Page 52 - All About History - Issue 28-15

Becoming Marilyn

The Studio System

Thestudioscontrollednotonly
theirprofits,butalsotheiractors
Thestudiosystemwasthemaindrivingforceofthe
success of Hollywood during the golden age of cinema.
Ratherthanpayingtheirstarsonafilm-by-filmbasis,studios
wouldhavetheiractors,directors,producersandwriters
under contract. This meant studios had enormous power
overtheirstars–controllingtheirpublicity,howtheydressed,
whatrolestheyplayedandofteneventheirpersonas.Many
studiosalsoownedtheatres,withsomeofthebiggeststudios
controlling every theatre in a city. Another trick to ensuring
theirfilmswereprofitable,nomatterthequality,wasa
systemknownas‘blockbooking’.Thestudioswouldselltheir
filmsasaunit,usuallywithonemainattractionandother
low-budgetflickstackedon.Mostfilmblockscontained
about20films.Thiswholesystemmadeitveryhardfor
independentfilmmakerstobecomeasuccess,andmany
ofthebiggeststarswereworkedtoexhaustion.

She was but rather a firm and important friendship. Despite Hyde offered Marilyn her life on a platter. Not
signed to a six- the sway he held, Marilyn didn’t push him for any only did he respect and love her, but he had been
month contract favours, and seemed happy to simply absorb his given barely a year to live, and promised that she
starting at $75 a wisdom. However, when her contract was dropped wouldn’t have to look after an invalid. She could
week. When she after just one year, Scheck intervened, this time be his wife for mere months, be happy, then go on
heard the news, at Columbia. Marilyn was given the second lead to enjoy the advantages of his name and riches.
Norma wept – she was in the film Ladies Of The Chorus, which came out But Marilyn said no. It was a decision that she
going to escape the fate in 1948. The film was a cheaply made B-flick and later paid for, but Marilyn, for all her diamonds, her
of insanity and nothingness not worth the limited money it cost to make it, but extravagances and glamour, was never in love with
that had so marked her early Marilyn was a vision. money. She was in love with love, and she was not
life. She lost one other thing at this point, the last She was 23 years old when she met Johnny in love with Hyde.
remains of her past – her name. Norma Jeane was Hyde. The moment he saw her on screen he Regardless of her refusal, Hyde dedicated the
dead. Marilyn Monroe was born. wanted her, and had her transferred to his agency final months of his life to securing her future. He
Marilyn’s life, like Norma’s, was never smooth immediately. He was one of the most prominent taught her everything he knew and arranged a new
sailing. For years she did nothing but pose for stills, figures in Hollywood, and being ‘picked’ by him contract – now starting at $750 a week. He even
attend the opening of restaurants, ride in parades was no small matter. He told Marilyn he would persuaded her to fix the final flaws on her perfect
and stand on floats. She languished at the bottom make her a star; she told him she didn’t make face, with plastic surgery on her nose and chin. He
of the studio’s talent pool, labelled a ‘dumb broad’ enough to pay her telephone bill. Hyde was 53, but died before he was able to secure for her the third
and thrown the occasional role in low-budget flicks like so many before and after him, he fell in love of his estate that she never asked for. Hours after
where she received the lowest billing. almost instantly. He had four sons and a beautiful his death, Marilyn was ordered out of his home and
Two relationships with two different men wife who silently abided his host of affairs with forbidden to attend his funeral. She went anyway,
© Corbis; Getty Images First of all, Joe Scheck, the rapidly aging 70-year- dying from a bad heart, and decided to dedicate the for him to wake up before she was led out of the
throwing herself across his coffin and screaming
helped Marilyn’s rise to fame more than any other.
clients, but Marilyn was not like the others. He was
remainder of his life to making her a star. His wife
old co-founder of 20th Century Fox. There is no
church. Marilyn was alone again, but now she was
evidence at all that their relationship was sexual,
filed for divorce, and he proposed to Marilyn.
equipped to conquer Hollywood.
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