MM: I was trying to get rid of an addiction to a drug called Nembutal at the time. However, I was taking the pills throughout the day. Dr. [Ralph] Greenson came in that day to see how I was doing. I didn't tell him about taking it. If I had, I might not have gone through that.
TIME: Didn't Dr. Greenson tell you that taking the drug and the cure for it could be fatal when mixed?
MM: No.
TIME: So how did you survive the experience?
MM: Eunice Murray, my roommate and the woman who administered the cure, saw an empty bottle of Nembutal I must have left out, and she called Dr. Greenson and then the ambulance. I was very lucky to come out of that alive.
TIME: So it was an accidental overdose?
MM: Yes, that's right. After that I stopped taking Nembutal all together. Joe [DiMaggio] came almost as soon as he heard.
TIME: There is also the rumor that Bobby Kennedy was seen around your house that day.
MM: He was there. I told him that I was breaking things off with Jack. He was the first one I told.
TIME: Not that you planning to expose the affair, correct?
MM: Well, I saw no point in doing it at the time. At some point, long after Jack left office, then I would have said something. Of course, the implied threat of exposure did stop him from calling every so often. I was really angry with him during our last conversation. And then...
TIME: Jack was assassinated the next week.
MM: (Sadly) Right. A part of me wishes I hadn't been so cruel. But I had to be. I had remarried Joe at that point and we were working very hard to make it work.
TIME: There were rumors that your second marriage was just as volatile as the first. Tell us the story behind that.
MM: Yes, our first relationship was difficult; there were a lot of arguments. But after the overdose, we decided to take things one step at a time and we were remarried in 1964.
TIME: But what about the rumors of abuse?
MM: Lies. Joe was kind. Kinder than he had been to me during our first relationship. And if he had done something like that again, I just would have divorced him again. Let's move on, okay? I thought you wanted to talk about my career, not my personal life.
TIME: Naturally. Your movies got more serious after 1962. You still did lighthearted fare like the musical A Tree Grows in Brooklyn in 1963 and the romantic comedy Harrison's Yellow Rose in 1967. But you really did change people's perceptions of you when you played Mata Hari in the courtroom drama The Trial of Mata Hari, which earned you an Oscar nomination.
MM: Well it wasn't the first time I was in more dramatic fare. I was, after all, in Niagara. But, yes, 1968 was good to me. At least the first half was, until...
TIME: The Ambassador Hotel.
MM: (Sad smile) Yes. Bobby had asked Joe and me to appear at a campaign rally for him in Los Angeles during the California Primary. After he won, Joe and I... we accompanied Bobby and his wife, Ethel, through the kitchen. And then...
TIME: That's when Sirhan struck.
MM: (Nods) And the moment he pulled the trigger I became a widow. Joe pushed Bobby out of the way and tried to tackle him but it was too late. (Sob) I'm sorry.
TIME: It's all right.
MM: (Sad chuckle) Sometimes I think about all the things that could have happened. What if Joe and I hadn't been there that night? What if I had died in 1962? But that's all in the past now. We can't change it no matter how much we want to. Besides, Bobby was able to get on the ticket that year as Vice President. Bobby and Humphrey still lost to President Nixon of course, but I wasn't really involved after that.
TIME: It's understandable. But that's not the only thing that happened that night.
MM: Yes. I learned I was pregnant with Paul and Samantha. It was one of those fortunate and unfortunate things. I was fortunate to finally have my children... but without Joe there. Fortunately, Joe's son from his first marriage—Joe Jr.—he helped when he could and I was able to pull myself out knowing that Joe wouldn’t want me to turn to drugs again. I stayed sober for my children.
TIME: And they kept their father's name.
MM: Of course. They were his children, and I loved him too much to change it.
TIME: You must be proud, considering how they turned out.
MM: I'm as proud as any mother can be. Paul is a center fielder for the Yankees, like his father, and Samantha has been the Junior Senator from California for the past 13 years.
TIME: There are rumors that she is planning a run for the White House in 2016.
MM: (Smiles). Whether she will is still in the air. It's years away after all, Barry. I would support her in whatever she decides.
TIME: After the loss of your husband, you took a break from making movies to raise your children. Tell us, what brought you back into the business?
MM: When Bobby decided to run again in 1972 I had to help out. Besides Joe would not have wanted me to be a shut-in and stay with the children all the time. So, while I was on the campaign trail, I reconnected with Billy Wilder, who convinced me play Joan Hensworth in The Golden Girl, which was his usual form of comedy. It’s one of my favorite films.
TIME: You also worked on an adaptation of Othello with Sidney Poitier later the same year.
MM: That's right. Playing Desdemona was a challenge but I got through it.
TIME: After President Robert Kennedy was elected that year, he named you as a “cultural ambassador.” How did you feel about that?
MM: (Shy chuckle) Bobby was quite nice to give me that. There was resistance, of course, but his Vice President, Terry Sanford, actually supported Bobby's decision.
TIME: That was the only time that you met Vice President Sanford, correct?
MM: The only time. Yes.
TIME: Did you meet any other members of the government?
MM: Only the Secretary of State, George McGovern. I was mainly focusing on my career at that point. Politics was never my interest, really.
TIME: In 1973, your career took another turn, as you switched to television. What prompted the change?
MM: I wanted to take a break from movies, but I still wanted to act. So, through my production company, Marilyn Monroe Productions, I produced The Marilyn Monroe Show. (Smiles) Not the most original name, I know, but it worked. People tuned in to the story of a woman working in a TV studio for eight years.
TIME: A big part of that was you, though, was it not?
MM: Maybe. I had help from Dick Van Dyke, Jean Stapleton and Rob Reiner, too. Maybe people tuned in to see them? (Smiles)
TIME: 1980 was a big election year. The Republicans led by George Bush and Bob Dole won. You didn't do any campaigning that year. Why?
MM: (Smiles) You make it sound like I was the deciding factor. But while Vice President Sanford was a good man and second in command, we had other differences that caused me to avoid the campaign that year.
TIME: He didn't like your perceived influence on RFK.
MM: It's nonsense of course. I had less influence on Bobby than on Jack. But other things were happening in 1980 besides the election.
TIME: Your television show wrapped up.
MM: Yes, but that gave me time for other projects, and I got back into movies.
TIME: You had a string of hits: Oh, My Darling in 1981; Helena! in 1983; King Harold's Mine in 1985. But then your work started to drop off: Michael's Heart in 1988; Jodi and Dusty in 1993 and finally the sequel to The Misfits called The Lonesome in 2001. Since then, you’ve had a few television appearances, but you essentially quit acting.
MM: I did quit! Those TV appearances were as myself. There was no real acting involved.
TIME: But why? Your box office appeal certainly wasn’t in decline. The Lonesome drew in 30 million opening weekend.
MM: Oh, yes, I could still make money, but I already had plenty. But I was getting older, and I had family to consider. Paul, Samantha, and my grandchildren all keep my life very busy. Other than appearances at rallies for my foundation, I don't have a lot of time to my
self. Acting was a necessary sacrifice, and I don’t mind. If people want to see me, they can always buy some DVD’s.
TIME: Your public appearances have taken a sharp decline recently. Is that also due to family commitments?
MM: No, it’s mostly my age. Time is finally catching up with me, and my health isn’t what it used to be. I have accepted that I won’t be around much longer.
TIME: That doesn't sound like you.
MM: (Short laugh) That's what happens when you get old. You become somewhat fatalistic—accepting of the inevitable. But I’m not ready to lie down just yet. I have a few more years in me.
TIME: So you think you have one more campaign left in you? For your daughter?
MM: That's if Samantha decides to run in 2016. As I said, that's still quite a ways off.
TIME: President Samantha DiMaggio-Beckett.
MM: (Laughs) I still say that we should focus on this president first. I mean Hillary is up for re-election.
TIME: President Clinton in doing fine in the polls against Congressman Paul, though there are persistent rumors that she may drop Vice President Gephardt in favor of a more stimulating candidate. Do you think she would fare better with your daughter as a running mate?
MM: (Laughs) The all American girls ticket. That would be something.
TIME: Any last words for our readers, Miss Monroe?
MM: Thank you for everything. I love you all.
Interview conducted by: Barack Obama.
Following that interview, Hillary Clinton narrowly lost the 2012 presidential race to Republican challenger Ron Paul. Subsequently, Clinton’s dark-horse running mate, Senator Samantha DiMaggio-Beckett, was elected President of the United States in 2016. Marilyn Monroe died on January 27, 2017 at the age of 90.
The Lights on Broadway
by Charles Wilcox
Thomas Spinnaker left his office and walked down the street toward the subway station. Spinnaker worked for the Bell Telephone Company in New York. He was a very smart man, but accepted the lowly position to finance his graduate school studies at New York University. It was not a difficult job. Primarily, Spinnaker worked the long distance switchboard during the evening shift in the downtown Manhattan office. Sometimes, since he knew the manager, he would take over management of the Lower Manhattan office for a few days while the manager was away on business. As this was not regular, the work didn't interfere with his graduate studies and still provided a regular stream of income.
While he enjoyed this work, especially the days he got to manage the office, Thomas' main drive and focus was in his studies. He had always been a very bright child, growing up in Alexandria, Virginia. His father worked as a clerk in one of the federal agencies there; Thomas could never recall which one. Thomas was always a bright student and eager to learn, and was accepted into Georgetown at the young age of sixteen. After graduating, Thomas had moved to New York to continue his studies. He'd only been in the city a few months.
Thomas walked east down Spring Street from the Bell office on Eighth. The sun had long set, but the street was still bustling. At Broadway, he stopped as a stream of carriages and men on horseback passed the intersection. Thomas, always curious about the latest new technologies, looked up at the electric lighting running up and down Broadway. He marveled at how the lights lit up the wide avenue as if it were noon. "The energy required to run such a massive electric system must be enormous," he mused to himself idly as he waited to cross the intersection. "I wonder how all of this is powered."
As Thomas stood at the intersection, he glanced over his shoulder and spotted a peculiar man fiddling with a mysterious device. It was rectangular in design, with a smooth screen and a needle gauge, all clearly visible from Thomas' vantage point. The strange man was waving it toward passersby at the intersection—all the surrounding crowd waiting to cross measured barely a movement from the device's needle. However, when the man pointed the device toward Thomas, the needle flicked over to the right half of the scale and the man's eyes gleamed in immediate interest.
Shoving the device into his pocket, the man held out a hand to Thomas. "Well, hullo there."
"Hello," Thomas replied and tipped his hat, wary of the hand.
"Where are you off to, lad?" the man asked innocently.
"Oh, I'm headed home," Thomas replied. "Catching the subway over on Elm."
A traffic cop stopped the carriages on Broadway and motioned for the Spring Street traffic to go. It was mostly the pedestrians crossing this late at night. Thomas began to cross. The man kept up his stride.
"So, you're a local, then?" the stranger asked.
"For the moment. Yourself?" Thomas replied as they crossed.
"Oh, I'm only in the city for a few weeks on business," the man said. "Staying at the Astor." He smiled.
Thomas' eyes widened. The hotel had just been finished, and the place was already booked for months. His father had tried to get a room at the Astor for an upcoming visit but couldn't get in, even with his federal connections. This man, or at least the business he worked for, must have very deep pockets.
"What company do you work for?" Thomas asked as they finished crossing the street.
"I am an electrical engineer, currently consulting with the city's electric company."
Thomas' heart skipped a beat at hearing the news. Perhaps it was fate that he had met this man; perhaps it could give him an inroad toward a better job. He was an engineering student, and work with the electric company would be much more satisfying—and probably better paying—than his current small position at the Bell office.
"It was nice running into you, sir. Say, would you like to meet again? I might like to inquire on a position at your company," Thomas stammered.
The man chuckled, and nodded. "Of course, my boy. Where do you live? I shall send you a telegram in a couple days."
Thomas gave the man his address at Amsterdam and 137th Street. The man thanked him, tipped his hat, and departed north on Broadway.
Thomas continued walking to the subway and soon arrived at the Spring Street station. Descending the stairs into the tunnel, he sat on a bench at the platform to wait. He glanced over at a copy of that day’s Times sitting on the bench next to him. A small article on the page attracted his attention. “Wright Bros. Flying Machine Makes Second Trial.” He grabbed the sheet and thoroughly read the article, pouring over the technical details, just as he had months earlier when the subway and the city’s electric street lighting was being installed. It was yet another fascinating sign of progress and innovation.
The train arrived at the station and Thomas got on. As he sat down, the train lurched and the wheels screeched against the rails as it started north.
Thomas sat quietly on the train as it trundled along the track. There were few people in the subway car with him, but he paid them no mind. He was thinking about the meeting he had just had with the businessman for the electric company, feeling fortunate to have stumbled across such a prodigious opportunity. However, the more he thought about it, the more things felt off. The man had approached him, not the other way around, and what was that odd device he'd been waving around? Why had it's needle started to move when aimed in Thomas' direction?
There was something else about the man that Thomas was just now recalling—his eyes! One had held a reddish hue to the iris, though Thomas had assumed it was a glass eye at the time and thought nothing else of it. Yet, now he could swear that the red eye had moved just like a real eye. He shivered, remembering the man's gaze—like a predator on the hunt.
Thomas shook off the preposterous ponderings and told himself it was all his imagination. The man may be odd, but many successful men were. There was no telling when such a lucrative business opportunity would arise again, so he decided it best to meet with the businessman when the offer came.
At the Astor Place station, a passenger got on the car and took a seat directly across from Thomas. Thomas took a fleeting glance at the fellow, wearing a dark pinstriped suit and
a black fedora, similar to the businessman he'd met earlier at the intersection. It was nothing unusual—the suits were common enough, if a bit expensive.
The train moved on down the track beneath Fourth Avenue. As they passed each station, Thomas's curiosity got the best of him. He took more side glances at the man across from him, careful not to stare. After the train passed Grand Central Depot, Thomas finally saw what was off about the passenger. The man across from him had the same red eye as the businessman.
Thomas tensed up. It surely could not be a coincidence. But that would mean someone—or something—was following him. His brain ran wild with speculation as he glanced around subway car. The other passengers had gotten off at the depot, leaving him alone with the red eye!
Suddenly, the lights in the car went out. Thomas' heart beat faster as he tried to look through the darkness. Then came the screech of braking wheels, as the train slowed to arrive at the next station, and Thomas' face was frozen, staring straight ahead. He could not see the red-eyed man anymore, not in the utter darkness of the car.
The train came to a stop, and the dim lights of the 42nd Street station gave a faint glow on the inside of the car. Thomas looked ahead and his heart stopped. The red circle of the stranger's iris shone bright in the dim light right in front of his face, the tall figure looming over him. He glimpsed barely another moment of the eye before he felt a sharp blow to the head. He felt groggy, and unable to move, though vaguely conscious on the floor of the subway car. He felt the man's strong hands grab him under the arms and drag him off the train and onto the empty platform.
Thomas struggled to keep his vision as he was lifted over the man's broad shoulder and carried with ease. Lumbering down the platform, the stranger stopped at an old, rusty door covered in grime. Shifting Thomas on his body slightly, the stranger opened the door, revealing a passageway leading down a flight of stairs. The passage was even more dimly lit than the subway platform—wires with electric lights strung sparsely along them ran down the walls of the curving passage. The stranger walked slowly with caution in the gloom, and after a few minutes the passage emptied into a large, brightly lit chamber.
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