B U L L E VA R D
LUCKY NUMBERS
MARILYN MONROE
She fluffed her lines, was the world’s first Playmate and knew how to face down a lawyer. Marking 50 years since Marilyn Monroe’s death, some numerical facts that might surprise you-boop-be-do
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Would Marilyn Monroe have any chance of becoming a model today? Probably not. Sex sirens of her day curved from size 12 to 16 – the latter figure now considered a ‘plus’ by fashion agencies, and also said to be MM’s peak dress size. “I’ve always thought Marilyn Monroe looked fabulous, but I’d kill myself if I was that fat,” Liz Hurley once sniped to a beauty magazine. Apparently the in-vogue shape mustn’t bust a size 8.
WORDS: ARKADIUSZ PIĄTEK. PHOTOGRAPHY: CORBIS (3), GETTY IMAGES, PICTUREDESK.COM, ACTION PRESS
20,000 In 1947, Monroe posed naked for photos after her first leading role in a film. A young man bought the rights to them for US $500. His name? Hugh Hefner. Six years later, the first edition of Playboy appeared in the USA. Monroe was on the cover and in a sexually explicit pose on the fold-out centrefold, meaning that the 27-year-old was the first ever Playmate of the Month. In 2007, Hefner had 20,000 copies of the first Playboy reprinted, which are available on Amazon for around $60.
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“It was horrible. The producers kept screaming at me,” said Monroe on the subject of her first celluloid experiences. During filming of Some Like It Hot, she forgot her line “Where’s the Bourbon?” 59 times. Why? Because she’d stutter as soon as she got nervous. Breathy vocals – later her erotic trademark – eventually brought relief. Marilyn’s inimitable rendition of Happy Birthday to President John F Kennedy in May 1962 remains a classic.
5,600,000 In 2009, controversial film footage emerged apparently showing Monroe inhaling an illegal substance. The four-minute film, which had been shot by one of the star’s friends, was immediately snapped up by a US documentary filmmaker for $275,000. It’s not the only example of Monroe memorabilia retailing for telephone numbers. At one auction in 2010, Monroe’s school report went for $21,250 and her X-rays for $45,000. In 2011, her legendary white, nondraughtproof dress from The Seven Year Itch went under the hammer, fetching $5.6m. The buyer remains anonymous.
Joe DiMaggio grieved for Monroe with a lot of roses
Her X-rays went for $45,000
Size 16? She wore it well
Hugh Hefner and his first issue of Playboy
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The ‘dumb blonde’ role eventually became wearisome for Monroe, and despite being under contract with 20th Century Fox, she refused to go in front of the cameras from 1954 onwards. Countless lawsuits followed until Fox gave up 12 months later. A revised contract guaranteed Monroe more creative involvement and her first film made with greater freedom, Bus Stop (1956), brought her critical praise and a first Golden Globe nomination.
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Many people consider Joe DiMaggio the love of Monroe’s life, even though her marriage to the baseball star lasted less than a year. DiMaggio didn’t just organise Marilyn’s funeral. He also arranged for red roses to be placed on her grave three times a week – for 20 years.
www.marilynmonroe.com
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