Posted by | Ray Cornelius
TV One is gearing up to examine the unlikely friendship between the “First Lady of Song” Ella Fitzgerald and the “Blond Bombshell” Marilyn Monroe in a new original TV movie, “Ella and Marilyn.”
According to S&A, the film will focus on their bond and their fight to desegregate nightclubs in the 1950’s. The two also used many of their high profile celebrity connections to help other African-American performers earn the same rights as their white counterparts. Their celebrity friends included such legendary entertainers as Frank Sinatra, Judy Garland, Sammy Davis Jr., and Burt Lancaster.
This is not the first time their relationship has been play out before an audience. Playwright Bonnie Greer produced a musical in 2008 titled “Marilyn and Ella,” which also focused on their unique sisterhood.
“I owe Marilyn Monroe a real debt … After that, I never had to play a small jazz club again. She was an unusual woman – a little ahead of her times. And she didn’t know it,” said Fitzgerald about her friend Marilyn Monroe.
No actors are attached to the project just yet but I would suggest Grammy nominated- singer Ledisi and The Jungle Book’s Scarlett Johansson as the film’s leads. RC will keep you posted.
Check out a video below of Marilyn talking about her love for Ella and Sammy Davis Jr.’s music:
Photo Credit: BarryRaphael.wordpress.com