Marilyn Monroe’s husband number two met an unusual matchmaker – the star of the series “I love Lucy”.
The 25-year-old was having dinner with her agent, Norman Brokaw, when William Frawley, who played Fred Mertz on the sitcom, approached them. He had an offer that the actress could not refuse.
“[My father] he took her to a television program called ‘Lights, Camera, Action,’ which was a showcase for up-and-coming talent,” Norman’s son Joel Brokaw told Fox News Digital.[It was] a live show in Hollywood that all casting agents would turn on to watch. They went and did that television show, and then he said, ‘Let’s go down the street and go to The Hollywood Brown Derby and eat.’ It was a sight to behold.”
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Marilyn Monroe had no idea who Joe DiMaggio was when they met in 1952. (Getty Images)
“It didn’t take long before they got noticed,” Joel said. “William Frawley … came up to the table and said … ‘I’m having dinner with Joe D. He’d like to meet a young lady. We’ll stop by your table after we finish.’
“Marilyn turned to my dad and said, ‘Who’s Joe D?’ She had no idea who was joe dimaggio. She was clearly not a baseball fan. So he had to give her a quick history of Joe DiMaggio’s importance.”
According to Hollywood lore, Joe DiMaggio was reading a newspaper when he saw a photo of Marilyn Monroe in a baseball jersey. He was delighted. (Getty Images)
Brokaw, who represented Elvis Presley, Clint Eastwood and many other top stars, died in 2016 at the age of 89. Joel has written a new memoir about the late patriarch, “Driving Marilyn,” which details how he went from working in the postal department of the William Morris Agency to becoming its CEO.
Joel Brokaw’s book “Driving Marilyn” is just out. (Lyons Press)
DiMaggio, who was 12 years older than Monroe, had just retired from the New York Yankees. He was out to dinner with his close friend when he found himself captivated by the blonde beauty.
And Brokaw didn’t miss an opportunity to help bring the two together.
“[My father and Marilyn] they finished their meal first,” Joel said. “They went to the table and the rest is history.”
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William Frawley played Fred Mertz on the 50’s sitcom I Love Lucy. (CBS via Getty Images)
Joel said his father met Monroe through his uncle, Hollywood talent agent Johnny Hyde. In his book “My Story” Monroe said Hyde was in love with her and asked her to marry him.
“If you look at all the stories that have been written about Marilyn Monroe, Johnny Hyde is a prominent chapter,” explained Joel. “He was a big-faced super-agent who believed in Marilyn. He also lived with her. He staked his entire reputation on the advancement of her career.”
Hollywood agent Johnny Hyde wanted to marry his client, rising starlet Marilyn Monroe. (ALAMY)
“At the time, a lot of the attitudes of his peers were, ‘That’s his girlfriend, and she’s this year’s blonde,'” Joel said. “A lot of people didn’t see anything really special about her. But finally, toward the end of her life, he signed her to 20th Century Fox. At that point, my father had just been promoted to junior agent.”
Marilyn Monroe with her agent Johnny Hyde, circa 1949. (ALAMY)
Joel said Hyde had a “very bad heart condition,” which prevented him from taking his dream client to the ceremony. Then Brokaw stepped in.
“He had to take her to her auditions, which were for $55 a job, SAG minimum,” Joel explained. “He took her to acting lessons, went to the premieres and television shows she did. He got to spend a lot of time with her.
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“From what he told me about her, they really got along really well. He really liked her. He thought she was incredibly intelligent. They just had a great relationship.”
Norman Brokaw went on to represent Marilyn Monroe. (The Brokaw Family)
Hyde died in 1950. He was 55 years old.
It was 1952 when Brokaw and Monroe approached DiMaggio’s desk to greet him. DiMaggio and Monroe dated for nearly two years before tying the knot in 1954 at San Francisco City Hall.
A few months after the couple said, “I do,” Brokaw received a phone call. It was from DiMaggio. According to the book, Monroe was no longer his client at that time.
Joe DiMaggio hoped that Marilyn Monroe would become a housewife. She had other plans. (AFP via Getty Images)
“Joe DiMaggio got some advice from my father that came at a very crucial time in their marriage,” Joel said. “Joe really wanted Marilyn to be a stay-at-home housewife. He was becoming more and more upset about Marilyn’s high profile and public appearances.
Marilyn Monroe and Joe DiMaggio’s marriage was rumored to be tumultuous before they finally broke up. (Archive Underwood/Getty Images)
“And so my father said to him, ‘I don’t know any woman who could convince you not to go to bat and hit a 56th straight game. And I don’t know any man who could convince you a young actress not to star in a movie with Clark Gable or Spencer Tracy.'”
“It was done [a] a light bulb went off in Joe DiMaggio’s mind,” Joel said. “He credited that advice with keeping the marriage alive a little longer. . . . It also cemented the lifelong friendship my father had with Joe DiMaggio.”
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The marriage of Marilyn Monroe and Joe DiMaggio lasted nine months. (NY Daily News Archive via Getty Images.)
The marriage of the powerful couple lasted only nine months. Monroe filed for divorce from DiMaggiociting “mental cruelty”.
Brokaw and Monroe roads crossed again in a unique way in 1962.
At the time, Joel’s mother was hospitalized for schizophrenia. Brokaw needed someone to help him look after his sons. Monroe’s psychiatrist, dr. Ralph Greenson, who also worked with Joel’s mother, suggested housekeeper Eunice Murray.
Marilyn Monroe and Joe DiMaggio reunited in 1961, a year before her death. (Getty Images)
“She was the person he put next to many of his patients to help them cope with their daily responsibilities and keep a watchful eye on them,” explained Joel. “A few weeks earlier, Eunice Murray came in and found Marilyn Monroe dead. It was a really strange episode in my life.”
Mrs. Eunice Murray, the housekeeper of the late Marilyn Monroe, tells reporters that the actress did not seem suicidal to her. (Getty Images)
“I really liked Mrs. Murray,” Joel said. “But I also felt that there was a weird energy about her… That was part of growing up in Hollywood — a lot of weird stuff.”
Monroe died of an overdose of barbiturates in 1962. She was 36 years old. DiMaggio, who re-entered her life in 1961, was the one who planned her funeral.
“It was an eternal love that he had for her for the rest of his life,” Joel remarked.
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Joe DiMaggio’s last words were, “Finally I’m going to see Marilyn.” (Getty Images)
DiMaggio delivered fresh roses to Monroe’s grave twice a week for 20 years. He outlived his ex-wife by almost four decades. He died in 1999 at the age of 84.
DiMaggio’s attorney later said his last words were, “Finally, I’m going to see Marilyn.”
The Associated Press contributed to this report.
