62 Years Later: Fans Pay Tribute to Marilyn

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On Monday, August 5th – the 62nd anniversary of Marilyn’s death in 1962 – fans gathered at Westwood Memorial Park in Los Angeles for the annual service hosted by Marilyn Remembered. The service was introduced by Greg Schreiner, who founded the club in 1982. Another original member, Teresa Seeger, was also in the audience. (You can watch the livestream here.)

After a brief remembrance for producer and scion of Hollywood royalty Daniel Selznick, who died recently, Harrison Held delivered messages from absent members.

  • Kelly Rooney, daughter of actor Mickey Rooney
  • Elaine DuPont, who appeared in How to Marry a Millionaire and There’s No Business Like Show Business
  • Constance Forslund, who played Marilyn in the TV movie, This Year’s Blonde (1980)
  • Mamie Van Doren, actress and former wife of bandleader Ray Anthony.
  • Actor and choreographer George Chakiris, who danced with Marilyn in Gentlemen Prefer Blondes, was unable to attend due to family illness, but sent his regards.
Photo by Scott Fortner

These year’s guest speakers included:

  • Alisha Soper, who has played Marilyn in episodes of TV’s Feud and American Horror Stories, and onstage in Marilyn, Mom and Me
  • Filmmaker Tony Villani, who worked on the 1995 documentary, Marilyn Monroe: The Child Goddess, shared memories of publicist Rupert Allan, actress Susan Strasberg, hairstylist Helen Hunt, poet Norman Rosten, directors Jean Negulesco and Joshua Logan, actor and masseur Ralph Roberts, and Edie Shaw Marcus, daughter of photographer Sam Shaw. He also revealed that Marilyn sent birthday cards to W. Somerset Maugham, the English novelist whose short story, Rain, she had hoped to bring to the small screen.
  • Suzanne Lloyd, daughter of actress Gloria Lloyd and granddaughter of silent film comedian Harold Lloyd, who photographed Marilyn at Greenacres, his Beverly Hills estate, in 1953. Sue was also a childhood neighbour of Marilyn’s friend, actor Peter Lawford, in Santa Monica.
  • Juliet Hyde-White, daughter of English actor Wilfrid Hyde-White, Marilyn’s co-star in Let’s Make Love
  • Lee Newman, grandson to comedian Eddie Cantor and composer Jimmy McHugh, who was photographed with Marilyn, Betty Grable and other stars during a party at Ciro’s restaurant in 1953. (Marilyn also attended a party for McHugh during filming of Some Like It Hot in 1958.)
  • Elisa Jordan, author of Hello, Norma Jeane, spoke about the campaign to save Marilyn’s last home
  • Screenwriter Kamran Pashra, who has recently completed a script about Marilyn’s first marriage to Jim Dougherty
  • Actress Lee Benton, friend of Marilyn’s contemporary, Terry Moore, who was unable to attend for health reasons
  • Claudia Moriarty, niece of Marilyn’s stand-in, Evelyn Moriarty
  • Jane Guy, former head of the MM International Fan Club, spoke about visiting Marilyn’s home when it was on the market during the 1980s. Her club newsletters are now part of Australia’s National Archives
  • Playwright Luke Yankee, son of Marilyn’s Bus Stop co-star, Eileen Heckart
  • Joey Luft, son of Judy Garland and Sid Luft, recalled Marilyn visiting the family home

The service also featured a tribute clip made by superfan Victoria Brazil, and ended with Lee Strasberg’s eulogy, delivered at Marilyn’s funeral in Westwood Memorial Park in 1962.

Harrison Held reports on this year’s memorial in the August 16 issue of Magic Image Hollywood magazine.

Sergio Serrano, who designed the stunning banner for Marilyn Remembered using a photo by Milton Greene, also created a graphic for Marilyn Mexico with a screenshot from archive during her visit in February 1962.

Another superfan, Rick Carl, turned to Marilyn’s Vogue shoot with photographer Bert Stern.

Across the Atlantic, a ‘Magnificence of Marilyns’ – over 100 in all – gathered at Bray Promenade in County Wicklow, Ireland for Marilyn’s Mater Paddle in aid of women’s cancer care on August 4th, the eve of Marilyn’s 62nd anniversary.

The anniversary was featured in the Italian magazine, Dipiù, and German news weekly, Der Stern.

Spanish artist Alejandro Mogollo unveiled his tribute to Marilyn’s 1949 calendar shoot for photographer Tom Kelley.

Polish-born artist Adam Marciniak, now based in Bedfordshire, gave a sneak preview of his latest creation for Jean Norman Dolls, in tribute to the original costume for Marilyn’s ‘Diamonds Are a Girl’s Best Friend’ number. (Deemed too risqué for the screen, the bejewelled bodystocking was swapped with Travilla’s iconic pink sheath gown.)

French artist Olivier Coulon took inspiration from one of Marilyn’s last shoots, with photographer George Barris on Santa Monica Beach in July 1962.

And finally, author April VeVea posted an informative Twitter (aka X) thread on the subject of Marilyn’s tragic death.

Thanks to Scott Fortner and Greg Schreiner at Marilyn Remembered