Actress Marilyn Monroe sings “Happy Birthday” to President John F. Kennedy at Madison Square Garden, for his upcoming 45th birthday.
For Immediate Release
Grand Prairie, TX (September 15, 2017) For a limited time, you can see the iconic “Happy Birthday, Mr. President” dress that Marilyn Monroe wore on May 19, 1962, when she famously sang to President John F. Kennedy for his 45th birthday at Madison Square Garden. The dress will be on display for a month-long engagement at Ripley’s Believe It or Not! Odditorium located at 601 East Palace Parkway, Grand Prairie, TX.
On November 17, 2016, Ripley’s Believe It or Not! set a new Guinness World Record for the most expensive dress sold at auction when they acquired the dress from Julien’s Auctions for a staggering $4.8 million.
Add in auction fees, and the dress cost over $5 million, making it the most expensive dress in the world.
“This is the most famous item of clothing in twentieth-century culture,” says Edward Meyer, VP of Exhibits & Archives for Ripley’s Believe It or Not!. Meyer has been acquiring items for Ripley’s for over 39 years and placed the winning bid on the dress. “It has the significance of Marilyn, of JFK, and of American politics.”
Along with the dress, other items from Kennedy’s birthday gala will be on display, including an original program of the event, ticket stub, and gala poster.
The dress will be on display for a limited month-long engagement, starting on Friday, September 22, 2017, and leaving at the end of October.
Ripley’s will be showing free outdoor Marilyn Monroe movies every Saturday in October. Along with each movie showing, Ripley’s will be hosting a Marilyn Monroe look-a-like contest with prizes for the winners.
Films and show times will be announced soon. Please visit Ripleys.com/GrandPrairie and Facebook.com/RipleysGrandPrairie for the most up-to-date information.
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MEDIA CONTACT
Suzanne Smagala-Potts
Public Relations Manager
Ripley Entertainment
smagala@ripleys.com
Office: 407-345-8010 | Cell: 727-439-0136
PRESS DAY
Ripley’s Grand Prairie is opening their doors to the media for a first look at the dress. A spokesperson will be on-site from 8am – 4pm to offer a personal tour and be available for interviews.
Reporters and cameras are welcome. Please RSVP to smagala@ripleys.com.
About Ripley Entertainment
Ripley’s Believe It or Not! is part of the Ripley Entertainment Inc. (www.ripleys.com) family of worldwide attractions, the global leader in location-based entertainment. More than 14 million people visit its 100-plus attractions in 11 countries each year. In addition to its 31 Believe It or Not! Odditoriums, the Orlando, Florida-based company has publishing, licensing and broadcast divisions that oversee projects including the syndicated Believe It or Not! television show, best-selling books and the popular syndicated cartoon strip, Ripley’s Believe It or Not!, that still runs daily in countries around the world. Ripley Entertainment is a Jim Pattison Company, the second-largest privately held company in Canada.
