A MOMENT IN TIME


MARILYN REHEARSES FOR HER UNIQUE RENDITION OF HAPPY BIRTHDAY

ON MAY 29TH, 1962, PRESIDENT JOHN F. KENNEDY TURNED 45.  TEN DAYS EARLIER, A STAR STUDDED FUND RAISER WAS HELD AT MADISON SQUARE GARDEN IN NEW YORK.  12,000 LOYAL DEMOCRATS WOULD ATTEND.  AMONG THE CELEBRITIES PRESENT WERE JIMMY DURANTE, JACK BENNY,  HARRY AND JULIE BELAFONTE, SHIRLEY MACLAINE, MARIA CALLAS, PETER LAWFORD, DIAHANN CARROLL AND MANY OTHERS.  WHEN IT WAS ALL OVER, PRESIDENT KENNEY ADDRESSED THE RALLY, SAYING THAT HE WAS "PROUD TO BE IN A POLITICAL PARTY WHICH CAN PRODUCE THIS EXTRAORDINARY TALENT."   

1962 WAS A PIVOTAL YEAR FOR MARILYN MONROE.  SHE ENDURED BOTH PERSONAL AND PROFESSIONAL HIGHS AND LOWS THAT WOULD ULTIMATELY DEFINE HER FINAL ROLE AS AN AMERICAN POP CULTURE ICON.   ONE OF MARILYN'S MOST TRIUMPHANT MOMENTS, WAS THE PERFORMANCE THAT SHE GAVE DURING THE PRESIDENTIAL GALA EVENT FOR JOHN F. KENNEDY'S 45TH BIRTHDAY.  THIS WAS A PRESTIGIOUS EVENT THAT, IN ITS TIME, WAS CONSIDERED TO BE AN ELITE GATHERING OF AMERICA'S FINEST.  THAT MARILYN WAS THE HIGHLIGHT OF THAT EVENT, INDEED CONFIRMED THE POWER AND RECOGNITION THAT SHE HELD AS AN INTERNATIONAL CELEBRITY. 

MARILYN TOOK A BRIEF BREAK FROM THE FILM THAT SHE WAS WORKING ON (SOMETHING'S GOT TO GIVE) AND TRAVELED TO NEW YORK FOR THE EVENT.  ALTHOUGH SHE NEVER COMPLETED THE FILM, SHE RECEIVED MUCH ATTENTION FOR HAVING BEEN THE FIRST MAJOR AMERICAN ACTRESS TO DO A COMPLETELY NUDE SCENE ON FILM.  THE MOVIE  WAS TO BE HER FINAL COMMITMENT TO  TWENTIETH CENTURY FOX STUDIOS.  MARILYN WAS EAGER TO MOVE ON AND EXPLORE ROLES OF GREATER DEPTH AND SUBSTANCE.    

A CASUAL MARILYN PREPARES FOR REHEARSAL OF HER NOW FAMOUS RENDITION OF THE HAPPY BIRTHDAY SONG. 

MARILYN  DEPARTS FROM HER NEW YORK APARTMENT AND IS DRIVEN TO MADISON SQUARE GARDEN.

IN HONOR OF THE PRESTIGIOUS EVENT, MARILYN HAD THE FAMED DRESS DESIGNER JEAN-LOUIS CREATE A GOWN THAT WOULD MERIT THE OCCASION. 

MARILYN'S PRESS AGENT, PAT NEWCOMB, ACCOMPANIES HER. 

MARILYN AND PETER LAWFORD SPEAK BRIEFLY BEFORE HER ENTRANCE ON STAGE.  FOR DRAMATIC EFFECT, LAWFORD WAS TO ANNOUNCE HER SEVERAL TIMES WITH A SPOTLIGHT SEARCHING AN EMPTY STAGE.  WHEN SHE FINALLY APPEARS, LAWFORD INTRODUCES HER AS "THE LATE MARILYN MONROE." ALTHOUGH THE STATEMENT WAS A SATIRE ON MARILYN'S LEGENDARY TARDINESS, IT  WAS A PROPHETIC INTRODUCTION GIVEN MARILYN'S DEMISE A FEW MONTHS LATER.  IT WAS PETER LAWFORD WHO INTRODUCED MARILYN TO THE KENNEDY FAMILY. 

A RADIANT MARILYN APPEARS ELATED TO BE A SINGING HAPPY BIRTHDAY TO THE PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES.  HER CINDERELLA STORY RISE TO STARDOM SEEMED TO CLIMAX AT THIS EVENT.  

GASPS CAN BE HEARD FROM THE AUDIENCE WHEN MARILYN REMOVES HER COAT REVEALING A SEEMINGLY TRANSPARENT GOWN SPARKLING WITH WITH RHINESTONES.   SHE WAITS FOR SILENCE BEFORE BEGINNING TO SING.  ONLY A GRAINY BLACK AND WHITE FILM FOOTAGE EXISTS OF THE MOMENT AND A LOW QUALITY SILENT COLOR FILM AS SHE APPEARS ON STAGE.  

Monroe continued the song with a snippet from the classic song Thanks for the Memory, for which she had written new lyrics specifically aimed at Kennedy.

Thanks, Mr. President
For all the things you've done
The battles that you've won
The way you deal with U.S. Steel
And our problems by the ton
We thank you so much

MARILYN SINGS HER BREATHY RENDITION OF HAPPY BIRTHDAY WITH A  UNIQUE MIXTURE OF SENSUALITY AND HUMOR THAT WAS HER TRADEMARK.

PHOTO BY BILL RAY

AS THE CAKE IS BROUGHT OUT, MARILYN EXITS THE STAGE.

PHOTO BY BILL RAY

 

PRESIDENT KENNEDY APPEARS SHORTLY THEREAFTER TO PROCLAIM THAT "I CAN NOW RETIRE FROM POLITICS AFTER HAVING HAD HAPPY BIRTHDAY SUNG TO ME IN SUCH A SWEET AND WHOLESOME WAY."

 

 

 

AFTER THE EVENT, A PARTY WAS HOSTED FOR THE DIGNITARIES AND PERFORMERS BY ARTHUR KRIM.  HE WAS ONE OF THE ORGANIZERS OF THE GALA.  THE PARTY WAS HELD AT HIS MANHATTAN TOWNHOUSE.  PRESS PHOTOGRAPHERS WERE BARRED.   ARMY PHOTOGRAPHER CECIL N. STOUGHTON WAS THE OFFICIAL ASSIGNED BY THE WHITE HOUSE TO DOCUMENT THE PRIVATE AFFAIR.  BEST KNOWN FOR HIS PHOTOGRAPH OF THE SWEARING IN OF LYNDON B. JOHNSON WITH A BLOOD STAINED JACQUELINE KENNEDY AT HIS SIDE,  HE  TOOK THE FOLLOWING CANDID PHOTOS.    

MARILYN CONVERSES WITH OPERA DIVA MARIA CALLAS.

MANY FLOCKED AROUND MARILYN TO HAVE THEIR PICTURE TAKEN WITH HER.

MARILYN WITH JFK BROTHER IN LAW STEPHEN SMITH.

 MARILYN WITH BROTHERS JOHN AND BOBBY KENNEDY.

THE FOLLOWING ACCOUNT OF THE PARTY WAS PUBLISHED IN LIFE MAGAZINE, JUNE 1987.

FOR MANY AT THE PARTY, THE MEMORY THAT HAS LASTED LONGEST IS OF MARILYN MONROE.  THIS MAY BE DUE TO WHAT SHE WAS - OR WASN'T - WEARING.  HOLLYWOOD COSTUME DESIGNER JEAN-LOUIS WHO CREATED HER $5000 DRESS, COMMENTED THAT IT WAS MADE OF "NUDE, VERY THIN MATERIAL, EMBROIDERED WITH RHINESTONES SO SHE WOULD SHINE IN THE SPOTLIGHT.  SHE WORE NOTHING, ABSOLUTELY NOTHING, UNDERNEATH."

LATER ADLAI STEVENSON CHARACTERIZED MONROE THAT EVENING AS "DRESSED IN WHAT SHE CALLS 'SKIN AND BEADS.' "HE ADDED, "I DIDN'T SEE THE BEADS!"  ARTHUR SCHLESINGER JR. WROTE IN HIS JOURNAL: "I DO NOT THINK I HAVE SEEN ANYONE SO BEAUTIFUL."  LESS THAN THREE MONTH LATER, MONROE WAS DEAD.  MEANWHILE, KRIM, COCHAIRMAN OF THE RALLY, RECALLS THAT THE PRESIDENT WAS "IN GREAT FORM."  JFK LEFT AROUND THREE A.M.  MONROE, SCHLESINGER AND BOBBY KENNEDY STAYED UNTIL NEARLY DAWN. 

 

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