Marilyn agreed to travel to New York to help promote "Love Happy." Having always heard that New York was much cooler than Los Angeles, Marilyn packed only heavy, woolen suits to wear to the various publicity functions.Ĭowan and Marilyn arrived in New York in the midst of a summer heat wave.
The writer became an early champion of Marilyn and later defended her on the occasions when Marilyn ran afoul of the press or her studio. Cowan told Parsons that Marilyn was an orphan who had been raised in a series of foster homes in the Hollywood area.ĭespite the brevity of Marilyn's role in "Love Happy," Parsons mentioned the starlet in her column. Still, Marilyn made enough of an impression on producer Cowan for him to release a publicity statement about her to columnist Louella Parsons. "Love Happy" is a minor, unfunny comedy that captured the Marx Brothers at the tail end of their film careers as a team. Gossip columnist Jimmy Starr believed Marilyn simply shaved a bit off one high heel in order to undulate in that manner, while Marilyn herself declared that she had always walked that way. Many have attempted to explain "the walk," including Natasha Lytess, who claimed she invented it for Marilyn, as well as Emmeline Snively, who insisted it was the result of weak ankles. Some men are following me." Groucho gives his patented leer and remarks, "Really? I can't understand why!" Groucho approved and Marilyn landed the role.Īs she glides toward the camera in the slow, undulating walk that would become one of her trademarks, Marilyn's character tells Groucho, "I want you to help me. Of the three girls who auditioned that day, it was Marilyn whom Groucho asked to repeat her interpretation of a sexy walk. Through the efforts of one of these associates, Marilyn auditioned for producer Lester Cowan for a walk-on bit in a Marx Brothers film, "Love Happy." Marilyn was required mainly to catch the eye of Groucho Marx (who plays a private detective) as she sidles past him.Īccording to Marilyn, she practiced walking in front of a mirror for a week.
Coincidentally, this model later became a bit player at Columbia.ĭespite her lack of a studio contract, Marilyn still had the support of her agent, Harry Lipton, as well as that of Karger, Lytess, and the Carrolls. Some researchers, in fact, claim to have identified one of Playboy magazine's early centerfold models as the performer in question.
Another, particularly persistent, rumor cites Marilyn as the "star" of a stag film entitled Apples, Knockers and Cokes film historians have refuted this allegation.
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