Marilyn Monroe is an icon everywhere, and not just in Los Angeles. But the movie star and her hometown are so intertwined in so many minds that the fan can seek and find her presence just about everywhere on any day of the week.
Murals? Yes, including the Thomas Suriya mural at Hollywood and Wilcox (where she is in the front row, of course). Souvenirs? If there's a shop on the boulevard that doesn't feature mugs or magnets featuring her white, billowing dress, well, we wouldn't believe it. Theaters? "Some Like It Hot" has a way of screening every few weeks 'round these parts. And her final resting place? That's in Westwood and very, very, very visited.
But even though the memory of Marilyn is all around us here, a special remembrance weekend is still a special thing for her forever fans. And the Hollywood Museum is indeed hosting one, from Friday, Aug. 3 through Sunday, Aug. 5.
Aug. 5 is the 51st anniversary of the actress's death. Born in Los Angeles on June 1, 1926, Marilyn Monroe passed away in Brentwood in 1962.
The remembrance will feature a few experts on the topic of Ms. Monroe, her movies, and her life; Lois Banner, the author of "The Passion and the Paradox," Douglas Kirkland, the writer of "An Evening with Marilyn," and James Spada, the biographer behind "Marilyn Monroe: Her Life in Pictures," will all sign at the museum.
Further, a meet-and-greet and memorabilia displays will also be weekend highlights.
And extending past the weekend, and past Hollywood, too, is the Monday memorial service at Westwood Memorial Park. That starts at 11 a.m. on Aug. 6.
It's a rather wonderful thing to always have Marilyn Monroe all around all the time, of course. But a moment to pay tribute to the ultimate movie star among movie stars -- hyperbole, of course, is necessary here -- is a special thing for the fans, both here in our hometown and those who will surely travel to Southern California for the remembrance weekend.
