Darveaux 2002 - Adler Graduate School

THE LIFE OF A LEGEND: MARILYN MONROE
LIBRARY-ALFRED ADLER
GRADUATE SCHOOL
A Paper
Presented to
The Faculty of the Alfred Adler Graduate School ofMinnesota
In Partial Fulfillment of the Requirements for
the Degree of Master of Arts in
Adlerian Counseling and Psychotherapy
By:
Liza Darveaux
October 2002
All the hard work and time
Put into this paper
Is dedicated to
My wonderful husband
And
Best friend, Paul.
Contents
Introduction
REVIEW OF RESEARCH
Chapter 1
Berniece and Jackie: Gladys' life before Norma Jeane
Chapter 2
Norma Jeane's Childhood
Chapter 3
Norma Jeane's Adulthood: The Emergence of Marilyn Monroe
THE ADLERIAN PERSPECTIVE
Chapter 4
The Lifestyle
Components of Marilyn's Lifestyle
Heredity
Family Atmosphere
Family Values
Guiding Lines (Role Models)
Family Constellation
Chapter 5
Lifestyle Patterns and Mistaken Beliefs
Affairs
Older Men
Father Figures
Many Intimate Relationships
Secrecy
Nudity
Attention
Social Interest
Conclusion
4
6-8
9-11
12-31
32-39
33-39
33-34
35
35-36
36-37
37-39
40-60
40-43
44
44-46
46-48
48-50
50-52
52-58
58-60
60
Introduction
On June 1st, 1926, a baby girl who was destined to be a legend was born.
Norma Jeane Mortenson came into this world with only her mother for a family,
or so she thought. Later, she discovered that her family actually began several
years before her birth. Some things that would have an effect on Norma Jeane for
her entire life occurred before she was even born.
For many years, Norma Jeane didn't know that she had a half-sister
and a half-brother. Gladys Pearl Monroe, who would eventually become Norma
Jeane's mother, had already been married twice, prior to Norma Jeane's birth.
Her first marriage was to Jasper (sometimes referred to as "Jack") Baker, when
Gladys was at the young age of 17 years old (Riese & Hitchens, 1987). Together,
Gladys and Jack had two children, a boy named Hermitt Jack ("Jackie") and a girl
named Berniece. Four years later, in 1921, the marriage ended in divorce, and
Jack left Gladys, taking their two children with him. Gladys was then married to
Edward Mortenson. During this time, Gladys also had a relationship with
C. Stanley Gifford, either ofthese two men could have been Norma Jeane's
father. After Gladys made her pregnancy known, both men left, leaving Gladys to
care for her baby all by herself (Riese & Hitchens, 1987).
The lack of acknowledgment or involvement from either of these men in
Norma Jeane's life, cast a gray cloud over Marilyn for the duration of her time
spent on earth. Norma Jeane's need and longing for a father often clouded her
judgment, and influenced, every decision she made in her life. She was often
grossly misunderstood and judged harshly for her behaviors. However, if one
5
would take a little time to get to know where she came from and the perspective
that she developed because of her background, one's opinions of her would
change from harsh judgments to compassionate understandings.
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CHAPTER 1
Berniece and Jackie: Gladys' life before Norma Jeane
As mentioned above, Norma Jeane's mother, Gladys, had a separate life
before Norma Jeane was ever born. In this prior life, Gladys had given birth to
Norma Jeane's two older siblings, Berniece and Jackie. Gladys divorced Jasper
when Berniece and Jackie were still very young. However, Berniece still
remembered the deterioration of her parent's marriage. It began while on a family
vacation where her mother, Gladys, went on a walk with her father's brother.
(Baker Miracle & Miracle, 1994).
When Gladys returns from the mountain hike, Jasper beats her across the
back with a bridle until she bleeds. She runs down into town and shows
her back to people on the street, crying that she is afraid of her husband.
(Baker Miracle & Miracle, 1994, p. 13)
About a year after returning from the family vacation Gladys got divorced
from Jasper, and was "given custody of her children" (Baker Miracle & Miracle,
1994, p. 14). During a visitation with their father, Berniece and Jackie were taken
on a journey to Kentucky, instead of being returned to their mother. The three of
them made a home at Jasper's mother's house, until Jasper married Maggie Mills
(Baker Miracle & Miracle, 1994).
Berniece and Jackie grew up knowing very little about their mother. Their
father was hesitant to talk about her. Berniece only had a picture and a few faded
memories to remember Gladys by (Baker Miracle & Miracle, 1994). The only
thing about Gladys that Berniece can recall her father saying was:
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Your mother was a beautiful woman....But she was also very young, too
young to know how to take care of children. That's why I brought you
and Jackie to your grandmother-so you'd be taken care of That's why I
married an older lady the next time. (Baker Miracle & Miracle, 1994,
p. 12)
Growing up, Berniece's brother Jackie spent a significant amount of time
in the hospital due to a leg injury. Gladys found out about him staying in the
hospital. Berniece recalls:
Daddy and my grandmother kept me hidden, and they told my mother that
she had better not go to that hospital and bother Jackie. Of course, Mother
went anyway. She visited Jackie, but Daddy had told the doctors not to let
her take him out. So she stayed in Louisville and got a job as a
housekeeper while she waited for Jackie to get better. (Baker Miracle &
Miracle, 1994, p. 14)
Unfortunately, over the years, Jackie's health never really did get better,
due to various different injuries. His leg needed continuous treatment and his
doctors gave him a "tentative diagnosis" of "tuberculosis of the bone" (Baker
Miracle & Miracle, 1994, p. 15). Berniece remembers one Fourth of July, after
Jackie was released from the hospital, where a firecracker "explodes into Jackie's
face. He loses his right eye" (Baker Miracle & Miracle, 1994, p. 15). Against
the doctor's opinion, Jasper did not keep Jackie in the hospital, and Jackie died of
"kidney failure" (Baker Miracle and Miracle, 1994, p. 16).
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Especially after Jackie died, Berniece often wondered if her mother
was still alive, since Gladys didn't make any contact with her. After getting
engaged to her boyfriend Paris, Berniece pondered, "I surely would like to know
where my mother is before 1 marry or make some big decision" (Baker Miracle &
Miracle, 1994, p. 16). Despite Berniece being unable to locate her mother,
Berniece and Paris tied the knot in 1938, on the 7th of October. Shortly after they
were married, Berniece got pregnant with their daughter, Mona Rae (Baker
Miracle & Miracle, 1994). Around that time, Berniece heard from her mother,
and she learned of her half-sister, Norma Jeane (Baker Miracle & Miracle, 1994).
Norma Jeane would not know about her mother's history and the existence
of her siblings until about the age of twelve. The two sisters exchanged letters
and photographs until 1944, when an 18 year-old Norma Jeane met her sister
Berniece, for the first time. By this time, Berniece was married to Paris Miracle
and had a five-year-old daughter, Mona Rae Miracle. Unfortunately, before the
sisters learned of each other, their older brother Jackie died at the young age of
14. He never knew of his sister, Norma Jeane's existence (Baker Miracle &
Miracle, 1994).
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CHAPTER 2
Norma Jeane's Childhood
Much like her siblings, Norma Jeane also, lived much of her childhood
without her mother. While Gladys was "working as a film cutter at Columbia and
then RKO Studios" baby Norma Jeane was taken care of by Gladys' friend Grace
(Aunt Grace) whom was given five dollars weekly by Gladys (Riese & Hitchens,
1987, p. 33). Norma Jeane would only see her mother on the weekends because
Gladys would work long hours. Gladys worked the long hours because she had
always dreamed of owning her own home, where Norma Jeane and her could live
together. Her dream finally became a reality in 1934 (Riese & Hitchens, 1987).
It was a bungalow, located offHighland Avenue in Hollywood. Gladys
rented out all ofthe rooms except for the two she retained for Norma
Jeane and herself. Thus, after years of planning, Gladys had the house-if
not the husband and father-and, for the first time since birth, Norma Jeane
moved in with 'the lady with the red hair.' (Riese & Hitchens, 1987,
p. 34)
Shortly thereafter, the onset of a mental illness in Gladys became
apparent. She was admitted to the Los Angeles General Hospital and then was
institutionalized at the Norwalk State Asylum. "At Norwalk, Gladys was
diagnosed as a paranoid schizophrenic-the disease that had destroyed both of her
parents and her brother. Gladys would not live with Norma Jeane again for
twelve years" (Riese & Hitchens, 1987, p. 34).
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After Gladys was diagnosed with paranoid schizophrenia, the couple who
had been taking care ofNorma Jeane, had to move back to England, and the only
place Norma Jeane had to go was to the Los Angeles Orphan's Home. Norma
Jeane remembers this day quite well:
Wefinally arrived at a three-story redbrick building. She made me carry
my small suitcase as we walked up the stairs to the main entrance ofthe
building. I noticed a sign in huge letters. Emptiness came over me; my
heart began beatingfast, then faster. I broke out in a cold sweat. I began
to panic. I cried I couldn't catch my breath. The sign said Los Angeles
Orphans Home. Please don't let me stay here. I'm not an orphan-my
mother's not dead I'm not an orphan. It's just that she's sick in the
hospital and can't take care ofme. Please don't make me stay here. I
cried andprotested as hard as I could; I can still remember, she had to
drag me inside. I was only nine years old then, but something like this I'll
never forget. My heart was broken. (Barris, 1995, p. 15)
During the next several years, Norma Jeane lived in the orphanage and
anywhere from 9 to 12 foster homes. Finally, Aunt Grace came back' for Norma
Jeane, just as she had promised. Norma Jeane remembers that day:
[When she took me out ofthe orphanage,] Aunt Grace did not bring me
back to live with her. She tookme to Van Nuys, a very poor neighborhood
on the outskirts ofLos Angeles. I was to live there with her aunt [Edith
Ana Atchison Lower], a sixty-two year-old spinster. Her home was a
11
rundown bungalow, and the people in the neighborhood were mostly poor
and on relief (Barris, 1995, p. 16)
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CHAPTER 3
Norma Jeane's Adulthood: The emergence of Marilyn Monroe
Norma Jeane lived with Aunt Ana until Norma Jeane got married to Jim
Dougherty, only 18 days after she turned sixteen (Steinem, 1986). The marriage
was a result of a plan made by Aunt Ana, "an arranged marriage seemed the only
alternative to another foster home or a return to the orphanage" (Steinem, 1986,
p. 32). Two years later, Jim joined the marines and the two of them were
separated while he was in boot training (Steinem, 1986). Then, they were
together for awhile until Jim went to Shanghai. During this time Norma Jeane
was employed at the Radio Plane Company (Steinem, 1986). This is where
Norma Jeane was first "discovered." Marilyn recalled:
Well, one day a photographer came to our plant from the Army's Pictorial
Center in Hollywood to take some pictures of people-he called them
morale-booster types-showing how they were doing their part, working in
defense plants, too. When this photographer, David Conover, passed by
where I was at work, he said 'You're a real morale booster. I'm going to
take your picture for the boys in the Army to keep their morale high. '
(Steinem, 1986, p. 33)
This event opened the floodgates for Norma Jeane. She was quickly hired
by a "commercial photographer" (Steinem, 1986,
p. 35) That led to modeling
school and modeling assignments. However, in one incident that Norma Jeane
recalls, her attractiveness backfired.
13
My second job turned out quite bad. A group of models went on location
to Malibu Beach to model sports clothes for a famous American catalogue.
After two days, they sent me home. They wouldn't tell me why, and I was
upset-here I was, the only model fired.
Later, I found out the reason. They said no one would ever look at
the clothes in their catalogue. 'It's just that you have more than the usual
amount of sex appeal. Too much to make a fashion model,' Miss Snively
explained to me. (Steinem, 1986, p. 35)
Despite her sex appeal Norma Jeane continued to grow in the modeling
industry. Even though the modeling assignments kept coming in abundance,
Norma Jeane wasn't quite accepted, just as she was. "I was a brunette then, and
Miss Snively kept insisting I bleach my hair. I kept refusing. 'If you expect to go
places, you've got to be a blonde,' She said" (Steinem, 1986, p. 35). In spite of
her hesitation, Norma Jeane changed her hair color in order to keep a modeling
assignment (Steinem, 1986). This was how the transformation from Norma Jeane
to Marilyn Monroe began.
Along with the emergence ofMarilyn Monroe, this was also a
turning point in another area ofNorma Jeane's life, her marriage. During this
time alone, Norma Jeane grew more aware of her desire to be an actress.
However, Norma Jeane did not get any support from her husband.
Jim used to discourage me by saying, 'There are plenty of beautiful girls
who can act and Hollywood's full ofthem; they're all looking for work.
14
What makes you think you're any better than them?' I don't think he
really knew how I felt inside. (Steinem, 1986, p. 37)
Norma Jeane eventually asked for a divorce from their 4-year marriage (Steinem,
1986).
As a newly single woman, Norma Jeane's modeling career opened the
doors for her acting career, just as she'd hoped. Ben Lyon, a talent scout for
Twentieth Century-Fox, decided to let Norma Jeane have a screen test, after
hearing about expressed interest from Howard Hughes, who saw her in a
photograph. The screen test lead to Norma Jeane's first contract with Twentieth
Century-Fox. Along with this contract came a new name, Marilyn (Barris, 1995).
When telling her Aunt Grace about her actress name, her Aunt Grace replied:
'Soundsfine for a first name. Why not use your mother's maiden name
Monroe for your last name? ' With this, [Norma Jeane] hesitated, then
replied, 'Well, I don't know. ' But Aunt Grace insisted it would make
[Marilyn's] mother so proud if[she] did Then [Norma Jeane] laughed
and shouted to Aunt Grace, 'I thought so, too. Now I'm Marilyn Monroe.
(Barris, 1995, pp. 63-64)
Norma Jeane, or soon better known as Marilyn Monroe, felt she was starting a
new chapter in her life.
With a new name and a studio contract, my new life had begun. I was on
my way to being afilm actress. What I'd been dreamingfor now had
happened Photography had shown I was what they were lookingfor up
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there on the silver screen. Now I had to prove I could act. (Barris, 1995,
p. 64)
Marilyn got her first chance to show her acting ability in her first movie,
Scudda-Hoo! Scudda Hay! in 1948. However, her chance was short-lived,
because her only line in the film did not make the final cut and was completely
omitted (Barris, 1995). In her second movie "Dangerous Years (1948), a
cautionary tale about juvenile delinquency, she had a little more screen time for
she played a waitress in a soda shop" (Sinyard, 1990, p. 24). After this movie was
made, Marilyn was dropped from Twentieth Century-Fox (Sinyard, 1990).
Left again to fend for herself: Marilyn returned to modeling. However,
there were very few modeling assignments available. Despite her lack of funds
Marilyn was determined to continue on working on her acting skills.
I never stopped taking drama lessons even when I did go hungry at times.
Anyway, doing so was goodfor my figure, I told myself. Besides, what
would make me an actress, acting lessons or hamburgers? No one had to
tell me what to do. (Barris, 1995, p. 73)
Columbia Pictures offered Marilyn a contract several months later. This is
where Marilyn met her drama coach, Natasha Lytess, who would end up being
Marilyn's mentor for many years to come. While at Columbia Pictures, Marilyn
had a part in the movie Ladies ofthe Chorus. Although she got rave reviews for
her role, much to Marilyn's surprise, Columbia Pictures let Marilyn go (Barris,
1995).
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Marilyn had to fall back on her modeling for an income. It was during this
period in her life that she made one ofthe most historical and controversial
decisions she would ever make. However, it was a decision she made out of
complete hopelessness, and in the end, it actually helped her career. Marilyn
decided to take up an offer that she had previously refused. Photographer Tom
Kelley had offered Marilyn fifty dollars, instead ofthe regular wage offive or ten
dollars, for some nude photographs. Marilyn did the photographs under one
condition: "You must promise never to tell anyone about my posingfor you in the
nude. I want you to promise me that you will take the pictures so that I wouldn't
be recognizable in them" (Barris, 1995, p. 81). Marilyn knew that she was
risking her career by her decision, but felt she had no other choice. She even used
the name "Mona Monroe". "I don't know why, except I may have wanted to
protect myself I was nervous, embarrassed, even ashamed ofwhat I had done,
and I did not want my name to appear on that model release" (Barris, 1995,
p.83).
One ofthe photographs made its way into a calendar named "Golden
Dreams." Tom Kelley made nine hundred dollars for the sale and the calendar
went on to make "millions" (Barris, 1995, p. 83). Later, Marilyn's photograph
was to be made even more famous when the picture was purchased by Hugh
Hefner ''for justfive hundred dollars, plus another photo ofme fully dressed, to
launch his first issue ofPlayboy, for the cover and nude girl inside" (Barris, 1995,
p. 83). When Marilyn made the photographs, she never predicted the sensation
that one of them would some day make.
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The magazine, I was told, thanks to my photos, [wasJ an instant sellout all
across the country, an instant success. I never even received a thank-you
from all those who made millions offa nude Marilyn photograph. I even
had to buy a copy ofthe magazine to see myselfin it. A copy ofthe nude
calendar was bought and given to me byafriend. Years later I gave it to
my then husband, Joe DiMaggio." (Barris, 1995, pp. 83-84)
After Tom Kelley sold two, out of his twenty-four, pictures of Marilyn,
"The remaining twenty-two poses were later mysteriously stolen from Tom
Kelley's file cabinet" (Riese & Hitchens, 1987, p. 70). To this day, the pictures
have never been found.
After the nude pictures were published in "Golden Dreams," word quickly
spread that the pictures were ofthe now famous Marilyn Monroe, instead of
"Mona Monroe". Marilyn then immediately became a target by the public and the
media. Regarding the photographs, Marilyn was:
Asked for a confirmation or a denial. In a state of panic, Fox executives
confronted Marilyn, who admitted that she was indeed the red velvet
calendar girl. She was promptly instructed to lie, to deny that she had
committed the unforgivable sin of posing in the nude. However, Marilyn
saw no reason to lie. (Riese & Hitchens, 1987, p. 71)
On March 13, 1952, in several national newspapers, Marilyn published her side of
the story, explaining that she desperately needed the money and was only given
fifty dollars for the whole two-hour session (Riese & Hitchens, 1987).
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Marilyn appeared in her next film in 1949. Marilyn learned that the Marx
Brothers were looking for a "sexy blonde" (Barris, 1995, p. 85). Marilyn decided
that this could be the next break that she'd been waiting for. Marilyn got the role
in the movie Love HaBPY.
They told me I wouldn't have any lines to speak. All the talking I would
have to do was with my body. Actually [the role] was just a walk-on, but
the walking would be most important. Groucho asked me if I could walk
in a way to make smoke come out ofhis head I told him I could I walked
across the room, and when I turned around there was smoke coming out of
Groucho's head! (Barris, 1995, p. 86).
Marilyn's original role did not have to say anything, but her character ended up
with the line "Men keep following me all the time" (Barris, 1995, p. 86).
Despite Marilyn's having been in several movies, she was still
disappointed in the parts she'd been given up to this point in her career:
My screen appearances to date had been limited to a big sixty seconds.
[This particular] minute on the screen [in Love Happy] worked wonders
for me. Lester Cowan, the producer, actually had his press agents making
me the star ofthe film. Me with that one little scene. (Barris, 1995, p. 86)
Marilyn's role in Love Happy lead to a publicity tour to several cities where she
made many public appearances. However, after the tour, she was, once again,
waiting for work (Barris, 1995).
It was quite a while before Marilyn found more work, but the next role she
received, seemed to have been given, by the hands of fate. "That old screen test
19
came to my rescue once more. Someone accidentally sent my color screen test
over to Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer studios, along with others they had requested I
was excited" (Barris, 1995, p. 90). It was here where Marilyn met Lucille
Ryman, a casting agent, who took Marilyn under her wing. Lucille had:
Told me what I'd always wanted to hear. Miss Ryman said I had talent as
an actress. Up to then no one had told me this. She told me to count on
her as a friend Can you imagine! This was music to my ears. (Barris,
1995, p. 90)
Marilyn moved in with Lucille and for the time being, didn't have to be
concerned about money. Marilyn was able to keep her focus on doing what she
needed to do to become a great actress. Marilyn was grateful, "Now, because of
her, I was able to study my dramatics, singing, and dancing without any worries.
I felt I had a guardian angel looking after me. I was sure it was my Aunt Ana,
may God bless her (Barris, 1995, p. 93).
Not only did Lucille take Marilyn into her home; it was Lucille who
found Marilyn's next role in the movie Asphalt Jungle. An agent, Johnny Hyde,
who also helped Marilyn get the part,
At the age of 53, met and fell in love with 23-year-old Marilyn. Hyde's
devotion to and belief in her, both on a personal and professional level,
was total. At the time he met Marilyn, he was sick with heart-disease, but
he threw all his energies-and in so doing broke up his 20-year-old
marriage-into promoting his young protegee. (Sinyard, 1990, p. 32)
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Johnny wanted Marilyn to marry him, but she refused because she didn't love him
that way. Marilyn's values wouldn't let her take advantage of a man that way,
even when times were tough, she thought:
A starlet could take on a lover, usually a well-heeled married man who
couldpay her bills, or she could become the mistress to an old man and
through his connections help advance her career. Believe me, there were
and still are many star-struck girls that do get by that way. Butfor myself,
respect is one oflife's greatest treasures. I mean, what does it all add up
to ifyou don't have that?
If there [isJ only one thing in my life I [amJ
proud of, it's that I've never been a kept woman. (Barris, 1995, p. 71)
Again, this role was a small one, but Marilyn felt that it marked a personal
milestone for her in her career. She felt that this role was the one she needed to
get the kind of role she wanted.
This was the biggest role I had then on the screen. I was finally out ofthe
sixty-second scenes ofmy previous pictures. This was my fourth motion
picture, and I had a feeling now with more hard work maybe I was finding
my way out ofthe forest. (Barris, 1995, p. 96)
Marilyn was right, her role in Asphalt Jungle lead to her next movie 4J1
About Eve. In this movie, Marilyn's character had two scenes, and Marilyn was
late for one of them. Perhaps, being a new actress, she was nervous, and had
butterflies in her stomach. However, arriving late for a job, would become a
pattern that Marilyn would carry with her, the rest of her life. All About Eve won
an "Oscar for the best film of 1950" (Sinyard, 1990, p. 34).