Marilyn Monroe Signed Letter to Milton Greene
February 26, 1958 Letter to Milton Greene
Dated February 26, 1958, this letter from Marilyn Monroe Productions, Inc. was addressed to photographer and business partner Milton H. Greene at his New York office. The document is notable not only for its contents, but for the date on which it was executed.
Signed by Marilyn Monroe and embossed with the corporate seal of Marilyn Monroe Productions, the letter was created on the very day her partnership with Greene was formally dissolved.
The letter concerns arrangements for the delivery of a 16mm print of The Prince and the Showgirl, the 1957 film produced through Marilyn Monroe Productions and starring Marilyn Monroe and Laurence Olivier. It further stipulates that the print was not to be reproduced or exhibited for commercial purposes.
While straightforward in appearance, the document was signed on the same day that the professional relationship between Marilyn Monroe and Milton Greene formally came to an end. Together, Monroe and Greene founded Marilyn Monroe Productions in 1955, a groundbreaking venture that allowed Monroe to break free from the limitations of the traditional studio system and gain greater creative and professional control over her career.
Their partnership produced The Prince and the Showgirl, the only completed feature film released by Marilyn Monroe Productions. By early 1958, however, disagreements over business matters and the future direction of the company had strained the relationship beyond repair. February 26, 1958 marked the dissolution of that partnership, bringing an end to one of the most influential collaborations in Marilyn’s professional life.
As a result, this letter stands as more than a routine business communication. It is a rare surviving document created on the final day of the Monroe-Greene partnership, closing a chapter that reshaped Marilyn’s career and helped redefine the role of women in Hollywood business and production.
Collector’s Note
For collectors of Marilyn Monroe memorabilia, few documents better illustrate the complexity of her relationship with Milton Greene than this letter. At first glance, it appears to be a routine business communication concerning a print of The Prince and the Showgirl. Yet the date tells a much larger story.
Signed on February 26, 1958, the very day the Monroe-Greene partnership was formally dissolved, this document captures a pivotal moment in Marilyn’s professional life. Together, Marilyn and Greene challenged the Hollywood studio system by forming Marilyn Monroe Productions, a bold and unprecedented move that gave Marilyn greater control over her career. Their partnership changed the trajectory of her professional life, but by 1958, the relationship had reached its conclusion.
What fascinates me most about this letter is the contrast between its ordinary purpose and its extraordinary historical context. Adding to its significance is the embossed corporate seal of Marilyn Monroe Productions, a detail that transforms the document from simple correspondence into an official record of the company Marilyn and Greene built together. The presence of both Marilyn’s signature and the raised corporate seal serves as a tangible reminder that Marilyn Monroe Productions was a functioning business enterprise, one through which Marilyn sought creative and professional independence.
It serves as a reminder that significant moments in history are often documented not in dramatic declarations, but in everyday correspondence. This letter represents the closing of a chapter that began with great ambition and ended with two former partners going their separate ways.
Scott Fortner
Marilyn Monroe Collection
Founder & Owner
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