Marilyn Monroe & Joe DiMaggio Were Introduced by This Surprising ‘I Love Lucy’ Cast Member
Though they were only married for around nine months, Marilyn Monroe and Joe DiMaggio were among the most high-profile couples of the ’50s after they wed on January 14, 1954. The pair split for a variety of reasons, including abuse, conflicting career demands and the media frenzy around their relationship — but the most surprising aspect of their union might have been the I Love Lucy cast member who introduced them.
As Joel Brokaw, the son of late Hollywood talent agent Norman Brokaw, details in his new book Driving Marilyn, the two were introduced by I Love Lucy star William Frawley, who played wacky neighbor Fred Mertz. Brokaw explained that in 1952, “[My father] took her to a television program called Lights, Camera, Action, which was a showcase for up-and-coming talent. [It was] a live show in Hollywood that all the casting agents would tune in to watch. They went and did this television show, and then he said, ‘Let’s go down the street and go to The Hollywood Brown Derby and have a meal.’ It was the place to be seen.”
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He continued, “It didn’t take long before they were noticed. William Frawley … came over to the table and he said … ‘I’m having dinner with Joe D. He would like to meet the young lady. We’ll stop by your table after we’re done.’ Marilyn turned to my dad and said, ‘Who’s Joe D?’ She had no idea who Joe DiMaggio was. She obviously wasn’t a baseball fan. So, he had to give her a quick history of the importance of Joe DiMaggio.”
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The pair hit it off and ended up dating for about two years, before getting hitched at San Francisco City Hall. Unfortunately, that’s when the relationship took a turn for the worse. Brokaw recalls that DiMaggio really wanted Monroe to stay home and become a housewife, steering clear of the spotlight. Of course, that wasn’t Monroe’s plan at the time, and she continued pursuing acting, which led to their split in October of the same year.
Although they split, they reconnected as friends in the early ’60s, shortly before her death in 1962. DiMaggio planned her funeral and then had fresh roses delivered to Monroe’s grave twice a week for 20 years until his own death in 1999. Reportedly, his last words were, “I’ll finally get to see Marilyn.”
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Hollywoods Golden Couples
February 2022
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