Marilyn Memorabilia on Block

Tuesday February 23, 1999 12:00 AM EST

The belongings of screen icon Marilyn Monroe, including hand-written notations about killing herself, her personally-annotated script of "Some Like It Hot" and the infamous form-fitting beaded dress she wore to sing "Happy Birthday, Mr. President" to John Kennedy in 1962, are going on the auction block in October. The dress, a $12,000 flesh-toned, beaded Jean Louis creation which Monroe was literally sewn into before cooing birthday wishes to Kennedy at Madison Square Garden in May 1962, is expected to command a price in the upper six figures and smash previous records for fashion or celebrity memorabilia at auction, said Christie's in New York, which is coordinating the sale.

  • The items, which are being sold in some 1,000 lots on Oct. 27-28, are from the part of Monroe's estate that she left to her mentor and acting coach, Lee Strasberg. Strasberg's widow Anna and daughter Susan took possession of Strasberg's estate when he died in 1982. Susan died earlier this year.

  • The top price paid to date for Hollywood memorabilia was $607,500 for the Oscar Clark Gable won in 1934 for "It Happened One Night."

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