In 1966, Gilmour was living in France and Spain with his band at the time, Jokers Wild. The band wasn’t exactly raking in the cash, they were essentially living hand-to-mouth, often busking or playing small clubs just to eat. To supplement his meager income, Gilmour utilized his striking looks (which, let’s be honest, were top-tier) and landed several modeling gigs.

He appeared in various European magazines and catalogs. He possessed that quintessential “British Invasion” aesthetic – high cheekbones, long hair, and a lean build – which was in high demand in the fashion hubs of Paris and London. He famously joked in later interviews that the modeling work paid significantly better than the music gigs did at the time.

By late 1967, Gilmour was back in London. His modeling days were cut short when his old friend Syd Barrett began struggling with mental health issues, leading the other members of Pink Floyd to ask David to join the band, initially as a fifth member to cover for Syd’s unpredictable guitar playing. Within a year, he went from a professional model to the lead guitarist of one of the biggest bands in the world.

The legal trouble began during a Guns N’ Roses concert at the Riverport Amphitheatre in Maryland Heights, Missouri. During the song “Rocket Queen,” Axl noticed a fan taking unauthorized photos. After security failed to intervene to Axl’s satisfaction, he famously shouted, “I’ll take it, goddamn it!” and dove into the crowd to tackle the fan and seize the camera.

After being pulled back onto the stage, Axl slammed his microphone down and announced, “Well, thanks to the lame-ass security, I’m going home!” before walking off stage. The band followed him, and the crowd, angry that the show had ended early, erupted into a massive riot. The chaos resulted in dozens of injuries and hundreds of thousands of dollars in property damage to the venue and the band’s equipment.

Axl had been out of the country on the European leg of the Use Your Illusion tour, effectively staying out of reach of Missouri authorities for a year. When his plane landed at JFK in 1992, U.S. Customs agents and police were waiting for him. He was charged with four counts of third-degree assault and one count of property damage. While the media captured iconic photos of a grinning Axl in the back of a police car, his legal team argued that the arrest was unnecessary because he had already planned to turn himself in later that week.

On November 12, 1961, the Duperrault family of Green Bay, Wisconsin set out on a chartered sailing trip in the Bahamas aboard a vessel called the Bluebelle. The family, father Arthur, mother Jean, 14-year-old Brian, 11-year-old Terry Jo, and 7-year-old Renee, hired captain Julian Harvey and his wife Mary to take them on their dream vacation. What followed became one of the most shocking maritime tragedies in American history.

Sometime during the night of November 12–13, Captain Harvey murdered his wife and all five members of the Duperrault family aboard the Bluebelle. The exact motive was never confirmed, but investigators believed it may have been connected to a life insurance policy on his wife, combined with a desperate attempt to cover up her murder. Harvey then scuttled, intentionally sank, the Bluebelle to destroy the evidence.

Eleven-year-old Terry Jo woke during the chaos. She came up on deck to find blood and bodies. Harvey, encountering her, told her to get back below. Instead, she found a small cork float, little more than a tiny raft, cut it loose, and slipped into the dark ocean alone. She drifted for four days and three nights under the blazing Florida sun with no food, no water, and no shelter, clinging to the tiny float in shark-filled waters.

Harvey, meanwhile, had reached shore in a dinghy with the body of young Renee, likely taken to support a false story of survival. He claimed the ship sank after an accidental fire. His account initially went unquestioned.

On November 17, a Greek freighter spotted Terry Jo adrift. She was so severely sunburned, dehydrated, and near death that the crew initially thought she might not survive. A photograph taken of her on the rescue ship – a gaunt, hollow-eyed little girl propped on a stretcher – became iconic.

Her survival blew apart Harvey’s story. Faced with imminent exposure, Julian Harvey took his own life in a Miami motel on November 17, the same day Terry Jo was rescued, leaving only a brief note about his finances.

Terry Jo was adopted by an aunt and changed her name to Tere Duperrault Fassbender. She largely retreated from public life for decades. In 2010, she published a memoir titled Alone: Orphaned on the Ocean (co-written with Richard Logan), finally telling her full story nearly 50 years later.

“I was never frightened. I was an outdoorsy child, and I loved the water. I had a strong faith. I just believed I would be saved.” — Tere Duperrault Fassbender

Her survival remains a remarkable testament to the instinct and willpower of a child who, in the most terrifying circumstances imaginable, made the split-second decision that saved her life.

The wardrobe was designed by Dorothy Jeakins. Monroe’s most iconic look in the film is the form-fitting pink dress, which was deliberately chosen to emphasize her figure and establish her character (Rose Loomis) as a dangerous, sexually provocative woman. The costume tests show Monroe photographed in multiple dress options and colorways before the final selections were made, a standard studio practice to see how fabrics and colors read on Technicolor film stock.

Monroe’s platinum blonde hair was styled by studio hairdressers at Fox. The tests show slightly different styling approaches – waves, curl placement, and volume – to determine what would look best on camera and suit the character. Her look in Niagara is notably more overtly glamorous and “dangerous” than her earlier ingénue roles.

Niagara was a pivotal moment in Monroe’s career. Fox promoted the film heavily around her image, and the famous long walk scene, reportedly the longest walk ever filmed at the time, became iconic. The careful costume and hair testing reflects just how much the studio was beginning to recognize and cultivate her star power heading into Gentlemen Prefer Blondes later that same year.