Mary Mallory / Hollywood Heights: Cecil B. DeMille – Big Man on Campus

Posted on January 30, 2017 by lmharnisch

 

Sept. 8, 1956, Cecil B. DeMille
Cecil B. DeMille meets students who will attend DeMille Junior High School, Long Beach Press-Telegram, Sept. 9, 1956.


Schools are often named after historic or famous figures that offer inspiration, hope, and good examples to students of that neighborhood or district. While many buildings are named after Presidents, authors, inventors, and the like, sometimes world famous film folk like Cecil B. DeMille are honored as well. In the 1950s, two Southern California schools were named after the legendary director at the peak of his popularity.

In 1955 Long Beach, California required a new junior high for its expanding district. After much consideration, school Supt. Douglas Newcomb announced on January 3, 1955, that they would honor both the motion picture industry, the largest Southern California industry, and the great director by naming their new school the Cecil B. DeMille Junior High School. It would be located on land they hoped to acquire from the city of Long Beach.

Hollywood at Play, by Donovan Brandt, Mary Mallory and Stephen X. Sylvester goes on sale Feb. 1.

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Posted in 1956, 1959, Architecture, Education, Film, Hollywood, Hollywood Heights, Mary Mallory | Tagged , , , , , , , , | 1 Comment

Eve Golden’s YouTube Theater: Castles on the Air

Posted on January 24, 2017 by lmharnisch

 

Vernon and Irene Castle
Eve Golden’s biography of Vernon and Irene Castle.

I am operating on the assumption that none of you have read my 2007 biography of Vernon and Irene Castle—that book laid an ostrich-sized egg. Three dogs and a cat bought it, and I think the cat returned it.

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Posted in 1915, Books and Authors, Dance, Eve Golden, Film, Hollywood | Tagged , , , , , | 6 Comments

Movieland Mystery Photo (Updated + + + +)

Posted on January 23, 2017 by lmharnisch

Jan. 28, 2017, Mystery Movie
This week’s mystery movie has been the 1951 Twentieth Century-Fox film “Fixed Bayonets!” with Richard Basehart, Gene Evans, Michael O’Shea, Richard Hylton, Craig Hill and Skip Homeier.

The film was written and directed by Samuel Fuller  from a novel by John Brophy. It was photographed by Lucien Ballard, with music by Roy Webb, art direction by Lyle Wheeler and George Patrick, set decoration by Thomas Little and Fred J. Rode, wardrobe by Charles LeMaire, musical direction by Lionel Newman, makeup by Ben Nye, special photographic effects by Ray Kellogg and sound by Eugene Grossman and Harry M. Leonard. The technical advisor was Capt. Raymond Harvey a Medal of Honor recipient. It was produced by Jules Buck.

“Fixed Bayonets!” is available on DVD and Blu-ray from Amazon.

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Posted in Film, Hollywood, Mystery Photo | Tagged , , | 50 Comments

Mary Mallory / Hollywood Heights: S.H. Woodruff and the Electrical Adobe House

Posted on January 23, 2017 by lmharnisch

An artist's concept of the electrical adobe house
A drawing of the electrical adobe home, Journal of Electricity, Jan. 15, 1921.


Real estate brokers often look for a unique hook or gimmick on which to sell their developments. Any special amenity or feature which can grab headlines and attract the attention of serious buyers, such as a giant electric advertising sign or exclusive, high-end features, is dreamed up.

S.H. (Sidney H.) Woodruff reigns as one of the early Los Angeles masters of ballyhoo, perhaps most well known for his involvement with, and perhaps conception of, the creation of one of the world’s largest electrified advertising signs spelling out the name of the Hollywoodland development in 1923. Woodruff dreamed up fanciful gimmicks promoting his real estate schemes, some of them leading to legal troubles.

Hollywood at Play, by Donovan Brandt, Mary Mallory and Stephen X. Sylvester goes on sale Feb. 1.

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Posted in Architecture, Hollywood, Hollywood Heights, Mary Mallory | Tagged , , , , , , | 1 Comment

Musical-Political Theater by the Tucson Symphony in the Time of Trump

Posted on January 21, 2017 by lmharnisch

Markus Huber

Tucson Symphony Orchestra guest conductor Markus Huber. Photo by René Achenbach.

Note: This has nothing to do with Los Angeles or with history – except perhaps my own history as onetime classical music critic of the Arizona Daily Star. Feel free to ignore it.

No one involved in selecting the Tucson Symphony Orchestra’s 2016-17 season could have realized that Johannes Brahms’ “A German Requiem” and Arnold Schoenberg’s “A Survivor From Warsaw” would be performed on the inauguration day of President Donald J. Trump and certainly no one anticipated its underlying political commentary. It’s quite likely that even Friday night’s audience at the Tucson Community Center Music Hall (and evidently the local press) did not fully appreciate the concert’s political overtones. Continue reading →

Posted in Music | Tagged , , , , , | 3 Comments

Eve Golden’s YouTube Theater: Meine damen und herren, Viktor und Viktoria!

Posted on January 17, 2017 by lmharnisch

 

image
Renate Müller in Viktor und Viktoria.

I have never been a big Blake Edwards fan. The one time I encountered him he was very unpleasant, and even before that I’d never cared for most of his films—I feel his idea of “sophisticated” was less “Ritz-Carlton” and more “Ritz Brothers.” So his Victor/Victoria failed to impress me. For one thing, Mrs. Edwards—Julie Andrews—was 25 years too old for the part, and would have been miscast in it even when she was young. (I am going to be stoned to death for this, but you know who I think would have made a fabulous Victor/Victoria in 1982? Madonna! Go ahead, come at me with your stones.)

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Posted in Eve Golden, Film, Hollywood | Tagged , , , , | 7 Comments

Movieland Mystery Photo (Updated + + + +)

Posted on January 16, 2017 by lmharnisch

Jan. 21, 2017, Mystery Photo
This week’s mystery movie has been the 1965 film “Chimes at Midnight.” It is available from the Criterion collection on DVD and Blu-ray, and also released in bargain versions sold at Wal-Mart.

By all means read E. Yarber’s insightful daily comments on Orson Welles’ “Chimes,” which I have been reading all week and are now public. Yarber also offered extended commentary on Roger Corman’s “A Bucket of Blood” last August and I salute anyone who is equally at home discussing Welles and Corman.

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Posted in Film, Hollywood, Mystery Photo | Tagged , , | 91 Comments

Mary Mallory / Hollywood Heights: Hollywood Sign Built and Illuminated November-December 1923

Posted on January 16, 2017 by lmharnisch

1923_1208_evening_herald_hollywood_sign

The Hollywoodland Sign, in a photo published in the Los Angeles Evening Herald, Dec. 8, 1923.


Originally constructed as a publicity gimmick and branding symbol to help generate sales for a real estate development, the Hollywood Sign is now a worldwide icon just as powerful as Big Ben, the Eiffel Tower, and the Statue of Liberty, signifying a land of glamour and opportunity. Myths have always existed about it, from the date of its construction to how the city of Hollywood obtained it. After in-depth research by both historian Bruce Torrence and myself, we can conclusively say the sign was constructed in late November and early December 1923, and illuminated in that first week of December.

Like me, a California transplant involved in history, research, and writing since I was child, Torrence has always been fascinated by Hollywood history, perhaps because his two famous grandfathers contributed much to it. His paternal grandfather, Ernest Torrence, starred in many classic silent films such as “Steamboat Bill Jr.” and “Peter Pan” after a successful career as an opera singer. His maternal grandfather C. E. Toberman could be called the builder of Hollywood for his construction of so many iconic structures around Hollywood Boulevard. Bruce began a photo collection of Hollywood in 1972 with thirty photographs, which has blossomed into thousands. He employed these photos in writing one of Hollywood’s first detailed history books in 1979 called “Hollywood: The First 100 Years.”
Hollywood at Play: The Lives of the Stars Between Takes, by Stephen X. Sylvester, Mary Mallory and Donovan Brandt, goes on sale Feb. 1, 2017.

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Posted in 1923, Architecture, Film, Hollywood, Hollywood Heights, Mary Mallory | Tagged , , , , , , | 4 Comments

Black Dahlia: Today is Jan. 15 — Trim Your Roses

Posted on January 15, 2017 by lmharnisch

Today is Jan. 15, and the Daily Mirror marks the anniversary of Elizabeth Short’s death by pruning back the roses.

Posted in 1947, Black Dahlia, Cold Cases | Tagged , , | 2 Comments

Black Dahlia: ‘Severed’ Author John Gilmore Dead at 81 (Updated)

Posted on January 12, 2017 by lmharnisch

Jan. 12, 2017, Black Dahlia
John Gilmore is dead? Really?

Hidden in yet another rehash of the Black Dahlia case for the 70th anniversary of Elizabeth Short’s killing is word from Tony Mostrom in L.A. Weekly that “Severed” author John Gilmore died in October.

This tantalizing tidbit comes from the blog “Immortal Marilyn” and has been picked up by the notoriously inaccurate Wikipedia, so I am treading carefully until I can get reliable confirmation. John Gilmore’s website has no information on his purported death. Bethshort.com, which used to be closely affiliated with Gilmore and unleashed his collection of gruesome body pictures on the internet, is happily deceased and the domain is for sale for $2,000 if anybody wants it that badly.

All I will say for now is that “Severed,” Gilmore’s opus on the Black Dahlia case, is 25% mistakes and 50% fiction. And if Gilmore is really dead, boy do I have some stories for you.

Maybe we will finally find out whether he had a copy of Elizabeth Short’s autopsy, which he always claimed, but would never show anyone. In typical Gilmore fashion.

Updated at 4:45 p.m., Jan. 12, 2017.

Multiple sources have confirmed the death of John Gilmore on Oct. 13, 2016, from leukemia. He was 81.

Posted in 1947, 2016, Black Dahlia, Books and Authors, Cold Cases, LAPD, Obituaries | Tagged , , , , | 9 Comments

Black Dahlia: The Brits Get It Wrong (Again)

Posted on January 11, 2017 by lmharnisch

 

Jan. 11, 2017, Black Dahlia
Remember what I said Monday about the Brits having a huge appetite for gruesome crimes but a distaste for the facts?  Here we have an even better example, from the Sun.

I won’t critique the entire article (why bother) but this was particularly amusing.
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Posted in 1947, Black Dahlia, Cold Cases, LAPD | Tagged , , , | 4 Comments

Eve Golden’s YouTube Theater: ‘Green Acres’ was genius. I will not entertain counter-arguments

Posted on January 10, 2017 by lmharnisch

Arnold the Pig

Arnold the Pig in a musical moment.

Too many people think of Green Acres as just another hick sitcom, like Petticoat Junction and The Beverly Hillbillies (though to be fair, The Beverly Hillbillies could sometimes be genuinely funny). But Green Acres was a brilliant post-modern parody of those shows, and I have been delighting in reruns on Old People TV (did you know Tom Selleck is doing reverse mortgage commercials!?).

 

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Posted in Eve Golden, Television | Tagged , , , | 15 Comments

Black Dahlia: The BBC Gets It Wrong

Posted on January 9, 2017 by lmharnisch

image
We are approaching the 70th anniversary of the killing of Elizabeth Short and it’s no trick for lazy writers to run off five yards of poorly researched copy on the Black Dahlia. The latest example is by James Bartlett for the BBC News. (I have noticed over the years that the Brits have a keen appetite for gruesome crimes but a distaste for facts.)

Bartlett, author of “Gourmet Ghosts,” rounds up some nonsense from Wikipedia (whenever you see a reference to “Glasgow smile,” you know an author has dipped into the fetid stew cooked up by citizen-scholars or someone who has swiped from Wikipedia and not checked anything). He works in a cameo by James Ellroy and a mention of former LAPD Detective Steve Hodel and his nutty theories about his father.

Glynn Martin of the LAPD Historical Society offers the usual take on the star-struck girl from back east being horribly killed and Christina Rice, senior librarian of the Los Angeles Public Library photo collection (and the definitive source on Ann Dvorak), attests to the crackpots who are drawn to the case. Kim Cooper and Richard Schave of Esotouric  also make an appearance.

Bonus: Recipe for the Biltmore Hotel’s Black Dahlia cocktail.

And boom, we’re done.

ps. James, you could have emailed me. I would have set you straight about a few things.

Posted in 1947, Black Dahlia, Cold Cases, LAPD | Tagged , , , | 2 Comments

Movieland Mystery Photo (Updated + + + +)

Posted on January 9, 2017 by lmharnisch

Jan. 14, 2017, Mystery Photo
This week’s mystery movie was the 1934 Vitaphone short “Movie Memories,” one of many films to use that title. The film is a compilation of silent clips accompanied by a rather maudlin narration about deceased movie stars. It is not available on DVD.

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Posted in Film, Hollywood, Mystery Photo | Tagged , , | 52 Comments

Mary Mallory / Hollywood Heights: 6600 Hollywood Blvd. Then and Now

Posted on January 9, 2017 by lmharnisch

 

 

6600_hollywood_blvd_armstrongs_cafe
Armstrong’s Cafe at 6600 Hollywood Blvd., courtesy of the California State Library.


The evolution of one address can reveal the revitalization and resurgence of a growing neighborhood or the mass commercialization and bland homogeneity of a district. 6600 Hollywood Blvd. provides ample evidence of the early development of Hollywood from a close-knit, intimate community into a money-driven commercial district.

During Hollywood’s formative years, Hollywood Boulevard was christened Prospect Avenue, a forward-thinking name for a farming community looking for prosperity and success. Only in 1910 did the community rechristen the street Hollywood Boulevard in recognition of their upcoming annexation by the city of Los Angeles. It was no longer just a regular thoroughfare but a boulevard of dreams.

“Hollywood Celebrates the Holidays” by Karie Bible and Mary Mallory is available at Amazon and at local bookstores.

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Posted in 1922, Architecture, Film, Hollywood, Hollywood Heights, Mary Mallory | Tagged , , , , | 1 Comment

Black Dahlia: Why Dr. George Hodel Didn’t Kill Jeanne French

Posted on January 4, 2017 by lmharnisch

Jan. 4, 2017, Jeanne French

LA. Weekly has taken a deep dive into the Jeanne French case. I won’t get into all of it here, except to show why Dr. George Hodel didn’t kill Jeanne French.

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Posted in 1947, Black Dahlia, Cold Cases, LAPD | Tagged , , , , , | 6 Comments

Eve Golden’s Radio Theater: Rich Conaty’s ‘Big Broadcast’

Posted on January 3, 2017 by lmharnisch

https://i0.wp.com/www.wfuv.org/sites/default/files/RichConaty-1973-2016.jpg

Photos of Rich Conaty courtesy of WFUV.

 

 

I am hijacking the usual YouTube Theater for a tribute to Rich Conaty, who hosted The Big Broadcast radio show—playing hits of the 1920s and ’30s—since 1973. He died of cancer on Dec. 30, aged 62; one last kick in the ass from a year that has been farkakte drek from beginning to end, as my grandmother would have said.

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Posted in Eve Golden, Music, Radio | Tagged , , , , | 1 Comment

Mary Mallory / Hollywood Heights — The Gibbons-Del Rio House: Like Stepping Into a Dream

Posted on January 2, 2017 by lmharnisch

image

The Cedric Gibbons home, via Google Street View.

Note: This is an encore post from 2014.


Celebrity has often been the cachet for creating style, fashion and cultural trends, especially with the advent of films. Stars wearing a particular designer’s couture, driving a certain car, or a female star wearing pants, started tongues wagging and led average citizens to try to copy their style. Movies themselves fashioned popular trends in music, style and even architecture.

The gorgeous jewel box of a home belonging to 11-time Academy Award-winner MGM art director Cedric Gibbons and his wife, actress Dolores Del Rio, epitomizes Hollywood glamour, and still stands as one of the outstanding examples of home as art in Hollywood. All sleek lines and geometric patterns, it stands as a Streamline-Moderne masterpiece, the perfect representation of one of Gibbons’ MGM luxurious set designs come to life.

Mary Mallory’s “Hollywoodland: Tales Lost and Found” is available for the Kindle.

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Posted in 1931, Architecture, Film, Hollywood, Hollywood Heights, Mary Mallory | Tagged , , , , , | 3 Comments

Movieland Mystery Photo (Updated + + + +)

Posted on January 2, 2017 by lmharnisch

Jan. 7, 2017, Mystery Photo

This week’s mystery movie has been the 1945 (copyright 1944) Paramount Pictures film “Murder, He Says,” with Fred MacMurray, Helen Walker, Marjorie Main, Jean Heather, Porter Hall, Peter Whitney, Mabel Paige and Barbara Pepper, making it a mini “Double Indemnity” reunion. The screenplay was by Lou Breslow from a story by Jack Moffitt, with photography by Theodor Sparkuhl, art direction by Hans Dreier and William Flannery, with special effects by Gordon Jennings and Paul Lerpae. It was directed by George Marshall.

It’s available on DVD from TCM for $10.75.

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Posted in Film, Hollywood, Mystery Photo | Tagged , , | 47 Comments

Eve Golden’s YouTube Theater: Poor Judy Tyler. Poor ambitious, talented, dead Judy Tyler

Posted on December 27, 2016 by lmharnisch

 

July 5, 1957, Judy Tyler Killed
Los Angeles Times, July 5, 1957, Judy Tyler and her husband are killed in a car accident.

There have been a lot of careers cut short just as they were starting: from Clarine Seymour to James Dean to the recent demise of Anton Yelchin. But I can’t think of a more frustrating example than Judy Tyler, who died in a car accident in 1957, aged only 24. Oh, and her husband, puppy and kitten were killed, too! And someone stole the cash, furs and jewels from her wrecked car—depressed yet?

Judy not only had beauty and talent, but she had an almost frightening drive and ambition, so if there is an afterlife, she is really pissed-off. She started her career as a Copa Girl (“to call it dancing was entirely ridiculous. It was hardly walking,” she recalled). She branched out to nightclub singing and developed one of the best, clearest belt voices—kind of like Ethel Merman filtered down through velvet.

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Posted in 1957, Eve Golden, Film, Hollywood | Tagged , , , , , | 5 Comments