Thursday, February 9, 2012

A Valentine For Marilyn!

January 14, 1954

In 1954, after a two year courtship, Marilyn Monroe and Joe DiMaggio had a 'supposed-to-be' civil wedding in San Francisco.  Municipal Judge Charles E. Perry married the two hi-profile citizens, and later said in all the excitement, he forgot to kiss the bride!  Judge Perry had thrown everyone out of his chambers, trying to keep the ceremony as private as he could.  But, of course, reporters, photogs, and a slew of fans  were jammed outside the courtshouse waiting to get a look.  And the photographers wanted Joe and Marilyn to kiss, so they could get a shot of it. 

Joe DiMaggio, as we all probably know, had enjoyed a 13 year career with the New York Yankees as center fielder, and is well known for his 56-game hitting streak during the summer of 1941.  I don't think this stat has been broken yet, and he was elected into the Baseball Hall of Fame in 1955.  He played his entire career with the Yankees, retiring in 1952 at the age of 37. 


'Joltin' Joe

And, of course, as we all know, Marilyn Monroe was dubbed the sexiest woman in Hollywood during the 1940's, 50's, and, I suppose, up until her untimely death in 1962...well, if the shoe fits!  Marilyn was a beauty...and, it didn't matter what she was wearing.  I believe, that if she were in today's world, she would still shine as she did in the 1940's, 50's, and 60's.  She came quite a long way from her early beginnings, having been born to an emotionally unstable mother, and, a "not-so-sure I want to claim my dad".  She spent quite a lot of time in foster homes, and some time with relatives as a child.  That might explain why she had a tendancy to attach herself to older men, you think?  Maybe not. 



Well, back to Joe...when he wanted to meet and date Marilyn, did he know he would fall in love with her?  Or, was it merely a conquest desire?  Who knows...but, it later became evident that he had fallen as hard as one could fall for someone.  And, Marilyn, at first, really wasn't that interested in him-she didn't even care much for baseball.   Joe set out to protect Marilyn from any and all demons that possessed her troubled life.  It seems as though he became a bit over-protective and possessive of the popular blonde, resulting in a short (less than one year) marriage.  Her famous 'skirt-blowing' scene in the 1954 movie 'the Seven Year Itch' infuriated Joe DiMaggio.  And it caused quite a conflict between the couple.  When Marilyn filed for divorce from Joe, it was on the grounds of mental cruelty.  In 1956, Marilyn married playright Arthur Miller, and, that marriage ended in divorce in 1961.  In the meantime, Joe DiMaggio had been seen with other women, but had not married again.  And, later, when Marilyn would have problems and become distressed, Joe would still come to her rescue.  He even loaned her quite a sum of money for a down payment on her house.  They did spend more time together again, and it was rumored that DiMaggio desired to re-marry Marilyn. 

But, Marilyn passed away before a re-marriage could take place.  It was reported that DiMaggio's son had spoken to Marilyn over the phone the night before she died, and he thought she sounded fine.  Well, we know that her death was ruled as a suicide by overdose, even tho there has been much speculation of foul play.  I won't mention names of anyone thought to have been involved.  All I can add, is that the situation was a sad one, and a loss.

It is reported that there was no one for Marilyn in death, so, once again, Joe DiMaggio became her hero.  He claimed her remains and arranged her funeral, only allowing certain persons to attend, and no press.  Other resources suggest that Joe, along with studio producers, directors and actors, contributed to her death.  It was said that if Joe had behaved differently, they would have had a good marriage.  I'm not sure I agree with that theory...I think DiMaggio bit off more than he could chew.  For the next 20 years after Marilyn's death, Joe visited her grave regularly and kept fresh flowers at her crypt.

Later, Joe DiMaggio became the spokesman for 'Mr. Coffee' and did commercials endorsing the famous coffee maker from 1974 until 1990.   



The "Yankee Clipper", 'Joltin' Joe DiMaggio, passed away at his Florida home from lung cancer on March 8, 1992.  DiMaggio is interred at Holy Cross Cemetary in Colma, California.

Now, if I was asked to name someone whom I think was a 'Special Valentine', Joe DiMaggio's name would 'POP' right off the top of my head!  And, I'm dedicating this Valentine's Day to a man who remained  a 'true Valentine' to the same woman for more than 35 years! 

...Well, other than my wonderful husband Karo, who is MY 'true Valentine'!

Ah...it took an act of Congress to get this old photo here!
This is Karo in December of 1997 before we were married.


Happy Valentine's Day, Joe DiMaggio and Marilyn Monroe!


Now, I'm sure you know that 'Oscar' night is Sunday, February 26, 2012 (if I'm looking at the right calendar!).  And, the movie "My Week With Marilyn", is up for two nominations!  Best actress as Marilyn, by Michelle Williams, and the best supporting actor nominated is Kenneth Branagh, who played Sir Lawrence Olivier.  It will be interesting to see what happens!
***
And, now, before I go, you know I must thank some folks.
Google
Yahoo Images
wikipedia
The San Francisco Chronicle

A special thanks to my friend and co-worker, Cindy.  Cindy inspired and encouraged me to write this post...don't even remember how we got on the subject-I think I was asking who I could write about that could have been a special Valentine with a special story. And Cindy said, "Joe DiMaggio is the Champion Valentine! He loved Marilyn Monroe to the end!" 
 And, I found out that Cindy is right!
Happy Valentine's Day Cindy!

Happy Valentine's Day to my Loving, Caring Husband, Karo!♥
Happy Valentine's Day to my Mom, Bob and Leta!♥
Happy Valentine's Day to my son, Rusty and little Scooter!♥
...does the list go on?☺

♫YES!
To my dearest blogmates and readers, my heart goes out to you all (actually, it's "y'all" in my neck of the woods) on Valentine's Day!  Thank you so much for reading my 'stuff', and, for your fun and exciting posts that enlighten my life!  Know that deep in the ♥ of Texas, this filly is truly a fan, and I look forward to seeing you when your little icons pop up on my reading list.

HAPPY VALENTINE'S DAY FROM THE KARDKORNER

♫You too, Elvis!♫
Haha!  It's my special Elvis coffee mug...I actually drink from it!

Tuesday, February 7, 2012

"We've Been Mooned!"

photo taken at 6:50 pm * February 7, 2012
by Suzanne * Fort Worth, Texas

I can't believe I got this!  With just a Fuji FinePix S1500!  I know...it's not the greatest full moon shot, but, I have a hard time holding a camera still for a far, far away shot.  Karo spotted it thru the window-it was creeping up from the east behind some trees, and was just trying to slip out of the clouds across the street.  I told it to wait a minute while I ran in to get the camera.  It was 6:50 pm, so I caught it early. 

Tonite is the Full Snow Moon, so named by Indian tribes of the North and East.  February, usually has the coldest and heaviest snows, thus making it harder to hunt.  With the possibility of food becoming scarce, some tribes refer to this February moon as 'The Hunger' moon.

* Now, I don't stray much from the Farmers' Almanac, but surfed around a bit and came across the following information.  I thought I might share it with you. *

According to Pagan/Wiccan beliefs, the February full moon is known as the 'Quickening Moon'.  February is the month for new beginnings, new hopes...learn from our past mistakes, set new goals, and 'get on with it'.  The beliefs also focus on animals due to bear young in the spring.  They can feel the time getting near, the growth in their bodies, and anticipate the coming of their new family.  Flower bulbs, such as 'hyacinth' and 'tulips', I bet, are peeking up, searching for the sun...knowing that their much needed warmth is just around the corner!  Coming events still lie dormant, and wait eagerly for the inevitable warmth of their environment to awaken them.

* I found this information to be very interesting, and, true, in many realms of our lives.  However, when it comes to new beginnings, and learning from past mistakes, we should strive for these accomplishments daily.*

For My Information, I visited:
Google
Yahoo

***
By the way...CONGRATULATIONS NEW YORK GIANTS!
2012 SUPERBOWL CHAMPS!


I Hope your evening was pleasant.  Thank you so much for stopping by. 
 I truly appreciate your visits and comments.
 
And, get outside...look at the moon!


"you've been mooned!"

 Don't mind Bart...he always has to get in the last word!