In 1950,
LIFE photographer Ed Clark got a call from a friend at 20th Century Fox about a “hot tomato” the studio had just signed: Marilyn Monroe. The young actress had previously signed with Fox in August 1946, but was dropped after the end of her second six-month contract.
Monroe spent the following years honing her craft, taking acting classes, modeling, and befriending executives.
In 1950, she appeared in six films, including small parts in
The Asphalt Jungle and
All About Eve.
She was still mostly unknown when she joined Clark for a rustic photoshoot in the woods of Griffith Park in Los Angeles.