Fire Island Celebrity history- Marilyn Monroe

Celebrity history1950's

Mar 23

Many celebrities in the 1950’s found Fire Island to be a refuge from their stardom. Actress Marilyn Monroe was one. Her mentors famous acting coach Lee Strasberg and his family had a home on Fire Island where she would shock onlookers upon arrival…

The Strasberg family

arrived with Marilyn by ferry on Friday afternoons and spent the weekends. As no private vehicles were permitted on the island, Lee led the caravan of Susan, John, and Marilyn pulling little red wagons filled with books and food along the boardwalks to the cottage near Ocean Beach.

Under a black umbrella, Paula wore a large hat and sunglasses for protection from the sun. Marilyn ran around barefoot with no makeup and shared a room with Susan. On occasion, she’d cook for the family. Despite having lived in Southern California all of her life, Marilyn achieved a bronze tan for the first time. Her skin glowed the entire summer. Marty Fried, an orphan and former boxer who drove a cab while he studied acting, and who later became a successful director, joined the Strasbergs and Marilyn. They also welcomed Delos Smith, Jr. from Kansas, who later co-starred with Jack Nicholson in One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest (1975). COPYRIGHT 2014 Gary Vitacco-Robles
ICON: The Life, Times & Films of Marilyn Monroe, vol. 1.

Marilyn was extremely comfortable on Fire Island visiting many times.

Marilyn spent most of the summer of 1955 on Fire Island with Lee Strasberg and his family. She shared a room with the teenage Susie Strasberg, she swam in the Atlantic, she shucked clams and grilled hot dogs, she spent rainy afternoons sketching on the porch, she spent evenings drinking champagne from teacups and reading tarot cards with Paula.

Elizabeth Windor. “Marilyn in Manhattan. Her year of joy.” 2017.