Marilyn Monroe (75 page)

T
o Betty A. Prashker, my editor at Crown Publishers in New York, I owe a tremendous debt of gratitude. We have done two books together, and I have learned from her in countless ways. I have benefited from Betty’s wisdom at every stage of this project. The insight and care with which she guided this biography from the day I first had the idea to the very last draft of the manuscript have contributed immeasurably to whatever strengths it may have. I am deeply grateful for the opportunity to work with her. She is a great inspiration both as a woman and a friend.

Ion Trewin, at Weidenfeld & Nicolson in London, did everything possible to make this book a reality. Of particular importance were his ideas about the shape the story ought to take. His questions are always probing and astute, and he has a fantastic ability to help focus a project. I am enormously fortunate to have him as one of the mainstays of my writing life.

Allegra Huston was my editor at Weidenfeld for many years. She took time from her own projects to come back and work on this book with me. I cannot begin to thank her properly for agreeing to do that. Without Allegra’s incomparable sense of structure, this biography would be something very different indeed. I can’t imagine doing a book without her. Her thinking continues to amaze me with its clarity and originality. She is also the most beloved of friends.

And then there is Lois Wallace, my agent, my friend, and my most trusted adviser. Without Lois, none of this would be possible. She has the courage to say no—as well as yes. As an agent, Lois is without peer. As a friend, she has stood the test of time.

Also at Crown Publishers, I would like to thank all the people who have worked with such skill and dedication on my books. In particular I must single out Tina Constable and Andrew Martin, who have worked so effectively and with such care on my behalf.

I have been equally fortunate at Weidenfeld & Nicolson, where, after five books, I always know that I am in safe hands. From
Orson Welles
on, the wonderful staff at Weidenfeld has done everything possible to publish my books with flair and intelligence. I am very grateful.

Whitney Cookman designed the Crown jacket and Nick Castle did the Weidenfeld jacket. I am grateful to both for their brilliant work.

Thanks also to my London agent, Bill Hamilton, and my Paris agent, Michelle Lapautre, for their efforts on my behalf. And to Tony Cartano, my editor at Editions Albin Michel in Paris, I give my thanks for his support of this project.

I would like to thank the many people who so generously provided the information I needed to write this book. They include: Nan Abell, Charles Bell, Alan Brawn, Ann Caiger, Virginia Kaye Chilewich, Frank Corsaro, Judith Dike, Dr. Norman Farberow, Elsa Feminella, Esther Flores, Edwin Guthman, Jane Harvey, Eva Heilweil, Alfred Hayes, Jr., Marietta Hayes, Kathy Henderson, Gladys Irvis, Evelyn Keyes, Hope Lange, Esther Maltz, Charles Marcus, Edith Marcus, George Masters, Nancy McKechnie, Ross Miller, Dr. Jay Nagdimon, Walter Neville, Edward Parone, Elaine Pike, Howard Prouty, Tony Randall, Mary Ellen Rogan, Merel Rogers, Patricia Rosten, Sarah Samis, Meta Shaw, Sam Shaw, Senator George Smathers, Barbara Smith-LaBorde, Mickey Song, Marjorie Stengel, Shirlee Strahm, Theodore Strauss, Frank Taylor, Faye Thompson, Eli Wallach, and Brian Woo.

I also drew on past interviews with Henry Hathaway, Patrick O’Neal, Hermes Pan, Kenneth Tynan, Orson Welles, and Maurice Zolotow.

Many thanks to the archives, libraries, and historical societies, where I collected the material for this book: Vassar College, Special Collections, Poughkeepsie, New York; Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences, Los Angeles, California; State Historical Society of Wisconsin, Archives Division, Wisconsin Center for Film and Theater Research, Madison, Wisconsin; UCLA, Special Collections, Los Angeles, California; UCLA, Film Collections, Los Angeles, California;
University of Texas at Austin, Harry Ransom Humanities Research Center, Special Collections, Austin, Texas; American Film Institute, Louis B. Mayer Library, Special Collections, Los Angeles, California; Library of Congress, Special Collections, Washington, D.C.; The John Gray Park Library at the Kent School, Kent, Connecticut; The Lincoln Center Library for the Performing Arts, New York, New York; and Boston University, Mugar Memorial Library, Special Collections, Boston, Massachusetts.

Finally, special thanks to Steve Boucher, for patience beyond the call of duty.

And most of all, I must thank my husband, David. He is the light at the very center of my life and the reason for everything good in it.

BARBARA LEAMING
is the author of the
New York Times
best-seller
Katharine Hepburn
(Crown), as well as the much-acclaimed
Orson Welles.
She was for many years professor of theater and film at Hunter College in New York City. Her articles have appeared in
Vanity Fair
and
The New York Times Magazine.
She lives in Connecticut.