The names Joe DiMaggio and Arthur Miller immediately spring to mind when we think about the men Marilyn Monroe married. But did you know that long before either DiMaggio or Miller got down on bended knee, Marilyn had another husband?
Despite it being six decades since the Hollywood actresses' tragic death, the world is still obsessed with Marilyn Monroe, especially when it comes to her love life. Even Netflix are releasing a new film called 'Blonde' — which is set to delve into Marilyn's life that wasn't on film, with Ana de Armas as Marilyn.
Here’s everything you need to know about Marilyn Monroe’s first marriage when she was just 16 years old…
Who was Marilyn Monroe's first husband?
James (Jim) Dougherty was the boy next door when Marilyn (or Norma Jeane as she was then), was growing up in Van Nuys, California. In and out of foster homes and an orphanage throughout her childhood due to Marilyn's difficult relationship with her mum, Norma Jeane had settled with the Goddard family, but in 1942, her foster father was offered an employment position out of state. Unable to take Norma Jeane with them, and fearful that it would mean another stint in the orphanage, foster mother Grace Goddard approached her neighbour, Ethel Dougherty, and the two hatched a plan. Ethel’s son Jim had gone on several dates with Norma Jeane in the past, so the two women decided that it would make sense if the young couple were married.
Norma Jeane and Jim were understandably sceptical about the arrangement. Jim was five years older than his would-be bride, and declared her too young to marry. Norma Jeane – who was still only 15 at this point – said later that the proposal brought her no pain or happiness. “It was like being retired to a zoo,” she said.
Sweet sixteen
After some gentle pushing and a series of dates, both parties eventually agreed to the wedding, and on June 19, 1942 – just weeks after her 16th birthday – the young girl married her new husband, in the home of family friends, Mr and Mrs Howell. In order to marry, Norma Jeane dropped out of High School, which was a decision that would forever plague her. For the rest of her life she strived to better herself with acting classes, night-school courses and even a distance learning art lesson.
Despite the unconventional start, the marriage between Norma Jeane and Jim was fairly typical. There were visits with friends, dinners with Jim’s parents, and his brothers were always keen to spend time with the couple.
A family at war
While Norma Jeane was still very young and unsure of her life as a homemaker, she did tell her foster mother that married life was hard work but fun, and she could not have chosen a better person to be her husband. However, beneath the surface there were jealousies on both sides, with Norma Jeane envious of Jim’s former girlfriend, and Jim disliking the attention she received while sunbathing on the beach. Norma Jeane also ran hot and cold on the idea of becoming a mother. Having heard nightmare stories from friends, she was terrified of becoming pregnant. This fear was pushed aside when Jim was called up to fight for his country and she begged him for a baby.
Knowing that this was not a good idea in the current climate, Jim made sure that Norma Jeane would not be alone by moving her in with his parents before he left for overseas. In April 1944, her mother-in-law, Ethel, found a job for Norma Jeane at a local factory – Radioplane – first as a typist and then as a parachute inspector and sprayer. Ironically, it was this job that led to Norma Jeane being discovered when photographer David Conover arrived to take photos of women at work in the factory.
Conover immediately saw something interesting in Norma Jeane and snapped photos of her both inside and out of the building. He showed the photos to several other photographers and, just like that, Norma Jeane’s life as a factory worker came to an end when she was suddenly faced with the opportunity of becoming a full-time model.
Ethel Dougherty was not keen on Norma Jeane’s new direction – especially when it affected her family life. The young woman was frequently late for dinner and ignored family get-togethers.
Runaway bride
Jim was fairly understanding of Norma Jeane’s new career, but stressed that once he was home from the war, they’d settle down and have children. Faced with such an ultimatum, the now-model headed for Las Vegas and quickly divorced Jim before he could put a stop to her new-found dream. Shortly after, she had a screen test at 20th Century Fox, changed her name to Marilyn Monroe and took the first steps towards becoming the world’s most famous actress.
Despite the divorce, Norma Jeane wondered if she and Jim could perhaps date each other occasionally. Jim justifiably turned her down and met his ex- wife on just a few more occasions, such as when sorting out ownership of their car and other possessions.
Jim later became a policeman, remarried and had children, though he never forgot his first wife – especially when her movie career exploded and she was frequently plastered all over magazines and newspapers. At one point Norma Jeane apparently rang Jim to say she’d become disenchanted with the movies and wanted to come home to him, but Jim refused and eventually sold a story about their four-year marriage to a film magazine. Marilyn was devastated by the betrayal and rarely spoke about Jim in public, except to describe their relationship as something of a marriage of convenience.
When asked if he ever watched ex-wife Marilyn’s movies, Jim told family and friends that he was too busy to go to the cinema. However, he confided to his nephew that while working the night beat as a policeman, he would occasionally drop into the movie theatre to watch her on the big screen.
When faced with the devastating news of Marilyn’s death in 1962, he turned to his new wife and told her, “Say a prayer for Norma Jeane, she’s dead.”