The 1950s Hollywood has been the era of Italian-American friendship between Joe DiMaggio and Frank Sinatra. So much to their friendship, the duo even made headlines for sharing a common affection for Marilyn Monroe. Although Sinatra’s affair with Monroe, while she was married to DiMaggio, caused a rift between the two friends, they once unanimously planned to catch the actress cheating.
Joe DiMaggio and Marilyn Monroe’s marriage lasted only 8 months, due to lack of trust and insecurity. And within those mere 274 days, DiMaggio hired a private investigator to keep an eye on Monroe. Evidently, the tip-off failed miserably as one wrong piece of information from the investigator landed DiMaggio and Sinatra in a court trial.
Joe DiMaggio’s plan to catch Marilyn Monroe’s tryst
Although Marilyn Monroe and Joe DiMaggio’s infamous romance was highly sensitized by the media, their marriage was a complete disaster. The duo were married for eight months and had numerous incidents in between that caused the actress to seek a divorce based on “mental cruelty”. Filled with insecurity, jealousy, and lack of trust, their relationship ended within 274 days.
Following the infamous subway scene, where Marilyn Monroe‘s white dress billows up in front of the crowd, Joe DiMaggio went irate over the actress’ habit of overexposing and s*xualizing herself. That’s where the physical abuse began, which drove Monroe to seek divorce. However, before the last straw that led to their separation, DiMaggio had even hired a private investigator along with his buddy Frank Sinatra to keep an eye on Monroe.
Due to his lack of trust, Joe DiMaggio was adamant about his wife having an affair. Thus, out of his mental obsession and insecurity, the Yankee Clipper hired an investigator for the actress. In 1954, while having dinner with Frank Sinatra, DiMaggio was tipped off by his investigator about Monroe conducting her tryst with another man at a house close to the restaurant. When the baseball player went to unravel, along with a crowd, it turned out to be a scandal for them.
Frank Sinatra and Joe DiMaggio’s court proceedings
According to reports, during the 1954 dinner between Joe DiMaggio and Frank Sinatra, when the private investigator tipped off the baseball player about Marilyn Monroe’s affair in a house nearby, the two friends embarked on a journey to expose the actress. Gathering a crowd of people the duo broke into the house where the investigator claimed Monroe was having her alleged tryst.
Shockingly enough, it wasn’t until Sinatra and DiMaggio broke the lock and went inside the house snapping images, they realized it was the wrong house. Dragging themselves into a scandal that was later known as the “Wrong-Door Raid” the player and the singer faced charges and were presented at the court. Their entire plan to catch the actress blew up, and they faced public humiliation.
The homeowner, Secretary Florence Kotz sued the two celebrities and Frank Sinatra had to take the stand and testify. The case was taken to the California State Senate two years later, and the duo was charged $7,500 as remuneration for Kotz’s trauma. Joe DiMaggio felt furious and embarrassed, following the notorious incident, and eventually broke his friendship with Sinatra.
Source: New York Times
