a little jewish playboy fact for ya: marilyn monroe is fam..
Added 2020-03-20 14:59:39 +0000 UTCa little jewish playboy fact for ya: marilyn monroe is famously known as playboy magazine's first cover model, but it's kind of fucked up how hugh hefner acquired the iconic nude. in 1949, monroe posed for pinup photographer tom kelley in exchange for $50 so she could make her car payment. kelley said she's look unrecognizable in the photos, but, obvi, as we know, that just wusn't the case! on the release documents for the "red velvet series" (as the images would come to be known as) monroe signed her name "mona monroe" bc —> "I was nervous, embarrassed, even ashamed of what I had done. and I did not want my name to appear on that model release." (look how far she came!!) anywhoooo kelley (the photographer) sold the red velvet series for $900 to the Western Lithograph Co., and the images were published in a pinup calendar. monroe's acting career shot up just after those photos were taken, and hefner jumped on the bandwagon. he bought her nudes from the Western Lithograph Co in 1953 for $500 (remember, monroe was only paid $50). hefner launched the first edition of playboy in december 1953 for 50 cents a pop. monroe's nude made playboy an instant hit, and playboy, carrying said nude, catapulted monroe's career. people had heard about the nudes, but no one had ever seen them, so when playboy defied the post office's law — you can't send nudity through the mail — people scrammed to get a hold of a FULL COLOR pic of monroe's glorious tits. the most effed up part is.... monroe had to actually buy a copy of the magazine herself. and she never saw a dime more than those 50 bucks she got to pay her car rental. where's the jewish part in this playboy fact? marilyn monroe converted to judaism in 1956 just before her marriage to Jewish playwright arthur miller. yup, the first playboy cover girl was a jewess ;)
