Marilyn Monroe was introduced to the second husband by someone who did not like to match – the star of “I Love Lucy”.
The 25-year-old was having dinner with his agent, Norman Brokaw, when William Frawley, who played Fred Mertz on the sitcom, approached them. He had an offer the actress could not refuse.
“[My father] took him to a television show called 'Lights, Camera, Action,' which was an up-and-coming talent show,” Norman's son Joel Brokaw told Fox News Digital.[It was] a live show in Hollywood that every agent will tune in to watch. They went and did this TV show, and he said, 'Let's go down the street to the Hollywood Brown Derby and eat.' It was a place we were going to see.”
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Marilyn Monroe did not know who Joe DiMaggio was when they met in 1952. (Getty Images)
“It didn't take long before they got noticed,” Joel said. “William Frawley . . . came to the table and said . . . 'I'm having dinner with Joe D. He'd like to meet the lady. We'll come by your table when we're done.'
“Marilyn turned to my dad and said, 'Who's Joe D?' He didn't know who Joe DiMaggio was and obviously wasn't a baseball fan. So, he had to give him a quick history of Joe DiMaggio's importance.
According to Hollywood history, Joe DiMaggio was reading a newspaper when he saw a picture of Marilyn Monroe wearing a baseball uniform. He was beaten. (Getty Images)
Brokaw, who represented Elvis Presley, Clint Eastwood and many other stars, died in 2016 at the age of 89. Joel has written a new memoir about his late great-grandfather, “Driving Marilyn,” describing how he got out of working at William's post office. Morris Agency to be its CEO.
Joel Brokaw's book, “Driving Marilyn,” is out now. (Lyons Press)
DiMaggio, who was 12 years older than Monroe, had just retired from the New York Yankees. He was out to eat with his best friend when he found himself attracted to the beauty of the blonde.
And Brokaw isn't missing his chance to help bring the two together.
“[My father and Marilyn] finish the meal first,” said Joel, “go to the table, the rest is history.”
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William Frawley starred as Fred Mertz on the '50s sitcom “I Love Lucy.” (CBS via Getty Images)
Joel said his father met Monroe through his uncle, Hollywood agent Johnny Hyde. In her book “My Story,” Monroe said that Hyde loved her and had asked her to marry him.
“If you look at all the stories written about Marilyn Monroe, Johnny Hyde is the standout chapter,” explained Joel. “He was a superagent who believed in Marilyn. He lived with her as well. He put all his credit into developing her career.”
Hollywood agent Johnny Hyde wanted to marry his client, rising star Marilyn Monroe. (ALAMI)
“At the time, the attitudes of many of her peers were, 'That's her boyfriend, and she's the blonde of the year,'” Joel said. “Most people didn't see anything special about him. But finally, towards the end of his life, he got him a contract with 20th Century Fox. At that time, my father had just been promoted to the position of junior agent. .”
Marilyn Monroe with her agent Johnny Hyde, 1949. (ALAMI)
Joel said Hyde had a “very bad mood,” which prevented him from taking his client to work. That's where Brokaw came in.
“He had to take her to her auditions, which was a $55 job, at least SAG,” Joel explained. “He took her to acting lessons, went to the premieres and television shows she was doing. She ended up spending a lot of time with him.
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“From what he told me about her, they got along very well. He loved her very much. He thought she was incredibly smart. They just had a great relationship.”
Norman Brokaw continued to represent Marilyn Monroe. (The Brokaw Family)
Hyde died in 1950. He was 55 years old.
It was 1952 when Brokaw and Monroe went to DiMaggio's desk to say hello. DiMaggio and Monroe dated for almost two years before they were beaten at San Francisco City Hall in 1954.
A few months after the couple said, “I do,” Brokaw got a phone call. It was from DiMaggio. According to the letter, Monroe was no longer his client at that time.
Joe DiMaggio hoped that Marilyn Monroe would become a housewife. He had other plans. (AFP via Getty Images)
“Joe DiMaggio got some advice from his father that came at a critical time in their marriage,” said Joel. “Joe really wanted Marilyn to be a housewife. He was very upset about Marilyn's high profile and going out in public.
Marilyn Monroe and Joe DiMaggio's marriage was said to be chaotic before they finally called it quits. (Underwood Archives/Getty Images)
“And so, my father said to him, 'I don't know of a woman who can convince you not to go up and hit a straight 56 ​​game. And I don't know of a man who can convince a young actor not to act in a movie with Clark Gable or Spencer Tracy.'
“It did that [a] A light bulb went on in Joe DiMaggio's mind,” Joel said. “He credited that advice with keeping the marriage alive. . . . It also cemented the lifelong friendship my father had with Joe DiMaggio.”
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Marilyn Monroe and Joe DiMaggio's marriage lasted nine months. (NY Daily News archive via Getty Images.)
The marriage of the power couple lasted only nine months. Monroe filed for divorce from DiMaggio, citing “mental cruelty.”
Brokaw and Monroe crossed paths in a unique way again in 1962.
At the time, Joel's mother was hospitalized for schizophrenia. Brokaw needed someone to help watch his sons. Monroe's psychiatrist, Dr. Ralph Greenson, who had also worked with Joel's mother, suggested Eunice Murray, a housekeeper.
Marilyn Monroe and Joe DiMaggio met again in 1961, a year before her death. (Getty Images)
“He was a person that he placed with many of his patients to help them manage their daily burdens and to keep a sharp eye,” explained Joel. “A few weeks before, Eunice Murray had come in and found Marilyn Monroe dead. That was a really strange episode in my life.”
Mrs. Eunice Murray, who is the housekeeper of the late Marilyn Monroe, tells the media that the actress did not seem like she wanted to kill herself. (Getty Images)
“I loved Mrs. Murray,” said Joel. “But I also felt like there was a strange energy about him. . . . That was part of growing up in Hollywood — a lot of strange things.”
Monroe died of a barbiturate overdose in 1962. He was 36 years old. It was DiMaggio, who had re-entered her life in 1961, who arranged her funeral.
“It was an undying love that he had for her all his life,” noted Joel.
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Joe DiMaggio's last words were reported to be, “I'm finally going to see Marilyn.” (Getty Images)
DiMaggio had fresh flowers delivered to Monroe's grave twice a week for 20 years. He preceded his ex-wife by nearly forty years. He died in 1999 at the age of 84.
DiMaggio's attorney later said his last reported words were, “Finally I'm going to see Marilyn.”
The Associated Press contributed to this report.
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