Marilyn Monroe: The Biography (2 page)

Equally so, Joshua Greene and Anthony Greene were more than helpful, providing tangible assistance and amiable encouragement at every stage, as well as access to their father’s photographs of Marilyn—especially that which graces the jacket. Amy Greene, their mother, opened her home and extended her family to include Marilyn for several years; candidly and generously, Amy shared unique and unprecedented memories, impressions and anecdotes with me. Knowing her and her sons (and, through them, more about Milton Greene himself), it is easy to understand how Marilyn matured so much in their company.

*    *    *

The writer Elaine Dundy, always a helpful colleague, put me in touch with the archivist and genealogist Roy Turner, who arranged for me to have exclusive access to documents gathered by him and Marilyn Gemme over almost two decades. Much nonsense has been written about my subject’s early history and family background, but Roy Turner and Marilyn Gemme first pursued the facts with an honorable passion for truth. My research was immeasurably enriched by theirs.

Through my colleague James Spada, I met one of the most helpful people for this book: from the very beginning, I was assisted (almost daily) by Greg Schreiner, a gifted musician and composer who is also the co-founder and president of Marilyn Remembered. This association—more than a fan club—is composed of talented people, some of whom knew and worked with Monroe, all of whom are devoted to celebrating her talents. Greg provided me with crucial introductions to many people I might otherwise have overlooked; he pointed me to important bibliographies; and he was ever ready to answer questions and provide concrete help.

Likewise, I owe very much to Roman Hryniszak and Michelle Justice, who direct a similar group called All About Marilyn and who regularly publish a magazine that helps set the record straight on many matters pertinent to our subject. They could not have been more generous with their time and efforts in helping me reach people for major interviews.

Patrick Miller, whose encyclopedic knowledge of Hollywood history in general and of Marilyn Monroe’s life and career in particular are remarkable, has for years hoped that a true and full account of her life would one day be published. This book would have suffered enormously without Patrick’s extraordinary help and advice.

Marilyn Monroe’s three husbands survive. James Dougherty cheerfully clarified much and provided more than a glimpse into his married life with Marilyn when she was Norma Jeane. On the matter of his brief marriage to Marilyn, their divorce and moving reunion, Joe DiMaggio’s intact silence is well known and can only be respected. Arthur Miller pointed me to his own extended memoirs on his years with Marilyn and confirmed several important points I put to him in writing.

Eleanor Goddard—known as Bebe to her friends—is the step-daughter
of Norma Jeane’s foster mother, Grace Goddard. Bebe spent part of her adolescence with Norma Jeane and has a clear understanding of how she became Marilyn. In tracing this dynamic, Bebe was unstintingly forthcoming in replying to my many questions.

Similarly, a special kind of relationship to Marilyn Monroe was enjoyed by her stand-in and good friend Evelyn Moriarty, who from 1960 to 1962 was very close to her indeed. Evelyn’s detailed recounting of behind-the-scenes drama, her understanding of Marilyn, her important contributions during many interviews with me and her constant and warm encouragement were precious assets during the writing of this book.

Patricia Newcomb, Marilyn’s last publicist and loyal friend, offered me unprecedented confidence and detailed many of the fine points of Marilyn’s last two years. Rightly respected for her discretion, loyalty and veracity, Pat spoke at length and with admirable frankness: her signal contributions to this book are everywhere evident.

The late Rupert Allan was Marilyn’s first publicist and her constant confidant. Loved and esteemed during his almost fifty years in Hollywood, Rupert encouraged me from the start, providing important introductions and offering me several lengthy, richly detailed interviews even when he was in failing health.

Jane Wilkie, a reporter, writer and editor who covered Hollywood for years, kept drafts of lengthy, revealing and unpublished conversations with James Dougherty and with Natasha Lytess—interviews she conducted during the 1950s. Jane welcomed me to her home and transferred to me the exclusive rights to these rich, hitherto unseen manuscripts.

John Miner was deputy district attorney of Los Angeles County and chief of its Medical Legal Section when Marilyn died, and in this capacity he was present during the autopsy. He pointed out details that enabled me to resolve at last one of the most disturbing and mysterious cases in modern history. Likewise, Arnold Abrams, M.D., director of the Department of Pathology at St. John’s Hospital, Santa Monica, guided me through the thickets of medical and chemical terminology and clarified important points of the coroner’s report.

David Zeidberg and the staff of the Department of Special Collections
at the University of California, Los Angeles, helped me to pore through cartons of the Ralph Greenson Papers.

Susan D’Entremont, at the John F. Kennedy Memorial Library in Dorchester, Massachusetts, provided direction in locating the Robert F. Kennedy Papers during his term as attorney general.

In the Archives of Performing Arts at the University of Southern California, Ned Comstock was as usual a cheerful and thoughtful guide, pointing out several significant items in the Warner Bros., Jerry Wald and Constance McCormick collections.

Bob Dauner, Archivist in Special Collections at the Albuquerque Public Library, provided data relative to the life of John Murray.

The papers of Ben Hecht, who anonymously wrote major portions of Marilyn’s early autobiography, are kept in Special Collections at the Newberry Library in Chicago. There, I was ably assisted by Margaret Kulis, Meg Bolger and Elizabeth Freebairn.

Just so, Pamela Dunn, in Special Collections at Stanford University, helped me make my way through the letters and papers of Spyros Skouras, president of Twentieth Century–Fox.

Myra T. Grenier, at Seek Information Service, helped cull files in the
Los Angeles Times
.

Mona Newcomer, in the Office of Alumni Affairs at Urbana University, Urbana, Ohio, provided important documents regarding the family background of Eunice Joerndt (later Murray).

Doug McKinney, Director of Archives at CBS News, provided critical access to documents and to a tape of the historic interview Mike Wallace conducted with Norman Mailer on
60 Minutes
in 1973. Doug also provided special technical machinery with which I was able to hear antique dictabelt recordings from the Greene archives.

Diana L. Summerhayes, Deputy District Attorney in the Appellate Division of the District Attorney’s Office, County of Los Angeles, cleared the way for examination of materials assembled by that office relative to the 1982 Investigator’s Report on the death of Marilyn Monroe.

At the Discovery Unit of the Los Angeles Police Department, Larry Wulterin enabled me to obtain the official police report and ancillary documents on the death of Marilyn Monroe.

In the Louis B. Mayer Library at the American Film Institute in Los Angeles, Alan Braun and Gladys Irvis dashed from floor to floor locating
boxes that disclosed the rich matter relevant to Marilyn’s years as a client of agent and producer Charles K. Feldman. Similarly, the staff at the Billy Rose Theatre Collection at the Lincoln Center Library for the Performing Arts in New York was swift and efficient in locating clippings and secondary source materials.

Interviews with those who knew Marilyn Monroe were of course key elements in preparing this biography. In addition to those named above, the following people enlightened me on various unique aspects of her life and work, and I am grateful to them all: Bill Alexander, William Asher, George Axelrod, Milton Berle, Walter Bernstein, Mervin Block, David Brown, Jack Cardiff, Lucille Ryman Carroll, Ted Cieszynski, Mart Crowley, Alex D’Arcy, Ken DuMain, Milton Ebbins, George Erengis, Michael Gurdin, M.D., Edwin Guthman, Joe Hyams, Natalie Trundy Jacobs, Joseph Jasgur, Adele Jergens, Jay Kanter, Douglas Kirkland, Ernest Lehman, Peter Levathes, Jean Louis, Esther Maltz, Joseph L. Mankiewicz, George Masters, Albert Maysles, Robert Mitchum, John Moore, Dolores Naar, Joseph Naar, Sherle North, Ron Nyman, Lydia Bodrero Reed, Vanessa Reis, Ralph Roberts, Milton Rudin, Jane Russell, Hal Schaefer, Michael Selsman, Sam Shaw, Max Showalter, Arnold Shulman, Allan and Marjorie Snyder, Mickey Song, Steffi Sidney Splaver, John Springer, Maureen Stapleton, Bert Stern, Susan Strasberg, Jule Styne, Henry Weinstein, Billy Wilder, Gladys Phillips Wilson, William Woodfield and Paul Wurtzel.

Others, although they did not know Marilyn personally, also provided interviews or practical assistance that clarified important points relative to her life and death: Sheldon Abend, Martin Baum, Gordon W. Blackmer, John Bates, John Bates, Jr., Nancy Bates, Rick Carl, Ronald H. Carroll, Kay Eicher, George and Diane Fain, Will Fowler, Richard Goodwin, Milton Gould, Betsy Duncan Hammes, Margaret Hohenberg, M.D., Hilary Knight, Michael Korda, Phillip LaClair, Ted Landreth, Robert Litman, M.D., Don Marshall (Los Angeles Police Department, Ret.), John Milklian, Dan Moldea, Benson Schaeffer, Ph.D., Henry Schipper, Roland Snyder, Richard Stanley and Edith Turner.

Those who shared with me their private collections of photographs have a special claim on my gratitude, too: Chris Basinger, Ted Cieszynski, T. R. Fogli, Eleanor Goddard, Sabin Grey, Evelyn Moriarty,
Vanessa Reis, Greg Schreiner, Allan Snyder, Mickey Song and Gary Wares.

At HarperCollins in New York, there is a veritable litany of good souls for me to honor.

I am fortunate indeed to enjoy the friendship and unswerving loyalty of my editor, Gladys Justin Carr, Vice-President and Associate Publisher. With passionate dedication, sharp insights and constant good humor, Gladys guided this book at every stage, from contract to first copy; I am thus ever in her debt. Her assistants, Tracy Devine and Ari Hoogenboom, dispatched numerous daily tasks with trusty good cheer, making many rough ways smooth.

William Shinker, Group Vice-President, was from the start an enthusiastic supporter of the book, demonstrating an especially personal interest and introducing me to those in-house whose friendliness and commitment to the project enriched the process—James Fox, Brenda Marsh, Susan Moldow, Joseph Montebello, Brenda Segel, Steven Sorrentino and Martin Weaver.

At Chatto & Windus in London, Carmen Callil and Jonathan Burnham could not have been more gracious and sensitive editors, offering friendship in the bargain. Of more than a dozen of my foreign language publishers, I have had the pleasure of meeting only two: Hans-Peter Ubleis of Wilhelm Heyne Verlag, Munich; and Renaud Bombard at Presses de la Cité, Paris. Like their colleagues in England and America, they have accepted me and my work in amity and have offered very welcome suggestions. I cannot imagine a more fortunate writer than myself.

My attorney Kirtley Thiesmeyer was, as always, a perceptive advocate, bringing to my professional life talents that constantly amaze me, and my good friend John Darretta helped me proofread the American and British galleys.

During the early part of the research, Douglas Alexander was my tirelessly efficient and savvy assistant. He then accepted an opportunity to work on his own first book, an assignment that augurs well for the world of letters.

Subsequently there came to the project Charles Rappleye, an editor and writer with noteworthy credits, and I gratefully salute his collegial service. He tracked down obscure facts and remote people, conducted
investigations requiring the delicate but dogged persistence of a private eye and cut clean paths through a tangle of civil, legal and police records—thus successfully bringing to light significant matters relative to the final year of Marilyn Monroe’s life.

At the Elaine Markson Literary Agency in New York—my professional headquarters for fifteen years—things are in the hands of vigilant friends: Geri Thoma, Sally Cotton Wofford, Lisa Callamaro, Caomh Kavanagh, Stephanie Hawkins, Sara DeNobrega and Tasha Blaine.

With very great love and gratitude,
Marilyn Monroe
is dedicated to my agent, Elaine Markson—the second time I make this gesture, and I pray not the last.

In a way, assembling the several hundred thousand words of a biography is easier than finding the few to express adequately the depth of my admiration for Elaine, who more than anyone has guided my career to its present felicitous stage. If I mention only her wisdom and humor, her warmth and honor, I merely list those qualities long familiar to her many friends, to other clients and to countless people in publishing. Elaine is ever the most patient and solicitous counselor, my prudent and devoted friend. Marilyn would have adored her.

D.S.
Los Angeles and New York
Christmas 1992

MARILYN
MONROE

THE BIOGRAPHY

Chapter One

T
O
J
UNE
1926

M
ARILYN MONROE
’
S
maternal great-grandfather was Tilford Marion Hogan, born in 1851 in Illinois to farmer George Hogan and his wife, Sarah Owens, not long after their emigration from Kentucky. By the age of twelve, Tilford was six feet tall and reed-thin, but strong enough for rough farm labor. In 1870, at nineteen, he was living in Barry County, Missouri, where he married Jennie Nance. To support her and, by 1878, their three children, Tilford worked long hours for miserable wages as a day laborer; notwithstanding his efforts, the Hogan family income was always inadequate. For over a decade, they seemed constantly on the move in Missouri, living variously in farmhouses, log cabins, shared servants’ quarters and sometimes barns.