The Untold Story Behind Palm Springs’ Iconic Marilyn Monroe Statue

In Palm Springs, few landmarks are as instantly recognizable as the Forever Marilyn statue. The 26-foot-tall sculpture captures one of the most iconic moments in movie history—Marilyn Monroe standing over a subway grate, her white dress billowing around her. But the story behind this unforgettable image goes much deeper than most visitors realize.

NBC Palm Springs historian Steve Sumrall unpacks the fascinating origin story in this edition of Desert in a Minute.

The moment made famous in 1955’s The Seven Year Itch was not the first time Marilyn’s skirt caught the breeze. That image traces back to photographer Sam Shaw, who first met Marilyn Monroe in 1952 on the set of Viva Zapata, where she was just an extra. The two quickly became lifelong friends.

Shaw encouraged Marilyn to embrace her natural beauty and captured some of the most intimate and authentic images of her throughout her career. One famous anecdote tells of Marilyn strolling Fifth Avenue wearing a mink coat on a sweltering August day, simply saying, “Joe D gave it to me,” referring to her then-husband Joe DiMaggio.

In 1954, Shaw was brought in as the still photographer for The Seven Year Itch. During a press shoot, he captured what would become one of the most iconic images in cinema history—Marilyn above the subway grate. It was Shaw’s idea to use that very image for the movie’s promotional poster.

That single frame has transcended its film origins, becoming a cultural symbol of glamour and American cinema. Today, the Forever Marilyn statue in Palm Springs stands as a tribute to that legacy, thanks in large part to Sam Shaw’s vision.

For Desert in a Minute, this is NBC Palm Springs historian Steve Sumrall.

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