about Mailer's money-grubbing antics was that it
gave an alley to run through to a man who had actually been at
work before Mailer's book was published. In 1972, Robert Slatzer
approached a writer named Will Fowler. Slatzer had been at work
on an article which posited a conspiracy to murder Monroe. Fowler
read it and was unimpressed. He told Slatzer that had he been
married to Monroe, now that would make a real story. Shortly
after, Slatzer got in contact with Fowler again. He said he
forgot to tell him, but he had been married to Monroe. The
"marriage" was a short one: 72 hours. It happened in Mexico on
October 4, 1952. Unfortunately for Slatzer, Spoto found out that
Monroe was in Beverly Hills that day on a shopping spree and she
signed a check dated October 4th to pay for the articles she
purchased (Spoto p. 227). Since Slatzer says that the pair left
for Mexico on October 3rd and stayed for the following weekend,
this demolishes his story.
But despite his fabrications, in 1974 Slatzer turned his article
into a book entitled The Life and Curious Death of Marilyn
Monroe. It went through at least three printings, including a
mass paperback sale. Besides his "marriage" and his "continuing
friendship" with Monroe, the other distinguishing aspect of the
book is its similarity to Capell's work. The first line is:
"Bobby Kennedy promised to marry me. What do you think of that?"
Slatzer, as if reading the Hoover/Angleton memo, saw her "diary."
One of the things in it is a mention of "Murder, Incorporated."
When Slatzer asks his "ex-wife" what that meant, Marilyn replies
on cue: "I didn't quite understand what Bobby was saying. But I
remember him telling me that he was pow