
Second Best Thing
Marilyn, JFK, and a Night to Remember
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Narrated by:
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Arthur Morey
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By:
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James L. Swanson
President John F. Kennedy. Marilyn Monroe. A probing nonfiction short story that reconstructs an enchanting night in history by the New York Times bestselling author of Manhunt: The 12-Day Chase for Lincoln's Killer.
On the night of May 19, 1962, the marquee of the old Madison Square Garden boasted: “BEST THING TODAY...JOHN F. KENNEDY / 2ND BEST THING...MARILYN MONROE.”
Few things illustrate the magnetism of the Kennedy era like Marilyn Monroe co-headlining the President's massive birthday fundraiser, and suggestively crooning "Happy Birthday." But only a privileged few know what happened months earlier, when the two icons spent a weekend at a private summit hosted by Bing Crosby, and later, after the New York extravaganza, at the top secret, invitation-only midnight affair at a millionaire's Manhattan town house.
For more than half a century, this exclusive, no-press-allowed after-party has been shrouded in rumor and myth. Lot 6191 in the 2010 auction of White House photographer Cecil Stoughton's archive - "Marilyn Monroe at JFK Party" - included twenty-three prints. Their negatives, marked in Stoughton's hand with "Sensitive material, Do not file," were seized by the National Archives. Among the collection: the sole existing photograph of Marilyn and the president. Spellbound by the intimacy of the image and the force of public imagination, bestselling historian James Swanson masterfully reconstructs the fabled soiree, bringing alive a night that history nearly left behind.
©2020 James L. Swanson (P)2019 Brilliance Publishing, Inc., all rights reserved.Listeners also enjoyed...




















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Marilyn, JFK, and a Night to Remember
By: James L. Swanson
This is a short story about missing photos from a secret party with JFK and Marilyn Monroe! The photos were from the only person JFK would allow to take pictures there, Cecil Stoughton. The author is a historian and describes how he was able to get some of these photos. Very interesting!
I am a Marilyn and history geek so I really enjoyed it.
Very interesting about JFK & Marilyn!
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"Happy Birthday Mr. President"!
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Sort of interesting and authentic, but too trashy
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"The marquee outside the Garden broadcast the evening’s stars in huge letters: BEST THING TODAY . . . JOHN F. KENNEDY / 2ND BEST THING . . . MARILYN MONROE."
Swanson is seeking possible attendees of both parties: the birthday salute and the private afterparty. Actual ticket sales (in its entirety) are lost to history, but at $10 a ticket I can only imagine the thousands of tickets sold for the BIG event. C'mon. Kennedy AND Marilyn Monroe at MSG!!! Had I been alive back then, I would have happily sold my brother to attend that gig. Swanson hopes someone will come forward with new information or personal videos. He's also trying to recreate the guest list for the private party – by invitation only. Most importantly, we all want to know about that damn picture by Cecil Stoughton — the only surviving picture in the world that captured both Marilyn and Jack. Officially, there is no other picture that exists of the two together. Does this image harbor secrets? Is there more to the story? If you were at that party, either one of them, give Swanson a shout. He's looking for YOU.😎
Birthday Salute at Madison Square Garden
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A Haunting Glimpse of Camelot
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