Marilyn’s move to New York in 1955 is featured in a recent episode of the Bowery Boys podcast, which celebrates the city’s history. In ‘Her Year of Reinvention,’ the hosts discuss Marilyn with TCM presenter Alicia Malone. In the photo shown above – captured by Ed Feingersh that March – Marilyn stands on the roof of the Ambassador Hotel at Park and 51st, overlooking the Racquet and Tennis Club and the Lever House. (The hotel was demolished in 1966.)
“In late December 1954 Marilyn Monroe came to New York City wearing a disguise. Monroe — by then the biggest movie star in the world — came to the East Coast to reinvent herself and her career … She intended to spend the rest of her life here. In particular she came to New York to become a better actress via the Actors Studio and the influence of Lee Strasberg. But she also managed to see the most glamorous corners of New York and eventually — she fell in love. Contemporary portrayals of her life have focused on the most salacious, most intimate details of her biography. Many tend to rob her of her personal agency. But in this show we hope to show a very different side to Monroe’s life. And a deep connection with New York City that never left her.”
The Marilyn Report 