SHE CAPTIVATED PLAYWRIGHTS, SPORTS STARS - AND US, TOO.

Byline: Janet Weeks Daily News Staff Writer

If there was ever proof that you can't take it with you, it's Marilyn Monroe's crypt in Westwood.

In life, Monroe - who would have turned 70 on June 1 - was glamorous and rich, surrounded by the trappings of a beloved movie star. She had men. She had beauty. She had fame.

Her final resting place shows none of these things. It is as ordinary as Norma Jean Mortenson, the troubled girl born illegitimately who blossomed on screen as sex diva Marilyn Monroe.

Raised in a succession of foster homes, her last name Mortenson was replaced by Baker, her mother's maiden name, before her transformation into the icon recognized throughout the world by one name: Marilyn.

Tucked behind a movie multiplex on Wilshire Boulevard, Monroe's body is stored in a nondescript wall of crypts within the Pierce Brothers Westwood Village Memorial Park. Each crypt is the same. A wilted red rose bud and dusty pink silk flower are all that distinguish her memorial from those of the not-so-rich and not-so-famous.

(Monroe's ex-husband, Joe DiMaggio, ended his ritual of having six red roses placed at her crypt three times a week in 1982).

Still, tourists and fans fascinated by the legend visit the crypt daily, many posing for photos next to her marker. According to Ken Schessler's ``This Is Hollywood,'' her grave attracts more visitors than any other celebrity grave in Southern California. It is even a routine stop for professional tours, including Van Nuys-based Fun West.

And as her birthday approaches, and then the 34th anniversary of her death on Aug. 5, the crowds will pick up.

``She was a hot woman,'' says Deborah Bissonette, a flight attendant from Plantation, Fla., who stopped by the cemetery last week. ``She was so far ahead of her time.''

Indeed, Marilyn-philes agree that the actress's luscious looks and breathy voice, combined with the tragedy of her life, account for much of her lasting appeal.

But there were a lot of sexy women in Hollywood who came to sad ends - Jane Mansfield, Jean Harlow, Judy Garland - and no others have attained Monroe's icon status.

So what was different about Monroe?

Marsha Schub, manager of Marilyn Monroe Weston Editions Ltd. in Northridge, speculates that many are touched by the details of the actress's life. In an age saturated with divorce, substance abuse, unhappy childhoods and suicide, many identify with those elements of her story.

``I think most people - men and women - can relate to Marilyn,'' she says. ``Marilyn needed nurturing, and so do a lot of people today. Even though she was beautiful, she was never a threat because she was so vulnerable.''

Weston Editions is a photo publishing business owned by dealer Edward Weston, who has one of the largest collections of images of Monroe. Weston began collecting in the mid-'60s, after Monroe's death.

``Every photographer who ever shot her - and there were many, many pictures taken of her - was in love with her,'' he says. ``Marilyn performed for the camera like no one else. No one can play to the camera - still and motion - like Marilyn could.''

Monroe's enduring story also is helped by the fact that she came into contact with so many other legends during her brief life. She was the wife of baseball great DiMaggio and playwright Arthur Miller and mistress of John and Bobby Kennedy. Some believe she was killed because of her relationship with the powerful political family.

``She was murdered,'' says Dale Mukomela, president of the Marilyn Monroe Legend Club in Redondo Beach.

Mukomela, who was born the year Monroe died, says it is important to her that Monroe's memory be kept alive. She does her part by distributing a newsletter, answering letters to the club and spending time researching Monroe's life. She visits the WeIstwood crypt twice a year - on the anniversary of Monroe's birth and death.

``Marilyn was so naive,'' says Mukomela. ``She really couldn't act or sing, but she wanted so badly to be a star, to be loved. That's what we try to keep alive: her innocence.''

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2 Photos

Photo: (1) Ex-husband Joe DiMaggio ended his ritual of l eaving six red roses three times a week on Marilyn Monroe's Westwood crypt in 1982, but that doesn't stop countless others from paying tribute to the screen legend.

Hans Gutknecht/Daily News

(2) Monroe's sex appeal - and the tragedy surrounding it - still captivates legions of fans.