by Jennifer Dickinson
He loved when his wife was at home. When home, she enjoyed catering to
his needs. Domestically challenged, she worked hard to please him in
many ways including learning about Italian Cooking and serving him meals
while his eyes stayed fixated on the television.
She enjoyed seeing him in shirts that she’d proudly ironed for him. She
also ensured that she would dress more conservatively in front of him
since he preferred that, sacrificing her low cut and tight outfits for
higher necklines.
Soon the domestic haven ended and it was time for his wife to return to
work. His wife’s job wasn’t ordinary. She was
Marilyn Monroe after all.
Joe DiMaggio was never in agreement with the Hollywood scene and the
“phonies” but when Hollywood came knocking at their door, he followed
Marilyn from their home in San Francisco to the filming of “There’s No
Business Like Show Business.”
Joe’s insane jealousy took over as his
wife began displaying her body again to the cameras and the world.
Things only worsened with her next film, “The Seven Year Itch”, which
would generate one of the most recognized scenes in cinema history.
Marilyn was chosen for the role of “The Girl Upstairs”, a temptress in
the mind of the character played by co-star Tom Ewell.
The filming of the famous scene took place in the middle of the night on
Lexington Avenue in New York City.
Normally Joe disliked visiting his
wife on the set because he found film shooting to be tedious. But he
decided to accompany her to this special location shot.
As Marilyn’s and Tom’s characters left a movie theater, the sound of a
coming subway train beckoned an excited reaction on her part.
With large
fans simulating the train’s passing from below, Marilyn stood above the
subway grating, her white skirt flying in the air above her navel
revealing her pair of white panties.
The crowd’s cheers and whistles did not please Joe DiMaggio. Already
teeming with resentment over the attention that his wife received from
other men, he stormed off of the set before shooting ended. Joe’s wife
would not act this way.
It was said that Joe and Marilyn had a tremendous fight after this event
and it was the beginning of the end of their marriage. He apologized to
her for his angry outburst and said he’d control his temper in the
future.
However his burning stares continued and eventually he was
banned from her workplace. Less than nine months after the couple
blissfully married, they sadly divorced.
Despite their differences of opinion and incompatibility as spouses, Joe
and Marilyn remained close friends until her unexpected passing in 1962.
A strange irony to this story is that although he didn’t support that
facet of her persona, he was her escort to the 1955 premiere of “The
Seven Year Itch” – and did so in hopes of their reconciliation.
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