Six decades after her tragically early death, Marilyn Monroe remains America’s undefeated bombshell — and one of our most enduring enigmas.
Was the celebrated starlet fragile and love-starved — or tough and self-assured? In love with love — or happy with her many lovers?
Now, a new book filled with never-before-seen photos and letters seeks to answer some of the many unanswered questions about her life.
“Dear Marilyn: The Unseen Letters and Photographs” was compiled from the archive of photographer Sam Shaw, who befriended her in the early 1950s, just as her star was rising — the two shared a rare closeness that allowed him near-unfettered access to her famed life.
Through Monroe’s ups and downs, their friendship endured, and the shutterbug became her close confidant.
Thanks to his granddaughter, Melissa Shaw, the world finally has a chance to take a more intimate look at the way her grandfather saw Marilyn, through his eyes and lens.
Monroe had many sides — and Sam lets us see them all.
Goofball Marilyn
Here’s another chance to see what Melissa Shaw referred to as “the joy of Marilyn” — captured at the Monroe-Miller home in Connecticut’s Litchfield County.
Monroe goofed around with the photographer all day in the backyard, and the series of images from that shoot showcases the different aspects of her personality, from contemplative to sex kitten, in a simple blue dress, shot in color or B&W; Arthur Miller even makes a cameo or two.
So much is made, said Melissa, of her “search for herself, but there was also that natural, innate, born-with-it joy and interest in life.”
Iconic Marilyn
The idea of shooting Marilyn in the near-wardrobe malfunction made famous in “The Seven Year Itch” was Sam’s, Melissa told The Post.
Sam had been hired by the producer to shoot what was known as key images — stills and snapshots that would be used to hype the film. Earlier, Sam had captured a similar image at Coney Island, which had become a sellout cover on Friday magazine.
He suggested staging this scene the same way after reading a line in the film script — “Do you feel the breeze from the subway? Isn’t it delicious?”
This image is of the original, New York shoot, but the crowd here caused too much hubbub to use that footage in the final movie, so the familiar scene’s actually a reshoot on a closed soundstage in LA.
Queen-of-the-world Marilyn
Riding high on her “Seven Year Itch” success, Monroe tore up her 20th Century Fox contract, turned her back on Hollywood for New York and started her own production company.
“At the height of her superstardom, she wanted more artistic control over the roles she was playing,” said Melissa.
“People holding power at this time were quite universally men, and Sam describes her so many times as a tough street fighter with a will of iron.”
Nothing sums up Marilyn’s swagger better than this snap, taken at the home she was sharing with her husband, playwright Arthur Miller, in Roxbury, Connecticut — beautiful, but unbowed.
Method Marilyn
Marilyn was a method acting devotee, and wanted to shoot this bathtub scene from “The Seven Year Itch” that way: stark naked.
“It’s what she called ‘actors’ truth,’ playing the scene as authentically as possible regardless of what the script said,” Melissa explained.
The book’s photos show that she conceded to prudish norms, wearing nude panties and a top. Marilyn spent plenty of downtime in the bath, too, she added, a pioneering fan of the current celeb fad for cold plunges.
“She took baths filled with ice cubes because she thought it kept her body firm,” she said.
Candid Marilyn
Never seen before, this was shot on NYC’s streets during the shoot for “The Seven Year Itch.” Melissa points out the difference in Monroe’s smile here.
“Not the big, wide, open-mouthed smile she perfected for the paparazzi,” she said, “It’s more intimate, kind and sweet. We love this photo.”
The blurred background makes it seem even more ad hoc, more like an out-take moment where the actress can be herself — before slipping back into bombshell character on set.
BFF Marilyn
This candid shot of Melissa’s grandfather in a loving clinch with Monroe epitomizes their bond.
“You can see the affection and intimacy here — he was a mentor-like figure to her,” said Melissa. “It’s the best representation of their relationship.”
It was taken on the “Seven Year Itch” set, she believes, because Sam wanted to impress his kids. It’s also one that Melissa cherishes for the sunniness that oozes from Monroe in the image.
“Instead of her being a victim, it highlights her joy,” she said.
Smartypants Marilyn
“She makes him look good, doesn’t she?” Melissa laughed at this indelible image, which turns Arthur Miller into a gruff sex symbol in his own right.
Sam spent a day prowling the streets of New York with the famed couple as part of the promo for “The Prince and the Showgirl,” the first film from Marilyn’s new production shingle, to appear in Life magazine.
“Sam’s point of view repositions Marilyn to be her equal,“ Melissa said. “Maybe she wasn’t an intellectual in the way he was, but I don’t know if she was trying to be. She was very well read.”
Later that same day, as the rain closed in while the couple walked across the Brooklyn Bridge, Miller called his friend, writer Norman Rosten, to give them shelter nearby — creating an enduring friendship between Rosten and Monroe that lasted until her death.
Behind-the-scenes Marilyn
This candid silhouette shot snaps Marilyn at a major moment — working with Richard Avedon, fashion’s primo photographer. Sam was a fan of his former NYC high school classmate, calling him “the greatest,” said Melissa.
This image comes from a session just one day before her iconic subway grate shoot took place.
“She’s doing the open-mouthed Marilyn look there, but she looks very young, sweet and much more innocent here,” Melissa said.
For Marilyn, the team up with Avedon would pay off tenfold — he’d help her land her dream gig, the cover of Harper’s Bazaar, barely a year later.
Marilyn’s man
Sam Shaw rarely stepped in front of the camera to pose, so this is a rare image.
“It’s exactly what Sam looked like when he met Marilyn, with his old film camera and some kind of ID hanging off his trench coat,” Melissa said.
“He was one of those people who became an artist because there was no other choice. Some people do, and Marilyn fit that as well, so when they found each other, they connected on that level.”
“Dear Marilyn: The Unseen Letters and Photographs” (ACC Art Books, $65) is out now.
‘ The preceding article may include information circulated by third parties ’
‘ Some details of this article were extracted from the following source celebrity.land ’
