Star of I Love Lucy Played Marilyn Monroe’s Suitor Joe DiMaggio: The Book

Marilyn Monroe introduced husband number two to an unlikely suitor – the star of “I Love Lucy”.

The 25-year-old was having lunch with her agent Norman Brokaw when William Frawley, who played Fred Mertz on the sitcom, approached them. He had an offer that the actress could not refuse.

“(My father) took her to a TV program called ‘Lights, Camera, Action,’ which was a showcase for up-and-coming talent,” Norman’s son Joel Brokaw told Fox News Digital. “(It was) a live show in Hollywood that all the casting agents tuned into. They went and did this TV show, and then he said, ‘Let’s go down the street and go to The Hollywood Brown Derby and play food.’ It was the place to look.”

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Marilyn Monroe had no idea who Joe DiMaggio was when they met in 1952. (Getty Images)

“It didn’t take long before they were spotted,” shared Joel. “William Frawley… came to the table and said… “I’m having lunch with Joe D. He would like to meet the young lady. We’ll stop by your table after we’re done.’

“Marilyn turned to my father and said, ‘Who is Joe D?’ She had no idea who was joe di maggio. She was clearly not a baseball fan. So he had to tell her a brief history of the importance of Joe DiMaggio.”

According to Hollywood legend, Joe DiMaggio was reading a newspaper when he noticed a picture of Marilyn Monroe in a baseball uniform. He was impressed. (Getty Images)

Brokaw, who represented Elvis Presley, Clint Eastwood and many other major stars, died in 2016 at the age of 89. Joel has written a new memoir about the late patriarch, “Driving Marilyn” which details how he went from working in the post office of the William Morris Agency to becoming its CEO.

Joel Brokaw’s book “Marilyn’s Driving” is out now. (Lyons Press)

DiMaggio, who was 12 years older than Monroe, had just finished his career with the New York Yankees. He was having lunch with his close friend when he found himself smitten with the blonde beauty.

And Brokaw didn’t miss his chance to help bring them together.

“(My father and Marilyn) finished their meal first,” Joel said. “They moved to the table and the rest is history.”

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William Frawley played Fred Mertz on the 50’s sitcom I Love Lucy. (CBS via Getty Images)

Joel said his father met Monroe through his uncle, Hollywood talent agent Johnny Hyde. In his book “My Story” Monroe said that Hyde was in love with her and asked her to marry him.

“If you look at all the stories that have been written about Marilyn Monroe, Johnny Hyde is an important chapter,” Joel explained. “He was a great super agent who believed in Marilyn. He also lived with her. He staked his entire reputation on the development of her career.’

Hollywood agent Johnny Hyde wanted to marry his client, budding starlet Marilyn Monroe. (ALAMI)

“At the time, a lot of his peers thought that she was his sweetheart, and she’s a blonde this year,” Joel shared. “Many people did not see anything special in her. But finally, at the end of his life, he signed her to a contract with 20th Century Fox. At that time, my father had just been promoted to junior agent. .”

Marilyn Monroe with her agent Johnny Hyde, circa 1949. (ALAMI)

Joel said Hyde had a “very bad heart condition” that prevented him from taking his dream client to events. This is where Brokaw stepped in.

“He had to take her to an audition that cost $55 a job, the SAG minimum,” Joel explained. “He took her to acting lessons, went to premieres and TV shows she did. He had to spend a lot of time with her.

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“From what he told me about her, they really hit it off really well. He liked her very much. He thought she was incredibly smart. They had a great relationship.”

Norman Brokaw continued to represent Marilyn Monroe. (The Brokaw Family)

Hyde died in 1950. He was 55 years old.

It was in 1952 that Brokaw and Monroe approached DiMaggio’s desk to say hello. DiMaggio and Monroe dated for nearly two years before tying the knot in 1954 at San Francisco City Hall.

A few months after the couple said “I do” Brokaw got a call. It was from DiMaggio. According to the book, Monroe was no longer his client at that time.

Joe DiMaggio hoped that Marilyn Monroe would become a housewife. She had other plans. (AFP via Getty Images)

“Joe DiMaggio got advice from my father at a very important time in their marriage,” Joel said. “Joe really wanted Marilyn to be a housewife. He became more and more upset about Marilyn becoming more famous and being in the public eye.

Marilyn Monroe and Joe DiMaggio were said to have a tumultuous marriage before they finally called it quits. (Underwood Archive/Getty Images)

“And so my father said to him, ‘I don’t know any woman who could convince you not to go up to the bat to hit for the 56th game in a row.’ And I don’t know anyone who could convince a young actress not to star in a movie with Clark Gable or Spencer Tracy.”

“That made a light bulb go off in Joe DiMaggio’s head,” Joel said. “He recognized this advice for keeping the marriage going a little longer. . . . It also cemented my father’s lifelong friendship with Joe DiMaggio.”

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The marriage of Marilyn Monroe and Joe DiMaggio lasted nine months. (NY Daily News Archive via Getty Images.)

The marriage of the ruling couple lasted only nine months. Monroe filed for divorce from DiMaggioreferring to “mental cruelty”.

The paths of Brokaw and Monroe crossed again in 1962 in an unusual way.

At the time, Joel’s mother was hospitalized with schizophrenia. Brokaw needed someone to help watch his sons. Monroe’s psychiatrist, Dr. Ralph Greenson, who also worked with Joel’s mother, suggested housekeeper Eunice Murray.

Marilyn Monroe and Joe DiMaggio resumed their relationship in 1961, a year before her death. (Getty Images)

“She was the person he placed with many of his patients to help them with their daily responsibilities and to keep a close eye on them,” Joel explained. “A few weeks before, Eunice Murray came in and found Marilyn Monroe dead. It was a really strange episode in my life.”

Mrs. Eunice Murray, the late Marilyn Monroe’s housekeeper, tells reporters that the actress did not seem suicidal to her. (Getty Images)

“I really liked Mrs. Murray,” said Joel. “But I also felt that the energy in her was amazing… It was part of growing up in Hollywood – a lot of amazing things.”

Monroe died of a barbiturate overdose in 1962. She was 36 years old. DiMaggio, who came back into her life in 1961, planned her funeral.

“It was an undying love that he had for her for the rest of his life,” Joel noted.

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Joe DiMaggio’s last words were, “Finally I’ll see Marilyn.” (Getty Images)

DiMaggio delivered fresh roses to Monroe’s grave twice a week for 20 years. He survived his ex-wife by almost four decades. He passed away in 1999 at the age of 84 years.

DiMaggio’s lawyer later said his last words were, “I’m finally going to see Marilyn.”