Rare Marilyn Monroe Footage Sold For £8k At Auction

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-Staff

By Staff

Friday, September 26, 2008, 16:37

Candid footage of Marilyn Monroe on the set of the 1959 hit "Some Like It Hot" has been sold at an auction in Melbourne for 8,000 pounds.

A US naval officer took the rare two-and-a-half minute film – whom Monroe invited to visit the movie set.

"Monroe memorabilia is always in demand, but rarely do we get one-off material like this," BBC quoted Charles Leski, of Leski Auctions, as saying. The footage features Monroe, co-star Tony Curtis and director Billy Wilder.

It is also extremely rare for such important archival footage to be auctioned outside of the US before its domestic release, and for that we are extremely proud," Leski added.

The film, in its original Kodak box, was passed on to his daughter who lives in Melbourne, Australia, when he died and she decided to put it up for sale. The footage was bought by an unnamed private collector.

It had been expected to fetch between 9,044 pounds and 13,564 pounds, according to the auction house. The film shows Monroe surrounded by sailors on a visit to the naval base in San Diego, California. It also features footage of Monroe on the set with Jack Lemmon and Curtis.

Marilyn Monroe was an American actress, singer, model, and film producer. In 1999 Monroe was ranked as the sixth greatest female star of all time by the American Film Institute.