James Ellroy: ‘Perfidia’ Online

Posted on September 29, 2014 by lmharnisch

image

Google Books is offering a extensive preview of James Ellroy’s “Perfidia,” for those who may be curious about it.  Amazon is also offering a preview.

I have to say I’m not reassured by the first lines, ostensibly a radio broadcast by Gerald L.K. Smith, who died in 1976 at Glendale Community Hospital:

image
As is known by everyone who ever listened to Wolfman Jack, the Mexican radio stations had call signs beginning with X as in XERF, which carried Wolfman Jack, and XERA, which carried Dr. J.R. Brinkley of “goat gland” fame.

Posted in 1941, Books and Authors | Tagged , , , | 7 Comments

Movieland Mystery Photo (Updated + + + +)

Posted on September 29, 2014 by lmharnisch

Fast Company
This week’s mystery movie is “Fast Company,” a 1938 MGM film written by Marco Page (Harry Kurnitz) and Harold Tarshis from a book by Page, directed by Edward Buzzell and photographed by Clyde Devinna.

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Posted in Film, Hollywood, Mystery Photo | Tagged , , | 63 Comments

Mary Mallory / Hollywood Heights: Garden Court Apartments Offer Luxurious Living on Hollywood Boulevard

Posted on September 29, 2014 by lmharnisch

garden_court_apartments

A postcard of the Garden Court Apartments, listed on EBay as Buy It Now for $9.99.


For decades, the elegant Garden Court Apartments represented high-class living for both aspiring and successful residents of Hollywood. Located just west of the thriving business district at 7021 Hollywood Blvd., the neo-baroque structure featured regal caryatids holding up pilasters just above the first floor, a dramatic design showing the strength and integrity of the building.

The June 3, 1916, Los Angeles Times noted the beginning of construction for J. E. Ransford’s four-story class C apartment home, designed and built by the renowned Frank Meline Co. The classical structure would consist of 190 two and three room suites composed of hard wood and tile. An ad in the Jan. 1, 1917, Times proclaimed Hartwell Motor Co. President Ransford’s $500,000 building, “the Most Modern in the West,” and the paper called it “the most beautiful and complete apartment house” in a Jan. 22, 1917, story.

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

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Posted in 1917, Architecture, Film, Hollywood, Hollywood Heights, Mary Mallory, Preservation | Tagged , , , , , | 5 Comments

Daily Mirror Reader Survey — Georgette Bauerdorf (Updated)

Posted on September 27, 2014 by lmharnisch

New York Sun, Oct. 13, 1944

Georgette Bauerdorf, from the New York Sun, Oct. 13, 1944, via Fultonhistory.com.

In the readers’ choice between “Laura” and Georgette Bauerdorf, the response has been almost universal in favor of looking into the Bauerdorf killing of October 1944. As longtime readers know, I work several weeks ahead, so my plan is to push the unpublished “Laura” posts back in the schedule and begin on Bauerdorf leading up to the killing, which was reported Oct. 13, 1944.

Update: I have penciled out a tentative scheduled for the Bauerdorf posts. They will begin tomorrow and run for most of October. “Laura” will resume in November.

Posted in 1944, Black Dahlia, Cold Cases, Homicide | Tagged , , , , | 2 Comments

‘Three on a Match’ — Ann Dvorak’s Duesenberg

Posted on September 27, 2014 by lmharnisch

'Three on a Match'

I finally saw “Three on a Match,” which was on TCM yesterday. And I’m crazy about Ann Dvorak’s Duesenberg town car. What a set of wheels. In this shot, Joan Blondell and Bette Davis are drooling over it.

Posted in 1932, Film, Hollywood, Transportation | Tagged , , , , | 3 Comments

1944 on the Radio — Kay Kyser’s Kollege of Musical Knowledge: September 27, 1944

Posted on September 27, 2014 by lmharnisch

radio_dial_1944

September 27, 1944: Kay Kyser’s Kollege of Musical Knowledge, with Phil Harris filling in for Kyser. Courtesy of otronmp3.com.

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Daily Mirror Reader Survey

Posted on September 26, 2014 by lmharnisch

Oct. 13, 1944, Georgette Bauerdorf

Here’s a quick question as we head into October:

I can keep doing the posts on the making of “Laura.”

Or I can cover the unsolved killing of Georgette Bauerdorf (Oct. 13, 1944).

But I cannot do both.

Which would you rather read?

Posted in 1944, Black Dahlia, Books and Authors, Film, Hollywood, Homicide | Tagged , , , , , | 41 Comments

Man Kidnaps Woman in Attempted Murder-Suicide

Posted on September 26, 2014 by lmharnisch

 

Sept. 26, 1944, Comics

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738 S. Mariposa Ave., via Google Street View.

Sept. 26, 1944

Mrs. Lilliam Bohny, 35, of 738 S. Mariposa Ave. was in her nightgown and housecoat, being shown some sweaters by sweater salesman Robert Lang when William E. Andrews, 34, an insurance adjustor  from Oakland, barged in and dragged Bohny away.

The Times reported that Andrews drove to Malibu, where he tried to drown Bohny her and himself by wading into the ocean. Bohny escaped and was picked up on the highway by two Seabees who took her to the Malibu Sheriff’s Station.

Deputies William Jordan and K.O. Sherman arrested Andrews, who was struggling in the surf, fully dressed. He was charged with kidnapping.

Note: This is not actress 1930s Billie Love, whose real name was Lillian Bohny Willat.

Coming soon! “The Seventh Cross,” starring Spencer Tracy, plus Bob Crosby in “The Singing Sheriff.”

Continue reading →

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1944 in Print — Hollywood News and Gossip by Louella Parsons, Sept. 26, 1944

Posted on September 26, 2014 by lmharnisch

Sept. 26, 1944, comics
Sept. 26, 1944

Walter Winchell says: Many of the staffers at Time-Life are said to be “tired of anonymity” and are taking sides… The big musical hit in town, “Song of Norway,” advertises Milton Lazarus as adapting the book … When it was readying on the coast, he had his name omitted from the ads! … A film producer will be charged with “swindling the government” out of almost a million dollars via tax loopholes.

Louella Parsons says: “Since You Went Away” is dragging them in at the box office in droves and there’s no doubt but the lineup of stars — Claudette Colbert, Jennifer Jones, Shirley Temple, Robert Walker, Joe Cotten — is big bait. Now David Selznick has a similar bee in his bonnet about casting “So Little Time,” the J.P. Marquand hit which gets rolling in December with Joseph Cotten as the hero, Jeffrey Wilson. The book has a half-dozen characters almost as important.

Danton Walker says: So great is Hollywood’s fear, now, of emphasizing the war angle of war pictures that not a single shot is fired in “Abroad With Two Yanks.” It is advertised as “strictly a comedy” … Hollywood hears that if the district attorney doesn’t get a conviction in the Dorsey-Hall case, he’s out, as it will be his third fizzle. The other two busts were the Errol Flynn and Chaplin fiascoes.

LIBRA: A real manifest of your fortitude will overcome day’s less friendly rays. Any soundly forceful effort will certainly repay in long run. Romance sponsored.

From the Philadelphia Inquirer via Fultonhistory.com
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1944 in Print — Life Magazine, Sept. 25, 1944

Posted on September 25, 2014 by lmharnisch

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Sept. 25, 1944

Claire Poe of Miami Beach, Fla., appears on the cover of Life’s special issue “A Letter to GIs,” because she is the kind of good-looking American girl that a lot of GIs know and would like to hear from. She is 18, a natural blonde, and has just entered Florida State College for Women as a freshman. She has been corresponding with a sergeant in Puerto Rico and an ensign at Fort Lauderdale, but has no steady boyfriends. She wants to become an arithmetic teacher.

Life assigns Andreas Feininger and Margaret Bourke-White to take photographs for its special issue “A Look at America.” Bourke-White took photographs from a TWA plane while Feininger remained on the ground.

The issue was intended for Americans serving overseas who could foresee the end of the war and were wondering what America would be like when they returned.  Life said: “You know the war will not be over until the last shots are fired in Germany and Japan. But your victories have brought the end in sight. You want to finish the job and come home.”

Before deregulation and the breakup of the phone company, there was only Bell Telephone. And it was very popular with the Greatest Generation, particularly between 7 p.m. and 10 p.m.

Scanned by Google Books.
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Posted in 1944, Film, Hollywood, Photography, World War II | Tagged , , , , | 1 Comment

‘Laura’ — The Making of a Film Noir Classic, Part 35

Posted on September 25, 2014 by lmharnisch

Smoke Gets in Your Eyes
The film of “Laura” makes heavy use of David Raksin’s now-famous theme song. The tune running through Vera Caspary’s novel is “Smoke Gets in Your Eyes” from the musical “Roberta.” This copy of the sheet music is for sale on EBay for $6.95.

In case you just tuned in, I’m using Louella Parsons’ May 15, 1944, item on Rouben Mamoulian being replaced as the director of “Laura” to take a meandering look at the making of the film, which was released in Los Angeles in November 1944.

The first 30 posts were devoted to the writing career of “Laura” novelist Vera Caspary, the state of the detective story in 1941, when she was writing the novel, the New York locations Caspary used in the book and an examination of the major and minor characters.

This series of posts will break down the novel to study the challenges of adapting it for the screen.

The Making of “Laura” Part 1 | Part 2 | Part 3 | Part 4 | Part 5 | Part 6 | Part 7 | Part 8 | Part 9 | Part 10 | Part 11 | | Part 12 | Part 13 | Part 14 | Part 15 | Part 16 | Part 17 | Part 18 | Part 19 | Part 20 | Part 21 | Part 22 | Part 23 | Part 24 | Part 25 | Part 26 | Part 27 | Part 28 | Part 29 | Part 30 | Part 31 | Part 32 | Part 33 | Part 34

James Ellroy to script remake of ‘Laura’

Spoilers ahead

Continue reading →

Posted in 1944, Books and Authors, Film, Hollywood, Music | Tagged , , , , | 2 Comments

1944 in Print — Hollywood News and Gossip by Louella Parsons, Sept. 25, 1944

Posted on September 25, 2014 by lmharnisch

Sept. 25, 1944, Comics

Sept. 25, 1944

Walter Winchell says: Capt. J. Patterson (or his double), according to startled staffers, made visits to the Times publisher several times last week. What’s cookin? … Morton Downey and Molly Vanderbilt are the town’s most serious romance … Luise Rainer’s newest interest in life is V. Bendix, the industrialist… Allen Dulles,* brother of Dewey’s chief adviser, is back from Switzerland, where he was “stranded” for two years. He will talk off-the-record at the Council on Foreign relations … Several war correspondents are less optimistic than they were three weeks ago about the war ending this year.

Louella Parsons says: All the battles Sam Goldwyn had with Warner Bros. over obtaining the rights to “Those Endearing Charms” will come to naught. At the time he purchased the play it was taken to the Dramatists Guild for a settlement on the claim Sam had bought it before Warners did. Now he isn’t going to make it after all. He’s sold it, I understand, through his agent to RKO. Charles Koerner will star Laraine Day, whose contract he shares with MGM.

Danton Walker says: Mrs. Woodrow Wilson, far from being flattered by Geraldine Fitzgerald’s glamorous impersonation of herself in “Wilson,” has indicated her disapproval to Darryl Zanuck in no uncertain terms… Louis B. Mayer’s renewed interest in religious matters dates, they say, from his serious conversations with Archbishop Spellman in New York last spring.

LIBRA: Inactive star indications now. Let added vigor influence work and projects no little. Mark time where you should. Keep tuned to step into action on favorable wave.

*Allen Dulles was, of course, serving in the OSS and was later head of the CIA.

From the Philadelphia Inquirer via Fultonhistory.com.
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Posted in 1944, Comics, Film, Hollywood | Comments Off on 1944 in Print — Hollywood News and Gossip by Louella Parsons, Sept. 25, 1944

‘Laura’ — The Making of a Film Noir Classic, Part 34

Posted on September 24, 2014 by lmharnisch

"Laura"

The opening lines of Vera Caspary’s “Laura,” as narrated by newspaper columnist Waldo Lydecker.

In case you just tuned in, I’m using Louella Parsons’ May 15, 1944, item on Rouben Mamoulian being replaced as the director of “Laura” to take a meandering look at the making of the film, which was released in Los Angeles in November 1944.

The first 30 posts were devoted to the writing career of “Laura” novelist Vera Caspary, the state of the detective story in 1941, when she was writing the novel, the New York locations Caspary used in the book and an examination of the major and minor characters.

This series of posts will break down the novel to study the challenges of adapting it for the screen.

The Making of “Laura” Part 1 | Part 2 | Part 3 | Part 4 | Part 5 | Part 6 | Part 7 | Part 8 | Part 9 | Part 10 | Part 11 | | Part 12 | Part 13 | Part 14 | Part 15 | Part 16 | Part 17 | Part 18 | Part 19 | Part 20 | Part 21 | Part 22 | Part 23 | Part 24 | Part 25 | Part 26 | Part 27 | Part 28 | Part 29 | Part 30 | Part 31 | Part 32 | Part 33

James Ellroy to script remake of ‘Laura’

Spoilers ahead

Continue reading →

Posted in 1944, Books and Authors, Film, Hollywood | Tagged , , , , , | Comments Off on ‘Laura’ — The Making of a Film Noir Classic, Part 34

1944 in Print — Hollywood News and Gossip by Louella Parsons, Sept. 24, 1944

Posted on September 24, 2014 by lmharnisch

Sept. 24, 1944, Marlene Dietric

Sept. 24, 1944

Louella Parsons says:  Why is young Van Johnson the idol of the bobby sox brigade and at this moment crowding Frank Sinatra and Alan Ladd for top honors? Van isn’t handsome,he hasn’t a striking physique and he hasn’t Frankie’s ability to sing. Moreover, there are many other young men who are as capable of putting over emotional scenes. Yet Van is the hero of the bobby sox brigade and is receiving more mail than any actor or actress on the MGM lot.

Leading the bestseller list —  Fiction: “Green Dolphin Street,” “Leave Her to Heaven,” “History of Rome Hanks,” “Pastoral” and “Strange Fruit”
Non-fiction: “I Never Left Home,” “The Time for Decision,” “Yankee From Olympus,” “Anna and the King of Siam” and “Basic History of the United States.”

From the Philadelphia Inquirer via Fultonhistory.com.

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James Ellroy: ‘Perfidia’ Update

Posted on September 23, 2014 by lmharnisch

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We’re waiting to buy a used copy for the Daily Mirror library, so I haven’t read James Ellroy’s “Perfidia,” but I thought it would be interesting to see how it’s doing.

“Perfidia” has yet to penetrate the New York Times or Los Angeles  Times bestseller lists, although as of today, the hardcover is ranked No. 738 by Amazon.  The Kindle version is ranked No. 727; the paperback is ranked 124,416; and the audio version narrated by Craig Wasson is unranked.

Amazon update:
Sept. 24, 2014: Hardcover, No. 758; Kindle, No. 1,010; Paperback, No. 156,898
Sept. 25, 2014: Hardcover, No. 738; Kindle, No. 1,035; Paperback, No. 162,356.
Sept. 26, 2014: Hardcover, No. 875; Kindle, No. 1,067; Paperback, No. 333,617.

Sept. 28, 2014: Hardcover, No. 1,026; Kindle, No. 1,586; Paperback, No. 157,794.
Sept. 29, 2014: Hardcover, No. 1,144; Kindle, No. 1,381; Paperback, No. 107,133.
Sept. 30, 2014: Hardcover, No. 1,774; Kindle, No. 1,359; Paperback, No. 315,804.

Oct. 1, 2014: Hardcover, No. 1,324; Kindle, No. 1,845; Paperback, No. 97,178
Oct. 2, 2014: Hardcover, No. 1,442; Kindle, No. 1,594; Paperback, No. 54,573.

Oct. 4, 2014: Hardcover, No. 1,400; Kindle, No. 1,785; Paperback, No. 328,055.

Oct. 6, 2014: Hardcover, No. 1,588; Kindle, No. 2,652; Paperback, No. 336,562.

Oct. 9, 2014: Hardcover, No. 2,228; Kindle, No. 3,601; Paperback, No. 253,055

Oct. 15, 2014: Hardcover, No. 2,503; Kindle, No. 3,563; Paperback, No. 752,617

Oct. 29, 2014: Hardcover, No. 3,401; Kindle, No. 4,311; Paperback, No. 166,592. I think Amazon may have cut the price on the hardback, at $17.71 more expensive than the paperback at $19.75. “Perfidia” has 69 reviews: five stars, 28; four stars 11; three stars 9; two stars, 9; and one star, 12.

 

Ellroy
Perfidia/HB
($17.53)

Connelly
Burning Room/HB ($14)

Ellroy
Perfidia/Kindle
($11.99)

 Connelly
Burning Room/Kindle ($14.99)
Nov. 2, 2014 2,440 17,332 5,110 11
Nov. 3, 2014 ($17.44)
4,121		 48 4,297 12
Nov. 4, 2014

($17.35)
5,511

($16.94)
16

 5,472 ($9.99)
7
Nov. 6, 2014 ($17.26)
4,426		 ($16.80)
19		 8,029 ($9.99)
5
Nov. 9, 2014 ($16.90)
5,351		 ($16.80)
29		 10,142 ($9.99)
6
Nov. 11, 2014 ($16.81)
4,201		 ($16.84)
39		 7,378
Nov. 15, 2014 ($16.63)
6,748		 ($16.80)
46		 11,335 4

 

Quote from a one-star review of “Perfidia”: The most wretched part of this book– and something I haven’t seen a single hipster reviewer mention — is just how badly Ellroy takes liberties with the history.

Quote from a one-star review of “Perfidia”: Trendy hipsters compare Ellroy’s sparse language with Hemingway, but it’s just BAD writing. There is always the weak claim that Ellroy does this to save time or space, but he repeats himself so often and in so many ways within the same book that it belies that argument.

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Mary Mallory / Hollywood Heights: San Francisco Silent Film Festival’s Inaugural Autumn Fest Big Success

Posted on September 23, 2014 by lmharnisch

'Son of the Sheik"
Vilma Banky and Rudolph Valentino in “Son of the Sheik,” courtesy of the San Francisco Silent Film Festival.

Earning enthusiastic praise and reception from thrilled audiences, the San Francisco Silent Film Festival’s inaugural Autumn Fest Saturday, Sept. 20, 2014, introduced newly restored prints, treasured classics and an intriguing compiled program on the giant screen at the glorious Art Deco Castro Theatre in San Francisco. The new event replaces the Festival’s Winter Fest, but continues the group’s mission of screening silent motion pictures highlighting the artistic nature of the medium, accompanied by talented accompanists who give voice to proceedings. Besides presenting silent films old and new, the Autumn Fest aims to educate veteran and new fans alike through informative PowerPoint slide shows featuring fascinating factoids and visually arresting images between screenings, as well as thoughtful program notes and excerpted articles from period trade journals.

Another Fine Mess: Silent Laurel and Hardy Shorts kicked off proceedings with the screening of three landmark Laurel and Hardy short films perfect for introducing young and new audiences alike to the wonder and joy of silent films. “Should Married Men Go Home?,” “Two Tars,” and “Big Business” present hilarious examples of misbehaving husbands, road rage and selling a Christmas tree, brought magically to life through the nimble fingers of accompanist Donald Sosin.

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

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Posted in Film, Hollywood, Hollywood Heights, Mary Mallory, San Francisco | Tagged , , , , | 2 Comments

‘Laura’ — The Making of a Film Noir Classic, Part 33

Posted on September 23, 2014 by lmharnisch

Clifton Webb "Laura"
Waldo Lydecker, played by Clifton Webb in the film version of “Laura.”  In the novel, Waldo is considerably taller and much heavier.

In case you just tuned in, I’m using Louella Parsons’ May 15, 1944, item on Rouben Mamoulian being replaced as the director of “Laura” to take a meandering look at the making of the film, which was released in Los Angeles in November 1944.

The first 30 posts were devoted to the writing career of “Laura” novelist Vera Caspary, the state of the detective story in 1941, when she was writing the novel, the New York locations Caspary used in the book and an examination of the major and minor characters.

This series of posts will break down the novel to study the challenges of adapting it for the screen.

The Making of “Laura” Part 1 | Part 2 | Part 3 | Part 4 | Part 5 | Part 6 | Part 7 | Part 8 | Part 9 | Part 10 | Part 11 | | Part 12 | Part 13 | Part 14 | Part 15 | Part 16 | Part 17 | Part 18 | Part 19 | Part 20 | Part 21 | Part 22 | Part 23 | Part 24 | Part 25 | Part 26 | Part 27 | Part 28 | Part 29 | Part 30 | Part 31 | Part 32

James Ellroy to script remake of ‘Laura’

Spoilers ahead

Continue reading →

Posted in 1944, Black Dahlia, Books and Authors, Film, Hollywood, Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Transgender | Tagged , , , , , , | Comments Off on ‘Laura’ — The Making of a Film Noir Classic, Part 33

1944 in Print — Hollywood News and Gossip by Louella Parsons, Sept. 23, 1944

Posted on September 23, 2014 by lmharnisch

Sept. 23, 1944, Comics

Sept. 23, 1944

Dear Martha Foster: I’m not such an old-fashioned biddy as to believe that the standards of our Puritan forebears can be held up as a way of life in this hardboiled age, but it frightens me sometimes to see the cynical disregard for morals and discipline that marks the attitude of our young people today.

Dear Martha: Surely you can’t be talking about what we now call the Greatest Generation. Sincerely, Mr. Baby Boomer.

Louella Parsons says: I don’t wonder William Goetz is eager to get Loretta Young started before the cameras. She looks so wonderful since the birth of her baby, and so radiant. He has decided to co-star her with Gary Cooper in Gary’s first independent production, a western, tentatively titled “The American Cowboy.” It’s laid in 1885 and will give Loretta a chance to wear the costumes of that period.

VIRGO: Improved conditions exist. Check carefully before you move to avoid errors, then proceed with assurance. Think and act logically.

From the Philadelphia Inquirer via Fultonhistory.com.

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Posted in 1944, Comics, Film, Hollywood, Horoscope | Tagged , , , , , | 2 Comments

Movieland Mystery Photo (Updated + + + +)

Posted on September 22, 2014 by lmharnisch

They Won't Believe Me
This week’s mystery movie was the 1947 film “They Won’t Believe Me,” starring Robert Young, Susan Hayward and Jane Greer. It was written by Jonathan Latimer, based on a story by Gordon McDonell, with cinematography by Harry J. Wild, music by Roy Webb, directed by Irving Pichel and produced by Joan Harrison.

 

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Posted in Film, Hollywood, Mystery Photo | Tagged , , | 92 Comments

Mary Mallory / Hollywood Heights: Ernest Bachrach Defines RKO Glamour

Posted on September 22, 2014 by lmharnisch

Robert Ryan by Ernest Bachrach
Ernest Bachrach’s portrait of Robert Ryan is listed on EBay as Buy It Now for $94.95.


Hollywood’s motion picture still photography defined sophisticated style, shaped personas and created the iconic image of “a movie star” as we know it today. The photographers’ dramatic lighting, dynamic compositions, artful negative retouching and artistic eyes influenced the American public’s perceptions of celebrities and their personalities. Stars were defined as sexy, glamorous, thoughtful, foreboding, all through the scintillating camerawork of these often unsung and forgotten men.

While photographers such as George Hurrell, Ruth Harriet Louise, Clarence Sinclair Bull, Lazslo Willinger and Eugene Robert Richee came to be recognized for their style as well as their artistic sensibilities, RKO’s chief photographer, Ernest Bachrach, gained fame for taking quality portraits that fitted whatever style was requested by art directors or studio publicity chiefs. His discerning eye easily captured the personal essence of the stars he shot, the most important element of a first-rate photographic image. As John Kobal quotes him in his book, “The Art of the Great Hollywood Portrait Photographers,” “Portraiture is very closely akin to cinematography. The cinematographer has very little need for accessories in the making of close-ups; all he needs is a face and some lights and shadows. And that is all the portrait artist needs. Occasionally — but only occasionally — minor props are useful.”

Mary Mallory’s “Hollywoodland: Tales Lost and Found” is available for the Kindle.
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Posted in Film, Hollywood, Hollywood Heights, Mary Mallory, Photography | Tagged , , , , | 5 Comments