The Books: “Marilyn: Her Life in Her Own Words : Marilyn Monroe’s Revealing Last Words and Photographs” (George Barris)

Daily Book Excerpt: Entertainment Biography/Memoir:

Marilyn: Her Life in Her Own Words: Marilyn Monroe’s Revealing Last Words and Photographs, by George Barris

George Barris claims that these were the last photographs of Mariliyn Monroe before she died. Bert Stern claims that his photos (the ones of Marilyn lying naked in bed, drinking champagne) are the last photos of Marilyn Monroe. Neither are correct. There was actually another photo shoot that was her last. The competition to be the “last” with Marilyn is intense … her last moments, the phone calls, the meetings, have been narrowed down to the second … as though something in the banal could reveal her state of mind, or her intention. The ‘myth’ of Marilyn can obscure her. I have always loved Marilyn Monroe, and while, of course, the “myth” affects me – it’s like osmosis – you can’t really help it … I have always been interested in getting beyond the myth. Not so much in terms of knowing her biographical details (which will always be murky with Monroe) – that doesn’t interest me as much – but in understanding her as an actress: her struggles, her commitment, what she was good at, what she knew she had to work at – her fights with the studio, her negotiating power and how she used it – her work at the Actors Studio and what that was all about for her …

Since I first saw Marilyn Monroe on television in Some Like It Hot, I’ve thought: “Who the hell is that luscious woman and why is she so damn FUNNY??” Her funniness can often be skated over, as can her dramatic ability – just because of her looks, and the va-va-voom nature of her persona. I mean, I know it’s understood that she was a marvelous comedienne, but still: I think the “myth” tends to override everything else, until it is hard to believe that this was, you know, a real woman, an actress, a person like any other. The myth had already begun when she was alive. She was the biggest female star in the world. An international phenomenon.

The pressure began very early to have her appear in certain kinds of parts … and the studio often punished her by putting her in projects unworthy of her – not only unworthy of her talent, but unworthy of her stature as a giant star. There were those in power who thought she was a whore who just got lucky. Now, not everyone felt this way. She had powerful friends. She knew how to shmooze and get what she needed. And once you were a trusted ally of Monroe, you were a trusted ally forever. There were agents and directors who went to bat for her, who tried to protect her … but, once you look at the whole of her life – and the decisions she made – you begin to realize that the myth of Marilyn – as one of the greatest victims of all time – was actually nothing of the sort. Sure, she had some bad things happen to her (again, I’m talking career-wise), some hard knocks – but once you delve into the details, you really can see her as a businesswoman, her own career manager – playing hardball with the big boys. She was no victim. I’ve always been a bit annoyed by that characterization of her.

At the height of her career, she refused to do a couple of pictures, because she didn’t like the material. She was put on suspension, as though she were a recalcitrant child. She didn’t care. She moved to New York City at that time, and started taking acting classes at the Actors Studio. I am trying to imagine one of our most giant stars behaving in that way today. How refreshing it would be! She knew she needed to grow as an actress, and there was no way she could do so if she relied on the studio to put her in challenging projects. So she took charge. In the mid-50s, the Studio was THE place to be – having turned out stars such as Marlon Brando, Paul Newman, and others. Monroe put herself on the line, her reputation, knowing that there were those in the Studio who sneered at her (“big movie star trying to be a serious actress …”) – and began to study, taking acting classes, doing scenes, working on Eugene O’Neill and others. At the same time, she formed her own production company – another thing relatively unheard of at that time. An actress trying to have control over her own destiny? Who does she think she is? She should be grateful that we let her act at all! Make no mistake: that vibe was present in the studio, and it was reflected in her low-balled salary and the projects they put her in.

She gave a press conference in New York, announcing her move to New York and the creation of her new production company. The joint was mobbed, photographers and journalists clamoring to the microphones to shout questions at her. She was quite open about how unhappy she was in Hollywood, and had no hesitation in saying so. She said she didn’t like the projects that had been coming her way – she wanted people to know she was more than just her body and her glamorous image – she wanted people to know that she was a real actress. She announced that she wanted to develop The Brothers Karamazov for the screen. One of the reporters called out, “Do you even know how to spell Dostoevsky, Marilyn?” Look at that. Look at that open contempt. This was something Marilyn faced every day. So she must have been used to it because she replied calmly, “Have you read the book? There’s a character in it named Grushenka – she’s a real seductress – and I think it would be a great part for me.” Marilyn, you’ve got more class in your pinky toe than any of those folks looking down on you, and her calm (yet pointed) response to the reporter is one I really admire. “Have you read the book?” That’s really all you need to say to some bigot who tries to put you down.

Unfortunately, her “Grushenka” never came to fruition – but I share that anecdote because it shows Marilyn’s business smarts. She always had it. She was one of those rare rare stars who is chosen by the public to be famous. I’ve written my theories about such people before – the Julia Roberts-es, the Tom Cruise-es, There is something indestructible about the fame of these people (well, until one of them leapt on a certain couch and made history). But let me get back to my point: You can feel when the industry is trying to MAKE a star. The best example I can think of is when Vanity Fair put Gretchen Mol on their cover 10-odd years ago.

Mol obviously had powerful people behind her, and everyone wants to be the one to take credit for finding “the next hot thing”. But the backlash from that cover (“who does she think she is?” “Who the hell is Gretchen Mol and why are her hardened nipples staring at me from the magazine rack??”) was acute. Her WORK had not yet even been seen in a wide way, and so the cover was perceived (by many in the industry as well as by the public) as pushy, too-much-too-soon (even Mol has said that about the cover – her career was delicate, she had done a couple of indie movies, and the level of scrutiny the cover brought her was WAY too much) – She hadn’t even done any movies yet that had any real kind of buzz (out in the larger world, I mean, outside the boundaries of Hollywood) … and so trying to CREATE the buzz backfired. (Sometimes that ploy will work, but Mol, a lovely actress, is really representative of how it can NOT go over well). The question on the Vanity Fair cover was a mistake, in my opinion: “Is she Hollywood’s next ‘It’ girl?” The answer came back – from Hollywood and the public (who had never heard of Mol, and many of her movies weren’t even playing in most cineplexes in America – it was strictly an “insider’s” cover) – a resounding “No.”

But with someone like Julia Roberts: her fame took even her own agent by surprise. Yes, she was being groomed for good stuff … she had been nominated for Best Supporting Actress in Steel Magnolias (Julia now says that she sees that as one of those polite “welcome to the business” nominations – as opposed to anything with more fire behind it) – and she was already playing leads. But she was on location for Sleeping With the Enemy when Pretty Woman opened – she hadn’t even done publicity for the film!! It wasn’t thought that it would be necessary. Can you imagine?? Pretty Woman had its opening weekend, and Roberts, on location in South Carolina, had no idea the BROU HAHA that had broken loose. This is pre-Internet days, pre-blackberry days … If you were out of town, you were most decidedly out of town. Her agent called her and said, “Do you have any idea what is happening right now?” When Roberts came back to Hollywood after her shoot, she was the biggest box-office star in the world. It was a true Cinderella story. And it was the PUBLIC who did that, the PUBLIC who screamed, “WE WANT MORE OF HER.” It took the industry by surprise. Best kind of fame.

I want to make it clear that I am not really talking about “talent” here. There are plenty of fantastic actresses out there who are doing work superior to Julia Roberts. What I’m talking about is fame. And whether or not you like Julia Roberts is irrelevant to what actually happened to her back in the early 90s. It was one of those rare rare things: a public-driven phenomenon. It’s not that Gretchen Mol is less of an actress. It’s that the industry was trying to create something with her before it was time, before she had “the role”, before she had even “hit”. Julia Roberts “hit” all on her own. The amount of good will that that generated towards Julia Roberts is still in evidence today. That’s what I mean when I say there is something “indestructible” about that kind of fame. If you play it right, you can ride that wave for a long long time.

If you look at some of the choices Roberts made in the wake of her stardom – it’s incredible. She, like Monroe, was unhappy with all of the Pretty Woman II scripts she was being offered. So she didn’t make a movie FOR TWO YEARS. I mean, the balls!! She had made Dying Young and Sleeping with the Enemy – but these were both filmed before the firestorm of the opening of Pretty Woman. Both films opened on the heels of Pretty Woman, which gave the illusion that they were now “Julia Roberts Pictures” – but they weren’t – not yet. The Julia Roberts acting in those films was unaware that the genie in the bottle was about to be released. In 1991, the year after Pretty Woman came out, she was Tinkerbell in Hook which amounted to maybe a week of work – but other than that, she stopped working immediately following her giant breakthrough. This is unheard of. But I think Roberts was smart. Probably at the time it felt crazy to her, and I know that her agent was pulling her hair out, begging Roberts to get back to work – to do something – ANYTHING – to remind the public of why they had loved her so much in Pretty Woman. But Roberts remained firm. I’m convinced that that is one of the reasons she is still such an enormous star. She’s her own person. She would not be manipulated. From very early on, she refused to do nude scenes. Even in Pretty Woman, where you would think it would be par for the course, she refused. Contract negotiations were stalled because Roberts refused to take her top off. No, no, no, she would not do it. Garry Marshall obviously wanted her badly enough that he caved. They compromised – she did one scene in her panties, so there is the impression that she is nude, but she actually is not. To this day, Roberts has never done a nude scene. But the important thing about this whole story is that before she was famous she knew her limits, and she wasn’t afraid to say “no”. In such a soulless world as Hollywood, where people are willing to do anything, anything, to be famous – even if it means contradicting their own ideals for themselves – this is rare. And I think that, too, goes a long way towards explaining the Julia Roberts phenomenon. People GET that about her. To be clear (yet again): I don’t think doing nude scenes is a bad thing, and I don’t judge anyone who makes that choice. I was nude onstage once. Whatever, it was important to the part. I didn’t have to spout lines that told the audience I was a manipulative trashy person with ZERO boundaries. The nudity did it all for me. It was great. Embarrassing at first, but eventually no big deal. I like Shelley Winters’ quote about nudity: “I think on-stage nudity is disgusting, shameful and damaging to all things American. But if I were 22 with a great body, it would be artistic, tasteful, patriotic and a progressive religious experience.” hahahaha But Roberts didn’t feel right about it, and she stuck to her guns.

I happen to love Julia Roberts. I know she has her detractors. My point in all of this, though, is to demonstrate the power and strength of a star who is chosen by the public, as opposed to by the industry. There’s just something untouchable about that kind of fame.

This is what happened to Marilyn Monroe, who started out as a starlet in a line of starlets, indistinguishable from any of the rest. Of course what WAS distinguishable was her drive, her desire to be not only famous but GOOD, to be a “real actress”. Her performance in Don’t Bother to KNock (my review here) is proof that Marilyn was not just whistling into the wind with her ambition, there was real talent there, and a real capability for true dramatic expression. But that was not what was wanted of her. What “hit” with the public was her giggly bubbly sex goddess, the kind-hearted innocent woman who also had the body of a pin-up. Powerful directors pulled her out of obscurity and gave her small things to do … Asphalt Jungle, All About Eve … and somewhere along the line the publicity department at the studio decided to put their power behind this new blonde starlet, and they went into overdrive, putting her in photo shoots that appeared in Life magazine – and the fan mail started pouring in. People loved her. Who knows what they sensed … but they wanted more. When the nude photos she had done earlier in her life came to light, a shitstorm erupted. It was scandalous, horrible – and many of those in charge at the studios wanted her to apologize, to be contrite. Marilyn refused. She made a statement acknowledging that yes, that was her in the photos, and no, she wasn’t sorry, because her rent had been due and she had no money, and she was desperate. This was not at all what the studio bigwigs wanted her to say – but imagine their surprise – the public overwhelmingly supported her. The publicity department was bombarded with sacks and sacks of mail from all over the world – women AND men (that was another key element of her appeal: women loved her and wanted to be like her, men desired her and wanted to protect her – if you have that kind of cross-gender appeal, then it is your OWN fault if you don’t capitalize on it – because it is rare rare rare – Julia Roberts has the same thing) – and the letters all said the same thing: “We love this girl!” Her honesty shone through. People respect honesty. What Monroe’s detractors had hoped would be her downfall (you know, the ones who had the sneering, “She’s just a whore who got lucky” attitude) ended up being one of her biggest triumphs. THAT’S the power of a public-driven stardom. The industry was ready to cut her loose. As far as they concerned, she was a dime a dozen. But she wasn’t. In Marilyn Monroe’s case, the public ALWAYS knew better than the industry.

George Barris, the author of this book, interviewed Marilyn extensively and took the famous photos of Marilyn playing in the surf in Santa Monica, drinking champagne, cavorting on the beach in an orange bathing suit. Monroe had only a month or so left to live. She had already been fired from Something’s Got to Give, and was eloquent about what she thought had happened. She comes off, here, as lucid, sweet, and determined. I feel like any book about Marilyn Monroe has to be taken with a grain of salt – there is soooo much to gain by saying, “Hey, I spoke with Marilyn Monroe and here is what she said” – that I am suspect of mostly everything. But this is a beautiful volume, glossy, Marilyn’s words on various topics interspersed with Barris’ photographs. I love the Barris photographs because many of them feel candid. It seems like he just turned his camera on her and “caught” her, behaving. She’s wearing a little bit of eye makeup, but nothing much else. She jumps and laughs and seems to be talking right at the camera, at times … They have a wonderful vibe, and capture, to me, what I feel is Monroe’s essence. Yes, she was damaged, and insecure, and frightened, and (ironically) sexually frigid. All of that is true. But she was also a nature-loving beach girl, a woman who was funny, and who loved funny people. Also: she LOVED the camera, and the camera LOVED her. (I wrote a post called Marilyn and the Camera which has some great quotes from photographers who had worked with her). She was beyond being photogenic. She was magic, and she created that magic for herself. It was like a button was pushed in her when that camera was pointed her way, and she came to life. It was what she did. It made her happy, and you can tell that that is true in the photographs Barris took of her that day on the beach.

Barris keeps the narration to a minimum. Occasionally he interjects with explanatory footnotes, but most of the text is Marilyn speaking. She talks about her childhood, her mentally ill mother, her marriage as a teenager, Joe DiMaggio, her acting, John Huston, the nude calendar, etc. etc. Again, a grain of salt is needed here … but even that being said, this is a beautiful book. A coffee table book, I guess – and the photos are haunting. You can hear her laughter mixed with the crashing surf.

I chose an excerpt where Marilyn talks about various different topics, nothing too deep or personal … just her own preferences in life.

EXCERPT FROM Marilyn: Her Life in Her Own Words: Marilyn Monroe’s Revealing Last Words and Photographs, by George Barris

On Aging: Women as they grow older should take heart. They’ve gained in wisdom. They’re really silly when they are twenty.

Carl Sandburg, who’s in his eighties – you should see his vitality, what he has contributed. Why, he could play the guitar and sing at three in the morning – I like him very much.

On Food, Fragrance, and Flowers: I love food as long as it has flavor. It’s flavorless food I can’t stand. I usually have a steak and a green salad for my dinner, also for breakfast when I’m really hungry. I keep away from pastries – I used to love them, and ice cream, too. I skip all desserts unless it’s fruit. I just don’t like the taste of pastries As a kid I did, but now I hate it – and as for candy, I can take it or leave it, usually leave it. But I love champagne – just give me champagne and good food, and I’m in heaven and love. That’s what makes the world go round.

I like different scents of perfume, beside Chanel No. 5.

My favorite flower is the delphinium. Roses, any color, are [among my] favorites, too.

On Traveling: I like getting there, not the actual traveling itself. I’ve never been to Italy, but I love Italians. Paris I hear is a marvelous plae – the city of lights. It must be beautiful; I hope someday to go there and all these other exciting places.

I’ve traveled to England, Korea, Japan, and Mexico. I’ve been to Canada, too – when I made the film River of No Return, in 1953. We were on location in the Canadian Rockies and Banff. Did you know I almost drowned in the Bow River, when the icy torrent dragged me downstream? I also tore a ligament in my ankle when I tripped over a rock in the river. They had to put me in a cast for ten days when my ankle swelled badly. Now I can laugh about it, but it wasn’t funny then. Imagine, this was my contact with nature – poor little me. A big-city girl, drenched, half drowned, and crippled, crushed by the wilderness. But if you remember the picture, I rode a log raft down the rapids. It sure was beautiful country. Oh, yes, how can I ever forget Canada?

On Television and Movies: The only time I watch television is for the news program or for a good movie. I’m not what you’d call a TV fan. I was going to do Somerset Maugham’s Rain – the Sadie Thompson role. I find it an exciting one, but the deal fell through. I wanted Lee Strasberg, my drama coach, to direct me in it, but NBC wanted an experienced TV director. I think it can be an exciting movie for the big screen – I believe in movies. Everyone should get out of their house once in a while – not just sit around with their socks on.

On Acting and Actors: When anyone asks me for advice on how to become an actress, the only advice I feel qualified to give is only through my own experience. So here goes: Always be yourself. Retain individuality; listen to the truest part of yourself. Study if you can. Get a good teacher. Believe in yourself. Have confidence, too.

I have favorite motion-picture stars, like everyone else. You know who mine are? My favorite is Marlon Brando. I mean, really, I believe we’d be an interesting combination. I’ve said that about Marlon for a long time, but we haven’t found the right story. Can you imagine us on the big screen? I hope something happens soon.

Greta Garbo, I’ve never met her. It really bugs me when I miss one of her films on TV. Oh, if you could only get me to meet her! I’ve also heard wonderful things about Jeanne Eagels and Laurette Taylor. And the one they called the Blond Bombshell: Jean Harlow. Kay Kendall was a great comedian. She was really talented.

I would have loved working with Gerard Philipe, the handsome French star – his films I’ve been told were a huge success in France, as were his stage plays. I was told he wanted to make films with me. Oh, what a shame we never got the opportunity. We would have made an interesting team. What a shame. He was so young to die; he was thirty-six. He had been ill and apparently died of a heart attack.

On Marilyn: Those things the press has been saying about me [are fine] if they want to give the wrong impression. It’s as simple as all that. I’m not interested in being a millionaire. The one thing a person wants most in life is usually something basic money can’t buy. I’m not the girl next door – I’m not a goody-goody – but I think I’m human.