Second Best Thing
Marilyn, JFK, and a Night to Remember
By: James L. Swanson
This is a short story about missing photos from a secret party with JFK and Marilyn Monroe! The photos were from the only person JFK would allow to take pictures there, Cecil Stoughton. The author is a historian and describes how he was able to get some of these photos. Very interesting!
I am a Marilyn and history geek so I really enjoyed it. ( )

Focusing on one night, May 19, 1962, the official celebration of JFK's 45th birthday. The public birthday party, held in Madison Square Gardens and attended by thousands of the public due to tickets sold at a price starting at $10, was a star-studded show performed for the President and most of his family. What most people can recall of the night though, is Marilyn Monroe appearing in a sheer, sparkling dress and breathlessly singing "Happy Birthday".
The author has researched this night, both pre and post show. For most of the people involved in this show, the night continued after MSG. They gathered in the Manhattan apartment of a wealthy producer, and from midnight to nearly 2:30, they were entertained by Jimmy Durante and Diahann Carroll. JFK, his brother Robert and their sisters attended. And Marilyn walked in wearing the same dress she'd been sewn into for the show.
If you have any interest in Monroe, JFK or the glamour of this period, read this. It's interesting, well-researched and includes many rare photos of the party. The author recounts how he went to an auction and found these forgotten photos, taken by JFK's White House photographer Captain Cecil Stoughton. ( )