A Person Who Has Made A Difference

Introduction by Aviya Cohen

Throughout history, there have been people who have influenced the way we live. Marilyn Monroe is one of these people.

I chose to prepare this research project on Marilyn Monroe for several reasons. To begin with, when we were first told about this project, I started looking for interesting Jewish to do this project about. Her name came up as someone who converted due to personal reasons, and I was interested within seconds to find out why. In addition, Marilyn was and remains a symbol of feminine all around the world, and she had a huge impact about women since then and up until now.

There are a number of things that I know about Marilyn Monroe. Firstly, I know that she was fighting for the rights of black women in the music industry. In addition, I know that her hallmark is the white flying dress.

 I expect to learn new and interesting things about Marilyn Monroe .first and foremost, I expect to find out more about her career and how it affected people. Also, I want to learn more about the circumstances of her unexpected death. Finally, I would like to discover her connection to Judaism, and why she chose to change her former religion.

 Marilyn Monroe has left her mark on the world. I am looking forward to finding out more about her.

Introduction by Noam Krief

Throughout history, there have been people who have influenced the way we live. Marilyn Monroe is one of these people.

I chose to prepare this research on Marilyn Monroe for several reasons. To begin with, after hearing all the hearsay about her death, it remains a mystery, and I want to find out more about it. In addition, even years after her death she continues to be a major popular culture icon. Last but not least, she advanced the women’s position in the movies and films.

There are a number of things that I already know about Marilyn Monroe. Firstly, I know that she was a singer and a model. In addition, I know that she was an American actress and played in several successful films.

I expect to learn new and interesting things about Marilyn Monroe. First and foremost, I expect to find out more about her death. Also, I want to learn about her life and family. Finally, I would like to discover about her career.

Marilyn Monroe has left her mark on the world. I am looking forward to finding out more about her.

Introduction by Dekel Lagziel

Throughout history, there have been people who have influenced the way we live. Marilyn Monroe is one of these people. I chose to prepare this research on Marilyn Monroe for several reasons. To begin with, Marilyn was an actress, comedian, singer and a model. She has done so many things in her life that have had an influence on women’s communities all over the world.

There are number of things that I already know about Marilyn Monroe. Firstly, I know that she was one of the world’s most enduring iconic figures and that she was a Hollywood sex symbol. In addition, I know that the image of her standing above a subway with her dress in the air became one of the most iconic pictures.

I expect to learn new and interesting things about Marilyn Monroe. first and foremost, I expect to find out more about her career and about her successful films. also, I want to learn about how she became one of the most influential women in the world. finally, I would like to discover more about her unexpected death. Marilyn Monroe has left her mark on the world.

I am looking forward to finding out more about her.

Biography- Early Life & 1940′

Marilyn Monroe was born on June 1^st, 1926, in Los Angeles, as Norma Jeane Mortenson, to her Christian mother Gladys Pearl Baker.

Her father’s identity was never known.

Baker suffered from a paranoid schizophrenic mental disease and struggled to raise Marilyn properly. That led Baker to hospitalize herself in an asylum, and Marilyn was raised in foster homes, in which she suffered from sexual abuse.

By her 16^th birthday, in 1942, Norma married her 21-year-old, next-door neighbor Jimmy Dougherty in order to escape the life of a foster child. Norma became a housewife as her husband’s wishes. Later she described their relationship as boring.

Being too bored to stay at home, Norma found a job at a factory in Burbank, California.

That’s where she met photographer David Conover, that was covering the factory to show women at work for the War effort. He was shocked by her beauty, and used her for many of his photographs. This triggered her modeling career, and she was soon featured on the front of many magazine covers.

In 1946, Norma divorced Jimmy, who was against her starting off a career of her own, and embraced her stage name- Marilyn Monroe (after her grandma). She took drama lessons and signed a contract with 20^th Century Fox.

The movies she played in got the world’s attention, and Marilyn soon became a symbol in Hollywood, even though she was facing problems, Marilyn was known for her kindness and optimistic features.

Biography- 1950′

In 1954, Marilyn married baseball star Joe DiMaggio. By then she was already one of the biggest stars in Hollywood, but her contract left her paid less than other stars.  Monroe’s characters were typecast as a ‘blonde bombshell’ – simple roles in comedies and musicals. When Monroe tried to confront them and get them to give her different roles,  The 20^th  Century Fox suspended her for a short amount of time, but eventually, they agreed to accept some of Monroe’s demands and gave her higher payment.

In 1955, Marilyn began her own movie production and began studying acting method. By doing so, Marilyn was marked as one of the first women to ever open their own production company.  Despite the fact that the media often ignored Monroe’s potential, her efforts to improve acting paid off. She was nominated for Golden Globe Best Actress Award for “Bus Stop (1956)”, and  In 1959, she won a Golden Globe for her role in ‘’Some Like It Hot‘’.

Her relationship with Joe DiMaggio ended less than nine months after they wed, due to his jealousy and controlling nature. Some say he was abusive towards Marilyn and that she cheated on him with her next husband to be, but the couple remained close friends, and he even organized Monroe’s funeral.

Monroe began dating author Arthur Miller and in 1956 they got married. In order to get married, Monroe converted to Judaism. The marriage received significant media interest for the combination of Miller the intellectual and Monroe, the ‘dumb blonde’. Even the FBI opened a file on her, worried about the political views of her husband, and how she could be helpful for them.

Biography- 1960′

In the late 1950s, and early 1960s, her health began to deteriorate. She suffered from a Barbiturate addiction and experienced depression. Her marriage to Miller was breaking down, and she had affairs with Yves Montand, Frank Sinatra, and others.

During the 1960s, the stole of her health made shooting films difficult, and production was often delayed. She was sued and even replaced because of the damages she caused to the filmmakers’ timeline, but was still in great demand and often appeared on the front cover of magazines.

In 1962, she was invited to the White House to sing for John F. Kennedy’s birthday.

Monroe died at her home in Los Angeles on August 5, 1962, when she was only 36 years old. She was found by two of her house workers, behind a closed door, lying naked on her bed with an empty bottle of sleeping pills by her bed. There were some theories over the years that she may have been murdered, but the cause of her death was officially ruled as a drug overdose.

Monroe’s funeral was simple and private, with friends and family only, but it’s known that hundreds of people from her town were out in the streets, paying their respect. She was buried in her favorite Emilio Pucci dress.

Marilyn’s death was shocking news to the world, and the suicide rates were doubled for the month after it.

Marilyn was a victim of a society that demands what it wants, no matter the cost. By trying and even succeeding in changing that society, Monroe earned her seat as a legend.

Our Figure’s Influence On Us

Marilyn Monroe’s famous quotation “If you can’t handle me at my worst, then you sure as hell don’t deserve me at my best”, has influenced us in several ways.

Firstly, we learned that we shouldn’t change ourselves for anyone’ and no one should be the one to tell us who we should be and how we should act. Secondly, we understood that we shouldn’t be close friends with people that don’t understand us nor excepting us just the way we are, or force us to change or to feel guilty or wrong when we do or act the way we like.

Moreover, the quote means you have to accept someone fully, both their bad side and their good one. You can’t just have them “at their best” because everybody has times “at their worst”.  So take it all or nothing.  If you can’t deal with them at their worst, then you can’t have them at all. If you expect someone to treat you fairly and be with you at both your worst and your best times, you should treat them equally. That is what friendship is based on- trust and faith.

Interview with Mr. Scott Fortner

We chose to interview Mr. Scott Fortner, a Marilyn historian and the owner of “The Marilyn Monroe Collection”- one of the biggest private collections of Marilyn Monroe’s personal property. http://themarilynmonroecollection.com/

There are several reasons why we chose to interview this person. First of all, when we were looking for someone to interview’ we came across his website, and became curious about why someone would dedicate their life and personal money in order to collect someone’s else property. Moreover, while having difficulties with choosing who to interview, Mr. Fortner was the nicest person of our options, and the work with him was pleasant and calm.

Q: Can you tell me about yourself? (Name, age, job, country, etc.)

A: My name is Scott Fortner.  I just turned 50 this year, and I live in the US. I work in health care administration.

Q: What do you think was Marilyn’s greatest work?

A: I think Marilyn was strongest in Don’t Bother to Knock, Niagara, Bus Stop, The Prince and the Showgirl, and Some Like it Hot. She showed incredible range and acting ability in these films. Compare and contrast the characters she played and you can truly see how talented and diverse she was as an actress, both serious and comic

Q: Do you think Marilyn would be proud of the legacy she had left behind?

A: I think what she would be proud of her fan base and the millions of people who still love her today.  In her last interview she said, “If I’m a star, the people made me a star.  No studio, no person, but the people did.” She truly loved her fans. She had no way of knowing what kind of legacy she’d leave behind. With her sudden death, she didn’t even have a chance to ponder it (like some do who approach old age naturally).

Q: What do you think was really behind her death?

A: There was no murder, of that I’m certain. No one else was involved. She died of an overdose, self-inflicted, either accidental or intentional. We’ll never know the truth.

Q: Is Marilyn a role model for you? If yes then why?

A: She’s a role model in the sense that she had a goal, and she accomplished it. A small-town girl grew up to be the most famous woman in the world, meeting celebrities, intellectuals, and politicians. Not bad for a child from an orphanage.

Q: Can you tell me one thing about Marilyn that not all people know? If not, can you break a rumor about her?

A: Well most people assume Marilyn was “plus-sized.” The fact is she was very tiny and petite. I wrote an article about her true size and posted it on my website. It’s the most visited page on my site.

Q: What do you think of the messages she was trying to convey to the female community?

A: I think Marilyn knew about “girl power” before the Spice Girls.  One of her quotes I love the most is this: “All little girls should be told they are pretty, even if they aren’t.” I think this meant that beauty is something beyond how someone looks. It’s who they are on the inside the counts, regardless of looks.

Q: What is her most meaningful award in your eyes?

A: She should have been nominated for an Oscar for Bus Stop or Some Like it Hot. She received Golden Globe awards through the years. I think the award that probably is most important to her is the love and adoration she still receives today, and also how much she was loved in her own lifetime.

Q: What’s your favorite object of Marilyn that you own?

A: There are many items in my collection that I can’t actually believe I own and these are my favorites: Her green Pucci blouse, her East of Eden cape, her wool jacket with a mink fur collar, her maternity dress. Those are the ones that are favorites.

Q: Describe Marilyn in one word.

A: “Indescribable”.

Q: What’s your favorite quote of hers?

A: “What I really want to say, that what the world really needs is a feeling of kinship.  Everybody:  stars, laborers, Negroes, Jews, Arabs.  We are all brothers”.

To Richard S. Meryman for LIFE magazine interview, 1962.

Q: If you could ask Marilyn one question, what would it be?

A: How did she die.

Q: If you could choose anyone to play Marilyn in a movie about her life, who would you pick and why?

A: This is a really great question! I’m not sure anyone really does her justice. If I could pick ANYONE, I’d pick her given the opportunity. If not, I think Margot Robbie. I think she did an excellent job portraying Sharon Tate. I think she could bring Marilyn to life as well.

Q: Tell me one thing Marilyn did that made you love her.

A: Hard to have one thing.  She was just very special. A fan like me can’t really put into words what it is about her. She was just one-of-a-kind. No one will ever come close to duplicating her.

Presentation Report

( In order to see our presentation: https://drive.google.com/file/d/1fF_KhuUd7ATQLJ8qbXMc5R3WWPi98RqC/view?usp=sharing )

On January 12th, we made a presentation in front of our classmates and teacher on Marilyn Monroe.

There were several things we wanted to achieve by making our presentation in this way. First, we wanted to introduce the Famous Marilyn Monroe in a creative way that would affect the students. Second, we wanted to focus on the things that not everybody knows about her. To conclude, we wanted to interest our classmates like we were interested in knowing more about her.

In order to prepare this presentation, we followed several steps. For starters, at the beginning of this project, we wrote Marilyn’s biography, so we used it in order to start and move along with our presentation. Moreover, we met and built the presentation together, after searching about her life and career.

Lastly, we wanted to be as accurate as possible, so we asked many people about her, including Mr. Scott Fortner, whom we interviewed.

The presentation in class was done in the following way. First and foremost, we began by introducing the class Marilyn and her early life. Also, in some parts of the presentation, we stopped and showed the class a video that talked about what we had mentioned. Furthermore, we talked about her career, husbands, prizes, and death. In conclusion, we taught the class a game called “passing box”, in which almost every round there was a question about Marilyn, and we kept going until they reached the prize.

Immediately after the presentation, we received feedback from our teacher and peers. “The presentation was very interesting, you talked clearly and I understood everything”,                  “The presentation was beautiful and I could see that you put a lot of effort into it”. They added, “the creative part was very enjoyable and I liked it”, “I think that your subject, Marilyn Monroe, is a wonderful subject because I didn’t even know she was Jewish before this presentation”, “It was nice to learn about her new things, and the game was good and a beautiful idea”. Our teacher gave us her opinion as well and told us that our presentation was beautiful, that it was an interesting choice, and that the creative part was special.

we learnt several things about Marylin Monroe while doing this section. Firstly, we learnt that she had converted to Judaism, and had a Jewish funeral. Until now, none of us even knew about her being Jewish. Secondly, we learnt that Marylin died with no children, after being married three times. To sum up, we learnt that Marylin asked to be buried with makeup on and that it was done by a close friend of hers.

Looking back on our presentation, there are several things that could have been done differently. Firstly, as a group, we could have learnt our texts better so that we could have been able to talk with no papers during our presentation. Secondly, we could have split and organized our time better, so that we wouldn’t have been under so much pressure throughout the preparation of this project.

in conclusion, we are grateful that we had the opportunity to choose Marylin Monroe and learn about har more that we knew. we learnt so much and understood more about life as a woman and about her career as an actor.

Bibliography

• How A Factory Girl Norma Jeane Became Marilyn Monroe    https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6af4AQG-r4E

• The Marilyn Monroe Story (Rare 1963 Documentary)    https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BLoJTzkhOmQ

• English Lesson on Marilyn Monroe -Famous People  https://famouspeoplelessons.com/m/marilyn_monroe.html