Iconic greetings

AN unusual Marilyn Monroe artifact is going up for sale as part of an auction by Julien’s Auctions and Turner Classic Movies: a get-well card from Monroe’s dad, Charles Stanley Gifford, that is undated, without an envelope and is addressed to Monroe in Gifford’s handwriting with her name misspelled as “Marylyn.” The card reads, “This cheery little get-well note comes specially to say that lots of thoughts and wishes, too, are with you every day.” The card also says “a little prayer too” and is signed, “Stanley Gifford, Red Rock Dairy Farm, Hemet, Calif.” The greeting card was discovered by Monroe historian and collector Scott Fortner , as he was researching and documenting her personal archives. It has been widely reported that Monroe unsuccessfully attempted to contact her dad over the years and visited Hemet in an attempt to locate him. The card is apparently the only known artifact that establishes any communication between Gifford and the star. Gifford was definitively proven to be Monroe’s father through DNA testing only recently. The auction, “Icons & Idols Hollywood,” will take place Dec. 17.