Norma Jeanine was a lonely girl. Her mother was a single woman and the constant struggle of trying to eke out a meager

existence for herself and her daughter during the Great Depression took a toll on Galatus

Monroe Baker's mental state. Even on her best days she wasn't very loving

toward her daughter Norma Jean. This left the little girl looking for comfort where she could

find it.

That place was often the local Biju, where for a quarter she could forget all her troubles

and bask in the warm glow of the flickering silver screen.

She'd stare up and rapture at her idols, at Gable and Hepburn, Jean Harlow in Fred Astaire,

Errol Flynn and Greta Garbo.

Sometimes Norma Jean would wander outside Grouman's Chinese theatre and read all the signatures of the movie stars in the sidewalk out front. She'd place her tiny hands in Betty Davis's

palm prints and dream one day of being as big a star as she was. Little did she

know then that one day she would be. Not just a big star, but one of the biggest.

An honest to, Hollywood Legend.

You see, one day Norma Jean Baker would transform herself from the skinny little girl

with big dreams and go on to become Marilyn Monroe.

Norma Jean Mortenson was born on June 1st, 1926 to Gladys Monroe Baker, a flapper and film cutter who worked in Los Angeles.

She was later given the last name Baker from Gladys's former husband,

even though that man was not Norma Jean's father.

Norma Jean never knew her biological father, although Gladys saved enough money to buy a house for her and Norma Jean to live in.

She couldn't keep up with the mortgage payments and she was eventually forced to rent out a room upstairs to borders.

Norma Jean later told her mother that one of these men molested her,

although Gladys needed the rent money and refused to believe her daughter's story.

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