Marilyn Monroe is said to have abused drugs for many years, taking various stimulants, tranquilizers and sleeping pills.
A rift broke out in Marilyn Monroe's third marriage with playwright Arthur Miller, who is said to have found Mr. Miller's handwriting, in which he referred to her as a "prostitute." A documentary based on recordings of conversations between journalist and writer Anthony Summers and those closest to the actress gave a new perspective on the tragic life of Hollywood's golden girl. Anthony Summers began investigating her life in 1982, when he was commissioned by The Daily Express magazine to reopen her death 20 years after that deadly night in August 1962.
He conducted numerous interviews with those who knew Marilyn Monroe and those closest to her.
In the documentary, Anthony Summers recounts a heartbroken moment when Marilyn Monroe discovered her husband Arthur Miller's notes about her.
"After a party, she stumbled upon some notes left by Mr. Miller," he said.
Marilyn Monroe told her acting coach, "It shows how disappointed he is in me. How he thought I was some kind of angel, but now he guessed he was wrong'.
Marilyn Monroe was reportedly hospitalized for mental health problems before her death
"He married a woman who was just as flawed as his ex-wife."
Arthur Miller also wrote on the note: "She is a prostitute".
Anthony Summers went on to say that it was something Marilyn Monroe often mentioned and seemed to mark the beginning of her descent.
Her hairdresser, Sydney Guilaroff, recounted being unhappy "a lot" of the time in her life.
Billy Wilder had an opinion of Marilyn Monroe during the filming of the hit film Some Like It Hot, as she repeatedly asked for scenes to be redone during the 1958 shoot.
Marilyn Monroe reportedly struggled to get along with during the filming of Some Like It Hot
The director, who has directed many classic Hollywood films, also spoke to Anthony Summers.
However, Billy Wilder astutely told Anthony Summers, 79, that he had no problems with Marilyn Monroe, but rather with herself.
He said: "She was a little uneasy at all times, but God, when you endured that scene, endured 30, 40, 50 shots... ”
"I had no problem with Marilyn Monroe. She had problems with herself. "
However, John Huston, who has directed Asphalt Jungle and The Misfits, said it was while working for the latter that he saw Marilyn Monroe's decline and dependence on drugs.
He told Anthony Summers that on set, Marilyn Monroe would occasionally be in a daze and could barely comprehend what was going on around her.
Marilyn Monroe's decline is said to have begun during the filming of The Misfits
John Huston told Anthony Summers: "I was aware [of her decline] from the beginning. She was no longer the lively little girl I had first known. We soon realized she was a problem.
"She was always late on the set. Sometimes the whole morning would pass, sometimes she would get better. Occasionally, she would be at a loss.
"Drugs are the problem. I discovered it during the filming of The Misfits. I remember saying to Arthur Miller one day, I said you know, if she goes at the current rate, within two or three years she'll be in a mental hospital, or die! "
"I said anyone who allowed her to take the drug should be shot."
According to Anthony Summers, Marilyn Monroe abused prescription drugs, as Hollywood people often do.
He recounted how Marilyn Monroe used stimulants, amphetamines— and sleeping pills, which were the drugs she took before she died.
Unfortunately, she died at the age of 36, just two years after the release of The Misfits in 1962, from an overdose and "probably suicide."
The documentary The Mystery of Marilyn Monroe: An Unheard-of Tape is directed by Emma Cooper and based on Anthony Summers' book Goddess, which can be viewed on Netflix.