Early Days Productions

EARLY DAYS PRODUCTIONS

MARILYN MONROE

Monroe was born in the Los Angeles County Hospital on June 1, 1926, as Norma Jeane Mortenson (soon after changed to Baker), the third child born to Gladys Pearl Baker, née Monroe. Gladys was mentally unstable and financially unable to care for the young Norma Jeane, so she placed her with foster parents. In 1933, Gladys bought a house and brought Norma Jeane to live with her. A few months after moving in, however, Gladys suffered another mental breakdown and Norma Jeane was declared a ward of the state. Gladys' best friend, Grace McKee, became Norma's guardian. It was Grace who had told Monroe that someday she would become a movie star forming the basis for Norma Jeane's fascination with the cinema and the stars on the screen. Grace decided to relocate to Virginia, where her husband had received a lucrative job offer. Grace needed to find a home for Marilyn before they moved. With few options left, Grace approached Jim Dougherty's mother and suggested that he marry her so that Norma would not have to return to an orphanage or foster care. Dougherty was initially reluctant because Norma Jeane was only sixteen years old, but he finally relented and married her.

1926 - 1962

Stats:

Birth Name:

Norma Jeane Mortenson (Baker)

Height: 5' 5 1/2"

Eye Color: blue

Hair Color: blonde

Nickname: "MM"

Quote: "I'm selfish, impatient, and a little insecure. I make mistakes, I'm out of control, and at times hard to handle. But if you can't handle me at my worst, then you sure as (heck) don't deserve me at my best."

In 1943, with World War II raging, Dougherty enlisted in the Merchant Marine and was shipped out to the Pacific. While Dougherty was in the Merchant Marine, Norma Jeane found employment in the Radioplane Munitions Factory. She sprayed airplane parts with fire retardant and inspected parachutes. During this time, Army photographer David Conover snapped a photograph of her for a Yank magazine article. He encouraged her to apply to The Blue Book Modeling Agency. She signed with the agency and began researching the work of Jean Harlow and Lana Turner. She was told that they were looking for models with lighter hair, so Norma Jeane bleached her brunette hair to a golden blonde. Dougherty wrote her several letters telling her that once he returned from service, she would have to give up her modeling. A dissatisfied Norma Jeane, who now saw the possibilities of a modeling and acting career, decided then to divorce Dougherty.

Her successful modeling career brought her to the attention of Ben Lyon, a 20th Century Fox executive, who arranged a screen test for her. Lyon was impressed and commented, "It's Jean Harlow all over again." She was offered a standard six-month contract with a starting salary of $125 per week. Lyon did not like her name and decided to find her a new name. Following her idol Jean Harlow, Norma Jeane decided to choose her mother's maiden name of Monroe. Several variations such as Norma Jeane Monroe and Norma Monroe were tried before settling on Marilyn. She had a small role in the Marx Brothers film "Love Happy" (1949). She impressed the producers, who sent her to New York to feature in the film's promotional campaign.

For more information about Marilyn Monroe please visit: Wikipedia

Marilyn Monroe's Selected Filmography

1947 Dangerous Years
1948 Scudda Hoo! Scudda Hay!
1948 Ladies of the Chorus
1949 Love Happy
1950 A Ticket to Tomahawk
1950 Right Cross
1950 The Fireball
1950 The Asphalt Jungle
1950 All About Eve
1951 Love Nest
1951 Let's Make It Legal
1951 Home Town Story
1951 As Young as You Feel
1952 O. Henry's Full House
1952 Monkey Business
1952 Clash by Night
1952 We're Not Married!
1952 Don't Bother to Knock
1953 Niagara
1953 Gentlemen Prefer Blondes
1953 How to Marry a Millionaire
1954 River of No Return
1954 There's No Business Like Show Business
1955 The Seven Year Itch
1956 Bus Stop
1957 The Prince and the Showgirl
1959 Some Like It Hot
1960 Let's Make Love
1961 The Misfits
1962 Something's Got to Give (Unfinished)

Full Movie: Gentlemen Prefer Blondes (1953)

Two singers, best friends Lorelei Lee and Dorothy Shaw travel to Paris pursued by a private detective hired by Lorelei's fiancé's disapproving father to keep an eye on her, a rich, enamoured old man and many other doting admirers. - Taken from IMDB

"Love Happy" brought Monroe to the attention of the talent agent, Johnny Hyde, who agreed to represent her. He arranged for her to audition for John Huston, who cast her in the drama "The Asphalt Jungle" as the young mistress of an aging criminal. Her performance brought strong reviews, and was seen by the writer and director, Joseph Mankiewicz. He accepted Hyde's suggestion of Monroe for a small comedic role in "All About Eve" as Miss Caswell, an aspiring actress, described by another character as a student of "The Copacabana School of Dramatic Art". Mankiewicz later commented that he had seen an innocence in her that he found appealing, and that this had confirmed his belief in her suitability for the role. Following Monroe's success in these roles, Hyde negotiated a seven-year contract for her with 20th Century Fox.

Some of her films that followed included "O. Henry's Full House" (1952), "Monkey Business" (1952), "Don't Bother to Knock" (1953) "Niagara" (1953), "Gentlemen Prefer Blondes" (1953), "How to Marry a Millionaire" (1953), "River of No Return" (1954), "There's No Business Like Show Business" (1954), and "The Seven Year Itch" (1955). The success of "The Seven Year Itch" resulted in a new contract requiring Monroe to make four films over a seven-year period. The newly formed Marilyn Monroe Productions would be paid $100,000 plus a share of profits for each film. In addition to being able to work for other studios, Monroe had the right to reject any script, director or cinematographer she did not approve of. Monroe was only able to complete two films under this contract, "Let's Make Love" (1960) and "The Misfits" (1961), before she died on August 5, 1962. She was 36 years old. Dr. Thomas Noguchi of the Los Angeles County Coroners office recorded cause of death as "acute barbiturate poisoning," resulting from a "probable suicide".

Early Days Productions: Marilyn Monroe 04/12/2012