Milton H. Greene and Marilyn Monroe during their first photographic sitting together for Look Magazine, 1953.
Early in July, 1962, after four years without contact, Amy dreamt about Marilyn. She seldom dreams, especially not unpleasant dreams, but having been suckled by a Cuban witch, she is sensitive to all outside vibrations. When they awoke the next morning, she turned to Milton and said, "Marilyn needs you."
"What are you talking about?"
"In my dream, she's alone, she doesn't have anybody she can trust. She was sending me signals to tell you to go to Los Angeles."
"You know we're leaving with Sally Kirkland in three days to cover the Paris collections. I can't do it."
"Milton, for once in your life listen to what I'm saying. She needs your help. Get on a plane, don't take the assignment. Go and help her."
"OK, I'll call her. And if she tells me she needs me I'll get another photographer to do the assignment." He called and said, "Amy had this dream..."
"I've been thinking so much about the two of you," Marilyn interrupted. "It's incredible that Amy felt, not you, but she felt that I wanted to talk to you." And they talked for an hour and a half. She told him that she had been fired from another of those "Fox epics" with Dean Martin, but they were trying to get her back. "You know, I'm right back where I was before MMP (Marilyn Monroe Productions). They're giving me the worst roles. It's like the last ten years never happened. I'm right back to where I don't want to be."
"Don't do it," Milton told her. "If you want me to come out there, I'll leave today. I'll cancel the Paris couture."
She backed down: "No, no, come on, you've already committed. Of course, I'll be all right. And, I'll tell you what, let's have a date when you come back in August." He spoke to her again before they left for Paris and everything seemed fine.
On Saturday, August 4, Amy and Milton dined with Marlene Dietrich and Alicia Corning Clark, a "nothing," according to Amy, "who married a much older millionaire who conveniently died on their wedding night." Clark said something derogatory about Marilyn, and Amy jumped to her defense: "What do you know? You don't know what this woman's been through. She's very unhappy and, who knows, she may end up killing herself and you'll feel very sorry for talking like that."
On Sunday, the Greenes had a picnic lunch at Fountainbleau. The phone was ringing when they got back to their room. It was Alicia Corning Clark, and in the most arrogant, know-it-all voice, she announced, "Your friend, Marilyn Monroe, just killed herself." Amy, dumbfounded, did not believe her. She handed the phone to Milton, who talked to her for a while and then called Arthur Jacobs, the MMP publicist who had become a producer in Hollywood. Jacobs confirmed the story. Milton turned to Amy, his face drained of color: "You were right," he said. "I should have gone to her."
Excerpted from Milton's Marilyn, written by James Kotsilibas-Davis & Directed by Joshua Greene. Published by Moss Run, LTD.