RARE PHOTOS OF MARILYN IN THE HAMPTONS

Marilyn Monroe came to New York in 1956 to study acting with Lee Strasberg, after a very short marriage to baseball legend, Joe DiMaggio ended in 1954. In the serious world of New York actors, Monroe fell into the orbit of playwright Arthur Miller, who she married on June 29, 1956. Living in city, the couple rented a simple farmhouse in Amagansett for the 1957-58 summer seasons. During that blissful newlywed time, she called herself MMM for Marilyn Monroe Miller. When she ordered cosmetics over the phone at she’d call herself “Mrs. Miller” and she was often seen driving around town in her black ’56 Thunderbird convertible with their Bassett Hound, Hugo. Marilyn is documented here in these rare photographs shot by Sam Shaw in the summer of ’57. Shaw took more than 900 photos of Marilyn that hot July, nearly 60 years ago.

(Photos, Sam Shaw; via Patch)

THESE VINTAGE SEXPLOITATION MOVIE POSTERS WILL SPICE UP YOUR WALLS

I was planning this post already but I decided to put it up today in honor of Mamie Van Doren‘s 85th birthday. She’s featured on two great examples in this small sampling from a private collection of over 200 rare, vintage posters printed for drive-in movie theaters. Haute Campe‘s collection of posters from the 40s-70s, originally went through a one distributor called National Screen Service, hence the “property of N.S.S.” at the bottom of 99% of the movie posters printed. The graphics, typography, colors and lurid glam here are still inspiring designers, photographers and even drag queens today. (The promos for Season 8 of RuPaul’s Drag Race feature a vintage, “time-gone-by” glamour/camp.) There are bad girls, good-time girls, lesbians, “gay deceivers” and every sort of politically incorrect innuendo you can think of, so lighten up and let your inner freak loose. You can see even more here. The bidding starts at just $100 in many cases and the auction ends February 8.

RARE BEHIND-THE-SCENES PICS OF "SOME LIKE IT HOT"

“But I’m a man!

Nobody’s perfect”

With the exception of Rhett’s exit line in Gone with the Wind, probably the single greatest last line in a film. Loosely adapted by I. A. L. Diamond from a script by Robert Thoeren called Fanfares of Love, this story was first made into a French film in 1935 and later in Germany in 1951. Some Like It Hot has been voted the best ever comedy film ever. It’s a classic not only because of the great story and sharp dialogue but the quality of the performances from its three leads are superior. Tony Curtis as Joe, Jack Lemmon as Jerry and Marilyn Monroeas Sugar are comedy lightening in a bottle. The guys disguise themselves as women and then hook-up with Sugar. (Marilyn reportedly flubbed her lines constantly during filming. 47 takes alone for her to say, 

“It’s me, Sugar.”

Oddly, Marilyn had a clause in her contract that said she would only appear in COLOR films. That was the original intention, until the make-up used to turn Lemmon and Curtis into 20s flappers gave their skin an awful green cast. Black and white was the solution. (Not get a new makeup artist?) The black and white throws off time period nicely though, because the story is set the 20s, but it was shot in the 50s. 

Curtis and Lemmon tested their drag by wandering around the studio and then going into the ladies’ room. Apparently, nobody noticed they were guys. These photos shot on set show how they interacted and played with drag. Curtis was having a fling in real life with Marilyn which must have added another layer to the whole cake.

WATCH JIM BAILEY AS JUDY & BARBRA & PEGGY & MARILYN &...

I was already planning on the posting this video today, but when I just read Stephen Rutledge‘s birthday tribute to Judy Garland on the Wow Report, I see the timing couldn’t be better. As you may know, the great female impersonator (as it used to be called) Jim Bailey died about 10 days ago at the age 77 of a cardiac arrest from pneumonia complications. Bailey had performed all around the world doing Judy Garland, Barbra Streisand, Peggy Lee & others at the big venues there were, like The Palladium and Carnegie Hall. He was a regular in Las Vegas for years too. He first hit it really big when Judy came to see his show and she jumped on the stage and asked him to sing a song with her. She became his mentor and friend. This is several clips put together of those legends, plus he also does Phyllis Diller‘s act as well as she ever did and a photo session as Marilyn Monroe. The video quality is not-so-great but that adds to the illusion even further – for a few seconds here and there you forget you aren’t seeing the real deal. For a minute, Judy’s back and so is Bailey. Watch.

WAS IS ANNIE LEIBOVITZ CONSCIOUSLY CHANNELING HALSMAN'S MARILYN FOR CAITLYN'S DEBUT?

Is it synchronicity or just coincidence that Caitlyn Jenner made her world premiere on Marilyn Monroe‘s birthday? After I got over the excitement, this iconic shot by Philippe Halsman of Monroe popped into my mind. Marilyn is certainly the archetype that Hollywood has been trying to recreate since her death 50+ years ago. Annie has shot some of the most memorable covers of the past 5 decades and she KNEW this was a big one… so she must have done some serious thinking about this one.

The rest of the shoot isn’t on the internet yet, but I’ve seen them on my iPad and included one here. Caitlyn’s kinda busty. Well, it runs in the family, right?

SEEING STARS: CELEBRITY PORTRAITS

Seeing Stars: Celebrity Portraits features photographs of celebs by Chris Levine, Terry O’Neill, Mario Testino, Horst, Bert Stern, David LaChapelle and more. Some of these shots are iconic others are much lesser known, but all the world’s a stage and they are just playing their parts. The auction went live for bidding yesterday, April 7, and runs through the 16 on Artnet.

Albert Watson
Kate Moss, Marrakech (Contact), 1993
Est. $10,000–14,000

Chris Levine
Kate’s Light (Eyes Open), 2013
Est. $10,000–15,000

Terry O’Neill
Brigitte Bardot, Spain, 1971
Est. $6,000–8,000

Martin Schoeller
Brad Pitt, 2004
Est. $4,000–6,000

Joel Brodsky
Jim Morrison, American
Est. $15,000–18,000

Alex Guofeng Cao
Marilyn Monroe vs. Brigitte Bardot, 2009
Est. $6,000–9,000

Horst P. Horst
Coco Chanel, Paris, 1937
Est. $10,000–15,000 USD

Flip Schulke
Ali Underwater, 1961
Est. $8,000–10,000

David LaChapelle
Pamela Anderson, 2001
Est. $8,000–10,000

David LaChapelle
Drew Barrymore (3 works) (detail), 1995
Est. $2,000–3,000

Firooz Zahedi
Uma Thurman, Pulp Fiction, 1994
Est. $4,000–6,000

PASSPORT PHOTOS OF 20TH CENTURY ICONS

Did you know that the majority of Americans don’t have a passport? According to recent statistics issued by the State Department in January of 2014, only 46% of U.S. citizens have valid passports. But 50 years ago, having one was an absolute must for any worldly well-known person. And even in their passport photos, they look pretty flawless –but most are shot in black and white which IS always very flattering. Hey, wouldn’t a passport filter be great on Instagram? 

THE BEVERLY CARLTON WAS HOME TO MARILYN MONROE

My old pal Susan Martin is an art PR legend. We’ve known each other for decades but now that she lives in New Mexico, we see each other rarely but keep in touch –how else?– on Facebook. The other day she posted the above pic of the Beverly Carlton Hotel ...

Her dad was architect Sam Reisbord, who died 30 years ago this week and one of his most notable projects was the Beverly Carlton. Marilyn Monroe lived there in the early 50s and was photographed there many times by photographers like Phil Burchman, André De Dienes & Phillipe Halsman, among others. Below are pics of the original hotel, Marilyn in her room and by the pool and The Avalon Hotel, where you can stay today. The pool area and lobby look much like the original hotel.

DIANA'S DRESSES, SINATRA'S GUN PERMIT & MARILYN'S CHEST X-RAY

I’m always amazed at what comes up for auction at Julien’s. The New York art auctions just happened and in one night, Sotheby’s brought in close to a billion dollars but at Julien’s, it’s not about the big bucks and in fact, most items are extremely affordable. And the best stuff is always the weirdest stuff, to me. (I have collected some oddities of my own, including Warhol signed tennis shoes and bounced check from Courtney Love. Don’t ask.) 

Anyway, Julien’s 2014 Icons & Idols Auction is being held on December 5th and 6th in Beverly Hills and there are mutiple collections offered in this sale including a group of dresses worn by Diana, Princess of Wales, property from the estate of Gypsy Rose Lee, items from the James Bond film franchise, property featured on Pawn Stars and much more. Other items in this auction include personal and film related property from Elizabeth Taylor, Barbra Streisand, Frank Sinatra, Loni Anderson, Stella Stevens, Bruce Lee, Greta Garbo,Lucille Ball and Queen Elizabeth II. But with everything here, if I was going to go for something, I would seriously bid on the chest x-ray of Marilyn Monroe. THAT’S a conversation starter. Take a look at the nearly 1000 lots here.

HRH PRINCESS DIANA CATHERINE WALKER CHARTREUSE SILK GOWN, EST, $60-80,000

TWENTY THOUSAND LEAGUES UNDER THE SEA FIRST EDITION, EST. $10-15,000

PRINCE WILLIAM AND KATE MIDDLETON WEDDING CAKE, EST, $1-2,000

FRANK SINATRA LICENSE TO CARRY CONCEALED WEAPON, EST. $600-800

ANDY WARHOL SIGNED FARRAH FAWCETT & RYAN O’NEIL NAPKIN, CIRCA 1980, EST $6-8,000

JAMES BOND SIGNATURE FROM EVERY BOND FILM (150 ITEMS) EST. $4-8,000

SHIRLEY TEMPLE POOR LITTLE RICH GIRL JACKET, EST $40-60,000

QUEEN ELIZABETH II HANDWRITTEN LETTER, EST. $500-700

MARILYN MONROE FIRST ISSUE OF PLAYBOY MAGAZINE, EST. $3-5,000

MARILYN MONROE BLACK VELVET DRESS, EST. $40-60,000

MARILYN MONROE PRESCRIPTION BOTTLE, EST. $1-2,000

FAYE DUNAWAY PHOTOGRAPH BY TERRY O’NEIL, EST. $2-4,000

HOLLYWOOD FRAME BY FRAME

Looking at contact sheet is always a cinematic experience, especially when the images are classic Hollywood movies. You are looking through the photographer’s eyes as they search for the perfect shot. In the classic Hollywood era, behind-the-scenes photos were carefully vetted for marketing purposes and unapproved shots were never to be seen again.Hollywood Frame by Frame lays out hundreds of never-published photos from the sets of some of the most iconic films of the twentieth century. From Breakfast at Tiffany’s to Bus Stop and Raging Bull this book is a real treasure trove of the unseen silver screen. In the 30s, a “unit photographer” was a job on most projects to provide images for the growing media demand for celeb news. But most of the time the contact sheets were simply chucked. As photographer Bruce McBroom, who shot stills on the sets of films such as What’s Up Doc? and The Godfather Part II puts it:

“Most of Hollywood history has survived because someone dug it out of the trash.”

You can get Hollywood Frame by Frame by Princeton Architectural Press here. Good Christmas gift.

Julius Caesar with Marlon Brando, 1953

Breakfast at Tiffany’s featuring Audrey Hepburn, 1961

Rear Window with Jimmy Stewart & Grace Kelly, 1954

Raging Bull featuring Robert DeNiro, 1980

On the set of Giant with James Dean, 1956