Perhaps it was her girlish, whispery voice; or the way her eyes danced when she smiled; or how she seemed to have an unearthly glow about her. Whatever the reason, Marilyn Monroe remains one of the most glamorous, seductive, and charming women in Hollywood history. Worshipped for her sexuality, adored for her vulnerability and innocence, Marilyn is a celebrated movie icon whose persona continues to enthrall and delight her loyal fans. Marilyn’s ethereal beauty and irrepressible charisma are captured here in a sequence of sensual portraits taken over the course of one extraordinary evening in 1961 when she was thirty-five, just a year before her tragic death. On assignment for Look magazine to photograph the movie star for its twenty-fifth anniversary cover, Douglas Kirkland shot Marilyn in the intimate confines of an unmade bed. The result is a series of some of the most spontaneous and flirtatious photographs ever taken of this film legend. Moody, grainy, and evocative, these images are accompanied by Kirkland’s own recounting of the story behind the photo shoot. Together his words and pictures tell the seductive tale of a brief and unforgettable encounter between a handsome freshman photographer and the sexiest woman in Hollywood history. Sleekly designed and accented with playful pink type, An Evening with Marilyn is the perfect gift book for the contemporary Marilyn enthusiast, fan, or collector. Hot pink type accents a sleek and modern design, perfect reflecting Monroes sophisticated and flirtatious personality. An Evening with Marilyn is an ideal gift for the contemporary Marilyn collector, fan, or photography enthusiast. DOUGLAS KIRKLAND’s career as an award-winning photographer spans five decades and six continents. His celebrity subjects have ranged from glamorous stars like Elizabeth Taylor and Barbra Streisand to fashion icons such as Coco Chanel and Pierre Cardin. As a photojournalist he has traveled the world to shoot topics as varied as astronomy in Chile and fashion in Bali. Kirkland’s photographs have appeared in numerous publications and been widely exhibited throughout Asia, Europe, and America. He has published ten books, including Light Years, Icons, Legends, Body Stories, and Woza Africa. In 2003, he received a Lucie Award for Outstanding Achievement in Entertainment Photography. He lives and works with his wife, Françoise, in Los Angeles. BEGINNING OF BOOK S RUNNING TEXT It was still early on that evening of the 17th of November, 1961, as my watch ticked off the seconds and I waited for her to arrive. My nerves were on a razor s edge. Imagine me waiting for MARILYN MONROE More minutes moved slowly by as I sat waiting in the Hollywood studio I had rented for the purpose of photographing Marilyn. "She s sometimes a little late but she always shows up," her press agent and friend John Springer assured me and my colleague, writer Jack Hamilton. Each time I imagined her stepping through the doorway my anxiety grew. I wanted this to happen, and at the same time secretly hoped that it would be delayed. Deep inside I wondered if, perhaps, this time I had oversold myself. Was I in over my head? Part of me felt like a little lost boy, but I would never have revealed these thoughts to anyone. Was I ready? The lights and camera were in place, along with the chilled Dom Perignon and Frank Sinatra LPs which she had requested. I got up and nervously looked through the Hasselblad s viewfinder a few more times. Compared with today s photo shoots, where innumerable press agents would have been nervously buzzing around, exchanging endless accolades, and micromanaging the proceedings my setup was ultrasimple. In addition to John Springer and Jack Hamilton there was just myself, one photo assistant, and the studio guy who would turn the lights off at the end of the night. I had spotted a small balcony over the dressing room door and decided that it was the ideal place to clamp my camera above the bed that I had waiting . How did I find myself here? I had been assigned by Look magazine to photograph the most sizzling picture that I could get for their 25th anniversary issue. During my year and a half at the magazine I had developed a reputation for accomplishing this on more than one occasion, starting with Elizabeth Taylor, moving on to Marlene Dietrich and others with a success that even I did not fully understand. I had simply been honest with each of my subjects during the shoots and made no secret of how thrilled and aroused they made me. But I truly felt that it was they themselves who had created the images as I talked excitedly and kept clicking away. There seemed to be little more to the magic than this, but it worked! Sitting even longer in the rented Hollywood studio, I started thinking about my conversations with Marilyn a couple nights earlier regarding the photo session. As I had walked into her small garden apartment on Doheny Drive in Beverly Hills, I was struck by the apparent sim