DS, one page, 8.5 x 11, May 1, 1951. Final page of a 16-page agreement between Monroe and the Twentieth Century-Fox Film Corporation, which is signed neatly at the conclusion in fountain pen by Monroe, and countersigned by a notary public and a studio treasurer. In fine condition, with file and staple holes to left edge.
Though Monroe had garnered a contract at Columbia Pictures in 1948, it was not renewed, and she had fallen back on a few bit parts and modeling gigs. In 1950, however, Monroe landed small roles in two musicals and two dramas: Love Happy, A Ticket to Tomahawk, Right Cross, and The Fireball. Co-stars of these productions included Mickey Rooney, the Marx Brothers, June Allyson, and Anne Baxter. Also in 1950, Monroe secured larger—though still small—roles in two critically acclaimed films: as Angela Phinlay in John Huston's The Asphalt Jungle, and as Miss Casswell in Joseph Mankiewicz's drama All About Eve.
Monroe's breakthrough was partly orchestrated by Johnny Hyde, the co-founder and vice president of the William Morris Agency. Hyde took an interest in the starlet and secured her a seven-year-long contract at 20th Century Fox in December 1950. Among Hyde's recommendations to Monroe were cosmetic surgery and superficial alterations to her appearance. These changes to Monroe's chin, nose, hairline, and hair created the flamboyant 'blonde bombshell' look we know today.
