1946 // Marilyn in Vegas – Helldorado + Roy Rogers

On May 25th, 1946 Norma Jeane wrote a letter to Emmeline Snively (Blue Book Modeling Agency)detailing her time in Vegas.

“This was a lonely period in her life. Norma Jeane had very few close friends. She was always friendly with the other models and the photographers but she never went out socially with them. Miss Snively became more than an employer – Norma Jeane felt she could trust and confide in her. During the long six weeks waiting period, she received many tear-stained letters. However, the one she remembers best was written during one of the happy times. There was a western movie being made and Norma Jeane had gone to watch the shooting. The crew was as attracted to the beautiful girl as she to them. They invited her to have lunch with them and she met Roy Rogers. Norma Jeane loved horses and was more attracted to Trigger than Roy Rogers. She was allowed to ride Trigger – ‘Cross my heart I did’ she wrote to Miss Snively. After shooting was completed, she was invited for dinner. As she left with the crew she was asked for her autograph. ‘I tried to tell them I wasn’t in the movie, but they wouldn’t believe me so I signed their books.’ I wonder if that fan realizes he has the first autograph of Marilyn Monroe/Norma Jeane. The letter Miss Snively refers to was written on 25 May 1946. As well as reporting on Roy Rogers, the young model expressed what a colourful town Las Vegas was but explained that she had also felt lonely for home.”

Franse, Astrid; Morgan, Michelle. Before Marilyn: The Blue Book Modelling Years (p. 122). The History Press. Kindle Edition.

Las Vegas’ annual Helldorado Days took place from May 23-26th of 1946. This coincided with the filming of Roy Rogers’ film of the same name(though changed to “Heldorado” with one l to appease censors). It’s currently available to watch on YouTube.

If you watch the parade scene, Norma Jeane could have been somewhere in that gigantic crowd!

Hotel Last Frontier, where NJ went to dinner with the crew, was located across the street from the current Wynn on the Vegas strip. It is so hard to imagine what it used to be vs today, but this video helps: