Swift plans to be in Las Vegas for the Super Bowl between the Chiefs and San Francisco 49ers Sunday
Before Taylor Swift and Travis Kelce, another famous blonde captured the heart of a sports star – along with the entire nation.
Nearly 75 years before the Grammy Award-winning singer and the football tight end for the Kansas City Chiefs went public with their romance, America was enamored with Marilyn Monroe and Joe DiMaggio’s relationship.
“The comparison is very similar,” said Scott Fortner, who owns the world’s largest private collection of Monroe’s personal property and archives, to US Newzs Digital.
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“You’re talking about two high-profile couples,” he shared. “The difference is obviously that Marilyn was a film star and one of the most popular film stars of the day. And what’s a little bit different though, is that Joe was also a huge star in the world of sports.
“Travis Kelce is now more well-known because he’s dating Taylor Swift, but before that, he wasn’t necessarily as well-known. Whereas Joe DiMaggio, by the time he and Marilyn got together, his career had run its course. He had reached the heights and pinnacle of fame in the sports community, but he’d already retired when he met Marilyn. … He was already a sports icon in his own right.”
According to Fortner, Monroe and DiMaggio first met in 1952. At the time, the former Yankees slugger came across a photo shoot that featured the actress with another baseball player. He was intrigued.
After obtaining Monroe’s agent’s contact information, the two stars went on their first date. Fortner said the attraction between them was “electric.”
“Marilyn didn’t really know much about Joe,” said Fortner. “She wasn’t into sports. She was mainly focused on her career at that point. So, she didn’t have a clear idea of who Joe was or how famous he was.”
“She was incredibly famous,” Fortner added. “During the ‘50s, she starred in three major films – ‘Gentlemen Prefer Blondes,’ ‘Niagara,’ and ‘How to Marry a Millionaire.’ She had leading roles in all of them, and they were all big hits at the box office.”
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While Monroe wasn’t familiar with DiMaggio’s fame as a beloved American hero, “there was chemistry right off the bat,” he added.
The couple dated for just over a year and married in 1954 at San Francisco City Hall. But happily ever after wasn’t in the cards for the couple. Fortner noted that their marriage was “tumultuous at best” as DiMaggio struggled to navigate his wife’s fame.
“Joe was very traditional,” he explained. “He wanted a housewife who would be at home with him, cook for him — a traditional housewife. But Marilyn’s career was just starting to take off when they met. They both realized, but especially Marilyn, that it was just not going to work. They loved each other very much, but they were at different places in their lives. They each had different expectations that couldn’t be met.”
While on their honeymoon in Japan, Monroe was asked to travel to Korea and perform for the armed forces stationed there, as reported by History.com. Her unhappy new husband stayed behind. According to the outlet, tensions grew, especially with Monroe’s sexy image, which exposed cracks in their marriage.
The outlet noted that DiMaggio was present on set when Monroe filmed her infamous subway grate scene for the 1954 film “The Seven Year Itch.” As air blew up her white halter dress repeatedly, a crowd of male onlookers and press eagerly gathered around her. With each cheer from the audience, DiMaggio became increasingly irate. It was the final straw.
In her divorce filing, Monroe accused her husband of “mental cruelty.”
Fortner noted that despite the breakup, the couple remained close until Monroe’s death in 1962 at age 36.
“I think Joe never stopped loving Marilyn,” said Fortner. “He was in love with her for the rest of her life and even the rest of his life. I believe that Marilyn saw in him someone she could turn to in times of need, somebody who offered her help, guidance, advice, and stability. He was a significant figure in her life, even until the end.”
DiMaggio was Monroe’s date for the premiere of “The Seven Year Itch” in 1955, Fortner said. And they grew closer toward the end of her life.
“There were rumors that they were going to remarry, but it’s never been verified or proven,” he said.
When Monroe was admitted to a psychiatric clinic in 1961, it was her ex-husband who intervened, secured her release, and took her to the Yankees’ Florida spring training camp for private rest, as reported by History.com.
And when Monroe died of an apparent barbiturate overdose, DiMaggio took charge of arranging her funeral. Fortner said that for the next two decades until his death in 1999, he ensured roses were delivered to her gravesite weekly.
DiMaggio’s attorney, Morris Engelberg, claimed his last words were “I’ll finally get to see Marilyn.”
The fascination surrounding Monroe and DiMaggio’s romance has endured over time. The wedding ring DiMaggio gave Monroe, a diamond eternity band, sold at her estate sale in 1999 for $772,500.
Fortner suggested there are lessons the newest “it couple” can learn from Monroe and DiMaggio.
“I think what would be most important — and I feel that they’re probably both at a point where they recognize this — but they need to just accept each other and their situation and their relationship for what it is and not have expectations that somebody’s going to change,” he said.
“Ultimately, that’s what brought the relationship between Marilyn and Joe to an end,” he noted. “In the end, Joe wanted something that Marilyn was just unwilling to give. Whereas Travis and Taylor both have their own careers. They are both successful. And as long as they respect where each other is in their careers and their lives, that would probably be the best thing they can do.”
The romance between Swift and Kelce, which NFL commissioner Roger Goodell said he “couldn’t have scripted,” has been the talk of the league this season, and her appearances at Chiefs games have generated intense interest from her legion of Swifties.
And while she has focused much of her attention on her boyfriend and the offense, Kansas City linebacker Nick Bolton said the defense has begun feeling the love from Swift and her fans.
“I think she’s been great for Chiefs Kingdom and also just the sport of football,” Bolton said.