Marilyn At A Surfers' Party In Malibu, 1947, Marilyn and Tommy Zahn Share | Options

[Joan Newman]

[quote name='monty0330' date='May 23 2012, 08:45 PM' post='213626']
As I was flipping through the book I came across the picture taken by surfer Tommy Zahn - it says that he was Marilyn's boyfriend by the time in 1947 - is that a reliable source?? I will be investigating further but so far I only found this - no word about Marilyn though:


I have been searching too. (edited Couldn't get the images loaded before) (IMG:style_emoticons/default/thumbup1.gif)

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[meganmarilyn]

Ya there was a thread somewhere on this. Here is a photo of MM at one of the Luau parties with Zahn. And some background info.

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[a monroeist]

another boyfriend nonsense (IMG:http://www.everlasting-star.net/boards/style_emoticons/default/rolleyes1.gif)

and He didn't even claim He was M's boyfirend, because "gosh I really liked her" means even less than recent Mr Landau's "we had a relationship"

[Joan Newman]

(IMG:http://www.everlasting-star.net/boards/style_emoticons/default/bye1.gif) I believe the original picture of Marilyn at the beach party shows our Marilyn surrounded by some famous surfers like Preston "Pete" Peterson and Lorrin "Whitey" Harrison. (Look at their faces in my first post)

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[meganmarilyn]

Interesting. So at least we have a reason why she was fired from Fox in 1947.

[a monroeist]

Interesting. So at least we have a reason why she was fired from Fox in 1947.

c'mon, M wasn't fired, the contract wasn't renewed, for many reasons, standard procedure, read any serious biography


some say there was a love triangle (IMG:http://www.everlasting-star.net/boards/style_emoticons/default/rolleyes1.gif) ...Jesus please forgive me but I just HATE this crap!!! (IMG:http://www.everlasting-star.net/boards/style_emoticons/default/furious.gif) (IMG:http://www.everlasting-star.net/boards/style_emoticons/default/furious.gif) (IMG:http://www.everlasting-star.net/boards/style_emoticons/default/furious.gif)

This post has been edited by a monroeist: Nov 9 2012, 07:06 PM

[meganmarilyn]

c'mon, M wasn't fired, the contract wasn't renewed, for many reasons, standard procedure, read any serious biography


some say there was a love triangle (IMG:http://www.everlasting-star.net/boards/style_emoticons/default/rolleyes1.gif) ...Jesus please forgive me but I just HATE this crap!!! (IMG:http://www.everlasting-star.net/boards/style_emoticons/default/furious.gif) (IMG:http://www.everlasting-star.net/boards/style_emoticons/default/furious.gif) (IMG:http://www.everlasting-star.net/boards/style_emoticons/default/furious.gif)

What's with the attitude? Don't attack other's viewpoints. Ok Fox not wanting her anymore. Excuse me for not being technical. Same thing as being fired.

This post has been edited by meganmarilyn: Nov 9 2012, 08:50 PM

[Joan Newman]

(IMG:http://www.everlasting-star.net/boards/style_emoticons/default/huh.gif)

[mare]

I was wondering about this. The picture all the way to the right a few of us scanned from the MM Personal Book last year:www.everlasting-star.net/boards/?showtopic=15820&st=60I was wondering who he was exactly.

What's with the attitude? Don't attack other's viewpoints. Ok Fox not wanting her anymore. Excuse me for not being technical. Same thing as being fired.

Oh you know that story, Fox was looking for an excuse to relieve their money burdens from spending so much money on Cleopatra and they picked on M's film and made a big drama about firing her and then rehired her. Fools.

[Joan Newman]

Another "story" about Tommy Zahn. And another about Peter Lawford.

http://blog.nollsurfboards.com/?p=572
The Malibu Perpetual Surfboard

The day before I left Dale Velzy called me and knew all about the deal. Good ole Dale ”Noble ask Zahn about Marilyn Monroe?” and call me back next week. Thats all he would tell me.

On our way back to Tommy’s trailer, I stopped Tommy and asked “Tell me about Marilyn Monroe? Tommy’s laughed and said you have been talking with that dam Velzy! Tommy would not go into graphic details like I wanted. Tommy simply said, “It was all you could dream of!”.

http://www.thedailybeast.com/newsweek/2002...dget-girls.html

Gidget Girls

In 1950, Malibu was just a local teen hangout; as a surf spot, it was still largely undiscovered. "You could count the number of people surfing there on two hands," Robin recalls. North of the crescent-shaped beach was the Malibu Colony, home to many film actors, including Lawford. He adored the surfing crowd and often stuck around for the barbecues thrown by Quigg and his surfing buddy Matt Kivlin. They'd boil lobsters and break out cases of beer. Now and then Lawford brought one girl who just sat on the sand. "So one time we said, 'God, Peter, who's that gal?' " Vicki remembers. "She's so white!" It was Marilyn Monroe.

[princesshapnick]

Don't want to point out the obvious but it's clearly not Marilyn in any of those photos (maybe in the color photo it is her) so I'm very confused why this was even suggested at the time that it was her.

[Joan Newman]

Don't want to point out the obvious but it's clearly not Marilyn in any of those photos (maybe in the color photo it is her) so I'm very confused why this was even suggested at the time that it was her.

Hi Becky (IMG:http://www.everlasting-star.net/boards/style_emoticons/default/bye1.gif)
I found the article "Marilyn & Darrilyn" in this Climbing forum here:
http://www.supertopo.com/climbing/thread.p...5520&tn=280

No one in the forum commented on the picture of the girl leaning on the surfboard not being Marilyn Monroe. If you notice though, the caption for the picture on the bottom left side of the page is written in very small writing and in the color white which makes it very hard to read or even notice. Some people may just not know our Marilyn as well and not know what she would have looked like back then in the late 40's?

As for the small picture of the "so-called" Marilyn at the beach party this is what it says on the very top about it, again it's small writing:

Paradise Cove surf-agenarian Cal Porter is certain this is Norma Jean Baker, and the location is far west Malibu: "I am told by the fellow who owns and lives on the property now that this photo was taken at a beach party at Santa Monica lifeguard captain George Watkins' old place at Nicholas Beach near Zero Point, north Malibu," Porter said.

Photo Courtesy of Surfing Heritage Foundation

So you can see, that it's this Cal Porter's opinion that it's her and that he may be going by the words of another fellow, the guy who lives in the property. Go figure, huh?

[meganmarilyn]

Here is an interview with Tommy Zahn from a 80s/90s tv documentary.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fWvmPUbrWdE

[sneyder69]

Thanks, ill copy that docu for my file (IMG:http://www.everlasting-star.net/boards/style_emoticons/default/banana.gif)

[Stacy]

"The most famous board we had on the beach in those days (except for Jack’s Kook Box) was a board shaped by Joe Quigg. He was from the Santa Monica/Malibu area and had shaped a board for Darrilyn Zanuck. She was the daughter of the famous movie producer Darryl Zanuck. (Many of you, particularly the older folks, I’m sure have seen some of his great movies, “Gentlemen’s Agreement,” “Sound Of Music,” “Miracle On 34th Street” - to mention a few.) It was a balsa board although I think it had redwood rails. It was one of the early scoop noses (or perhaps the bottom rocked up so it seemed like a scoop nose.) You couldn't pearl it on the steepest of waves. It was very stable, somewhat wide and flat. I think about 10’2” or so and light for those days. I know the kids today would be embarrassed to be seen on it. Everyone on the beach learned to surf on that board. Without it, I would have been landlocked. Darrilyn was a fine surfer and a pioneer in women surfing. In the Ben Marcus book “Surfing USA” he points out “In many ways, Darrilyn Zanuck was the original Gidget.” She camped with us at Doheny. We always admired her, not only because she was a fine surfer but because we assumed she was very wealthy and could have stayed in a pretty ritzy place. Although come to think of it, I don't think we had any ritzy places. Darrilyn knew how much I loved her board and at the end of one summer she suggested I buy the board. She thought it should stay on the beach. I believe I paid her payments of five to ten dollars for a total of $40. Gosh, I sure hope I paid it all or, by now with interest, she could take our first born child. When I finally left the beach, I left it there, feeling, as Darrilyn, did that it should stay on the beach. I am sure lots of kids learned to surf on it for years to come. Wow! We never dreamed something like that would be a collector's item. In his fine book “The Surfboard”- Ben Marcus, on page 85 and 86, tells the story of Tommy Zahn, Marilyn Monroe and Darrilyn and the making of the board. On page 91, there's a picture of the replica made by Joe Quigg in 2003. It seems to me the original had redwood rails and was 10’2” (as mentioned in Ben's book on page 87) and was less pointed in the tail, similar to board #40 shown in the Heritage Museum brochure. But who am I to debate with the originator of the board. I'm just pleased to have had it for so long. If I could find Darrilyn today, I would like to thank her for being one of our Doheny pals. She was a truly great person. (Note: After writing this originally in 2006, through Darrilyn’s brother’s office and Zanuck productions, I did find Darrilyn. They forwarded a copy of this to her and she responded with a wonderful note talking about how important those days on the beach and surfing were to her.)"
From: http://www.sclifeguards.com/3/miscellaneous6.htm

[Joan Newman]

https://books.google.com/books?id=0_z4a_ZP1...roe&f=false

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[Stacy]

I believe this to be Marilyn. Lois interviewed people who were there at the time and she seemed to be part of the early surfing community for a short time.

[Joan Newman]

I believe this to be Marilyn. Lois interviewed people who were there at the time and she seemed to be part of the early surfing community for a short time.

(IMG:style_emoticons/default/thumbup1.gif) (IMG:style_emoticons/default/clapping.gif)

[ziggy]

I believe this to be Marilyn. Lois interviewed people who were there at the time and she seemed to be part of the early surfing community for a short time.

That is so fascinating! I think it's pretty safe to say the person second to left in that color photo either looks exactly like Norma Jeane in her early twenties or indeed *is* her. (As mentioned before in this thread, the person in the other photos is clearly someone else though.) After all these years of fandom, one keeps finding out new and unexpected things about Marilyn. She's just a gift that keeps giving.