Marilyn Monroe: America’s First Sweetheart

If they were asked, most people wouldn’t know who Norma Jean Mortensen is but could probably spot a picture of Marilyn Monroe a mile away. Monroe was born Norma Jeane Mortensen in 1926 and although she only made thirty movies in her life time, she is widely regarded as an American icon. Even though it has been almost fifty years since her death, her face can be seen almost anywhere from YouTube clips to prints on t-shirts.

Marilyn Monroe was born in Los Angeles to Gladys Baker and an unknown father. Due to her mother’s mental illness, suspected schizophrenia, her childhood was a rough one. She was shuttled between foster homes until she married her neighbor, James Doughterty when she was 16 years old in 1942. While her husband was overseas at war, she began modeling after being discovered by a photographer while doing factory work.

Monroe and her husband divorced in 1946 and she signed her first movie contract with 20^th Century Fox during that same year. But, the contract came with conditions. They decided her name wasn’t alluring enough and had to be changed. Casting director Ben Lyon suggested Marilyn, after one of his favorite actresses. She dyed her natural brown hair, blonde soon after that and Marilyn Monroe was born.

“This girl had something I hadn’t seen since silent pictures,” said cinematographer Leon Shamroy after seeing one of her screen tests. “She had a kind of fantastic beauty like Gloria Swanson, when a movie star had to look beautiful, and she got sex on a piece of film like Jean Harlow.”

Her contract was dropped a year later and she didn’t get much work until the 1950s, this is the year she starred in Asphalt Jungle. The role was small but landed her a lot of attention. In addition to her acting, Monroe’s high profile relationships also kept her in the media gaze. She got married two more times to baseball legend Joe Dimaggio, a union of less than a year, and playwright Arthur Miller which lasted five years. She was linked with countless others.

By the time the 60s rolled around, her life took a turn for the worst. She suffered miscarriages and like her mother, she began to suffer from mental illness. She began to show up late or not at all to work and that resulted in the loss of movie roles.  “Marilyn’s insecurities nearly screamed out of her. If she had an eight o’clock date, I had to be there at noon to start on her,” said George Masters, her hair stylist. “If I was two minutes late she was furious, though she thought nothing of keeping others waiting for hours or days.”

She was also battling alcoholism. It all came to an end in 1962, when she was found dead of an apparent overdose in a hotel room. Her death was a suspected suicide, but like many celebrities, there has been conspiracy theories surrounding her death.

Compared to many, Monroe had a relatively short career but she still has a cult-like following. Her cultural influence is undeniable. She has been imitated by several stars including Madonna and Anna Nicole Smith. Lindsay Lohan’s recent Playboy pictorial was a tribute to her.  Actress Michelle Williams recently portrayed the star in My Week With Marilyn.  She seemed to have an effect on people, both in life and in death. An unnamed writer for Russian magazine Nedvela put it best: “When you speak of the American way of life, everybody thinks of chewing gum, Coca-Cola and Marilyn Monroe.”

–Ashleigh Atwell