See Marilyn Monroe’s Iconic “Happy Birthday, Mr. President” Dress
Ripley’s Believe It or Not! unveils the world’s most expensive dress, Thursday, Aug. 3, 2017 in San Francisco. (Eric Kayne/AP Images for Ripley’s Believe It or Not!)
San Francisco, California, August 3, 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 175 Jefferson St., Fisherman’s Wharf.
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, gala poster, and autographed tiles with Monroe’s signature.
Monroe has ties to San Francisco. She married baseball legend Joe DiMaggio on January 14, 1954, at San Francisco’s City Hall.
The dress will be on display for a very limited month-long engagement, starting on Thursday, August 3, and leaving after Labor Day on September 5.
For more information, visit Ripleys.com/SanFrancisco
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- (Eric Kayne/AP Images for Ripley’s Believe It or Not!)
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- (Eric Kayne/AP Images for Ripley’s Believe It or Not!)
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- (Eric Kayne/AP Images for Ripley’s Believe It or Not!)
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- (Eric Kayne/AP Images for Ripley’s Believe It or Not!)
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- (Eric Kayne/AP Images for Ripley’s Believe It or Not!)
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B-roll of the Marilyn Monroe “Happy Birthday, Mr. President” event: B-Roll:
Permission to use the footage and images for editorial purposes.
Please credit footage to: “Ripley’s Believe It or Not!”
Credit images to (Eric Kayne/AP Images for Ripley’s Believe It or Not!)
MEDIA CONTACT
Suzanne Smagala-Potts
Public Relations Manager
Ripley Entertainment
pr@ripleys.com
Office: 407-345-8010 | Cell: 727-439-0136
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.
