Happy Birthday To You, Marilyn Monroe!

By Stacey Anter

The Library Detective

I may not be a platinum blonde, and I can only dream of having her voluptuous figure, but many girls who know who she is and can remember this shining star have fantasized becoming Marilyn Monroe. As someone born 7 years after her passing, I have to admit even I hold some high admiration for the woman who was far more talented than some of the actors and actresses in today’s films. Her story and work have truly stood the test of time, as the Marilyn Monroe fan base will gladly tell you.  Just look on eBay and you’ll find pages upon pages of Marilyn memorabilia, biographies, movies, books, and etcetera.

This woman who became a goddess on the silver screen was born on June 1st, 1926 as Norma Jean Mortenson and soon was baptized as Norma Jean Baker because her father’s name was a mystery. I suppose that’s how it all started.  Everything about Marilyn was a mystery of some sort, the most memorable of which was the mystery surrounding her death on August 5th, 1962. If she were alive today, she would have been 88 years old.

If you’re curious at all about who she really was, what she was like, how she became who she was, and the mysteries and enigmas that are Marilyn, then check out some of these titles from your local library. And naturally, you can visit the Official Marilyn Monroe website at http://www.marilynmonroe.com/.

First, you might want to find out about her movies and possibly rent them (or even borrow them from the library for free!).  If I were to list them here, we would need much more room than I am allowed, so I’ll let you visit the Film section of the website or borrow this filmography, The Complete Films of Marilyn Monroe by Michael Conway.  To get a sense of some her general biography, photos and other miscellanea, watch Marilyn Monroe, A Life in Pictures by Cherry Red Films, which is a DVD that includes newsreel, songs, movie trailers, and more. Then you might want to see Lifetime’s Intimate Portrait episode: Marilyn Monroe (from Lifetime Home Video) and A&E Biography’s Hollywood Dearest: the Child Goddess.  Marilyn: In Her Own Words would probably be the best book for a follow-up to these videos and filmography.  Who else knows Marilyn better but Marilyn herself?  Conversations With Marilyn by William J. Weatherby who was an acquaintance of Miss Monroe’s after pursuing her for an interview.

Following her life, read Joe and Marilyn: A Memory of Love by Roger Kahn and then Marilyn: A Biography by Norman Mailer, her second and third husbands respectively. And lets not forget Marilyn: The Ultimate Look At The Legend by Jim Haspiel, her close friend and photographer who asked for and received a kiss on the cheek from his favorite celebrity at the age of 16. The Many Lives of Marilyn Monroe by Sarah Bartlett Churchwell examines our fascinations with Marilyn, including those of her biographers. Fred Lawrence Guiles has written two prominent biographies of Miss Monroe: Norma Jean: The Life of Marilyn Monroe and Legend: The Life and Death of Marilyn Monroe, both of which are referenced in other biographies, including one my Gloria Steinem, simply called Marilyn. Miss Monroe’s life is quite an enigma in many ways, especially her death. The Life and Curious Death of Marilyn Monroe by Robert Slatzer examines in detail exactly that, the curious mysteries surrounding her death.  Alongside this title, you might also want to read, Marilyn’s Last Words: Her Secret Tapes and Mysterious Death by Matthew Smith, who also believes and proves with forensic evidence among other things that her “suicide” was in fact a murder.  Finally, you might like to watch Marilyn Monroe: The Final Days, a video about her last, unfinished film, “Something’s Got To Give” including footage, interviews and more.

Marilyn made one of the simplest songs so memorable in so many ways. So, sing it with me people! “Haaappy Birthdaaaay.....toooooo yooouuuuu!”

I call myself the Library Detective because I can find the answers to any question you can think of, or at least I can point you in the right direction.  To find out more about Marilyn Monroe, visit your local library; there are more Library Detectives there, too.  If you would like to read other blog posts, come visit my Wordpress blog at http://librarydetective.wordpress.com/