I only have a handful of pictures of my gal Marilyn that speaks to me on a personal level which I suppose is funny since she's been in my life since I was 12.* But these two are among them.
Marilyn moved to New York in the mid-fifties to study method acting and she enjoyed the city, the seasons and the anonymity it gave her - although her time there wasn't without problems. On my first visit to NY in 1994 I ventured out to find her apartment and spoke to a few people who lived in the same building as she did on 444, East 57th street. They told me she always felt close to the "working man", that she was very friendly and more beautiful in life than on pictures. I can imagine it must have been nice for her to wander the streets in solitude around regular people miles away from Hollywood which she found fickle. In 1962 she talked about this (the downside of fame) with tremendous gusto in an interview with journalist Richard Meryman. Life Magazine ran the piece right before she died. I am happy to say Meryman made sure she got the final word.**
People seldom recognized her in dark glasses and a scarf around her head so the reason these photos exist is because she was befriended by a guy who also became a devoted fan. His name was James Haspiel and besides being lucky enough to sometimes run errands with her he became an expert in knowing her whereabouts, when to leave her alone (like these pictures show) or when to approach her. He also says that every time she left her apartment he noticed she would stand still for a second, touch her nose, cup her hand and cough!!***
She was 29 when Haspiel took these photos and he was 17. For some reason I find these images quite moving.
*I also did my thesis on her and have collected more than 100 books. My professor was also an avid fan - it was great! The reason why Marilyn has become an "academic topic" is, in my opinion, thanks to "Blonde" by Joyce Carol Oates.
**I'll talk more about this interview in another post - aren't you excited, Caroline! ;-)
***I find this information absolutely thrilling :-)
Marilyn moved to New York in the mid-fifties to study method acting and she enjoyed the city, the seasons and the anonymity it gave her - although her time there wasn't without problems. On my first visit to NY in 1994 I ventured out to find her apartment and spoke to a few people who lived in the same building as she did on 444, East 57th street. They told me she always felt close to the "working man", that she was very friendly and more beautiful in life than on pictures. I can imagine it must have been nice for her to wander the streets in solitude around regular people miles away from Hollywood which she found fickle. In 1962 she talked about this (the downside of fame) with tremendous gusto in an interview with journalist Richard Meryman. Life Magazine ran the piece right before she died. I am happy to say Meryman made sure she got the final word.**
People seldom recognized her in dark glasses and a scarf around her head so the reason these photos exist is because she was befriended by a guy who also became a devoted fan. His name was James Haspiel and besides being lucky enough to sometimes run errands with her he became an expert in knowing her whereabouts, when to leave her alone (like these pictures show) or when to approach her. He also says that every time she left her apartment he noticed she would stand still for a second, touch her nose, cup her hand and cough!!***
She was 29 when Haspiel took these photos and he was 17. For some reason I find these images quite moving.
*I also did my thesis on her and have collected more than 100 books. My professor was also an avid fan - it was great! The reason why Marilyn has become an "academic topic" is, in my opinion, thanks to "Blonde" by Joyce Carol Oates.
**I'll talk more about this interview in another post - aren't you excited, Caroline! ;-)
***I find this information absolutely thrilling :-)
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