Tyrone Power with Lana Turner, circa 1946

"He was a struggling actor when he and Mother met. She had just returned from a war-bond selling tour." While only seen in minor roles, Stephen Crane was the charmer of Hollywood and had gone out with every female star, from Betty Grable to Lucille Ball. On three back-to-back nights, he took Lana Turner out, then Ava Gardner, then Rita Hayworth- a move which was considered legendary, even by Hollywood standards. Lana was his favorite though, after the dissolution of their marriage, he had a brief affair with Rita in the 1940s. "They had known each other anywhere from a few weeks to a few months (depending on who's telling the story) before July 17, 1942, when they flew to Las Vegas and got married. Their union was sealed by the same justice of peace who joined her in wedlock to Artie Shaw. 'Tie it tighter this time, Judge,' said Mother to Judge Marshall. "I think Mother always had a hold on his heart. My father never said a word against her. He was always very protective to the point of getting into fights with her suitors long after they split [like Frank Sinatra]. Frank wouldn't go to any of my father's restaurants, even when they were the most popular places to go. They got into public fights over Mother a few times, before and after my parents married. Frank thought that Dad was some sort of gigolo, not good enough for mother. The first time I know of them ever being civil to each other was at my twenty-first birthday party, in 1964.After her divorce from Bob Topping and his from Martine Carol in 1953, I recall him asking at the end of one of our Sunday outings if she ever asked me about him and if I thought there was a chance they might get back together. 'Well, I don't know,' I said. I was thrilled, but Mom wasn't interested in reuniting with Stephen. After he passed away, I found a couple of scrapbooks he had. Of all the press he received over the years, all he had held onto were those from the time of his marriage to Mother." -Cheryl Crane

"I turned and saw Lana approaching. I remember that moment clearly. I was struck, at once, by how tiny she was. When you're accustomed to seeing someone forty feet tall on screen, you expect that they will at least be taller than you are in real life. However, her size did nothing to diminish the breathtaking presence of the woman. She wore very little makeup, just lipstick and some eyebrow pencil, and her smile was wide and sensuous. She came forward, and because of her graceful carriage and the way her extended hand hovered lightly before her, she seemed to reach me a few paces before she did, as if to touch me and reassure me. There was nothing to fear. We were just two human beings who were going to sit down and talk...the light revealed the most beautiful complexion I have ever seen. Lana was pale but healthy looking, and there was something about her skin that made you want to reach out and touch it. I can only describe it as having the attraction of a fresh rose petal."

Marilyn Monroe photographed by George Barris, 1962.