My mission statement~

I intend on "trying" to live a life that is about: not putting in my mouth things that are bad for me or have come from an animal that was treated cruely while alive on this earth and during slaughter, creating lasting fond memories for my children and grandchildren, adventure, challenging myself, respect others regardless of species, race, color or creed, taking risks, having fun, being grateful, respecting myself & my body, being authentically myself, taking responsibility for my actions, being proactive, being a problem solver, taking action, introspection, transition, change, honesty, growth, loving & helping others, having integrity, doing my best, being easy on myself, enjoying this world, becoming well read, seeing the wonder of it all and never allowing fear to hold me back!

Saturday, October 11, 2008

Marilyn Monroe~a theme


The theme for the photos I have chosen is:

sweetness

or

vulnerability~


She was born Norma Jeane Mortenson on June 1, 1926 in Los Angeles, California, to Gladys Baker. As the identity of her father is undetermined, she was later baptized Norma Jeane Baker. Gladys had been a film cutter at RKO studios, but psychological problems prevented her from keeping the job and she was eventually committed to a mental institution.
Norma Jeane spent most of her childhood in foster homes and orphanages until 1937, when she moved in with family friend Grace McKee Goddard. Unfortunately, when Grace's husband was transferred to the East Coast in 1942, the couple couldn't afford to take 16-year-old Norma Jeane with them. Norma Jeane had two options: return to the orphanage or get married.

On June 19, 1942 she wed her 21-year-old neighbor Jimmy Dougherty, whom she had been dating for six months. "She was a sweet, generous and religious girl," Jimmy said. "She liked to be cuddled." By all accounts Norma Jeane loved Jimmy, and they were happy together until he joined the Merchant Marines and was sent to the South Pacific in 1944.



After Jimmy left, Norma Jeane took a job on the assembly line at the Radio Plane Munitions factory in Burbank, California. Several months later, photographer David Conover saw her while taking pictures of women contributing to the war effort for Yank magazine. He couldn't believe his luck. She was a "photographer's dream." Conover used her for the shoot and then began sending modeling jobs her way. The camera loved Norma Jeane, and within two years she was a reputable model with many popular magazine covers to her credit. She began studying the work of legendary actresses Jean Harlow and Lana Turner, and enrolled in drama classes with dreams of stardom. However, Jimmy's return in 1946 meant Norma Jeane had to make another choice- this time between her marriage and her career.




Norma Jeane divorced Jimmy in June of 1946, and signed her first studio contract with Twentieth Century Fox on August 26, 1946. She earned $125 a week. Soon after, Norma Jeane dyed her hair blonde and changed her name to Marilyn Monroe (borrowing her grandmother's last name). The rest, as the saying goes, is history.


Marilyn's first movie role was a bit part in 1947's The Shocking Miss Pilgrim. She played a series of inconsequential characters until 1950, when John Huston's thriller The Asphalt Jungle provided her with a small but influential role. Later that year, Marilyn's performance as Claudia Caswell in All About Eve (starring Bette Davis) earned her further praise. From then on Marilyn worked steadily in movies such as: Let's Make It Legal, As Young As You Feel, Monkey Business and Don't Bother to Knock. It was her performance in 1953's Niagara, however, that delivered her to stardom. Marilyn played Rose Loomis, a beautiful young wife who plots to kill her older, jealous husband (Joseph Cotten).


On January 14, 1954, Marilyn married baseball superstar Joe DiMaggio at San Francisco's City Hall. They had been a couple for two years, after Joe asked his agent to arrange a dinner date. "I don't know if I'm in love with him yet," Marilyn said when the press got word of their relationship, "but I know I like him more than any man I've ever met." During their Tokyo honeymoon, Marilyn took time to perform for the service men stationed in Korea. Her presence caused a near-riot among the troops, and Joe was clearly uncomfortable with thousands of men ogling his new bride. Unfortunately, Marilyn's fame and sexual image became a theme that haunted their marriage. Nine months later on October 27, 1954, Marilyn and Joe divorced. They attributed the split to a "conflict of careers," and remained close friends.


Marilyn was ready to shed her "shallow blonde" image by 1955. It had gotten her into the spotlight, but now that she had the opportunity and experience, Marilyn wanted to pursue serious acting. She took a hiatus from Hollywood and moved to New York City to study under Lee Strasberg at his Actors' Studio. In 1956, Marilyn started her own motion picture company, Marilyn Monroe Productions. The company produced Bus Stop and The Prince and the Showgirl (co-starring Sir Laurence Olivier). These two films allowed her to demonstrate her talent and versatility as an actress. Marilyn received further recognition for 1959's Some Like It Hot, winning a Golden Globe for Best Actress in a Comedy.


On June 29, 1956, Marilyn wed playwright Arthur Miller. The couple met through Lee Strasberg, and friends reported she made him "giddy." While they were married, Arthur wrote the part of Roslyn Taber in 1961's The Misfits especially for Marilyn. The movie co-starred Clark Gable and Montgomery Clift. Sadly, the marriage between Marilyn and Arthur ended on January 20, 1961, and The Misfits was to be Marilyn's (and Gable's) last completed film.


At the 1962 Golden Globes, Marilyn was named female World Film Favorite, once again demonstrating her widespread appeal. Sadly, in a shocking turn of events on the early morning of August 5, 1962, 36-year-old Marilyn died in her sleep at her Brentwood, California home. The world was stunned. Marilyn's vibrant spirit and beauty made it impossible to believe she was gone. On August 8, 1962, Marilyn's body was laid to rest in the Corridor of Memories, #24, at Westwood Memorial Park in Los Angeles, California.


"I knew I belonged to the public and to the world, not because I was talented or even beautiful, but because I had never belonged to anything or anyone else." MM


While our childhoods were not identical, I can identify with the feeling of not belonging anywhere because of parental abandonment! That is why I am attracted to her, not for her glamour or success! When I look at the photos above, they bring tears to my eyes. I feel sorry for her;(



18 comments:

DesertHen said...

What a lovely post......the photos show a side of Marilyn that I have never seen before. The one of her sitting underneath the tree on the ground in the white dress really got to me.......beautiful!

((((HUGS))) to you.......the childhoods we have can shape us, but they do not have to make us......we do not need to belong to anyone but ourselves.......if you belong to yourself, you own the world.

I have always felt like I didn't fit in or belong.....but then I realized that I belong to me......I "am" and that is all that matters.....( I had a pretty good childhood, but was a latch key kid and felt alone a lot....)

DesertHen said...

By the way, I forgot to mention that I love the new wording in your blog header......It is so true! =D

Unknown said...

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http://www.playlist.com/ sign up create a playlist then click on post my playlist copy the code then go to your dashboard and add a gadget-you will be all set! you can make as many playlists as you want-I just made a new one LOL I need to add more songs to it you can email me any time you like if you need more help (g johnson 3 at cox dot net) or click the stalk me link on my blog

Scrappy Girl said...

Loved this post even more when at the end you explained how you relate with her. I learned a few things about Marilyn Monroe that I didn't know. She was beautiful and curvy!

Cynthia said...

I didn't know all of that about her. Thank you for taking all that time to research and post that, it was very interesting.

And I'm sorry that the reason you relate so well to her is such a sad one.

Tracey said...

Great post! She was such a beautiful woman. It's tragic that her life was sad and ended so soon!
I love the photo of her bending over in front of water with the braids in her hair...I have never seen that one.

Anonymous said...

Thanks, those were great! Catherine

chelle said...

Very interesting. I don't know much at MM. But now I do. I am sorry you can identify with the feeling of not belonging anywhere because of parental abandonment. I too have those feelings. But for reasons other than parental abandonment.

Beautiful photos. You picked well. m

Anonymous said...

she looks lovely. :O i'd forgotten how striking she was, and how she can look so vulnerable as well.

Marchelle said...

it so sad her life ended so early, she was a beautiful person! i learned a lot more about her than i knew too! a great tribute!

lookiing at her pictures and then your meg on the sidebar, i can see a resemblance! =)

Lisa Loo said...

Parental abandonment can be physical or mental. My heart aches for children who are searching for some sense of belonging and cannot find it in their homes. It is always uplifting to see someone who has broke free of the cycle. Your children are very loved and I can tell in your posts how much being their Mom means to you.

Some Like It Hot--is one of my all time favs--thanx for all the interesting info!

Carolynn Anctil said...

Whenever I feel like I'm heavier than I should be, I think of Marilyn Monroe (really, I do.) By today's standards, she is a little on the heavy side and yet, she continues to be held up as one of the worlds' sexiest, beautiful, feminine women. Come to think of it, many of the women who hold that title have a little meat on their bones and are curvy. Sophia Loren, Raquel Welch, and Catherine Deneuvue are three who come immediately to mind.

Have you ever read the book Captivating, by John & Stasi Eldridge? It's a book I think you'd get a lot of value out of.

BTW...in case you hadn't heard, Michael Buble is single again, and quite heartbroken...now might be your chance. He only lives about an hour away from me, so you'd be welcome to stay with me while you stalk, er, visit. There's a pretty good article on him in the November, 2008 issue of Chatelaine magazine. This link shows you much, but not the actual cover story, itself. I guess that's how they ensure sales of the magazine.

http://en.chatelaine.com/english/whatsnew/index.jsp

Have a fabulous day!
Carolyn

Anonymous said...

Wow, I did not know all that about her. Very good post heidi. I liked it a lot. A whole new twist on MM for me. Informative and touching. How do you do that? Sad to me that you can relate to her. I am so sorry.
I agree with Carolynn about her being known as a sex symbol and here we are in this day and age worrying about a few pounds... looks like it is all for not! She was very hot and healthy too!!
Oh, I love that book Captivating. It is a wonderful book. A must read for you Heidi! You will love it!

Adrianne said...

Wow I cant' help but feel sorry for her. I really enjoyed the post, I was very fond of her and still am. Did you happen to watch the 20/20 video on her. Where the housekeeper knows what happened so does the family but they are frighted for their family if they say anything.

My heart really goes out to her, to never really belong to something for any amount of attention.

Lorie said...

I love the photos. She was such a tortured soul! So sad.

Unknown said...

Hiedi - sorry I am weighing in late on the question you posed about Megs and J, and I am sorry to see you took it down. I found the question very thought provocative and we (here) had lengthy and numerous discussions on the topic - I thank you for that. I am assuming some one who posted was hurtful, and shame on them is all I can say. The summary of our thoughts regarding the reason why neither you nor Megs & J receive more comments when they post about their wonderful charity work - is failure of the audience to identify. They are an extremely blessed and giving couple. Very few couples would give up wedding gifts for donations to the charity they love.Very few. To capture an audience they have to find a way "hit home" with their stories, and certainly given our own economic times this is difficult to say the least, but not impossible. I believe they will find a way. He who has blessed them, will lead them. And Heidi - I think you are a fantastic mother, and have been blessed with very special children, and grand son. Don't shy away from posting their good works. Those posts provide me hope and reassurance that there are really GOOD people in the world. Thank you. And Heidi, you already have a North Star - those you love who love you in return.

Jo said...

Wow, what a fabulous, fabulous post! I think Marilyn Monroe was the most beautiful woman who ever lived. Ever! And she was also one of the best actresses and comediennes ever. If she were alive today, no one else would come close to her beauty and acting abilities.

Unfortunately, she created the personna that ultimately did her in. No one took her seriously, not understanding that she was brilliant. She also wrote poetry and did beautiful little watercolor paintings. She was truly amazing.

Jeannelle said...

Wow....this is a moving tribute. Very well done! The photo of Marilyn in the black sweater.....my, her eyes look very sad. I think she must have been a deeply sad person.....wounds from early on which never healed. And, courageous of you to mention similarities in your own life.

"Some Like It Hot" is one of my all-time favorites!