Personified Hollywood glamour like Marilyn with
an unparalleled glow and energy. The Suite is done in two-toned
teal and a brass King sized bed. The surround mirror curly maple
dressing table with a circular seat, is adorned with gloves and
diamonds as if Norma Jean has only gone to take a bubble bath.
Waite, when you enter the bath a large photo of Marilyn is overlooking
her red tub. She enamored the world with alluring beauty with
voluptuous curves and a generous pout, Marilyn was more than a
'50s sex goddess. Her apparent vulnerability and innocence, in
combination with an innate sensuality, has endeared her to the
global consciousness. She dominated the age of movie stars to
become, without question, the most famous woman of the 20th Century.
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.
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).