Description:

MARILYN MONROE'S PERSONAL SCRIPT FOR THE SLEEPING PRINCE
A fine Monroe relic, her personal script for the film by Terence Rattigan eventually released as "The Prince and the Showgirl", possibly annotated by her director and co-star LAURENCE OLIVIER. The script is 176pp. legal folio, dated June 11, 1956, never disbound and bears a paper sticker on the cover with the original title: "The Sleeping Prince". Typed on the first loose page within is: "Miss Monroe" and "FINAL SHOOTING SCRIPT". The Prince and the Showgirl told the story of an American showgirl, Elsie Marina, who has a brief affair with the stuffy Prince Regent of Carpathia and changes him into a better leader and father in the process. It was produced and directed by Olivier, who also co-starred as Prince Regent to Marilyn's Elsie Marina. Within the script are several pencil dockets most possibly in his hand, being last-minute additions to and cross-outs of lines and stage directions that are consistent with notes made by a director during the final stages of filming. The notes appear on five pages of the script. On p. 65 a line is crossed out with a penciled line added: "starts to spray her scent", while on p. 71, another line is excised, with "Oh! You poor poor man!", added. Similarly neatly penciled notes appears on pages 74, 83 and 84. The Prince and the Showgirl was a difficult production for the improbably-paired Monroe and Olivier, with heavy tension between them due to Monroe's off-screen antics and their irreconcilable approaches to acting. Olivier got a taste for what was to come in working with the rising but notorious star during the New York press conference announcing the film. The strap of Monroe's velvet gown famously broke and diverted all attention from serious the English star, causing a complete press sensation in the process. Although it was never decided whether the strap's breaking was by accident or design, as many thought, Olivier soon was caught between Monroe's conflicting desire to appear as a serious actress or a movie-star in the making. Filming in London, Olivier and Monroe were off to a rocky start which only became more so as Monroe appeared distracted on set and had a penchant for tardiness. Their opposite acting methods increased the classically-trained Olivier's authoritative approach to directing which in turn only made the insecure American actress more difficult to work with. While Monroe and Olivier managed to maintain some semblance of a professional relationship, the filming was perpetually arduous. Nonetheless, The Prince and the Showgirl opened to great acclaim in Europe and garnered Monroe two international awards. It "bombed" in the U.S., much to Monroe's deep disappointment that once again she had been overlooked for an Oscar nomination. Wear as expected but overall very good condition. A wonderful Monroe relic!

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October 10, 2010 11:00 AM EDT
Stamford, CT, US

Alexander Historical Auctions LLC

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