NOW AND AGAIN WE NEED AN UPLIFTING STORY

Here at Doc40, we have long had an odd and wholly mythic relationship with Marilyn Monroe, but, now and again, a pleasant true story hardly goes amiss. Thus, when our pal Munz sent this link, it seemed like a good idea to go with it as a perfect antidote to the unpleasantness coming out of Libya and elsewhere.

“During the 1950s, one of the most popular, trendy nightclubs in Los Angeles was the famed Mocambo. Located on the Sunset Strip in West Hollywood, the Mocambo was the place to “see and be seen”, where glamorous A list movie stars gathered to hear big bands and headlining musical acts. But the Mocambo was also a racist club which refused to book black performers. That is, until the awesomeness that was Marilyn Monroe decided to do something about it, in support of her good friend Ella Fitzgerald. Marilyn was at the pinnacle of her fame in the 50s. And clubs like the Mocambo relied almost exclusively on the attention brought by the presence of movie stars. It meant paparazzi, write ups in gossip columns, and tons of publicity. Marilyn Monroe personally called up the owner of the Mocambo and lobbied hard on Ella’s behalf. Marilyn made a deal with him, that if he booked Ella Fitzgerald for a lengthy stint that she would attend every night, sitting in the front row for every performance. The owner agreed. Ella Fitzgerald was booked at the Mocambo – the first black performer ever at the club – and Marilyn Monroe made good on her word. She was there every night that Ella sang, just like she promised, sitting in the front row.” Click here for more and a video.

Click here for Marilyn’s Coke commercial

The secret word is Courage