When Joe D was coming into his own as a superstar, he met and married a movie star long before his romance with Hollywood’s ultimate blonde bombshell.
by Rich Watson
When Joe DiMaggio married Marilyn Monroe in 1954, it was headline news around the world. They were superstars in their respective fields, adored by the whole country and living their lives in the media spotlight. His relationship with her was abusive and marked by jealousy, yet the truth of it wasn’t well known at the time.
In 1939, DiMaggio was a star, but he was not yet the baseball legend he would become in later years. The fifty-six-game hitting streak, the hundred thousand dollar contract, the ascension to the Hall of Fame, the Mr. Coffee commercials, they all came much later—and before he even knew who Monroe was, a different film actress had caught his eye.
Joe DiMaggio in the 1930s
Salary negotiations between DiMaggio and Yankee management were a factor during these years. When told that Gehrig made $40,000, which was held up as a benchmark at the time, DiMaggio responded, “Then Mr. Gehrig is a badly underpaid player.”
Regardless, DiMaggio was a star on the rise, playing in the nation’s spotlight. He quickly attracted attention from outside baseball, which led to him meeting a woman named Dorothy Arnold.
Dorothy Arnold in the 1930s
As a kid in Duluth I was an awful tomboy—always playing baseball and football with the sandlot boys. But that was only until I got to be 13 and decided to be a singer and dancer. By the time I was 15 I looked 22 and was doing torch songs in night clubs…. I went into vaudeville with a song and dance specialty… and the next season went east, where I tried a little theater work, and stock, and tried to crash Broadway. I almost starved, and sometimes I sang with cheap dance orchestras. Ever since then I’ve been a sucker for hard-luck stories; whenever anybody mentions ‘landlord,’ I reach for my purse.
DiMaggio and Arnold’s marriage
If Arnold thought that having a baby would smooth out the rocky marriage—DiMaggio, emotionally unavailable, spent most evenings away from their upper Manhattan home—it had the opposite effect. (Perhaps Arnold had the best insight as to what Paul Simon meant by “Where have you gone, Joe DiMaggio?”)
DiMaggio meets Marilyn
What most impressed Marilyn about Joe on this night was that despite his quiet, almost sullen demeanor, he somehow managed to command the table. In fact, the whole room…. Or, as she so perfectly put it, “Sitting next to Mr. DiMaggio was like sitting next to a peacock with its tail spread, that’s how noticeable you were.” There was no doubt in her mind that she was fascinated.
Interesting. What you (I) don't know about people. I admit I hadn't thought much about Joe beyond his name recognition and records. People always bring up Marilyn. Leave it to you to bring us Dorothy. Thanks.
ReplyDeleteI was gonna write about Joe & Marilyn, but then I realized they‘ve been written about a million times already.
ReplyDeleteI read that MARILYN MONROE was very close to JOE's son JOE, Jr. Reportedly she was a good stepmom and stayed close to the son after her divorce from Joe. P.S. My favorite MARILYN movie is BUS STOP. The movie had a good cast. Besides Marilyn, there was DON MURRAY, ARTHUR O'CONNELL, HOPE LANGE and BETTY FIELD. Have you seen BUS STOP? Do you know Marilyn from very many movies? CLASSIC TV FAN
ReplyDeleteOh sure. Seen most of the big ones. In the Taraborrelli book I learned how much being treated seriously as an actress meant to her. Had she lived, I think she would’ve gotten a chance to stretch further—if she had gotten her act together.
ReplyDeleteHave you seen THE MISFITS? I am a big fan of CLARK GABLE. I think he and MARILYN were both very good in that movie. THELMA RITTER was a delight as ISABELLE. What are your favorite MARILYN movies? Do you like BUS STOP and THE MISFITS? CLASSIC TV FAN
ReplyDeleteHaven’t seen MISFITS. Thought BUS STOP and MONKEY BUSINESS were okay. Like CLASH BY NGHT, BLONDES, MILLIONAIRE, ITCH, SHOWGIRL. Love SOME LIKE IT HOT and her bit part in ALL ABOUT EVE.
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