According to Joel Brokaw’s new memoir, Driving Marilyn, the late blonde bombshell met her second husband, Joe DiMaggio, through I Love Lucy actor William Frawley. Marilyn was 25 at the time, and Joel’s dad, Norman Brokaw, was her agent. Norman was present when the matchmaking began and likely narrated the ordeal to Joel.
Driving Marilyn is actually a memoir in honor of Norman, who died at 89 in 2016. He also worked with the likes of Elvis Presley and Clint Eastwood and became the CEO of William Morris Agency, where he started out as a mailroom worker.
How did Marilyn Monroe meet Joe DiMaggio?
Marilyn and Norman attended the Lights, Camera, Action TV program, which was dedicated to showcasing rising talent. They went to have dinner after, and Frawley, who played Fred Mertz in I Love Lucy, approached their table with an offer for Marilyn.
He announced that Joe would stop by to meet Marilyn, who immediately turned to Norman to ask who he was. Norman gave her a brief rundown of the baseball star, and Marilyn grew more interested. At the time, he had just retired from the New York Yankees and was in his late thirties.
Why did Marilyn Monroe and Joe DiMaggio split?
Marilyn and Joe hit things off from their first meeting, thanks to Frawley, and they would get married in January 1954. Sadly, their marriage lasted a few months shy of a year due to Joe’s controlling nature and his disdain for the attention Marilyn received.
Things got heated after the famous Seven Year Itch scene where Marilyn’s dress blew up, fueling Joe’s possessiveness. Joe credited Norman for keeping their marriage a bit longer with a piece of advice that went, “I don’t know of a woman who could convince you not to go up to bat to hit for the 56th straight game… I don’t know of a man who could convince a young actress not to star in a movie with Clark Gable or Spencer Tracy.”