Marilyn Monroe Collection

A Marilyn Monroe Signed Note

Together with a Jayne Mansfield Autograph

A Marilyn Monroe signed note, late 1950s

Penned in blue ballpoint ink on a small piece of pink scratch pad paper from The Beverly Hills Hotel, note reads in full "To Ronald, Thank you - so much! Marilyn Monroe;" paper having been folded two times with additional creases. Also included is a heavily stained and aged envelope with a handwritten notation in red ink reading "M Monroe" (in an unknown hand - possibly Ronald's) where this note was kept.

Additionally, another small piece of paper, crumpled and folded numerous times, was also in same envelope and reads in full "To Ron! Love Jayne Mansfield;" Ronald being quite a lucky guy to have met both blonde bombshells.

Jayne Mansfield (April 19, 1933 – June 29, 1967)

Marilyn rival Jayne Mansfield was heavily promoted by Twentieth Century-Fox as "Marilyn Monroe King-Size" as the studio tried to fill the hole left by Marilyn walking out on her contract in 1955. Former beauty queen Mansfield had scored success on Broadway in Will success Spoil Rock Hunter?, playing a character who was Marilyn in all details but name, before Fox signed her up. This was the culmination of Mansfield's master plan, to retrace Marilyn's footsteps from poor beginnings, to the Blue Book Modeling Agency, screen tests, nude photographs and, according to some sources, a similar experience to Marilyn's with the Lawford and Kennedy crowd.

By 1957 Mansfield was up there, big on screen all over the country in The Girl Can't Help It and a film version of Will Success Spoil Rock Hunter?

Fox's publicity department worked overtime to convey Mansfield's Marilyn-beating credentials (apart from 40-24-36 measurements). She appeared on film in the gold lame dress Marilyn had worn to such devastating effect in Gentlemen Prefer Blondes, and she featured on the Jack Benny show, just like Marilyn had done, to perform the exact same sketch.

The Hollywood blondes met up on at least one occasion. Both were at the post-premiere party for The Rose Tattoo (for which Anna Magnani won an Oscar), held at the Astor Hotel, New York on December 2, 1955. Photographs from this event show Marilyn giving Mansfield a frosty look.

www.jaynemansfield.com

Provenance: Bonhams & Butterfields, Los Angeles: Entertainment Memorabilia Auction, June 4, 2007