Marilyn Monroe

by Michelle Morgan

  On 7 September, although she was unavailable for work, Marilyn attended a production of The Caucasian Chalk Circle at the Palace Theatre on Shaftesbury Avenue. Once again the event made it into the newspapers, and rumours abounded that Marilyn visited the theatre manager, Harry W. Briden, during the interval in order to discuss acting. However, if this was the case, he certainly didn’t write about it in his desk diary. Instead, he revealed that the Millers arrived late and members of the press crashed their way into the theatre during the excitement.

  Another theatre trip came on 9 September, when the Millers visited the Comedy Theatre in order to publicize the upcoming production of Arthur’s A View from the Bridge. The play had been refused a public performance licence by the Lord Chamberlain because it included references to homosexuality, but the New Watergate Theatre Club – a membership based organization dedicated to presenting banned plays – had agreed to put on the drama at the Comedy Theatre.

  Marilyn sat on the stage with actor Anthony Quayle, while Arthur Miller introduced his play to the audience. However, the press seemed to forget that the event was really nothing to do with Marilyn, and some newspapers severely chastised her the next morning for not making a speech herself. The Daily Sketch, who had presented Marilyn with her own bicycle just a few months before, gave her a thoroughly bad review, calling her appearance a ‘strictly dumb blonde role,’ and criticizing the fact that she had giggled in Arthur Miller’s ear and even sucked her thumb.

  Come Monday morning, she was back on the set and seemed ready for work. However, the difficulties surrounding the shoot never really eased, and Marilyn caused her fair share of conflict, especially when she had a row with a member of the crew who accidentally walked in on her whilst she was changing. Some of the cast complained that she didn’t bother to say good morning or goodnight, and there was trouble too when Bus Stop director Joshua Logan visited the set and Marilyn refused to let him in her dressing room. Still angry that a scene had been cut from the film, no amount of apologies would calm the agitated star, and Logan eventually left.

  Vera Day recalled another episode when Olivier was setting up camera angles, and politely told Marilyn that he couldn’t see her in the position she was standing in. She immediately retorted, ‘Oh well, if you can’t see me I will go home,’ and swept off the set, leaving cast and crew completely dumbfounded.

  In spite of that, and possibly even unknown to her, Marilyn still had her allies on the set. Dame Sybil Thorndyke, who was cast as Olivier’s mother-in-law, never gave up praising her, often telling Olivier off if she thought he’d been too hard on her. She once told him that Marilyn was the only one of them who really knew how to act in front of a camera, and later when interviewed she denied that Marilyn was ever hard to work with: ‘She’s the most charming person; I don’t think she takes direction very well, but then I don’t see why she should. [Olivier] wanted her to do certain things and I said why don’t you leave her alone? She is married to the camera; she is a darling girl and I never found any difficulties with her.’

  Vera Day also cared about her co-star, saying that she was, ‘Difficult yes. But there was only one Marilyn and she jolly well deserved to be difficult . . . She was sensationally beautiful, [and] I know she irritated nearly everyone but she was surrounded by a lot of “po-faced actors” who gave her a hard time.’

  One day on the way home from Pinewood Studios, Marilyn’s car broke down, much to the annoyance of the chauffeur, who had no idea how to fix it. As he stood gazing vaguely under the bonnet, Tommy Hand, a long-distance lorry driver, got out of his cab to help. His son, Tony, remembered: ‘The driver was happy to let him have a go and my dad soon had the car going again. As he was about to walk away the driver said that the lady he was driving wanted to say thanks, and the back window of the car rolled down and a blonde head popped out. My dad leaned down to say hello and noticed that the lady was with a sour-faced man wearing glasses. The man never so much as looked in his direction but the lady was nice and really grateful. She said she was always being accused of being late but this time it wasn’t actually her fault and laughed at her own remark.

  ‘My dad was no movie fan and rarely went to the cinema unless there was a James Cagney or John Wayne movie showing but he thought the woman was familiar. He asked if she was an actress and she said yes and he asked her if she was Diana Dors. The lady laughed at this but didn’t say yes or no so he thought she must be Diana Dors and she was laughing at him for not being sure. Dad told her that my mum was a really big film fan and she would never believe that he had met her, so the lady offered to give him an autograph to prove it. She asked if he had any paper but he said no, he only had a pencil, so she reached around and came up with a copy of a theatre magazine that someone at the studio had given her. The magazine showed Laurence Olivier and Vivien Leigh together as they appeared in the play The Sleeping Prince and the lady said she thought it was meant as a mean joke but dad had no idea what she was talking about and just nodded. She signed the magazine and gave it to him and he said goodbye and thanked her.’

  Tommy returned home still thinking he had met Diana Dors, until some weeks later when his wife spotted the magazine and put him straight. However, this wasn’t the end of the story, as some years later son Tony was on a train to London when he spotted a familiar face: ‘I saw a guy in first-class reading a script of Brideshead Revisited. It was Laurence Olivier. I couldn’t believe it at first but he was alone and I summoned up the courage to say hello to him. He smiled in a very cold way and I told him that my dad had met one of his co-stars once. Olivier raised an eyebrow and said “Really?”, so I said yes and told him about the time my dad had met the woman he thought was Diana Dors but who was really Marilyn. Olivier didn’t laugh as I thought he might; he just said, “How disappointing for your father,” and went back to reading his script as if I had become invisible. I thought he was rude and left him alone after that. I didn’t ask for his autograph but wondered at the double entendre of his remark.’

  This comment speaks volumes on what Olivier thought of his co-star, and the feeling was pretty mutual. But thankfully, during this difficult time, Marilyn was able to take a great deal of comfort from her fans and the local people at Englefield Green, and several admirers reported being invited into her home for tea. Margaret Gibbon, who lived in Englefield Green, recalled a touching story, as told by her daughter, Susan Elliott: On working in the front garden of her home on Tite Hill, my mother would sometimes see a limousine drive by with a bodyguard in the front and a lady in the back seat and she realized it was Marilyn Monroe going home from filming.’

  Mrs Gibbon got into the habit of waving to Marilyn as she passed, and later, whilst having a Sunday drink at the Fox and Hounds pub, she was surprised to be recognized at the bar by the same bodyguard she had seen in the car. Recalls Susan Elliott: ‘As she waited for drinks they struck up a conversation, as he recognized her as “the lady who waves”. He told her that Marilyn was feeling lonely and not enjoying being alone. She cheekily asked if she could get Marilyn’s autograph and he said he would be on duty at the entrance gate the next day and would see what he could do. We drove down to the house, and sure enough, we now have a small signed photo of Marilyn Monroe Miller and I have a signature in my autograph book.’

  Another signed photo was given to Beryl Belmont, the daughter of housekeeper Dolly Stiles, who recalled meeting Marilyn during a visit with her mother, in which the star jokingly asked if she could take the ten-year-old back home to America. In September she was also happy to participate in a local charity event, by donating a self-portrait entitled Myself Exercising. The yellow watercolour was signed Marilyn Monroe Miller and later purchased by Terence Rattigan at auction.

  Marilyn’s pianist, Alan, remembers some happy moments at Parkside House, when she helped him with his study of poet and essayist Walt Whitman: ‘Marilyn came in and asked what I was doing. She chose a passage for me and we discussed it. One day I couldn’t find my manuscript
and went into the drawing room. There was Marilyn propped up on cushions on the sofa with tatty robe and curlers and slippers, holding the paper. One passage had been causing me trouble and Marilyn told me how I should treat it. She wrote, “This has to be read loving, doesn’t it?” on the paper.

  ‘One day I was listening to Gracie Fields and Marilyn asked who it was. She listened and giggled, and got the drift of what it was about. She wanted to learn how to talk like her and did a pretty good job of it. She wouldn’t say “damn” though because she thought it was rude. She also liked George Formby and was fascinated by the fun and the banjo playing. Marilyn laughed like a drain at the rude bits. She would sing Gracie Fields around the house which was surreal. She was very quick to pick things up and didn’t do a bad job of it.’

  Meanwhile, back on the set of The Prince and the Showgirl, Marilyn’s morale was helped along by comedy actor Norman Wisdom, who was working at Pinewood at the time. He recalled: ‘I was delighted to meet Marilyn Monroe at Pinewood Studios when she was making The Prince and the Showgirl with Laurence Olivier. At that time I was making my film A Stitch in Time, and on several occasions she came in to watch my work. In fact, she quite unintentionally ruined a couple of takes. Obviously, of course, once the Director has said “Action”, everyone must remain silent, no matter how funny the situation might be, but Marilyn just could not help laughing and on two occasions she was politely escorted off the set. The nicest thing that happened was that we passed each other in the long hallway one lunchtime. It was crowded but she still caught hold of me, kissed and hugged me, and walked away laughing. Everybody in the hall could not believe it, and I remember my Director, Bob Asher, shouting out “you lucky little swine” – I agreed with him.’

  On 28 September Marilyn was once again unavailable for work, but her mood must have been lifted when she received a letter from TV channel ABC, offering her a part in The Brothers Karamazov. At any other time this would have been her dream job, but it was not to be; with personal and professional strains reaching boiling point, the last thing Marilyn needed was yet another project to complete, and the offer was turned down.

  During Marilyn’s time in England, she was presented with various opportunities by the BBC to further her dreams of becoming a serious artist: her participation was invited for a production of Aristophanes’ comedy Lysistrata; her input was requested for a tribute to NBC in which she was asked to talk about how radio and television should be used for the education of children; and both Arthur and Marilyn were asked to take part in a serious interview for a series entitled At Home and Abroad, as well as a discussion on ‘Man’s Role in Society’ for the London Forum series. Unfortunately, none of these projects came to anything, and the only reply the BBC received was from agency MCA, stating that Marilyn would be unavailable for any engagements during the making of The Prince and the Showgirl.

  On 11 October, after being off set all day, Marilyn and Arthur attended the opening of Miller’s play, A View from the Bridge, at the Comedy Theatre. To show a united front, the Millers left for the theatre from the home of the Oliviers, and caused a near riot when they arrived at the venue, with Marilyn wearing a scarlet satin gown and wrap from designer De Rachelle. The gown was extremely low-cut and photographers wasted no time in climbing to the balcony of the theatre to take photos that looked directly down the front of her dress.

  Sitting on seat 16, three rows from the front of the stage, Marilyn appeared relaxed and happy, with her husband on one side and Lord and Lady Olivier on the other. Any tensions from the set of The Prince and the Showgirl were well hidden, and during the evening Marilyn even found time to converse with members of the audience seated behind her.

  After the production had ended, the Millers took a bow on stage, and then met with members of the cast and crew backstage. Author Colin Wilson remembered driving past the Comedy Theatre and seeing a huge crowd gathered around the stage door. Realizing what was going on, he and his companion gatecrashed the after-show party and met Marilyn in Anthony Quayle’s dressing room. Wilson found her to be very attractive and charming, while his companion was amused to see her quite shamelessly standing in front of the mirror, desperately trying to heave up her low-cut gown.

  The next day, filming continued but tensions were still tight, particularly behind the scenes. Marilyn’s expenses were now causing a great deal of concern, and on 17 October a letter was sent to Milton Greene, requesting a complete breakdown of expenditure. However, there was no response to this and subsequent letters, until a final demand had to be written on 12 August 1957.

  On the other hand, it wasn’t all doom and gloom on the set and lighter moments were had when Elizabeth Arden’s assistant made a visit to Pinewood in order to pamper Marilyn, Olivier and Greene with manicures and pedicures. Marilyn was also thrilled when hairdresser Gordon Bond taught her rhyming slang in her dressing room. ‘She was a great mimic,’ said pianist Alan. ‘It was a hidden talent and living in Surrey, Marilyn would put on her English accent.’

  Thankfully for everyone, the bulk of the work had been completed by this time, and Paula Strasberg returned to the United States for a holiday, much to the joy of Olivier. Marilyn shocked everyone by becoming more cooperative but this soon changed when it was claimed that Strasberg was unable to return to England due to a visa problem. Marilyn hit the roof, and Paula soon returned, much to the dismay of almost everyone – especially when her costs later showed up on Marilyn’s expense report.

  The week beginning 22 October was an eventful one for Marilyn. On Monday she arrived some eighty-five minutes late, then kept cast and crew waiting for a further two hours and fifty-five minutes. On Tuesday and Wednesday she called in sick, whilst also taking delivery of clothes and shoes from Paris House, Anello & Davide and De Rachelle, and on Thursday and Friday Marilyn was on set, filming an exhausting ballroom scene. Finally, on Saturday she met with Dame Edith Sitwell, after turning down an invitation from Dame Margot Fonteyn to attend the Bolshoi Ballet. The meeting with Dame Edith was a very big deal, but it was nothing compared to the one that was to take place on Monday evening, when the Queen of Hollywood met the Queen of England.

  On 29 October 1956, hairdresser Gordon Bond was sent to Parkside House in order to ready Marilyn for her trip to the Empire cinema, Leicester Square. It was to be a glittering night, full of celebrities and royalty, and she wanted to look her best. Bond created a very regal looking hairstyle, complete with a ‘bun’, and although at least one reporter complained that it was the untidiest he had ever seen Marilyn’s hair, she looked stunning and very confident.

  She arrived at the Empire with her husband, wearing a gold lamé gown, with topaz straps and a gold cape. Her outfit included white gloves worn past her elbows and she carried a gold handbag, whilst expertly teetering on clogs with two-inch platform heels. The film shown that evening was The Battle of the River Plate, and afterwards Marilyn was presented to both Queen Elizabeth II and Princess Margaret.

  Although she was anxious about where she should stand and what she should say, everything went well on the night, and Marilyn performed an expert curtsy. In footage of the event, Her Majesty can be seen looking at Marilyn’s revealing outfit, before the pair talked for a minute or two about being neighbours (the Queen lived in Windsor which was just minutes away from Englefield Green), while Marilyn claimed that although she was leaving England in a matter of weeks, she was doing so reluctantly.

  The Queen then moved on to other stars in the line-up, while Marilyn talked to Princess Margaret about the possibility of her attending a performance of A View from the Bridge. Much was made of this in the newspapers the next day, as it was considered highly controversial that a royal should see a banned play, but Princess Margaret did indeed take Marilyn’s recommendation and attended a performance shortly afterwards.

  As she emerged from the cinema, Marilyn declared that the evening had been one of the nicest things that had ever happened to her, adding that she wasn’t at all nervous and fou
nd the Queen to be warm-hearted and sweet. She even joked with reporters about her curtsy, giving them an impromptu replay in order to prove she could do it correctly.

  Unfortunately, by the time the next day arrived, Marilyn had forgotten all about the success of the night before, and instead was highly agitated and angry on set. Complaining to Gordon Bond, she revealed the basis for her anger was another blonde star – Brigitte Bardot – who had been at the Royal Command Performance too. Upset that the French starlet had upstaged her, Marilyn was heard to call her ‘that silly little girl’ and ask, ‘Who does she think she is?’ The star’s anger was completely unfounded, however, and a look at the morning’s newspapers would have shown her that although Brigitte was mentioned in the stories, the bulk of articles were dedicated to Marilyn.

  By this point the production of The Prince and the Showgirl was almost at an end. Marilyn was given four official days off in early November, and her last days on set were the 15–16 November. Eager to end filming as soon as possible, she managed to get to the set for her 6.45 a.m. call-time on both days, although she did keep everyone waiting for two hours and twenty minutes on the 15th.

  Still, despite the hold-ups and lateness, the film finally wrapped for Marilyn on 16 November 1956, eleven days after it was scheduled to end. Before leaving the set, she found herself apologizing to the cast and crew for her behaviour, claiming poor health as the reason for the delays and begging them to forgive her. This proved to be a worthwhile thing to do, and although some members of cast and crew would never hold Marilyn in high regard, others proved very forgiving and would always speak of her in a respectful and honourable way.

  Although Marilyn’s part in the film may have been complete, she did not leave England immediately. Miller had recently spent several days away from his wife, meeting Simone Signoret and Yves Montand in Paris, but now that he was back the couple spent a quiet few days together at Parkside House.