Marilyn Monroe – Center for Law, Engagement, and Politics

Hunts-Vegas & HEARTS

Viva, Viva, Lost Wages!! Well, maybe those are not the exact words of the famous Elvis song, but as we all can imagine those words fit the exact same meaning of Las Vegas! Once again, the LEAP Ambassadors are back for the annual Casino Night at the HEARTS Veterans Museum. The theme for this year’s casino night was 50’s and 60’s retro, so the LEAP Ambassadors left their suits at home and came in retro costumes of varying authenticity.

Of course, the boys displayed their stylish bowties. It was a particularly poignant event for me. It was my first event as a LEAP Ambassador last year, and it is my last event of this academic year, my last as an SHSU student. THe roulette wheel, as it were, went full circle. So I went all in on the costume.

The H.E.A.R.T.S Veterans Museum of Texas honors veterans both past and present. The museum serves as a place for former, present, and future veterans to all come together to reflect on and share their experiences serving the country. Just as important, the museum allows all people to see the price that our veterans and those serving today have paid for this country. They do this through exhibits and programming, the latter led by the capable Letty Clark and when she asked us to volunteer for this event, we were more than happy to do so.

After a delicious meal, and a concert from Marilyn Monroe herself…

…the gambling began and the crowd rushed to the games! The games included poker, black jack, bingo and many slot machines. All the LEAP Ambassadors were very busy with their tasks.

Alex and Karla sold tickets for the raffle.

Bryan helped develop fabulous pictures to capture everyone’s great memories of the night.

Karla and Beatriz enjoyed their time helping at the Bingo Table.

And the two most outgoing Ambassadors, Megan and yours truly, used our charm to sell poker chips.

Before the night ended, the Ambassadors were lucky enough to be given the opportunity to play some of the casino games. For some, it was their first time playing, but I was there to guide them through the process.

We had some winners and some losers at the tables, but it was all fun!

After the gambling had ceased, the main event had come: the raffle for prizes. Megan was the prize announcer and Alex chose all of the lucky winning tickets. Some of the major prizes included a one-hour massage at The Facemaker, a barbecue grill, a shotgun, and a trip to a resort and casino!

With some time spent with Marilyn Monroe, some time spent with one of our favorite community members Letty Clark, and some time spent together for a good cause, made it a fun, rewarding evening.

Of course, on a sadder note, I’ll be leaving my SHSU family, a prospect that made everyone sad (except, apparently, for Beatriz and Brian) …

But I’ll be back–for next year’s football game and some other random occasions, and LEAP will continue doing its usual combination of volunteerism, programming, pre-lawing, and travel excursions. Until then…

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=toVqzyX554I

Let’s Talk–And Have Some Fun

After an eventful afternoon with Ms. Nancy Bocskor, LEAP Students headed to the Elliot T. Bowers Honors College Let’s Talk event for an evening of informative conversation with some of the state’s most esteemed professionals. LEAP students enjoyed diverse speakers ranging from FBI Special Agent and SHSU Alum Daniel Fuentes to Honorable Robert Eckels, President of the Texas Central High-Speed Railway.

Kicking off the event, President Hoyt was in attendance to speak briefly about the growth of Sam Houston State University and a few of its accomplishments. LEAP students received the privilege of enjoying dinner and conversation with a variety of speakers. Ariel Traub enjoyed dinner with Mrs. Barbara Cargill, Texas State Board of Education District 8 Member and Chair of the Board. She was impressed with the conversation and indicated the discussion offered “valuable insight to problems with our education system along with some possible solutions.” Kaitlyn Tyra, who also sat at Cargill’s table, echoed Traub’s sentiments, enjoying the opportunity to “ask questions concerning our schools and learn about changes underway.”

Karla Rosales and Megan Chapa dined with SHSU Alumni Ms. Patti Foster, a traumatic brain injury survivor. Megan Chapa found Foster “extremely inspirational!” and Karla Rosales found both the human story and the science behind it to be fascinating and encouraging.

Alex Galvan had the pleasure of having dinner and conversation with Dr. Carl Rollyson, Editor of the Hollywood Legend Series, and author of some 40 books—including two on Marilyn Monroe. According to Galvan, “it was wonderful to learn more about this icon, and get the back story on one of the 20^th Century’s most intriguing legends.”

After dinner, co-chair of the Let’s Talk Advisory Board and Dean of the College of Health Sciences, Michael Lacourse helped close the evening with remarks. But the end of the event wasn’t the end of the evening. The LEAP Center students had an opportunity to meet with local officials attending the events…

…speakers from other tables, and revisit with Nancy Bocskor, who stayed late to visit with the honors students.

Overall, Let’s Talk gave students the opportunity to converse with professionals whom they normally wouldn’t have the opportunity to interact with and gave them the opportunity to learn about topics personally interesting to each student. Many thanks to all the speakers, Ms. Jacel Angel, and the Elliot T. Bowers Honors College for a wonderful evening.

A Night With Marilyn Monroe

Although she died at the age of 36 in 1962, Marilyn Monroe’s appeal has been both timeless and classic. During her lifetime, her life was the subject of six books, mostly brief works, quickly done to capitalize on her popularity. Since her death, however, there have been some 300 books written about her. Two of these were written by Dr. Carl Rollyson, the LEAP Center’s guest speaker during a screening of “Some Like it Hot” at the Walker Education Center.

Students and local citizens dropped in for a pre-screening reception, where the guests enjoyed cookies, candy, and punch.

Dr. Rollyson was on hand during the reception to sign books…

which included not only the two Marilyn Monroe books, but also a well-received book on Huntsville native Dana Andrews.

Following an introduction by Dr. Rollyson…

…”Some Like it Hot” proved to be a crowd-pleaser, as it has been for the fifty-five years since its release in 1959. According to the American Film Institute, Some Like it Hot is the greatest film comedy of all time, and with a cast of Monroe, Tony Curtis, Jack Lemmon, George Raft, and Joe E. Brown, some great songs by Monroe, and an enduring appeal, it’s tough to argue with that choice.

The film was directed by Billy Wilder, one of the great Hollywood Directors. In addition to what may be the film industry’s greatest comedy, he also directed what might be the industry’s greatest film noir (Double Indemnity) and one the great romantic comedies (Sabrina) and melodramas (Sunset Boulevard), as well as one of the first films to deal seriously with alcoholism (The Lost Weekend). Some Like it Hot was his second film with Monroe; they previously did The Seven Year Itch; and Wilder knew how to direct Monroe.

Rollyson discussed the reversal motif apparent throughout “Some Like it Hot,” from the gender reversals to the literal reversals that recur throughout the chase scenes.

Most people know that Tony Curtis adopts a Cary Grant persona when wooing Marilyn Monroe, but it may be less known that he also used his Grant impersonation to ask out his most famous Hollywood date: Janet Leigh. According to Leigh in her memoir, Curtis called her up and pretended to be Cary Grant asking for a date. Leigh was speechless, and as she stammered, Curtis revealed the gag. This might be something of a questionable tactic, seemingly setting up the date for a letdown, but it seemed to work for Curtis, who ended up marrying Janet Leigh.

Dr. Rollyson also noted that, while Curtis was doing his Cary Grant impersonation in Some Like it Hot, Jack Lemmon adopted the mannerisms of Joe E. Brown, his co-star (and film love interest!). The introduction added to the enjoyment of an already-enjoyable film.

Following dinner, the group enjoyed dinner and additional conversation at The Homestead. While sampling the Spicy Tomato and Red Pepper Soup and the Fresh Mozzarella and Garlic stuffed Tenderloin Filet, a handshake deal was made to bring Dr. Rollyson back in 2015, when his biography of Walter Brennan will be published. Tune in!

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