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Marilyn Monroe: The Final Years
To publish for the fiftieth anniversary of her tragic death, this definitive account dispels the rumors and sets the record straight on her last two years
Keith Badman delves into the reality of Monroe’s last days in this surprising, and painstakingly researched biography. Dispelling some of the most pervasive beliefs as well as bringing light to others, Badman reveals that: • Monroe had a one-night stand with JFK at Bing Crosby’s house, but the rumors about her on-going affairs with JFK and RFK were untrue • Her father was not Martin Edward Mortensen but a man named Charles Stanley Gifford, who abandoned Marilyn’s mother when she was three months pregnant • Monroe was tricked into admitting herself into a psychiatric institute where she was treated like a prisoner in a mental asylum until Joe DiMaggio pulled strings for her release • A drunken Monroe was sexually exploited by mobsters at a Lake T ahoe hotel co-owned by Frank Sinatra, who had photos of the incident destroyed Badman sifts the truth from the gossip to provide a perfect companion to the hugely successful book, Fragments. For those who think they know the truth about Marilyn Monroe, think again.
Keith Badman delves into the reality of Monroe’s last days in this surprising, and painstakingly researched biography. Dispelling some of the most pervasive beliefs as well as bringing light to others, Badman reveals that: • Monroe had a one-night stand with JFK at Bing Crosby’s house, but the rumors about her on-going affairs with JFK and RFK were untrue • Her father was not Martin Edward Mortensen but a man named Charles Stanley Gifford, who abandoned Marilyn’s mother when she was three months pregnant • Monroe was tricked into admitting herself into a psychiatric institute where she was treated like a prisoner in a mental asylum until Joe DiMaggio pulled strings for her release • A drunken Monroe was sexually exploited by mobsters at a Lake T ahoe hotel co-owned by Frank Sinatra, who had photos of the incident destroyed Badman sifts the truth from the gossip to provide a perfect companion to the hugely successful book, Fragments. For those who think they know the truth about Marilyn Monroe, think again.
352 pages, Hardcover
First published September 1, 2010
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 47 reviews
April 3, 2014
(CW: Sexual abuse, rape)
There's always the question "do we really need another biography of [Celebrity X]?" when it comes to these kinds of books - I think the question we should be asking in this case is, do we need another biography of Marilyn Monroe which was written by a man?
Before I get to the points which had me raging, let's cover the basics:
The whole point of "Marilyn Monroe: The Final Years," as stated by the author, is to clear up common misconceptions about the actress's last days. Badman is obsessive about this, giving facts and figures which make for some of the dullest reading I've come across (which is another strike against this book - how the actual fuck do you make Marilyn Monroe dull? It's some kind of idiot genius, that's for sure). He gets bogged down in details like how much a limo cost her on a particular day, or how much she paid for a wardrobe in Mexico. Maybe that's FASCINATING to some fans, but I wasn't feeling particularly enlightened by this kind of trivia.
Badman also works to dispel some of the Kennedy conspiracies around Marilyn's demise. It's all fine and good, and I think his account of what must have happened is perfectly solid. But that said, he relies on some governmental evidence while openly discounting other (mostly FBI) reports. He'll take on faith one witness's account (and some of these accounts are completely unsourced - where did they come from? who said them? how did he find this out? NO ONE KNOWWWWWS), while discarding someone else's testimony. If his goal is to convince the skeptics, I don't think they'll find him terribly convincing.
But beyond the dull prose, the somewhat disingenuous reporting, is the sheer constant "benign" misogyny that Badman never bothers to investigate or comment upon. Early on, he makes the point that the actress was molested by her mother's boyfriend, but what he emphasizes is that "she wasn't raped." He then cheerfully reports testimony by her ex-husband as to the state of her hymen (which I won't repeat, because I at least have some decency left in me). Can you imagine this being written about a living celebrity? It's mind-blowing.
Later, his glossing over of sexual assault continues: in reporting a particularly horrible rape at the Cal-Neva lodge (and yes, Mr. Badman, being forced to participate in a sexual act while you are incapable of consenting is RAPE) he refers to it as "sexual mistreatment."
Is your head currently doing the same as Linda Blair's in the Exorcist? I mean, REALLY?
Lesser misogyny pops up throughout as well, and again is completely unexamined. Badman repeats the old chestnut about how Marilyn had needed to lose weight - he literally reports that she had been overweight, but had lost 15 pounds to get down to her old waist size of 22 inches.
Let's think about this for a moment, shall we? At roughly 5 pounds/inch (for a smaller woman), that means she had ballooned to a startlingly obese... 25 inch waist. Last time I checked, that's an extra-small.
So, in conclusion, Badman is interested in tracing what led to her death, but glosses over or ignores the specifically female-based pressures Monroe was constantly facing. He's so interested in the medications she was prescribed that he doesn't bother to look at what got her there in the first place. I'd much rather see a discussion of that than see how much her phone bill was.
And as regards the "sexual mistreatment?" I hope somewhere the author is fucking ashamed of himself, because he is part of the goddamn problem.
There's always the question "do we really need another biography of [Celebrity X]?" when it comes to these kinds of books - I think the question we should be asking in this case is, do we need another biography of Marilyn Monroe which was written by a man?
Before I get to the points which had me raging, let's cover the basics:
The whole point of "Marilyn Monroe: The Final Years," as stated by the author, is to clear up common misconceptions about the actress's last days. Badman is obsessive about this, giving facts and figures which make for some of the dullest reading I've come across (which is another strike against this book - how the actual fuck do you make Marilyn Monroe dull? It's some kind of idiot genius, that's for sure). He gets bogged down in details like how much a limo cost her on a particular day, or how much she paid for a wardrobe in Mexico. Maybe that's FASCINATING to some fans, but I wasn't feeling particularly enlightened by this kind of trivia.
Badman also works to dispel some of the Kennedy conspiracies around Marilyn's demise. It's all fine and good, and I think his account of what must have happened is perfectly solid. But that said, he relies on some governmental evidence while openly discounting other (mostly FBI) reports. He'll take on faith one witness's account (and some of these accounts are completely unsourced - where did they come from? who said them? how did he find this out? NO ONE KNOWWWWWS), while discarding someone else's testimony. If his goal is to convince the skeptics, I don't think they'll find him terribly convincing.
But beyond the dull prose, the somewhat disingenuous reporting, is the sheer constant "benign" misogyny that Badman never bothers to investigate or comment upon. Early on, he makes the point that the actress was molested by her mother's boyfriend, but what he emphasizes is that "she wasn't raped." He then cheerfully reports testimony by her ex-husband as to the state of her hymen (which I won't repeat, because I at least have some decency left in me). Can you imagine this being written about a living celebrity? It's mind-blowing.
Later, his glossing over of sexual assault continues: in reporting a particularly horrible rape at the Cal-Neva lodge (and yes, Mr. Badman, being forced to participate in a sexual act while you are incapable of consenting is RAPE) he refers to it as "sexual mistreatment."
Is your head currently doing the same as Linda Blair's in the Exorcist? I mean, REALLY?
Lesser misogyny pops up throughout as well, and again is completely unexamined. Badman repeats the old chestnut about how Marilyn had needed to lose weight - he literally reports that she had been overweight, but had lost 15 pounds to get down to her old waist size of 22 inches.
Let's think about this for a moment, shall we? At roughly 5 pounds/inch (for a smaller woman), that means she had ballooned to a startlingly obese... 25 inch waist. Last time I checked, that's an extra-small.
So, in conclusion, Badman is interested in tracing what led to her death, but glosses over or ignores the specifically female-based pressures Monroe was constantly facing. He's so interested in the medications she was prescribed that he doesn't bother to look at what got her there in the first place. I'd much rather see a discussion of that than see how much her phone bill was.
And as regards the "sexual mistreatment?" I hope somewhere the author is fucking ashamed of himself, because he is part of the goddamn problem.
January 2, 2019
This is billed as a book that dispels the myths and conspiracy theories about Marilyn Monroe's death. On the whole it seems to do that and yet there is a lack of sources - no footnotes for any of the assertions - despite the author casting doubt on previous books or persons who claimed to know MM.
One of the problems I had with it was that despite the author telling us that his subject was a great actress - which he does more in the section dealing with the coverup at her death and the aftermath - he doesn't actually show that. In fact, to me her ability was trivialised and the book concentrated more on her spending on food, booze, clothing and other items. There were a lot of itemised bills, which were possibly included to add versimilitude but I would have found it more convincing if there had been attributed sources for the various statements.
The other issue that he downplays all the very serious sexual abuse to which MM was subjected, both as a child - it seems that because the boarder who took her into his room didn't actually rape her it was actually not a big deal. Similarly, her being subjected to photographed sexual abuse at the Cal Neva Lodge, at the hands of some associates of his, is trivialised as mistreatment.
A big part of the book is to mostly exonerate the Kennedy brothers from any link to her death. If the various facts about their being in completely different places during most of the alleged meetings are correct then it seems that this is mostly gossip - he does agree a one-night stand happened with the President - though it is alleged that his brother talked too frankly to her about state matters which then made her a person of interest to the security services.
For anyone not convinced that her death was accidental, produced by taking drugs prescribed for sleep disorders by two different doctors - which in combination were fatal - as he narrates, the material about the bugging of her house and alleged visit by Robert Kennedy on the day of her death in response to her, it seems, not seriously meant threats to reveal all at a press conference in retallation for their unkindness, might point the other way. It could be argued that the book should consider these various alternative explanations and use facts to discount them rather than pick one option and steer everything towards that, especially given the lack of cited sources.
All in all I can therefore only rate this as an OK read, that is, 2 star.
One of the problems I had with it was that despite the author telling us that his subject was a great actress - which he does more in the section dealing with the coverup at her death and the aftermath - he doesn't actually show that. In fact, to me her ability was trivialised and the book concentrated more on her spending on food, booze, clothing and other items. There were a lot of itemised bills, which were possibly included to add versimilitude but I would have found it more convincing if there had been attributed sources for the various statements.
The other issue that he downplays all the very serious sexual abuse to which MM was subjected, both as a child - it seems that because the boarder who took her into his room didn't actually rape her it was actually not a big deal. Similarly, her being subjected to photographed sexual abuse at the Cal Neva Lodge, at the hands of some associates of his, is trivialised as mistreatment.
A big part of the book is to mostly exonerate the Kennedy brothers from any link to her death. If the various facts about their being in completely different places during most of the alleged meetings are correct then it seems that this is mostly gossip - he does agree a one-night stand happened with the President - though it is alleged that his brother talked too frankly to her about state matters which then made her a person of interest to the security services.
For anyone not convinced that her death was accidental, produced by taking drugs prescribed for sleep disorders by two different doctors - which in combination were fatal - as he narrates, the material about the bugging of her house and alleged visit by Robert Kennedy on the day of her death in response to her, it seems, not seriously meant threats to reveal all at a press conference in retallation for their unkindness, might point the other way. It could be argued that the book should consider these various alternative explanations and use facts to discount them rather than pick one option and steer everything towards that, especially given the lack of cited sources.
All in all I can therefore only rate this as an OK read, that is, 2 star.
February 3, 2011
My review is probably for people who know the "basics" or maybe even more of the Monroe saga - and so far only covers the first 21 pages LOL.... Because so far I have only read the bit about her childhood. What annoys me most is these "there is so much crap out there and here FINALLY is the ULTIMATE truth". Naturally no biographer can say the FACT which is that the ultimate truth is NEVER TO BE FOUND, it is simply not there. Biographies belong to fiction shelves. And most of these who toot their own horn are utter crap.
Another thing I immediately paid attention to is that there is simply NO SOURCES listed. Yes, he gives thanks but I would like to know where he got the info he claims to be true.
For example he acts like Stanley Gifford being her father is his discovery, whilst, in most part, I think it is more or less established. I have a letter from James Dougherty saying Gifford was her father AND Marilyn knew it. Badman does give more info on Gifford trying to adopt her - which is interesting... but when I leafed the book... WHERE IS THE SOURCE? For a book that quotes MM saying "consider the source" (and she did say that but Mr. Badman does not quote the exact place, I just remember it too.)it is unforgiven to use a method where he is not giving people a CHANCE to concider the source. His list of books really has some dubious characters as well.
One of these examples is Mr. Kinnel/Kimmel being the "star boarder" and the "aunt" who punished her for telling on him when he made advances on her... he tells more about his profession (without a source) BUT the discovery of the star boarder being Mr. Kimmel/Kinnel is fairly new and first appeared in Donald H. Wolfe's book in 1998. (If I recall the year right.) He never gives credit to Wolfe - or more correctly, as I understand, Mr. Roy Turner whose discovery it was, and he gave the info to both Spoto and Wolfe when only Wolfe chose to use it - and that was the one major breakthrough in his otherwise very inaccurate book. One should always acknowledge and credit the ones who came before and not act like all discoveries are their own, especially if they are such big ones.
Another thing that annoys me big time is that biographers (usually male) downplay the trauma that her childhood caused her. Okay, so it was not 12 foster homes - but for a child never to be able to grow steady roots, never to feel SOMEONE loves her unconditionally (except for aunt Ana - who also had to send her away), to have been in an orphanage and the one person she trusted to take her there CAN cause her to remember these "few" places (and being forced to marry at 16) as 12... and the orphanage as a gloomy place. And then to have been taken sexually taken advantage to boot - you don't need to lose your virginity to have been a victim of that and as for me - I don't have a hard time believing AT ALL that a young, vulnerable girl would be taken advantage. One study claimed every fourth female has suffered something like that in their childhood (forgive me I don't have the source right here ;D)- or maybe I am just cynical. We do know she exaggerated and even lied, but we also know sometimes our memories turn happy memories into extreme bliss and sad memories sometimes to utter torment. However, one sad memory I just don't buy is that she remembers Christmas 1926 when she "made her way to the tree" and only got a cheap trinket while other kids got nice toys I don't buy. I DON'T believe a six month old could make her way anywhere, let alone feel left out - even if it came from her own mouth. My kid was happy to just play with the wrappings until he was two ;)) So whether this really came from herself (I don't recall it) you can always use common sense. Or maybe Mr. Badham does not have children? (As I said she DID lie - look at Belmont interview - she says her mother is dead even as late as that. Whether she lied to gain pity or to protect ppl's privacy is not the point, the point is - she DID lie.)
Another problem is Gladys. I have read from A. Miller's book she tried to suffocate her and that was adopted by Barbara Leaming. In no other book has it been Gladys, always Della. Now Badman says it WAS Della, but that Gladys tried to kill her three times and MM talked about it all the time... where is the source? How did she try to kill her? Where are the interviews about MM saying someone else besides Della tried to do it. Maybe Miller confused Della with Gladys? Could happen! Anyway, before I see or hear an interview from MM herself saying ALSO Gladys tried to kill her or the suffocator was Gladys, I believe what SHE said and that it was Della - we have witnesses for that (The Bolenders heard the hassle as she broke the door and died soon after in a mental hospital.) Here - for some reason - at least I believe Mariyn's memories (unlike the Xmas sstory - might have happened, but someone has then told her later), Della was going mad and we do have adult witnesses. Also, Badman does not mention Lester was also an orphan but adopted by the Bolenders, nor Bolenders' claim they wanted to adopt her (whether true or not) but Gladys wouldn't let them. These are all speculations and depends who you believe - was she felt left out in a strictly religious home or did the nice Bolenders take good care of her and wanted to adopt her? If Gladys indeed lived there too (here he even gives the source) that IS a new finding.
Moving on to the actual bit he is concentrating on, and hoping it gets better. Plus to the style of writing, it is an interesting and fast read.
Almost done... despite some minor flaws, and doing what most biographers do omitting stuff to suit their purposes (the agenda they probably have chosen before starting to write the book and choosing sources accordingly) the rest of the book seems to be better researched than the beginning. (An example of omitting... when he lists people who said she was happy and in no way suicidal, he mentions Norman Rosten. Actually, Rosten said that at the time she did sound happy, but SO happy, that something was off and he should have noticed it --- again, if I remember correctly. Also George Barris is among these people. Yes, Barris did say she was happy and would not have killed herself; but Barris has always believed she was murdered; something Badman does not mention cause it does not click with what he tries to prove. Also he claims Arthur Miller was "surprised" and thought it was an accident, when I have understood that Miller always thought the accident WOULD happen sooner or later - accident OR suicide - which would not make him surprised...) Badman does have some dubious characters he seems to trust (James Bacon among others and most funnily, the UFO expert Dr. Donald Burleson! There were more, but I forget - should always write them down...), and if I were him I would not give Ted Jordan enough credit to even mention his name, even though he does not believe him. Further, he could have mentioned WHY Jordan definitely never even knew Marilyn - Jordan's first mistake is on the first page of his book, that they met when Norma Jeane was in the Blue Book Modelling Agecy in 1943 and 17 years old - when NJ did not even join the Agency before 1945. This already would have proved him a fraud, among dozens of other mistakes, but Badman does not mention them. It is important to discredit people like Slatzer and Jeanne Carmen, since they have been in all these documentaries and books so much, and clearly Slatzer HAD done is own research - like any other fan - and had maybe gathered some info that SOME biographers wanted into their hands and in exchange for that gave him the creditabiilty he so craved...so discrediting them is a must if one wants to convince people, but since Jordan was not "out there" more than in his own book plus maybe two others (he was the key witness to Marilyn having been reborn in the book Healing of the Soul... a fact that speaks for the kind of books that use him as a source), but since is basically nothing but a fame craving vulcher with nothing important to say, It is always better not to give him the time of the day. Even if you choose to believe Marilyn had a "red diary" - but in this case he is mentioned even though Badman doesn't even believe Jordan actually had it in his posession, so why bother?
Also one thing I don't undestand is how he claims both Wilder and Negulesco were usually very friendly and loving towards her and Wilder's cruel words (which he uttered before he knew she was dead) were surprising. (Negulesco's cruel words he doesn't even mention.) I have always understood Wilder's was a love/hate relationship with her (he was impatient and angry but loved the results of her work) and that Negulesco never really respected or liked her at all. Another weird thing is that when talking about Marilyn's father he uses ONE source that says she called him and he wouldn't have none of her. He must know there are at least three people who say she pulled the same phone stunt - some people believe she got so much sympathy from Dougherty the first time it (really IMO) happened that when in need of comforting she did it with others too. (Natasha and Skolsky.) Anyway, how people FEEL of certain people in her life that cause controversy, such as the Strasbergs and Greenson - are always a matter of opinion and how one feels about their actions or what they choose to believe, so I am not gonna dwell on that or this will not be a review but a book in itself.
I am by no means an expert when it comes to Marilyn's death, and frankly, I am far more interested in her life than in how she died. However, I have to admit that Badman's conclusion is the one I believe in, and have for some time. Also his conclusions when it comes to her relationship with the Kennedys is the same one I believe, (although he said JFK had her picture in his room - I always remember it was their father, Joseph...) same with his conclusions when it comes to her relationship with Joe and whether they had plans to remarry are the same as mine. Not gonna give too many spoilers and say what these conclusions are ;) Anyway, all this is all but speculation, and I am not saying he is right, but it was interesting to see his opinions were the same as mine. The book is an interesting read and there ARE some new interesting stuff and info - I just wish the sources would be more specific. Sometimes they are non-exixtent. And for me "A trustworthy person I believe in" is not a source... I might not believe that person, for all I know it could be Lena Pepitone ;P Otherwise, I would recommend everyone interested in her last years to read this, it is also quite respectful to Marilyn and her memory, which is something I always like in a MM bio.
NOTE: I have not bothered to read this through (at least not yet) so excuse me all the grammar errors and stuff like "if I remember right"... will try and correct and check the facts, but since _I_ am not a biographer - I don't have to ;P Before I write one of my own, that is... ;D) Till then I am allowed to accuse biographers of not checking their sources and making the same mistake myself, right? ;)))
Another thing I immediately paid attention to is that there is simply NO SOURCES listed. Yes, he gives thanks but I would like to know where he got the info he claims to be true.
For example he acts like Stanley Gifford being her father is his discovery, whilst, in most part, I think it is more or less established. I have a letter from James Dougherty saying Gifford was her father AND Marilyn knew it. Badman does give more info on Gifford trying to adopt her - which is interesting... but when I leafed the book... WHERE IS THE SOURCE? For a book that quotes MM saying "consider the source" (and she did say that but Mr. Badman does not quote the exact place, I just remember it too.)it is unforgiven to use a method where he is not giving people a CHANCE to concider the source. His list of books really has some dubious characters as well.
One of these examples is Mr. Kinnel/Kimmel being the "star boarder" and the "aunt" who punished her for telling on him when he made advances on her... he tells more about his profession (without a source) BUT the discovery of the star boarder being Mr. Kimmel/Kinnel is fairly new and first appeared in Donald H. Wolfe's book in 1998. (If I recall the year right.) He never gives credit to Wolfe - or more correctly, as I understand, Mr. Roy Turner whose discovery it was, and he gave the info to both Spoto and Wolfe when only Wolfe chose to use it - and that was the one major breakthrough in his otherwise very inaccurate book. One should always acknowledge and credit the ones who came before and not act like all discoveries are their own, especially if they are such big ones.
Another thing that annoys me big time is that biographers (usually male) downplay the trauma that her childhood caused her. Okay, so it was not 12 foster homes - but for a child never to be able to grow steady roots, never to feel SOMEONE loves her unconditionally (except for aunt Ana - who also had to send her away), to have been in an orphanage and the one person she trusted to take her there CAN cause her to remember these "few" places (and being forced to marry at 16) as 12... and the orphanage as a gloomy place. And then to have been taken sexually taken advantage to boot - you don't need to lose your virginity to have been a victim of that and as for me - I don't have a hard time believing AT ALL that a young, vulnerable girl would be taken advantage. One study claimed every fourth female has suffered something like that in their childhood (forgive me I don't have the source right here ;D)- or maybe I am just cynical. We do know she exaggerated and even lied, but we also know sometimes our memories turn happy memories into extreme bliss and sad memories sometimes to utter torment. However, one sad memory I just don't buy is that she remembers Christmas 1926 when she "made her way to the tree" and only got a cheap trinket while other kids got nice toys I don't buy. I DON'T believe a six month old could make her way anywhere, let alone feel left out - even if it came from her own mouth. My kid was happy to just play with the wrappings until he was two ;)) So whether this really came from herself (I don't recall it) you can always use common sense. Or maybe Mr. Badham does not have children? (As I said she DID lie - look at Belmont interview - she says her mother is dead even as late as that. Whether she lied to gain pity or to protect ppl's privacy is not the point, the point is - she DID lie.)
Another problem is Gladys. I have read from A. Miller's book she tried to suffocate her and that was adopted by Barbara Leaming. In no other book has it been Gladys, always Della. Now Badman says it WAS Della, but that Gladys tried to kill her three times and MM talked about it all the time... where is the source? How did she try to kill her? Where are the interviews about MM saying someone else besides Della tried to do it. Maybe Miller confused Della with Gladys? Could happen! Anyway, before I see or hear an interview from MM herself saying ALSO Gladys tried to kill her or the suffocator was Gladys, I believe what SHE said and that it was Della - we have witnesses for that (The Bolenders heard the hassle as she broke the door and died soon after in a mental hospital.) Here - for some reason - at least I believe Mariyn's memories (unlike the Xmas sstory - might have happened, but someone has then told her later), Della was going mad and we do have adult witnesses. Also, Badman does not mention Lester was also an orphan but adopted by the Bolenders, nor Bolenders' claim they wanted to adopt her (whether true or not) but Gladys wouldn't let them. These are all speculations and depends who you believe - was she felt left out in a strictly religious home or did the nice Bolenders take good care of her and wanted to adopt her? If Gladys indeed lived there too (here he even gives the source) that IS a new finding.
Moving on to the actual bit he is concentrating on, and hoping it gets better. Plus to the style of writing, it is an interesting and fast read.
Almost done... despite some minor flaws, and doing what most biographers do omitting stuff to suit their purposes (the agenda they probably have chosen before starting to write the book and choosing sources accordingly) the rest of the book seems to be better researched than the beginning. (An example of omitting... when he lists people who said she was happy and in no way suicidal, he mentions Norman Rosten. Actually, Rosten said that at the time she did sound happy, but SO happy, that something was off and he should have noticed it --- again, if I remember correctly. Also George Barris is among these people. Yes, Barris did say she was happy and would not have killed herself; but Barris has always believed she was murdered; something Badman does not mention cause it does not click with what he tries to prove. Also he claims Arthur Miller was "surprised" and thought it was an accident, when I have understood that Miller always thought the accident WOULD happen sooner or later - accident OR suicide - which would not make him surprised...) Badman does have some dubious characters he seems to trust (James Bacon among others and most funnily, the UFO expert Dr. Donald Burleson! There were more, but I forget - should always write them down...), and if I were him I would not give Ted Jordan enough credit to even mention his name, even though he does not believe him. Further, he could have mentioned WHY Jordan definitely never even knew Marilyn - Jordan's first mistake is on the first page of his book, that they met when Norma Jeane was in the Blue Book Modelling Agecy in 1943 and 17 years old - when NJ did not even join the Agency before 1945. This already would have proved him a fraud, among dozens of other mistakes, but Badman does not mention them. It is important to discredit people like Slatzer and Jeanne Carmen, since they have been in all these documentaries and books so much, and clearly Slatzer HAD done is own research - like any other fan - and had maybe gathered some info that SOME biographers wanted into their hands and in exchange for that gave him the creditabiilty he so craved...so discrediting them is a must if one wants to convince people, but since Jordan was not "out there" more than in his own book plus maybe two others (he was the key witness to Marilyn having been reborn in the book Healing of the Soul... a fact that speaks for the kind of books that use him as a source), but since is basically nothing but a fame craving vulcher with nothing important to say, It is always better not to give him the time of the day. Even if you choose to believe Marilyn had a "red diary" - but in this case he is mentioned even though Badman doesn't even believe Jordan actually had it in his posession, so why bother?
Also one thing I don't undestand is how he claims both Wilder and Negulesco were usually very friendly and loving towards her and Wilder's cruel words (which he uttered before he knew she was dead) were surprising. (Negulesco's cruel words he doesn't even mention.) I have always understood Wilder's was a love/hate relationship with her (he was impatient and angry but loved the results of her work) and that Negulesco never really respected or liked her at all. Another weird thing is that when talking about Marilyn's father he uses ONE source that says she called him and he wouldn't have none of her. He must know there are at least three people who say she pulled the same phone stunt - some people believe she got so much sympathy from Dougherty the first time it (really IMO) happened that when in need of comforting she did it with others too. (Natasha and Skolsky.) Anyway, how people FEEL of certain people in her life that cause controversy, such as the Strasbergs and Greenson - are always a matter of opinion and how one feels about their actions or what they choose to believe, so I am not gonna dwell on that or this will not be a review but a book in itself.
I am by no means an expert when it comes to Marilyn's death, and frankly, I am far more interested in her life than in how she died. However, I have to admit that Badman's conclusion is the one I believe in, and have for some time. Also his conclusions when it comes to her relationship with the Kennedys is the same one I believe, (although he said JFK had her picture in his room - I always remember it was their father, Joseph...) same with his conclusions when it comes to her relationship with Joe and whether they had plans to remarry are the same as mine. Not gonna give too many spoilers and say what these conclusions are ;) Anyway, all this is all but speculation, and I am not saying he is right, but it was interesting to see his opinions were the same as mine. The book is an interesting read and there ARE some new interesting stuff and info - I just wish the sources would be more specific. Sometimes they are non-exixtent. And for me "A trustworthy person I believe in" is not a source... I might not believe that person, for all I know it could be Lena Pepitone ;P Otherwise, I would recommend everyone interested in her last years to read this, it is also quite respectful to Marilyn and her memory, which is something I always like in a MM bio.
NOTE: I have not bothered to read this through (at least not yet) so excuse me all the grammar errors and stuff like "if I remember right"... will try and correct and check the facts, but since _I_ am not a biographer - I don't have to ;P Before I write one of my own, that is... ;D) Till then I am allowed to accuse biographers of not checking their sources and making the same mistake myself, right? ;)))
July 14, 2015
I adore this woman. Always have, always will. it is so hard not to feel incredible sympathy for her.
I rarely learn anything new from the cavalcade of books about her, yet still find it impossible to keep away.
What I did learn from this was that the Secret Service took possession of various records relating to the investigation into her death...that her publicist, at the house that day and night, spent the rest of her life in the employ of one or another of the extended Kennedy family, or at times, the government...that although we all know her funeral was private, hundreds descended on the mortuary immediately after, stealing the flowers and accompanying ribbon memorials...and, most sadly, that through weird twists of fate, those who inherited and still control her estate did not even know her, while others, friends, beseiged her lawyers with bills for "services rendered."
Such a sad, sad life. And death.
I rarely learn anything new from the cavalcade of books about her, yet still find it impossible to keep away.
What I did learn from this was that the Secret Service took possession of various records relating to the investigation into her death...that her publicist, at the house that day and night, spent the rest of her life in the employ of one or another of the extended Kennedy family, or at times, the government...that although we all know her funeral was private, hundreds descended on the mortuary immediately after, stealing the flowers and accompanying ribbon memorials...and, most sadly, that through weird twists of fate, those who inherited and still control her estate did not even know her, while others, friends, beseiged her lawyers with bills for "services rendered."
Such a sad, sad life. And death.
May 29, 2015
I definitely would not recommend this book to someone just starting to learn about Marilyn. The timeline kind of jumps around, which, even being familiar with Marilyn's life, at times was confusing and hard to follow. Also, the author is constantly reminding the reader that his opinion is different than other researchers/biographers, which only needs to be stated once, if at all, given the fact that there have been literally thousands of bios written about Monroe. Also, having read multiple books on Marilyn, Jack and Jackie Kennedy, there are things he denies which I am far more inclined to believe are true having read them in separate books about the subjects. As narrator, he could have maintained a more cohesive timeline and his continual use of the words "obviously" or "naturally" often went unexplained or were unnecessary. Overall an interesting read but not the best Marilyn biography by any means, as I stated, especially if you are a Marilyn "newbie" and don't know much about her life-this is meant for fans who already have information about Marilyn, her early years (implied in the title), timeline and rumours in existence about her life. Though it is lacking, it is a quick and interesting read though I wouldn't take the author's opinions at face-value; (as, I suppose, with any biography on its own however) this book in specific, I found his logic for denying certain information often naive and not well-founded.
June 1, 2014
Marilyn Monroe. A name we have all heard of at sometime in our lives. A symbol of beauty, talent and most famous.....sex. However this star was more than just a symbol of her looks, she was a symbol of change.
Keith Badman pulls together Marilyn's last few years in this wonderfully written book. Starting from her birth, Badman sets the setting for Marilyns life telling of her troubled childhood. Keith takes through the ups and downs that came with having a schizophrenic mother, and going from foster home to foster home. Marrying young at age 16, Monroe escaped her childhood and headed toward adulthood. After her divorce, she began to chase her dream, a dream that we all know her for now...being an actress. Badman shows Monroe's road to stardom from interviews with close friends, and casting directors, helping us get a multi perception on who Marilyn really was. With a tragic end to Marilyn's life, Badman takes us through every scandal or possible scenario in her life. Did Marilyn and JFK really have an affair? Was she murdered, or was it suicide?
Read this book to find out everything you want to know about Marilyn. Badman does a great job of pulling resources as well as doing his own research to make Marilyn's life more accurate. I recommend this book to anyone who wants to read a biography, because Marilyn was such a fascinating person, and Badman brings her back to life in this book.
Keith Badman pulls together Marilyn's last few years in this wonderfully written book. Starting from her birth, Badman sets the setting for Marilyns life telling of her troubled childhood. Keith takes through the ups and downs that came with having a schizophrenic mother, and going from foster home to foster home. Marrying young at age 16, Monroe escaped her childhood and headed toward adulthood. After her divorce, she began to chase her dream, a dream that we all know her for now...being an actress. Badman shows Monroe's road to stardom from interviews with close friends, and casting directors, helping us get a multi perception on who Marilyn really was. With a tragic end to Marilyn's life, Badman takes us through every scandal or possible scenario in her life. Did Marilyn and JFK really have an affair? Was she murdered, or was it suicide?
Read this book to find out everything you want to know about Marilyn. Badman does a great job of pulling resources as well as doing his own research to make Marilyn's life more accurate. I recommend this book to anyone who wants to read a biography, because Marilyn was such a fascinating person, and Badman brings her back to life in this book.
January 11, 2013
Some of this book makes sense, some of it makes little sense, especially about her death.
August 8, 2025
Cinque stelle per avermi aiutata a superare un contingente periodo d'insonnia.
2 stelle per gli autotreni di documenti polverosi citàti per stabilire in maniera definitiva (seee) se la morte sia avvenuta per suicidio od omicidio. Dopo 50 anni di speculazioni e questa lettura decreto un bel chissenefrega.
2 stelle per gli autotreni di documenti polverosi citàti per stabilire in maniera definitiva (seee) se la morte sia avvenuta per suicidio od omicidio. Dopo 50 anni di speculazioni e questa lettura decreto un bel chissenefrega.
November 5, 2021
Incredibly thorough, however, I have taken off one star because there are no footnotes or sources given. Considering how much effort goes into disproving misinformation, I would have expected the author to provide sources.
February 16, 2025
One of my favourite books on Marilyn Monroe’s final years. Well worth reading.
Read
June 1, 2014I wasn't previously familiar with the subject matter, as this is first book about Marilyn Monroe I've read. This was clearly written by a super fan, and he went into crazy detail so the book was clearly well researched. What put me off was the constant superior tone it was written in. Use of the phrase "I can now reveal..." was liberal and I'm not sure he revealed anything which wasn't already out there - maybe someone who has read more about this can clear that up. NOBODY can "reveal" what really happened or decide what did or didn't happen unless they were there. No sources or credit is listed, as you would normally do if presenting something as fact. This style of writing also assumes that the reader has also read all the previous biographies and books about the subject.
The writer was also keen to blame anyone and everyone for Marilyn's life AND death. I think it's very clear she didn't have the best start to life, and was an alcoholic and addicted to barbiturates. What I found odd is that he never apportioned any of that onto her, it was ALWAYS someone else's fault, it was always someone else wronging her. She chose to behave the way she did, not coming to work and so on. Admittedly, her doctors were clearly to blame for not liaising with each other regarding her prescriptions.
The exact and excessive detail of how much she spent and where only served to prove that the writer has seen the invoices/receipts. It really wasn't necessary and I found it very crude. I also found that sometimes he would agree with one person's account of what happened, whilst completely discounting someone else as a witness - the reasons for this seemed to be simply the person whose view complemented his own preconceived theories would be the one he would favour.
Some extremely serious issues (mainly the numerous incidents of sexual assault) were merely glossed over and not investigated or taken seriously. And the detail regarding her first wedding night was distasteful and unnecessary.
Ultimately this book kicked up more questions than answers for me. The main one being, if Marilyn Monroe genuinely did die of an accidental overdose, why on earth did everyone there that day lie about it and what were they covering up exactly? I guess we'll never find out.
The writer was also keen to blame anyone and everyone for Marilyn's life AND death. I think it's very clear she didn't have the best start to life, and was an alcoholic and addicted to barbiturates. What I found odd is that he never apportioned any of that onto her, it was ALWAYS someone else's fault, it was always someone else wronging her. She chose to behave the way she did, not coming to work and so on. Admittedly, her doctors were clearly to blame for not liaising with each other regarding her prescriptions.
The exact and excessive detail of how much she spent and where only served to prove that the writer has seen the invoices/receipts. It really wasn't necessary and I found it very crude. I also found that sometimes he would agree with one person's account of what happened, whilst completely discounting someone else as a witness - the reasons for this seemed to be simply the person whose view complemented his own preconceived theories would be the one he would favour.
Some extremely serious issues (mainly the numerous incidents of sexual assault) were merely glossed over and not investigated or taken seriously. And the detail regarding her first wedding night was distasteful and unnecessary.
Ultimately this book kicked up more questions than answers for me. The main one being, if Marilyn Monroe genuinely did die of an accidental overdose, why on earth did everyone there that day lie about it and what were they covering up exactly? I guess we'll never find out.
April 28, 2013
Hoping to find some sensible details about Marilyn's life there was some of that, often created Hollywood myth's were laid to rest, yet it turned out to be a gossipy type of book, about Marilyn and her connections to persons either through marriage, or simply dalliance, off course the Kennedy boys, including Peter Lawford, are portrayed as pretty shameless, especially considering their status at the time, being "devout catholics" family men they were not above screwing around, I have always thought of Marilyn as a tragic, but beautiful person, thank goodness that she died when she did, as I don't thing she would have fared too well aging, good heavens she was a regular drug store druggie, having been given sleeping pills at an early age she became immune to several of them, mix these with booze what can you expect, when she dies "suicide" "accidental overdose", "murder" who cares, they way they handled the situation shortly after her death is shameful, people running round her house cleaning clearing what traces of evidential association, they hauled her body off the floor, placed it on the bed, moved it around a few more times, Doctors trying to destroy evidence about the prescriptions they had given her, grant you she was old enough to look after herself....in the end Joe dimaggio took care of her funeral arrangement.
Worth reading? I did skip many pages, as I could only tolerate so much "dirt" Peter Lawford talking to her a few hours before her death, not taking her seriously, not bothering to drop in on her and she what was happening, as she was slurring her words, some friend! O well what comes around goes around, the case was re-opened and what do you expect?, let her alone she is at peace, I love watching her in movies, she died young and from all accounts she died looking beautiful
Worth reading? I did skip many pages, as I could only tolerate so much "dirt" Peter Lawford talking to her a few hours before her death, not taking her seriously, not bothering to drop in on her and she what was happening, as she was slurring her words, some friend! O well what comes around goes around, the case was re-opened and what do you expect?, let her alone she is at peace, I love watching her in movies, she died young and from all accounts she died looking beautiful
March 2, 2016
If this is your first book about Marilyn do yourself a favor and read more books about her before this one. This book assumes that you already know a lot about Marilyn. Although many things I thought were true, this author says they are not. This author states that Marilyn's childhood was not quite as sad and pitiful as we were led to believe. For someone with her mental/emotional instability it was not always loving and stable.
I think the reason people are so fascinated with Marilyn is her chameleon quality. She was childlike and a seductress, depressed and happy, the girl next door and the Hollywood siren. Everyone sees what they like since she had so many different facets to her personality.
I always thought that there was a conspiracy to murder Marilyn and make it look like a suicide. She had a diary that she wrote lots of secrets. Many about Bobby Kennedy and Jack Kennedy. She told Bobby Kennedy on the day of her death that she was going to hold a press conference and reveal everything she knew. A few hours later she's dead. It seemed a bit too much coincidence for me.I guess we'll never know exactly what happened. I personally don't believe she intended to die from an overdose. Things were looking up for her, she had movies lined up. She was making plans with friends. It's a lesson not to mix drugs, one doctor prescribed chloral hydrate when she was already taking Nembutol. She took a lot of drugs, but it's a combination of these two that killed her. It's a sad story about a life cut tragically short.
I think the reason people are so fascinated with Marilyn is her chameleon quality. She was childlike and a seductress, depressed and happy, the girl next door and the Hollywood siren. Everyone sees what they like since she had so many different facets to her personality.
I always thought that there was a conspiracy to murder Marilyn and make it look like a suicide. She had a diary that she wrote lots of secrets. Many about Bobby Kennedy and Jack Kennedy. She told Bobby Kennedy on the day of her death that she was going to hold a press conference and reveal everything she knew. A few hours later she's dead. It seemed a bit too much coincidence for me.I guess we'll never know exactly what happened. I personally don't believe she intended to die from an overdose. Things were looking up for her, she had movies lined up. She was making plans with friends. It's a lesson not to mix drugs, one doctor prescribed chloral hydrate when she was already taking Nembutol. She took a lot of drugs, but it's a combination of these two that killed her. It's a sad story about a life cut tragically short.
November 5, 2018
Story skims her early life tho' does a fair job of it, then gets into a very in depth, detailed account of the final weeks & days leading up to her death, focussing on her private & public contexts & leads to his somewhat open conclusion as an accidental death from an overdose. He re-examines some myths about this, hints at her men-friend relationships, the later public enquiry into the scope of the cover-up, etc.
I felt that he somewhat pussy-footed around the topic of her relationship with the Kennedys, and he could have given a stronger opinion on those who were supposed to be keeping an eye on her barbiturates intake,e.g. her psychiatrist(s) and her housekeeper (who, unknown to her was actually a psychiatric nurse!), and it was a bit thin-on-the-ground about medical reports; again, perhaps there is yet more first-hand material to be uncovered; also puzzling was MM's use of Nembutal, which has to be injected & yet there was no specific mention in the book of who did this. All good stuff if you are an MM fan nonetheless!
I felt that he somewhat pussy-footed around the topic of her relationship with the Kennedys, and he could have given a stronger opinion on those who were supposed to be keeping an eye on her barbiturates intake,e.g. her psychiatrist(s) and her housekeeper (who, unknown to her was actually a psychiatric nurse!), and it was a bit thin-on-the-ground about medical reports; again, perhaps there is yet more first-hand material to be uncovered; also puzzling was MM's use of Nembutal, which has to be injected & yet there was no specific mention in the book of who did this. All good stuff if you are an MM fan nonetheless!
September 5, 2020
A couple of egregious errors (IRS = Inland Revenue Service and placing Salina, Kansas, 30 miles south of Gilroy, California -- what can you expect from a Brit?) marred this otherwise very interesting book. Some years ago I had read a biography of Peter Lawford which, of course, went into Marilyn's death. This author has done extremely meticulous research and has a lot to add, and a lot to change, to what was described in the Lawford book.
June 17, 2018
hmmm I am not sure. I finished it but was not that taken in.
Seemed to be a lot of going over same points again and again, that got tedious.
Lots of making excuses and debunking of some of the Kennedy's involvement. I still believe they played a big part in her demise.
Seemed to be a lot of going over same points again and again, that got tedious.
Lots of making excuses and debunking of some of the Kennedy's involvement. I still believe they played a big part in her demise.
February 5, 2025
At times it reads a little too much like notes of a private eye. Dates, times, addresses, people, etc. But there are a tremendous amount of detailed facts that cast light on this very dark tragedy.
This book dispels all the salacious speculation, hype and fabrications many put in their pages to sell books. This tells the final years of Marilyn Monroe's life with all the thoughtfulness and grace she deserves.
Some parts were really tough to read about though. My heart broke for her constantly. I always knew she had a tough go of things, but you try not to think about it so you can just enjoy the movie. But all that she was, made her who she was.
She was an incredibly kind, intelligent, sensitive, adventurous, brave, talented, and iconic woman. Way more than just a sex symbol. She left a lasting legacy.
She was such a huge part my friend and I's life growing up. We watched her movies (Some Like It Hot is still my favorite movie), we did our hair like her, wore a red (orange) lip like her, did our make up like her, had posters and merchandise with her face all over it, we sang her songs, we named cars and pets after her, we dressed like her, we wanted to be her.. my friend even believed she was her, reincarnated. Tragically my friend ended up taking too many pills and also died at 36. I miss her everyday.
This book really helped me to understand the million little things that influence and shape what happens to us. It also made it okay that we will never have all the answers as to what exactly happened that night, but there's a damn good theory, and this book comes close.
This book dispels all the salacious speculation, hype and fabrications many put in their pages to sell books. This tells the final years of Marilyn Monroe's life with all the thoughtfulness and grace she deserves.
Some parts were really tough to read about though. My heart broke for her constantly. I always knew she had a tough go of things, but you try not to think about it so you can just enjoy the movie. But all that she was, made her who she was.
She was an incredibly kind, intelligent, sensitive, adventurous, brave, talented, and iconic woman. Way more than just a sex symbol. She left a lasting legacy.
She was such a huge part my friend and I's life growing up. We watched her movies (Some Like It Hot is still my favorite movie), we did our hair like her, wore a red (orange) lip like her, did our make up like her, had posters and merchandise with her face all over it, we sang her songs, we named cars and pets after her, we dressed like her, we wanted to be her.. my friend even believed she was her, reincarnated. Tragically my friend ended up taking too many pills and also died at 36. I miss her everyday.
This book really helped me to understand the million little things that influence and shape what happens to us. It also made it okay that we will never have all the answers as to what exactly happened that night, but there's a damn good theory, and this book comes close.
October 5, 2023
You could say I have a mild obsession with the former Norma Jean. I've always been drawn to the enigma of Marilyn Monroe. On the surface she was only ever thought of as a ‘Blond Bombshell’ and ‘Sex Icon’, but at her core was an anxious creature just wanting to be loved.
This is now the seventh Marilyn book I’ve read. So while the vast majority of the book wasn’t new information for me, I will applaud Badman that this is the most well-researched biography of the ones I’ve read so far. That being said, it is extremely detailed and I think many would find it dry or dull even if I appreciated that he included details like how much a limo cost her on a particular day.
While Badman did a great job debunking popular myths and misconceptions, there was also this odd tone to some of his writing that I kept picking up. At times he felt both flippant and overly confident, like he sometimes had these moments of self-righteous ego-stroking over “being the man to demystify” Marilyn Monroe. Similarly, there’s some casual misogyny throughout the book, especially when he’s going over the sexual abuse Marilyn endured.
However, despite the tone issues and sensitivity concerns, I still recommend this to any Marilyn fans who already have a base knowledge of her life but still want a further deep dive into the factual events of her life and final days. If you’re not a Marilyn nerd, I’d avoid this one.
This is now the seventh Marilyn book I’ve read. So while the vast majority of the book wasn’t new information for me, I will applaud Badman that this is the most well-researched biography of the ones I’ve read so far. That being said, it is extremely detailed and I think many would find it dry or dull even if I appreciated that he included details like how much a limo cost her on a particular day.
While Badman did a great job debunking popular myths and misconceptions, there was also this odd tone to some of his writing that I kept picking up. At times he felt both flippant and overly confident, like he sometimes had these moments of self-righteous ego-stroking over “being the man to demystify” Marilyn Monroe. Similarly, there’s some casual misogyny throughout the book, especially when he’s going over the sexual abuse Marilyn endured.
However, despite the tone issues and sensitivity concerns, I still recommend this to any Marilyn fans who already have a base knowledge of her life but still want a further deep dive into the factual events of her life and final days. If you’re not a Marilyn nerd, I’d avoid this one.
September 25, 2021
This is really a 2.5 ⭐️ review rounded up to 3.
The biography documents the final days of Marilyn Monroe with several chapters dedicated to the last full day of her life. It is apparent that Marilyn was a deeply troubled person with a history of abuse, depression and anxiety. The book brings to light some extremely disturbing events that likely contributed to her early end to life.
However, the biographer often put themselves into the book declaring “I know” and “I can disclose”, “I can reveal”, etc. it would have been a more powerful biography if this wasn’t done. There was also a lack of documented sources which created a lack of trust in the content.
There was also a tendency to dismiss some of the traumatic events as not important or they were seriously downplayed.
In all, the book was just ok.
The biography documents the final days of Marilyn Monroe with several chapters dedicated to the last full day of her life. It is apparent that Marilyn was a deeply troubled person with a history of abuse, depression and anxiety. The book brings to light some extremely disturbing events that likely contributed to her early end to life.
However, the biographer often put themselves into the book declaring “I know” and “I can disclose”, “I can reveal”, etc. it would have been a more powerful biography if this wasn’t done. There was also a lack of documented sources which created a lack of trust in the content.
There was also a tendency to dismiss some of the traumatic events as not important or they were seriously downplayed.
In all, the book was just ok.
October 8, 2021
Love this book
It was excellent!!!! It talks about her life on and off camera.
How she had passed away and her relationship with Joe DiMaggo.
It was excellent!!!! It talks about her life on and off camera.
How she had passed away and her relationship with Joe DiMaggo.
January 28, 2025
Hard to follow and jumped around a bit. Skimmed some pages due to that. Enjoyed reading about Marilyn!
July 12, 2012
“Marilyn Monroe, The Final Years” by Keith Badman, published by Thomas Dunne Books.
Category – Biography
I don’t know of a Hollywood icon that can match the notoriety of Marilyn Monroe. It is hard to believe that she passed away at the age of 36.
Badman, in his book, gives a very brief history of Marilyn’s early life and concentrates the majority of his book on the final two years of her life. He spent five years researching the book and brings a different slant on the whys and whos of her tragic end. He also manages to bring to rest many falsehoods surrounding Marilyn.
Like so many Hollywood personalities, Marilyn fell captive to the use of drugs and alcohol, doctors who were more interested in the monies they could make off of her rather than her physical well-being, and so-called friends who used her for her own purposes.
Marilyn became infatuated by the Kennedys, Frank Sinatra, Sam Giancana, and many others, and all led to disappointment, heartache, and betrayal. The only true friend that she may have had was Joe DiMaggio.
Badman puts an end to all rumors of her death. No, she did not commit suicide, No, she was not murdered by the Kennedys, and Yes, she did accidentally overdose, and Yes, she did call for help, but her cry was unanswered.
A very interesting look into the life of Marilyn Monroe and should be a must for those who want to know the facts that brought her life to an early and controversial end.
Category – Biography
I don’t know of a Hollywood icon that can match the notoriety of Marilyn Monroe. It is hard to believe that she passed away at the age of 36.
Badman, in his book, gives a very brief history of Marilyn’s early life and concentrates the majority of his book on the final two years of her life. He spent five years researching the book and brings a different slant on the whys and whos of her tragic end. He also manages to bring to rest many falsehoods surrounding Marilyn.
Like so many Hollywood personalities, Marilyn fell captive to the use of drugs and alcohol, doctors who were more interested in the monies they could make off of her rather than her physical well-being, and so-called friends who used her for her own purposes.
Marilyn became infatuated by the Kennedys, Frank Sinatra, Sam Giancana, and many others, and all led to disappointment, heartache, and betrayal. The only true friend that she may have had was Joe DiMaggio.
Badman puts an end to all rumors of her death. No, she did not commit suicide, No, she was not murdered by the Kennedys, and Yes, she did accidentally overdose, and Yes, she did call for help, but her cry was unanswered.
A very interesting look into the life of Marilyn Monroe and should be a must for those who want to know the facts that brought her life to an early and controversial end.
June 15, 2012
This was an intereasting read and Badman had researched his stuff very well BUT it was hard reading. The chapters in this book are really long and so there's no obvious place where you can stop and come back to it. It's difficult to read in chunks because there's so much to take in.
Also there's a lot of point scoring in here. I'm not really a massive fan and before now I hadn't read any other books that document her life and the inconsistencies surrounding her death. So I did find phrases such as "unlike ..... who states that ...... this is what actually happened" I know he's setting the story straight but it felt more like sniping and made it very disjointed and difficult to read.
Aside from that I think Badman's book really does give the reader a full account of what actually happened and puts all the conspiracies to bed. I loved reading about the gallavants of Monroe, The Ratpack, Liz Taylor and other Hollywood socialites. But I guess like Marilyn herself I was hoping for a bit more glitz.
Read
August 9, 2012Written by a British author whose previous works tackled the Beatles, the Beach Boys and the Rolling Stones, this book is such a sordid account of Monroe's final years that it's hard to read it without feeling almost criminally voyeuristic.
A lot of that has to do with the level of Marilyn minutiae detailed in the book, including limousine company records, utility bills, phone records and a laundry list of the items purchased in her final days (among them a Roman-style white chest of drawers, a hanging begonia and a couple of pet toys). Why does it matter that the food delivery to her home from Briggs Delicatessen in the days before her death cost $49.07?
The effect of Badman's meticulous spadework is that the reader feels compelled to give him the benefit of the doubt when he makes some of the book's more salacious claims and assertions (not the least of which involveJohn F. Kennedy and UFOs).
(Originally appeared in in the Los Angeles Times)
A lot of that has to do with the level of Marilyn minutiae detailed in the book, including limousine company records, utility bills, phone records and a laundry list of the items purchased in her final days (among them a Roman-style white chest of drawers, a hanging begonia and a couple of pet toys). Why does it matter that the food delivery to her home from Briggs Delicatessen in the days before her death cost $49.07?
The effect of Badman's meticulous spadework is that the reader feels compelled to give him the benefit of the doubt when he makes some of the book's more salacious claims and assertions (not the least of which involveJohn F. Kennedy and UFOs).
(Originally appeared in in the Los Angeles Times)
May 29, 2015
pg 177
DO NOT read this book to find out how marilyn died. why? -
1st i have a problem with any book that says 'marilyn thought this'
how can u know wat marilyn thought? are u marilyn?NO!
2nd 'i can now reveal after reviewing secret shit that ....frank did this/ peter lawford did this/jfk did this'wat is yr secret shit???
3rd much said about the watch given to jfk by marilyn. oo-eer watch etc and wat - yr evidence is???? oh u can now reveal ....ON WAT BASIS??
however - very well written in other respects. in depth re- her movements, spending habits, friends etc.
Re-reading this wat strikes me is how badman presents all the evidence of the kennedys involvement in her life but is adamant they didn't kill her. In other words not mutually exclusive
Oct 2012
Jan 2015
March 2015
April 2015
DO NOT read this book to find out how marilyn died. why? -
1st i have a problem with any book that says 'marilyn thought this'
how can u know wat marilyn thought? are u marilyn?NO!
2nd 'i can now reveal after reviewing secret shit that ....frank did this/ peter lawford did this/jfk did this'wat is yr secret shit???
3rd much said about the watch given to jfk by marilyn. oo-eer watch etc and wat - yr evidence is???? oh u can now reveal ....ON WAT BASIS??
however - very well written in other respects. in depth re- her movements, spending habits, friends etc.
Re-reading this wat strikes me is how badman presents all the evidence of the kennedys involvement in her life but is adamant they didn't kill her. In other words not mutually exclusive
Oct 2012
Jan 2015
March 2015
April 2015
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
September 5, 2014
I'm not a big biography or auto-biography reader, but I enjoyed reading this in depth look into Marilyn Monroe's life and untimely death. While parts of this book were a little unnecessary to me (itemized receipts, speculations relayed as fact by the author), it held my interest and gave me insight into the life of Miss Monroe and the people in her life. The final chapter regarding her funeral and the deep love that Joe DiMaggio had for her was especially moving to me.
I've always been a fan of Marilyn Monroe, thanks to my Grammie who made me watch Some Like it Hot and Gentlemen Prefer Blondes when I was young. She was a beautiful woman, a great talent, and human being that desired love and respect.
I've always been a fan of Marilyn Monroe, thanks to my Grammie who made me watch Some Like it Hot and Gentlemen Prefer Blondes when I was young. She was a beautiful woman, a great talent, and human being that desired love and respect.
March 28, 2020
Wow, what a boring book! I am really fighting my way through this one, but the little pieces of interesting information keep me going. I was interested in what happened in the background with the Happy Birthday song for example. Not with little useless pieces like how much she spent on home renos. Maybe to compare different times? Details as why she was the was she was was grazed over. The sexual abuse in childhood for example, there was a build up to it and then wait..what? We are skipping topic? The writing style is so boring with looooooooooong chapters. I am nearing the end of the book now, and it is picking up again but it's still hard to get through. This is my second attempt to read this book. And I am a Monroe fan. Stars given for only large amount information in book.
April 12, 2014
Very detailed day by day itinerary of Marilyn. The Author really did his research, and filled me in on information I had no idea about. Very descriptive and informative, and refreshingly objective. Many people pick a side when it comes to her death. This book set it straight with her alleged relationships with the Kennedy family, however made the air clear for you to make your own educated opinion on what happened. Many biographies on M.M seem seem only interested in painting her as a troubled mad woman, and the conspiracy of her death and Keith Badman does neither.
Highly recommend it.
Highly recommend it.
August 25, 2015
This is the most well written Monroe biography to date. It was diligently researched and almost completely unbiased in its' speculations regarding her passing. I was captivated and towards the end I almost felt like I was reading a suspenseful fiction. My only complaint, if I had to have one, is with the editing. I learned some new facts I never knew and that left me completely satisfied with this book. Bravo, Mr. Badman.
August 30, 2013
Che pena infinita la vita di questa donna, trattata come un pezzo di carne e sfruttata fino all'osso anche dopo la sua morte.
E non ne vengono fuori brillantemente i Kennedy, o Sinatra, o i suoi 'compagni' di lavoro.
Mi ha lasciato l'amaro in bocca questo libro, perchè mi ha permesso di vedere cosa c'era realmente dietro quell'immagine di bionda svampita sorridente: un abisso di dolore e solitudine.
Povera Marilyn ...
E non ne vengono fuori brillantemente i Kennedy, o Sinatra, o i suoi 'compagni' di lavoro.
Mi ha lasciato l'amaro in bocca questo libro, perchè mi ha permesso di vedere cosa c'era realmente dietro quell'immagine di bionda svampita sorridente: un abisso di dolore e solitudine.
Povera Marilyn ...
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