When Marilyn Monroe was a little-known actor, her first-ever film contract from 1946, which is up for sale for $25,000, reveals that she made just £120 each week.Starlet continued to go by Norma Jean Dougherty, her real name.She was given a small contract by Twentieth Century Fox for $150 (£120) per week.by history correspondent Harry Howard Reviewed: 10:32 EDT, August 31, 2023
The first film contract of Hollywood superstar Marilyn Monroe is up for sale for £25,000.When she wrote in 1946, the actress was still known by her birth name, Norma Jean Dougherty.The young performer, who was 20 at the time, had done a few modeling jobs but was still a relative unknown.In order to help her polish her acting skills, Twentieth Century Fox offered her a small six-month contract that paid $150 per week, about $2,350 (£1,854) in today’s currency.
She received $500,000 per picture at her prime in the late 1950s, which, with inflation, comes to about £5 million. On the recommendation of film industry executive Ben Lyon, she changed her name to Marilyn Monroe while still bound by this first contract.The contract was extended in February 1947, and she appeared in Scudda Hoo! Scudda Hay! (1948) and Dangerous Years (1947), in which she played a waitress.But after the film firm fired her in August 1947, she took on odd jobs and bit parts in theatre until being signed by Columbia Pictures.She had one movie appearance in 1948’s Ladies of the Chorus before returning to Fox, who offered her a $500 weekly contract.
She didn’t become a household name until 1953, thanks to her roles in the movies How to Marry a Millionaire, Gentlemen Prefer Blondes, and Niagara. The hand-signed original four-page contract, dated July 25, 1946, is up for auction at Christie’s New York.Lew Schreiber, the general manager of Twentieth Century Fox, as well as her legal guardian Grace Goddard and notary June Downey have also signed it.
Marilyn Monroe, just 20 years old, inks her first contract with Twentieth Century-Fox, according to a Christie’s spokesperson.Norma Jean Dougherty, who had already found some success as a model, decided to pursue acting instead. She first signed with agent Harry Lipton and then, in June 1946, with National Concert & Artists Corporation (NCAC).After she was turned down for a job at Paramount, Fox executive Ben Lyon set up a silent screen test for her on July 19, 1946. Lyon then suggested to the studio that they give her an option agreement for a film and sound test.
The following document, which was signed at the end of July 1946, required the studio to do a screen test within 45 days of the agreement and gave them an extra 10 days to offer a contract (or not).On August 14, a screen test was conducted, and although though Fox CEO Darryl Zanuck was unimpressed with the results, he made the decision to grant her a six-month contract in an effort to keep her from joining rival RKO.She signed a six-month contract with Twentieth Century-Fox on August 24.She would eventually settle on a stage name with the help of Ben Lyon.
Norma Jean picked Monroe, her mother’s maiden name, after Lyon recommended Marilyn since it reminded him of Marilyn Miller.The contract has been consigned from an unnamed source for sale.”This document represents the genesis of the screen phenomenon that would become Marilyn Monroe,” said Peter Klarnet, senior specialist for books and manuscripts at Christie’s.On August 4, 1962, Monroe passed away at the age of 36 from a barbiturate overdose at her Los Angeles home.October 19 is the date of the sale.
Read More On The Topic On TDPel Media
