Is the Marilyn Monroe Sex Tape Sold for $1.5 Million a Hoax?

Looking around on the net this week to read the various stories on that supposed 1950's Marilyn Monroe sex film sold to a collector for half-a-mil, I couldn't help but notice one comment on an article about it for the L.A. Times. It was quite a long comment, but one that a lot of people probably won't have a chance to see. It was from the CEO of Marilyn Monroe Productions, LLC, Mark Bellinghaus. This guy has basically runs the entire estate and is out to protect the reputation and legacy of Marilyn Monroe 45 years now after her death. Well, enter into the mix Keya Morgan--who's a private collector currently working on a documentary about Marilyn Monroe and spending $1.5 million of his own money to purchase that sex tape from the son of an FBI informant to keep it from leaking on the net.

Now it could be that this whole case will turn into a war of words between Bellinghaus and Morgan in coming months. The reason is because that comment by Bellinghaus on the L.A. Times article insinuated that Morgan is more or less full of himself and that the Marilyn film showing her engaging in a certain oral sex act on an unknown man with his head out of the frame doesn't really exist. So who do we believe?

It isn't out of the question an elaborate hoax could be concocted for the sake of publicity. The world has certainly seen many a case like that just to create a stir for something else that could make a person untold amounts of money. One of the most classic examples goes back more than 35 years ago and became such a compelling hoax, they made a film about it. I'm talking, of course, about Clifford Irving and his fake biography on Howard Hughes that was used as merely a chance to get Irving's name known and sell more of his real books. And it worked--with a reading fanbase sticking with him up to this day, even when his fake Hughes bio was revealed to be a hoax, resulting in jail time. The 2007 movie "The Hoax" with Richard Gere playing Irving is largely fiction, though, but gets the gist of what happened during that time.

Will it ever get to the point where a movie might be made about the Marilyn sex film? The notion here that it could be a hoax gives the impression that even mentioning a sex film existed smears Marilyn's reputation and gives us something that never happened. The fact is, there probably were multiple sex films made with her with various people from the 1940's-1960's, though may have been mostly all destroyed. It's possible this particular film existed, too, but it likely wouldn't be sold so cavalierly to a single soul by whoever owns (or owned) it.

Mark Bellinghaus just may be onto something here. So what did he say that gives the impression things don't add up?

Keya Morgan is releasing a documentary on Marilyn Monroe later this year...

One thing about Keya Morgan--he's been long-obsessed that Marilyn Monroe was murdered. This documentary he's working on (working title: "Marilyn Monroe: Murder on Fifth Helena Drive") may do a public service in bringing out the truths that Marilyn was murdered...though by accident via mixed medications from two different doctors that I (and others) contend as I wrote here in a 45^th anniversary Aug. 3, 2007 article on MM's death. Whether Morgan will focus on that angle isn't known yet. But because nobody really knows much about that documentary, why would the son of a dead FBI informant just sell that tape to Morgan inadvertently when it would basically be breaking the law due to the original still reportedly being in FBI possession?

There's also no proof that the FBI ever acquired the original 16 mm film of Marilyn doing that sex act--or that J. Edgar Hoover was so obsessed thinking the man in the film was John F. Kennedy, he kept it on file up to his death to try to prove it was Kennedy. Bellinghaus pointed out in his comment on L.A. Times' website that the document Morgan supposedly has that proves the FBI took possession of the sex film could easily be faked considering it's just typed pages that anybody could create. Then again, a case could be made that maybe the fact that the documents look fake makes it the real deal.

Overall, there isn't a single soul alive in the Marilyn inner circles who can verify such a film existed. Having the story that Joe DiMaggio knew about it and wanted to buy it (but couldn't) makes it all the more of a perfect story that may lead to a movie eventually. Yes, that means Morgan's contention that he bought the tape just to protect Marilyn Monroe's reputation so it wouldn't end up getting exploited on the internet may end up being counterproductive. All of that thanks to such a protracted story that could very well end up being made into a documentary or that above-mentioned movie.

The one thing that seems to give credence to this being a hoax is Bellinghaus reminding us of one thing: Why would Morgan even mention acquiring the tape if he never intends to sell it anywhere else? He seems to be boasting about being in possession of it rather than protecting Marilyn Monroe's image. Being on national TV shows talking about the tape and how graphic it was doesn't help matters either and only brings on the Clifford Irving image all over again where a hoax can be pulled off with a straight face.

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There seems to be credence here to Bellinghaus' statement that the tape most assuredly won't get leaked to the internet--because it doesn't exist. Using a little deduction, it seems it would have ended up on the internet anyway by now had a copy really existed. Any film like that from Marilyn Monroe would be sacrificed for the sake of money when her estate still packs in millions each year. On the surface, it seems he's doing her image a favor. If it's a hoax, he's only exploiting her himself as so many others did even when she was still alive.

Bellinghaus reminded in that L.A. Times comment that there's always a lookout to find rare images of Marilyn in various sexual poses or situations. When a recent image thought to be her hitchhiking naked turned out to be one-time Marilyn wannabe Madonna from her infamous "Sex" book, it shows how many people are obsessed and respond to things like that. Someone creating a docu on Marilyn who's in possession of something Hollywood hucksters would love to get their grimy hands on just makes for a perfect business plan.

We'll hope, at least, that Keya Morgan's upcoming documentary provides an opportunity to put things straight with Marilyn's death. There's too much deductive evidence her death was the result of accidental polypharmacy rather than dredging up more conspiratorial theories that won't do Marilyn Monroe's legacy any good...