Its Not True That I Had

When the nude calendar story broke in March 1952, Monroe's studio urged her to deny it; instead she told the press the truth: "I was broke and needed the money." When a reporter asked whether she had really had nothing on, she delivered this quip — first reported by columnist Sheilah Graham in June 1952 and confirmed by Time magazine on 11 August 1952. The candor turned a potential scandal into a display of charm and became one of the most famous off-the-cuff lines of her career.