Marilyn Monroe Was Discovered Inside A Hollywood Actor's Target Drone Factory

Marilyn Monroe probably had no idea she was on her way to becoming a Hollywood star in 1945. At the time, she was 19, and with her husband in the Merchant Marine, she took a job at a Van Nuys, California, factory. Then known as Norma Jeane Dougherty, she spent part of her 10-hour days assembling unmanned aircraft for the military used as aerial targets. Yes, the U.S. military was using drones way before most people realize – and wants another million in the next three years.

The factory, operated by the Radioplane Company, was founded by actor and aviator Reginald Denny. Also a former Royal Air Force and stunt pilot, Denny became the "Prince of Drones" after being grounded by his studio. 

It was June 1945 when the Army sent photographer, Sgt. David Conover of its 1st Motion Picture Unit to capture some of Radioplane's operations, and, unsurprisingly, Conover noticed Monroe. Pre-fame Monroe had already received recognition for her looks: Radioplane crowned her "queen" of its company, giving her a $50 war bond. 

Conover would help Monroe sign with her first modeling agency, which we'll explain in more detail below. By 1947, Monroe was acting in her debut film: "Dangerous Years."

Now, given that Radioplane's drone program was "classified" at the time of Conover's photos, you might be wondering what he was doing there. After all, Conover was a PR photographer, and you wouldn't think publicizing a classified facility was a good idea. Well, the answer likely has to do with timing — and we don't mean variable valve timing.

Monroe's Radioplane photos were taken a month after V-E Day, so the fighting was already over in Europe. Meanwhile, in the Pacific, the Allies were closing in on Japan. Conover was sent to the factory for a military magazine called Yank — The Army Weekly. One source says his commanding officer — Capt. Ronald Reagan — was interested in getting photos of pretty girls working on the home front to increase soldier morale.

Per an oft-quoted passage from Conover, that's exactly what he found: "I came to a pretty girl putting on propellers and raised the camera to my eye. She had curly ash blond hair and her face was smudged with dirt. I snapped her picture and walked on. Then I stopped, stunned. She was beautiful. Half child, half woman, her eyes held something that touched and intrigued me."

Monroe's pictures never seemed to have appeared in Yank, but Conover arranged a meeting for the soon-to-be star with Emmeline Snively, then owner of the Blue Book Modeling Agency. Conover's photos would take Monroe from the assembly line in June to her first professional modeling contract in August. The rest was history.