Happy Birthday to Him

Back in 1962, Jack Kennedy held a Democrat fundraiser just before his birthday and Marilyn Monroe sang him a shimmery Happy Birthday. It’s worth a listen just because it is Monroe singing.

When you think about the fact that she was having an affair with Kennedy at the time she stood on the stage in Madison Square Garden makes the event all the more emotional. Soon she and Jack would split up and Bobby would be her new paramour. A handful of weeks later and she was dead.

I was drawn to this moment in history because of this strange connection between Jack and Marilyn, as well as Bobby. A bizarre love triangle. For this reason, I decided to insert Alex Cohen as Marilyn’s drug dealer so he is one of the audience members for Jack’s birthday. Needless to say, you’ll be able to read how this plays out in Hollywood Bilker when it is released later this year.

Enjoy.