In theory, Marilyn Monroe and Joe DiMaggio were perfect for each other.
Marilyn was the young, talented, incredibly sexy, rising Hollywood star, and Joe was quite possibly the New York Yankees' greatest player of all time. On paper, they were the ideal American superstar match.
It's well-known, though, that this was not quite the case in reality.
The nine-month marriage was full of unhappiness, tears, and general strife. However, once they divorced, their relationship was far from over, with Joe still trying to win her back.
We all know what it means to love someone who isn't right for us. It seems Marilyn was deeply in love with Joe, even though her feelings most likely stemmed from her own tumultuous past and need for a figure like him in her life. Joe certainly had very, very strong feelings for Marilyn as well, perhaps too strong.
These 10 facts about their rollercoaster relationship certainly are fascinating!
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1. Marilyn Initially Didn't Want To Meet Him
Marilyn almost called off the night out with Joe because she thought that he would be a big-headed egomaniac. He had, after all, just finished his career as one of the New York Yankees' best players of all time.
When they met, though, Joe was reserved, which intrigued Marilyn. She was not used to men keeping quiet around her, and she wanted to know more about him. That was the beginning of it all.
2. Joe Tried To Control Marilyn's Career
According to Marilyn Monroe by Barbara Leaming, Joe took a very active role in Marilyn's budding career. He restricted the types of films she could do and didn't want her to ever be half-dressed.
3. Marilyn Knew It Wasn't Going To Be Easy
According to Marilyn herself, she knew that her marriage with Joe wasn't going to be an easy one, but swayed by their love, they went ahead with it regardless.
They both decided that they couldn't go on being cross-country lovers, so they eloped and used an already-scheduled baseball trip to Japan as their honeymoon.
4. Marilyn's Famous Subway Grate Moment Infuriated Joe
While filming the famous scene for The Seven Year Itch, surrounding media went wild when Marilyn's skirt blew up.
Joe was on set watching the whole thing unfold, according to History, getting angrier and angrier, as he did not approve of the sexy image that his wife was perpetuating.
5. The Two Had Very Different Interests
Joe, as a big sports star, didn't really like to keep himself cultured or go out into the world very much. Marilyn, on the other hand, was on a constant mission to improve herself, learn more, and experience more things.
While she was out and about, taking classes and consuming art and culture, Joe would sit up at home waiting for her, smoking and drinking. This difference in interests contributed to their downfall.
6. They Remained Best Friends After The Rocky Marriage
Even after everything the two of them went through during their nine months of marriage, Joe remained as the most trusted friend Marilyn had, according to Marilyn Monroe: The Final Years.
Shortly after they divorced in the fall of 1954, Joe even took Marilyn to the hospital and comforted her after a surgery.
7. Joe Did A Bit Of Spying After The Divorce
According to the New York Post, Joe would post up at the lobby of the Waldorf Astoria, where Marilyn lived shortly after their divorce, sporting a fake beard and shielding his face with a newspaper, just waiting to get a glimpse of Marilyn.
8. Joe Even Hired Frank Sinatra's Private Investigator
The two stars had been very good friends. However, after the divorce, when a private investigator that Frank recommended to Joe called the two of them while they were at dinner to notify them that Marilyn was with another man, that friendship was quickly squelched.
The two of them rushed to Marilyn's duplex to try and catch her with the man, but she heard the break-in and fled the scene. Tabloids were all over the mishap, and Joe hardly spoke to Frank afterward.
9. Joe Never Stopped Trying To Win Her Back
Joe never gave up hope that he and Marilyn would have a future together, even though he knew they would never marry again. He wasn't totally off base, as he and Marilyn never stopped seeing each other, as they say.
He really thought that they would end up together in some capacity. As we all know, though, Marilyn's life was cut short before either of them could see if that was true.
10. Joe Sent Marilyn Roses Until The Day He Died
According to People's archive, Joe had six long-stemmed roses sent to Marilyn's grave twice a week, every week, for decades, until the day that he, too, passed away.
Early on in the relationship, while the two were just dating, Marilyn expressed that she wanted someone to do this for her, as William Powell did for Jean Harlow.
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