Customer Reviews

Marilyn Monroe: Private and Undisclosed

5 star:		(14)
4 star:		(2)
3 star:		(0)
2 star:		(2)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

I have been a Monroe fan since 1953 (How To Marry A Millionaire) and a collector since 1959 (Some Like It Hot). I make it a point to buy every book published and released on Marilyn, and find that this newest addition to the collection is among the best. Ms. Morgan is obviously a great fan of Marilyn having researched this book for many years before putting it all down on paper. Compared to some other authors who splash some facts mixed with speculation and rumor and rush out a new "expose", Michelle Morgan went the extra distance to find people who knew Marilyn and can add their insights to the Marilyn canon.

I was especially taken with the reminiscences of George Chakiris who appeared in the "Diamonds Are A Girl's Best Friend" number in Gentlemen Prefer Blondes. I've told people for years that he was in that number but no one believed me. Can you imagine the thrill of working on that scene?

And the photos are not to be believed. Why has it taken so many years for some of these to surface when hundreds of previous authors have interviewed Marilyn's family and friends? This is an amazing accomplishment and I am very thankful to Ms. Morgan for her tenacity and endurance in getting this book put together. The book has a luscious jacket, is very heavy (so no reading on the subway on the way to work) and comes with a bookmark ribbon so you don't have to try and read this all in one sitting. Though that certainly is a temptation.

Personally, I flipped out by her "Sources" section where she lists all of the documents that she used in researching for this book. I was especially floored by the listing of magazine and newspaper references. I have many unmarked clippings from old movie magazines and can now update my log with the date or writer or source name that I didn't have before. And the "Sources" section also provides a listing of documents that I can add to my "want list".

Kudos to Michelle Morgan for a crowning achievement.

The book easily flies to the top of the list of books about Marilyn Monroe as one of the finest, most thoughtful, comprehensive, well-written and understanding books written. The photos (many never before published) are an outstanding addition to the book, but it is the detailed, sensitive biography which takes the reader steadily through Marilyn's life which is makes it truly priceless.

Obviously this was a labor of love; Michelle Morgan has done a superb job of capturing an enormous amount of detail into one book. Interviews with folks who knew Marilyn (but who are not 'famous' or have an ulterior motive) distinctly add to the in-depth depiction of this extremely talented woman of so many facets.

Ms. Morgan also does a fine job of stating the basic, well-known facts around Marilyn's untimely depth without forcing any theory upon the reader. It's truly wonderful to read a biography which is just that--the story of a person's life--and not a book which relies on sensationalism to 'sell' it. This book gives a sense of Marilyn as woman, actress, wife, friend and sensitive human being. It brings depth into understanding of her relationships with her three husbands, giving the reader a sense of each of Miss Monroe's marriages.

I highly recommend this book to any long-time or brand-new fan of Marilyn's. You won't be disappointed.

Years of research went into this biography, and it shows. Michelle has written an outstanding book, featuring interviews with many people who've never spoken publicly about Marilyn before. It's a very well balanced view of the woman who became a legend: it depicts her as neither angel nor devil, but a combination of both, depending on who's being quoted. The last page gave me chills. It's a beautiful book and well worth reading.

It's been a while since we've been treated to a new book about Marilyn, the last one I believe was "The Many Lives of Marilyn Monroe" by Sara Churchwell. I find Michelle Morgan's book well worth waiting for!

Written in a very straight forward manner; Private & Undisclosed is definitely worth buying & reading even for those who have read Marilyn's story time & time again. There is something very appealing in the author's approach to her story; one that has no agenda other than sharing the details of Monroe's life in a simple & honest fashion. Interviews with by-standers, extras, & common folk who were there to witness events in Marilyn's life but never before contacted to share their stories, are both plentiful, refreshing, and thoroughly delightful to read!

The tiny little photographs that accompany the story (& are very difficult to see in good detail...) are then shown in a larger version after every few chapters. This is greatly appreciated.

Many of the photos have not been widely seen or published before now; though many of the pictures labeled as such will be quite familair to hard-core Marilyn collectors. Even a few quite popular & excessively used pictures have been listed as previously unpublished. However, there are still enough unseen or rarely used pictures to make it worthwhile to add this slightly over-size hardcover to your MM collection!

By: Tommy Garrett

What on earth can be written about Marilyn Monroe that has not already been written, rumored or made up? Well, plenty of great new juicy details, researched by a Marilyn Monroe fan, Michelle Morgan. When I first heard of this book, I simply rolled my eyes. I had spent almost a decade representing Monroe's first husband, Jimmie Dougherty, who lived in Maine at the time. Jimmie was a saint, a wonderful old man who really felt like Monroe had been given a bad name by many in Hollywood and the media alike. He wrote his own book, "To Norma Jeane With Love, Jimmie," by Jim Dougherty, as told to L.C. VanSavage, and it was a bestseller and a warm and comforting tome about his short marriage to the underage Norma Jeane. Jimmie always spoke with love and admiration for Monroe and I heard some never before told stories about the screen goddess.




So to my surprise, when I received the latest Monroe book, "Marilyn Monroe: Private and Undisclosed" by Michelle Morgan, I had to read it. Firstly, Michelle Morgan is the founder and President of the UK fan club, the Marilyn Lives Society, established in 1991. The book was published by the distinguished publishing house Carroll and Graf. So I was interested in reading this voluminous book, filled with never before seen photographs of Monroe in various stages of her life and career and figured that I'd at least have to give it a read. How happy I am that I did.

Many of the more than 150 photographs in this new illustrated biography of Monroe have never been published before. Some of the little known images show a different side of the icon - Monroe doing everyday things, laughing, in conversation, in her unguarded moments. Being a star, every moment is scripted and planned, but Monroe is captured in some of the moments in which she never expected to be photographed.

Michelle Morgan was able to interview almost everyone who knew Marilyn - in addition to her Hollywood and New York colleagues - many family members and friends. Drawing on over 50 different interviews, many who were never willing to go on record before, and many from Monroe's orphaned childhood and early years, the details paint a whole different portrait of the woman who will forever be called Hollywood's hottest and most well known sex goddess. A name she may have worked to achieve, but one her studio, 20th Century Fox, perpetrated to make her bankable in an era where actresses were no longer as glamorous as the era before.

This meticulously researched biography brings new insight into the life of one of Hollywood's most beloved and unforgettable stars. Michelle Morgan's easy yet enticing writing style brings forth a plethora of new details, broadening my once small interest in the sex icon. The read made my interest in the star unending and gave me a fascination with the star I never believed possible.

I had always thought of Monroe as one of the most uninteresting and untalented stars of her era, but now I have a whole new respect for the star and what she was able to do with her career while saddled with demons that most of us can never imagine being burdened with. But Morgan, being one of Monroe's biggest fans, is not only interested in the star but brings forth such a monumental picture of the star we really never knew and makes the reader want to know more. That goal is met by her never boring details of the star and yes, details never seen or read before.

A must read for any Hollywood historian and also for any Marilyn Monroe fan of any and all ages.

Miss Morgan is now working on a wonderful new biography on one of the forgotten stars of the `30s, Carole Lombard. Asked about this, Morgan says, "I have a few irons in the fire at the moment, as they say. I am currently researching a biography of film star Carole Lombard, who tragically died in a plane crash in 1942. There hasn't been a thorough and full biography written about her in quite some time, so I would very much like to fill that gap. I am currently looking for anyone who may have any memories of Carole, along with photos, articles, letters or even second-hand memories passed down through the years. If anyone can help me in this regard I'd love to hear from them: [...] They can also visit my website at [...] Along with that I am also looking to have my book turned into a film, so if there are any film producers out there, I'd love to hear from them!" And says in regards to why she chose to write about Marilyn Monroe, "I've been a fan since I was 15 years old - way back in 1985. I discovered Marilyn while I was on holiday with my family and picked up a book about her as a holiday read. I was very lucky as the book I read was `Norma Jean' by Fred Laurence Guiles, which is a classic Marilyn biography. During that holiday I bought several postcards and posters, and my fascination really took off. From then on, I spent all my pocket and babysitting money on books, videos and pictures. Learning about Marilyn became a passion that has never ceased for me." Lucky for us she's such a fan of every star she writes about.

I have read just about all that has been written on the subject and this book pretty well tells it all. Very well written and quite interesting.
I am pretyy well up to date on the subject and if you read the book you will find my comments and thoughts the book. You see, I was the ring bearer at the wedding of Norma Jeane Baker and James E. Dougherty. Jim was my uncle and I spent much time with Norma Jeane while he was in the Merchant Marines. Norma Jeane obviously was Marilyn Monroe!! She was great and a lot of to be with.

This is the best book on Marilyn sense the book her sister wrote.
Michelle Morgan is a gifted writter.
It was so hard for me to put down. It's filled with never before seen photos throughout the book.
I was disapointed when I finished it because I wanted to keep going.
If you read this book you will not be disapointed.

Michelle Morgan did an outstanding job writing this book...it is very informative....and true.She did a lot of work on this and needs to be complimented on how she presented it. I recommend this book for all Marilyn Monroe fans...it's one of the best!!

This book is classy; it's heavy (a little burdensome though, if you're reading in bed) with very thick pages. Sometimes I think I've got 2-3 pages at a time turned, and it's only one! I like the little slim ribbon bookmarker. My book was purchased in "like new" condition at a wonderful price, and it is equal to Brand New. Great condition, tight binding, excellent photos that I've not yet seen of Marilyn. This book is a treasure to add to your library; a collector's book.

M. Morgan does a great job telling about the life of Marilyn. She seems to have the facts down, and I've read a lot of books on MM, and she has actually contradicted some things I thought were otherwise true, in other books, and she backs up her facts. She clears up the myths (in my opinion, and when you see all the references in the back, she did a lot of work!) The unseen photos are something that make this book even more desirable. Yes, I enjoyed this book!

Sorry, but I can't stand such ignorance. There are not type-os or misspellings on every page. The person who wrote that review apparently does not realize that American English is NOT the same as the English spellings of words by people from the UK. I did put in a rebuttal to her review as well. But just in case others do not understand...in American English, we would spell the following word "color" without a "u". In UK English, this word is written as "colour".

OK, on to the book itelf. Very well written, great photos and insight. Highly recommended.