Marilyn, Joe & Me: June DiMaggio Tells It Like It Was 
asked by freedrink on November 12, 2006 9:10 AM
At long last, June DiMaggio, niece of baseball legend Joe DiMaggio and a dear friend of Marilyn Monroe for 11 years, tells untold stories of the two legendary, very private stars that are insightful, fun and engaging. She also reveals what her family knew all along: Marilyn was more than a movie star and sex symbol. . . . And her death was anything but suicide. FUN. FAST. MOVING. AND RIVETING Marilyn, Joe & Me is a book no fan or curiosity seeker of Hollywood life and American royalty will want to be without. JUNE TELLS ALL The DiMaggio family was very private then, and still is today. In fact, no book has ever been written by a member of Joe DiMaggios clan until now. No other book has firsthand stories told by someone who was there June DiMaggio has been around celebrities since she was a child. A music theater star in her own right, June befriended Marilyn as well as other stars in Hollywood in the 50s. She well understood that the real light of Marilyn Monroe was much more luminous than the sexy star power promoted by Hollywood. In Marilyn, Joe & Me, we can finally see Marilyn Monroe for who she wasintelligent, warm, funny, generous of spirit, good-hearted, well-read, articulate and a delightful, loving friend. Candid and full of charm and character, June tells it the way it was: She sets the record straight, and she pulls no punches in describing Hollywood behind the glitz and glitter of the studios and cameras. IT'S ABOUT THE TRUTH Now in her late 70s, June finally reveals what the DiMaggio family knew all along: Their beloved Marilyn did not commit suicideshe was murdered. The family never discussed the subject. Junes mother went to her grave knowing the identity of Marilyns murderer sharing it with no one. An article on Marilyns death in the December 2005 issue of Playboy included an excerpt from Marilyn, Joe & Me. THE PHOTOS AND THE TREASURES Marilyn, Joe & Me is filled with never-before-published photos that capture the essence of the people and the times: exclusive pictures of Marilyn in the production of her last film, Thes Misfits, and a treasury of DiMaggio family snapshots.
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This book is absolute drivel! The ramblings & daydreams by an old woman trying to leave her last pathetic mark on this world at Marilyn Monroe's expense by re-writing history as she imagines it to have been!
A single example of the factual distortion in this book involves Marilyn's apperance at John Kennedy's birthday celebration in 1962. June "Bug" tells how Marilyn was "ordered" by 20th Centruy Fox to sing at this event. As detailed and supported by documents & interviews in the book "Marilyn The Last Take" this simply is not true as anybody willing to do a little research would know.
The studio absolutely forbade Marilyn from attending this affair because of her many absences from the filming of "Something's Got To Give" which was now running behind schedule! Her insistance on making the trip to New York was the "last straw" and this actually started action toward her dismissal from Fox.
This book does however, contain some rare private/personal color snapshots from 1954 of Joe DiMaggio's father's birthday celebration which Marilyn attended. These alone are certainly worth the price of this rather poorly written, vague work of fantasy disguised as a memior.
As an added bonus you'll get to look at loads of photos culled from June DiMaggio's "career" that would have never peen published unless they were peddled under Marilyn's name!
A single example of the factual distortion in this book involves Marilyn's apperance at John Kennedy's birthday celebration in 1962. June "Bug" tells how Marilyn was "ordered" by 20th Centruy Fox to sing at this event. As detailed and supported by documents & interviews in the book "Marilyn The Last Take" this simply is not true as anybody willing to do a little research would know.
The studio absolutely forbade Marilyn from attending this affair because of her many absences from the filming of "Something's Got To Give" which was now running behind schedule! Her insistance on making the trip to New York was the "last straw" and this actually started action toward her dismissal from Fox.
This book does however, contain some rare private/personal color snapshots from 1954 of Joe DiMaggio's father's birthday celebration which Marilyn attended. These alone are certainly worth the price of this rather poorly written, vague work of fantasy disguised as a memior.
As an added bonus you'll get to look at loads of photos culled from June DiMaggio's "career" that would have never peen published unless they were peddled under Marilyn's name!
reviewed by astrofizzy on November 21, 2006 3:22 PM
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This woman was only related thru marriage and has built a whole senario how she was MM's best friend but no one has heard of her until 44 yrs. after Monroe's death. Maybe she met the screen legend at some point but most of her bablings seem to be the work of an over active imagination and possibility senility or the chance to get rich. She was not at the funeral, she did not have MM's real belongings (as stated at an exhibit that was closed down) and she was surely not even a friend. No pictures of herself and the screen idol? Hooey!
reviewed by rafit on November 25, 2006 6:27 PM
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I found Marilyn, Joe and Me to be a delightful read. I don't understand what all the bashing is about! The book is about family, love, friendship and courage. June DiMaggio is a woman to be admired. She talks about joining the USO during WWII at the age of seventeen. I had no idea that the 'Suicide Squad' existed, and talking to more and more women of June's era, I am finding out what a tremendous amount of courage those women had, something we don't hear enough about! June talks about her heartbreaking romances,losing the people she loved and perservering in spite of everything. June takes us through the trials and tribulations of her career, sharing personal artifacts and keepsakes. She talks about a special friendship, giving us the pleasure of knowing Marilyn Monroe as the warm human being that she was. The photos are wonderful and the recipes at the end of the book are a very generous gesture given by a generous heart.
We live in a society where it is easier to believe the 'dirt' about someone, rather than the good. It makes it a lot harder to accept the truth when it's put out there. I recommend that you read the book before passing judgement!
We live in a society where it is easier to believe the 'dirt' about someone, rather than the good. It makes it a lot harder to accept the truth when it's put out there. I recommend that you read the book before passing judgement!
reviewed by borat on November 27, 2006 4:27 PM