Marilyn Monroe shocked the nation when she sang Happy Birthday Mr President to John F Kennedy in May 1962.
The Some Like It Hot actress not only gave a lusty, breathy rendition of the tune, but she also wore a semi sheer beaded gown that showed off her famous curves. The dress was so tight she had to be sewn into it by couturier Jean Louis.
And in a new book where friends recounted stories told by the late director Mike Nichols, it is claimed that the blonde bombshell wore no underwear underneath that iconic gown.
Commando: Marilyn Monroe shocked the nation when she sang Happy Birthday Mr President to John F Kennedy in May 1962. In a new book, a writer claims director Mike Nichols said he was standing behind the actress and knew she was not wearing any underwear
Iconic: The Some Like It Hot actress not only gave a lusty, breathy rendition of the tune, but she also wore a semi sheer beaded gown that showed off her famous curves
Wandering heart? There have been claims that John had a romance with Monroe; seen in 1963
The book is titled Life Isn’t Everything: Mike Nichols, As remembered By 150 Of His Closest Friends.
Mike’s story was relayed by New York Times columnist Maureen Dowd.
‘When Marilyn sang Happy Birthday to Jack Kennedy in the famous dress she had to be sewn into, the sequined Jean Louis gown, Mike was there that night,’ Dowd told authors Ash Carter and Sam Kashner.
Trio: This is the only image of Marilyn with both John and Robert Kennedy
Party girl: Here the siren was seen during a reception in New York City. Standing next to Monroe is Steve Smith, President Kennedy’s brother-in-law
‘He told me, “I was standing right behind Marilyn, completely invisible, when she sang Happy birthday, Mr. President, and, indeed, the corny thing happened.
‘Her dress split for my benefit, and there was Marilyn, and, yes, indeed, she didn’t wear any underwear,”‘ added the writer.
These days it is common for women to not wear underwear with a tight dress and even to talk about it, but that was not the case in 1962.
Monroe’s gown was memorable for its nude, sheer look as well as having 4,000 rhinestones on it.
Overall, the entire presentation by Monroe, who had already played a sexual creature in dozens of movies like Gentlemen Prefer Blondes and Niagara, was an over-the-top display.
Sad loss: Monroe died three months later in August at her home. Here she is seen on the set of the 1959 movie Some Like It Hot
The original blonde bombshell: Her films include Some Like It Hot, How To Marry A Millionaire, Bus Stop, Niagara and The Misfits
The book is titled Life Isn’t Everything: Mike Nichols, As remembered By 150 Of His Closest Friends
It also made many people wonder if she was having an affair with Kennedy who was married to First Lady Jacqueline Bouvier Kennedy at time.
Also there was his brother Robert F. Kennedy, and it was also speculated that Marilyn was sleeping with him as well.
Monroe died three months later in August at her home in Los Angeles.
She was found in bed and it was suspected that she died from a drug overdose, though conspiracy theorists have longed maintained that she was murdered.
President Kennedy was assassinated in 1963 and Robert was assassinated five years later.
Nichols died in 2014 at 83. He is the director of such classic films as The Graduate, Carnal Knowledge and Working Girl.
He was also married for decades to TV journalist Diane Sawyer.
Harrison Ford, Julia Roberts, Natalie Portman and Dustin Hoffman also shared anecdotes in the book.
His widow: Nichols died in 2014 at 83. He is the director of such classic films as The Graduate, Carnal Knowledge and Working Girl. He was also married for decades to TV journalist Diane Sawyer; seen on November 4 in NYC