, in their 1993 book, Crypt 33: The Saga...

Marilyn and Nick Ray’s Long Goodbye

First posted here on May 8, 2012 The final extract from Patrick McGilligan’s Nicholas Ray: The Glorious Failure of an American Director concerns Ray’s reaction to Marilyn’s death. Ray was filming 55 Days at Peking in Spain when he heard the news. “The first week of August brought the bulletin that Ray’s old flame Marilyn Monroe had been found...

Marilyn’s 2011 Memorial in Los Angeles

First posted here on August 8, 2011 The annual service for Marilyn, organised by Marilyn Remembered, was held at Westwood Memorial Park in Los Angeles on August 5th, marking the 49th anniversary of her death. This year's speakers included Sondra Farrell Bazrod (who appeared in Monkey Business); Audrey Franklyn (publicist to Ella Fitzgerald); Laurent Morlet (director...

Hairdresser George Masters on Marilyn’s Death

First posted here on April 27, 2011 Tapes recorded in 1998 by Jeff Platts, nephew of George Masters, suggest that the celebrity stylist was with Marilyn the night before she died: “About a month before he passed away, he sat down and recorded some discussions with Platts. Recently, Platts shared a portion of the tapes with...

Marilyn and the Greensons

First posted here on June 23, 2010 Christopher Turner's rare interview with Joan and Daniel Greenson - the children of Marilyn's last psychoanalyst, Dr. Ralph Greenson - is published in The Telegraph today. "Over the course of two years in the early Sixties, a long black limousine would pull up every day outside a home...