tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-41490861065739110212024-03-16T14:23:53.138-07:00What happened to hollywoodGood thing the dead can't issue restrainng orders . . .WhatHappnd2Hollywoodhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03393105801347208067noreply@blogger.comBlogger77125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4149086106573911021.post-90854391992207012202013-04-23T22:18:00.003-07:002013-04-23T22:52:01.539-07:00Off the Beaten Path... TCM Festival Must Sees!<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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<span style="background-color: black; color: white; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">The TCM Festival is almost here! For us classic film die-hards this time of year is like Christmas, but like all holidays, it can get a little overwhelming. I realize most folks coming to town spent a small fortune to take part in all the great things TCM has planned, but if you get the urge to veer off the beaten path or see some of our hidden treasures, here's a list of awesome (and for the most part, cheap) things to do if you need a breather from the throngs of people on the Blvd.</span></div>
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<span style="color: white; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><b style="background-color: black;">1. The Hollywood Heritage Museum</b></span></div>
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<span style="line-height: 16px;"><span style="background-color: black; color: white; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">2100 N Highland Ave Los Angeles, CA 90068</span></span></div>
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<nobr style="line-height: 16px;"><span style="background-color: black; color: white; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Just a few blocks north of the blvd on Highland, you don't get a better education from anyone </span></nobr></div>
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<span style="background-color: black; color: white;"><nobr style="line-height: 16px;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">but the folks at the </span></nobr><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; line-height: 16px;">Heritage Museum. Inside Cecil B DeMille's first ever studio lies a fascinating collection of golden age goodies. They </span><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; line-height: 16px;">are even giving discounted admission with your TCM passes and tickets. 5 bucks!</span></span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiqk3Z7U96qRnP0eGL0Fc7C3GI2GnbeSmqtTC82zKZkVYq0kZTZispfNDulwbh8M2IX8L3dlTg1iV_22vrAOTPCLgIAMG_Sf4NbHii3sdyyf8ze9vYSsGAP0JrMYOeIjL79-MLzeEfryfQ/s1600/Museum_Night_1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="background-color: black; color: white;"><img border="0" height="228" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiqk3Z7U96qRnP0eGL0Fc7C3GI2GnbeSmqtTC82zKZkVYq0kZTZispfNDulwbh8M2IX8L3dlTg1iV_22vrAOTPCLgIAMG_Sf4NbHii3sdyyf8ze9vYSsGAP0JrMYOeIjL79-MLzeEfryfQ/s320/Museum_Night_1.jpg" width="320" /></span></a></div>
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<nobr style="line-height: 16px;"><span style="color: white; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><b style="background-color: black;">2. DeLongpre Park</b></span></nobr></div>
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<tr><td style="padding: 0px;" valign="top"><span style="background-color: black; color: white;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="line-height: 1.24;">1350 N Cherokee Ave Los Angeles, CA 90028</span></span><nobr><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="line-height: 1.24;">(323) 644-3599</span><br /><br /><span style="line-height: 1.24;">Hit Mel's Diner or Skooby's, get your food to go, and walk a few blocks south on Cherokee to<br /> DeLongpre Park. </span><span style="line-height: 1.24;">Inside sits a little known shrine to Valentino that was </span><span style="line-height: 16px;">com</span></span></nobr></span><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; line-height: 16px;">missioned</span><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; line-height: 1.24;"> by the </span></span><br />
<span style="background-color: black; color: white;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; line-height: 1.24;">city in the 30s, stolen, found, and </span><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; line-height: 1.24;">eventually r</span><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; line-height: 16px;">esurrected</span><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; line-height: 1.24;">.</span></span><br />
<span style="background-color: black; color: white;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><nobr><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="line-height: 1.24;"><br /><b>3. Tours, tours, tours!</b><br />There are so many great local tours, both walking and driving, that I hope if you partake in any<br />of them you steer clear of the corporate versions (*cough* Starline* cough*). A few of my faves:</span><br /><a href="http://www.felixinhollywoodtours.com/">http://www.felixinhollywoodtours.com/</a> Felix in Hollywood<br /><span style="line-height: 1.24;"><br /></span><a href="http://www.hollywoodtours.us/?event=offer.detail&offerId=2728">http://www.hollywoodtours.us/?event=offer.detail&offerId=2728</a> Dearly Departed<br /><span style="line-height: 1.24;"><br /></span><a href="http://lac.laconservancy.org/site/PageServer?pagename=walking_tours">http://lac.laconservancy.org/site/PageServer?pagename=walking_tours</a> LA Conservatory <br />theater tours - locations vary.<br /><span style="line-height: 1.24;"><br /></span></span></nobr></span><b style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; line-height: 1.24;">4. Runyon Canyon</b><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><nobr><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="line-height: 1.24;"><br /></span></span></nobr></span><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><nobr><table class="ts intrlu" style="background-color: white; border-collapse: collapse; color: #444444; font-size: small; line-height: 15px; width: 100%px;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="padding: 0px;" valign="top"><span style="background-color: black; color: white;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="line-height: 1.24;">2000 N Fuller Ave Los Angeles, CA 90046</span></span><nobr><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="line-height: 1.24;">(323) 666-5046</span><br /><br /><span style="line-height: 1.24;">Errol Flynn's tennis court, Frank Lloyd Wright ruins, star gazing, and a beautiful nature preserve</span></span></nobr><span style="line-height: 1.24;">.</span></span><br />
<span style="background-color: black; color: white;"><span style="line-height: 1.24;">Not for the weak </span><span style="line-height: 1.24;">of heart (or weak of knees!) but a neat place to walk around if you feel like </span></span><br />
<span style="background-color: black; color: white;"><span style="line-height: 1.24;">getting closer to nature and 90210's </span><span style="line-height: 1.24;">finest.</span></span><br />
<nobr><span style="background-color: black; color: white; font-size: small;"><br /><span style="line-height: 1.24;"><b>5. The Red Line</b></span><br /><span style="line-height: 1.24;">Seriously, don't be afraid of our local transportation. it gets you where you want to go! From the </span></span></nobr><br />
<nobr><span style="background-color: black; color: white; font-size: small;"><span style="line-height: 1.24;">North </span><span style="line-height: 16px;">Hollywood</span> <span style="line-height: 1.24;">Arts District to Union Station, the Red Line is kind of it's own little tour. You </span></span></nobr><br />
<nobr><span style="background-color: black; color: white; font-size: small;"><span style="line-height: 1.24;">can take it from Hollywood straight into</span> <span style="line-height: 1.24;">downtown (take the Pershing Square stop) and see our </span></span></nobr><br />
<nobr><span style="background-color: black; color: white; font-size: small;"><span style="line-height: 16px;">stunning</span><span style="line-height: 1.24;"> old theater district (Broadway), The old Angel's</span> <span style="line-height: 1.24;">Flight railway on Hill, Union Station, </span></span></nobr><br />
<nobr><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="background-color: black; color: white; line-height: 1.24;">LaBrea Tar Pits, the LA Library, and so much more. Cheap, easy, and no damn highways. :)<br /><br /><b>6. The Lot and Jim Henson Studios</b><br /><br />The Lot is on Santa Monica and Formosa, Jim Henson studios are on LaBrea and Sunset. The </span></span></nobr><br />
<nobr><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="background-color: black; color: white; line-height: 1.24;">Lot was the very first movie studio and production hub in Hollywood started by Mary Pickford </span></span></nobr><br />
<nobr><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="background-color: black; color: white; line-height: 1.24;">and Douglas Fairbanks. See it while you can, the city is fighting locals trying to tear it down. <br />Jim Henson studios were the studios Chaplin built in the late 30s and they've really kept it up.</span></span></nobr><br />
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<nobr><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="line-height: 1.24;"> </span></span><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiL916AXOLXaD6iVkDa7uWEhIaZe1eKYGSUHTCozVxC5p3t66YnYWeGxbDDAKRS_mciwXRyoMefRTjf5m7zGx2iT2lhY5nSso3lE_EZNrbdrXD7dL8l57mT27FVmN-ijq68OWXfmSt2kTM/s1600/henson.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="line-height: 16px; margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em; text-align: center;"><img border="0" height="216" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiL916AXOLXaD6iVkDa7uWEhIaZe1eKYGSUHTCozVxC5p3t66YnYWeGxbDDAKRS_mciwXRyoMefRTjf5m7zGx2iT2lhY5nSso3lE_EZNrbdrXD7dL8l57mT27FVmN-ijq68OWXfmSt2kTM/s320/henson.jpg" width="320" /></a><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="line-height: 1.24;"><br /><br /><b>7. Hollywood Forever Cemetery</b></span><span class="pp-headline-item pp-headline-address" dir="ltr" style="display: inline; margin-bottom: 1px; white-space: normal;">6000 Santa Monica Blvd, Los Angeles, CA</span><span style="white-space: normal;"></span></span></nobr></span><br />
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<span class="pp-headline-item pp-headline-phone" style="display: inline;"><span class="telephone" dir="ltr"><nobr><span style="background-color: black; color: white; font-size: small;">Peter Lorre, Cecil B DeMille, Valentino, Marion Davies, and on and on and on. Not to mention</span></nobr></span></span><br />
<span style="background-color: black; color: white;"><span class="pp-headline-item pp-headline-phone" style="display: inline;"><span class="telephone" dir="ltr"><nobr><span style="font-size: small;">it's a beautiful place. </span></nobr></span></span>i always try to bring bread for the ducks...</span></div>
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<span style="background-color: black; color: white; font-size: small;"><span style="line-height: 1.24;"><b>8. Griffith Observatory</b></span></span><br />
<span style="background-color: black; color: white; font-size: small;"><span style="line-height: 16px;">2800 E Observatory Ave Los Angeles, CA 90027</span><br style="line-height: 16px;" /><nobr style="line-height: 16px;">(213) 473-0800</nobr><span style="line-height: 1.24;"><br /><br />Trails, a great panoramic view of the whole city, the closest you can get to the </span></span><br />
<span style="background-color: black; color: white; font-size: small;"><span style="line-height: 1.24;">Hollywood sign without hiking,and one of the largest telescopes in the country. </span></span><br />
<span style="background-color: black; color: white; font-size: small;"><span style="line-height: 1.24;">What's not to love? Oh, and it's free!</span></span><br />
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<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="line-height: 1.24;"> </span></span><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-b9EPHFeXML0/UXdo80UjsBI/AAAAAAAAAvw/h0YgIQG41dI/s1600/griff.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; line-height: 16px; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em; text-align: center; white-space: nowrap;"><img border="0" height="180" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-b9EPHFeXML0/UXdo80UjsBI/AAAAAAAAAvw/h0YgIQG41dI/s320/griff.jpg" width="320" /></a><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="line-height: 1.24;"><br /><br /><b>9. Grauman's Theater Court before 8am</b></span><span style="line-height: 16px;">6801 Hollywood Blvd., Hollywood, California, 90028</span><span style="line-height: 1.24;"><br /><br />If you are a morning person, grab some coffee and come sit here and watch the city wake up while having<br />the footsteps of the stars all to yourself. You can thank me later.</span><span style="line-height: 1.24;"><b><br /></b></span></span></span><br />
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<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="line-height: 1.24;"><b>10. Chili Dogs.</b><br /><br />Pinks (Walking distance from the Blvd at 709 LaBrea), Skooby's on the Blvd, and Carney's (</span><span style="line-height: 16px;">8351 W Sunset Blvd ). You can't go wrong.</span></span><span style="line-height: 1.24;"><span style="font-size: small;"> </span></span></span><br />
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<span style="background-color: black; color: white;">Also, keep your eyes peeled for our wonderful bookstores. Larry Edmunds on the Blvd deals almost specifically with classic-related</span><br />
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No matter where you end up, I hope everyone here has a wonderful weekend!<br /><span style="line-height: 1.24;"><br /></span></span></nobr></span></span></td></tr>
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WhatHappnd2Hollywoodhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03393105801347208067noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4149086106573911021.post-19224289536788849892013-02-08T11:12:00.000-08:002013-02-09T20:39:48.107-08:00All Hail the Water Rats.<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
<span style="background-color: black; color: white; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">I have been seriously slacking on the blog front so far this year. Sometimes life gets in the way of things we do for fun, I guess. But then I came across a secret society in a Peter Lorre biography and had to investigate.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Charlie Chaplin. Peter Lorre. Peter Sellers. Danny Kaye. Laurel and Hardy. All members of an English society called the Grand Order of Water Rats.</span></span><br />
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<span style="background-color: black; color: white; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">The pin each member wears</span></div>
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<span style="background-color: black; color: white; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Their motto is "Philanthropy, conviviality, and social intercourse".<span style="line-height: 19.1875px;"> Formed in 1889 by music hall performers Joe Elvin and Joe Lotto, the two began with race track winnings to form a society that supported local up-and-coming artists and gave them a forum in which to perform, assisting in funding, bookings, and publicity.</span></span><br />
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<span style="background-color: black; color: white; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Laurel Hardy and friend proudly displaying their pins</span></div>
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<span style="background-color: black; color: white;"> <span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; line-height: 19.1875px;">According to past King Rat Charlie Chester, It all started with a pony named Magpie. Upon Elvin and Lotto telling of a run in they'd had where they were walking one of their race horses home in the rain where a passing bus driver had commented that it looked more like a water rat, friend Hal Pink proclaimed:</span></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; line-height: 19.1875px;"> </span><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"> 'That's it ... that's what we've been looking for ... Water Rat ... the most unloved little creature of all ... and we'll make it respected. Don't you see', he went on, 'if you turn the word Rats backwards ... the word Star is revealed ... we'll elevate the lowest to the highest in the firmament of good fellowship and charity. A Rat is a Vole and Vole is an anagram of Love and that's what we'll be ... a Brotherhood of Love.' So, in the summer of 1889 they went to a pub in Sunbury on Thames and formed The Grand Order of Water Rats, and to this day that pub has a plaque to commemorate the event. The name of the pub itself was taken from the little pony and called - 'The Magpie'. </span></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">There can only be 200 members at a time. Getting nominated to join is a delicate and arduous process where a person has to be voted, seconded, and agreed upon by the other Rats. They have a full government set up within the Order, and there is a secondary group of companion rats who, while not actually in show business, have been allowed to join as an outsider for their support to the group or the arts.</span></span><br />
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<span style="background-color: black; color: white; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Where the Rats congregate today</span></div>
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<span style="background-color: black; color: white; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">I find it fascinating that this order has been around for so long, with such huge names, and such little attention. Maybe they are a big deal across the pond. I hope they are. I had never heard of them, but am glad to have stumbled on a neat part of entertainment history. A charity formed by entertainers for entertainers. Similar to what Pickford and the rest of the original United Artists folks set up with the Hollywood fund and Hollywood Home, but apparently not corrupted by modern greed. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">You can learn more about, or support the order, at their site here:<a href="http://www.gowr.net/index.html"> http://www.gowr.net/index.html </a></span></span><br />
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WhatHappnd2Hollywoodhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03393105801347208067noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4149086106573911021.post-76818566271026970642012-11-27T09:46:00.001-08:002012-11-27T09:47:07.131-08:00The Sheik of De Longpre <div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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If you happen down De Longpre you may notice a little park just past Highland Ave. that is seemingly gated in. Just a tiny block by block patch of land with a little playground and some beautiful landscaping. But if you look closely, even just in passing, there appears to be a little shrine in the middle. And if you are like me and are curious about every hidden treasure in Hollywood, you'll find the barely-cracked front gate, squeeze through, and go closer for further inspection.<br />
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I'd seen pics online of a Valentino statue in a park somewhere in Hollywood, but every 5 blocks it seems there are tiny turn of the century gardens so pinpointing a single statue based off an internet picture is like looking for a needle in a haystack. But lo and behold, right there at the corner of DeLongpre and Cherokee, sits a monument that's been there (and not, and then back again) since the 1930's.<br />
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A campaign was started in 1926 shortly after Valentino's death by actors and members of the Hollywood community to erect a tribute to the fallen actor. Donations poured in from all over the globe, enough was raised, and Roger Burnham was commissioned to design a statue in Rudy's honor. On what would've been Valentino's 35th birthday, the statue was dedicated and fans the country over would gather here on both his birthday and death every year. It even had it's own mysterious woman who would leave flowers and wreaths every year. The neighbors weren't particularly thrilled as they felt any tribute should be made to the painter De Longpre, (it was his park, after all) but the monument stayed.<br />
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In the 50's the neighborhood hit a slump and vandals hit the monument. Some especially arduous thieves even stole the statue from it's pedestal which the city recovered a few years later. Fearing more vandalism, the city stored the statue for the next 2 decades.<br />
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In the late 70's another artist was commissioned to create an accompanying bust of Valentino for the park, and it was then that the original was remounted in it's original resting place, and in 2010 the neighborhood got together to give the whole park a face lift, making it the little piece of serenity it is today.<br />
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While stumbling across the statue made my day, what really made the moment special was this: it was early morning and there were a handful of folks in the park, eating their breakfasts, walking dogs, feeding birds, and none of them seemed at all interested in the little art deco statue before them. Once we started making a little fuss over getting clear pictures almost everyone in the park wandered over, asking "who is this?" We told them "Rudolph Valentino, a silent film actor", not wanting to really bore them with the history lesson I could have given them, as the look on their faces told me they didn't know quite who Valentino was anyway.<br />
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But, after I'd taken a few more pictures and started to walk away, i noticed one of the people, holding their phone, reading from Rudy's wikipedia page. Everyone was standing around the guy, just listening to the life of Valentino. It made me a little warm and fuzzy inside, because, even in a small indirect way, we just inspired a group of people to learn about a great actor from a bygone era. We left with huge smiles on our faces and before getting back into the car, I turned and looked at the group, still reading up on Valentino, and thought "I had a part in that".<br />
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WhatHappnd2Hollywoodhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03393105801347208067noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4149086106573911021.post-41256846930252124392012-11-07T05:35:00.000-08:002012-11-07T06:00:41.756-08:00Is there an accurate classic biopic? Bueller? <div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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Lets recap right quick. 1980's made for tv (i think, i hope so, was it a theatrical release? oh, the horror) Bogie. 1965's Harlow - snooze fest. 57's Buster Keaton Story - don't get me wrong, I absolutely love Donald O'Connor. but if you're going to recap a legend, maybe make it, oh, I don't know, true. That goes for 82's Francis (Jessica Lange was amazing), 81's Mommy Dearest (Dunaway also was awesome), 92's Chaplin, 46's Jolson Story - all mostly complete BS ... the list goes on and on.</div>
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And not to say that list isn't full of decent movies and decent actors. it just seems if you're going to put the time and effort into what boils down to paying homage to a legend, you would think facts would be a little more important. How much do you really need to fabricate in a story about Hollywood in its prime to make it dramatic and interesting? The fact that "biopic" is just biography and picture squished together isn't lost on me, but it seems they always like to throw phrases like "true", "actual events" and "real life" into titles and descriptions, which annoy me when the credits roll and i rush online to fact check and find 85% of what ever I just watched was fabricated crap.</div>
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Keaton and O'Connor</div>
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<span style="text-align: left;">I am a little disappointed that no one has really tackled a Peter Lorre bio. Drug addiction, illness, fame, defiance, affairs, the red scare, poverty, and one of the most waster talents Hollywood's ever seen? Really? No love? I have no idea who could even play Lorre. Maybe Pete Doherty if he could act - he's got the look, accent and addiction part down. After seeing Hopkins dressed up as Hitchcock he might make a good Sidney Greenstreet, </span><span style="text-align: left;">Clooney or.. oh man this hurts to say... Ben Affleck (based on looks alone) as Bogie, and maybe Ewen Bremner from Trainspotting as Bertolt Brecht (seriously, look those two up. Dead ringer)... but I digress.</span></div>
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Back to movies that do exist - I was trying to think of a Hollywood biopic to write about that meets my very elitist standards of honest portrayal and entertaining to watch. In true Hollywood fashion, the truth is not out there. So then I started thinking if there was one that stood out as such a great film that maybe the truth didn't matter so much, and there are quite a few that I like, but my number one with a bullet would have to be James Cagney's portrayal of George M. Cohan in Yankee Doodle Dandy.</div>
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This was the first time I saw Cagney as a song and dance man. No guns? No grapefruits? Who is this man? And as anyone does when they see their favorite tough guy in a family movie, and *gasp* a musical, I thought it was going to be a flaming pile.</div>
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First of all, they nailed it with casting. Cagney and Cohan are about the same build, similar features, almost identical delivery, and they came from similar backgrounds, both being Irish-Americans originally from New England. You would also need someone with decent acting chops to portray a personality like Cohan, and Cagney had it in spades. In every scene he looks so thrilled just to be there you can't help but be drawn in.</div>
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Second, yes they took some liberties with the story line. But a few name changes, a little chronological editing, and some inaccuracies (Roosevelt's wheelchair, some political glossing-over, Cohan's divorce and second wife, etc) are, to me, pretty minor in comparison. A lot of folks like to point out that Cohan was born on the 3rd of July, not the 4th, but he and his family told everyone he was born on the 4th to appear "all-American". That doesn't seem like a stretch to me in this movie. Cohan was an advisor on the film and one of his original producers, Jack Boyle, helped director Michael Curtiz to make the choreography, sets, and costumes as accurate as possible. Hey, at least they were trying. More than I can say for some of the others. It was no DeMille type effort for accuracy, but what they lacked in truth they made up for in entertainment quality, in my opinion.</div>
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And lastly, history aside, it's just a damn good movie. From Cohan's Vaudeville days to the peak of his career as "the man who owns Broadway" to the loss of his family and his spotlight, the production as a whole is just stellar. Every time I watch the scene with his father (played by Walter Huston) on his death bed, my heart just hurts.Watching Cagney go from optimistic when he arrives home, to sad when he sees his father, to the hope draining from his face as it sinks in... ugh it's no wonder he got the Oscar for that one. I am usually not a fan of war era forced (and often faked) nationalism, but with Cohan's real life war efforts and the kind of songs he wrote you can't help but get an urge to wave a flag. The supporting cast is also amazing- Eddie Foy Jr plays his father, a 17 year old Joan Leslie plays Cohan's wife, everyone did wonderful jobs. You laugh, you cry, you sing along, it's a well rounded experience. After Cohan screened the film he said "my God, what an act to follow". Well said, sir. I couldn't imagine a better portrayal by anyone else.</div>
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For tons more reviews, opinions and ideas on biographical films, check out the <a href="http://www.cinekatz.com/2012/11/the-shoes-they-wear-blogathon.html">Shoes They Wear blogathon going on at the Cinematic Katzenjammer. </a>!</div>
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WhatHappnd2Hollywoodhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03393105801347208067noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4149086106573911021.post-37227557690354209702012-10-30T09:45:00.000-07:002012-10-30T10:45:22.188-07:00The Revolution Will Not Be Televised - Orson Welles<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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<span style="font-family: inherit;">HG Wells wrote a book in 1898 detailing an alien attack on Earth. It was one of the first of it's kind, tying in current (for the turn of the century) scientific theories with an alien invasion and attack on the human race. Wells had studied as a scientist and like Neil Degrasse Tyson today, was widely known for his ability to explain scientific theories with a simplicity that everyone could understand. Although "War" was classified as science fiction and scientific romance, it's parallels to evolution, space travel, and the possibility of extraterrestrial life was based on the research of the time and inspired many scientists. Just 20 years prior Mars had been viewed for the first time through a telescope, and 30 years prior Darwin issued his theories of natural selection and evolution.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;"><a href="http://www.cdsbooksdvds.com/product.jhtm?sku=UBM9781241709310">Orson Welles</a> had primarily worked on the stage and in radio prior to the 1938 broadcast that brought him international fame. Basing the mood for the broadcast off the non-fictional Hindenburg disaster reports, Welles (and Howard Koch) reset the novel by placing it in New Jersey instead of England, and planning to deliver it as a breaking newscast interrupting the "live" broadcast of Ramon Raquello and his Orchestra (actually the in house CBS orchestra) with bulletins and commentary from scientists, witnesses, and members of the US Government (played by Welles and other CBS actors).</span></div>
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Howard Koch</div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;">The Mercury Theater on the Air program was one of few programs to air without advertisements. Welles had been a regular cast member for 3 years, and having heard Ronald Knox's BBC false broadcast of London riots a few years prior, was inspired to try a similar plot in the US. Without commercial interruptions and already in a heightened state of anxiety over attacks due to the looming threat of a second world war, listeners that joined the program mid-broadcast were unaware it was a work of fiction.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;">With sound effects (directed by Ora Nichols), "dropped" interviews, dead air, and a general sense of panic throughout the hour long broadcast, many listeners were thrown into a frenzy as CBS simulcasted their broadcasts throughout most major cities in the eastern US. Radio stations were flooded with calls from concerned citizens, and unrelated power outages in a handful of towns added to the confusion and fear. Although today we're told the hysteria wasn't as dramatic as originally reported, it's estimated that hundreds of thousands of people were genuinely terrified by the performance. Welles had anticipated listeners tuning in during breaks of other stations, and timed the most terrifying parts around these since the Mercury was a smaller production with fewer listeners and no stop sets. People turning the dial after the first scheduled commercial break in other station's programs (just like today, around 13 after the hour) initially caught War in the first report on an invasion over Grover Mills, NJ. After the introduction, no mention was made that the story was fictional until over 30 minutes in.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;">The newspapers, threatened by radio, had a field day with Orson's performance. They claimed radio had too much power and was dangerous, suggesting everyone go back to print, as print "never deceives". Even Hitler cited the broadcast as proof of "the decadence and corrupt condition of democracy". The station was sued by hundreds, citing mental anguish and personal injury. All suits but one were dropped - a man had spent money reserved for new shoes on supplies to flee town - Welles insisted the man be compensated. Newspapers ran almost 13,000 stories and the station was investigated by police and FBI (then called the BOI). Koch told the NY Times - "The police came in after the broadcast and seized whatever copies [of the script] they could find as evidence - There was a question that we might have done something that might have criminal implications<span style="line-height: 19.200000762939453px;">" .</span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;">Regardless of the mayhem caused, Orson Welles and CBS were skyrocketed into international fame. The broadcast has been copied numerous times all over the world: in the 1940's a Spanish DJ reenacted the story with help from a local newspaper, initially causing fear in Ecuador that led to police being dispatched. Once it was revealed the story was fictional, a riot broke out against the station and newspaper that played party to the hoax.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;">To this day Welles' War of the Worlds broadcast is cited as one of the most famous moments in radio history, and you can often hear the broadcast re-aired around this time of year. Welles was only 22 at the time, and the fame garnered almost immediately launched his Hollywood career.</span></div>
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<span style="background-color: black; font-family: inherit;"><span style="line-height: 19.200000762939453px;">"This is Orson Welles, ladies and gentlemen, out of character, to assure you that </span><i style="line-height: 19.200000762939453px;">The War of the Worlds</i><span style="line-height: 19.200000762939453px;"> has no further significance than as the holiday offering it was intended to be; The Mercury Theatre's own radio version of dressing up in a sheet and jumping out of a bush and saying "Boo!". Starting now, we couldn't soap all your windows and steal all your garden gates by tomorrow night, so we did the next best thing. We annihilated the world before your very ears and utterly destroyed the CBS. You will be relieved, I hope, to learn that we didn't mean it, and that both institutions are still open for business. So goodbye everybody, and remember please for the next day or so the terrible lesson you learned tonight. That grinning, glowing, globular invader of your living room is an inhabitant of the pumpkin patch, and if your doorbell rings and nobody's there, that was no Martian, it's Halloween!"</span></span></div>
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WhatHappnd2Hollywoodhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03393105801347208067noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4149086106573911021.post-79076816672733186892012-10-23T12:34:00.000-07:002012-10-23T14:48:58.408-07:00Old Hollywood Costume Parties <div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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No one knew how to don a costume better than Old Hollywood. </div>
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Cagney, Francis, Chevalier, Blondell and Barnes </div>
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The Beatles and friends at an album release party </div>
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<span style="text-align: center;"> Gary Cooper and Fay Wray, 1933</span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgSvDvLAyP-5r4MLV-08GzBcG9Rh5ttuuuCFaSdWypzWpcyAegD9ubu_RS7RPlsQehlEGPJbQEP4vMVfTIFH7Qc7xu0kDiNoeuq5kOVGGl6YS_N7a8AV8bTFKdr1lmP4aV7wN3jLkkFMXU/s1600/gable+lombard+wrhearst.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="260" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgSvDvLAyP-5r4MLV-08GzBcG9Rh5ttuuuCFaSdWypzWpcyAegD9ubu_RS7RPlsQehlEGPJbQEP4vMVfTIFH7Qc7xu0kDiNoeuq5kOVGGl6YS_N7a8AV8bTFKdr1lmP4aV7wN3jLkkFMXU/s320/gable+lombard+wrhearst.jpg" width="320" /></a><br />
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Gable, Lombard, and Hearst at a party</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgwgkJdycn9MPXsAFdBFlRSJksts-dAv3fM89Q5QFym02cph7XUiqrOkk4Z3EReA4j8w9moPwZ8gYmcAjCHHqb_QlpSq0Rgbrmhg-WEeN5IYi5qXm6aWMT4qdt5WhXvBUDwUEJo4ZEpsxY/s1600/crawofd+and+bennett.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgwgkJdycn9MPXsAFdBFlRSJksts-dAv3fM89Q5QFym02cph7XUiqrOkk4Z3EReA4j8w9moPwZ8gYmcAjCHHqb_QlpSq0Rgbrmhg-WEeN5IYi5qXm6aWMT4qdt5WhXvBUDwUEJo4ZEpsxY/s320/crawofd+and+bennett.jpg" width="207" /></a></div>
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<span style="text-align: center;">Joan Crawford and Constance Bennett </span></div>
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<a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-2ZbJvwmKNgQ/UIbuVx9-LBI/AAAAAAAAAq8/EztsxK-raXk/s1600/grant+pickford+de+frasso+carminati.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;"><img border="0" height="320" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-2ZbJvwmKNgQ/UIbuVx9-LBI/AAAAAAAAAq8/EztsxK-raXk/s320/grant+pickford+de+frasso+carminati.JPG" width="256" /></a></div>
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Grant, Pickford, De Frasso, and Carminati</div>
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<a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-KsuHsn4h9nw/UIbuTtEpvXI/AAAAAAAAAq0/L6zVPbShhCs/s1600/grable+raye+lamour.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="220" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-KsuHsn4h9nw/UIbuTtEpvXI/AAAAAAAAAq0/L6zVPbShhCs/s320/grable+raye+lamour.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
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Betty Grable, Martha Raye, and Dorothy Lamour Can-can!</div>
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<a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-pCO1dCqc8zM/UIbuep9ojpI/AAAAAAAAArU/Jo7_TvmhxDA/s1600/swanson+davies+bennett+harlow.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="257" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-pCO1dCqc8zM/UIbuep9ojpI/AAAAAAAAArU/Jo7_TvmhxDA/s320/swanson+davies+bennett+harlow.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
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Swanson, Davies, Bennett and Harlow</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh7iphIn9Iz1YrsneBUAPiVHTPb1zvIYWTlNQuqKLcuJlJrk6g0FE9Fm_ZeK37woDFqRlraXC08Fxge1uX5e-w2ggW3A9m5zJDccLXwihS8chz-w8fKQ9i1DQH-_mVv3ig2NR5u9PK7m1Y/s1600/shearer+and+hearst.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="257" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh7iphIn9Iz1YrsneBUAPiVHTPb1zvIYWTlNQuqKLcuJlJrk6g0FE9Fm_ZeK37woDFqRlraXC08Fxge1uX5e-w2ggW3A9m5zJDccLXwihS8chz-w8fKQ9i1DQH-_mVv3ig2NR5u9PK7m1Y/s320/shearer+and+hearst.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
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Norma Shearer and Hearst at his birthday party</div>
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WhatHappnd2Hollywoodhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03393105801347208067noreply@blogger.com18tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4149086106573911021.post-22323780355901752792012-10-10T23:44:00.000-07:002012-10-11T04:42:51.705-07:00The most F'd Up Movie Ever<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
I'm taking a little detour from the classics (although the one Im about to discuss is considered "cult" to some) because I saw this <a href="http://www.cinekatz.com/2012/09/october-blogathon-most-fked-up-movies.html?showComment=1349393212053#c70944935123117748">blogathon about messed up movies </a> and wanted to add my two cents.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhYS1hDhdrkhlBjqxnYWYCRLHzzJfi2Kj1DTuI5jS2VojN-ocN8Zw1tYN9ac54AeBwqco0NgtZ8YlbgPkGN6GHvPFJDb0Y5EAikhavdIgCzK9GexoBIZh1ez9TzhLz99OjsGi8x4PkmjgE/s1600/CH.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhYS1hDhdrkhlBjqxnYWYCRLHzzJfi2Kj1DTuI5jS2VojN-ocN8Zw1tYN9ac54AeBwqco0NgtZ8YlbgPkGN6GHvPFJDb0Y5EAikhavdIgCzK9GexoBIZh1ez9TzhLz99OjsGi8x4PkmjgE/s1600/CH.jpg" /></a></div>
1980's Cannibal Holocaust. Seriously. I've lost friends after lending this one out. The conversation always begins the same:<br />
"man, I thought this movie was gonna be messed up but it was so not scary/gory/etc"<br />
"oh yeah? well, I have this movie, but it's pretty rough . . . I've only made it all the way thru it once "<br />
"whatever it can't be that bad, I so want to see it"<br />
"well, okay."<br />
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The next (and often last)time I see them is when they are slipping the DVD thru my mail slot and scurrying off.<br />
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Im not a squeamish person. I can sit thru stuff like Traces of Death, Mondo Magic, the evening news, no problem. But I can honestly say CH is the most brutal movie I've ever seen, and I always end up leaving the room not because it's really gory, but because it makes me so. damn. uncomfortable in it's realism. In what is considered the birth of the "found footage" format (like Blair Witch, Paranormal activity, etc") we get a movie that was not only confiscated by Italy's magistrate at the release, but a movie that is STILL banned in almost half the world.<br />
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It starts innocently enough. A group of documentary film makers want to travel into the wild to capture tribes on film that are hidden in remote and never before seen areas of The Amazon. Just a bunch of fun loving college kids out to make their mark on the world and have an adventure. Good times, right? Um, no.<br />
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Things start to go wrong as cultures collide when the team locates villagers. The group underestimates the villagers and treats them horribly, staging violent and deadly situations for "a good shot", and taking advantage of their women, which is violently retaliated for. Between wars with other tribes and the film makers being just insufferable assholes, the brutality escalates fairly quickly and... just ugh.<br />
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Maybe it's because I'm a chick. Everyone meets a seriously horrible end, but it seems the women (and some animals) get the brunt of it. I get what it's supposed to represent, it jumps back and forth from the "found" footage and documentary makers in New York, and you can't tell who's more messed up - the people that will rape and murder for entertainment, or the suits that approve this behavior to make appealing programming for ratings.<br />
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The only time i would really recommend watching this is if you are curious to see how much you've been desensitized by society, or to test how much realistic torture and mutilation you can tolerate. If you can sit thru this one and not bat an eye, well, you're likely a little f'd up too (but we still love you).<br />
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WhatHappnd2Hollywoodhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03393105801347208067noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4149086106573911021.post-17090081596323605092012-10-05T04:43:00.000-07:002012-10-05T04:43:11.914-07:00Hollywood's Black Friday<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
After 6 months of striking for better wages by the set director sect of the newly formed Conference of Studio Unions (CSU), tempers reached a boil in front of the WB gates on Oct. 5th, 1945.<br />
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77 set directors set out to form their own union separate from the international union that had previously resided over most of the film trades in Hollywood. After 9 months of wage negotiations and most of the studios reaching a deal, Warner Brothers failed to deal with the newly formed union, setting off a strike that delayed films such as Dual in the Sun and Night and Day.</div>
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Approximately 10,500 employees picketed the gates of the studio. When workers attempted to break the line and fill the jobs, cars were attacked and overturned, forcing the hand of Burbank police to take action against the picketers. Over 40 injuries were reported.</div>
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Continued striking throughout the next week along with national attention forced Warner to negotiate with the union. Unfortunately for the CSU this would also trigger government regulation in the form of the Taft-Hartley act, essentially regulating union size and power to avoid similar conflicts in the future. </div>
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WhatHappnd2Hollywoodhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03393105801347208067noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4149086106573911021.post-24537011100320809442012-10-04T04:29:00.000-07:002012-10-04T04:29:08.451-07:00Keaton on the Big Screen<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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I used to be bored to tears by silent films. Sad, I know, but it's true. Smooth into my early 20's even, I would try, because I at least realized a lot of them had historical significance, but would always seem to hit play, and then wake up when the end credits were rolling.<br />
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I'm not sure if it was hitting the wise, ripe age of 25 or what, but somewhere I developed different tastes in films than I had growing up. When I had TCM (oh how I miss you, please stream) they had a feature - probably still do- called Silent Sundays that would still be on Monday mornings while i was getting ready for work. And this weird movie, with any shot of money tinted gold, was on, and 3 hours later I was hooked, and super late for work.<br />
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<a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-juFDLhlnUTA/UBowJUmsb4I/AAAAAAAAAlg/CygxTAVpzSo/s1600/gold+greed.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-juFDLhlnUTA/UBowJUmsb4I/AAAAAAAAAlg/CygxTAVpzSo/s1600/gold+greed.jpg" /></a></div>
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Greed</div>
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Fast forward 5 years to now- I recently moved to Los Angeles, and holy crap the plethora of films you can see on the big screen here. After Greed I ran the gamut on silents, Demille, Griffith, Chaplin, Stroheim, if I could find it, i would watch it. But, as much as I enjoyed them at home alone on the couch, something was missing.<br />
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The Cameraman is now my favorite Keaton film. It's absolutely hilarious. Whenever Im bummed out, I find that scene of him in the dressing room at the Venice Plunge on youtube, and giggle away. This was the first film Keaton did with MGM, and the last film he made there where he had creative control. Hollywood thought it was completely lost, but in Paris in the late 60's, someone found the whole thing. Another copy was found in 91, and through the combination of the two, we get the whole film in near-perfect quality.<br />
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Filming the dressing room scene</div>
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A few weeks ago I spotted a Facebook posting from The New Beverly Cinema about a Buster Keaton night. I came so close to not going, short notice, laziness, etc etc. but I even managed to drag my boyfriend along, and Im so glad I made it - I realized what was missing siting alone on the couch.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgRGCvj_qg2y20cpA0JD7V-BU06yQt64bheAcwKPkDbtmpmXVMIsU63uIohTkNEWdg-nb-Jr7wvx6Hc86xrrwLIfJAY1teWlL3OwEinawEMZG1x44FTUOrEN1NWV6DqTy3QGN4z7Mwd6JM/s1600/new+beverly.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgRGCvj_qg2y20cpA0JD7V-BU06yQt64bheAcwKPkDbtmpmXVMIsU63uIohTkNEWdg-nb-Jr7wvx6Hc86xrrwLIfJAY1teWlL3OwEinawEMZG1x44FTUOrEN1NWV6DqTy3QGN4z7Mwd6JM/s1600/new+beverly.jpg" /></a></div>
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The movie revolves around a poor tintype photographer who falls for a girl, Sally, who is a secretary in a news department. In an attempt to impress her, he trades in his junk camera for an even junkier motion film camera that he doesnt even know how to operate, and shows up at her job looking for work to be near her. Even after making a fool of himself in front of her entire office, Sally takes Buster's phone number and promises to call. (When she does call, Keaton runs down about 5 flights of stairs, and then a mile or two, and is in her lobby before she even realizes he's dropped the phone. Awesome scene). He is so happy to be on a date with her, but naturally everything that can go wrong does - he's broke, he gets squeezed off the trolley, his bathing suit doesnt fit, he loses his bathing suit all together, all the other guys along the way try to steal her away, aw man! - and the date ends with poor Buster being dropped off by a guy from her office who had picked them up on their way home. The next day, trying to help Buster, Sally gives him a tip of something possibly film worthy going on in Chinatown, but he messes that opportunity up as well, almost costs Sally her job, and vows to stay away. I won't spoil the hijinx that result in the end of the film, but it involves a monkey, a speedboat, chivalry, and sweet redemption. It's really some of Keaton's finest.<br />
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As soon as we arrived at the theater I got incredibly excited. We had to wait . . IN A LINE... for the box office to open to get tickets. I wonder if Keaton ever imagined that in 2012 there would be a line to get in to see his films, I hope he did. Young, old, black, white, everybody waiting anxiously to see a great film. It's really a happy occasion to see so many different backgrounds able to come together for a common interest. No matter what we think or do when we go home, for that one moment, we're all together, getting along, and really happy in each other's company. Keaton did that for us that day. Awesome.<br />
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The theater was almost full. The Beverly isn't a huge theater but it probably seats 150 or so. I was thinking "eh, this will be cool for a Sunday afternoon, pass some time with a good movie" not really understanding the enjoyment about to happen. The movie starts, and about 2 minutes in, as soon as we see Keaton fighting a crowd to be able to smell Sally's hair, the whole theater erupts in laughter. The 8 year olds behind us were laughing every bit as much as the 80 year olds in front of us, making us laugh even harder. By the time Keaton gets to go on his date, my boyfriend was laughing so hard i thought we might have to step out for a second.<br />
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For some reason, when you see movies with an audience, the emotions in the movie hit you harder. Sitting in the dark with popcorn in a room full of strangers, all laughing and booing at the same thing, really makes seeing a movie an experience. Especially at a venue not trying to squeeze every last cent out of you. I think modern films and theaters are kind of lacking in that department. The theaters are so big and expensive, the movies so overdone, you kind of lose that sense of community you get in a smaller theater with a film that doesn't rely on booze and fart jokes for a laugh. I can understand how back in the day going to a movie was a real event. Not just because it was all new to them, but because you felt a little more in touch with your fellow man at a good movie that had something to say, or could really make you laugh. That's what was missing from my couch.<br />
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I cannot wait to find more silents to see on the big screen.<br />
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WhatHappnd2Hollywoodhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03393105801347208067noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4149086106573911021.post-17065909188590179852012-09-24T12:56:00.001-07:002012-09-24T12:56:30.302-07:00Alternate #TCM Party sources this week:<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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<span style="background-color: black; color: white;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif;">Disclaimer: no one related to TCM is involved in these posts, my anti-virus approved these sites, the link worked at posting, the sites have their own disclaimers regarding copyrights, and some of these sites are pop-up supported and may contain mature content, always before the movie starts, so load the flick BEFORE curling up with the popcorn and kiddos. Happy viewing (and tweeting).</span>
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<span style="background-color: black; color: white; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif;">Safe sites will NEVER ask you to download anything. </span><br />
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<span style="background-color: black; color: white; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif;">Please see TCM.com for full schedules.</span></div>
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<span style="background-color: black; color: white;">TCMParty schedule for the week of September 24:</span></div>
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<span style="background-color: black; color: white;">Tues. 9/25 A Tree Grows In Brooklyn 7pm CST</span><br />
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<span style="background-color: black; color: white;"><a href="http://www.putlocker.ch/file/e0fdf6abb2c5598a51a688f76b869821/#">http://www.putlocker.ch/file/e0fdf6abb2c5598a51a688f76b869821/#</a>
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<span style="background-color: black; color: white;">Wed. 9/26 The Gift of Love 7pm CST</span></div>
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<span style="background-color: black; color: white;">Thur. 9/27 An Evening with Mack Sennett </span></div>
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<span style="color: white; font-family: Droid Sans; font-size: x-small;"><span style="background-color: black; line-height: 18px;">Fiddlesticks: <a href="http://youtu.be/b59ugoN9h8U"> http://youtu.be/b59ugoN9h8U</a> 10pm CST</span></span><br />
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<span style="background-color: black; font-family: 'Droid Sans'; font-size: 13px; line-height: 18px;"><span style="color: white;">Fri. 9/28 Support Your Local Sheriff! 7pm CST</span></span><br />
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<span style="background-color: black; line-height: 18px;"><span style="color: white; font-family: Droid Sans; font-size: x-small;"><a href="http://youtu.be/9N9pB9xsjvE">http://youtu.be/9N9pB9xsjvE</a> (the 4th video on the page is working)</span></span><br />
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WhatHappnd2Hollywoodhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03393105801347208067noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4149086106573911021.post-79598489154820251442012-09-20T22:43:00.001-07:002012-09-23T21:52:22.961-07:00You. You Know. You Know My Name ...<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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There are literally thousands of people that we see in the background of film history in dozens of movies but never really hear about. So many character actors and bit-players whose faces we recognize instantly, who make or break so many movies, that we struggle with when trying to recall their name. The <a href="http://paulascinemaclub.com/">What a Character blogathon</a> is dedicated to these folks who made the movies feel whole.</div>
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One of my favorite character actors is Victor Moore. He worked with everyone from George Cohan, <a href="http://gan.doubleclick.net/gan_click?lid=41000000029272154&pid=60816863&adurl=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.cafepress.com%2Fmf%2F12981466%2Fbob-hope-quote-gear_tshirt%3Fcmp%3Dpfc--f--us--106--60816863%26sourcecode%3Daffiliate%26pid%3D6673073%26utm_cp_signal%3D93&usg=AFHzDLvLQEEOuj1pBuvFHKpTLhW5s8BPPw&pubid=570245" rel="nofollow">Bob Hope </a>, and <a href="http://gan.doubleclick.net/gan_click?lid=41000000028505128&pid=WMS1091&adurl=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.wayfair.com%2FAquarius-Mae-West-Jigsaw-Puzzle-65184-L723-K~WMS1091.html&usg=AFHzDLs6kXgn5KuGw6oNExb-V9DufS0IwQ&pubid=570245" rel="nofollow">Mae West, </a> to Fred and Ginger and <a href="http://gan.doubleclick.net/gan_click?lid=41000000027963052&pid=02233997&adurl=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.spencersonline.com%2Fdetails%2Fproduct.aspx%3FProductAlias%3DSb-Marilyn-Monroe-Fleece-Throw%26CategoryAlias%3DLifestyle_Room-Decor_Home-Accessories_ver2010&usg=AFHzDLtzQHor39w4JOg9BLNcqgpVlQ8LOQ&pubid=570245" rel="nofollow">Marilyn Monroe</a>. Co-starring in over 50 films and 21 broadway productions, Moore had more background in stage acting than half his peers by the age of 30.</div>
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Born in New Jersey in 1876, Moore made his major stage debut in the presence of Barrymores (Ethel, to be exact) with 1896's Rosemary. A vaudeville actor from the late 1800's through the late 1920's with his first wife, Moore had always had a comedic slant in his performances. Even around major broadway productions he kept the stage act he'd nurtured since his teens. Arthur Hopkins recalled, “The timid Moore, who even in those days, was mostly hips, would waddle to the footlights and beseech the spotlight man in the gallery, as though reluctant to remind him, ‘Mister, hey, mister, spotlight, you know, mister, you know like we rehearsed—spotlight.’”<br />
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He was "discovered" and cast by George Cohan in 1906's 45 Minutes From Broadway and it's sequel The Talk of New York. Even though he'd already been on the stage for almost 30 years, these productions are considered his breakout performances. Just a few years later, he began his career in film, where 2 of his first 3 silent movies were directed by a little known up-and-comer, Cecil B Demille.</div>
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Cohan, Moore, and Miller</div>
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Moore, often typecast as the bumbling but well-meaning comedic relief, had numerous standouts in his 60 year career. On stage he is best known for Gershwin's Of Thee I Sing, and you can find his face in numerous classics like Swingtime, Ziegfeld Follies, and We're Not Married. </div>
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His major standout on film was 1937's Make way for Tomorrow, a really sad movie, where he was cast against type as the straight man, about an elderly couple and their self-absorbed children. Moore received overwhelmingly positive reviews, even winning over one of his greatest critics: Orson Welles once said he hated Victor Moore, calling him "A professional Irishman", but that in that film, he was "absolutely wonderful". Leo McCarey directed Make Way, and that year won an academy award for his other film The Awful Truth. When he accepted the best director trophy, he said "thank you, but you gave it to me for the wrong picture." Many critics feel Moore was also robbed of the best actor academy award that year (he wasn't even nominated); It went to Spencer Tracy for Captains Courageous, which many felt was a supporting role.</div>
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His oddest film appearance was as an animated cartoon character in the 1945 Daffy Duck short Aint That Ducky. It is said that Moore was so happy with the animated version of himself he offered to do the voice overs for free, provided that the animators gave him a little more hair.</div>
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Clip from "Tomorrow"</div>
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The film that brought Moore to my attention was Swingtime. His buffoonery paired with Astaire's charm is a match made in heaven in my book. The scene where he and Helen Broderick try to mimic Fred and Ginger makes me laugh so hard, Im not sure if there's a greater comedic moment in the whole film for him. But then there's the sandwich stealing. And packing Astaire's suitcase. Okay, I take it back, most of his scenes in Swingtime were pretty stellar.</div>
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Victor Moore and Helen Broderick - Swingtime</div>
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Moore's final film appearance was a cameo as the plumber in Seven Year Itch, and his final stage appearances were as Gramps in a 1953 revival of On Borrowed Time and as the Starkeeper in a 1957 revival of Carousel. He passed at the age of 86.</div>
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Im really kind of dissapointed in the internet on this one. I'm used to having to dig a little to find info on the not-so-huge folks from my favorite films, but it's as if Victor hardly existed out there. The man has a seriously impressive filmography, literally worked with everyone of note "before they were huge", he's got a star on the Blvd, and yet, after days of looking, the info in this post is all I could really find asides from mundane stuff, there's a building named for him in New York, had 3 kids, 2 wives - first one until her death, second was 40 yrs his junior until his death, yadda yadda. I learned a few things, which is the main reason I do this, but it feels kind of half-assed, or like an afterthought, which this guy (and so many others) shouldn't be! I might have to make a trip to the Heritage Museum to learn more (the folks that work there live and breathe classic hollywood, and they seem to have film history on lock) because now I'm even more curious about the guy. Thank you for the laughs, Mr. Moore!</div>
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WhatHappnd2Hollywoodhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03393105801347208067noreply@blogger.com7tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4149086106573911021.post-13304095224600584452012-09-06T23:39:00.000-07:002012-09-14T04:54:07.245-07:00An Unguided History of Universal's Backlot<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhlWYMOZHnCwsfAZ2fThvbN7f97i5i_yyV8zOTjUIxDUd89jMxFS6djnLHxYUtt33Q5jF8Qs5vKMO8cK15r1oDI5fbmyg24hpOKH4M4J7zxN6CJ746H9EeODiKsob-HwAiJgzxmKBIKOiA/s1600/1915welcome.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="241" mda="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhlWYMOZHnCwsfAZ2fThvbN7f97i5i_yyV8zOTjUIxDUd89jMxFS6djnLHxYUtt33Q5jF8Qs5vKMO8cK15r1oDI5fbmyg24hpOKH4M4J7zxN6CJ746H9EeODiKsob-HwAiJgzxmKBIKOiA/s320/1915welcome.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
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Front Gate, Circa 1915</div>
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Can I start this off by saying I really wanted to take the damn tour before I wrote this to have more than just what peers, books, and the internet have to go on? I hop on Universal's web site and am shocked. EIGHTY DOLLARS!?! I even tried to land a press pass through work but there's a huge waiting list, so I guess when I get in there sometime in Febuary Ill add a part 2 for a first-hand account. I was pretty saddened by the cost. I live literally less than 2 miles from the front gate. Are there no allowances for the people that have to finagle through the tourist traffic and live under the constant hum of sight seeing helicopters every single day? But I digress . . I know it's LA, I know it's a huge tourist stop, but not being able to take just the studio tour without paying full admission was a huge bummer. Seriously, 90% of the population here would have to choose between driving for a month or taking this tour, alone, in 100 degree weather. Pass.</div>
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In 1915, it was an apparently totally different scene. For a mere 5 cents (with inflation that about $1.20 today. sheesh) <a href="http://hollywood%20%28dvd%29%20%28google%20affiliate%20ad%29/" target="_blank">Carl Laemmle</a> would invite you to walk around the studio, sit on bleachers and learn about the history, see all the stars, bask in the awe that was being on a live set, and the 5 cents included a chicken boxed dinner. Oh, to have lived here in the early 20th century . . . You could even buy fresh fruit on the lot, since the vast majority of Los Angeles was orchards, and the studio itself was still fully operational farmland. Laemmle took great pride in showing off his pride and joy to the public, dubbing it "The World's Only Movie City!", making it an unforgettable and entertaining experience everyone could come and enjoy. This incarnation of the tour lasted until silents got the boot, officially ending in the early 1930s, as the background noise from passerby would have made filming talkies impossible. </div>
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Universal Studios, Circa 1915</div>
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One of my favorite stories about the backlots is a ghost story (it wouldn't be <a href="http://universalvintage%20hollywood%20ca%20framed%20tile%20%28google%20affiliate%20ad%29/" target="_blank">Hollywood</a> without a good ghost story!) that supposedly came to be on Universal's opening weekend. It spans decades -Many claim to have seen a man near <a href="http://www.blogger.com/ALFRED%20HITCHCOCK%20PRESENTS:SEASON%20ONE%20BY%20HITCHCOCK,ALFRED%20(DVD)%20[3%20DISCS]%20(Google%20Affiliate%20Ad)" target="_blank">Hitchcock's </a>Psycho house, in full aviator gear, stumbling around, giggling like a mad man, that just vanishes. Security guards, Studio staff, event staff, tourists, actors, all walks of life claim to have witnessed the "unnamed" pilot over the years.</div>
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Nicknamed "Uncle Carl" due to the number of family and friends he had on staff at the studio, Laemmle had apparently planned quite a party for the first public opening to the studios. Beautiful girls sprinkled guests in flower petals, cowboys and indians rode around the guests on horseback firing pistols into the air, Directors, actors and crew set up demonstrations of how movie-making worked behind the scenes... I wish I could have witnessed it then, it sounds like a serious party that only early Hollywood was capable of throwing. The first day went off without a hitch, even a reconstruction of a flood that washed 50,000 gallons of water over the backlot worked flawlessly. Three of the main events, a wild west show, the flood, and a bridge demolition are still features in the tour to this day.<br />
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Second day, not so much. Uncle Carl had hired famed Los Angeles pilot Frank Stites to re-enact a battle in the air for the public. High winds in the area had already postponed the show, and tensions were high as a stunt pilot had been killed earlier in the day in San Fransisco. Stites, assuming the title of "greatest aviator in the world" after the death of the man in San Fran, was supposed to detonate explosives by dropping payloads to the ground to blow up while performing arial dives and other stunts. Unfortunately, after an explosion, Stites lost control of the craft and either by jumping or being expelled from his plane, fell from the sky to land at the feet of observers, dead on impact. There is to this day a memorial on the lot for Stites, as it's a common held belief this is their giggling aviator.</div>
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While I am not sure where I stand on their recent attempt to have their neighbors pay for a makeover or what their hitting up the notoriously not-Beverly-Hills-earners means for their financial security in the future - the studio sent out mail to all of us that live in the vicinity asking for donations for a studio expansion/revitalization plan, touting the history of the studio, why it needs our donations and support, and how it intends to utilize dead space on their property and slowly devour Universal City, all while promising to provide "rich" job opportunities (that you'll have to know someone on the inside to acquire) and better entertainment (higher admission?-hope that means they'll finally be removing the Waterworld exhibit) - I hope they eventually learn to embrace more of their history in regards to the parks and tours they offer. </div>
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Numbers vary but it's estimated the studio averaged about 500 visitors a day every weekend for the 15 years it was open to the public in it's original vision. Everyone from <a href="http://rudolph%20valentino%20t-shirt%20%28google%20affiliate%20ad%29/" target="_blank">Valentino</a> to <a href="http://film%20cells%20usfc2420%20phantom%20of%20the%20opera%20lon%20chaney%20-%20special%20edition%20single%20%28google%20affiliate%20ad%29/" target="_blank">Lon Chaney</a> worked on these lots and glimpses of them could often be seen by fans in attendance. </div>
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Winter scene on the backlot</div>
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From Universal's first major production in 1913 (<a href="http://traffic%20in%20souls%20%28illustrated%20edition%29%20%28dodo%20press%29%20%28google%20affiliate%20ad%29/" target="_blank">Traffic in Souls)</a> to the full on theme park it's become today, it's one of the most visited sites in town and still holds a little air of movie magic, even today. It's one of only two studios that even bothers with a backlot, as computer imaging and filming on location has become more popular, so it really is a must see if you are on vacation and have the funds to do it. Guess I'll start a change jar and see what gets here first, admission for me and a friend, or my press pass date after the holidays. Either way, Universal is a really neat chunk of history nestled in the north hills.<br />
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You can learn more about the films and history of Universal <a href="http://www.journeysinclassicfilm.com/" target="_blank">right here</a> at Journeys in Classic Film's blogathon all week long! Hooray for Hollywood!<br />
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WhatHappnd2Hollywoodhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03393105801347208067noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4149086106573911021.post-5040576090888339632012-09-04T10:22:00.000-07:002012-09-04T15:45:22.335-07:007x7 Awards<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
I was tagged by <a href="http://classicmovieman.blogspot.com/" target="_blank">Classic Movie Man</a> (thank you!) for what seems to be a "tag-you're-it" sort of blog event where we nominate 7 blogs, then form a sort of an ice cream social with links to others so we can all get to know each other a little better. I'd never heard of this before, but it sounds like a neat idea, so here goes:<br />
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<b style="background-color: white; color: #444444; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 18px;">1.Tell everyone something that no one else knows about you.</b> </div>
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I will eat anything but seafood (its a texture thing). You remember that Life commercial "Give it to Mikey, he'll eat anything"? Thats me. It's to the point where my family asks if I'm pregnant just about any time we eat together. I can pack it away, and Im not very picky. I think it stems from my mom forcing me to try a variety of different things when I was young, and then life forcing me to get creative with ramen for a good chunk of my adult life. Im just hoping the high metabolism doesn't really hit a wall when you turn 30, or I'm in trouble. But seriously, are you gonna finish that?</div>
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<b style="background-color: white; color: #444444; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 18px;">2. Link to one of the posts that I think best fits the following categories:</b> </div>
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<b style="background-color: white; color: #444444; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 18px;"><span style="color: red;">a. Most beautiful piece:</span></b> </div>
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I didn't really know which to choose for this category since politically leaning classic film blogs aren't something I think of as "pretty", but decided on a piece that was out of love and admiration. I had a tough time choosing between the first blog entry I ever did about Chaplin, or<a href="http://whathappened2hollywood.blogspot.com/2012/06/peter-lorre.html" target="_blank"> this one</a> about Peter Lorre, but figured Chaplin gets a ton of attention already, and Lorre deserves it every bit as much.<br />
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<span style="background-color: white; color: red; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 18px;"><b>b. Most helpful piece:</b></span><span style="background-color: white; color: #444444; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 18px;"> </span><br />
<a href="http://whathappened2hollywood.blogspot.com/2012/05/best-7-bucks-youll-spend-in-hollywood.html" target="_blank">The Best 7 Bucks You'll Spend in Hollywood</a> pretty much describes what it says. Seriously, if you ever come to Hollywood, you can skip a good 75% of the over-priced tourist stuff (unless you just want the experience, then by all means) and go straight to the Hollywood Heritage Museum. Its in the actual Laskey-Demille barn and has more history packed into it's little frame than the 10 top film studios, museums, and tours put together. And you should really witness anything with a 7 dollar admission in LA first hand, it's gotta be one of the world wonders or something.</div>
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<b style="background-color: white; color: #444444; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 18px;"><span style="color: red;">c. Most popular piece:</span></b> </div>
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I should've expected this one, of course<a href="http://whathappened2hollywood.blogspot.com/2012/07/hollywood-sign.html" target="_blank"> our most famous landmark</a> is going to get the most hits. Im a small blog with a few devoted followers (that I love dearly), but this piece still gets monthly hits from all over the world. Which I just think is neat to be able to track with today's technology. Im enamored by the whole process.<br />
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<b style="background-color: white; color: red; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 18px;">d. Most controversial piece:</b>
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Admitting you aren't the biggest Monroe fan is close to suicide in the classic film world, apparently. I surprisingly got some not-so-nice personal messages on FB about <a href="http://whathappened2hollywood.blogspot.com/2012/08/what-makes-marilyn-so-special.html" target="_blank">this one</a>, "how dare you call your self a film fan" and "you obviously know nothing about movies", etc. I wasn't even as smarmy as I could've been, I tried to be polite as Im well aware she's the high priestess of Hollywood, but, no pleasing everyone I suppose. And no one answered my question, either (why is she so special?).</div>
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<b style="background-color: white; color: #444444; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 18px;"><span style="color: red;">e. Surprisingly successful piece:</span></b></div>
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The reaction to the piece about <a href="http://whathappened2hollywood.blogspot.com/2011/10/seeing-classics-on-big-screen.html" target="_blank">seeing old movies in theaters </a> was kind of surprising to me, as outside of Los Angeles I hadn't met too many people interested in attending. It's my 3rd most popular entry according to blogspot's stats, Im thinking it could be the content and not the topic though, It was about when I saw Bringing Up Baby at the Billy Wilder Theater. Suggestion for blogsot - maybe get a keyword tracker so we can know if its our wit and writing skill or just interest in a really good movie that has nothing to do with the writer's opinion.<br />
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<b style="background-color: white; color: #444444; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 18px;"><span style="color: red;">f. Most underrated piece:</span></b><span style="background-color: white; color: #444444; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 18px;"> </span>
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I started this out to be semi-political and try to discover where we went so horribly wrong in society, using movies as a clue to how we used to act and what we used to value. But it seems the movie fans would rather not dampen the mood by turning classics political (even though a ton of them had serious messages to pass on), and the political junkies would rather not mix entertainment with their migraines. To each their own. But <a href="http://whathappened2hollywood.blogspot.com/2012/05/how-money-ruined-venice-twice.html" target="_blank">this piece</a>, about how Venice Ca has been screwed repeatedly by the powers that be here in LA, I think, is kind of important.<br />
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<b style="background-color: white; color: #444444; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 18px;"><span style="color: red;">g. Most pride-worthy piece:</span></b></div>
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<a href="http://whathappened2hollywood.blogspot.com/2011/08/war-time-jamboree-wheres-our-national.html" target="_blank">This entry </a>is my personal favorite just because it took a while to research the info and compines my 3 favorite things, history, music, and politics. Its probably not the best written but I think it's the most informative, so, quantity over quality, I suppose. </div>
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<b style="background-color: white; color: #444444; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 18px;">3. Pass this award on to seven other blogs/bloggers:</b>
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These are in no particular order and if I've forgotten someone I am so very sorry. 7 is not very many and I hate having to choose as there are tons of great blogs, but these are the folks I currently frequent and learn from the most:</div>
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<a href="http://www.classicmoviehub.com/">http://www.classicmoviehub.com/</a>
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<a href="http://garbolaughs.wordpress.com/">http://garbolaughs.wordpress.com/</a>
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<a href="http://journeysinclassicfilm.com/">http://journeysinclassicfilm.com/</a>
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<a href="http://immortalephemera.com/blog/">http://immortalephemera.com/blog/</a>
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<a href="http://www.dvdinfatuation.com/">http://www.dvdinfatuation.com/</a>
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<a href="http://onceuponascreen.wordpress.com/">http://onceuponascreen.wordpress.com/</a> </div>
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<a href="http://classiccinemagold.com/">http://classiccinemagold.com/</a><br />
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Okay I couldn't stop at 7. Here's a few more folks I love:<br />
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<span style="background-color: white; font-family: 'times new roman', 'new york', times, serif; font-size: 16px;"><a href="http://classicmovieman.blogspot.com/">http://classicmovieman.blogspot.com</a></span>
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<a href="http://donalddevotees.tumblr.com/">http://donalddevotees.tumblr.com/</a>
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<a href="http://allanellenberger.com/">http://allanellenberger.com/</a>
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WhatHappnd2Hollywoodhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03393105801347208067noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4149086106573911021.post-15108404218189325042012-08-24T04:23:00.000-07:002012-08-24T04:23:33.390-07:00Paramount's Hundred Year Anniversary - Minus 50 years.<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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I am a little confused by the advertisements for the celebration of Paramount's 100 year anniversary.<br />
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<a href="http://www.cinemablend.com/new/Vanity-Fair-Presents-Paramount-Picture-Celebrating-100-Years-With-116-Stars-31364.html" target="_blank"><img border="0" height="186" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhMZB5z8MvJCw_S0-jyr1Z2xteUSqa06SxYqsOhkkm2SkLrZZtKUqCoPU3O7U1sM4aL6bU7VwGiy3K1yMG3xAFC6ZXzqMvHtFd_G4UUMj4e7Pxck68ftYBpAQxmT0w724sn28pmLmM9MMs/s400/paramount.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>
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<a href="http://www.cinemablend.com/new/Vanity-Fair-Presents-Paramount-Picture-Celebrating-100-Years-With-116-Stars-31364.html" target="_blank">©Paramount Pictures and © Vanity Fair</a> - <-Click for larger image</div>
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While I recognize a few faces from a bygone era there (Borgnine, Rooney, Douglas), in most of the events around town it seems the studio has all but omitted the first 50 years of their history. From films they are showing to the museum archive they plopped down at Hollywood Heritage (The original Lasky-Demille studio), none of the advertising has really any draw for classic film fans, which is sad, seeing as how the studio is one of the largest, oldest, and only one still operating from Hollywood.<br />
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Technically, Paramount was the Lasky's Player's Film Company until 1914. Their first employee was Cecil B Demille. Their first blockbuster hit (by today's standards) was 1921's The Sheik. 1927's Wings was the first film to ever win best picture. The studio's current location was built in 1917, but not procured by Paramount until 1926. While I'm sure this information is not lost on the marketing dept. at Paramount, I for one would think they would play on the amazingness (is that a word? It is now) of their meager beginnings to educate folks on the impressive amount of power this studio has acquired and held since the 1920s.<br />
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While doing research on this issue, I read that Paramount SOLD OFF most of their pre-1948 filmography to MCA (Which merged with Universal in 1958) for Tv-right profits in 1955. they kept a handful of silents and a few Sturges films, but apparently none of the studios thought these nitrate-based stocks were worth anything and those that weren't trashed or torched were left to rot in warehouses. Oh, the humanity.<br />
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On this poster there are only 9 films portrayed pre-1960 (you can find the whole list and bigger pic <a href="http://www.al.com/entertainment/index.ssf/2012/06/help_us_solve_the_paramount_10.html" target="_blank">here</a>). Is it the rights issue? Surely there could've been a deal worked out with Universal for this event. Or is it they think no one is interested in older films? It seems more and more of my peers are becoming interested in classic films due to the lack of substance in current releases. Someone's not paying attention.<br />
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What Paramount films and stars would you focus on for the celebration? The complete list of Paramount films is <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_Paramount_Pictures_films" target="_blank">HERE</a>. I would like to see more Pickford, Valentino, Hope, and Swanson, just off the top of my head. So strange that a city with so much important American history seems to have little interest in it's preservation. The movies are pretty much all we have left. time to start acting like it, Hollywood. <br />
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WhatHappnd2Hollywoodhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03393105801347208067noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4149086106573911021.post-41357794908577153212012-08-12T01:29:00.000-07:002012-08-12T03:11:36.712-07:00What Makes Marilyn so Special?<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
Please hold your tomato throwing, boos, and hisses until the end. Thank you.<br />
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Marilyn Monroe. There isn't much to be said that hasn't been already. Yes, she was beautiful. Yes, she certainly had "it". Yes, her story is tragic, mysterious, and star (and politician) studded. BUT, out of all the amazing talent in Hollywood in her heyday, why is she the number one person that made it out iconic? She is freakin everywhere. There are a million blogs, a million fan pages (google search, i dare ya), her picture is plastered all over town, people are still freaking out at auctions over her pictures and belongings (okay that part i kind of get), and a lot of the time to have any discussion with classic film fans about something other than Ms. Monroe is like pulling teeth. Sure there are plenty of Audry, Grace, and Liz fans, but they aren't on billboards on the metro. They don't plaster them up and down the boulevard. There hasn't been a "My Life with Deborah Kerr" movie made.<br />
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Is it the rags to riches story? She had a hell of a childhood, but, so did most of Old Hollywood, thats how they ended up here. Is it the drop dead beauty? She is stunning, but in my book not any more than Liz Taylor, Grace Kelly, or Cyd Charisse. The glamour? The people she knew? Because she was perpetually the child that needed protection and never got it? Or because she was the poster child of the Hollywood double life - rich and glamorous in public, poor and miserable in life . . . *sigh*<br />
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I've watched every movie I have available with her in it this week - Seven Year Itch, Some Like It Hot, Monkey Business, Gentlemen Prefer Blondes, and how To Marry a Millionaire, trying to figure out either A. what makes her such a huge deal today or B. why, unlike the vast majority of movie fans, do i not really enjoy her films.</div>
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I think a little of it is i find it hard to relate to the ditsy, breathy, hair twirling types. There were a lot of those then (hell there's a lot of those now), but I don't see anyone really freaking out about Judy Holliday or Jayne Mansfield these days. In most of her movies it seems like she was mainly cast as a piece of meat. Im not a bra burner but that whole "let me bend over slowly and pick your jaw up for you" routine is a major turn off. At least Harlow and West seemed smart. <br />
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Im not sure exactly what happened but somewhere between her earlier roles like Clash by Night and Dont Bother to Knock and her mid-career films her diction and way she carried herself totally changed. It seems by the time she got to Seven Year Itch, Hollywood magnified the ditsy sex kitten role so much it was almost unbearable to watch. She was decent in Clash. But it's like she gave up, kind of Peter Lorre style, and stopped fighting the typecast. Lorre once said something along the lines of "Id like to do other things but if that is the Lorre they want, I dont want to disappoint". Is that what happened? That's sad if it is.<br />
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<span style="background-color: white; text-align: left;"> Monroe in Clash By Night</span></div>
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Another part of it is how angry I am at the system and how they used her and made her life hell. I dont think she was stupid in real life but to hear Billy Wilder tell it she was a grade-A moron, he claims she'd get lost coming to work so much he had to hire a driver for her, and she couldn't remember simple lines. (I read somewhere he told her Tony Curtis looked better from behind in a skirt, which is just mean if its true). I also read somewhere that she was so self conscious on camera she would constantly freeze, miss marks, and forget whole scenes, and the studio execs would harass her until she got it right.<br />
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Something I do find really interesting about Marilyn is our governments handling of her demise. A lot of that has been circling this month, being the 50th anniversary of her death. Why WOULD the FBI need to black out her files if it was "just" a suicide? But again there were/are tons of weird deaths (Thelma Todd for one) in Hollywood. Aside from James Ellroy's stories, none have been as intensely looked at as hers.</div>
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I understand the allure when people die to soon like with James Dean or Jean Harlow. But it just seems out of everyone that left us too soon Monroe has gotten far more attention than anyone I can think of. I read somewhere that she really wanted to top Liz Taylor in magazine covers so I suppose, in a way, in longevity and popularity, Marilyn wins. </div>
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Maybe it's the combination of all the things I mentioned that makes her the face of Hollywood. I spend a lot of time on Hollywood Boulevard and get so bummed when people skip over Pickford or Jack Lemmon to stick their hands in Harry Potter's prints at Grauman's. No one skips over Marilyn though, that's for sure. Young, old, everyone knows who she is. I suppose I should just suck it up and be happy that kids at least know her, and hopefully learn more about the era from her. But I can't help but be just a little curious about why someone else isn't in her limelight.</div>
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Okay, you can throw things now.</div>
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<br /></div>WhatHappnd2Hollywoodhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03393105801347208067noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4149086106573911021.post-12577821403624422012-08-02T00:54:00.000-07:002012-08-02T01:25:07.330-07:00Silents and the Big Screen<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
I used to be bored to tears by silent films. Sad, I know, but it's true. Smooth into my early 20's even, I would try, because I at least realized a lot of them had historical significance, but would always seem to hit play, and then wake up when the end credits were rolling.<br />
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I'm not sure if it was hitting the wise, ripe age of 25 or what, but somewhere I developed different tastes in films than I had growing up. When I had TCM (oh how I miss you, please stream) they had a feature - probably still do- called Silent Sundays that would still be on Monday mornings while i was getting ready for work. And this weird movie, with any shot of money tinted gold, was on, and 3 hours later I was hooked, and super late for work.<br />
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Fast forward 5 years to now- I recently moved to Los Angeles, and holy crap the plethora of films you can see on the big screen here. After Greed I ran the gamut on silents, Demille, Griffith, Chaplin, Stroheim, if I could find it, i would watch it. But, as much as I enjoyed them at home alone on the couch, something was missing.<br />
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The Cameraman is now my favorite Keaton film. It's absolutely hilarious. Whenever Im bummed out, I find that scene of him in the dressing room at the Venice Plunge on youtube, and giggle away. This was the first film Keaton did with MGM, and the last film he made there where he had creative control. Hollywood thought it was completely lost, but in Paris in the late 60's, someone found the whole thing. Another copy was found in 91, and through the combination of the two, we get the whole film in near-perfect quality.<br />
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Filming the dressing room scene</div>
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A few weeks ago I spotted a Facebook posting from The New Beverly Cinema about a Buster Keaton night. I came so close to not going, short notice, laziness, etc etc. but I even managed to drag my boyfriend along, and Im so glad I made it - I realized what was missing siting alone on the couch.
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The movie revolves around a poor tintype photographer who falls for a girl, Sally, who is a secretary in a news department. In an attempt to impress her, he trades in his junk camera for an even junkier motion film camera that he doesnt even know how to operate, and shows up at her job looking for work to be near her. Even after making a fool of himself in front of her entire office, Sally takes Buster's phone number and promises to call. (When she does call, Keaton runs down about 5 flights of stairs, and then a mile or two, and is in her lobby before she even realizes he's dropped the phone. Awesome scene). He is so happy to be on a date with her, but naturally everything that can go wrong does - he's broke, he gets squeezed off the trolley, his bathing suit doesnt fit, he loses his bathing suit all together, all the other guys along the way try to steal her away, aw man! - and the date ends with poor Buster being dropped off by a guy from her office who had picked them up on their way home. The next day, trying to help Buster, Sally gives him a tip of something possibly film worthy going on in Chinatown, but he messes that opportunity up as well, almost costs Sally her job, and vows to stay away. I won't spoil the hijinx that result in the end of the film, but it involves a monkey, a speedboat, chivalry, and sweet redemption. It's really some of Keaton's finest.<br />
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As soon as we arrived at the theater I got incredibly excited. We had to wait . . IN A LINE... for the box office to open to get tickets. I wonder if Keaton ever imagined that in 2012 there would be a line to get in to see his films, I hope he did. Young, old, black, white, everybody waiting anxiously to see a great film. It's really a happy occasion to see so many different backgrounds able to come together for a common interest. No matter what we think or do when we go home, for that one moment, we're all together, getting along, and really happy in each other's company. Keaton did that for us that day. Awesome.<br />
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The theater was almost full. The Beverly isn't a huge theater but it probably seats 150 or so. I was thinking "eh, this will be cool for a Sunday afternoon, pass some time with a good movie" not really understanding the enjoyment about to happen. The movie starts, and about 2 minutes in, as soon as we see Keaton fighting a crowd to be able to smell Sally's hair, the whole theater erupts in laughter. The 8 year olds behind us were laughing every bit as much as the 80 year olds in front of us, making us laugh even harder. By the time Keaton gets to go on his date, my boyfriend was laughing so hard i thought we might have to step out for a second.<br />
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For some reason, when you see movies with an audience, the emotions in the movie hit you harder. Sitting in the dark with popcorn in a room full of strangers, all laughing and booing at the same thing, really makes seeing a movie an experience. Especially at a venue not trying to squeeze every last cent out of you. I think modern films and theaters are kind of lacking in that department. The theaters are so big and expensive, the movies so overdone, you kind of lose that sense of community you get in a smaller theater with a film that doesn't rely on booze and fart jokes for a laugh. I can understand how back in the day going to a movie was a real event. Not just because it was all new to them, but because you felt a little more in touch with your fellow man at a good movie that had something to say, or could really make you laugh. That's what was missing from my couch.<br />
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I cannot wait to find more silents to see on the big screen.<br />
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<br /></div>WhatHappnd2Hollywoodhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03393105801347208067noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4149086106573911021.post-41642090633894929072012-07-25T23:12:00.000-07:002012-07-26T05:44:15.609-07:00Where The Sidewalk Ends<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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Those eyes, that right hook, that penmanship! It could be no one else but Dana Andrews!<br />
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From The Ox-Bow Incident with Henry Fonda and Daisy Kenyon with Joan Crawford, to The Devil's Brigade with William Holden and The Last Tycoon with Robert DeNiro, Andrews has worked with just about everyone of note through a career that spanned over four decades. He is most recognized, however, for his string of noir films from the late 40's through the early 60s. One of my personal favorites from his filmography is Where The Sidewalk Ends.<br />
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Otto Preminger directed a number of gritty crime dramas for Fox in the late 40's including Laura, which like Sidewalk also starred Andrews and Gene Tierney. Although Laura received more critical acclaim, I personally prefer Sidewalk as it feels a little more realistic, a little deeper, and definitely grittier and less aimed at the movie-going mainstream. It feels more like a labor of love than a contractual obligation, if that makes sense.<br />
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A brief recap of the film - Andrews plays Detective Mark Dixon, the son of a two bit crook, who became a cop to put away hoods and clean up the streets. During an investigation Dixon accidentally kills Ken Paine, a suspect in a murder with ties to local gangsters. While trying to cover it up to save his own hide, Dixon makes a cab driver the prime suspect, who is Payne's father-in-law, and subsequently the father of the woman Dixon falls for. Dixon then tries to divert blame to local gangster Scalise while battling with the guilt of the crime he committed, "walking around half cop and half killer".<br />
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Andrews is perfect for roles where the character's sense of self preservation and conflicting morals need to ooze off the screen. I believe Andrews would be what you'd get if James Cagney and Buster Keaton had a child together. He can pull off the role of the sympathetic heavy, but like Keaton can own a scene with the bat of an eye. The scene in Sidewalk where he receives a phone call from his partner after just killing Paine where he's informed Paine is a war hero and shouldn't be harmed needs little, if any, words from Andrews' character. The range of emotions he goes through just from the look on his face makes very clear the internal conflict he's dealing with.<br />
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Preminger's direction subconsciously makes the viewer sympathetic to Dixon's troubles. In most of the scenes he is the outcast, standing on the outside of conversations, gatherings, always in the background a little, brooding, maybe battling his inner demons. Andrews has the kind of face that is perfect for this role. Again like Keaton, he is both cold and emotionless while simultaneously pitiful and the guy you want things to work out for.<br />
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While the film may not be as revered as Laura or other noir flicks from the period like Sunset Blvd or The Stranger, Where the Sidewalk Ends is a quick paced, entertaining look at the underbelly of 1940's Manhattan and how the best intentions can still land us in a mess. Although Andrews was pretty much typecast by this point, he plays the role well. Those big sympathetic eyes and square build make him almost made for the role of the well-meaning bad guy, or the flawed but sympathetic good guy, where ever you choose to file him.<br />
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Before I found this writing topic I couldn't have picked Dana Andrews out of a line up just by his name. It's weird because he's who I picture when I think of noir films - I think he's pretty much the poster child for the genre. I just never knew his name. A recognizable face and an actor in a ton of movies I love, I'm really glad I took the opportunity to learn more about him. He was one of the underdogs of Hollywood, a talented actor with a solid filmography, was all over the place for decades, but another star that you don't really hear about today.<br />
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<span style="background-color: black;"><span style="color: white;">You can learn tons more about Dana Andrews and his films from the blogathon happening at <a href="http://classicmovieman.blogspot.com/">http://classicmovieman.blogspot.com/</a>!</span></span></div>WhatHappnd2Hollywoodhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03393105801347208067noreply@blogger.com11tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4149086106573911021.post-55873064997619981602012-07-15T03:22:00.001-07:002012-07-25T23:26:45.019-07:00The Hollywood Sign<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
The Hollywood sign is celebrating it's 89th anniversary this month. I've tried 3 times to get up close and personal with it, the first time we were run off by what I think were park rangers, the second time there were helicopters flying overhead every 5 minutes, and the 3rd time, trying to be sneaky and come at it from the backside of the hills, I fell and busted my ass so bad I gave up on it. I guess you have to either be well connected or a ninja to get close. I am neither.<br />
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Out with the old - 1978</div>
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To most people, it's a symbol of the American dream, and a carryover from old Hollywood. To some it's the ultimate logo for crushed hopes, dashed dreams, and the darker side of the city. It's gone through many phases over the decades and was even almost removed, but it still looms over the city today just as it did when it was first built in 1923.<br />
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It used to say "Hollywoodland", and wasn't meant to be a cultural icon, it was meant to advertise new housing developments in the hills below. The owner of the development, HJ Whitley, had seen an uptick in traffic to the newly developed Whitley Heights neighborhood thanks to a large sign, so he decided he'd try the same marketing ploy again. It cost 21,000. to build, each letter was 30' x 50', and it was adorned with over 4000 light bulbs. It was only meant to stay up for a year, but obviously it outlasted it's expiration date.<br />
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The sign was lit until 1939. It would flash in 3 sections until the city deemed it too expensive and the neighbors below saw it as a traffic hazard and annoyance. In the 40's the Beachwood neighborhood hated it so much they petitioned the city to take it down, as it hadn't been kept up and was an eyesore amongst the million dollar homes adorning the hillside and below. In 1949 the Hollywood Chamber of Commerce repaired it and removed the "land". Faced with having to foot the bill for illuminating the sign, the city decided to not replace the bulbs.</div>
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In 1973 Gloria Swanson funded a complete rehab of the sign, but 5 years later due to termites, arsonists, and inclimate weather, it had fallen again into a state of disrepair. The city decided in 1978 that it would have to be completely rebuilt, this time costing 250,000. In August, after celebrity fundraising and sponsorship for the sign, the original was demolished and the hill sat empty for the first time in 50 years. The steel and concrete enforced replacement is erected in November to celebrate the city's 75th anniversary.</div>
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They've added a fence, a high tech security system, Angelenos have repeatedly had to petition to save the land around the sign from over-development (most notably, Hugh Hefner and the Save the Peak campaign - some idiot developer wanted to build luxury condos right behind it). It's been driven into, set on fire, jumped off of, petitioned for removal, and almost eradicated by bugs and natural causes, but unlike many historic monuments around town, this is one we apparently aren't willing to let die.</div>
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<br /></div>WhatHappnd2Hollywoodhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03393105801347208067noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4149086106573911021.post-5820781764971806302012-07-03T11:00:00.000-07:002012-07-25T23:27:14.708-07:00Being a classic film fanatic is kind of a bummer.<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
I don't watch a lot of new movies. Im also not particularly thrilled with how society conducts itself these days. In my head, I would like to think that growing up in the eras of not having to lock your doors, carry mace, or be bombarded with CGI infested advertisement 24/7 made life better and more fufilling. Maybe that's just wishful thinking, but these days everything from our entertainment to our government just seem empty and lifeless.<br />
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I watch old movies not just because the stories and acting are far superior to 90% of the crap the machine spits out today, but because it's a window into the fashions, mannerisms, and humanity of a bygone era. Knowing its a bygone era, makes it all the more depressing. You're not going to have a congressman filibustering congress for 2 days straight to save a boys camp and the accountability of our government today. You aren't going to see tyrants giving whole-hearted speeches about how we all need to be there for one another and not let the government make us slaves via wars they concoct from greed, and you certainly won't see wealthy crime bosses falling in love with an orphanage and risking their freedom to save it from tyranny. (points if you know what movies I'm talking about). Yeah, they are just movies. But where are those glimmers of hope for humanity in today's blockbusters? Not in Bridesmaids, or Twilight, or any of the watered down remakes they are putting out. Shouldnt one of the duties of the entertainment industry be enlightenment over brain dead scripts and computer trickery?</div>
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To top off the cultural differences of then and now, all our favorite stars have either passed on or are at deaths door. Andy Griffith died today, there's rumors around Hollywood that Joan Fontaine is not far off, and it just exacerbates that disconnected feeling when you look around and realize you are way more affected by what happens to Mickey Rooney than Seth Rogen.</div>
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I know I should be grateful that we had that wonderful era of political conscience and humanity in movies to look back upon (Greed, Metropolis, Grapes of Wrath, etc etc) but it kind of makes the present feel like it's missing something. Something big.</div>
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A lot of folks say its a lack of religion, but seriously, that is more in your face than ever. It seems it was more okay to be an atheist in the 20s than it now. Others say its maniacal greed and empowerment of corporations, and while yes it's intensified, its always been there. Someone wrote me a while ago and said what caused the problem was when men stopped wearing top hats and women stopped wearing gloves, it took away our politeness and class and respect. Maybe so. Or finally, maybe it's because when we were tending crops, building our own homes, and working, really working hard for ourselves and not faceless CEOs, we had something better to do aside from sit around, pick each other apart, and wish we'd been born 50 years ago.</div>
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I can't put my finger on it. I just know it bums me out that in such a short time we've changed so much, and not necessarily for the better. I feel like the man on the train in that Twilight Zone episode about that town called Willoughby, where time goes slower, people smile and say good morning . . . Would I prefer now to then if I'd actually lived it? Who knows.</div>WhatHappnd2Hollywoodhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03393105801347208067noreply@blogger.com310tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4149086106573911021.post-44455333440835510862012-06-29T01:33:00.000-07:002012-06-30T22:14:55.909-07:00Peter Lorre<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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<span style="background-color: black;"><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: 13.5pt;">It was Peter Lorre's
birthday Tuesday, so I had a Peter Lorre marathon at home and it just reminded
me how he was probably one of the finest actors from the 1930s, and also one of
the biggest wastes of talent in </span><st1:place><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: 13.5pt;">Hollywood</span></st1:place><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: 13.5pt;"> history. There was
too much tragedy to fit in one blog post, but I think I got the gist of it.</span><span style="font-size: 13.5pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<span style="background-color: black;"><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: 13.5pt;">"I came to </span><st1:state><st1:place><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: 13.5pt;">Berlin</span></st1:place></st1:state><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: 13.5pt;"> with ten borrowed
marks in my pocket, and I went to the theater. The manager told me to come in,
because he said I didn't look like an actor. He sent me over to see Brecht. We
talked for about half an hour and it was as if we had known each other for
twenty years. "You're not going to get that part," he told me. I felt
terrible. It was very Brechtian, really, because he waited a moment and then
said: "You're going to play the lead in another play I have." Deep
down in my heart, you see, I'm a Cinderella." </span><span style="font-size: 13.5pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<span style="background-color: black;"><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: 13.5pt;">- Peter Lorre
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<span style="background-color: black;"><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: 13.5pt;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-lDAQEpAO7fU/T-1mTvN2c1I/AAAAAAAAAfM/xpABVWp52xU/s1600/Peter+Lorre+as+a+BABY!!!.jpg" imageanchor="1"><span style="text-decoration: none;"></span></a>
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<span style="background-color: black;"><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: 13.5pt;">Lorre with mother,
Elvira</span><span style="font-size: 13.5pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<span style="background-color: black;"><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: 13.5pt;">Born
Ladislav Loewenstein in 1904 Lorre was on the stage by his late teens, against
the advice of his father who would've preferred a more lucrative
career for his son, like banking. Highly acclaimed theatrical
performances in </span><st1:state><st1:place><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: 13.5pt;">Berlin</span></st1:place></st1:state><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: 13.5pt;"> led
to his casting in his first talking picture, and the movie that catapulted him
into mainstream stardom, Fritz Lang's M.
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<span style="background-color: black;"><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: 13.5pt;"> Lorre
in Man Equals Man</span><span style="font-size: 13.5pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<span style="background-color: black;"><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: 13.5pt;">Upon
seeing Lorre's performance in M, Hitchcock cast him in "The Man Who Knew
too Much". Lorre spoke almost no english and spent every waking hour
learning the script phonetically, not wholly understanding what his lines meant
yet still managing to pull off a performance that, paired with the american
release of M, put him on Hollywood's a-list.Peter moved to California in 1933
upon the election of Hitler in Germany, and became an American citizen in 1941.
Soon after the move he was cast in "Mad Love" and the Mr Moto series
(which he hated), cementing Lorre's type as the sinister foreigner for most of
his career. Initially one of Warner Brothers main supporting actors, Lorre was
cast in huge blockbusters </span><st1:city><st1:place><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: 13.5pt;">Casablanca</span></st1:place></st1:city><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: 13.5pt;"> and
The Maltese Falcon, followed by numerous (9 in total) pairings with Sidney
Greenstreet. What you don't hear a lot about is how badly Lorre was
treated by the studios. He's no Judy Garland, but he had his fair share of
abuse. from the beginning, due to his naivety and not having a
good grasp on the english language, his contracts were considerably lower than
that of his costars, even though often he had the more recognizable name. he
tried to break free of the studio system by forming his own, Lorre Inc, in the
late 40s- but his poor business acumen led to its failure. He also
entrusted his earnings to an account manager who robbed him blind, leaving him
in dire financial straights throughout the 50s and 60s up to his death.
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<a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-lEAeEKspBlU/T-12ZUjteHI/AAAAAAAAAgc/QTffFI-VwGA/s1600/lorre+on+stage.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="background-color: black; margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-lEAeEKspBlU/T-12ZUjteHI/AAAAAAAAAgc/QTffFI-VwGA/s320/lorre+on+stage.jpg" width="238" /></a></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjxz0yRUNN7X2nTQW_gAPyjT1CweyF4WBzAbGv_JXECZlUyXbtThltWDkMRQoQy3lUL8bVRU73xwAb35enkLhBfbSZJ22OFnLntXcgIp_3lmePJ_Aa_ObpC0ScMKn_n_01iTAwHqlgvdEg/s1600/lorre+on+stage.jpg" imageanchor="1"><span style="text-decoration: none;"></span></a>
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Lorre on stage in Spring Awakening</span><span style="font-size: 13.5pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<span style="background-color: black;"><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: 13.5pt;">From
his late teens, Lorre developed a morphine addiction he managed to keep hidden
from just about everyone until, during the Mr Moto era, severe pain he'd dealt
with for years led to a botched gall bladder surgery and was prescribed the
drug, exacerbating his addiction struggle to an unmanageable degree
and taking a toll on his health. Its just a tragic story. You can't
help but fall in love with him a little even when he's playing psychopaths.
He had the same draw </span><st1:city><st1:place><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: 13.5pt;">Monroe</span></st1:place></st1:city><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: 13.5pt;"> did,
if he's in a shot you can't keep your eyes off him. If you watch his earlier
films like Face Behind the Mask, it's easy to see how badly </span><st1:city><st1:place><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: 13.5pt;">Hollywood</span></st1:place></st1:city><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: 13.5pt;"> blew
it for him with the Moto films and the later parodies of himself. Lorre
tried to return to the stage in the 50s and made his directorial debut in </span><st1:country-region><st1:place><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: 13.5pt;">Germany</span></st1:place></st1:country-region><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: 13.5pt;"> with
Der Verlorene (the Lost One) that bombed at the time, but due to his health and
appearance issues the only work he was offered from </span><st1:city><st1:place><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: 13.5pt;">Hollywood</span></st1:place></st1:city><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: 13.5pt;"> were
poking fun at his former typecast, B-horror films, and TV shows. he was happy
to be working, and had taken on the attitude that if that was the
Lorre people wanted he wouldnt disappoint - but he was constantly
depressed and felt he'd been wronged and forgotten by the studio system. </span> </span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjJmKPCD2SdeBojJ03lhg2Iq5VWJsighsraJKJStzFut_mONfL742OP0K9MOMAUyR8cTKSt7wFdN6IKVc1zUfRiEAvdV0Xk4MNGBy0Tpd57TdxNJWsRsZtbkSa3FwoXqeKmjKVsotQPdWU/s1600/lorre+happy.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="background-color: black; margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjJmKPCD2SdeBojJ03lhg2Iq5VWJsighsraJKJStzFut_mONfL742OP0K9MOMAUyR8cTKSt7wFdN6IKVc1zUfRiEAvdV0Xk4MNGBy0Tpd57TdxNJWsRsZtbkSa3FwoXqeKmjKVsotQPdWU/s320/lorre+happy.jpg" width="251" /></a></div>
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<span style="background-color: black;"><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: 13.5pt;"> </span><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-2H67OY7unCs/T-1mXl5O6hI/AAAAAAAAAfk/84EB5onF8TY/s1600/lorre+happy.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="font-family: inherit; font-size: 13.5pt;"><span style="text-decoration: none;"></span></a></span></div>
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<span style="background-color: black;"><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: 13.5pt;">From
M to Arsenic and Old Lace to his place in the history books as the first ever
Bond villain, you cant help but want things to have gone well for Peter
Lorre. In interviews he seems like a genuinely nice person. On film his
talent is unmatched. It's a shame it couldn't have worked out easier for
him, but at least now, like most great artists, he is getting the respect he
deserves after his death. </span><span style="font-size: 13.5pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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</div>WhatHappnd2Hollywoodhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03393105801347208067noreply@blogger.com7tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4149086106573911021.post-11265600934928443222012-06-20T23:01:00.000-07:002012-07-25T23:27:47.633-07:00Bullying - 1920's Style<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjtDI_3nfQ9BZbegt-lC_EpSnzSdzfeUZPjW-xUlQoKQT_POMuuITP2MhztMhtzjS2iFle7Y5s1S0_b-u-959LXwZS6AoxvaTM-duNLpTP3LW2VZ4yMXC14uqZHWEV8yTukEtFWAng1Rkw/s1600/val1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" dba="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjtDI_3nfQ9BZbegt-lC_EpSnzSdzfeUZPjW-xUlQoKQT_POMuuITP2MhztMhtzjS2iFle7Y5s1S0_b-u-959LXwZS6AoxvaTM-duNLpTP3LW2VZ4yMXC14uqZHWEV8yTukEtFWAng1Rkw/s1600/val1.jpg" /></a></div>
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Over the past year or so bullying has been a hot headline. It seems like opponents to social issues lately always talk about how they didn't have these "problems" in "their day", or use that thought as their reasoning behind their belief that sexual preference is a choice. When I get into conversations (which usually end up in arguments) with folks once they say they would never support someone taking part in an alternative lifestyle, i have to ask them, "So you don't watch Montgomery Clift? Or Stanwyck? Dietrich? Hudson?" <br />
<br />
<a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-LifZeNyfKGM/T6w0HuP_4AI/AAAAAAAAAYc/hiXaKyrvKfg/s1600/valwig.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; cssfloat: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" dba="true" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-LifZeNyfKGM/T6w0HuP_4AI/AAAAAAAAAYc/hiXaKyrvKfg/s1600/valwig.jpg" /></a>One thing most of us can agree on - Valentino was a beautiful man. at the height of his success in the late 1920's, women swooned, men were jealous, and, much like today, journalists would find any reason to put his name in an article to drum up publicity and make a quick buck. Often Valentino's masculinity was questioned in print. As one of the first mega stars, he was very concerned with his public image and was upset by the stories questioning his sexuality. Fairbanks was a "man's man", Valentino, while lusted after and adored by women, was seen as a threat to the "American male" with his feminine clothing, product in his hair, and soft mannerisms. The rumors got so wild in a Chicago Tribune article, blaming Valentino for the weakening of men nation wide, that in July of 1926 Valentino challenged the newspaper writer to a boxing match to prove he wasn't a "pink powder puff". Although the writer of that article didn't rise to the challenge Frank O'Neill of the New York Post did - and Valentino won the fight that took place on the roof of New York's Ambassador Hotel.</div>
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<a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-adlQcSrp--E/T6w0LJcS2RI/AAAAAAAAAYk/ErNgfNQVA5g/s1600/valboxing.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" dba="true" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-adlQcSrp--E/T6w0LJcS2RI/AAAAAAAAAYk/ErNgfNQVA5g/s1600/valboxing.jpg" /></a></div>
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About a month later, Valentino fell gravely ill. While the rumors continued to fly (He was poisoned by a jilted lover! stabbed by a jealous husband!) In reality Valentino had severe ulcers exacerbated by internal injuries from the fight, resulting in an abdominal tear. He had put off seeing a doctor for a few weeks between promoting his film and dealing with his recent divorce, and didn't seek help until he was found coughing up blood and doubled over in pain. After surgery and days of suffering, pleurisy set in and there was no longer hope of saving him.</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh8D4MfUovGXnzgQJuliG-e4zOGa_XwFl0gG_baQuo3pPRHMzSYKeko6w2a4jkhMZ6SLvsS5ZIHuytOrYMr3meX4_ODRh_9_dAFXtzhZVkvN7GxmuEWQKus7Grmol-2vxb5Vwkh4lq4I20/s1600/valcrypt.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" dba="true" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh8D4MfUovGXnzgQJuliG-e4zOGa_XwFl0gG_baQuo3pPRHMzSYKeko6w2a4jkhMZ6SLvsS5ZIHuytOrYMr3meX4_ODRh_9_dAFXtzhZVkvN7GxmuEWQKus7Grmol-2vxb5Vwkh4lq4I20/s320/valcrypt.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
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Without the fight to prove he was tough, his condition probably wouldn't have worsened as quickly and he might've lived. It's sad that what other people think holds so much weight over all of us, that people's opinions, no matter how closed minded, lead us to feel sometimes there's no other way to make the criticism and ridicule stop other than to do something drastic. Here we are, 100 years later, still dealing with these issues and it just makes me wonder, will we ever reach a point where we can just let each other be happy?</div>
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<a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-BBGfMsV1qI4/T6w0DGBBzvI/AAAAAAAAAYM/vJb0NaZK9GI/s1600/valentino.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" dba="true" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-BBGfMsV1qI4/T6w0DGBBzvI/AAAAAAAAAYM/vJb0NaZK9GI/s1600/valentino.jpg" /></a></div>
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</div>WhatHappnd2Hollywoodhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03393105801347208067noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4149086106573911021.post-60859197832871057232012-06-15T04:08:00.002-07:002012-06-15T04:10:04.692-07:00To Colorize, Or Not To Colorize. That is the Question . . .<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Orson Welles once said - "Keep Ted Turner and his goddamned crayolas away from my movies". </span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhIWYfuTzelWgP9f3PMBwzJ1uGhXLsllZXMilD-UGnZWUopN4OfM12Nsz5sxfLV2zVmXlUg706lkAUBqoOUaehT0E9nTGgs39r0QQlTkgQ6YEDlb5QFWAVtG_DTXBz4M7h-q39DCTX85Ic/s1600/she-1935-color-vs-black-white-728570.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhIWYfuTzelWgP9f3PMBwzJ1uGhXLsllZXMilD-UGnZWUopN4OfM12Nsz5sxfLV2zVmXlUg706lkAUBqoOUaehT0E9nTGgs39r0QQlTkgQ6YEDlb5QFWAVtG_DTXBz4M7h-q39DCTX85Ic/s320/she-1935-color-vs-black-white-728570.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
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1935's She</div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"> People are pretty evenly divided on this issue, and firm in their beliefs. On one hand, some folks view colorizing old films as blasphemy, as a ruination of the director's vision, and desecrating works of art. On the other hand, some people believe it exposes great films to a generation otherwise uninterested due primarily to a lack of the color they've been bombarded with since birth.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">As an 80's kid, I can see where both sides are coming from. I absolutely worship classic film, black and white doesn't bother me at all, or sepia, or that funky blue when they filmed night scenes outdoors in broad daylight... But as I've learned from trying to have these discussions with my peers, I'm in a serious minority in my love of old movies.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">We've all heard someone say it "oh, if its black and white I wont watch it". Frustrating in it's narrow-mindedness, it is unfortunately a common phrase uttered from film watchers under 40. So - if a company re-issues a colorized version of a classic, is it really such a bad thing if it garners new fans of the time period? And, if someone falls in love with a film, and then moves on to view whomever's entire catalog, colorized or not, is it really such a bad thing? And if the directors had had the option to film in color in the 20s or 30s, would they have always chosen black and white?</span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjvvDaMzgbXQwnfb_5H7LFScCC_d7GvsXVolRvv75qHk8DtZLM7MOsQhIpAupCdxhNW82gd7ufOkUlr1GLiS5mfh9aYQrW6oy-q6Kut59sI8xhTXpOJhnbVPQm8RQZknSzWdNGtxfJWLtc/s1600/stewart.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="124" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjvvDaMzgbXQwnfb_5H7LFScCC_d7GvsXVolRvv75qHk8DtZLM7MOsQhIpAupCdxhNW82gd7ufOkUlr1GLiS5mfh9aYQrW6oy-q6Kut59sI8xhTXpOJhnbVPQm8RQZknSzWdNGtxfJWLtc/s320/stewart.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
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Its A Wonderful Life</div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">When Ted Turner acquired the vast majority of films from MGM (including numerous UA and RKO films), Hollywood and film lovers alike banded together to fight his restoration project, claiming he was trampling artistic freedoms and obliterating America's heritage. Reagan and Congress passed the National Film Preservation Act in 1988 to enter the most important works into an archive, unaltered, to preserve our history and protect the films from permanent re-issue editing.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">But is it really such a bad thing? While I'm a firm believer the original versions (and pre-code versions, if available) should be in constant rotation, is it so wrong to also show color versions to bring in a larger audience? I would love to have that job, not just because I'm so interested in film history but because I'd feel a lot better knowing someone who truly loves the films is in charge of the edits. Also, technology has come a long way since the 80's, so the color process doesn't make them look so horrible. A good example of what doesn't make a good finished project:</span><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgG1iOsO2vEeZYvfqEyZnFdFeAeIh4gxPX3zMne1KzjltqklsMt3qBW7IjlhLBSrJcS1wtFJ6lcZRSYZo4ADzh8DmoMnagrPTT9uIV4LKSq8AT7AfrSpdpjDPd1oNDo94I3H2quZsrKhBo/s1600/casablanca.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgG1iOsO2vEeZYvfqEyZnFdFeAeIh4gxPX3zMne1KzjltqklsMt3qBW7IjlhLBSrJcS1wtFJ6lcZRSYZo4ADzh8DmoMnagrPTT9uIV4LKSq8AT7AfrSpdpjDPd1oNDo94I3H2quZsrKhBo/s1600/casablanca.jpg" /></a></div>
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Casablanca - Old Color Process</div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">A lot of folks also tie in reformatting with colorizing. They are 2 very different things. I'm sure we've all seen the clip on TCM about "pan and scan", I can see where the problem is with that, they are completely omitting pieces of scenes. I'd chain myself to the studio doors in protest if I created a movie and they just lopped off half the frame throughout the whole film. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Maybe I'm not enough of a purist, but coloring as an alternative, not a replacement, doesn't bother me. </span></div>
</div>WhatHappnd2Hollywoodhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03393105801347208067noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4149086106573911021.post-52157748570096013172012-06-11T18:12:00.002-07:002012-06-15T04:10:04.689-07:00My Happy Place<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
Everybody has that one place they go for peace and quiet, to clear their head, wake up, what have you. This is mine:<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhHvgPnEYMHXpWTOkc3dxWuTH8IGTYzV5Pj7jI25bshFPVfFtqVu24tN-0AXrEgftKoJaId4uqP5FRyO3ixQ7i0qJvwVosJUAHPzNPNuRRSWZvBVMD5y7MMxoqYxFQUZdjHPtKevbcxuY4/s1600/IMG_20120508_064620.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" fba="true" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhHvgPnEYMHXpWTOkc3dxWuTH8IGTYzV5Pj7jI25bshFPVfFtqVu24tN-0AXrEgftKoJaId4uqP5FRyO3ixQ7i0qJvwVosJUAHPzNPNuRRSWZvBVMD5y7MMxoqYxFQUZdjHPtKevbcxuY4/s400/IMG_20120508_064620.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>
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You don't often see Grauman's COMPLETELY empty so that little window of time from when the sun starts to rise and before 8am seems almost magical.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhYusrfSiTJTJtyuo3aByoOKB9sd7Z7W8Q3OEXeagEaqS5JCGv4N01OF5AZo3EXnQd0UWz8pu_5aNJThopwBCubkIHMb4NJbGVqqxrlPSJXGYs9AAZK1lEllngwGNY68HH5_I2sq_bgqJ4/s1600/early+blvd" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" fba="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhYusrfSiTJTJtyuo3aByoOKB9sd7Z7W8Q3OEXeagEaqS5JCGv4N01OF5AZo3EXnQd0UWz8pu_5aNJThopwBCubkIHMb4NJbGVqqxrlPSJXGYs9AAZK1lEllngwGNY68HH5_I2sq_bgqJ4/s1600/early+blvd" /></a></div>
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(pic from dearoldhollywood.com )</div>
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Just me, coffee and cigarettes, and a bunch of little bookmarks in time of where someone amazing stood for one minute at some point. Also at this time of day all the shops lining the blvd. have their gates rolled down and on them are painted the faces of Hollywood past. </div>
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No tourists, no cars, nobody chasing you down trying to sell you a souvenir or tour of the hills, just a few straggling locals heading to school or work, and, if you cock your head just right, no glimpse of modern day Hollywood. Best thing ever.</div>
</div>WhatHappnd2Hollywoodhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03393105801347208067noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4149086106573911021.post-86077128490111264082012-06-02T02:14:00.004-07:002012-06-15T04:10:22.686-07:00Still fighting for Hollywood - Mary Pickford<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
Ms. Pickford's been in Los Angeles news a lot lately. First West Hollywood gave the go-ahead for CIM corporation to tear down her first studio, The Motion Picture and TV Fund Nursing Home almost went under, and now the Pickford Film Institute has been entirely defunded.<br />
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The "American sweetheart" was pretty much unstoppable after DW Griffith gave her her first film role in 1909. Acting in 51 films that year, by 1912 she was the most famous actress in the world. She was also one of the first women to write, direct, and produce films. She may have played the virginal, sweet faced innocent on the screen, but she was a razor-sharp buisnesswoman who pretty much ran the industry in the early 1900's. The fact that she almost single handedly built this town via her philanthropy and job-creating projects leaves me scratching my head a little when I think about how the city seems to have forgotten what she did for this place. You would think especially Hollywood would better preserve the legacy left behind by the first mega stars that paved the way for just about everyone here. Her name is on numerous buildings but most people you ask have no clue who she was, and to me that shows that something is seriously lacking here. I read a story the other day that they are planning a biopic about her - what took so long?</div>
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I wasn't here when Pickfair was demolished (the HORROR!) but it makes me wonder what will be deemed unnecessary to keep in the future. is Musso and Franks next? Graumans is owned partially by the same company that just demolished Pickford-Fairbanks Studios, is it next to go? The Roosevelt? Or what about those beautiful theaters downtown, half of which are sitting empty - will the United Artists building be next to come down?</div>
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The saddest thing about the Pickford Institute's defunding is that it was the last bastion formally paying homage to Pickford both by keeping her story alive and by continuing her charity to the community by providing film classes and history lessons to kids, and offering grants for schooling. I get a little angry when I think how they've torn down her home, her studio, parted out United Artists, ruined the health care program she set up for the industry, and are now letting the education programs go, for what? To bump a politician's salary? To build ugly modern buildings on sites where Hollywood was literally born? And where are all the stars that wouldn't have had the glitz and glamour to be drawn to if not for her and the greats from her era? She wouldn't have let them be forgotten or eradicated from the history books.</div>
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To me, Pickford is one of the most important figures in Hollywood's history. Even today it's still a boys club and to accomplish what she did over 100 years ago is both impressive and fascinating. What can we do to ensure future generations learn about her and the other important players from her era? It seems this city is so interested in making and hoarding money it's forgotten it has to massage it's roots every now and then or it's surely going to wither and die. And I don't mean they need to pump out more remakes. They need to remember what made the movies an institution to begin with, and go from there.</div>
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You can sign the petition to try to keep the institute going here:</div>
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<a href="http://www.marypickford.com/">http://www.marypickford.com/</a></div>
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<br /></div>WhatHappnd2Hollywoodhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03393105801347208067noreply@blogger.com7tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4149086106573911021.post-34452495034249984822012-05-31T23:14:00.000-07:002012-05-31T23:14:00.564-07:00How money ruined Venice . . . twice.<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
From 1911 through the 1940s Venice Ca was a prime tourist destination. The Kinney Pier had the largest ferris wheel in the state and was a magnificent amusement park, the Venice Plunge was where early Los Angeles elite went for water polo and socializing in hot salt water pools (seen in Keaton's The Cameraman), Chaplin filmed his first short on Windward Ave, and tourists and locals alike flocked to the resort town for it's pristine water, miles of canals, perfect waves, and ideal fishing.<br />
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<a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-xc04UFO7xnA/T8hcMY4PLJI/AAAAAAAAAZ4/KxFIUhgHVuo/s1600/Chaplin+venice.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" rba="true" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-xc04UFO7xnA/T8hcMY4PLJI/AAAAAAAAAZ4/KxFIUhgHVuo/s1600/Chaplin+venice.jpg" /></a>Chaplin - Kid Auto Races At Venice</div>
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By the end of the 1920s Los Angeles was developing into a major metropolitan area. With yearly population booms doubling the population from people searching for oil, gold, or fame, the city limits were quickly expanding and devouring the unique neighborhoods that surrounded the original downtown area. Other amusement parks were springing up, including the original incarnation of what is now Disneyland. At the time Venice's long time mayor Abbot Kinney had passed away, leaving Venice in a political deadlock over how to run the city and if Venice should be annexed to the city of Los Angeles.</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEitJHQFYpZmXr2_XBJEmuonIzqFfbucxYQCpw7osdm3GUYtchNlw3mzeHixdci90JzwOW4JE0frlQrqnh3Ol572Q9BAm18JceUkc49Qkh91IQ2iu_q1Q4N1IDx61xmPSN72rtofUChmuG4/s1600/venice1920.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" rba="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEitJHQFYpZmXr2_XBJEmuonIzqFfbucxYQCpw7osdm3GUYtchNlw3mzeHixdci90JzwOW4JE0frlQrqnh3Ol572Q9BAm18JceUkc49Qkh91IQ2iu_q1Q4N1IDx61xmPSN72rtofUChmuG4/s1600/venice1920.jpg" /></a>Canal and Pier, 1930s</div>
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Venice residents had believed that when Los Angeles took over they would receive the funding needed to update its amusements, resorts, and deteriorating streets and have a generally improved quality of life. As soon as Venice was taken over by the city, Los Angeles paved over most of the canals that made it so unique, attempted to close the parks (unsuccessfully until 1946, when the contracts expired) so as not to compete with it's own attractions, and pretty much laid the city to waste for 3 decades, polluting what was left of the canals drilling for oil, and allotting absolutely nothing to the upkeep of the city. Los Angeles' greed single handedly turned one of the greatest destinations in southern California to a slum by the sea. Out of this slum the residents created one of the most unique places on earth.</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhSLXkMi0xw3Qy-nWOjxUc5z3C5V4_RPf-iHdifYZO_DGZxeSgm1QiMDWWN8MEb3ZC74xzpLaLQ_mil8O3YjjjCQo9eRDgEDYj7i3Pu56HQOC0JA4QXn4utW6MlQlQSo62pMEgQ77hLKV4/s1600/doors.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" rba="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhSLXkMi0xw3Qy-nWOjxUc5z3C5V4_RPf-iHdifYZO_DGZxeSgm1QiMDWWN8MEb3ZC74xzpLaLQ_mil8O3YjjjCQo9eRDgEDYj7i3Pu56HQOC0JA4QXn4utW6MlQlQSo62pMEgQ77hLKV4/s1600/doors.jpg" /></a>The Doors - Venice residents in the 60s</div>
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In present day Los Angeles, it seems the uber-rich find a unique part of town, gentrify it (aka make it boring, beige, and overpriced), remove and price out the people and places that made it unique to begin with, pave mom and pop shops over with Starbucks and McDonald's, get bored, and then leave it to rot as they take over another neighborhood. Echo Park, Culver City, Mar Vista, Hollywood, were all like different planets from each other. Now, they are all starting to look the same. This is what is happening to Venice. They even shut down all the music shops and arcades because they draw "undesirables".</div>
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Still the best place to people watch, Venice is one of the most interesting places you will ever go. Its a living breathing freak show 24/7, with a large homeless population of street performers and artists and local shops and some serious local pride, what was once the last affordable ocean front town where folks who weren't millionaires could live has now turned into one of the priciest zip codes in town. There is an ongoing war between the people who's families have lived there for decades - the artists, ex-hippies, writers, musicians, skaters, etc. - and the trust fund 30-somethings who have recently moved in wanting to turn it into Beverly Hills II. Recently they've been tearing down the beautiful Victorian homes and bungalows replacing them with modern, designer homes, passing laws making street performances illegal unless you have pricey permits, putting stipulations on selling homemade art which is these people's life blood, have turned Abbot Kinney St. into one big corporate strip mall, and are amping up police presence to harass and remove the people that made it appealing to them in the first place.</div>
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Why can't there be a happy medium? Why does it either have to be completely ruined to keep the rich from taking over, or absurdly high end to keep the poor out? Its getting to be where there is no room for the middle man in this city, which is a shame.</div>WhatHappnd2Hollywoodhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03393105801347208067noreply@blogger.com0