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About Lara Fowler
Expertise
I am especially knowledgeable about Monroe's early life, her movies, her individual personality, her husbands, troubles with illness, addictions, fears, and insecurities. I am also versed in her years with Lee Strasberg at the Actor's Studio--especially her home life during that time. I am of the school that Marilyn committed suicide, due to her haunting memories and unbearable illnesses, so I will not be able to answer any detailed conspiracy questions--though I do know the basics.
Experience
I am very knowledgeable about classic film in general--I have been studying it since I was 10 years old and Marilyn has always fascinated me. I have read nearly every book ever printed about her, and have paid particular attention to her early life (up to her marriage with Jim Dougherty). My knowledge of classic film has garnered awe in my community!! It has even won a national award--at the age of 13.
Education/Credentials
Pursuing B.A. in French, minor in Film Studies, from Mills College.
Awards and Honors
National Wizard of Oz trivia contest winner: 1998
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You are here: Experts > Movies > Classic Movies > Monroe, Marilyn > Marilyn
Expert: Lara Fowler
Date: 4/9/2008
Subject: Marilyn
Question
What happened to her mother?
Answer
Hi Treva,
Marilyn and her mother, Gladys, never had a mother/daughter relationship. Gladys was in and out of mental institutions her entire adult life, due to severe paranoid schizophrenia, and could not take care of her daughter (though Marilyn did live with her very briefly when she was 7 years old--the result was disastrous). Marilyn said often that Ana Lower, her last foster mother, was more like a mother than anyone else ever had been, and when Gladys was not present at Marilyn's first wedding, she did not seem to be fazed at all. Marilyn was by nature however, a generous and loving person. She took care of Gladys financially until the day she (Marilyn) died, and even then she included stipulations in her will that part of her estate go to Gladys' care.
After Marilyn's death, Gladys became extremely distraught and refused to speak of her daughter. She continued to live in mental institutions, refusing interviews, and living off the money from Marilyn's will, until her death in 1984.
Gladys was an extremely complicated and tragic woman. She had had a difficult childhood, and had lost two of her children to a crazed ex-husband who kidnapped them and took them to Kentucky. One of them subsequently died. As Marilyn's mother, she tried her best, which in her state did not yield very good results. However, she did have her moments. In a particularly lucid moment, after her daughter's birth, she decided that it would not be in her child's best interest to live with a paranoid schizophrenic mother, so she gave her up to foster care. She paid the foster parents diligently, every month without fail, until she finally could not take care of even herself anymore, and Marilyn had to become a ward of the state.
It is interesting to note how much Marilyn looks like her mother. This is one of the factors in many people's skepticism over the identity of Marilyn's father. I am including pictures of Marilyn's mother. I hope this helped! Please feel free to follow up if you have any additional questions.
-Lara
http://www.geocities.com/hollywood/boulevard/1993/00gladys.jpg
http://www.crimelibrary.com/graphics/photos/notorious_murders/celebrity/marilyn_monroe/2-1(150)Gladys-Baker.jpg
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