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John Lennon – "It wasn’t a rip off, it was a love-in"
Bonhams to sell John Lennon’s letter to journalist justifying The Beatles Early Cover Records inspired by American Black Music
 In an article The Beatles Betrayal in the New York Times, written in 1971, a journalist accuses the Beatles, and other white artistes, of imitating and exploiting American black music in their early cover records. Upset at the charges levelled against him and his fellow musicians, Lennon was stung into sending a response. His reply – a concise summation of how much the Beatles and their contemporaries admired American black music and the debt they owed to it sold to a bidder in the room for £12,000 in a sale of Rock n Roll & Film Memorabilia at Bonhams in Knightsbridge on Wednesday 24 May 2006.
Lennon’s letter reads:
'Money', 'Twist'n'Shout', 'You really got a hold on me' etc, were all numbers we (the Beatles) used to sing in the dancehalls around Britain, mainly Liverpool. It was only natural that we tried to do it as near to the record as we could - i always wished we could have done them even closer to the original. We didn't sing our own songs in the early days - they weren't good enough - the one thing we always did was to make it known that there were black originals, we loved the music and wanted to spread it in any way we could. In the '50s there were few people listening to blues - R + B - rock and roll, in America as well as Britain. People like - Eric Burdons Animals - Micks Stones - and us drank, ate and slept the music, and also recorded it, many kids were turned on to black music by us. It wasn’t a rip off. it was a love in, signed John + Yennon P.S., what about the 'B' side of Money? P.P.S., even the black kids didn't dig blues etc it wasn't 'sharp' or something. [SIC]
Included in the lot is a photocopy of the article and a carbon copy of the journalist's reply to Lennon, which remained unanswered.
Marilyn Monroe – Some like it hot
 The white and pink bustier worn in the bus scene of 'Some Like it Hot' by Marilyn Monroe in 1959 sold for £7,800.
In Georgian cotton style, the bustier is trimmed with white lace and stamped and labelled inside with "Custom Fitted" - "Property of United Artists" "Studio Only" - "Hollywood California" Name Marilyn Monroe" "Size Sm 37 Date 2.59. orryke." Accompanied by a heart shaped brass plaque reading 'Designed by Orry Kelly for Marilyn Monroe 1959 (Some Like it Hot) - Donated to the Albatross, Las Flores, Malibu, by Joe E. Brown and Family 1963.
The Albatross, was for some time a club for recreation and pleasure in Las Flores, Malibu Beach, California. Joe E Brown - one of the supporting cast members of Some Like it Hot frequently visited this club and presented this garment to hang in the club foyer. Years later Fleetwood Mac titled their L.P. 'Albatross' after visiting the club.
A pair of faux diamond and pearl earrings worn by Marilyn Monroe in many of the scenes of the 1953 film How to Marry a Millionaire will also be sold. Made in the diamante style, the earrings sold for £5,400.
The tag line for this film was "The Most Glamorous Entertainment Of Your Lifetime in CinemaScope. You See It Without Glasses!" and starred arguably the most beautiful and accomplished trio of Hollywood actresses at the time; Lauren Bacall, Betty Grable and Marilyn Monroe. The trio play three New York models tired of poor men, lack of money and scraping a living they decide to use all their feminine craft to land three eligible millionaire bachelors, on their quest they find that it is not easy to tell the real thing apart from the less well off.
Marilyn Monroe shone with such competition as Grable and Bacall, holding her own and adding her trade mark dizziness and glamour to Bacall's sophistication and Grable's brassy-ness. How to Marry a Millionaire is recognised as one of Monroe's better performances along with Seven Year Itch, Gentlemen Prefer Blondes and Some Like it Hot.
For further information and/or images, please contact Michelle Gonsalves on 020 7468 8340 or press@bonhams.com
Press website – www.bonhams.com/press
Bonhams, founded in 1793, is one of the world's oldest and largest auctioneers of fine art and antiques. The present company was formed by the merger in November 2001 of Bonhams & Brooks and Phillips Son and Neale UK. In August 2002, the company acquired Butterfields, the principal firm of auctioneers on the West Coast of America and in August 2003, Goodmans, a leading Australian fine art and antiques auctioneer with salerooms in Sydney, joined the Bonhams Group of Companies. Today, Bonhams is the third largest and fastest growing auction house in the world with a global network of offices and regional representatives providing sales advice and valuation services in 20 countries. It offers more sales than any of its rivals, through two major salerooms in London: New Bond Street, and Knightsbridge, and a further 10 throughout the UK. Sales are also held in San Francisco, Los Angeles, New York and Boston in the USA; and Switzerland, Monaco, and Australia. For a full listing of upcoming sales, plus details of more than 40 Bonhams specialist departments, go to www.bonhams.com . For other press releases, go to www.bonhams.com/press
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