From Driving Marilyn Monroe to Chairman of William Morris: 6 of the Wildest Things We Learned About Norman Brokaw From His Biography

If you don’t already know the name Norman Brokaw — an agent to the biggest stars of the twentieth century — you’ll remember it after reading his fascinating biography,

Courtesy of Brokaw Family Collection
Brokaw grew up surrounded by celebs and show business — he even played catch with Lou Gehrig, who was the neighbor of his piano teacher, in the mid-1930s. But most importantly, his uncle Johnny Hyde was the vice president of William Morris Talent Agency and the man who discovered future superstar Marilyn Monroe.
Norman, who would eventually become CEO of the William Morris Agency, began in the mail room before he was even old enough to drive. Just a few years later, under his guidance, William Morris created a television department when it was still a brand-new medium.
The book compiles many stories about Brokaw’s time with these super-famous stars. Here are some of the highlights.
1 He was there when Marilyn Monroe met Joe DiMaggio

Courtesy of Everett
“Despite his deteriorating health, Johnny [Hyde] worked on convincing his studio head colleagues to take a chance on Marilyn. There was pushback,” Brokaw writes. “As much as they wanted to do a favor for Johnny, almost everyone passed, not viewing her as anything special. One month before he died, he finally succeeded in getting her a contract with 20th Century Fox.
“’This is a young lady we believe in named Marilyn Monroe,’ Norman said as he introduced her,” Brokaw explained of a lunch gathering he went to, during which he ran into actor Bill Frawley. “It did not take long for Bill to cut to the chase. ‘I wanted to let you know that I’m having dinner now with Joe Di,’ Bill said in a quieter voice to discourage eavesdropping. ‘He would like to meet the young lady. When we’re through, we’ll drop by your table.’ When he left, Marilyn looked at Norman and asked, ‘Who’s Joe Di?’
“‘He’s Joe DiMaggio. He was one of the greatest baseball players of all time, like. . . . ‘ Norman rattled off some of the other big names like Babe Ruth, Lou Gehrig, Jimmie Foxx, and Hank Greenberg, not sure whether Marilyn knew them either. DiMaggio had just retired from the game. Norman paused for a beat and then warned her, ‘When I introduce you, I can tell you that he’s going to call for your number.’
“Finishing their dinner first, Norman and Marilyn stopped at their table. The introduction was made. The rest is history. The couple dated for about a year and a half before getting hitched.”
2 Kim Novak called Brokaw her “big brother”

Courtesy of Everett
One of Brokaw’s most famous clients was the actress Kim Novak. After Novak finished wrapping up one of her films, she went to Europe for vacation, fell in love with the owner of an Italian fertilizer company, and no longer wanted to return to the U.S. to act, despite being under contract with Columbia Pictures. Norman Brokaw arrived in Rome and eventually convinced her to return.
“‘From there on, I realized that he was going to be my caretaker,’ Kim recalled, explaining that she actually welcomed his protective intrusion into her personal affairs. ‘He became my brother, my big brother that I never had. He was gentle and kind. And whenever I would get that little romantic urge and get involved in something I shouldn’t, he knew how to speak to me. He was always there to keep my mind on the right page.’

Courtesy of Brokaw Family Collection.
“Kim wanted me to know that Norman’s intervention regarding the ‘Count’ in Rome was not the last. According to Kim, Norman even stepped up to teach her how to get tipsy in preparation for her role as Jeanne Eagels, the story of a real-life actress who battled heroin addiction and alcoholism. ‘He took me to the Luau, and we got drunk together,’ Kim recalled.”
3 According to Brokaw, Colonel Tom Parker was a great guy

GAB Archive/Redferns
Brokaw wrote this of Elvis’ infamous manager:
“’The Colonel was exceptionally kind, really a sensational person,’ insists Irv Schechter, an agent who was assigned by the Morris office as a kind of personal assistant to him for several years during the early 1960s. We spoke not long after the 2022 Elvis motion picture had been out, and Irv registered his profound disappointment at Tom Hanks’s portrayal of the Colonel as very negative and inaccurate. ‘They try to make it controversial, and there is nothing controversial about this man. He was the kindest, most generous person, and one of the strongest dealmakers.’
“Priscilla Presley told me that she agreed that the Colonel has not been treated fairly. ‘I saw Colonel Parker the person. He was the kindest, most thoughtful husband, who took such wonderful care of his wife. I never really experienced the tougher business side of him, but he was excellent at that, and that’s what Elvis truly appreciated about him.'”
4 Also according to Brokaw, Joey Bishop was not

Gene Trindl/TV Guide/courtesy Everett Collection
“Norman once commented on getting a call from a toxic client: ‘When you put the phone to your ear, the receiver weighs a thousand pounds.’ I am not certain, but it is entirely possible he was referencing the comedian Joey Bishop. Norman would rather keep silent than talk poorly about a client, even when it came to some egregiously ill deeds.
His most trusted assistant, Mary Feinberg, told me that in the three decades she worked with him, Norman never discussed Bishop. Once she asked, ‘What was Joey Bishop like?’ Norman simply replied, ‘He was not a very nice person,’ and left it at that.”
5 Norman was close to Natalie Wood & even owned a bird from Wood’s mother

Courtesy of Everett
“We also had a quasi-family member living with us—a talking mynah bird that Natalie’s mother, Maria Gurdin, had rehomed with us,” writes Brokaw. “The bird would always chirp out ‘hello’ whenever our telephone rang; most impressively, he imitated the neighing of the neighboring horse, whose stall was just on the other side of the fence.”
Brokaw even talked to Wood’s widower, Robert Wagner:
“’All those great films like Splendor in the Grass and West Side Story Natalie did during our marriage were deals that Norman did,’ RJ [Robert Wagner] recalled. ‘He did such an incredible job for her. When Natalie and I broke up, it was devastating. But he was there for both of us.’”
6 Zsa Zsa Gabor got fired from William Morris

Zsa Zsa Gabor
“Zsa Zsa Gabor was being represented by newly promoted agent Irv Schechter, and he had a film offer for her,” Joel Brokaw writes. “He told her that he needed to go into the files to see what kind of billing and salary she had on the last project, and that he would try to increase it. She told him, ‘You don’t have to. I want you to lie. And if you don’t, I’ll call Mr. Lastfogel and have you fired!’ Troubled by this, Irv asked to see Mr. Lastfogel and nervously shared what happened. ‘You call her back and tell her we at the Morris office do not lie. And she’s no longer a client.'”

Courtesy of Joel Brokaw
For more juicy, behind-the-scenes Old Hollywood tales and gossip, check out Joel Broker’s book.

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