Monroe’s ‘Happy Birthday Mr President’ gown sold for US$4.8m

LOS ANGELES: The figurehugging gown Marilyn Monroe wore to serenade President John F. Kennedy for his 45th birthday smashed its guide price to sell for US$4.8 million at auction on Thursday.

The flesh-coloured dress, adorned with 2,500 handstitched crystals, had been expected to fetch between US$2 million-US$3 million, Julien’s Auctions in Beverly Hills said.

It went to Ripley’s Believe It or Not!, an American media empire specialising in bizarre and historically significant items which owns a chain of museums, including one in Hollywood.

The dress was so tight on Monroe that the legendary actress wore nothing underneath and had to be sewn into it at the last minute before stepping on stage at Madison Square Garden in 1962 to sing to JFK in her trademark sultry voice, according to the auction house. First auctioned by Christie’s in 1999, the Jean Louis dress went to the late business mogul Martin Zweig for US$1.3 million.

“Marilyn Monroe singing ‘Happy Birthday Mr. President’ is certainly one of the most famous impromptu performances in American history,” said Darren Julien, president and CEO of Julien’s Auctions.

“Tonight was one of the most important moments in our history as a company. We were incredibly privileged to have had the opportunity to offer this amazing dress from the most legendary screen star of all time.”

Monroe died of an overdose less than three month after the performance, while Kennedy was murdered a year later.

Other highlights of the first day of a three-day auction of Monroe’s personal effects included the “Some Like it Hot” cocktail dress which sold for US$450,000, and a “Rose Tattoo” gown which went for US$125,000. — AFP