A new exhibition, Marilyn Monroe: Defining Roles, is open until July 31 at the Hotel Del Coronado across the San Diego Bay in Southern California.
“Marilyn Monroe: The Defining Roles is a special exhibition at Hotel del Coronado’s Ice House Museum that explores a pivotal chapter in the life and career of Marilyn Monroe—revealing her not only as a global icon, but as an artist determined to take greater control of her work.
In the mid-1950s, Marilyn stepped away from Hollywood, moved to New York, and began reshaping her career on her own terms. As the world celebrates the 100th anniversary of her birth, this exhibition reflects on the final years of her life and her return to filmmaking, defined by focus, discipline, and creative ambition.
The exhibition features photography from Lawrence Schiller, an American photojournalist, film producer, director and author best known for his images of icons of 1960s America, including Muhammad Ali, Robert Kennedy, Paul Newman, and Marilyn Monroe, among many others. These iconic images appear alongside archival materials offering guests a behind-the-scenes view of Marilyn at work—rehearsing, refining, and shaping her performances.
A special focus is placed on Some Like It Hot, filmed at Hotel del Coronado in 1958, featuring rare behind-the-scenes footage and stories from the set. Her own words guide the experience throughout, revealing a career defined not by a single moment, but by ongoing reinvention.”
“At a visit to the exhibit, Lawrence Schiller – who grew up in La Jolla and Pacific Beach and attended La Jolla High School – explained that, while he took the photos on display at the exhibit, Monroe’s own expertise and artistic vision factored into how she was captured on film.
‘She was a very smart, calculated businesswoman,’ Schiller, now 90 years old, said. “Marilyn knew exactly what to do.’ Featured photos by Schiller are from the set of Something’s Got to Give, a film that was never released, as well as the set of Let’s Make Love and other parts of her life, including her funeral.
The exhibit also features archival material and footage from the filming of Some Like It Hot, which features many exterior scenes outside the hotel, as well as on the adjacent beach, though indoor scenes in the movie were filmed elsewhere.
‘I still get people today that will come into the museum and say, “Can you show me exactly where on the beach she stood?”‘ Gina Petrone, the property’s heritage manager, said in a interview earlier this year. ‘There’s still this fascination.’
Photos by Sandy Huffaker
Among the displayed artifacts are some from Coronado resident Sandy Barkhurst, who was one of the many spectators who converged on the hotel to try to get a glimpse of Monroe during Some Like It Hot, and was able to get an autograph. Visitors can also see photos taken by her father, Millard ‘Duck’ Snyder, which give a behind-the-scenes look at Monroe’s time on set. It also includes a rate card from the time that cast and crew were on location at the hotel — $24 to $28 per night for a single room with an ocean view.
Marilyn on Coronado Beach with secretary May Reis
As part of the festivities marking the 100th anniversary of Monroe’s birth, guests can also take a self-guided audio tour, Marilyn: On Location, which takes visitors to filming locations on the property. It takes participants — who will need to scan a QR code and bring their own smartphone and headphones — to areas such as the north entrance and garden patio and shares details about the film.
There is also a new Monroe mural by artist Jason Gaillard at the pool area of the resort and fans of Monroe can order ‘An Icon’s Chilled Souffle’ from the hotel’s restaurant Veranda, which replicates the dessert she ordered while on location filming at the hotel.”
“How many people can say they have tasted Marilyn Monroe’s favorite dessert? Now you can be dazzled by ‘An Icon’s Chilled Souffle,’ which is a decadent combination of chilled vanilla souffle, a meringue feather, and a strawberry rosewater elixir elegantly poured over the bowl tableside at Veranda, The Del’s latest culinary offering which opened on April 10, with oceanfront views and garden-inspired ambience. Marilyn liked it so much she ordered it daily while filming Some Like It Hot in 1958 at The Del.”
And finally, Jason Gaillard’s stunning hand-painted mural is inspired by a 1962 image by photographer Bert Stern, from the so-called ‘Last Sitting.’
The Marilyn Report 
