Marilyn Monroe’s ‘Happy Birthday Mr President’ dress to be auctioned
Created for her famous 1962 performance at J. F. Kennedy’s 45th birthday celebrations, the handmade gown was so tight Monroe had to be sewn into it at the last minute
The figure-hugging gown Marilyn Monroe wore to coquettishly serenade President John F. Kennedy for his 45th birthday is being auctioned.
The dress was so tight that Monroe 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 “Happy Birthday Mr President” in her trademark sultry voice.
“It was her intimate tone and projection of the words ‘Mr President’ that would stun the audience, excite the press and become a milestone in popular culture,” says Martin Nolan, executive director of Julien’s Auctions. “The rendition by Marilyn remains one of the most famous, delivered in her halting, breathy tone. All in all, it lasted approximately 30 seconds, but more than five decades later, it remains the most famous version of Happy Birthday ever.”