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Marilyn Monroe dress allegedly damaged after Met Gala appearance

<p dir="ltr">After sparking ire among fashion and history experts for <a href="https://oversixty.co.nz/lifestyle/beauty-style/marilyn-monroe-dress-designer-weighs-in-on-kim-kardashian-s-met-gala-outfit" target="_blank" rel="noopener">wearing Marilyn Monroe’s iconic <em>Happy Birthday Mr President</em> gown</a> at the Met Gala, images have emerged suggesting that Kim Kardashian may have damaged the 60-year-old garment.</p> <p dir="ltr">Its current owner, Ripley’s Believe It or Not! Museum, has said that the dress was returned undamaged after Kardashian wore it.</p> <p><span id="docs-internal-guid-5d66cbfb-7fff-8e92-b1f7-6ad8b77775a7">Amanda Joiner, a vice president of licensing and publishing at Ripley’s, told the Daily Beast that “a lot of requirements” were put in place while it was handled.</span></p> <blockquote class="twitter-tweet"> <p dir="ltr" lang="en">And this is why every historical garment archivist and textile expert about had a coronary seeing Kim Kardashian in Marilyn Monroe's dress. <a href="https://t.co/XIs9MOeEiK">https://t.co/XIs9MOeEiK</a></p> <p>— Kathryn #GoBolts⛈️ Brightbill (@KEBrightbill) <a href="https://twitter.com/KEBrightbill/status/1536452582352224262?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">June 13, 2022</a></p></blockquote> <p dir="ltr">“The dress was never with Kim alone. It was always with a Ripley’s representative. We always ensured that at any time we felt that the dress was in danger of ripping or we felt uncomfortable about anything, we always had the ability to say we were not going to continue with this,” Joiner said.</p> <p dir="ltr">“We did two different fittings with her. The first one was in L.A. in April and then the second one later in April to see whether or not the dress would fit. The biggest challenge that we had is that we really wanted to make sure that we kept the integrity of the dress and the preservation, because it’s 60 years old, and we feel that it’s such an iconic piece of fashion, both from a historical perspective, but also from a pop culture perspective.”</p> <p><span id="docs-internal-guid-56f5cbf4-7fff-ace1-dfe3-93a69841619e"></span></p> <p dir="ltr">However, <em><a href="https://twitter.com/PopCrave/status/1536415873421914112" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Pop Culture</a></em> posted side-by-side photos of the gown allegedly from before and after Kardashian wore it, with the ‘after’ image showing signs of stretched fabric around one of the snaps and missing crystals around the back closure.</p> <blockquote class="twitter-tweet"> <p dir="ltr" lang="en">the quotes are so damn ignorant, it's not about the actual dress. it's about the meaning. marilyn was used all her life, she hardly had anything that was truly her own. This dress, it was hers. it was designed specifically and ONLY for her. now it's ruined. <a href="https://t.co/4MO4jDHFcR">https://t.co/4MO4jDHFcR</a></p> <p>— ✨ (@shipsandshows) <a href="https://twitter.com/shipsandshows/status/1536425419116883969?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">June 13, 2022</a></p></blockquote> <p dir="ltr">Fans were quick to weigh in with their thoughts, blaming Kardashian for the damage and pointing out the importance of conserving historical items.</p> <p dir="ltr">“Kim should’ve never worn that dress to begin with. I mean yes it’s nice to pay homage to Marilyn but she could’ve had a new dress made and replicated. This was a timeless and iconic artefact that’s been ruined,” one person commented.</p> <p dir="ltr">“Leave it to Kim to destroy a historical piece of art,” another said.</p> <p dir="ltr">“Congratulations to the Met Gala for showcasing a real-life example of why a conservation department like the Costume Institute is necessary for historically significant garments,” a third added.</p> <p dir="ltr">Collector Scott Fortner, who also shared images of the dress’ alleged damage online, told <em><a href="https://news.sky.com/story/lending-marilyn-monroe-dress-to-kim-kardashian-was-irresponsible-collector-says-12633589" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Sky News</a></em> it was “irresponsible” for the museum to loan the gown to Kardashian.</p> <p dir="ltr">"I think the disappointment that I'm experiencing is Ripley has made multiple statements that they were doing everything that they could to protect and preserve the gown," he told the outlet.</p> <p dir="ltr">"I do feel that it (was) irresponsible, this is not just a dress.</p> <p dir="ltr">"This is a cultural icon. It's a political icon. It's a Hollywood icon.</p> <p dir="ltr">"It's part of American history from an event that happened 60 years ago and…it should have been archived and preserved and taken care of."</p> <p dir="ltr">The gown was made using 6,000 crystals and was hand-sewn by costumier Jean Lewis.</p> <p dir="ltr"><em>Images: @lmorrisette (Twitter) / Getty Images</em></p>

Beauty & Style

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Marilyn Monroe dress designer weighs in on Kim Kardashian’s Met Gala outfit

<p dir="ltr">The designer who sketched Marilyn Monroe’s original ‘Happy Birthday, Mr President’ dress has weighed in on Kim Kardashion’s choice to re-wear the dress at the Met Gala awards - and his opinion of it is less than glowing.</p> <p dir="ltr">In a recent interview with <em><a href="https://ew.com/celebrity/bob-mackie-kim-kardashian-wearing-marilyn-monroe-dress-big-mistake/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Entertainment Weekly</a></em>, 82-year-old costume designer Bob Mackie described Kardashian’s controversial outfit choice as a “big mistake”.</p> <p dir="ltr">“[Monroe] was a goddess. A crazy goddess, but a goddess,” he told the publication.</p> <p dir="ltr">"She was just fabulous. Nobody photographs like that. And it was done for her. It was designed for her. Nobody else should be seen in that dress."</p> <p dir="ltr">Mackie, whose claim to fame includes dressing Lucille Ball, Judy Garland and Cher, sketched the design for Monroe’s gown in 1962.</p> <p dir="ltr">He then sent the sketch to his boss, French fashion designer Jean Louis, who made the gown a reality.</p> <p dir="ltr">Kardashian caused a stir after she reached out to Ripley’s ‘Believe It or Not’ museum in Orlando - which famously bought Monroe’s gown for $6.7 million in 2016 - and was allowed to try it in a private fitting.</p> <p dir="ltr">They then workshopped how she could “fake” fitting into the dress for the 2022 Met Gala, in a move that has caused concern among fashion historians and collectors.</p> <p dir="ltr">Scott Fortner, a Marilyn Monroe artefact collector, told <em><a href="https://people.com/style/bob-mackie-marilyn-monroe-kim-kardashian-2022-met-gala/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">People</a></em> that, since the dress was exclusively designed for Monroe and involved her being nude while it was sewn to her body, it can be deduced that some “stress” was done to the dress when Kardashian gave it a try.</p> <p dir="ltr">“The gown worn by anyone else will not be a precise fit,” Fortner said. “In this case, Kim Kardashian's measurements are somewhat different than Marilyn's. It's logically assumed the fabric and seams were stressed."</p> <p dir="ltr">Alicia Malone, the Aussie TV host of Turner Classic Movies and the network’s new fashion series Follow the Thread, also told Entertainment Weekly that there’s an issue with Kardashian wearing an item so intrinsically tied to Monroe.</p> <p dir="ltr">"I don't know what Kim Kardashian sees in Marilyn herself, or how much she knows about her history, but definitely now, Kim will be tied to that dress as Marilyn is," she said.</p> <p dir="ltr">"So it'll be the Marilyn Monroe dress that Kim Kardashian also wore to the Met Gala."</p> <p><span id="docs-internal-guid-e76b299b-7fff-4a07-aa39-8510c8a0c943"></span></p> <p dir="ltr"><em>Images: Getty Images</em></p>

Beauty & Style

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Warhol’s bullet-riddled Marilyn Monroe sets new record

<p dir="ltr">Andy Warhol’s iconic 1964 portrait of Marilyn Monroe has sold at a New York auction house for a record-setting $195 million. </p> <p dir="ltr">The sale of the painting, called <em>Shot Sage Blue Marilyn</em>, is now the most expensive work by a 20th-century artist ever to be sold at auction.</p> <p dir="ltr">The image depicts a press photo from Monroe’s 1953 film <em>Niagara</em> in Warhol’s signature “pop-art” style, with the image being repeatedly used by the artist in his work until his death in 1987. </p> <p dir="ltr">It derives from his <em>Shot Marilyn</em> portrait series, which Warhol produced after an incident at his downtown studio when he prompted a collaborator, Dorothy Podber, to shoot into a stack of canvases.</p> <p dir="ltr">The result for this 1964 work almost doubled the artist's previous auction record of $105.4 million, which was set in 2013 when his 1963 canvas <em>Silver Car Crash</em> (<em>Double Disaster</em>) sold at Sotheby’s.</p> <p dir="ltr">With the sale, Christie’s auction house also rode a double-pronged pop culture wave of renewed interest in both Warhol and Monroe.</p> <p dir="ltr">Streaming giant Netflix has released separate documentary series on both the actress and the artist, with both icons making a resurgence in the pop culture zeitgeist. </p> <p dir="ltr">Not only did <em>Shot Sage Blue Marilyn</em> bring a new artist record for Warhol, it has also become one of the most expensive works of art ever to sold at auction, surpassing Pablo Picasso’s <em>Les Femmes d’Alger </em>(“<em>Version O</em>”) as the second high-selling work to hit the auction block. </p> <p dir="ltr">That painting sold at Christie’s for $179 million in 2015, with the most expensive work to ever sell at auction being Leonardo da Vinci’s <em>Salvator Mundi</em> which sold for $450 million.</p> <p dir="ltr"><em>Image credits: Getty Images</em></p>

Art

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Andy Warhol’s Marilyn Monroe portraits expose the darker side of the 60s

<p>“If you remember the ‘60s, you weren’t really there”. This <a href="https://quoteinvestigator.com/2010/05/07/remember-1960s/">famous quip</a> says much about our rose-tinted nostalgia for the decade. The fun-loving hedonism of Woodstock and Beatlemania may be etched into cultural memory, but Andy Warhol’s Marilyn Monroe portraits reveal a darker side to the swinging 60s that turns our nostalgia on its head.</p> <p>Warhol’s iconic Marilyn Monroe portrait <a href="https://www.nytimes.com/2022/03/21/arts/design/christies-andy-warhol-marilyn-monroe.html">Shot Sage Blue Marilyn</a>, due to go on sale at Christie’s in May, is expected to fetch record-breaking bids of $200 million (£153 million), making it the most expensive 20th century artwork ever auctioned. Nearly 60 years after they were first created, Warhol’s portraits of the ill-fated Hollywood star continue to fascinate us.</p> <p>According to <a href="https://www.nytimes.com/2022/03/21/arts/design/christies-andy-warhol-marilyn-monroe.html">Alex Rotter</a>, Christie’s chairman for 20th and 21st century art, Warhol’s Marilyn is “the absolute pinnacle of American Pop and the promise of the American dream, encapsulating optimism, fragility, celebrity and iconography all at once”. </p> <p>Hollywood stars were great sources of inspiration for the <a href="https://www.tate.org.uk/art/art-terms/p/pop-art">Pop art</a> movement. Monroe was a recurring motif, not only in the work of Warhol but in the work of his contemporaries, including James Rosenquist’s <a href="https://www.moma.org/learn/moma_learning/james-rosenquist-marilyn-monroe-i-1962/">Marilyn Monroe, I</a> and Pauline Boty’s <a href="https://www.artfund.org/supporting-museums/art-weve-helped-buy/artwork/11953/colour-her-gone">Colour Her Gone</a> and <a href="https://www.tate.org.uk/art/artworks/boty-the-only-blonde-in-the-world-t07496">The Only Blonde in the World</a>.</p> <h2>Mourning Marilyn</h2> <p>Born Norma Jeane Mortenson but renamed Marilyn Monroe by 20th Century Fox, the actress went on to become one of the most illustrious stars of Hollywood history, famed for her roles in classic films like <a href="https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0045810/">Gentlemen Prefer Blondes</a> and <a href="https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0053291/">Some Like It Hot</a>. She epitomised the glitzy world of consumerism and celebrity that Pop artists thought was emblematic of 1950s and 1960s American culture.</p> <p>While Rotter’s statement may be true to some extent, there is also a sinister edge to the Marilyns because many were produced in the months following her unexpected death in 1962.</p> <p>On the surface, the works may look like a tribute to a much-loved icon, but themes of death, decay and even violence lurk within these canvases. Clues can often be found in the production techniques. One of the collection’s most famous pieces, <a href="https://www.tate.org.uk/art/artworks/warhol-marilyn-diptych-t03093">Marilyn Diptych</a>, uses flaws from the silkscreen process to create the effect of a decaying portrait. Warhol’s <a href="https://news.masterworksfineart.com/2019/11/26/andy-warhols-shot-marilyns">The Shot Marilyns</a> consists of four canvases shot through the forehead with a single bullet. In this, the creation of Warhol’s art is as important as the artwork itself.</p> <h2>Death and Disaster</h2> <p>At a glance, the surface level glamour of Warhol’s Marilyn immortalises the actress as a blonde bombshell of Hollywood’s bygone era. It is easy to forget the tragedy behind the image, yet part of our enduring fascination with Marilyn Monroe is her tragedy. </p> <p>Her mental health struggles, her tempestuous personal life and the mystery surrounding her death have been well documented in countless biographies, films and television shows, including Netflix’s documentary <a href="https://www.imdb.com/title/tt19034332/">The Mystery of Marilyn Monroe: The Unheard Tapes</a> and upcoming biopic <a href="https://www.imdb.com/title/tt1655389/">Blonde</a>. She epitomises the familiar narrative of the tragic icon that is doomed to keep repeating itself – something that Warhol understood all too well after surviving a shooting by <a href="https://www.artnews.com/art-news/news/who-was-valerie-solanas-andy-warhol-1202689740/">Valerie Solanas</a> in 1968. </p> <p>The death at the heart of Warhol’s Marilyns is not just rooted in grief but is also a reflection of the wider cultural landscape. The 1960s was a remarkably dark period in 20th century American history. A brief look at the context in which Warhol was producing these images reveals a decade plagued by a series of traumatic events.</p> <p><a href="https://www.life.com/">Life Magazine</a> published violent photographs of the Vietnam War. Television broadcasts exposed shocking police brutality during civil rights marches. America was shaken by the assassinations of John F Kennedy, Robert Kennedy and Martin Luther King Jr. Footage of JFK’s death captured by bystander Abraham Zapruder was repeatedly broadcast on television. Celebrated Hollywood stars were dying young and in tragic circumstances, from Marilyn Monroe and Judy Garland to Jayne Mansfield and Sharon Tate.</p> <p>This image of the 1960s is echoed by the postmodern theorist <a href="https://www.jstor.org/stable/466541">Fredric Jameson</a>, who describes the decade as a “virtual nightmare” and a “historical and countercultural bad trip”. Stars like Monroe were not as flawless as they may appear in Warhol’s portraits, but were “notorious cases of burnout and self-destruction”.</p> <p>Warhol understood this more than anyone. His <a href="https://publicdelivery.org/andy-warhol-death-disaster/#:%7E:text=Andy%20Warhol%20created%20a%20series,repetition%20to%20communicate%20his%20ideas.">Death and Disaster</a> series explores the spectacle of death in America and affirms the 1960s as a time of anxiety, terror and crisis. The series consists of a vast collection of silkscreened photographs of real-life disasters including car crashes, suicides and executions taken from newspapers and police archives. Famous deaths are also a central theme of the series, including portraits of Marilyn Monroe, Elizabeth Taylor and Jackie Kennedy – all of whom are associated with significant deaths or near-death experiences.</p> <p>Death and Disaster came about in 1962 when Warhol’s collaborator <a href="https://www.google.co.uk/books/edition/Andy_Warhol/-sotEAAAQBAJ?hl=en&amp;gbpv=1&amp;dq=Maybe+everything+isn%27t+always+so+fabulous+in+America.+It%E2%80%99s+time+for+some+death.+This+is+what%E2%80%99s+really+happening.&amp;pg=PT32&amp;printsec=frontcover">Henry Geldzahler</a> suggested that the artist should stop producing “affirmation of life” and instead explore the dark side of American culture, "Maybe everything isn’t always so fabulous in America. It’s time for some death. This is what’s really happening."</p> <p>He handed Warhol a copy of the New York Daily News, which led to the first disaster painting <a href="https://artimage.org.uk/6123/andy-warhol/129-die-in-jet--plane-crash---1962">129 Die in Jet!</a>.</p> <p>The recent hype around the auctioning of the Marilyn portrait reveals as much about our time as it does about our nostalgia for the 1960s. We choose to remember the decade in all its glorious technicolour, but uncovering its darker moments provides room for reconsideration. Perhaps Warhol’s Marilyn is not just a symbol of the swinging 60s, but an artefact from a time that was as turbulent and uncertain as our own.</p> <p><em>Image credits: Getty Images</em></p> <p><em>This article originally appeared on <a href="https://theconversation.com/andy-warhols-marilyn-monroe-portraits-expose-the-darker-side-of-the-60s-181213" target="_blank" rel="noopener">The Conversation</a>. </em></p>

Art

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Marilyn Monroe’s former penthouse hits the market

<p><span style="font-weight: 400;">A penthouse condo that was once the home of Marilyn Monroe has </span><a rel="noopener" href="https://www.realtor.com/realestateandhomes-detail/1424-N-Crescent-Heights-Blvd-Unit-78_West-Hollywood_CA_90046_M28180-34877" target="_blank"><span style="font-weight: 400;">hit the market</span></a><span style="font-weight: 400;"> for $USD 2.49 million ($AUD 3.39 or $NZD 3.52).</span></p> <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">Sitting on the top floor of Hollywood’s famed Granville Towers, the condo has dazzling views of West Hollywood that can be seen through its floor-to-ceiling windows.</span></p> <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">The 188-square-metre apartment is split across two storeys, connected by a curved staircase.</span></p> <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">It also features hardwood floors throughout, vaulted ceilings, and a formal dining room with its own chandelier.</span></p> <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">The kitchen has been remodelled and now features Venetian plaster walls, stainless-steel cabinetry, and luxury appliances.</span></p> <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">The apartment also comes with access to building amenities including a clubhouse, pool and spa, a courtyard and garden, and a 24-hour Doorman.</span></p> <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">Granville Towers was built almost a century ago by Los Angeles architect Leland Bryant in collaboration with Samuel Coine.</span></p> <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">Monroe </span><a rel="noopener" href="https://www.realtor.com/news/celebrity-real-estate/marilyn-monroe-west-hollywood-penthouse-condo-listed/" target="_blank"><span style="font-weight: 400;">lived</span></a><span style="font-weight: 400;"> in the penthouse in 1954, following her separation from baseball player Joe DiMaggio.</span></p> <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">A year later, she left the Hollywood condo after marrying playwright Arthur Miller.</span></p> <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">But, Monroe isn’t the only celebrity to call the Granville Towers apartment home. The current owners purchased it in 2003 from former actress Portia de Rossi, who has since married Ellen DeGeneres.</span></p> <p><em><span style="font-weight: 400;">Images: Getty Images, realtor.com</span></em></p>

Real Estate

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Remembering Marilyn Monroe on her 95th birthday

<p>Marilyn Monroe remains to be one of the world’s biggest and most enduring sex symbols, nearly 60 years on since her death.</p> <p>The legendary actress came from difficult and humble beginnings, spending much of her dreary childhood in foster homes.</p> <p>The world would get its first glimpse of her when she became a model – her illustrious career posing for the camera would lead her to receive a film contract in 1946.</p> <p>While Monroe’s appearances were minor, her performances in <em>The Asphalt Jungle </em>and <em>All About Eve (1950), </em>drew major attention to her and soon she was catapulted into a fame not previously ever seen before.</p> <p>While Monroe had mastered the art of the “dumb blonde” persona, she was anything but.</p> <p>However, it became her major trademark right next to her blonde hair, and how she was perceived by the public was what shot her into global success and lead her into some of her most well known films including <em>Gentlemen Prefer Blondes</em> (1953), <em>How to Marry a Millionaire</em> (1953) and <em>The Seven Year Itch</em> (1955).</p> <p>There are not enough words to describe the global domination of Marilyn during the 40s and the 50s, but unfortunately her wealth, status and influence would mean little in the end.</p> <p>Marred by illness, unresolved childhood issues and addiction, the star eventually succumbed to her pain and overdosed on barbiturates on August 5, 1962. She was born and died in Los Angeles, California.</p> <p>While the official classification of Monroe’s death was ruled as a “probable suicide,” curious onlookers and fans have never ruled out the possibility of an accidental overdose, or homicide.</p> <p>Monroe would go on to be buried in a crypt at the Westwood Village Memorial Park Cemetery in LA.</p> <p>The brilliant actress’ legacy continues to live on, almost 60 years since the world lost her.</p>

Art

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5 mysterious celebrity deaths that are still unexplained

<p><span style="font-weight: 400;">Though some of these deaths occurred decades ago, that hasn’t stopped conspiracy theorists from trying to sniff out the truth.</span></p> <p><strong>Marilyn Monroe</strong></p> <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">The world was shaken on August 5, 1962, when Marilyn Monroe was found dead at the age of 36 in her home in Los Angeles. The cause? A barbiturate overdose that was ruled a ‘probable’ suicide. That lead many to doubt the gorgeous star, rumoured to have been involved in extramarital affairs with both John F. Kennedy and his brother, Robert F. Kennedy, had taken her own life. Instead, conspiracy theorists have long suspected Monroe was murdered (by being forced to take the drugs that killed her) to keep her from talking about the Kennedy brothers. The CIA continues to maintain files on Monroe’s death, and it is unlikely anyone will ever know what really happened.</span></p> <p><strong>Natalie Wood</strong></p> <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">On November 29, 1981, the actress and movie star Natalie Wood drowned while on a boating trip with her husband, Robert Wagner. Wagner had reported Wood missing after a night of drinking, and Wood’s body was found several hours later floating face-down in the water wearing a flannel nightgown, down jacket and socks. At first, Wood’s death was ruled accidental, but then bruises on her body led law enforcement to consider foul play, with Wagner, now 87, as the prime suspect. Natalie Wood’s sister and the yacht’s skipper appeared on the Dr. Phil show in 2018, where they claimed Wagner murdered the starlet. Adding fuel to the conspiracy fire: In 2012, the Los Angeles Sheriff’s Department changed the cause of her death from “accidental drowning” to “drowning plus ‘undetermined factors,’” reports USA Today. Trouble is, the evidence is insufficient to support an arrest, and the mystery remains unsolved.</span></p> <p><strong>Thelma Todd</strong></p> <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">American actress Thelma Todd died in 1935 of carbon monoxide poisoning. Todd, 29, was found slumped over the steering wheel of her Lincoln. The engine wasn’t running, however, and Todd’s throat showed signs of trauma, as if something like a hose or a pipe had been forced into her mouth by an assailant. Suspects included her ex-husband, her current lover, and the gangster, Lucky Luciano. In the weeks prior to her death, she had received several notes demanding she pay $10,000 or be killed, reported the L.A. Times. The grand jury impanelled to investigate was unable to come to a conclusion, remaining hopelessly split between those who believed she’d been murdered and those who believed she’d died accidentally.</span></p> <p><strong>Tupac Shakur</strong></p> <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">In 1996, hip-hop star Tupac Shakur died in Las Vegas several days after a drive-by shooting that occurred while Shakur was leaving a boxing event. “The story…begins with a failed attempt on his life two years earlier,” according to History.com, which Shakur blamed on producer Sean “Puff Daddy” Combs and rival rapper Christopher Wallace (“Notorious B.I.G.”). Wallace was murdered six months later in Los Angeles; no arrest has ever been made in either case.</span></p> <p><strong>Elizabeth Short</strong></p> <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">The body of 22-year-old aspiring actress Elizabeth Short was discovered brutally murdered on January 15, 1947, in a vacant lot near Leimert Park in Los Angeles, her body cut in half, drained of blood, and cleaned of all evidence. The sole witness was of little help, claiming only to have seen a black sedan parked in the area. Despite many theories, allegations and leads over the years, the killer was never found. Today, the Black Dahlia murder (as the case came to be known) remains one of the oldest cold case files in L.A., as well as the city’s most famous.</span></p> <p><em><span style="font-weight: 400;">Written byLauren Cahn. This article first appeared in </span><a href="https://www.readersdigest.com.au/true-stories-lifestyle/history/13-mysterious-celebrity-deaths-that-are-still-unexplained?slide=all"><span style="font-weight: 400;">Reader’s Digest</span></a><span style="font-weight: 400;">. For more of what you love from the world’s best-loved magazine, </span><a href="http://readersdigest.innovations.com.au/c/readersdigestemailsubscribe?utm_source=over60&amp;utm_medium=articles&amp;utm_campaign=RDSUB&amp;keycode=WRA87V"><span style="font-weight: 400;">here’s our best subscription offer.</span></a></em></p> <p><img style="width: 100px !important; height: 100px !important;" src="https://oversixtydev.blob.core.windows.net/media/7820640/1.png" alt="" data-udi="umb://media/f30947086c8e47b89cb076eb5bb9b3e2" /></p>

Retirement Life

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Remembering Marilyn Monroe: A life in pictures

<p><span style="font-weight: 400;">It’s a little hard to believe that on this day, 93 years ago, the Hollywood icon Marilyn Monroe was born. </span></p> <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">The beautiful blonde bombshell was an actress, singer, model and for many years the ultimate sex symbol. </span></p> <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">Apart from her stunningly successful career, Monroe proved to be quite the Brainiac despite never finishing school. Reportedly, the young actress had read more than 400 books in her library before she died, including works from Sigmund Freud, Marcel Proust and other Russian classics. </span></p> <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">The American icon was not only intelligent and beautiful, but even in her death has been one of the most generous Hollywood stars to ever live. </span></p> <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">In 1957, Monroe donated the money she had earned from the world premiere of </span><span style="font-weight: 400;">The Prince </span><span style="font-weight: 400;">and </span><span style="font-weight: 400;">The Showgirl </span><span style="font-weight: 400;">to The Milk Fund for Babies. In her will, she placed 25 per cent of her estate in the hands of a children’s clinic. </span></p> <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">Despite being known for her tight blonde curls, alluring eyes and smile as well as her beloved curvaceous figure, Monroe longed for more serious roles in her career and desired to leave “sex roles” in movies behind. </span></p> <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">“I’m tired of sex roles. I don’t want to play sex roles anymore. An actress is not a machine, but they treat you like a machine. A money machine,” she said, according to </span><a href="https://brightside.me/wonder-people/remembering-marilyn-monroe-170305/"><span style="font-weight: 400;">Brightside</span></a><span style="font-weight: 400;">. </span></p> <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">In a final interview before her death, Marilyn requested her finishing words be her own. </span></p> <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">“What I really want to say: That what the world really needs is a real feeling of kinship. Everybody: stars, laborers, Negroes, Jews, Arabs. We are all brothers. Please don’t make me a joke. End the interview with what I believe.”</span></p> <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">Marilyn Monroe passed away on August 5, 1962 in her Los Angeles home. </span></p> <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">Scroll through the gallery above to take a look back at the life of Marilyn Monroe.  </span></p>

Art

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Rare 1955 photos of Marilyn Monroe show star’s private life

<div id="yiv9911952958yui_3_16_0_1_1448400017589_3426"> <p>The year is 1955 and one of the world’s most famous stars is preparing to attend a show on Broadway. Marilyn Monroe, then 28 years old, takes a few moments in her room to do her makeup, dab her neck with a drop of her favourite perfume, Chanel No. 5, and ready herself for the show. In these photographs, the star’s rare quiet moments in private are revealed, showing a Monroe that’s playful, demure and just like any other woman before a big night out.</p> <p>These photographs were taken at the Ambassador Hotel in New York City. Monroe was getting ready to see the Broadway premiere of Tennessee Williams’ Cat on a Hot Tin Roof at the Morosco Theatre.</p> <p>Only two month later, in May 1955, Marilyn started to see Arthur Millar, the playwright. It had been six months since she divorced second husband Joe DiMaggio, whom she had been married to for less than a year.</p> <p>Step beyond the bright lights of Hollywood with these photographs to see the private side of one of the world’s best loved, and perhaps most misunderstood star: Marilyn Monroe.</p> </div> <div></div> <div><img width="616" height="945" src="http://1.mshcdn.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/06/MM-8.jpg"/></div> <div></div> <div><img width="616" height="406" src="http://1.mshcdn.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/06/MM-1.jpg"/></div> <div></div> <div><img width="617" height="904" src="http://1.mshcdn.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/06/MM-9.jpg"/></div> <div></div> <div><img width="616" height="910" src="http://1.mshcdn.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/06/MM-10.jpg"/></div> <div></div> <div><img width="614" height="911" src="http://1.mshcdn.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/06/MM-4.jpg"/></div> <div></div> <div></div> <div><img width="617" height="905" src="http://1.mshcdn.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/06/MM-5.jpg"/></div> <div></div> <div><img width="617" height="921" src="http://1.mshcdn.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/06/MM-6.jpg"/></div> <div></div> <div><img width="614" height="916" src="http://1.mshcdn.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/06/MM-3.jpg"/></div> <div></div> <div><img width="614" height="413" src="http://1.mshcdn.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/06/MM-11.jpg"/></div> <div></div> <div><img width="616" height="922" src="http://1.mshcdn.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/06/MM-2.jpg"/></div> <div></div> <div></div> <div></div> <div><strong><span style="font-family: Calibri;">Related links: </span></strong></div> <div> <p><strong><em><a href="/lifestyle/beauty-style/2015/09/retro-male-icons/">4 retro heartthrobs we’ll never forget</a></em></strong></p> <p><strong><em><a href="/lifestyle/family/2015/09/retro-teenage-posters/">The best retro posters from the past</a></em></strong></p> <p><strong><em><a href="/lifestyle/beauty-style/2015/08/stylish-older-male-celebrities/">3 stylish men who still have it</a></em></strong></p> <p> </p> </div>

Movies

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8 things you never knew about Marilyn Monroe

<p>There’s perhaps no other star that has been so loved and scrutinised than the iconic blonde bombshell, Marilyn Monroe. Even decades after her death, she continues to fascinate the world and yet there’s still so much that we don’t know about her. Here are eight crazy facts you might not have known about one of pop culture’s most enduring sex symbols.</p> <ol> <li>She cried for two days when co-star Clark Gable passed away.</li> <li>She studied weightlifting with former Olympic champion Howard Corrington.</li> <li>She worked as a parachute inspector during World War II.</li> <li>She was the second woman to head her own production company.</li> <li>She was only paid $50 for being Playboy’s first cover girl.</li> <li>She was discovered while working on the assembly line at a factory.</li> <li>She studied literature at UCLA and had a personal library of over 400 books.</li> <li>She was an outstanding cook.</li> </ol> <p><strong>Related links: </strong></p> <p><span style="text-decoration: underline;"><em><strong><a href="/news/news/2015/06/portugal-senior-graffiti/">Seniors create great graffiti street art in Portugal</a></strong></em></span></p> <p><span style="text-decoration: underline;"><em><strong><a href="/news/news/2015/05/vivid-sydney-images-2015/">Stunning images from Sydney’s annual Vivid festival</a></strong></em></span></p> <p><span style="text-decoration: underline;"><em><strong><a href="/news/news/2015/05/woman-lives-with-crocodiles/">Meet the Melbourne woman who snuggles with her pet crocodiles</a></strong></em></span></p>

Movies

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Marilyn Monroe predicted her own death

<p>Few deaths have struck Hollywood quite as hard as Marilyn Monroe’s. The blonde bombshell death by overdose in 1962 was officially ruled as suicide, but many believe there to be more to the story.</p> <p>Now, a new biography <em>Dinner with DiMaggio: Memories of an American Hero</em> might’ve just confirmed it, claiming Monroe told husband Joe DiMaggio she knew eventually someone would “do her in.” That someone, DiMaggio believed, was one of the Kennedys.</p> <p>“I always knew who killed her, but I didn't want to start a revolution in this country,” DiMaggio allegedly told author Dr Rock Positano. “I'll go to the grave regretting and blaming myself for what happened to her.”</p> <p>“The whole lot of Kennedys were lady-killers, and they always got away with it. They'll be getting away with it a hundred years from now.”</p> <p>DiMaggio and Monroe, who married in January 1954, announced their divorce just nine months later, with the latter citing the famed baseball player’s “mental cruelty” as the cause of their split. However, the book reveals the issue of children may have been the main force driving them to divorce.</p> <p>“Joe wanted kids with Marilyn, and Marilyn wanted to reward him with a family,” the book reads. “In Italian terms, sex meant kids. Great sex meant great kids. Marilyn gave goddess sex, but no kids.”</p> <p>Despite their split, DiMaggio never stopped caring for Monroe. “He felt that she was very vulnerable and very sweet and that it was very easy for people to take advantage of her.”</p> <p>Until his death in 1999, DiMaggio reportedly sent roses to Monroe’s grave every week, and it’s believed his dying words were, “I’ll finally get to see Marilyn.”</p>

Movies

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Beauty secrets from Hollywood’s leading ladies, including Marilyn, Audrey, Grace

<p>From Marilyn Monroe to Sophia Loren, we reveal the beauty secrets behind some of Hollywood’s most famous ladies.</p> <p><strong>Marilyn Monroe</strong></p> <p><strong><img width="372" height="516" src="https://oversixtydev.blob.core.windows.net/media/8635/marilyn-monroe_372x516.jpg" alt="Marilyn Monroe (1)" style="display: block; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"/></strong></p> <p>To make her lips appear full, Monroe (or at least her make-up artist) would apply at least give different shades of lipstick and gloss to create her lush lips.</p> <p><strong>Audrey Hepburn</strong></p> <p><img width="325" height="442" src="https://beetenacity.files.wordpress.com/2011/10/600full-audrey-hepburn1.jpg" class="irc_mi" style="margin-top: 0px; display: block; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"/></p> <p>We’ve always been envious of Hepburn long lashes and her secret has been finally revealed: after applying mascara, she would use a pin to painstakingly separate each lash.</p> <p><strong>Grace Kelly</strong></p> <p><strong><img width="332" height="393" src="https://oversixtydev.blob.core.windows.net/media/8637/grace-kelly_332x393.jpg" alt="Grace Kelly" style="display: block; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"/></strong></p> <p>Long before “contouring” became a beauty trend in the millennium, the Princess of Monaco had mastered technique to define her cheekbones. She would use a light shade of blush underneath her cheekbones and a darker shade on the apples.</p> <p><strong>Rita Hayworth</strong></p> <p><strong><img width="333" height="403" src="https://oversixtydev.blob.core.windows.net/media/8638/rita-hayworth_333x403.jpg" alt="Rita Hayworth" style="display: block; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"/></strong></p> <p>To maintain her signature wavy mane, Hayworth would apply oil to her hair after every wash. She would then wash it with hot water and lemon juice to remove any residue.</p> <p><strong>Sophia Loren</strong></p> <p><strong><img width="323" height="469" src="https://oversixtydev.blob.core.windows.net/media/8639/sophia-loren_323x469.jpg" alt="Sophia Loren" style="display: block; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"/></strong></p> <p>This beauty would keep her skin looking luminous by taking frequent hot baths with splashes of olive oil.</p> <p><strong>Related links:</strong></p> <p><span style="text-decoration: underline;"><em><strong><a href="/lifestyle/beauty-style/2015/07/age-appropriate-hair-up-dos/">5 hair up-dos for every age</a></strong></em></span></p> <p><span style="text-decoration: underline;"><em><strong><a href="/lifestyle/beauty-style/2015/07/eyebrows-through-the-years/">In pictures: how eyebrows evolved since the 1920s</a></strong></em></span></p> <p><span style="text-decoration: underline;"><em><strong><a href="/lifestyle/beauty-style/2015/07/older-women-in-fashion/">Why older women are the new icons of fashion</a></strong></em></span></p>

Beauty & Style

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Rare footage of Marilyn Monroe’s third wedding surfaces

<p>Marilyn Monroe lived a life in the spotlight, which brands the fleeting glimpses into the iconic blondes’ private life rather alluring – and actually very rare.</p> <p>However, Milton H. Greene – a fashion and celebrity photographer and friend of the starlet – has released new, intimate footage that includes scenes from her third wedding reception.</p> <p>Marilyn was married three times before her untimely death at just 36. She married for the first time at just 16 to Jim Dougherty, again to athlete Joe Dimaggio in 1954, and finally to playwright Arthur Miller.</p> <p>In Greene's video, courtesy of Vanity Fair, the model turned actress kisses her new, doting husband and cheerfully greets guests at the wedding. Other scenes in the montage of footage show the smitten couple dancing, Marilyn rehearsing movie scenes, and posing on a bed during a photo shoot.</p> <p>The film will be shown on loop at the Morrison Hotel Gallery at the Sunset Marquis Hotel in West Hollywood, accompanied other behind-the-scenes images of Marilyn, captured by Greene.</p> <p>Take a look at the rare footage yourself in the video above.</p> <p>What’s your favourite Marilyn Monroe movie? Let us know in the comments below. </p> <p><strong>Related links:</strong></p> <p><span style="text-decoration: underline;"><em><strong><a href="/%20http:/www.oversixty.com.au/news/news/2016/06/the-moment-marilyn-munroe-met-queen-elizabeth/%20">The moment Marilyn Monroe met the Queen </a></strong></em></span></p> <p><span style="text-decoration: underline;"><em><a href="/lifestyle/beauty-style/2016/06/15-most-unconventional-celebrity-wedding-dresses/"><strong>15 most unconventional celebrity wedding dresses </strong></a><strong> </strong></em></span></p> <p><span style="text-decoration: underline;"><em><strong><a href="/lifestyle/relationships/2016/06/old-fashioned-wedding-traditions-that-have-disappeared/">5 old-fashioned wedding traditions that have disappeared</a> </strong></em></span></p>

News

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The moment Marilyn Monroe met the Queen

<p>When you’re Hollywood’s biggest star you’re probably not accustomed to standing in a line to meet someone. But when that someone is the Queen of England that’s another matter altogether.</p> <p>In the week where she would’ve celebrated her 90th birthday, rare footage of Marilyn Monroe meeting a young Queen Elizabeth II at a film premiere in London has been released.</p> <p>The footage was taken from a film premiere in London, where the movie icon had been travelling with her then-husband Arthur Miller to film <em>The Prince and the Showgirl</em>.</p> <p>Both women were 30-years-old at the time and look positively splendid at the glamorous event. In fact, we can’t tell who’s more excited by the meeting!</p> <p>This was reportedly the only time the two women met.</p> <p>To see the meeting watch the video above. Make sure you watch the video the whole way through, as the meeting is at the end of the footage.</p> <p>Isn’t it odd to see two people who’ve had such a profound effect on the world meet each other! What’s your favourite memory of the Queen or Marilyn?</p> <p>Share your thoughts in the comments below. </p> <p><em>Video credit: YouTube / Marilyn Monroe Forever In Our Hearts</em></p> <p><strong>Related links:</strong></p> <p><span style="text-decoration: underline;"><a href="/news/news/2016/05/duke-and-duchess-of-cambridge-pet-names/"><em><strong>Revealed: the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge’s nicknames for each other</strong></em></a></span></p> <p><span style="text-decoration: underline;"><a href="/news/news/2016/05/what-you-didnt-notice-about-this-royal-photo/"><em><strong>The one thing no one noticed about this royal photo</strong></em></a></span></p> <p><span style="text-decoration: underline;"><em><strong><a href="/news/news/2016/05/10-photos-of-the-royal-family-at-the-chelsea-flower-show/">10 best photos of the Royal Family at the 2016 Chelsea Flower Show</a></strong></em></span></p>

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