Hey guys! It’s Mallory with jskstories.com and I’m here to help you see the stories in history. I teach you about historical moments so you can write about them in a way that’s fun and engaging, helping all of us to explore history at a deeper level, and discover and tell untold stories!
Today we are going to be talking about Ella Fitzgerald and Marilyn Monroe.
Rather than exploring their lives individually, although they are both fascinating, I want to explore their unlikely friendship and how it impacted their lives.
But first! You need to know who they are!
Ella Fitzgerald, born in 1917, is referred to as “The First Lady of Song”. She was one of the greatest jazz singers of all time. She won 13 Grammies and sold over 40 million albums.
And then we have Marilyn Monroe, who was one of the greatest and most prominent actresses and models of her time.
These two were unlikely friends, but friends nonetheless. Once, Marilyn was asked who her favorite singer was, she responded:
“Well, my very favorite person, and I love her as a person as well as a singer, I think she’s the greatest, and that’s Ella Fitzgerald.”
Because she was a black woman, many venues weren’t interested in having Ella perform for them. This is where Marilyn came into play.
Ella dreamed of performing at bigger clubs, and Marilyn had already fallen in love with her music when she watched her perform in LA at a jazz club. She then listened to her records on repeat.
Since the two became friends, Marilyn helped Ella achieve her dreams.
Ella had a dream to perform at Macombo, a big night club in LA, and Marilyn helped to make it happen.
Although Ella had the talent to get there on her own, Marilyn just helped her get past prejudices that some of the producers had against her. Ella’s talent is what really brought her success in the long run.
Ella sold out all of her shows and the producers added another week to the run.
Marilyn continued to fight for Ella as she got more famous and faced more racism. Some venues tried to force Ella to use back entrances because she was Black.
When Marilyn arrived at one of her shows and saw them pushing her to a different entrance, She stood up for her and refused to enter the show herself until she and Ella could walk in the front entrance together.
Marilyn and Ella stayed lifetime friends, and Ella never forgot everything Marilyn did to support her in her career and stand up for her.
So, what characters do we have here?
Obviously, Ella Fitzgerald and Marilyn Monroe.
We also have anyone working at the clubs Ella performed at, security guards, audience members, producers.
We have Marilyn’s management team, other actors.
As well as other performers that may have performed along with Ella.
There are many characters to research and find as well as imagine up and create!
So what about story ideas?
Maybe you write about their time together- just hanging out together, two unlikely friends.
Maybe you write about Marilyn’s experiences with her managers, who may or may not have approved of her friendship with Ella.
Maybe you focus on Ella, her talents, and how she first discovered music.
And you can absolutely write about experiences where Ella faced racism and Marilyn tried to stand up for her.
But, in case those ideas are a little too broad for you, I will narrow it down to one prompt for you.
I will give you the beginnings of a story, and you get to continue it or finish it.
Ready? Here we go.
Marilyn Monroe sees the security guards trying to make Ella enter through a back entrance rather than where the other performers get to enter. She approaches them to tell them her feelings about that. How does the conversation go?
You can go anywhere with this. Let your imagination run free!
Send us what you come up with with the link in the description below.
Thanks for watching! See you later!