Marilyn Monroe Singing "Happy Birthday" to President
John F. Kennedy,
Madison Square Garden, NY, 1962
©Bill Ray
On May 19, 1962 - half-century ago, on a spring night in New York City, 35 year-old screen goddess Marilyn Monroe — literally sewn into a
sparkling, jaw-droppingly sheer dress — sauntered onto the stage of New York's
Madison Square Garden and, with one breathless performance, forever linked sex
and politics in the American consciousness. For the 15,000 spectators there that
night, including LIFE photographer
Bill Ray, Marilyn's
"Happy Birthday" to President John F. Kennedy amplified the buzz about an affair
between the two. But beyond the titillation, the moment Ray captured in this,
his most iconic shot, went on to play a major role in both Marilyn's and JFK's
biographies, coming as it did near the end of their short lives. As the 48th
anniversary of that legendary birthday party approaches, Ray sits down with
LIFE.com to share his photos from that night, most of which have never been
seen, and to tell the story of how he overcame countless obstacles — the
cavernous setting, tricky lighting, and security "goons" eager to keep the press
at bay — to get
The
Shot. ---
Life.com
Madison Square Garden
Memories
"On the evening of May 19th, 1962, the brightest
stars in the Hollywood galaxy joined Hollywood’s heaviest hitters and New York’s
power elite at the old Madison Square Garden to celebrate with President John F.
Kennedy his 45th birthday.
It was a good time to be young. The
country was “moving” again. Our fathers had voted for Eisenhower; we voted for
JFK. We had the Peace Corps, were going to the moon, and the New Frontier was
here. It was High Tide in America.
With Jack Benny as host, and a long
list of stars that featured Maria Callas, Ella Fitzgerald, Jimmy Durante and
Peggy Lee, the evening was going to be great. But the moment every one of the
17,000 guests was waiting for, was for the Queen of Hollywood, the reigning Sex
Goddess, Marilyn Monroe to serenade the dashing young President.
Venus
was singing to Zeus, or maybe Apollo. Their stars would cross, their worlds
would collide.
I was on assignment for Life Magazine, and one of many
photographers down in front of the stage.
As the show was about to start,
the New York police, with directions from the Secret Service, were forcing the
Press into a tight group behind a rope. I knew that all the “rope-a-dopes” would
get the same shot, and that would not work for LIFE, the great American picture
magazine. I squeezed between the cops and took off looking for a better
place.
In addition to 2 Leicas with 35mm and 28mm lenses, and 2 Nikons
with 105mm and 180mm, I brought along a new 300mm 4.5 Kilfit just for the Hell
of it. I started to work my way up, one level at a time, looking for a place
where I could get a shot of both MM and JFK in the same frame. An impossibility
behind the rope, the 300mm telephoto was looking better and better.
It
seemed that I climbed forever, feeling like Lawrence Harvey in “The Manchurian
Candidate” up among the girders. When I found a pipe railing to rest the lens
on, (exposure was by guess), I could see JFK through the telephoto, but the
range of light level was too great. I worked with feverish intensity every
second MM was on stage, but only one moment was truly magical, and perfectly
exposed!
When the moment came, the Garden went black. Then all sound
stopped. All that low buzz/roar that a crowd gives off stopped; total silence.
One very bright spotlight flashed on, and there was
Marilyn Monroe, in the
dress, the crystals sparkling and flashing. Marilyn was smiling, waiting
several beats, with everyone on the edge of their seats, trying to hear the
silence.
Then, in her breathy, sexy, unique voice, looking the entire
time at JFK in the front row, she sang
"Happy Birthday Mr.
President”.No one that night could imagine that in two and a half
months, Marilyn would be dead of an overdose; in eighteen months JFK would be
assassinated; Viet Nam would turn into our worst nightmare; Camelot would be
gone.
Marilyn wore a dress designed by Jean Louis, that had no zippers,
buttons, hooks, or snaps. The pieces were sewn together on her body. It was more
or less flesh-colored, and decorated with thousands of Zwarovski crystals. Adlai
Stevenson described it as “Skin and Beads”.
It was auctioned off at
Christie’s in New York, October, 1999 for over 1.2 million dollars. The buyers
later thought it was a steal, and said they were prepared to pay 3
million.
Though the evening was long and illustrious, and Marilyn’s song
was short, the world, myself included, only remembers her, the song, the dress,
and JFK’s 45th birthday.
The rest is history. "
-- ©Bill
Ray
President John F. Kennedy at his birthday party after
Marilyn Monroe Sang "Happy Birthday", Madison Square Garden, NY, 1962
©Bill Ray
