Rewind: Marilyn Monroe

On the night of August 4th, 1962, reporter James Bacon lied his way into Marilyn Monroe's Los Angeles home by telling police he was from the coroner's office. He wasn't there for a scoop—he was one of her closest friends. Empty pill bottles and vodka bottles lay scattered around the room. Five days earlier, he had warned her that mixing these substances could kill her. She brushed him off. The official ruling was "probable suicide" by barbiturate overdose. But Bacon believed it was an accident: one pill too many, one drink too many. Others believe neither story. They think Marilyn Monroe was murdered—and that the reason involves the Kennedys, the CIA, the mafia, or even the Roswell incident.

The Kennedy Affair and a Public Performance

The most famous moment in Marilyn's relationship with President John F. Kennedy came on May 19th, 1962, at Madison Square Garden. She was sewn into a nearly transparent dress adorned with 2,500 crystals, forgoing underwear to sell the effect. She stepped onto the stage to sing "Happy Birthday" to JFK at his birthday celebration and campaign fundraiser. The crowd of 15,000 was stunned into silence. Journalist Dorothy Kilgallen described the televised performance as "making love to the president in the direct view of 40 million Americans."