The story behind the only photo of Marilyn Monroe and the Kennedy brothers

 

The story behind the only photo 

of Marilyn Monroe and the Kennedy brothers

By Maddison Leach|

Marilyn Monroe was an icon of her time and remains a famous – or to some, infamous – figure of American history. An actress, sex symbol, and devastating cautionary tale about the pitfalls of fame, Monroe is known for many things, but one of her most well-remembered moments came in May of 1962, on President John F Kennedy's birthday.

Marilyn Monroe circa 1953, wearing a white strapless satin dress, white gloves, and a fur wrap at Walter Winchell’s birthday party.

Appearing at the party in a rhinestone gown she had to be sewn into, Monroe took to the stage and sang one of the most salacious renditions of 'Happy Birthday' ever heard to President Kennedy.The performance has been parodied countless times in the decades since that night, but there was more to Monroe's appearance than a little song and dance.Her presence at the party left First Lady Jackie Kennedy fuming, but not with her husband, and was immortalised in the only photo of Monroe, JFK and Robert Kennedy together.

The party

President John F Kennedy marked his 45th birthday with a Democratic fundraiser at Madison Square Garden in New York, where tickets cost up to $1,000 US at the time. That's equivalent to $8,500 US or $13,500 AUD today.

Marilyn Monroe wears the iconic gown that she wore while singing "Happy Birthday" to President John F. Kennedy during a reception after the event. (AP/AAP)

The 15,000-strong guest list was made up of celebrities, stars and political heavyweights of the time, with Marilyn Monroe slated to be the night's biggest star. At 35, she was already a Hollywood icon struggling with addiction and the realities of fame and turned up to the party late, as was her signature.

She was introduced three times before sauntering onto the stage in a dress so tight she had to be sewn into it, and so expensive it was auctioned for almost $8 million in 2016.Life magazine photographer Bill Ray told Town & Country magazine that the event had been rowdy until Monroe appeared and everything suddenly changed gears."Then boom, on comes this spotlight," he recalled.

Marilyn Monroe sings Happy Birthday to President John F. Kennedy from the stage of Madison Square Garden. (AP/AAP)

"There was no sound. No sound at all. It was like we were in outer space. There was this long, long pause and finally, she comes out with this unbelievably breathy, 'Happy biiiiirthday to youuuu,' and everybody just went into a swoon."

Marilyn's song

No one had ever considered 'Happy Birthday' a particularly sexy song – that is, until Monroe sang it breathlessly to the President of the United States in front of 15,000 guests. To this day it's an iconic moment in American culture and has been mimicked, parodied and satirised time and again in media and pop culture.

But there were rumours of a connection between the pair for months before Monroe sang her now-famous "Happy Birthday, Mr President" to JFK. There were claims they had spent the night together after a Palm Springs party in March of 1962, and suggestions that he even invited her to his birthday event after beginning an affair.

Marilyn Monroe

American actress Marilyn Monroe. (Getty)

Nothing was ever confirmed, but Monroe's sexy song and her figure-hugging, flesh-toned dress did nothing to quell the rumours.After her performance, JFK addressed the crowd with a grin, saying: "I can now retire from politics after having had 'Happy Birthday' sung to me in such a sweet, wholesome way."

Jackie's reaction

Jackie Kennedy wasn't at the party that night, instead staying at their Glen Ora estate in Virginia with her children. But she heard about the evening's events and was left furious – but not by Monroe's appearance, or her husband's reaction.

"Life's too short to worry about Marilyn Monroe," she told her sister, according to a new biography by James Patterson. It was actually Robert Kennedy, her brother-in-law, that left Jackie fuming.

Jackie Kennedy with JFK

Jackie Kennedy with President John F Kennedy. (AP)

It was her understanding that Robert, affectionately known as Bobby by family, had come up with the idea to have Monroe perform in the first place.

"My understanding of it is that Bobby was the one who orchestrated the whole goddamn thing," she told her sister-in-law the day after the party. "The Attorney General is the troublemaker here, Ethel. Not the President. So it's Bobby I'm angry at, not Jack."

The photo

But what about that infamous photo, the only one ever taken of both Kennedy brothers with Monroe?

After the party, the President, Robert and Monroe attended a private reception at a New York town house, where the three spent time chatting. It was there that Cecil Stoughton, the official white House photographer, snapped the only known photo of the trio together.During a party, American actress Marilyn Monroe stands between Robert Kennedy (left) and John F. Kennedy. (The LIFE Images Collection via G)

In it, Monroe can be seen speaking with Robert while JFK stands with his back to the camera, his shadow cast over Monroe as she watches her.Just a few months later, she would be dead from an overdose. A little over a year after her passing, the President would be shot and killed in a public assassination, his brother dying in a similar attack in 1968.

60 years ago tonight Marilyn Monroe’s sultry song to President JFK in May 1962 marked one final hurrah before her life came to a sudden end less than three months later.Monroe spent days rehearsing with her anxiety growing over the impending moment. On the night of the event, she was sewn into a special outfit for the occasion. a Jean Louis designed, flesh colored gown embedded with more than 2,500 rhinestones & tailored to hug her curves.

Toward the end of the night, Monroe shimmied onto the stage, welcoming her as "the late Marilyn Monroe." She then shed her ermine stole to reveal her gown, its tone & shimmering crystals giving the impression she was naked and illuminated. "The figure was famous," And for one breathless moment, the 15,000 people in Madison Square Garden thought they were going to see all of it."

Monroe launched into her quiet, breathy rendition of "Happy Birthday," gaining steam with encouragement from the audience, before dovetailing into a version of "Thanks for the Memory," with reworked lyrics that lauded the president for his hard work. She then exhorted everyone to join the birthday wishes before the camera panned to a giant cake being carried out, her long-awaited appearance quickly over. Afterward, while thanking the performers from the stage, Kennedy joked that he could "retire after having had 'Happy Birthday' sung to me in such a sweet, wholesome way."

Although the sultry performance ignited the longstanding rumors of their affair. described as "making love to the president in the direct view of forty million Americans" it also marked the end of their interactions. The starlet & JFK mingled at an afterparty leading to the only known photo of the two & never saw each other again.On August 5, Monroe was found dead in her Brentwood home from a drug overdose. Fifteen months later, President Kennedy followed her to an early grave.While "Happy Birthday, Mr. President" lasted all of a minute, it remains one of Monroe's enduring moments, no doubt because it serves as a reminder of her magnetism, her life in the blinding spotlight & her link to another tragic luminary from the time.