How was the fate of the boy who asked Marilyn Monroe out on a date and she came
How was the fate of the boy who asked Marilyn Monroe out on a date and she came

Video: How was the fate of the boy who asked Marilyn Monroe out on a date and she came

Video: How was the fate of the boy who asked Marilyn Monroe out on a date and she came
Video: Orgoglio e Pregiudizio (1957) episode 2 ENG SUB - YouTube 2024, March
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In 1954, in one of the Hollywood cinemas, the audience was stunned by the appearance of the famous film star. Marilyn Monroe came to the cinema with a 12-year-old boy! The kid quietly bought the star blonde popcorn, and then gallantly escorted her into the auditorium. Everything looked as if the boy had brought Marilyn on a date. In fact, the popularity of this child at that time was, perhaps, no less than that of the famous sex bomb, because Tommy Rettig was already an actor with many years of experience.

The fate of Tommy can serve as a good example of how too early a film career can not go to the child's future. The boy has been playing since the age of six. His debut took place on stage in a musical. Then at 8 and 9 years old, he starred in two films, and in 1953 received a truly stellar offer. One of the main roles in the film with Marilyn Monroe herself became a turning point in his biography.

Tommy Rettig with Robert Mitchum and Marilyn Monroe in The River Not Flowing Backwards (1954). By the way, the jeans, in which Marilyn starred in this film, were then sold at the Christie's auction for $ 42,550
Tommy Rettig with Robert Mitchum and Marilyn Monroe in The River Not Flowing Backwards (1954). By the way, the jeans, in which Marilyn starred in this film, were then sold at the Christie's auction for $ 42,550
This is how the actors were prepared for filming ("The River Not Flowing Backwards", 1954)
This is how the actors were prepared for filming ("The River Not Flowing Backwards", 1954)

The movie "The River Not Flowing Backwards" turned out to be a real western. Most of the stunts were performed by the adult actors themselves. The adventures of a widower, his ten-year-old son (this role was played by Tommy Rettig) and a saloon singer (Marilyn), who on a raft, overcoming the rapids of a stormy river, escape from the Indians, are very fond of American viewers.

Famous photo - Tommy Rettig and Marilyn Monroe at the cinema, 1954
Famous photo - Tommy Rettig and Marilyn Monroe at the cinema, 1954

In 1954, at the premiere screening of the film, this photograph was taken. Of course, for promotional purposes, recent filming partners created a small show for the public, but to their credit, it worked. The audience was delighted with the little gentleman who brought Marilyn herself on a date. The film was a resounding success. And in the same year, Tommy received an even more interesting offer. He was selected from 500 nominees for the lead role in the television series Lassie.

Tommy Rettig with Lassie, c. 1955 year
Tommy Rettig with Lassie, c. 1955 year
In the studio on the set of the series "Lassie", 1956
In the studio on the set of the series "Lassie", 1956

This series was shown continuously for 17 years. He won his mark on the Walk of Fame and became truly iconic for Americans. However, the first star of this famous project, Tommy Rettig, starred in it for only three years. In numerous interviews, the boy then assured that he left the series himself, as he could not stand the stress and began to dream of a normal childhood. However, whether this was true is anyone's guess. Oddly enough, but after 15 years, Tommy stopped offering new roles, and his film career ended.

Tommy Rettig starred in the television series "Lassie" for three years, then the main role passed to another boy
Tommy Rettig starred in the television series "Lassie" for three years, then the main role passed to another boy

It is possible that the reason was the very low stature of the young actor. Today we can observe how Daniel Radcliffe, with his 165 centimeters, is trying to turn from cute Harry Potter into a brutal bearded man, but Tommy Rettigue, who was a couple of centimeters lower, this transition to the adult league failed. At 18, after graduating from University High School in Los Angeles, the former star began to freak out. The young man married a 15-year-old girl and became too familiar with marijuana. In general, this plant played an ominous role in his fate: consumption, cultivation, a suspended sentence for storage - all this clearly did not contribute to the establishment of a normal life. Moreover, Tom very sincerely believed in the properties of "weed" useful for the psyche, so he actively fought for its legalization for many years. At the same time, he worked wherever he had to - either as a salesman or as a manager in a club.

Tommy Rettig in the series "Days in Death Valley", 1962
Tommy Rettig in the series "Days in Death Valley", 1962

However, at the age of 40, Rettig, oddly enough, found another vocation of his. He became a renowned programmer and database specialist, and took an active part in the development of such mainstream products as dBASE III, Clipper and FoxPro. He became the author of manuals and reference books and a leading specialist of the Ashton-Tate firm. Probably, in history he will remain the only "computer guru" with such a stellar Hollywood past. It is possible that, with an effort, Tom could return to the screens, everyone who knew him in his "adult life" noted the amazing charm of this man. However, he broke with this past forever.

Tomm Rettig at age 12
Tomm Rettig at age 12

Unfortunately, Tom Rettig did not live long. He died in 1996 from a heart attack, a little before his 55th birthday. In history, he remained as a young star who made the whole of America worry about a collie dog, a programmer who promoted legalization, and as the only 12-year-old teenager in the world who took Marilyn Monroe on a date.

Fans of the talent of the most famous Hollywood blonde will surely be interested to see 20 archival color photographs from the filming of the film "There are only girls in the jazz".

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