Monroe’s star set for rededication on her birthday
The Palm Springs Walk of Stars will rededicate Marilyn Monroe’s star on her birthday, June 1.
The city just assembled a 26-foot-tall statue of Monroe last week and, for the June 1 star rededication, Manhattan in the Desert deli and bakery will provide a birthday cake big enough to serve 250-300 people, walk organizers said.
The “Forever Marilyn” statue — it depicts the star trying to hold her dress down as it is blown up by a rush of wind from a subway vent in “Seven Year Itch” — will be unveiled Thursday at Palm Canyon Drive and Tahquitz Canyon Way.
Monroe was born Norma Jeane Mortenson Baker on June 1, 1926, in Los Angeles. Legend has it that she was “discovered” in Palm Springs at age 22, when she was spotted at Charlie Farrell’s Racquet Club by talent agent Johnny Hyde in 1949.
Some of the best-known photos of Monroe were taken at the club by Hollywood photographer Bruno Bernard. She is believed to have often visited baseball star Joe DiMaggio at his estate in Palm Springs the 1950s.
By the early 1960s, Monroe owned a bungalow-style home in the Las Palmas area.
“We are proud to honor Marilyn Monroe on the Palm Springs Walk of Stars,” said Robert Alexander, the walk’s president.
The 50th anniversary of her death is Aug. 5.
