Battle of the Blonds
They couldn’t be more different. One dances around and poses with tourists for tips. The other never bats an eyelash. One is priceless. The other is valued at $300,000. One wears wigs. The other has gold locks made from individual strands of human hair.
Melissa Weiss has played Marilyn Monroe on Hollywood Boulevard for the past 9 years. Madame Tussaud’s wax figure of Marilyn gets wheeled out onto the sidewalk every morning around 10 a.m.
This audio slideshow by the Los Angeles Times presents a synchronized sparring match between these two Marilyn impersonators who spend their days on Hollywood Boulevard. Interviews with Weiss and Madame Tussaud’s PR person provide the narration.
Though not quite the young, glamorous Marilyn of memory, Weiss says fans tell her that she looks like what Marilyn might have become were she still alive today. But heck, Marilyn would be pushing 90 and “I’m not near 90!” she says with a giggle.
This slideshow is part of the Los Angeles Times “Pop.u.LA.tion: Stories from the sidewalk” feature, an occasional online column celebrating the parade of characters who make L.A. their home.
CHANNEL: Los Angeles Times
Length: 3:11
Photography and Audio by Mel Melcon
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