#124: Helene Stapinski & Bonnie Siegler - "The American Way"

Axelbank Reports History and Today

What do Marilyn Monroe, Superman and... Jules Schulback have him common? Helene Stapinski and Bonnie Siegler say Bonnie's grandfather and the two pop culture icons combine to tell an essential story of the 20th Century in the United States. Jules was walking in Manhattan when he happened upon Marilyn as she filmed the iconic scene for, "The Seven Year Itch." He used his film camera to capture what would become one of the most iconic images of the century, a film that was lost to history until Bonnie found the footage in a closet. After Stapinski wrote an article for the New York Times about how the footage was found after many decades, they discovered that Jules had been rescued by the publisher of the Superman comic series. They later teamed up to write, "The American Way: A True Story of Nazi Escape, Superman and Marilyn Monroe." During our interview, they explain the stories behind their main characters, and why they make for the perfect lens to view the twentieth century.
Helene Stapinski's website can be found at https://helenestapinski.com/
Bonnie Siegler's website can be found at http://www.8point5.com/
Information on their book can be found at https://www.simonandschuster.com/books/The-American-Way/Helene-Stapinski/9781982171667
The original article by Helene Stapkinski can be found here https://www.nytimes.com/2017/01/13/nyregion/marilyn-monroe-skirt-blowing-new-york-film.html?searchResultPosition=1
Support our show at https://patreon.com/axelbankhistory
**A portion of every contribution is given to a charity for children's literacy**
"Axelbank Reports History and Today" can be found on social media at
https://twitter.com/axelbankhistory
https://instagram.com/axelbankhistory

Chapters

1. [Ad] The Family Histories Podcast (00:11:13)

2. (Cont.) #124: Helene Stapinski & Bonnie Siegler - "The American Way" (00:11:14)