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.
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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