22nd
Marilyn Monroe was a big supporter of the Civil Rights Movement. Marilyn was a big Ella Fitzgerald fan, however, the Mocambo nightclub, the most popular nightclub of that time, refused to let Ella perform there because she was black. Marilyn told the owners that if they would let Ella perform, she would be there in the front row every time she was onstage. The club booked her and Marilyn didn’t miss one performance.
According to the great Ella Fitzgerald:
“I owe Marilyn Monroe a real debt…it was because of her that I played the Mocambo, a very popular nightclub in the ’50s. She personally called the owner of the club, and told him she wanted me booked immediately, and if he would do it, she would take a front table every night. She told him - and it was true, due to Marilyn’s superstar status - that the press would go wild. The owner said yes, and Marilyn was there, front table, every night. The press went overboard. After that, I never had to play a small jazz club again. She was an unusual woman - a little ahead of her times. And she didn’t know it.”
(via lovanity)
