Philippe Halsman - Two proof prints for the Life cover story »Marilyn Monroe, 1952.

Marilyn Monroe
Vivien Leigh

A half-century ago, on a spring night in New York City, 35-year-old Marilyn Monroe — literally sewn into a sparkling, jaw-droppingly tight dress — stood in a spotlight on a dark stage. She took a breath, began to sing — and 15,000 men and women who filled the old Madison Square Garden that night knew, simply knew, that they were seeing and hearing something that they would never, ever forget.
The song, of course, was “Happy Birthday,” and Marilyn’s breathy, intimate rendition — sung, as if the two of them were utterly alone, to President John F. Kennedy — has been celebrated, analyzed and lovingly parodied countless times in the five decades since that indelible performance.
LIFE’s Bill Ray was there — and now, we present a set of unpublished from that unforgettable night.

Photographed by Jock Carroll, 1952

Grace Kelly just before her first visit to the Royal Palace where she met Prince Rainier. Monaco 1955.


Marilyn Monroe - The Final Days (1/6)

Part 2
Part 3
Part 4
Part 5
Part 6 


Joan Didion

Happy Birthday, Katharine Hepburn - (May 12th, 1907 - June 29th, 2003)
“If you obey all of the rules, you’ll miss all of the fun.”
James Dean
18th Apr 201204:22127 notes
Opaque  by  andbamnan