More Than a Dumb Blonde

If I asked you what you knew about Marilyn Monroe, what would you tell me?  Would you tell me that she was famous for being married to baseball great Joe DiMaggio?

Or that she had an affair with President John F. Kennedy?

Would you say that she was a dumb blonde who slept her way to the top in Hollywood?

If you said any of those things, you would be correct, but do you really know Marilyn Monroe?

I had the pleasure of seeing Sunny Thompson in  Marilyn; Forever Blonde story last night, which was part of the Broadway Series at the Alberta Bair Theater.

I can now say I never knew that Marilyn Monroe was such incredibly sad and lonely woman even with all of her fame and beauty.

And, that she was in many ways so very naive. Here are some facts I learned last night about Marilyn Monroe.

She was born Norma Jeane Mortenson on June 1, 1926. She was also known as Norma Jean Baker before she became known as Marilyn Monroe in 1946.

Monroe spent most of her childhood in foster homes and an orphanages and was married for the first time at 16.

Monroe was married three times. She married James Dougherty on June 19, 1942, just after Monroe had turned 16; DiMaggio in 1954; and playwrite and bigwig at Twentieth Century, Arthur Miller in 1956.

I was really surprised to find out that she had had a one-time, same-sex encounter with Joan Crawford.

I also learned that she was late for everything. Now, in her defense, sometimes a girl is late.  As she put it, "I'm not always late, I'm just prepared."

Sadly, Norma Jean "Marilyn Monroe"  Mortenson died at 36.  She was found dead at her home in the early-morning hours of August 5, 1962.

It was concluded that the cause of death was acute barbiturate poisoning and her death was classified a probable suicide.

There have been several conspiracy theories about Monroe's death, including that she was  murdered or that she accidentally overdosed.

I left the theater last night feeling like I knew Miss Monroe just a little bit better. All she ever wanted to be was an actress. Sadly, Hollywood chewed her up and spit her out.

If you ever get the chance to see this show, I highly recommend it.