Crypt 33 (18 page)

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Authors: Adela Gregory

BOOK: Crypt 33
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While dining at Khrushchev's table, a Russian diplomat asked about her husband Arthur Miller. She was happy to be asked about something other than her beauty and body. Later Marilyn would admit that a smitten Nikita made a pass at her by grabbing her hand tightly while giving her the “eye.” He had hoped and expected that America was presenting its “queen” for his pleasure. But the leader was badly mistaken. Marilyn described him as a fat, ugly little man with warts on his face who growled when he spoke. She was relieved that he did not try to kiss her. Nonetheless, Marilyn felt it was a great honor to be introduced to the “supreme enemy” during the height of the cold war and to have won his approval. After meeting with the Hollywood icon of her time on September 19, 1959, Khrushchev overcame the disappointment of not being allowed to visit Disneyland, his favorite amusement park, for security reasons, after having already dined with Marilyn Monroe. The premier first made a scene demanding that he be taken to Disneyland, yelling that either the mob was out to kill him or there must be hidden missiles planted there. Acting as a mediator, Frank Sinatra offered to personally escort Mrs. Khrushchev. When given the final no for security reasons, Sinatra appeared quite the hero for his debonair display of chivalry!
Fidel Castro had already completed his march into Havana at the head of a guerrilla army and seized the American gambling interests, prostitution rings, and abortion mills that had thrived under the venal Fulgencio Batista. The son of a sugar plantation owner, groomed in Jesuit schools and a product of Havana University Law School, Castro at thirty-three abandoned his law career in favor of dethroning Batista. He then flew to Washington like a “good neighbor,” promising that his new regime would not follow communism. But later the United States government was enraged when Cuba bought a shipment of crude oil from the USSR. Castro nationalized the island's American companies, further straining Cuban-American relations.
Vice President Richard M. Nixon had recently debated Premier Khrushchev in Moscow, paving the way for his presidential election bid in 1960. FBI Director Hoover was still denying the existence of a national crime syndicate, instead stressing that communist subversion was the major threat to the nation. Senator John Kennedy was still maintaining a suite on the eighth floor of Washington's Mayflower Hotel as his personal orgy playpen. Originally introduced to Jack Kennedy in late 1955 by brother-in-law Peter Lawford, Frank Sinatra, as the leader of Hollywood's “Rat Pack,” indefatigably supplied the Massachusetts senator with names and telephone numbers of attractive, sexually available women. Of course Sinatra would receive the red-carpet treatment from the senator. Lawford also pimped for Jack, and Peter's young friend Jack Naar pimped for Lawford. It evolved into one big “I'll scratch your back if you scratch mine” fraternity of the Kennedys of Washington and the Rat Packers of Hollywood.
As the mastermind behind his son's presidential campaign, patriarch Joe Kennedy invited Sinatra to Palm Beach to coordinate his plans for Frank as a fund raiser and quasi-social director. Especially since his success in pulling off Khrushchev's visit, Frank was in demand as the social kingpin of Hollywood's elite and Joe recognized his formidable influence and power as an asset to his son's political aspirations. Joe asked Ol' Blue Eyes to sing a campaign song for Jack. They chose “High Hopes” and Jimmy Van Heusen to rework the lyrics.
Sinatra reciprocated by inviting the senior Kennedy to Cal-Neva Lodge in Tahoe to dine and vacation with Sam Giancana. Jack Kennedy's mind was on meeting girls while Sinatra created Hollywood backing for Joseph Kennedy. In planning the campaign the senior Kennedy secured Jack's participation in election mandates and ensured that his son had an unending parade of women. Thus fatefully unfolded the natural progression for America's political darling to connect with America's sex-symbol sweetheart.
 
Propelling herself into every aspect of
Love
was the way Marilyn chose to delay committing to
The Misfits
for her husband. The screenplay, the storyline, and the lead character fell short in Marilyn's eyes. She especially despised the lead, Roslyn. Marilyn saw her as an oversensitive woman who was not able to communicate without having a “fit” and one who would not give her husband a second chance. But as written Roslyn was willing to quickly get involved with three men. Despite her penchant for expanding the depth of her previous characters, Miss Monroe knew intuitively that this character was in trouble. Yet trying to appease the distant Miller and feeling inadequate for not being “woman” enough to bear his children, Marilyn overcompensated in her attempts to please her husband. Since he had no recent recognition for his talents and already had peaked as a playwright, she accurately sensed that he was looking to her to supply his big break as screenwriter.
Frank Taylor, Miller's first paid editor at Viking Press, had been visiting the couple in Connecticut with his sons, who had asked to be introduced to Marilyn. Miller graciously obliged his friend. But Taylor was interested more in Miller's recent works. The writer offered his only piece: a screenplay based on a short story about some of his experiences while anticipating his final divorce decree. Taylor suggested that John Huston would be the appropriate director, and the screenplay was sent to Paris, where Huston was still shooting the ill-fated
Roots of Heaven.
Still in his ecological period, Huston found Miller's treatment of the slaughter of mustangs magnificent. On the same floor of Huston's Paris hotel was United Artists executive Elliott Hyman, who proposed his Seven Arts Productions, then a subsidiary of United Artists, as the production house for the picture. The proposition was well-received by Miller, who felt that agreeing to limited distribution would allow him greater creative control. With Music Corporation of America representing Monroe and Miller and agent Paul Kohner representing Huston and United Artists, the picture was taking form. It was assumed that Monroe would play Roslyn and Clark Gable the part of Gay Langland, the seasoned cowboy who falls for her. Marilyn's agent, George Chasin, also representing Gable, sent the script along with his positive recommendation to Italy, where Gable was filming
It Happened in Naples.
Gable responded with enthusiasm. Perhaps he recalled his earlier wish to play opposite Marilyn Monroe.
With director and lead actors in hand, the screenplay still had no producer. Miller suddenly imposed upon Frank Taylor to produce; he needed the support of someone who truly respected his talents. Marilyn obliged her husband by agreeing to use Taylor's embryonic producing talents, knowing full well that he had virtually no previous filmmaking experience. Taylor first said he was incapable of the position, but after Arthur begged in desperation, he acceded. Acting like a producer himself, Miller began lining up publicity for the picture. He arranged for his future wife, Inge Morath, to be part of the photographic team that would capture the production for American, English, French, Italian, and German magazines. While still employed as an editor for Western Publishing, Taylor persuaded his seniors to grant him a leave of absence. The team had cast the supporting roles. The young cowboy Perce Howland was to be played by Montgomery Clift; Guido, Langland's partner, by Eli Wallach; and Isabelle, the silly Nevada divorcee, by Thelma Ritter. With all the method actors involved, the plan was to shoot the script chronologically, giving the performers a chance to adequately develop their characters. Their availability was coordinated for the fall of 1959—until Marilyn put a kink in the carefully manipulated shooting plans.
The Misfits
had all the earmarks of a financial disaster as noted industry reporters agreed with Monroe's reservations. A number of questions were surfacing. What was
The Misfits?
A play or a book? Had Arthur Miller ever written a screenplay before? When was the last time John Huston's or, for that matter, Clark Gable's films made any real money? Could Marilyn play a serious dramatic role and would her fans run to the movie houses to see her as an aging sex machine? Why would a black-and-white film cost $3.5 million, and who would go to see it? And who was Frank Taylor anyway?
A book editor turned film producer was hardly enough to persuade Monroe that the film would have artistic merit. She balked every time Miller tried to convince her otherwise. Still remembering his dubious input regarding her past film failures, at this point Marilyn was looking for a way out of their relationship; maybe this would do.
Her attraction to Montand made for perfect diversion. Against Miller's and Strasberg's best advice, the actress committed to
Let's Make Love.
In early 1960 the Millers returned to the West Coast, residing in a Beverly Hills Hotel bungalow while Marilyn filmed
Love
with Montand. The Montands rented a bungalow adjoining the Millers'. This cozy setup allowed Monroe and Montand to travel to and from the studio together every day. With Yves and Paula by her side, Marilyn lost her usual inhibitions and glowed on the set. Meanwhile Miller took off to Ireland to confer with Huston on his screenplay. Her chances no doubt enhanced by the publicity from associating with Marilyn Monroe, Simone Signoret received an Oscar for
Room at the Top,
and Yves sang at the ceremony. Marilyn's rival had got the award and the man! Seething resentment poisoned the relationship between Marilyn and Simone.
Openly protesting, Hedda Hopper threatened to resign rather than watch an avowed communist receive an Academy Award. Simone used the excuse that she had to return to Europe because of a prior film commitment. Although it was common knowledge within the film community that Signoret had long suspected infidelity between her husband and Marilyn, she wanted to make her last “power play” by delivering the “she or me” ultimatum to Yves just before she left. Even before Monroe and Montand had actually made love, the hounds were already conjecturing about their cozy setup at the hotel. The affair was a time bomb ready to explode.
Miller was fuming over Monroe's unwillingness to facilitate his big “break.” Her attraction to Montand was obvious, and he felt ill equipped to compete. But his film was nearly in the bag, so he left his marriage to its own devices.
Montand basked in Marilyn's attention. Yet privately he confided in his friend Doris Vidor, Warner heiress and wife of director Charles Vidor, “[Marilyn] does whatever I ask her to do on the set. Everyone is amazed at her complacency.”
The accomplished George Cukor had more difficulty directing the actress than he anticipated and in the end used choreographer Jack Cole as his mediator. Even Cole eventually grew impatient with Monroe, at one point telling her to “stick a finger up your ass!” Monroe went white as Paula Strasberg dotingly hovered over her. Though Cukor would have loved to be the one hurling the insults, he warned Cole about inciting the weary actress, asking him to hold on for another month until the picture was finished.
On a Sunday, their day off, Montand and Monroe were invited to a dinner party hosted by David Selznick and his wife, Jennifer Jones. Mrs. Vidor was asked to go along. Marilyn spent most of the evening following her new lover around “like a puppy dog.”
A few days later Billy Wilder invited Mrs. Vidor to the premiere of his film
The Apartment.
Vidor asked if Montand and Marilyn could come along. After a few minutes, Wilder agreed, but insisted that she be on time. Montand smugly retorted, “She'll be anywhere on time with me.” Without an incident, the couple was invited afterward to Romanoff's, where a charming Marilyn congratulated Wilder on his latest film, which was to win the Oscar for Best Picture in 1960. Trying hard to forget the past injustices done to her by Wilder, Monroe endeavored to wipe the slate clean, even expressing her hope that they would soon work together again.
The start of filming of
The Misfits
was further delayed by an actors' strike over residual payments. In sympathy, the Screen Writer's Guild also went on strike. Producer Jerry Wald urged Arthur Miller to finish the changes on the screenplay anyway. In exchange for $25,000 and in keeping with his opportunistic character, Miller's “principles” succumbed as he quietly broke the strike. Though Miller was called upon to save the ailing script, as a novice screenwriter he was being asked to do the impossible.
Marilyn thought she had the perfect solution to everyone's problems. Arthur needed a woman like Simone, an intellectual whom he could really talk to. Plagued by his troubled marriage, Yves needed someone like Marilyn, especially since he was already on the brink of “making it” and would no longer need to kowtow to his wife. The thought of switching spouses excited her. Finally, after months of dreaming, plotting, and conniving, Montand “surrendered” to her feminine wiles. Although the rumormongers had been gossiping about the “affair” for months, in truth Marilyn and Montand made passionate love only once!
The press had a field day with the tryst, calling Marilyn a home-wrecker and repeating the same charge leveled against her during Miller's first marital breakup. It was a rough period for her image despite her publicist's insistence that Marilyn and Yves were just “good friends.” Ironically “friends” was about as close as they were destined to be.
While Marilyn was later filming
The Misfits
an anxious Hedda Hopper was handed a golden opportunity to get the “skinny” on Monroe, who notoriously ignored Hopper. Eager to announce his triumph to the press, Montand invited Hedda to break the story. The columnist was unmerciful, quoting Yves as describing Marilyn's affections as a “schoolgirl crush” and calling Marilyn an unsophisticated lady, unlike others he had known.

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