Original subtitles

>> Narrator: Marilyn Monroe was

an unrivalled screen goddess

and the ultimate Hollywood sex

symbol.

Now, hundreds of items from

her life -- from show-stopping

gowns to recipes, from

handwritten poems to rare

photographs -- are about to

go under the hammer.

They reveal Marilyn as we've

never seen her before.

A woman who was unashamed of

her sex appeal and not afraid

to flaunt it.

>> Marilyn Monroe: I hate a

careless man.

>> Ellen Burstyn: She

revolutionized the female

image.

Nobody had ever done that

before.

>> Narrator: A trailblazer, for

today's Hollywood actresses,

who took control of her career

in daring new ways.

Marilyn's belongings are

fetching record-breaking

sums.

>> Auctioneer: $4 million!

>> Narrator: It's the last

chance to see her through

the things she loved, the

dresses she wore, and the

words she wrote.

>> Narrator: Marilyn Monroe has

always created a buzz.

And this once-in-a-lifetime

auction is no exception.

The items have been on a

world tour attracting crowds

wherever they went.

The catalogue alone is spread

across four volumes and runs

to almost a thousand pages.

No other movie star in history

has garnered so much

attention.

>> Darren Julien: Well, it's

the next best thing to

meeting her is owning

something that she owned,

touching something that she

touched.

>> Narrator: Under the

spotlight are some of Marilyn's

most famous gowns.

>> Auctioneer: Round of

applause, yes!

That's why you're all here.

This is outstanding.

>> Narrator: More than any

other star she's remembered

for what she wore.

>> Amber Butchart: She was

absolutely brilliant at

understanding the power of

clothing.

She often didn't wear

undergarments 'cos she believed

it ruined the line, and the

dresses acted as a perfect

showcase for this absolutely

incredible figure.

>> Narrator: No dress showed

off Marilyn's body more than

the one she wore to sing Happy

Birthday to President

John F. Kennedy in May 1962.

It's so famous that it could

become the most expensive gown

ever sold.

>> Edward Meyer: I believe it

to be the most iconic dress

of the 20th century.

Combines pop art, politics,

it ties it all in beautifully.

>> Darren Julien: People just,

they're mesmerized by seeing

it.

It makes people cry, it you

know, very few artefacts in

our lifetime has that type of

effect on the public.

>> Narrator: In 1962, Marilyn

was invited to perform at JFK's

glamorous 45th birthday gala

in New York.

She knew the eyes of

the world would be watching.

Marilyn and Kennedy had met

several times.

The gossip was they were

having an affair, so Marilyn's

appearance at the President's

party was front page news.

>> Bill Ray: There were a lot

of rumours that there was a

romance or something going on,

and so I wanted to get a

picture of Kennedy with

Marilyn Monroe.

That was my aim.

>> Narrator: Weeks before the

event, Marilyn ordered a dress

for this special night.

Bob Mackie was part of the

design team.

>> Bob Mackie: She wanted to

look unbelieveable.

She wanted to really, you

know, like wake people up.

Here's the sketch of the

actual dress.

It was a one layer, very

sheer silk fabric.

I mean sheer, sheer, sheer.

They called it, in Hollywood,

they called it soufflé.

And then there was

thousands of what they called

lock roses, which are like

little crystal rhinestones

that have a flat back and a

hole in the middle and sewn

on one at a time.

And they're very expensive

at this point in time.

And it was kind of based on

that idea that Marilyn would

be absolutely nude and with

just diamonds on her as she

walked out.

>> Narrator: Marilyn kept the

dress a closely guarded

secret.

On Saturday the 19th of May,

an audience of 15,000 gathered

in Madison Square Gardens,

New York, to watch the star

studded gala.

Marilyn was the last performer

in the lineup.

And she kept everyone

hanging.

>> Bill Ray: At one point

everything went black.

They turned off every light in

Madison Square Garden.

You couldn't see a thing.

When the spotlight came on her

it was just boom.

>> Peter Lawford: Mr. President,

the late Marilyn Monroe.

[laughter]

>> Bill Ray: It started just

flashing all of those

Swarovski crystals on that

dress, and it... it was just

breathtaking.

And you could hear people

gasp, you know, and it almost

appeared like she was nude.

And then she starts this

little song.

And it just brought down the

house.

* Happy birthday to you

* Happy birthday to you

* Happy birthday, Mr. President *

* Happy birthday to you

>> Narrator: Marilyn's

rendition of Happy Birthday

lasted less than 30 seconds.

But the song, and the dress,

had just the impact she

planned.

>> Prof. Sarah Churchwell: It

caused a sensation.

Lots of people, to this day,

who haven't seen any

Marilyn Monroe film, have

seen that footage of her

singing Happy Birthday in

the dress that one historian

described as 'skin and beads'.

>> President Kennedy: I can

now retire from politics after

having had Happy Birthday

sung to me in such a sweet,

wholesome way.

[laughter/cheering]

>> Narrator: Nearly 55 years

after she stole the show at

the President's birthday

party, Marilyn's dress is

taking centre stage once more.

>> Auctioneer: And now making

history, selling one of the

most significant dresses in

the world.

This dress is a piece of

history.

And you can own it tonight.

Can I hear $5 million?

>> Bidder: And two million.

>> Auctioneer: I've got

two million to start!

Would anybody give three

million?

We have two million.

Three million, I've got three

million.

$4 million.

$4 million!

We have three million bid...

$4 million.

We have three million bid.

Any other bids at four

million.

$4 million, we have bid!

Fair warning, last call.

Ladies and gentlemen, this

dress just sold for $4.81

million, with buyer's

premium.

Ripley's Believe It Or Not.

>> Narrator: Fetching a record

$4.81 million it's the most

expensive dress ever sold.

Marilyn was one of the most

photographed women of all time.

Original prints of her are

highly prized collectors'

items.

>> Darren Julien: The early

photographs that the

photographers actually held

and developed early on have

the most value and, in some

cases, we've sold those for

50, 60, $80,000 per photograph.

>> Auctioneer: The page lot

number 817.

817 is the Marilyn Monroe

Red Velvet session photographs.

>> Narrator: One set of

photographs tells the story of

Marilyn's remarkable journey

from struggling model to

Hollywood star.

In 1949, at the age of 22,

Marilyn posed nude in return

for a $50 fee.

>> Darren Julien: These

photographs have value because

they were the first time that

Marilyn posed nude.

>> Narrator: Marilyn was a

natural brunette.

When these photos were taken,

she hadn't begun to style her

hair in the titanium blonde

bob that would become her

trademark.

>> Prof. Sarah Churchwell: She

gradually evolved her look.

You don't see the iconic

Marilyn Monroe.

Her hair's longer.

It's a darker blonde.

The make-up that she used was

more natural.

>> Narrator: Marilyn was born

in LA in June 1926.

Her real name was Norma Jean

Mortinson.

She would never know the

identity of her dad, and her

mum was diagnosed with

schizophrenia when she was 8.

She spent her childhood in an

orphanage and several foster

homes.

From a young age, she loved

escaping to the movies.

>> Marilyn Monroe: I remember

when I was a kid sitting in the

front row at the movies on

Saturday afternoon, and I

would never come out of the

movie.

They'd have to come and get me.

And I'd sit in the front row,

and I'd think how wonderful

it would be to be an actress.

>> Narrator: As a poor girl

with no connections, there

seemed little chance Marilyn

would realize her dreams.

Then she hit puberty.

>> Prof. Lois Banner: Marilyn

reached her full adult height

of 5'6" when she was 12 years

of age, and the other children

really teased her.

They called her Norma Jean

String Bean 'cos she, her

body was completely flat.

And then overnight she

developed the gorgeous

Norma Jean, Marilyn Monroe

body.

And that changed everything.

All the boys became enamoured

of her.

They all followed after her.

>> Narrator: Marilyn's

striking looks and figure

stoked her ambition.

She was spotted at 18, signed

her first modelling contract

at 19, picked up by Fox

Studios at 20.

By the age of 22, Marilyn had

appeared in four movies, but

her studio contract wasn't

renewed.

She did the Red Velvet shoot

to help pay the bills.

Afterwards, the photographer

sold the negatives and Marilyn

moved on.

Over the next three years,

she put everything into

rebuilding her acting career,

landing ever bigger roles.

By 1952, she'd become a

top-billed actress with Fox

Studios.

>> Prof. Sarah Churchwell: 1952

was really Marilyn's breakout

year.

She had her first major lead

role in a film that got

attention.

>> Narrator: But in February

1952, a scandalous story

threatened to destroy

Marilyn's shot at stardom.

Without her knowing it,

the nude photographs had been

published in a calendar.

At first, no-one realized that

this fresh faced pin-up was

the same woman as the blonde

Hollywood starlet.

Then a journalist made the

connection.

She wrote up a story and

alerted the studio that it was

about to run.

It threatened to bring down

everything Marilyn had worked

for.

>> Prof. Churchwell: Before

Marilyn, there had been other

stars about whom it had been

revealed that they had earlier

had nude photographs taken

of them.

The actor or actress in question

had lost their career.

It was not acceptable.

>> Narrator: Fox gave Marilyn

an ultimatum:

Deny the photographs or get

fired.

But Marilyn had her own ideas.

>> Marilyn Monroe: They called

on the set, the Publicity

Department, and they said

"Did you pose for a calendar?"

and I said "Yes, anything

wrong?"

My boss said "You don't say

you did" I said "But I did.

I signed the release and I did,

and I feel I should say it,"

so I did.

>> Narrator: Marilyn confronted

the press herself.

And came up with a one-liner

that would go down in history.

When asked what she had on

she said "the radio."

Instead of destroying her,

she emerged as an even bigger

star.

>> Prof. Churchwell: Marilyn

became famous as the first

major Hollywood star to survive

a nude scandal.

Marilyn was the first one to

say 'Yeah, it's me.

I took nude photographs and

there's nothing wrong with

that.

And I'm not going to apologize

for it and I'm not going to be

ashamed of it.

And guess what, I'm still a

movie star'.

>> Narrator: When it came to

attitudes to her body and

sexuality, Marilyn was ahead

of her time.

But her free thinking would

cost her her closest

relationship.

*

>> Narrator: Among the hundreds

of items up for auction, by

far the most intimate are

those written in Marilyn's

own hand.

Throughout her life she made

notes, composed poems, and

wrote accounts of her dreams.

>> Darren Julien: Marilyn would

often write down what she was

feeling at the time.

You know, and that's not

something you see today with

celebrities.

They don't write out stuff.

They'll send an email.

And we sometimes see pieces

of paper that she handwrote

sell for 10, 20, £30,000 just

because they were Marilyn

Monroe.

>> Narrator: On March 26th,

1952, just after the nude

photo scandal broke, Marilyn

went out for a dinner with a

friend to talk about her

career.

>> Auctioneer: Lot Number 156.

156.

>> Narrator: During the

meeting, she scribbled some

notes which reveal her

determination to reach the

top.

>> 'Marilyn': "You want me

to be a star?

I can be your greatest star."

>> Auctioneer: Fair warning

then.

And selling at 4,000.

I sold it at four.

>> Prof. Churchwell: I think

it's really important to

register how ambitious she was.

She worked unbelievably hard

at achieving her dream.

You don't become the biggest

movie star in the world by

accident.

>> Narrator: Amongst the

scrawl, Marilyn wrote down some

acting advice.

>> 'Marilyn': "Think with

your body, let go physically

to pick up emotionally."

>> Narrator: Marilyn took this

advice to heart.

Starting with her walk.

>> Ellen Burstyn: Marilyn

developed a persona that was

extraordinary.

I have this book here that

belonged to Marilyn.

It's called The Thinking

Body.

But it's from this book that

she studied the human body and

its movement, so that she

could develop that walk.

So she created Marilyn Monroe

consciously.

>> Narrator: Two months after

writing her note on the back

of a menu, Marilyn was offered

a part that would allow her to

show off her new moves.

>> Auctioneer: Lot number 46.

Another great lot.

This is the Gentlemen

Prefer Blondes embellished

gown.

Fabulous dress.

>> Narrator: Going under the

hammer is one of the dresses

Marilyn Monroe and her co-star,

Jane Russell, wore in

Gentlemen Prefer Blondes.

>> Amber Butchart: The

dresses are quintessential

showgirl outfits.

Blood red, swirling sequins

all over them, entirely

form fitting.

Sweeping down to the floor,

but with this amazing slit

going right up to hip level.

They also had this incredibly

plunging neckline.

>> Narrator: Marilyn appeared

in the movie alongside one

of Hollywood's most revered

actresses.

To reflect her star status

Jane Russell was billed above

Marilyn.

But then the actresses

appeared alongside one another

in the opening number.

*

>> Bob Mackie: Poor Jane

Russell had to stand next

to Marilyn Monroe and do the

same movements.

And nobody was looking at her,

poor thing, 'cos Marilyn was

so amazing.

>> Ellen Burstyn: I remember

just being astonished that a

girl could be so sexy --

on purpose.

She revolutionized the female

image.

Nobody had ever done that

before.

>> Narrator: Gentlemen Prefer

Blondes was a box office hit.

Although Marilyn was paid

a fraction of Jane Russell's

earnings, it was clear who

now deserved top billing.

>> Auctioneer: Fair warning

then.

We'll sell it to the high

bidder on Julien's Live.

Last chance!

And selling then at 37.5.

Sold at 37.5.

>> Narrator: By 1954, Marilyn

had devoted fans, none more

so than the Monroe Six.

A group of amateur

photographers who spent their

time taking pictures of

Marilyn in unguarded moments.

>> Darren Julien: The Monroe Six

were really the first fan club

that was created around a

celebrity.

And they had such a fascination

with Marilyn and such a love

for her, and she embraced that.

When she knew one of the

Monroe Six was there she would

give them access that nobody

else had.

>> Narrator: An unseen set of

photographs, taken by the

Monroe Six, tells the story

behind one of the most iconic

images of the 20th

century.

The publicity photographs for

the film A Seven Year Itch

were taken during the filming

of the most famous scene from

the movie.

The picture, by one of the

Monroe Six, shows Marilyn

arriving for the shoot.

She's clutching her film script

and is wearing the famous white

halter neck dress underneath a

mink coat, given to her by

husband, Joe DiMaggio, the

biggest sports star in

America.

The couple were married in

January 1954.

It was a match made in

celebrity heaven.

>> Ellen Burstyn: Well, when

I first came to New York,

I used to go to a nightclub

called Jilly's and she went

there often, so I would see

her there.

Yeah, they were the most

glamorous couple in New York.

>> Narrator: Joe was 11 years

older than Marilyn, and he

acted accordingly.

>> Elizabeth Winder: I think

that what really impressed

Marilyn about DiMaggio was

how different he was from the

Hollywood men that she was

surrounded by at the time.

He wore dark, sober suits.

She liked that he looked like

a senator or a businessman.

>> Narrator: Joe had

traditional ideas about how

a wife should behave.

>> Elizabeth Winder: He wanted

a domestic sort of woman who

would be in his shadow a

little bit.

He assumed that after they got

married, her career would, she

would put it on the back burner

and they would focus on having

a family.

>> Narrator: Marilyn spent

the weeks after her marriage

entertaining troops in Korea.

But DiMaggio wasn't happy

about being married to

America's sexiest sweetheart.

>> Prof. Lois Banner: He said

why are you showing your body

to all those men when you're

married to me?

You are insulting me by doing

that.

>> Narrator: Then, on September

the 15th, 1954 Marilyn turned

up to shoot the iconic scene

for The Seven Year Itch.

In the script, Marilyn and

co-star Tom Ewell exit a

movie theatre and a draft from

the subway below lifts

Marilyn's skirt.

The film's publicity

department decided to ask the

press along -- a hundred male

photographers and up to 5,000

spectators turned up.

Joe DiMaggio was among them.

The Director insisted on

doing 14 takes, to make sure

he got every detail just

right.

>> Prof. Lois Banner: Her pubic

hair showed and Joe was there.

He gets utterly furious.

Completely furious.

And when they went back to the

hotel room he did hit her.

So, she wouldn't stand for

that and she walked out.

>> Narrator: Four weeks

later, Marilyn filed for

divorce, citing mental

cruelty.

>> Prof. Churchwell: And her

marriage ended with Marilyn

saying to friends "But I was

a movie star when he met me.

What did he think I was gonna

do, just give up my career?"

>> Auctioneer: Come on.

Show me what you got.

2500... 3500... now 4.

All bidders in the gallery.

>> Bidder: Bid!

>> Auctioneer: Yes!

We got $180,000!

>> Narrator: Many of the items

now going under the hammer in

Hollywood were Marilyn Monroe's

personal possessions and have

never been seen in public

before.

They were directly inherited

by her trusted friend and

acting coach, Lee Strasberg.

>> Darren Julien: Lee Strasberg

was probably the most

influential and most important

person in Marilyn Monroe's life.

And he was her mentor.

He cared for her.

He was the father figure that

she never had.

>> Narrator: Lee Strasberg was

the leading light of a

revolutionary style of acting

called 'The Method', which he

taught at The Actors Studio

in New York.

In 1955, Marilyn was at the

peak of stardom, but she

felt her career was at a

dead end.

She was fed up with playing

dumb blondes and wanted more

challenging acting roles.

>> David Lee Strasberg: She

said okay.

She was already a star.

She was already a big box

office hit.

She said "I wanna be a real

actress."

>> Narrator: For Marilyn, Lee

Strasberg was the key to

unlocking her potential as an

actress.

She moved to New York and

enrolled in his classes.

>> David Lee Strasberg: It was

a tremendous pairing.

Her desire to be a better

actress was an incredibly

strong driving force, which

met a man whose primary

desire is to nurture that

talent, right?

So, right off the bat from

teacher and student, you start

with a really, really powerful

relationship.

>> Narrator: Lee Strasberg's

Method approach required actors

get under the skin of their

characters, to give emotionally

truthful performances.

Marilyn was forced to look

inside herself.

>> Auctioneer: Lot number 172.

172 is the Marilyn Monroe

handwritten Dream Narrative.

Nice lot.

And we'll start the bidding at

$5,000.

Lot number 172.

>> Narrator: Her soul searching

was revealed in a dream she

wrote down in her hotel room.

>> 'Marilyn': "They cut me

open and there is absolutely

nothing there.

The only thing that came out is

sawdust, like a raggedy Ann

doll."

>> Elizabeth Winder: Marilyn

was really plagued by a lot of

self doubt.

Lee Strasberg encouraged Marilyn

to face her fears, to kind of

lean in to her sensitivity.

She feels scared to lean

harder into that, rather than

ignore it.

And so that's what she did.

>> Auctioneer: We're gonna

sell it in the gallery, last

chance.

And selling at 15,000.

Sold at 15,000!

*

>> Narrator: Crafting her

acting style was only part of

Marilyn's bold reinvention.

In the same year she enrolled

in the Actors Studio she

announced the foundation of

her own independent production

company.

In this 1955 TV interview,

she explains why she set it up.

>> Interviewer: Marilyn, tell

me, what's the basic reason

for this corporation?

>> Marilyn Monroe: Why merely to

contribute to help making good

pictures.

>> Interviewer: Well, would it

be fair to say that you got

rather tired of playing the

same kind of roles all the

time and wanted to try something

different?

>> Marilyn Monroe: It's not that

I object to doing musicals or

comedies, in fact, I rather

enjoy it, but I would like to

do also dramatic parts too.

>> Prof. Churchwell: It was a

very laudable attempt to create

professional control to make

sure that she could make the

kinds of movies that she

wanted to make.

Some people also started to

recognize what she was trying

to do.

Time Magazines called her a

shrewd businesswoman.

There was this sense that maybe

this new side of Marilyn was

emerging.

>> Narrator: Marilyn also

negotiated a new deal with

Fox Studios that was

revolutionary for an actress

at that time.

She won the right to choose

her own films and who

directed them.

For her first picture under

the new agreement, Marilyn

picked Bus Stop, a story

based on an award winning

play running on Broadway.

This is the list of who she

considered as director.

>> Prof. Churchwell: And it is

this kind of roll call of the

most respected, prestigious

directors of the day, and

these were the only ones she

was gonna work with.

They're mostly Oscar winners.

George Stevens, William Wyler,

Fred Zinnemann, John Huston.

Alfred Hitchcock!

Wouldn't it have been great if

Marilyn had worked with Alfred

Hitchcock?

Billy Wilder and Josh Logan,

who has Bus Stop written next

to his name.

>> Narrator: With a Pulitzer

Prize, a Tony Award and over

20 productions under this belt,

Josh Logan had all the

credentials Marilyn was

looking for.

>> Auctioneer: Lot number 54.

54.

This is the Marilyn Monroe

Bus Stop costume.

Studio image and...

>> Narrator: In Bus Stop,

Marilyn plays Cherie, a poor

showgirl from the Midwest.

Up for sale is the costume

she wore while singing her

only number in the picture.

>> Narrator: Her co-star

Don Murray remembers the

impact it had.

>> Don Murray: Yeah, she had

a green bodice that they

called the snake outfit

because it looked sort of

like the scales of a snake

on it.

And the censors made her cut

out some of the scenes 'cos

there's too much cleavage.

>> Narrator: But Marilyn

didn't wear the snake outfit

to show off her body.

She was at pains to ensure

that the costume perfectly

reflected her character,

Cherie.

>> Amber Butchart: So, she

specifically asked for the

fishnet tights she was wearing

to be ripped and clumsily

re-sewn because she believed

that her character wouldn't

have the money to consistently

acquire new fishnet tights.

>> Narrator: Marilyn made every

aspect of her performance

authentic.

>> Don Murray: We were

doing a scene in bed, and

she figured that the

character, Cherie, would be

naked in bed, so she was naked

under the sheets.

But in the scene...

I'm so excited!

Using real emotions, she

would keep moving around

and exposing herself.

So all through the time I'm

doing that scene, I'm tucking

her in.

>> Narrator: Marilyn's hard

work paid off.

>> Elizabeth Winder: She was

so proud of the work that she

did and the reviews were great.

She was finally respected

as an artist.

>> Auctioneer: Do I have

any further interest beyond

$80,000?

If not, we'll sell it in

the gallery.

Fair warning.

And selling then at 80,000.

Sold at $80,000!

Paddle 600.

[applause]

>> Narrator: Throughout the

filming of Bus Stop, Marilyn

had been planning the next

ambitious move in her bid to

become a great actress.

She was collaborating with

Sir Laurence Olivier on a

new movie, The Prince and

the Showgirl, a film Olivier

would also direct.

Olivier was Britain's

finest actor, a golden boy

of the theatre, admired and

adored by millions.

To Marilyn, he was an icon

and she wanted to prove that

she could match his talent.

Their first meeting took place

in Marilyn's New York

apartment.

Afterwards, Olivier sent his

host some flowers and a

note.

>> 'Olivier': Marilyn, it has

been so lovely meeting you,

knowing you and now knowing that

such exciting things and such

fun are ahead.

Love and thank you, Larry.

>> Narrator: But before the

meeting, Marilyn almost lost

her nerve.

Her agent, Jay Cantor,

remembers how long she

kept Olivier waiting.

>> Jay Cantor: She's sitting

before a make-up mirror, she

had a bottle of sherry and

she looked like a frightened

deer.

Olivier, at the time, was

considered the world's

greatest actor.

It's kind of how can I be

playing in the same league as

this man?

Self doubt.

>> Narrator: Marilyn set her

fears aside and engaged

Olivier to co-star in the

Prince and the Showgirl, an

independent film made by her

own company.

By now, there was a new

man in her life, another

theatre heavyweight.

In June 1956, she married

America's greatest living

playwright, Arthur Miller.

>> Auctioneer: We turn the

page, getting to some personal

things there, very personal,

Lot 268 right here.

>> Narrator: Up for auction is

a special gift from husband

to wife.

>> Auctioneer: And really

beautiful, something unique

and one of a kind.

>> Darren Julien: Arthur had

one copy of all his plays put

into a red bound leather book,

and he monogrammed it

Marilyn Monroe and gifted

it to her.

As far as book editions go,

this is one of a kind.

And it just showed that not

only did he love Marilyn,

obviously but, you know, he

wanted to share his work

with her.

>> Narrator: At first, Marilyn

and Arthur's relationship was

a meeting of mind and body.

>> Prof. Lois Banner: He'd never

had any good sex before Marilyn.

Marilyn was very practised,

very experienced by this

point, in sex, so she just

blew his mind and he thought

that her free sexuality was

one of the ways to reform

the world, that everyone

would become spiritual, if

they only practised free sex.

>> Narrator: Two weeks after

their wedding, Marilyn and

Arthur flew to London to

film the Prince and the

Showgirl.

It was to be their

honeymoon.

They stayed in Parkside House,

a private residence close to

Pinewood Studios, where

Marilyn was filming.

There, Marilyn wrote a series

of poems that seemed to refer

to her relationship with

Arthur.

>> 'Marilyn': "To have your

heart is the only happy, proud

thing that ever completely

happened to me."

>> Narrator: But the honeymoon

didn't last long.

On the film set, Arthur

believed that, as Marilyn's

husband, it was his job to

improve the script.

>> Prof. Lois Banner: Because

he is a writer, although not

a screenwriter, he will begin

to comment on lines, scenes,

how she's playing them, what's

been written, and he will try

to rewrite things.

>> Elizabeth Winder: He kind

of refused to sit back and let

Marilyn and the rest of the

filming crew do their job.

And it made things very, very

tense.

>> Narrator: Marilyn had more

than her husband's views to

contend with.

Laurence Olivier had strong

opinions about how she

should approach her role.

>> Prof. Churchwell: One day,

she came in and she was asking

about her motivation and she

was trying to work out what

exactly she needed to do in

the scene.

And Olivier became impatient.

>> Prof. Lois Banner: Olivier is

totally opposed to method

acting.

He believes you learn your

lines, you go on stage and you

play the role, and there,

that's what acting is about.

>> Prof. Churchwell: And the

story goes that he just, you

know, he lost his temper and

he snapped at her.

And he just said to her,

you know, in this very kind of

dismissive way, "Don't worry

about your lines, just be

sexy, dear Marilyn."

And he couldn't have said

anything worse.

And after that, she wouldn't

forgive him.

The rest of the shoot became

very uncomfortable, very

unhappy.

>> Narrator: Marilyn was stuck

in the middle, with her husband

and co-star both fighting to

control her.

But it was Arthur Miller who

struck the most hurtful blow.

>> Prof. Lois Banner: He was

keeping a diary, and for some

crazy reason he left it open

and on a table in the hall,

so she could read it.

>> Elizabeth Winder: And Marilyn

peeped inside, and it was this

paragraph about her and that

basically he was saying she's

disappointed me.

She's not who I thought she was.

>> Prof. Lois Banner: There were

words to the effect that 'I've

married a whore'.

Really, words to the effect

like that.

And he began to believe that

she'd slept with all, so many

men that somehow it impacted

on him, and he wanted big

and endless apologies from her,

which she was unwilling to

give.

>> Narrator: But Marilyn wasn't

going to give up on her

marriage without a fight.

*

>> Narrator: In 1957, Marilyn

Monroe and Arthur Miller's

relationship was on the

rocks.

In a desperate attempt to

save her marriage Marilyn put

her career on hold and the

couple moved to a country

house in Long Island.

>> Auctioneer: Lot number

198.

Marilyn Monroe handwritten

To Do List and Menu.

And we'll start the bidding

here, I'm at $3500.

How about 4,000?

Looking for 4,000...

>> Narrator: Going under

the hammer are items that

reveal how hard Marilyn worked

to be the perfect wife.

During her life, she wrote

To Do lists reminding her

about everything, from

buying birthday presents to

washing the bathroom rugs.

She planned dinner parties.

She enjoyed sharing recipes.

And as this complicated

stuffing recipe shows, she was

a dab hand in the kitchen.

>> Auctioneer: Sold at $5,000.

>> Prof. Churchwell: Most

people don't think of Marilyn

Monroe as having been ahead

of her time, but in important

ways she was.

She was trying to do something

that's very recognizable

today, which is that she was

trying to be a woman who worked,

who also had a relationship

and a home.

She was the woman trying to have

it all.

>> Narrator: Marilyn had always

yearned to be a mother.

While on Long Island with

Arthur Miller she did get

pregnant but lost the baby.

>> Prof. Churchwell: She had

a series of miscarriages that

were very, very painful for

her.

It was a very difficult time

for her.

>> Narrator: After 18 months,

Marilyn reluctantly returned

to filmmaking.

The couple were running out

of money and Arthur persuaded

Marilyn to star in Some

Like It Hot, an outrageous

satirical comedy about two

male musicians who go on the

run disguised as women.

They join an all-female band,

whose lead singer is Sugar

Kane, Marilyn Monroe.

>> Good night, Sugar!

>> Oh, good night, honey.

>> Narrator: It would go on

to be one of the greatest

comedies of all time and

Marilyn's most successful

movie.

But no-one who worked on it

thought it would ever see

the light of day.

>> Marian Collier: We'd have

6:30 calls and then we'd

shoot at eight.

And she sometimes didn't show

'til noon, midday, yeah.

Billy Wilder was very calm,

very patient, you know.

No, he didn't say anything.

Tony was a little upset

though.

Tony Curtis.

>> Narrator: There was a

reason for Marilyn's erratic

behaviour.

She was pregnant again.

>> Auctioneer: Lot number 40.

Ah, yes

Ooh!

Shown up front here.

Round of applause, right?

>> Amber Butchart: The dress is

entirely form fitted.

She had to be sewn into the

dress and it clings to

absolutely every curve of her

body.

The dress was so tight that

apparently she had to be

lifted onto the piano in order

to be able to sing this number.

>> Narrator: Marian Collier

played clarinet in the

accompanying orchestra.

>> Marian Collier: She was

pregnant on Some Like it Hot.

If you'll notice in some of the

scenes, she was quite heavy.

Especially the scenes with

Tony and her.

>> Sugar Kane: You're not giving

yourself the chance.

Don't fight it.

Relax.

>> Marian Collier: All Marilyn

ever wanted in her life was to

have a baby, a child.

That's all she ever wanted.

>> Auctioneer: Any further

advance on 375,000.

Fair warning.

Selling in the room then.

Last chance...

And selling!

At $375,000 sold!

>> Narrator: Marilyn put in the

performance of her life and

picked up a hard-won accolade,

the Golden Globe Best Actress

award.

>> Prof. Churchwell: Marilyn

Monroe gives that movie a

heart that it wouldn't have

without her.

She makes it touching and she

makes it poignant.

>> Narrator: But before the

film was even released,

Marilyn had to deal with her

own tragedy.

As she revealed in this letter

to her friend Xenia Chekhov.

>> 'Marilyn': "Dear Xenia,

I'm not able to shop for

Christmas.

As you may already know,

I have lost the baby."

>> Narrator: After the

heartbreak of unsuccessful

pregnancies, Marilyn's marriage

to Arthur Miller broke down.

The couple divorced in January

1961.

That year, Marilyn took a

complete break from filming.

But she did agree to one

unforgettable photo shoot.

In November 1961 one of the

most popular celebrity glossies

in America, Look Magazine,

approached Marilyn to feature

in their 25th anniversary

issue.

Marilyn seized the

opportunity to reaffirm her

place as the world's sexiest

superstar.

The photographer was Douglas

Kirkland.

Marilyn had always felt at

ease and in control in front

of the stills camera.

She told Doug how to set the

right tone.

>> Douglas Kirkland: She said,

I know what we need.

We need a bed and white silk

sheets, and I'm just gonna get

under the silk sheets

and wear nothing.

>> Narrator: A few days

later, a studio was

prepared.

Douglas, his assistant and the

hair and make-up artist set

to work.

Marilyn knew how to make the

photographs truly intimate and

took control of the

proceedings.

>> Douglas Kirkland: I started

photographing her.

She stopped and said

"This isn't working.

I know what we need to do."

"I want everybody out of here.

I wanna be alone with Doug."

>> Douglas Kirkland: I was up

above her, looking down.

And then she asked me to come

down with her.

Right, within arm's reach

of the bed.

And that's where the power of

the images came from.

>> Narrator: After the shoot,

Marilyn decided which pictures

should go to print.

>> Douglas Kirkland: She found

images that portrayed the

Marilyn she felt she wanted

to see portrayed, and she

said "That girl's the kind of

girl any man would like to be

in that bed with."

>> Narrator: Six months later,

Marilyn was sleeping with the

President of the United States

and wearing a dress that would

make her the greatest sex

symbol of all time.

But while she seemed like

the woman who had it all,

Marilyn struggled to deal

with her success.

>> Prof. Churchwell: She had

no sense of stability from

childhood.

Then, she went to Hollywood,

an environment that was going

to exacerbate all of her

anxieties.

Marilyn was often isolated.

She was often lonely.

She was anxious and insecure.

>> Narrator: Among the items

up for sale are a collection

of pill boxes and

prescriptions.

>> Auctioneer: With $3500

now.

4,000!

I have 4,000 against you,

Megan.

>> Darren Julien: It would be

a shame to throw things like

these out or to discard them

because they are part of

Marilyn's history.

>> Narrator: From early on in

her career, Marilyn had used

drugs to regulate her

behaviour.

>> Prof. Churchwell: She was

taking amphetamines to give

her energy through the day and

she was taking barbiturates to

sleep at night.

And it was widespread.

People did it all the time.

People didn't realize how

dangerous it was.

>> Narrator: The different

numbers on the pill bottles

and prescriptions suggest

Marilyn was taking them

indiscriminately.

>> Prof. Churchwell: There are

reports of her reaching into

plastic baggies with just,

you know, a mix of capsules,

and she would just take out

a handful of capsules.

There are stories of her

taking Nembutal, which was

the barbiturate that killed

her, taking Nembutal, pricking

it with a pin and dissolving

it in champagne because that

made it work faster.

>> Narrator: On the 5th of

August 1962, Marilyn died of a

drug overdose at the age of 36.

Just four days earlier Fox

Studios had hired her on a

million dollar two picture

deal.

She would finally be paid what

she felt she deserved and had

won the respect she'd spent a

lifetime fighting for.

>> Auctioneer: And 500.

$400.

Any interest beyond four?

Do we have five?

Five is bid.

Six is bid now.

Gentleman's bid at 600.

>> Narrator: This auction was

held in what would have

been Marilyn's 90th year.

Most of the items are everyday

objects touched by Marilyn.

They've raised an $11 million

fortune.

>> Auctioneer: Ladies and

gentlemen, that concludes

the Marilyn Monroe auction!

>> Narrator: The items have

now been scattered across the

globe.

Never again will so many of

her personal possessions be

amassed in a single sale.

They're a reminder of who

Marilyn was.

And the insights they reveal

about her are priceless.

>> Ellen Burstyn: There was

a sweetness about her.

You know, she never played

dark characters.

She always played characters

filled with light.

Like a sexy angel.

There's never really been

anybody like her.

*