Monroe Marilyn

Spectacular Marilyn Monroe Handwritten Screen Notes for a Scene from a Play, Approximately 117 Words in Her Hand!

Single sheet of handwritten notes on lined paper, 8" x 12.25". Fully scripted in graphite in Monroe's hand on recto with verso left blank. The moniker of MMM located to the left margin with the words on the page being written out twice and scripted over numerous times, consisting of 117 words. Edgewear to paper, with small intact tears outside of margins, except one 1" intact tear along bottom edge affecting text. Faint smudging and overall lightly toned. Excellent condition.

Single page scripted entirely in Monroe's hand with her famous Moniker "MMM" (Marilyn Monroe Miller) boldly placed to the left margin, which she began to use after her marriage to Arthur Miller in 1956. Marilyn was frequently taking acting classes. Earlier in her career while still under contract to Fox, Marilyn had begun taking acting lessons at the Actors Lab in the early 1940's, a practice she continued after she was dropped by the studio. She paid for her lessons with occasional modeling jobs, though the Lab allowed her some leeway in paying her bill. However the moniker of MMM most likely dates her handwritten notes to about 1956, a highly influential period of her life, when she went to the New York actors studio shortly after her enormous success in 1955 with "The Seven Year Itch". It was at this time of her life that she wanted serious acting to replace her sexpot image, an image she struggled to grapple with (yet originally had promoted extensively to the point of being known to shave an inch off a heel on her shoe to perfect her trademark wiggle). In her real life, Actor Eli Wallach has remarked how she could walk through the streets of New York City and not be noticed and then, in a moment's time, make some inner adjustment to transform herself into the beautiful, breathy, and sensual movie star that everyone recognized. Heads turned, traffic stopped, and fans came running. "I just felt like being Marilyn for a moment," she would say. But Marilyn's roots were from a very different place. A place where she perhaps directly related to the character Lorna, from the very scene she was practicing for in this script for the play "Golden Boy". Lorna, the "tough broad", Lorna the broad with huge vulnerability, Lorna who was born a butterfly". In a twist of ultimate irony, Marilyn Monroe in real life was just Norma Jeane Mortenson, born to a single parent and placed in a foster home early in her life. Marilyn also was a fighter, Marilyn also was known for her full vulnerability (in fact it was this allusion of herself as a vulnerable childlike woman that made her famous), and Marilyn also had a tough past but was born a butterfly.

Marilyn's handwritten pages depict the dialogue for the character of Lorna, from Act 1, Scene 4 of the play performed in 1937, Golden Boy by Clifford Odet. One can easily see Marilyn writing and rewriting the words, carefully retracing them in her attempt to memorize her lines. This play in particular is highly solicited and extensively practiced in acting classes. It is a huge favorite of actors due to the wonderful and complex characters and the incredible lines. The play has been described by others as: "The plot itself kind of creaks along, itÂ’s not natural, BUT Â… despite all of that: there is some dialogue in this play that would knock you on your ass. Odets at his very best. Oh, and Lorna Moon is the tough broad who is the girlfriend/gun moll of Joe BonaparteÂ’s boxing manager (Tom Moody). LornaÂ’s had a tough life, and the broad is HARD. At least seemingly so. She is a fantastic part. Because, of course, she has HUGE vulnerability beneath that tough exterior. Actresses are known to have a great time with this character."

Excerpt: "Know when I came out of the cacoon, I was a butterfly, and butterflies don't work."

A wonderful piece of Marilyn Monroe memorabilia with absolutely great content.

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