The bond between Marilyn Monroe and Ella Fitzgerald was something special. Despite coming from different backgrounds, they connected over their shared experiences and supported each other through thick and thin. Their friendship went beyond just being famous; it was about standing up for each other and breaking down barriers. Together, they showed the world the power of solidarity and friendship, leaving behind a legacy that still inspires today.
Childhood Traumas: Monroe and Fitzgerald’s Early Struggles
What made Marilyn Monroe And Ella Fitzgerald become friends soon was their parallel childhood traumas. Monroe was born in the Great Depression and lived with an absent father and a mentally unstable mother. Moved between various homes, she grappled with the challenges of her tumultuous upbringing such as being subjected to sexual abuse. In a poignant 1956 interview with Time magazine, Monroeshe wondered, “How did I get through it?”
Similarly, Fitzgerald’s adolescence was marred by tragedy and hardship. When she was 15 her mom died from injuries sustained in a car accident, followed by abuse from her stepfather. Then, she had to live with an aunt in Harlem.
She often skipped school and worked as a lookout at a bordello that led to Fitzgerald being sent to a segregated reform school in upstate New York. There, staff didn’t hesitate to brutalize residents. The reformatory’s last superintendent told The New York Times that during Fitzgerald’s time there “She had been held in the basement of one of the cottages once and all but tortured.”
Monroe and Fitzgerald likely found comfort in having someone who could empathize with their struggles. Moreover, their similarities extended beyond their challenging childhoods. Both got married soon, which finally ended in disappointment. Despite these trials, they both achieved remarkable success in their careers as performers.
Monroe’s Bold Move In Shaping Ella Fitzgerald’s Career
By the 1950s, Fitzgerald’s captivating voice had enchanted audiences worldwide, including Marilyn Monroe. The Gentlemen Prefer Blondes star had spent hours listening to Fitzgerald’s recordings, following the advice of a music coach to enhance her own singing abilities. In November 1954, Monroe’s admiration for Fitzgerald reached new heights when she attended one of her live performances in Los Angeles.
“I know I make a lot of money at the jazz clubs I play, but I sure wish I could play at one of those fancy places,” Fitzgerald reportedly once told her press agent. Fitzgerald had the talent. But there was something holding her back from reaching her full potential.
Many of the venues that hired her were small clubs, and some establishments were unwilling to showcase an overweight Black woman, regardless of her musical talent. The LA club Mocambo, one of the most famous L.A. nightclubs in the 1950s, had denied Fitzgerald the opportunity to perform on its stage.
After becoming close friends, Monroe knew that Fitzgerald was struggling to secure a performance slot at the Mocambo nightclub, so she decided to step in to change her friend’s career.
Monroe then the club owner with a bold proposition – if he booked Fitzgerald, she promised to sit at the front of the house every night and to bring along other celebs. Emphasizing the potential for significant publicity, Monroe persuaded the owner to hire Fitzgerald for a couple of weeks in March 1955.
True to her word, Monroe sat prominently in the audience each evening during Fitzgerald’s show, and Frank Sinatra and Judy Garland appeared on opening night. However, such celebrity firepower wasn’t that necessary when Fitzgerald’s shows sold out, and the club owner extended her contract for an additional week. This pivotal moment marked a turning point in Fitzgerald’s career trajectory.
In an August 1972 interview with Ms. Magazine she had said, “I owe Marilyn Monroe a real debt… she personally called the owner of the Mocambo and told him she wanted me booked immediately, and if he would do it, she would take a front table every night. She told him — and it was true, due to Marilyn’s superstar status — that the press would go wild.”
She continued, “The owner said yes, and Marilyn was there, front table, every night. The press went overboard. After that, I never had to play a small jazz club again. She was an unusual woman — a little ahead of her times. And she didn’t know it.”
Standing Up Against Racism: Monroe’s Support For Fitzgerald
After hitting it big at the Mocambo, Fitzgerald scored gigs at other top venues and even made a comeback to the Mocambo. But not every place treated her the same, all because of her skin color. Some places expected Fitzgerald to use the side or back doors instead of the front.
When Monroe found out about this unfair treatment, she had Fitzgerald’s back once again. According to Fitzgerald’s biographer Geoffrey Mark, Monroe traveled all the way to Colorado to catch one of Fitzgerald’s shows. But when she saw her friend being directed away from the main entrance, Monroe put her foot down. She refused to go inside unless both she and Fitzgerald could walk through the front doors. And guess what? Monroe’s stand led to all of Fitzgerald’s performance spots treating her with the respect she deserved.
