Replies to This Discussion

Permalink Reply by Eric Keith Longo on June 2, 2019 at 7:06am

Hi Pauline, on behalf of everyone I thank you. It was REALLY kind of you to go into such depth for Trent regarding his program and post so many images and all. Your opinion and experience are highly valued!

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Permalink Reply by CJCollector on June 2, 2019 at 7:37am

I would like to thank Pauline also.

The DiMaggio was an easy opine, but thank goodness Pauline sealed the "Marilyn Monroe."

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Permalink Reply by Eric Keith Longo on June 2, 2019 at 7:25am

Hi Pauline,

All I read that Dimaggio was her escort, and if I recall correctly I found just one photo of them arriving together. Nothing inside.

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Permalink Reply by Pauline Berry on June 2, 2019 at 3:49pm

Thanks Eric, that was new information to me that DiMaggio accompanied her to this. So she sat separated from him that night, the lone woman on that list of important guests, while he sat elsewhere, how odd for him, being such a famous man.

Thank you for your trust in my thoughts on this Eric and Christopher. I get a bit obsessed, and had several theories along the way.

Curiously Mrs Birdsong's own hand-writing was the most like Marilyn's including the overall form of the paragraph. She perhaps had some similar character traits, as I do believe traits show in hand-writing. The big difference is the odd and arbitrary gaps between some of the words like don  't and Y ankees, which made me entertain the thought briefly that she wrote the autograph, as there were 2 examples of gaps in the autograph and dedication. But I concluded that although similar, it wasn't similar enough.

I think we all know how disappointing it is to get so close to an autograph and not actually achieve it. It's no surprise sometimes other people sign autos on behalf of, (and it would have been a mischievous night).  Sadly often the receiver never knows that happened. (What is Eddie Fisher's handwriting like?!)

Mrs Birdsong is not alone - Marilyn didn't even sign an autograph to Bruno Bernard, one of her photographers. Probably because she instinctively didn't like him too much. Her instincts were right - he claimed he taught her how to pose later on - that she was cheap and tacky in her photos before him. A lie of course.

So he put this fake in his book, even pretending she wrote "everything started with you".

Yet, she was "America's top model" from 1946 until she began achieved movie fame around 1950 onwards. He didn't photograph her until she was in movies. Ironically some of the brassiest and tacky photos of her were taken by him. Not my favourite photographer by a long shot. 

That's the double whammy of Monroe, she was already in the psyche of Americans as the girl next door model, on the front of all kinds of magazines aimed at householders, women and of course men's magazines in cheesecake poses, before she ever set foot on a Hollywood movie set.

Anyway, a bit off topic and I digress . . .but some of you know I am a big fan and studied her life, long before I studied her autograph.

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Permalink Reply by CJCollector on June 2, 2019 at 3:52pm

That was a great post, Pauline!!!

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Permalink Reply by Eric Keith Longo on June 2, 2019 at 4:16pm

Yes, excellent post!!! I met Eddie Fischer and will have to dig up his autograph. I have two - he he signed for my mom about 1960 and then I got her one afterward IP.

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Permalink Reply by Pauline Berry on June 2, 2019 at 4:41pm

Oh that's good - not sure if one should go off topic like that. So Marilyn was quoted saying she "had a thing for Eddie Fisher". They probably got along brilliantly that night.

And she was practically a member of the rat pack, so many pictures of her with those boys, and Dean Martin was a loyal friend to the end.

Maybe Princess Leia's dad wrote the auto!

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Permalink Reply by Eric Keith Longo on June 2, 2019 at 4:49pm

Hi Pauline,

For me, that is very much in topic! I enjoyed the post - thanks! :)

Eric

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Permalink Reply by TradeGeek on June 4, 2019 at 2:35pm

I don't collect vintage celebrities, never had an interest in Monroe but I greatly enjoyed your post. Incredible the amount of knowledge in this group. 

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Permalink Reply by Jason Strecker on June 4, 2019 at 3:31pm

I was literally thinking the same thing as I read a few posts, and had read the majority of the postings over the last few days. The knowledge on this site is just incredible, better than any un-named employee of a third part authenticator. Also very similar in thoughts as I have no interest in Marilyn Monroe either. I've just never got the appeal but I guess it's the beauty of the time period. I do feel awful for her passing so young.

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Permalink Reply by Pauline Berry on June 4, 2019 at 4:55pm

Well I have to recant slightly on Bruno Bernard, he did take some early photos of Monroe, certainly not among the earliest though. She was already appearing on covers before he met her.

I have never been that interested in Bruno Bernard because of his claims on "creating her" and speaking quite disparagingly of her, giving her little credit.   

He isn't mentioned by her in any interviews, and she did give thanks to those who believed in her and helped her. I think she just put up with him, thus he had to write his own autograph to himself.

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Permalink Reply by Gratefulphish on June 4, 2019 at 6:20pm

The accumulated knowledge and experience here is why it is such an amazing resource.  Thank you Pauline for some great insight.

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