Marilyn Monroe and Lawrence Olivier in The Prince and The Showgirl.
The Story of Marilyn Monroe
The story of unreliably late but mesmerizing actress, Marilyn Monroe making the film The Prince and The Showgirl, is told in the book about her, of the same name, also My week with Marilyn, by Colin Clark, son of the famous art collector and critic, Kenneth Clark.
Visit Saltwood Castle
Colin took Marilyn to his parents' home, Saltwood Castle, which was later used as a backdrop in the film My Week With Marilyn. You can visit Saltwood Castle's gardens a couple of times a year on the open days. The castle has a long history, including supposedly being the venue where four knights met before setting of to kill Thomas Becket (inspiration for T S Eliot's The Wasteland).
This book inspired my family to look up the film. That inspired us to check out the list of Marilyn's other films and to start watching them.
She made many films and at first had bit parts. She looks more sophisticated with her hair up. Her high voice fits her later persona as the little girl, the innocent, childlike girl, which she played later.
The Stories of O'Henry
One of the films in which she played a small part was based on a short story by O Henry. I remembered O'Henry's most famous story, about the girl who sells her hair to buy her boyfriend a Christmas present.
O Henry Museum
I went back to research O Henry and found that there was an O Henry Museum in Austin, Texas. I have been to Texas many times, when living in the USA and visiting from the UK and Singapore. However, I never went to Austin. The home of O Henry is now on my wish list.
What is the difference between the USA and the UK and other countries? In the UK you have the real historic place where it has always been and sometimes a reproduction inside a museum elsewhere.
But in the USA you have the whole house transported to another location, as easily as moving a Monopoly piece around a board. The OHenry house is one of these. The house is authentic, but has moved from its previous location. That changes the view from the windows, as well as the atmosphere, the neighbourhood and neighbours.
Nevertheless, I get the same thrill from seeing the old house where the author lived, the desk, the chairs, the carved wood frame of the bed, the busy wallpaper, the round carpet.
Since Covid-19 it has become difficult to travel because of restrictions, fears, and increases in fares. However, whilst real travel sometimes is more difficult, it becomes increasingly easy to see what you are missing online.
Visiting a museum home online shares advantages with visiting the real home. Photos and objects bring the period of the past alive. Seeing objects makes the stories memorable. What is missing makes you do more research into the lives of the author or other notable person and their family.
O' Henry's Name
One little piece in the puzzle of O'Henry was why he wrote under a pen name. Why do authors have pen names? Many modern authors want to be famous, to make their name famous, to be known. It seems crystal clear to me that he wanted a pen name whilst he was in prison for embezzlement, to conceal his identity.
He did not write for fame. The only use of fame was to sell more books. He wrote for money, for a living, which is why he was so prolific. As many people have said, if you want money you don't sit around waiting for inspiration. A plumber does not wait for inspiration.
Useful Websites
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Colin_Clark_(filmmaker)
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kenneth_Clark
https://www.saltwoodcastle.com/
https://www.amazon.sg/My-Week-Marilyn-Colin-Clark/dp/1602861498
https://en.wikiquote.org/wiki/Marilyn_Monroe
https://www.austintexas.gov/department/o-henry-museum
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