June 1st is the birthday of one of Hollywood’s most intriguing discoveries. In 1945, the US Army’s motion picture unit on routine morale-boosting assignment in a factory discovered young Norma Jeane Dougherty, hard at work inspecting parachutes. Something about this unrefined girl just sparkled, catching the photographer’s eye, who suggested she sign with a modeling agency. Her first glint of success on a magazine cover gave her the confidence she needed to pursue her destiny. She bleached her brown hair to golden blonde, took singing and dancing lessons, changed her name, and accepted numerous bit parts and non-speaking roles before hitting it big. Like an actual diamond, Marilyn Monroe went through much polishing before her true luster emerged. Her dazzling beauty and many-faceted personality left an indelible impression on Hollywood and the rest of the world. All things considered, could it really be just a coincidence that one of her most-remembered performances is her 1953 rendition of “Diamonds Are A Girl’s Best Friend”?
