Expert: Yvonne - 9/28/2006

Question
Are there any sources of Marilyn answering questions of an interview on tape/record/CD?  I am looking for any and all that is available (I have heard there isn't much.)

Answer
Hi there Bob,

There are a few documentaries that are well worth listening to (and watching), such as:

'Marilyn On Marilyn' is probably the best. There is no narrator except for the odd written caption introducing a new topic as Marilyn herself (culled from taped interviews she gave to Life magazine and French Marie Claire less than a month before she died) talks about her life and work accompanied by stills and footage.  

The Ed Morrow interview she did in 1955 can be seen on www.youtube.com. There is a 'The Edward R. Murrow Collection' DVD available on amazon but as far as I know Marilyn's interview is not included.

I saw a documentary many years ago centred around the interview she gave to Richard Meryman for Life Magazine which was published the day before she died. They interviewed Meryman and interspersed it with snippets of that interview. Unfortunately I don't know what channel made the programme (I think it may have been shown on BBC) and haven't seen it since. It was a great one though.

'Marilyn Monroe: The Final Days' is a documentary narrated by James Coburn and is readily available on amazon.com or play.com. I do not think, however, that Marilyn's voice from an interview is used.

Unfortunately Marilyn gave few taped interviews in her life. As mentioned above there are only really three known to exist and only one of those is a visual tape. They are hard to find but keep an eye on ebay. I got my copy of 'Marilyn On Marilyn' by recording it off the television (it was on BBC).

Good luck with your search!

Yvonne

PS Am posting this as a follow-up - there are other interviews on film (as in there is aural and visual recording) Marilyn was filmed during press conferences when questioned by reporters (when announcing her marriage to Arthur Miller, when talking about the Actors' Studio, when returning with Milton Greene to LA to do Bus Stop, and when she was questioned about Arthur Miller being brought up in front of the House of Un-American Activities.) Most if not all of them can be seen (and heard!) on www.youtube.com