the theater for the other half of a double bill and see her movie by chance.
Miller wrote to Marilyn that, though he wished her the best, he just wasn’t the man to make her life work out as she hoped. He suggestedthat if she needed someone to look up to, she would be better off choosing Abraham Lincoln. The suggestion, whether he knew it or not, hinted at his own ambivalence. Miller bore a distinct physical resemblance to Lincoln. He had poured out his troubles to Marilyn, and no matter how he tried to put her off, somehow she remained serenely confident that it was only a matter of time before he would leave his wife for her.
Marilyn continued to discuss Miller with Kazan. As she worked on the director for a role, she persisted in feeding him details of her troubled relationship with Miller. Even at a time when Arthur had retreated from Marilyn’s life, the triangle remained a big part of their affair.
After two weeks of rehearsal in Los Angeles, Kazan went off to shoot
Viva Zapata!
on location in Brownsville and Del Rio, Texas. His family was due to join him as soon as school let out. Marilyn had previously been scheduled to begin a third picture at Twentieth after
Let’s Make It Legal
, but at the last minute, the film was called off. Though the cancellation had nothing to do with Marilyn, geared up as she was, the change of plans upset her terribly. In this state of mind, she turned up suddenly in Brownsville before Mrs. Kazan and the children arrived.
Kazan had problems of his own just then; it had been widely rumored that he was about to be called by HUAC. He would be asked the so-called Big Question—had he ever been a Party member? Though he had long ago repudiated his connection with the Party, he would then be asked to submit to the ritual humiliation of identifying other Communists. If for whatever reason Kazan declined, he faced not only a jail sentence but also the prospect of being blacklisted in the movie industry. Still, the feeling on the set of
Viva Zapata!
was that Kazan, so tough and brash, would refuse to submit.
After Marilyn arrived, it seemed to the actor Anthony Quinn that Kazan was trying to “negotiate a bizarre little love triangle” consisting of Marilyn, Kazan himself, and Marlon Brando. In the beginning, it was no secret that Marilyn was there to be with Kazan. But soon the director appeared to throw her at Brando, or so it seemed to Quinn, who suspected that Kazan, in the interest of heating up the situation, wanted to “cross swords with Marlon over his protégée.”
This wasn’t how Marilyn had hoped to find herself on a Kazan set. She had wanted to appear in a film of his, not simply to watch him direct. Nonetheless, the entire experience thrilled her. The chance to observeKazan and Brando at work whetted her appetite for a whole different level of filmmaking. On location, Marilyn saw for herself how good Kazan was, and she went home more determined than ever to work with him.
In Los Angeles, Kazan picked up with Marilyn again. She made certain of that. Though his wife and children were installed in a beach house at Malibu, Marilyn often accompanied Kazan to the Fox ranch, where some additional scenes were being shot. Afterward, accompanied by Kazan’s friend, the magazine photographer Sam Shaw, they would go to roadhouses to play the jukebox, drink beer, and dance. Shaw, who shot the stills on
Zapata
, was to become Marilyn’s close, lifelong friend.
Marilyn seemed to be having fun, but underneath the happy-girl mask she was frantic about Twentieth’s failure to give her a new assignment. Had she done something wrong? Had she already blown her chance? What Marilyn didn’t know was that the studio was considering a request from RKO to borrow her. Meanwhile, Marilyn was desperate to be doing something to advance her career.
In the absence of the prestigious roles Johnny had prescribed, Marilyn decided to get attention in some other way. Day after day, she turned up at
Miller wrote to Marilyn that, though he wished her the best, he just wasn’t the man to make her life work out as she hoped. He suggestedthat if she needed someone to look up to, she would be better off choosing Abraham Lincoln. The suggestion, whether he knew it or not, hinted at his own ambivalence. Miller bore a distinct physical resemblance to Lincoln. He had poured out his troubles to Marilyn, and no matter how he tried to put her off, somehow she remained serenely confident that it was only a matter of time before he would leave his wife for her.
Marilyn continued to discuss Miller with Kazan. As she worked on the director for a role, she persisted in feeding him details of her troubled relationship with Miller. Even at a time when Arthur had retreated from Marilyn’s life, the triangle remained a big part of their affair.
After two weeks of rehearsal in Los Angeles, Kazan went off to shoot
Viva Zapata!
on location in Brownsville and Del Rio, Texas. His family was due to join him as soon as school let out. Marilyn had previously been scheduled to begin a third picture at Twentieth after
Let’s Make It Legal
, but at the last minute, the film was called off. Though the cancellation had nothing to do with Marilyn, geared up as she was, the change of plans upset her terribly. In this state of mind, she turned up suddenly in Brownsville before Mrs. Kazan and the children arrived.
Kazan had problems of his own just then; it had been widely rumored that he was about to be called by HUAC. He would be asked the so-called Big Question—had he ever been a Party member? Though he had long ago repudiated his connection with the Party, he would then be asked to submit to the ritual humiliation of identifying other Communists. If for whatever reason Kazan declined, he faced not only a jail sentence but also the prospect of being blacklisted in the movie industry. Still, the feeling on the set of
Viva Zapata!
was that Kazan, so tough and brash, would refuse to submit.
After Marilyn arrived, it seemed to the actor Anthony Quinn that Kazan was trying to “negotiate a bizarre little love triangle” consisting of Marilyn, Kazan himself, and Marlon Brando. In the beginning, it was no secret that Marilyn was there to be with Kazan. But soon the director appeared to throw her at Brando, or so it seemed to Quinn, who suspected that Kazan, in the interest of heating up the situation, wanted to “cross swords with Marlon over his protégée.”
This wasn’t how Marilyn had hoped to find herself on a Kazan set. She had wanted to appear in a film of his, not simply to watch him direct. Nonetheless, the entire experience thrilled her. The chance to observeKazan and Brando at work whetted her appetite for a whole different level of filmmaking. On location, Marilyn saw for herself how good Kazan was, and she went home more determined than ever to work with him.
In Los Angeles, Kazan picked up with Marilyn again. She made certain of that. Though his wife and children were installed in a beach house at Malibu, Marilyn often accompanied Kazan to the Fox ranch, where some additional scenes were being shot. Afterward, accompanied by Kazan’s friend, the magazine photographer Sam Shaw, they would go to roadhouses to play the jukebox, drink beer, and dance. Shaw, who shot the stills on
Zapata
, was to become Marilyn’s close, lifelong friend.
Marilyn seemed to be having fun, but underneath the happy-girl mask she was frantic about Twentieth’s failure to give her a new assignment. Had she done something wrong? Had she already blown her chance? What Marilyn didn’t know was that the studio was considering a request from RKO to borrow her. Meanwhile, Marilyn was desperate to be doing something to advance her career.
In the absence of the prestigious roles Johnny had prescribed, Marilyn decided to get attention in some other way. Day after day, she turned up at
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