Relighting the Candle: The Legacy of Marilyn Monroe

Aug. 5, 2012 is the 50th anniversary of the death of Hollywood's most beloved blond, Marilyn Monroe. Half a century later, and we're still talking about her. From her gowns to her modest Hollywood home, Monroe items are popping up for auction. Stores like H&M continue to produce Monroe-inspired apparel. Conspiracy books and websites abound, and a documentary, titled Marilyn Monroe: Murder on Fifth Helena Drive, is due out this year.

Just like the late James Dean, the endless fascination with Monroe’s iconic status seems to overshadow who she was and what she accomplished during her short life. Kelleen Crawford, moderator of 1962, one of the largest online communities devoted to Monroe, is one fan who works tirelessly to preserve the memory of her idol's life.  

Crawford, whose smile and luminous complexion are reminiscent of Monroe herself, is an aspiring actress living in Hollywood. Originally from small-town Missouri, Crawford recalls watching classic movies with her stepmother as a four-year-old. Not fully understanding why, Crawford "gravitated" toward Monroe. Anxious to know more about the star, Crawford collected Monroe biographies before she was old enough to read them. Now 25, Crawford estimates that she has read close to 80 books about Monroe. "When reading about Marilyn, you have to be so careful," says Crawford. "Her name is such a great way to sell a book. Seventy-five per cent of the books out there on Marilyn won’t really have their facts straight at all."

Crawford is the go-to girl for Monroe trivia. A conversation with her debunks many Monroe myths. For instance, Crawford insists that Monroe was never "plus-sized." The footage of her where she appears curvier than usual during the filming of 1959's Some Like It Hot were taken when she was five months pregnant. She also finds it hard to believe all of the men who have claimed, in recent years, to have been intimate with Monroe. "If she had slept with all of those men, she’d have had time for little else," argues Crawford. "While most Marilyn fans know to disregard these types of tall tales, the average person might accept their story. And that’s really sad.

"I always just wanted to know more about her," explains Crawford of those early days watching Monroe movies, trying to recall how it all began. "Over the years, as I read more about her and uncovered her true personality, I found that this 'true self' was even lovelier than the sugary packaging of her stardom." Taken with Monroe's "rags to riches" tale, Crawford found herself amazed by the star's resilience. "Despite what shameful circumstances had been handed her, she offered nothing but beauty in return," says Crawford.

What started as admiration began to include identification with Monroe's struggle to be taken seriously as an intelligent woman and talented actor. "Fifty years after [Monroe's] passing, there still exists the perception that a good-looking woman can't be all that smart. I myself feel a sense that I must pick one or the other.  Either I wear a skirt and lipstick and be 'pretty,' or I wear a baggy grey sweater, and be 'smart.'" As a girl who reached puberty earlier than most, Crawford experienced isolation as a child similar, she says, to that experienced by Monroe. She coped by watching movies, and dreamed of one day becoming a great actor.

When she isn't defending Monroe's memory, Crawford regularly provides 1962 members with weekly Monroe quotes, picspams, artwork and video clips. She says that all of this takes little time out of her busy schedule, which includes working at a Hollywood boutique and playing a bit role in an upcoming Gus Van Sant picture. In fact, she takes pleasure in her duties, which includes surfing Google in search of rare photos and artefacts to share with other fans.

The members of 1962 are grateful for her efforts. Carmen Chaverria of Toronto calls the community "friendly and welcoming." Paula Trelinska, from Waterloo, Ont., agrees, arguing that 1962 tends to consist of "fans of the 'whole Marilyn,' not just Marilyn Monroe as the actress or the sex symbol but Marilyn Monroe as the person." For these fans, that is an important distinction. "Underneath the glittering wardrobe and the red lipstick, she was so fragile and sweet," Crawford says of Monroe. It is perhaps these qualities that draw such a dedicated group of devotees.

Chaverria discovered Monroe when she was 12 years old. After watching such Monroe classics as Gentlemen Prefer Blondes and The Seven Year Itch, she was curious to know more about the actress. "After everything I've learned about Marilyn, my fascination largely boils down to the sort of person she was." Monroe's compelling personality, says Chaverria, is marked by her "perpetual sadness and personal demons." As someone who suffers from depression, Chaverria identifies with Monroe's own battle with the disease. "When I read about her struggle with it, in particular her own thoughts about it in journal entries, I can relate to her and those sorts of feelings."

Trelinska is another fan who feels connected to Monroe through a shared experience of pain. Unlike Crawford and Chaverria, Trelinska fell in love with Monroe later in life. As she began to understand some of the psychological torment experienced by the actress, her curiosity peaked. Often troubled by the violations of privacy faced by stars, Trelinska sought to separate Monroe from her image in the media. "There are some parallels between her struggles and mine that I feel help me understand her better, and allow me to learn from what she said and did in her time." Recalling her own troubled past, Trelinska says, "I felt a lack of acknowledgement and I wanted to be loved." But despite these feelings, she looks to Monroe for strength. "There is something special about knowing that somebody else felt the same."

"I think that people feel like they could have mattered to Marilyn," says Crawford, as she attempts to explain what makes Monroe different from other celebrities. "They feel like they could have been her friend and made her feel loved." It is this love that drives a community like 1962.

Each year for Monroe's birthday, Crawford visits Monroe's crypt at the Westwood Village Memorial Park Cemetery in Los Angeles. Leaving behind a birthday balloon or a dozen roses, she lunches at Barney's Beanery, "one of Marilyn's favourite spots," before retiring with a movie like Gentlemen Prefer Blondes.

When asked about her plans for the anniversary of Monroe's death, Crawford replies, "I'm not really 'planning' anything." Crawford prefers to focus on the positive: a celebration of Monroe's life. "I like to put my efforts more toward her life and accomplishments, rather than her death," she says, adding that she feels sad around that time each year. Chaverria can relate. "I usually just watch Some Like It Hot to cheer myself up."

Among the offerings set before Monroe’s grave on Aug. 5, 2012 will be a flower arrangement paid for by the collective that is 1962. This modest gesture will serve as a reminder that, despite a tendency to commodify Monroe, it is her profound humanity that endures.