“The sad name Marilyn will never end like a film...” sings Luboš Pospíšil in one of his songs. And there is much truth in those words. To this day, the name Marilyn Monroe symbolises Hollywood glamour, fame and vulnerability. Behind the iconic photographs and unforgettable film roles was a life filled with determination, ambition and a constant search for identity. But also with sadness, uncertainty and, ultimately, a tragic ending. June marked the 100th anniversary of her birth, while August will mark 64 years since her death.
At the beginning of the 1940s, she was still Norma Jeane Mortenson, a young woman working in a factory. When she was discovered by an Army photographer during the war, the world of modelling opened up to her. She soon began posing for magazines and changed her name to Marilyn Monroe. It was far more than a cosmetic change. She created a new identity that would help her escape a difficult childhood and conquer Hollywood.
A star within a year
Although she had appeared in films before, the real breakthrough came in the early 1950s. Niagara, Gentlemen Prefer Blondes and How to Marry a Millionaire turned her into one of America’s biggest stars within a single year. The studio promoted her as a glamorous blonde, but audiences saw something more – a combination of humour, vulnerability and natural charisma that simply could not be taught.
A rebellion against Hollywood
Few people realise how bold a step Marilyn took in 1955. She refused to remain merely the stereotypical “dumb blonde” under the control of the film studios and, together with photographer Milton Greene, founded her own production company. At the same time, she moved to New York to study acting under the renowned teacher Lee Strasberg. She wanted to prove that she was a genuine actress. At a time when film producers exercised almost absolute control over actors’ careers, it was an exceptionally courageous decision.
The dress above the subway grate
Some film scenes outlive entire generations. For Marilyn, that defining moment came during the filming of The Seven Year Itch on the streets of New York. The photograph of her white dress billowing above a subway grate travelled around the world and became one of the most famous cinematic images of the 20th century. The scene cemented her status as a cultural icon, but it also demonstrated how difficult it was to separate the real woman from the public image that millions of people projected onto her.
The men in her life
Marilyn is often associated with her famous co-stars, but behind the relationships that attracted so much media attention lay, above all, a longing for stability and a sense of security. She first entered into a marriage of convenience at the age of sixteen, marrying her neighbour James Dougherty. The marriage lasted four years. Her second marriage, to baseball legend Joe DiMaggio, was one of the most closely followed unions of its time. Although it ended after only nine months, DiMaggio continued to care for her even after their divorce. Even greater attention surrounded her marriage to playwright Arthur Miller, which brought together the worlds of popular culture and the intellectual elite. Beyond her official partners, Marilyn was linked to a number of other men from both the film industry and political circles. Speculation, however, often went far beyond reality. The recollections of her friends repeatedly portray a woman who, despite immense fame, was searching for closeness, trust and simple human understanding.
The Kennedy mystery
Among the most frequently discussed chapters of her life is her alleged relationship with John F. Kennedy. To this day, it remains unclear how close they really were, but it is certain that they shared a close relationship and that their relationship became the subject of countless speculations. The legend was fuelled above all by her appearance at President Kennedy’s birthday celebration in 1962, where she performed the famous rendition of Happy Birthday wearing a dress worth twelve thousand dollars, beneath which she most likely wore nothing at all. The performance only intensified rumours of a romance between them. Historians still disagree about the extent of their relationship, but there is no doubt that the association between the world’s most famous actress and America’s most powerful man remains one of the most enduring modern myths.
A resilient fragility
Marilyn Monroe became a legend not only because of her beauty and her films. Her story is also the story of a woman who tried to take control of her own life in an environment that often saw her more as a symbol than as a human being. A fragile woman, struggling with her own demons in the unforgiving world of show business. That is precisely why her legacy endures decades after the spotlight finally faded from her life.
With the Kennedy brothers in May 1962.
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