Marilyn Monroe (35 page)

What seems more likely is that Marilyn was suffering once again from endometriosis, since many of her absences occurred around the same time each month. Susan Strasberg remembered Marilyn requiring special pills to get her through a bad menstrual attack, while Esmond Knight later wrote that Marilyn
didn’t come to the set one day because of menstrual problems. This seems to have been the case on several occasions.

Adding to the pressure surrounding this bout of poor health was the discovery that the Millers’ cook and butler had been trying to sell their stories to the press. This came as a huge shock to everyone involved, and on 24 August it was announced that the couple had been relieved of their duties. What is surprising about this incident is that before the Millers moved into the house, there were no meetings to discuss confidentiality; it was just expected that the staff would not talk. Added to that, although PC Hunt was in charge of Marilyn’s safekeeping, he had very little to do with the staff, which lead to there being gaping holes in her security. Thankfully for Marilyn, Dolly Stiles fiercely guarded her confidentiality, and when she too was approached to sell her story, she adamantly refused.

As if all this wasn’t enough, Marilyn’s world fell apart when two weeks into the production she apparently found a notebook that Miller had left open on a table at Parkside. In the notebook, Miller had poured out his thoughts of what was happening during the making of
The Prince and the Showgirl,
detailing problems between Olivier and Marilyn, and saying how disappointed he felt with his wife and how he was ashamed of her.

Marilyn read the notebook in disbelief, and later broke down to the Strasbergs, who were concerned as to how Miller could write such things about his new wife. Although they tried to console her, Marilyn was convinced the notebook had been left open on purpose and took it to mean that her husband was now siding with Olivier. The incident could not have come at a worse time and no amount of comfort could convince her that perhaps what he wrote was just in the heat of the moment. Things were made worse when Marilyn’s staff – as well as the film’s crew – somehow found out about the incident, and although they were unsure of the exact details, they were fully aware that Marilyn was completely distraught by what she saw as her husband’s betrayal.

Alan, Marilyn’s pianist, remembers how the couple behaved around each other during this time: ‘I didn’t like [Miller] and found him very arrogant. He would look at me in a way that seemed like he wanted me to apologize for breathing. That wasn’t Marilyn’s way. She saw how he reacted to other people and this could have been the start of the rot. Marilyn was lovely with kids and old folk; in fact she was nice to everybody but had times when she could be “off” and then people just remember that. Arthur sized you up – you didn’t count if you weren’t in his group.

‘At Parkside I stayed in a corner and tried to blend in with the wallpaper; my mum said it was very vulgar to be seen. Marilyn was certainly ill, I could tell. She was miserable and puffy and her temper was short. She had a temper towards Arthur mainly – it was hot and strong [and] I couldn’t help overhearing stuff. There were rows but there were equally nice times too. I can’t remember the specific diary incident but tensions would blow due to something on the set.’

Marilyn felt betrayed by all sides: in her eyes her husband had been disloyal; Olivier was becoming more and more condescending; the press was turning against her; and even peacekeeping Milton Greene felt Marilyn’s wrath when he was accused of being on Olivier’s side. For Marilyn, her only allies were the Strasbergs and Hedda Rosten, but even that didn’t last long, since Lee only visited briefly and Hedda returned to New York just weeks into production, deciding she didn’t want to risk her friendship by staying in a situation that was quickly reaching boiling point.

Marilyn’s temper was witnessed by pianist Alan during a particularly stressful time at Parkside: ‘One day I wasn’t there when I was supposed to be, and Marilyn exploded at me. I was very careful after that. She seemed very lonely – like she was on her own in a little bubble. Marilyn was often full of fun but at times it was like talking to a black hole.’

Marilyn decided to take her mind off her problems by going on a shopping trip. Alan remembers: ‘The first time she went
shopping in London, Marilyn asked Colin Clark where would be a good place to go. He said Bond Street and of course she was mobbed.’ Indeed, by the time she reached Regent Street she was surrounded by hundreds of fans and the police had to be called.

But while the first trip to London was something of a disaster, it didn’t put her off and soon Alan found himself executing various escapes into the city. ‘We used to get out of Parkside through the service route at the back,’ recalled Alan. ‘We’d go under trees and through the property to next door – the Gardener’s Lodge. Marilyn would wear various disguises – hats, overcoat and floppy hat with a shoulder bag. She always had a book or a poetry volume in the bag. Her bottom didn’t wiggle – she used nothing to associate herself with being Marilyn. Sometimes people would look to see who she was but they didn’t recognize her.’

Once in London, Marilyn would behave just like any other tourist. She squealed with delight when she heard Big Ben chime, declaring it ‘Just like the movies,’ and also made a point of visiting the National Gallery, Piccadilly Circus and Charing Cross. She also took the chance to extend her book collection, as confirmed by pianist Alan: ‘Marilyn would make a beeline for Foyle’s bookshop and once you got her in there, you would have to drag her out.’

One day Marilyn took a ‘sicky’ and she escaped into the city with Alan. Once there they did some sightseeing in Trafalgar Square, where she got much more than she bargained for, as Alan recalls: ‘A pigeon went “splat” on the brim of her hat and she didn’t want to take it off because it was part of her disguise. We had to use a hanky and nail brush to scrub most of it off using water from the fountain. Many years later that same hat came up at auction and it still had the stains on the brim!’

But pigeons weren’t the only ones to give Marilyn unwanted attention, as witnessed by Alan. ‘We were in Trafalgar Square and an old lady came up to her. She was about five foot tall, all in black, wearing a hat with fruit and carrying a shopping bag.
She stood right in front of Marilyn, poked her between her ribs and said, “Ere, you’re that Marilyn Monroe tart ain’t ya?” She actually winded Marilyn with the poke. Marilyn looked down and in her “Queen” voice said, “Oh thank you, you’re so kind. I’m often being compared to her.” “Snotty cow,” said the old woman and stormed off. Marilyn was in hysterics laughing.’

Another escape came one evening when she wanted to get away from the stifling security at Parkside House. ‘I asked where she would like to go,’ recalls Alan, ‘and she said she’d seen a print of Salisbury Cathedral and had always wanted to see it. Off we went and we toured the cathedral and sat for quite a while. When we left she told me she was hungry and I panicked because I hadn’t thought about what we’d have to eat. We walked past a “chippy” and she said, “That smells good,” so she kept her head down, and we bought some chips and sat on a bench to eat them. She had never had fish and chips before but she wasn’t proud.’

But while these adventures were fun, working in a strange country was still daunting, and made worse on 26 August when Arthur Miller returned to the United States in order to see his children. Still feeling betrayed after finding his notebook, Marilyn went with him to the airport, and the couple sat quietly together in the back of their car, saying their goodbyes. The following day, on 27 August, she was back on the set, but it didn’t last long; on 31 August, she was once again unavailable for work, and shooting had to be rearranged to make allowances for her absence.

Reports surfaced that she was suffering from gastritis, and various doctors were called to her bedside. ‘While she often went out when she was supposed to be ill, there were times when she was actually ill, there was no mistake about that,’ remembered pianist Alan. For the next week Marilyn remained at home, and housekeeper Dolly Stiles recalled that she spent all her time either alone in her bedroom, or pottering around the garden. Finally, on 4 September, Arthur Miller cut short his trip to the United States and returned to England.

Although Olivier had problems of his own when Vivien Leigh miscarried his baby, on the surface at least he appeared calm during Marilyn’s absence. In a letter to his friend Radie Harris, he said they had been able to fill the time perfectly well with scenes Marilyn was not involved with. However, the full extent of her absence was later revealed when it was estimated she had cost the film approximately £38,305 and it could have been finished three weeks earlier if she had been on set, and on time.

The stress of the England trip was certainly taking its toll on Marilyn: she was drinking and her reliance on sleeping pills was growing; she became hysterical when the pills didn’t work or wore off. Her New York analyst was flown in to help and finally she received treatment from Anna Freud, the daughter of her hero, Sigmund Freud.

Added to her misery was the increased security at Parkside House, overseen by PC Hunt, or Plod as he was known. According to pianist Alan, ‘Security was beyond all reason and she resented it. Curtains were drawn in the car; no waving allowed; police at the gate, on the drive and the porch . . . it was far too much and far in excess of reason.’

Disturbingly for Marilyn, she found out that PC Hunt was keeping a diary of her comings and goings at Parkside and then reporting them back to Olivier. ‘She reacted badly,’ remembered Alan. ‘There was no more politeness with Plod. He would go hopping mad – he was in cahoots with [Colin] Clark and Marilyn would like baiting them. One day Plod caught me coming back into the house with Marilyn and it was very unpleasant. “Where have you been?” he shouted at me. “Sorry, what do you mean?” I asked. “I’ve been out.” “Don’t be cheeky young man,” Plod said. I told him that I worked for Marilyn – to Plod she was always Mrs Miller – and that if he wanted to know, he should ask her. Plod got very worked up and Marilyn overheard. She came out and told him that he was very much out of order and what I did was none of his business. She told me to go with her into the drawing room, and closed the door. “Never mind him,”
she said and gave me a kiss on the cheak. He had started out being an old uncle but there was more to him than that.’

But PC Hunt wasn’t the only one on Marilyn’s blacklist. She now considered peacekeeper Milton Greene as untrustworthy, and Miller found himself drawn into the business side of Marilyn Monroe Productions. Marilyn accepted Miller’s help until he tried to get her on set, which she considered as him once again taking sides, and subsequently began to resent his involvement. Additionally, she believed that Greene was buying English antique furniture and charging it to Marilyn Monroe Productions, which caused more mistrust between the business partners, and in turn resulted in her relationship with Miller becoming even tenser.

Still, during quieter moments Marilyn continued to share her dreams with her husband, detailing her plans to study history and literature; and her determination to have a quieter, calmer life in New York. They spent time travelling around the countryside, visited Brighton beach and ate at the Shelleys Hotel in Lewes, as remembered by receptionist Peggy Heriot: ‘One afternoon I was in reception at the Shelleys Hotel and in walked Marilyn with her husband Arthur Miller. She wore no makeup but looked really beautiful; they were both very casually dressed. They asked to look around the hotel then came back to reception saying they were hungry and wondered if I could give them something to eat. I telephoned our then chef who was resting in his room, saying that Marilyn Monroe would like some food. He thought I was joking but, once convinced, came down and talked to the couple. They ate in the drawing room and when they left they thanked the chef and me profusely and went on their way.’

On 7 September, although she was unavailable for work, Marilyn attended a production of
The Caucasian Chalk Circle
at the Palace Theatre on Shaftesbury Avenue. Once again the event made it into the newspapers, and rumours abounded that Marilyn visited the theatre manager, Harry W. Briden, during the interval in order to discuss acting. However, if this was the
case, he certainly didn’t write about it in his desk diary. Instead, he revealed that the Millers arrived late and members of the press crashed their way into the theatre during the excitement.

Another theatre trip came on 9 September, when the Millers visited the Comedy Theatre in order to publicize the upcoming production of Arthur’s
A View from the Bridge.
The play had been refused a public performance licence by the Lord Chamberlain because it included references to homosexuality, but the New Watergate Theatre Club – a membership based organization dedicated to presenting banned plays – had agreed to put on the drama at the Comedy Theatre.

Marilyn sat on the stage with actor Anthony Quayle, while Arthur Miller introduced his play to the audience. However, the press seemed to forget that the event was really nothing to do with Marilyn, and some newspapers severely chastised her the next morning for not making a speech herself. The
Daily Sketch,
who had presented Marilyn with her own bicycle just a few months before, gave her a thoroughly bad review, calling her appearance a ‘strictly dumb blonde role,’ and criticizing the fact that she had giggled in Arthur Miller’s ear and even sucked her thumb.

Come Monday morning, she was back on the set and seemed ready for work. However, the difficulties surrounding the shoot never really eased, and Marilyn caused her fair share of conflict, especially when she had a row with a member of the crew who accidentally walked in on her whilst she was changing. Some of the cast complained that she didn’t bother to say good morning or goodnight, and there was trouble too when
Bus Stop
director Joshua Logan visited the set and Marilyn refused to let him in her dressing room. Still angry that a scene had been cut from the film, no amount of apologies would calm the agitated star, and Logan eventually left.