Tag: Marilyn Monroe

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Marilyn Merlot

I am still very much in the throws of my Marilyn Monroe obsession, and it is definitely true what they say – the more you think about something, the more you attract that thing to you. My father happened to be going through his wine collection last week and discovered a bottle of “Marilyn Merlot” wine that he had purchased almost a decade ago. No one in my family has ever been a big Marilyn fan, so it was a fairly random purchase. My dad says he came across the wine one day many years ago in a grocery store and he grabbed it thinking it might one day be a collector’s item. Due to my recent obsession, he of course gave the bottle to me and I quickly put it on display in my kitchen. Flash forward to this past weekend, when my parents were vacationing in Monterey, California. They made a visit to their favorite wine shop there, Terranova Fine Wines, and lo and behold, sitting on a shelf in the store was a vast collection of the Marilyn Wines, including the one my father had just given me. It’s present day worth? $225!! Guess he was right about it one day being a collector’s item. 🙂

Bob, the owner of Terranova, filled my dad in on the history of the Marilyn Wines. Apparently, in 1985 two Napa area brothers gained exclusive rights to Marilyn’s name and certain images of the starlet and decided to use them on bottles of wine. Beginning in ’85, the brothers released a new vintage of Marilyn Merlot each year on her birthday – June 1 – each with a different photograph of the screen legend. The wine was not extremely popular until its fourth vintage when it caught the attention of a Japanese businessman who formed a partnership with the brothers. They agreed that 60 percent of each year’s vintage would be sold exclusively in Japan, as Marilyn is still a huge icon there. They also agreed to only release a limited quantity of each year’s wine, so as to prevent overflooding of the market. Today the wines are hugely successful, with some vintages costing upwards of thousands of dollars. The brothers have branched out and now also produce Marilyn Cabernet, Norma Jeane Wines, the Velvet Collection, and Blonde de Noirs, their latest creation of sparkling wines. All royalties from the sales of the wines go to Anna Strasberg, the wife of Marilyn’s beloved acting coach, Lee Strasberg, to whom Marilyn left everything in her will. Anna allocates the money to the Lee Strasberg Theatre Institute and the Anna Freud Fondation in London.

That same day that my parents learned the history of the Marilyn Wines, my boyfriend and I were actually stalking the Beverly Hills home Marilyn shared for a few short months with husband Joe DiMaggio. Monroe and DiMaggio rented the house in April of 1954 while Marilyn was in town filming There’s No Business Like Show Business. The home, which is most often referred to as Joe and Marilyn’s honeymoon home, is a very cute, but nondescript Elizabethan style house. It is amazing to me to that she lived in such a normal home at the height of her career.

On October 6, 1954 a distraught Marilyn held a press conference on the front lawn of this home announcing her divorce from Joe DiMaggio. The press were out in force that day, camped out in Marilyn’s front yard, to document the event. Marilyn vacated the home shortly thereafter. You can see a slide-show of the press conference that took place that day here. Although it is a very long slide-show, there are quite a few photographs where you can see the home in the background.

Until next time, Happy Stalking! 🙂

Stalk It: Marilyn and Joe’s honeymoon home is located at 508 North Palm Drive in Beverly Hills, just off Santa Monica Boulevard. Terranova Fine Wines is located at 315 Calle Principal in Monterey, California. If you visit the store, be sure to ask for Bob, who has a vast knowledge of Marilyn Monroe and the Marilyn Wines. You can also visit the Terranova website here.

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Marilyn Monroe’s Former Home

For some reason lately I have been obsessing on Miss Marilyn Monroe. I never really had any interest in her until recently, had never even seen any of her movies all the way through, and generally never really had an opinion about her one way or another. But that all changed about two weeks ago when my acting teacher recommended that I study some of Marilyn’s films. I rented The Seven Year Itch and ever since have become completely obsessed. I had no idea how absolutely adorable Marilyn was! She completely lit up the screen anytime she was on it. For those of you who have yet to see any of her movies, I highly recommend renting The Seven Year Itch. My favorite scene is when she leans out of her second story window and announces to her neighbor “I just washed my hair!” with the same excitment as if she had just booked a movie role. It’s hilarious! 🙂

So last week, when I found the address of one of Marilyn’s first residences, a small studio apartment, in my fave stalking book, I dragged my boyfriend right out to stalk it. Marilyn lived in the property during the year 1942. At the time, Marilyn, who was then known as Norma Jean Baker, was 16 years old and had just married her first husband Jim Dougherty. Some refer to the studio as her “first honeymoon home”. But when we arrived at the address, we discovered that Marilyn’s former home is no longer there. 🙁

When my boyfriend and I pulled up to the address, we saw a sign announcing an apartment for rent in what I assumed was Marilyn’s former building. In what definitely constitutes a stalker maneuver, we called the phone number and asked for a tour of the available apartment. 🙂 I was hoping the vacant apartment was the one Marilyn had actually lived in back in 1942. But the super nice property manager explained to me that long ago there used to be a single family home and a small studio sized guest house located on the property. The guest house is where Marilyn lived in 1942. Both homes were torn down many years back to make room for the apartment building that is standing there today. Today stalkers can only visit the land where Marilyn’s former home once stood.

Until next time, Happy Stalking! 🙂

Stalk It: The apartment building where Marilyn’s former home used to be located can be found at 4524 Vista Del Monte in Sherman Oaks. The property manager said tourists flock to the building constantly to take pictures. He said he’s even seen news-people holding newscasts in front of the building on occasion. 🙂

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Hotel Del Coronado

Ever since I was a little girl, my family has been vacationing at Hotel Del Coronado on the island of Coronado. Hotel Del is a truly magical place – like no other hotel I have ever seen. Stepping inside it is literally like stepping back in time a hundred years to a completely different era. Completed in 1888 for the cost of one million dollars, the Victorian style hotel is one of the oldest and last remaining buildings made entirely of wood. It’s hard to believe, but not one single nail was used in the building of the hotel, instead the workers used wooden pegs to fasten and secure. Hotel Del Coronado was named a historical landmark in 1977 and it truly is a marvel to see in person. The lobby is covered in dark wood paneling and looks like it was taken right out of the set of James Cameron’s Titanic.

The hotel has undergone many changes in the past decade, including a $57 million renovation. Ironically I preferred the hotel in its pre-renovation days, as many of the original areas of the Del are now gone. When I was a little girl, the original men’s cigar room was still intact, but it was gutted a few years ago and is now a restaurant. The lobby piano bar was a favorite of my parents, but it was recently turned into a gift shop. The hotel’s original dining room, the Crown Room, used to be a magnificent 156 foot long restaurant with 30 foot high arched ceilings made entirely of Oregon Sugar Pine, but it is no longer open to the public and is now only used for special events. My parents actually threw me a surprise 21st birthday party in the Crown Room, so it holds a special place in my heart. While the hotel truly is still a magical place, sadly it was much more enchanting in years past.

Hotel Del is now and has always been a celebrity mecca. Hundreds of celebrities, dignitaries, authors, and almost every single American president of the past 20 years have all been guests of the hotel. Thomas Edison, George Burns, Harry Truman, Charlie Chaplin, Babe Ruth, Charles Lindbergh, Lucille Ball, and Frank Sinatra all stayed at the Del at one time or another. L. Frank Baum, who lived on Coronado, was a frequent guest of the hotel, and it is rumored that the Del was his inspiration for Emerald City in The Wizard of Oz. He also designed the crown chandeliers that still hang to this day in the Crown Room.

Countless TV and movie productions have been filmed at the Del – including My Blue Heaven, K-9, Mr. Wrong, The Stunt Man, The Married Virgin, Simon & Simon, Ghosts of California, Baywatch and, of course, the 1959 Marilyn Monroe classic Some Like It Hot , where it was used extensively as a Miami resort. Interestingly enough, Billy Wilder chose to shoot Some Like It Hot at the Del because at the time the hotel was in an economic decline so the owners let him film there for minimal costs. He also wanted to shoot at a place where Marilyn Monroe could stay on location – due to her numerous on-set antics, he did not want to take the risk of her not showing up to the set due to transporation problems. The picture to left is of the stage where Marilyn and “the girls” performed their concert in Miami. Also, the book Bid Time Return , on which the 1980 movie Somewhere In Time was based, was written about Hotel Del Coronado. However, producers chose to use the Grand Hotel on Mackinac Island in Michigan for the filming of the movie.

Movie memorabilia and photographs used to line the Del’s long hallways and as a little girl I would walk the corridors looking at all of the old time movie photographs, completely mesmerized. At the time, being at the Del was the closest I ever got to being on a movie set. Today, the memorabilia has been moved to the Coronado Museum of History and Art, just down the street from the Del. For a $4 admission fee, you can enter the museum and learn the history of the island and the hotel.

Until next time, Happy Stalking! 🙂

Stalk It: Hotel Del Coronado is located at 1500 Orange Avenue on Coronado Island in San Diego. You can visit the hotel’s website to book a room here. While at the hotel, be sure to visit the Est. 1888 gift shop – they sell photos and souvenirs from the many movies filmed at the Del. The Coronado Museum of History and Art is located at 1100 Orange Avenue. They are open Monday through Friday from 9am to 5pm and Saturdays and Sundays from 10am to 5pm. You can visit their website here.

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The World’s Most Famous Subway Grate

The other night in my acting class we were talking about Marilyn Monroe and the movie The Seven Year Itch. One of my classmates asked me if I had ever seen the famous scene of Marilyn standing on top of a subway grate from the movie. I told him that not only had I seen it, I’ve stood on that very subway grate! So, I thought I’d do a little post about it. 🙂 In that famous scene, Marilyn and her downstairs neighbor, played by Tom Ewell, exit the Trans Lux Theatre, which once stood at 586 Lexington Avenue, and walk onto a subway grate. Marilyn is standing atop the grate as a subway passes making her white skirt billow high above her waist as she exclaims “Oh, can you feel the breeze from the subway? Isn’t it delicious?”

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The scene was originally shot on location in Manhattan on September 15, 1954 at 1 O’clock in the morning, with over 5000 spectators and media men watching. The crowd went wild as Marilyn’s skirt flew higher and higher, making the footage being shot completely unusable due to the noise. Director Billy WIlder ended up having to re-shoot the entire sequence at 20th Century Fox Studios in Los Angeles.

The footage that ended up making it to the final cut of the movie was significantly edited down as the scene was considered far too racy for its time. But everyone remembers those black and white photographs taken of Marilyn that September night in Manhattan with her skirt billowing high above her waist, showing off her panties and her long gams. In the actual movie, you barely see Marilyn’s skirt fly up at all, most of what is shown is her face reacting to the subway breeze. You can watch the subway grate scene below:

On a side note – One of the many people in attendance that September night in New York was Marilyn’s husband at the time, Joe DiMaggio. Supposedly, Joe became enraged that the gleeful onlookers were viewing his wife’s panties over and over again during the filming of the scene. The marriage was already on the rocks at the time and this experience put Joe over the edge. Just a few weeks later he filed for divorce from the starlet, long before the movie ever premiered.

Until next time, Happy Stalking! 🙂

Stalk It: The Seven Year Itch subway grate is located at the northwest corner of Lexington Avenue and 52nd Street. The Trans Lux Theatre is no longer there and a large office building now stands in its place.

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Virginia City Stalking!

I am currently visiting my Grandma in the Reno area and today she took me to historic Virginia City to do some sightseeing. Anytime I am in a new town, I always stop into the local visitor’s center or bookstore to ask if any movies have been filmed in the area. What’s that old saying? – Wherever you go, there you are. 🙂 Anyway, I stopped into the Mark Twain Bookstore to inquire about movie locations and the woman behind the counter told me that while Virginia City has not been used as a filming location, the movie The Misfits starring Clark Gable and Marilyn Monroe was filmed in nearby Dayton in the 1960s. She also told us that during the filming, Marilyn stayed just up the street from the bookstore at Edith Palmer’s Country Inn. So, of course, I had to drag my grandma to go stalk it. 🙂

The Inn, which was originally a private home built in 1863, was owned by Ellis Morton, a wealthy businessman, and his wife Margaret. They lived in the home and operated the Cider Factory, which was located on the property. The Cider Factory supplied the nearby area with cider and vinegar. Edith Palmer purchased the home from the Mortons in 1948 and opened an inn. Edith was an award winning chef and apparently originally opened the Inn to put up her dinner guests who didn’t feel like driving home. In 2000, a couple named Pat and Leisa Findley purchased the home and completely restored it along with adding additional homes and guest rooms. They also opened a restaurant in the former Cider Factory space.

Today you can stay in the very room Marylin stayed in. “The Marilyn Room” is a second floor room complete with a bathroom with a tub and shower. You can see photos of the room on the Inn’s website. According to the hotel website, Marilyn is quoted as saying “To Edith Palmer and her oasis in the desert and warm hospitality – may I always be a welcome guest.” Besides Marilyn Monroe, other famous guest of the Inn include Robert Goulet and Liberace.

The Misfits was sadly the last film for both Marylin Monroe and Clark Gable. Clark suffered a heart attack the day after filming was completed and passed away 11 days later. According to IMDB, on the last day of filming he reportedly said “Christ, I’m glad this picture’s finished. She [Monroe] almost damn near gave me a heart attack.” Marilyn died a year after filming was completed on The Misfits and although she did work on the movie Something’s Gotta Give, she was fired due to her erratic behavior and filming was never completed.

Until next time, Happy Stalking! 🙂

Stalk It: Edith Palmer’s Country Inn is located at 416 South B Street in Virginia City, Nevada. Supposedly if you visit the Inn, the proprietor Leisa will take you on a tour and fill you in on the history of the Inn, but sadly she was not in when we visited. You can visit the Inn’s website here. The Mark Twain Bookstore is located at 111 South C Street, also in Virginia City.

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Vacation Homes of the Stars

Since the early 1930’s, Palm Springs has been a favorite desert oasis for the Hollywood elite.  With its perfect winter and springtime weather, fabulous shopping, and beautiful desert ambiance, it’s not very hard to see why.  While visiting the desert this weekend, I dragged my boyfriend on my very own little stalking tour of Downtown Palm Springs.  Much to my boyfriend’s delight, the Palm Springs Visitors’ Center was kind enough to provide a free Map of the Stars’ Homes to act as our guide.  🙂

Sidney Sheldon’s HouseOur first stop was the home of Oscar winner, best-selling author, and Hollywood producer Sidney Sheldon.  Sheldon was a top television and movie producer back in the 1960’s, creating such hits as I Dream of Jeannie, The Patty Duke Show and The Bachelor and The Bobby-Soxer.  His home looks like it is straight out of the 60’s and is very reminiscent of the Brady Bunch home in Studio City.  Unfortunately, the house appears to be in serious disrepair and needs a little TLC. 

img_2091.jpgThe next home we hit up was Kirk Douglas’ 1960’s style beauty just down the road from Sidney Sheldon’s house.  Before selling this house in 1999, Kirk spent many a weekend here with his wife.  My boyfriend absolutely fell in love with this house and all of its mid-century splendor.  The house definitely has a Palm Springs/Old Hollywood feel to it and has been perfectly maintained.  I am actually surprised the house hasn’t been used as a filming location, as it has a definite “Rat Pack” vibe to it.

img_2096.jpgDown the road from Kirk and Sidney, is the home Kurt Russell and Goldie Hawn used to vacation at.  I was shocked at the normalcy of this house – especially the lack of a gate or foliage to hide the property from stalkers and prying eyes.  I am guessing they owned this home long before Kate Hudson became a household name and paparazzi favorite. 

img_2098.jpgJust a few blocks away is Marilyn Monroe’s former desert home.  I absolutely love this house!  It looks as if it hasn’t been touched since Marilyn lived there in the 1950’s.  The home, like most on the Palm Springs movie star tour, is very stalker-friendly, with no gate or wall hiding it from view. 

img_2101.jpgLast, but not least, we stalked two former Elvis Presley homes.  The first is the honeymoon home of Elvis and Priscilla – they lived here from May of 1967 to early 1968.  It was while living in this house that the two fell in love with Palm Springs and decided to purchase another home located in the Little Tuscany section of Palm Springs.  While I am not a huge fan of 1960’s architecture, I must admit that this house is definitely not short on charm.  It is just so “Elvis”!  🙂  I think it is extremely cool that the owners have chosen not to remodel or change the exterior of the home and have left it looking almost exactly as it did in Elvis’ day.

img_2105.jpgThe last home we stalked was the Little Tuscany abode Elvis and Priscilla purchased in the late 1960’s.  At the time of his death, this home, along with Graceland, were the only two properties owned by The King.  While Elvis’ honeymoon home is charmingly reminiscent of Old Palm Springs, this Little Tuscany house is absolutely hiddy and a total eyesore!  The perimeter of the home is actually surrounded by large rocks painted white, resembling snow.  It’s pretty atrocious!!

Until next time, Happy Stalking!  🙂

Stalk It:  The city of Palm Springs is located 110 miles east of Los Angeles.  You can stop by the Palm Springs Visitors’ Center, located at 2901 N. Palm Canyon Drive, for your very own free Map of the Stars’ Vacation Homes.  Via Lola Street is chock full of stars’ homes, including the former homes of Goldie Hawn and Kurt Russell at 550 Via Lola, Kirk Douglas at 515, and Sidney Sheldon at 425.  Marilyn Monroe’s former house is located just a few blocks away at 1326 Rose Avenue.  Nat King Cole lived for a time at number 1258.  1350 Ladera Circle is the home Elvis and Priscilla Presley lived in when they first got married.  845 Chino Canyon is the Little Tuscany home Elvis owned at the time of his death.

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The Bel Air Hotel

img_1923.jpg In honor of the eagerly anticipated issue of New York Magazine that hits newsstands tomorrow, in which Lindsay Lohan recreates Marilyn Monroe’s very last photo shoot, I thought I’d blog about the Hotel Bel-Air. Photographer Bert Stern held both the 1962 Marilyn Monroe photo shoot and the recent Lindsay Lohan shoot at the Hotel Bel-Air. Although you don’t see the hotel in any of the pictures of the LLo or Marilyn shoot (not that you’d notice even if the hotel was pictured in the background!!) the Bel Air is absolutely gorgeous and is definitely a Los Angeles Must See!

img_1911.jpg One of the cool side benefits of being a stalker is all the cool places I discover while I am out and about stalking. My first visit to the Hotel Bel Air was for a stalking outing, but it has quickly become one of my favorite places to have a weekend drink. Hotel Bel Air has long been a haven for the rich and famous, and it’s not very hard to see why. The grounds are absolutely incredible – with huge swan-filled ponds, outdoor fireplaces, large sprawling lawns and tree covered terraces. I can’t think of a more relaxing retreat in Los Angeles – or a better place for stalking! 🙂

Until next time, Happy Stalking! 🙂

img_1924.jpg Stalk It: The Hotel Bel Air is located at 701 Stone Canyon Road in Bel Air. You can visit the hotel’s website, and reserve a room, here. The Champagne Bar inside the hotel is a fab spot for celeb stalking, and – with its overstuffed chairs, roaring fireplace and dark wood walls – it’s the perfect place to share a romantic evening. Disregard the sign on the door saying there is a dress-code – they did away with the jacket and tie rule years ago.

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Rest in Peace!

I was saddened and absolutely shocked today to learn of Heath Ledger’s untimely death. I still can’t quite believe it. My heart goes out to his family and his poor daughter.

dscn0047.jpg In honor of his death, I thought I’d post about a Hollywood area cemetery where many of the stars are buried – The Pierce Brothers Westwood Memorial Park and Mortuary. It is fitting that this place of rest is called a “park” and not a “cemetery”, as it really doesn’t have a cemetery feel to it. It is a very peaceful, almost uplifting place, with tall trees and rose bushes and fountains everywhere. I can see why the stars would want to be buried there.

dscn0036.jpg The Pierce Brothers Westwood Memorial Park is the final resting place of many stars, including Dean Martin, Jack Lemmon, Heather O’Rourke, Carroll O’Connor, Natalie Wood, Eva Gabor, Donna Reed, Billy Wilder, Truman Capote (although legend has it that his ashes were removed and brought to New York) and -perhaps most famous of all – Marilyn Monroe. Keep your eyes open for the lipstick marks on Marilyn’s crypt left by her many visitors. An interesting bit of trivia – Hugh Hefner purchased the crypt directly next to Marilyn’s for himself. He wants to be forever interred next to the woman who graced the cover of the very first Playboy Magazine.

dscn0033.jpg Stalk It:The Pierce Brothers Westwood Memorial Park Cemetery is located at 1218 Glendon Avenue in Westwood. It is situated directly behind the Avco Center Cinemas located at 10840 Wilshire Blvd. Marilyn Monroe’s crypt can be found in the North -Eastern corner of the cemetery. Pierce Brothers Park is, surprisingly, a nice place to walk around during a sunny afternoon.