Customer Reviews

Marilyn, Joe & Me: June DiMaggio Tells It Like It Was

5 star:		(6)
4 star:		(3)
3 star:		(1)
2 star:		(1)
1 star:		(9)

 

 

This book is absolute drivel! The ramblings & daydreams by an old woman trying to leave her last pathetic mark on this world at Marilyn Monroe's expense by re-writing history as she imagines it to have been!

A single example of the factual distortion in this book involves Marilyn's apperance at John Kennedy's birthday celebration in 1962. June "Bug" tells how Marilyn was "ordered" by 20th Centruy Fox to sing at this event. As detailed and supported by documents & interviews in the book "Marilyn The Last Take" this simply is not true as anybody willing to do a little research would know.

The studio absolutely forbade Marilyn from attending this affair because of her many absences from the filming of "Something's Got To Give" which was now running behind schedule! Her insistance on making the trip to New York was the "last straw" and this actually started action toward her dismissal from Fox.

This book does however, contain some rare private/personal color snapshots from 1954 of Joe DiMaggio's father's birthday celebration which Marilyn attended. These alone are certainly worth the price of this rather poorly written, vague work of fantasy disguised as a memior.

As an added bonus you'll get to look at loads of photos culled from June DiMaggio's "career" that would have never peen published unless they were peddled under Marilyn's name!

Precious little Marilyn and Joe here, but waaay too much "me"--Joe's alleged "niece" June DiMaggio, an unknown aspiring actress of the Fifties whose unremarkable story would never have hit print were it not for her very tenuous link to her illustrious shirttail relatives (seems her mother's second husband was Joe's brother--maybe). Hard to tell whether the elderly June is suffering from a failing memory (I'm being charitable here) or (more likely) if this is just a fraudulent attempt to milk a few bucks out of a handful of old DiMaggio family photos of Monroe. But by any standards this hack job is a miserable mess.

Beyond that, a proofreader's nightmare filled with typos, misspellings and tons of information that's just flat-out wrong.

In addition to major mistakes pointed out by other readers, it's Louella Parsons (not Luella), Cobina Wright (not Cabina), Monroe film was titled Don't Bother to Knock (not Don't Bother Knocking), Gloria Swanson's Sunset Boulevard character was Norma Desmond (not Desdemona!!!), Marlon Brando did not appear in film version of The Rose Tattoo, Ann Sothern couldn't have played stage role in Barefoot in the Park in late Forties (play didn't open until '63), last name of Jeanette MacDonald's sister Blossom is Rock (not Seeley), and on and on.

Far too many goofs not to raise eyebrows and red flags with anyone remotely more familiar with this material than clueless co-writer Mary Jane Popp seems to be. (*This* error-riddled drivel is the work of an esteemed "journalist"?!!) Truly a joltin' joke.

I am a researcher/historian who read the book and searched for documentation. The discovery creates credibility issues for the authors, June and Mary Jane. First, June is not a Dimaggio; she was born June M. Elpine on June 11 1923 to Rosetta Louise Rovegno and Albert U. Elpine (California Birth Index). Her birth date is five years earlier than the one she gives in the book. June Elpine was raised by her maternal grandmother; she is enumerated in her grandmother's home 1930 US Federal Census, San Francisco. Her mother was enumerated in the home of her sisters and brother using her maiden name Rovegno. June's Sicilian father was born in Italy and is not located again until his death in 1974 (CA Death Index). Her mother married Tom Dimaggio sometime in the 1940's when June was an adult and not living at home. June was not raised a Dimaggio; nor is she Joe Dimaggio's niece. She may have portrayed herself to her friends as a Dimaggio, but she was not a Dimaggio. Her story loses all credibility on this pivotal point.

As a professor at the University of Southern California who teaches courses that focus on Marilyn Monroe, I am highly suspicious of the statements in this book about Marilyn. Many of them go against much of what previous biographers and friends of hers have said about her. If, in fact, Marilyn was talking to June DiMaggio's mother at the time she did, that would enter her into the lists of scores of similar individuals who have made such claims. At this point anyone can claim anything about Marilyn, since there are few individuals left living who can verify such claims.
I appreciate Ms. DiMaggio's attempts to make her life available to readers, but I question how important or even interesting that life is to the general reader. Lois Banner, Professor, Univ. of Southern Calif

This woman was only related thru marriage and has built a whole senario how she was MM's best friend but no one has heard of her until 44 yrs. after Monroe's death. Maybe she met the screen legend at some point but most of her bablings seem to be the work of an over active imagination and possibility senility or the chance to get rich. She was not at the funeral, she did not have MM's real belongings (as stated at an exhibit that was closed down) and she was surely not even a friend. No pictures of herself and the screen idol? Hooey!

Hopefully by now most readers are familiar with the scandal that took place on Oprah Winfrey's Book club involving James Frey's book A MILLION LITTLE PIECES.

Well you can count this little gem as another one of those books.

Don't be fooled Marilyn fans... this is a complete hoax. As a Marilyn historian of some 30+ years as well as an owner of one of largest Marilyn fan clubs on the net I would consider myself fairly well versed in Marilyn Monroe's life. So when June DiMaggio's name came out of no where about two years ago it was certainly a surprise to me.

She first was connected to the Long Beach Queen Mary exhibit as being one the major contributors to the actual display on board. Apparently, as the story goes, her mother had held on to loads of boxes of items that belonged to Marilyn and it wasn't until recently they saw the light of day. The items had no way of being authenticated, except for, of course, through June herself. It was not until fans started questioning the exhibit articles that the holes in June's story started to shine through. One particular item that June claimed was Marilyn's was a Clairol hair curling set (Complete with BLONDE hair still attached!) dated circa 1972. Not sure how Marilyn could have set her hair seeing as she had passed away some 10 years previous!

Now June is setting the record "straight" in this new book with stories of homemade pizza for Marilyn the night she died! For anyone even slightly familiar with the medical findings of Marilyn's death would know this was not possible. Marilyn's stomach was EMPTY! Teddy bears taken from Marilyn's home the day after she as found dead (Never mind the tiny little details that the home was SEALED SHUT by the police) Then there are the claims that June's own mother was on the phone when Marilyn was "killed" and that she heard the name of her killer! Shocking certainly... but truthful, hardly.

I look forward to the day that June DiMaggio is caught in her web of lies. Hopefully one of the still living DiMaggio's will come forward and make a stand. Or perhaps Oprah herself will make a story of this? If nothing else I BEG the READERS to NOT buy the book and at least have June feel the effects of her lies where it will hurt her the most, in the pocket book!

Hasn't the world seen enough books of fiction on Marilyn Monroe? This book is so full of misinformation and downright lies, that I can't belive any publisher seriously considered it. There is not a shred of proof offered for any of the ridiculous "facts" offered in this book. This author has set a new low in a field of badly written books about Marilyn Monroe

I picked this book up because I used to know June DiMaggio. I met her in LA in 1957, my mother was good friends with her house mate. I was 13 years old at the time and got quite a crush on Ms. DiMaggio, and got to know a bit about her. I also got to meet Joe DiMaggio and spoke to him about June, and he called his niece "one of my favorites." My relationship with June DiMaggio lasted about six months and consisted mostly of letters --aside from the initial week in LA with her. Our discussions were mostly about ESP (Extra Sensory Perception), a subject of great interest to June at the time. But I recognize and get a sense of familiarity from some of the descriptions in this book, and from that I tend to give it credibility. I met June about two years before Marilyn Monroe died, and at the time Ms. Monroe was discussed with offhand familiarity by both June and her room mate. The fact that there was a community in which June, Joe, Marilyn and my mom's friend (I can't recall her name), were all obvious and common parts, makes it difficult for me to imagine it all as invention as some have accused. I can only speak to what I personally know, and from that basis alone a significant portion of what she says in her book resonates as accurate. I can only speak to those days long before Marilyn died, but at that time June was definitely a fixture in the lives of Joe DiMaggio and Marilyn Monroe.

As to the book itself, it gave me a greater sense of familiarity with those involved, and I found it an entertaining read. It caused me on a number of times to daydream back to those early times by the way it was written. This is not a recitation of facts, regurgitated with the blandness of a court reporter summary. It's a conversational reminiscence of a significant time in June's life. It's an interesting read for those interested in Monroe and her death, but it's also a portal back to the ideas and ideals of the late 1950s and early 60s.

When Lebh Shomea submitted her refutation of June DiMaggio -- documenting that the woman is really June Alpine, and not Joe DiMaggio's niece, not a DiMaggio at all! I thought the silliness of these comments would end. But "EBEAR" still wants to believe June's story, when it's obvious that June never met Marilyn at all! And Mimi Shimkiss says June's book made her cry -- but it makes me cry too--because of the stupidity of people, and because of their deceitfulness. This discussion is basically about money vs. sincerity -- about the greed of people who will tell lies about a woman who is loved around the world -- loved sincerely.

As nice as the photos may be, this book is nothing but another sad, and pathetic attempt to make money off of Marilyn. June is just another one of those liars who's so-called "friendship" with Marilyn never existed-just in her imagination. If June D. was such as close "friend" of Marilyn's, then why is her name and telephone number absent from Marilyn's phone/address book that was sold at Christie's Auction?

I just hope that June's karma gets her good. Sadly, there will be people
who believe what is written in the book-but I hope that June is exposed for the liar she is someday.