JUST FINISHED READING A NEW BOOK ON "MARILYN" AND INDEED YOU'LL SEE 2014 CALENDARS OUT FOR MARILYN.
OH SHE HAD HER PROBLEMS, HER WEAKNESSES [DON'T WE ALL], HER INSECURITY, AND A HARD TIME TRUSTING PEOPLE; A LOT OF ALL THAT STEMMED FROM HER CHILDHOOD.
BUT.... IT'S THE POSITIVE OF HER WE NEED TO REMEMBER, AND IT IS NICE TO KNOW SHE HAD MUCH GOOD AND POSITIVE TO HER LIFE.
HERE'S A LITTLE OF IT:
MARILYN ENTERTAINS THE TROOPS
She marries Joe DiMaggio.....
From the book: "Marilyn Monroe - Private and Confidential"
After a quick stopover in Honolulu, the couple were flown to Tokyo, where they were greeted by literally thousands' of fans and reporters, so much so that they were unable to leave the plane by the main exit. Instead, they had to leave via the baggage door on the side of the plane, although even that didn't stop a stampede, with some enterprising fans climbing on top of their car for a better look..
Although Marilyn had been surrounded by fans in the past, this was the first time she - had ever been mobbed in such a way and she was terrified. 'These people, they're mad!' she was heard to cry, as she was hustled into the car, en route to the Imperial Hotel, along with Joe's friend and fellow baseball expert Frank 'Lefty' O'Doul and his wife. When they reached the hotel there were even more riots, with people falling into the hotel pond, trying to break down the doors and even scaling the walls. Finally, the police dragged fans away and the honeymooning couple were able to enter the hotel, where they held a press conference in the Treasure Room.
Once the fan's and media had.calmed down somewhat, the couple were able to spend some of their time visiting quiet areas such as Kawana, a fishing village where they were photographed meeting the locals. Shortly after, DiMaggio headed south to fulfill his coaching job, along with Lefty O'Doul. Meanwhile,
Mrs O'Doul stayed in Japan to keep Marilyn company, and on 7 February they both visited the US Army Hospital in Tokyo.
During the visit Marilyn met countless injured GIs, signed autographs and posed for photographs. One of the soldiers, Corporal Donald Wakehouse, had his cast signed by the star, but later insisted that his wife back home looked better to him than Marilyn did. However, another GI, Corporate Allison Ittel was thrilled to meet the visiting film star, as he remembered fifty-seven years later: "I found out what time she was to be on the sunroof and went up. We all lined up and she was late as usual, but when Marilyn came in through the doorway she was just beautiful. She did a little skip - kind of a dance - with quick motions and a little song and came down the line to greet us.
When she got to me I congratulated her on her marriage to Joe DiMaggio and then I went through the doors back into the hospital. Someone grabbed me and told me to go with them, and then suddenly Marilyn was there and linked arms with me. There were photographers everywhere, and Marilyn asked me what my name was and where I was from. I told her I was from Minnesota, twenty-five miles away from Indianapolis and she said, "Oh I went to visit my best friend Jane Russell up there and it was beautiful." We talked for a while and I asked where Joe was. She told me he was playing baseball and seemed disgusted by that. I got the feeling she felt he should have been up there with her."
Later that day, having cheered up the patients at the hospital, Marilyn was sent to bed with a stomach bug. However, that didn't stop her making -plans to travel to Korea to entertain the thousands of US troops that were stationed there, a surprising decision that had been made on the way to Japan: 'I hadn't expected this. I didn't bring the right clothes,' she was heard to say.
On 16 February, Marilyn began.her Korea, tour, which involved singing a set of songs, accompanied by a band called Anything Goes, who had already been touring thelKar East for three months. One member, Don Obermeyer, remembered the experience well: 'Since I was the show manager, I was introduced to Marilyn Monroe and Joe, and was told that our group was going back to Korea, after a week's rehearsal in Osaka, Japan. My first impression of Marilyn and Joe was very pleasant. They were both very friendly. At the rehearsal, Marilyn was so very cooperative. She had never seen an upright mike, as she was used to "boom" mikes in Hollywood. It was pretty funny, but we got her trained on the PA system. She was so easy to get along with!! Marilyn never really mentioned her private life but on the way from Osaka to Korea, she excused herself from the "brass" in the front of the plane, and sat down with each one in the show group and asked about where we lived before going into service and about our lives growing up! She was very personable and [it was] a surprising move on her part. We all appreciated her interest in "us".
By the time Marilyn began the first show in Korea, it was snowing, but even so she appeared in a purple evening gown, and later claimed that she didn't even notice the snow falling around her. 'In fact,' she said, 'it melted away almost before it touched my skin. That was the happiest time - when the thousands of soldiers all yelled my name over and over.'
Marilyn performed several songs, including 'Diamonds Are a Girl's Best Friend' and 'Kiss Me Again', and joked and talked with the GIs in the crowd. One of them, Don Loraine, remembered: 'I was a young Marine in Korea. Marilyn came out dressed in a heavy parka. She started to sing; suddenly stopped and said, "This is not what you came to see," and took off the parka. She was dressed in a low-cut purple cocktail dress. She was so beautiful, we all went wild, and I might add it was colder than hell that day. She brought a lot of joy to a group of combat-weary Marines and I for one will never forget her.'
The shows were a huge success, and on at least one occasion Marilyn created such a stir.that the troops caused a near riot. She gave it her all, as Don Obermeyer remembered: 'Marilyn did not appear to be nervous before or after each performance., except a few times she messed up some of the lyrics, but recovered. She was always greeted by a wildly energetic bunch of GI's and time permitting she would stand in front of the stage, talk to them and let them take snapshots. At the end of each day of performances, she was swept off to the Officers Club. From the very first day on tour, she insisted that her "bunch of guys" would go with her!
Despite being exhausted from appearing before 100,000 servicemen in just four days, Marilyn found time on the last day to give a heartfelt speech, declaring that she had never felt like a movie star before, until her trip to Korea. She added, 'Now I'm flying back to the most important thing in my life - Joe. And I want to start a family. A family comes before a career.'
On her return to Japan, Marilyn excitedly told DiMaggio, 'Joe, you never heard such cheering,' to which he replied, 'Yes I have.' This cutting put-down was made worse by the fact that the freezing conditions had given her not just a bronchial condition but pneumonia too. By the time they arrived in the United States, Marilyn wearily told reporters, 'I'm ill and just want to go to bed.'The tour had ended; she was back to reality.......
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NOW THAT I SUBMIT IS REAL CLASSY, REAL GENUINE, REAL DOWN-TO-EARTH, REAL GOOD STUFF. I THINK MARILYN'S ENDURING FAME IS NOW NOT JUST WHAT SHE LEFT US IN MOVIES, BUT BECAUSE SHE WAS BOTTOM LINE, JUST A REAL NICE PERSON AT HEART AND SHOWED IT TO OTHERS MANY MANY TIMES IN HER RELATIVELY SHORT LIFE. AND THAT IS WHAT WE ALL SHOULD BE LIVING..... BEING A REAL NICE GUY OR GAL.
SO WHEN YOU SEE THE 2014 CALENDARS OF MARILYN, AT LEAST YOU WHO READ MY BLOG WILL KNOW WHAT A GENUINELY NICE LADY SHE WAS.
SO WHEN YOU SEE THE 2014 CALENDARS OF MARILYN, AT LEAST YOU WHO READ MY BLOG WILL KNOW WHAT A GENUINELY NICE LADY SHE WAS.
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