Mary Mallory / Hollywood Heights: Clare West, Early Hollywood Costume Queen

Posted on March 15, 2021 by lmharnisch

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With a background as mystifying as any Hollywood whodunit, modiste Clare West exploded on the scene as a film costume designer in the mid-1910s, the first person credited as a movie costume designer. Working with film greats for just over 10 years, West and her lavish designs established Hollywood as a fashion leader, trendsetting looks appealing to American women, before she disappeared from the design scene…

Little is known of the early life of West until she magically appears in Hollywood. IMDB claims she was born January 30, 1879 in Missouri, but 1930 census records list her birth date as 1889, with other records appearing to show May 10, 1889 in Kansas as her actual birth date. under the name Clara Belle Smith. One newspaper listing reveals a Clare West opening a millinery/dressmaking shop in what is now the Quad Cities area of Illinois in 1899, while a few New York papers report on a Maison Clare couture shop in New York City around 1911. Film historian Allie Acker claims she attended college before studying fashion design in Paris.

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Movieland Mystery Photo (Updated + + + +)

Posted on March 15, 2021 by lmharnisch

March 20, 2021, Main Title for Tampico

This week’s mystery movie was the 1944 Twentieth Century-Fox film “Tampico,” with Edward G. Robinson, Lynn Bari, Victor McLaglen, Robert Bailey, Marc Lawrence, E.J. Ballantine, Mona Maris and Tonio Selwart.

Screenplay by Kenneth Gamet, Fred Niblo Jr. and Richard Macaulay. Original story and adaptation by Ladislas Fodor.

Photography by Charles Clarke, art direction by James Basevi and Albert Hogsett. Set decorations by Thomas Little and Al Orenbach. Edited by Robert Fritch. Costumes by Yvonne Wood. Makeup by Guy Pearce. Photographic effects by Fred Sersen. Dances staged by Geneva Sawyer. Sound by W.D. Flick and Roger Heman. Music by David Raksin. Musical direction by Emil Newman.

Produced by Robert Bassler. Directed by Lothar Mendes.

“Tampico” is available on DVD from Amazon. TCM lists it as “backorder.”

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Movieland Mystery Photo (Updated + + + +)

Posted on March 8, 2021 by lmharnisch

March 13, 2021, Mystery Photo
This week’s mystery movie was the 1915 film “Hypocrites,” written and produced by Lois Weber, photography by Dal Clawson and George W. Hill. With Courtenay Foote as Gabriel, the Ascetic; Myrtle Stedman as the Woman; Herbert Standing as the Abbot; and Adele Farrington as the Queen.

“Hypocrites” is available on DVD from TCM.

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Mary Mallory: Hollywood Heights – Ruth Harriet Louise

Posted on March 8, 2021 by lmharnisch

Aileen Pringle
Photo: Aileen Pringle, photographed by Ruth Harriet Louise, listed on EBay at $49.99.

Note: This is an encore post from 2012.

Motion picture production jobs both on and off the set have mostly been held by men throughout history, and those for still photography are no different.  Early stills men were mostly cameramen who also acted as photographers of scene stills, like Alvin Wyckoff for Selig Studios.  D. W. Griffith hired James Woodbury to assist and take stills for “Intolerance,”  and others started following suit.  Studios created key books for each film, with photographs organized by scene number, and with each film assigned its own code.  These images could be then be referenced and duplicated, to be sent out as publicity for the picture.

The studios soon realized that portraits of the stars could more easily sell films to consumers.  These photographs were sent en masse to hundreds of magazines and newspapers, which required a never ending stream of material for publication.  Portraits also were numbered in each studio’s own code system, and organized in key books as reference for approved shots of each star.

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Movieland Mystery Photo (Updated + + + +)

Posted on March 1, 2021 by lmharnisch

March 6, 2021, Title for The Ghost Goes West

This week’s mystery movie was the 1935 film “The Ghost Goes West” with Robert Donat, Jean Parker, Eugene Pallette, Elsa Lanchester, Ralph Bunker, Patricia Hilliard, Everley Gregg, Morton Selten, Chili Bouchier, Mark Daly, Herbert Lomas, Elliot Mason, Hay Petrie and Quintin MacPherson.

Based on a story by Eric Keown by permission of “Punch.” Screenplay by Robert Sherwood.

Photographed by Harold Rosson, sets by Vincent Korda, production manager David B. Cunynghame.

Musical direction by Muir Mathieson, scenario by Geoffrey Kerr, musical compositions by Michael Spolianski, costumes by Rene Hubert, Robert Donat’s costumes by John Armstrong.

Special effects by Ned Mann, recording by A.W. Watkins, assistant directors Imlay Watts and Albert Valentin, edited by Harold Earle-Fischbacher, supervising editor William Hornbeck.

Directed by Rene Clair.

“The Ghost Goes West” is available on DVD from TCM.

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Mary Mallory / Hollywood Heights — Constantin Bakaleinikoff

Posted on March 1, 2021 by lmharnisch

Note: This is an encore post from 2011. Most people today probably haven’t heard of motion picture musical conductor Constantin Bakaleinikoff, but he was instrumental in setting up theatre orchestras around Los Angeles in the 1920s, before he became music … Continue reading →

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Mary Mallory / Hollywood Heights: ‘Native Son’ Indicts Society

Posted on February 22, 2021 by lmharnisch

Richard Wright as Bigger Thomas in 'Native Son'
Richard Wright as Bigger Thomas in “Native Son.”

Black writer Richard Wright chronicled racial and class prejudice in his intense, best-selling novel “Native Son” in 1940. The work remains a lightning rod, still timely and confrontational as well as profane, graphic and violent to many who seek to ban it from libraries. “Native Son’s” powerful theme boldly covers America’s race divide, making it fertile material for stage and screen. Adapting it for both mediums challenged many, offended by the overt condemnation of racism or what they considered obscenity, but these visceral productions provided potent food for thought to audiences.

Born 1906 on a plantation near Natchez, Miss., Wright experienced hardship similar to his Bigger Thomas character, living with his illiterate father, teacher-trained mother, and strict grandmother, a former slave. After his father abandoned the family, Wright’s mother struggled with poverty. When his mother was stricken by paralysis, he was raised by an uncaring uncle and then shipped around between family members. Wright felt ignored and rebuffed by whites, while blacks warned him to conform and not rock the boat, leading him to accept whatever crumbs he was offered. Once he began reading at the age of 15, a rebel was born.

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Movieland Mystery Photo (Updated + + + +)

Posted on February 22, 2021 by lmharnisch

Feb. 27, 2021, Title Card for Confidentially Connie

This week’s mystery movie was the 1953 MGM picture “Confidentially Connie,” with Van Johnson, Janet Leigh, Louis Calhern, Walter Slezak, Gene Lockhart, Hayden Rorke, Robert Burton, Barbara Ruick and Marilyn Erskine.

Screenplay by Max Shulman, from a story by Max Shulman and Herman Wouk.

Photography by Harold Lipstein, art direction by Cedric Gibbons and Leonid Vasian. Edited by Fredrick Y. Smith. Assistant director Dolph Zimmer.

Music by David Rose. Recording by Douglas Shearer. Set decorations by Edwin B. Willis and Ralph Hurst. Montage by Peter Ballbusch.

Produced by Stephen Ames. Directed by Edward Buzzell.

“Confidentially Connie” is available on DVD from Warner Archive. It last aired on TCM in 2016. It’s also available for streaming on Amazon.

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Movieland Mystery Photo (Updated + + + +)

Posted on February 15, 2021 by lmharnisch

Feb. 20, 2021, The Matin Season, a Mitchell Leisen production, 1950 Paramount

This week’s mystery movie was the 1951 Paramount picture “The Mating Season,” a Mitchell Leisen production, with Gene Tierney, John Lund, Miriam Hopkins, Thelma Ritter, Jan Sterling, Larry Keating, James Lorimer, Gladys Hurlbut, Cora Witherspoon, Malcolm Keen, Ellen Corby, Billie Bird and Mary Young.

Screenplay by Charles Brackett, Walter Reisch and Richard Breen, suggested by a play by Caesar Dunn.

Photography by Charles B. Lang Jr. Art direction by Hal Pereira and Ronald Anderson. Process photography by Farciot Edouart. Set decoration by Sam Comer and Ray Moyer.

Edited by Frank Bracht. Costumes for Miss Tierney executed by Oleg Cassini. Makeup by Wally Westmore. Sound by Don McKay and John Cope. Music score by Joseph J. Lilley.

Produced by Charles Brackett. Directed by Mitchell Leisen.

“The Mating Season” is not generally available on DVD or streaming. There is a funky low-resolution version on YouTube.

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Mary Mallory / Hollywood Heights: Noble Johnson Emancipates African Americans With Lincoln Film Co.

Posted on February 15, 2021 by lmharnisch

Noble Johnson
Note: This is an encore post from 2019.

Recognized for playing Native Americans, Pacific Islanders and Latinos in “King Kong,” “The Mummy,” “The Ten Commandments” and many others throughout his long film career, African American Noble Johnson achieved greater renown for establishing Lincoln Motion Picture Company in 1916, the first company making and releasing films strictly for African American audiences. Almost forgotten today, Johnson strove to make what were called “race” films emphasizing the intelligence, talents and success of black Americans as a counterpoint to the often racist and off-putting portrayals of African Americans in contemporary films.

Born 1881 in Missouri, Johnson moved with his family to Colorado Springs, Colo., where he worked with animals before he began appearing in silent films in 1914, including Cecil B. DeMille’s “The Squaw Man.” His athletic, tall frame and dramatic features helped land him many acting jobs at major studios, and his talent for performing gained him good notices in almost everything he portrayed, even in small roles. Not only did he act, but he also wrote scripts.

Mary Mallory’s latest book, “Living With Grace: Life Lessons from America’s Princess,”  is now on sale.

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Black Dahlia: Elizabeth Short and the Hotel Cecil — No Connection

Posted on February 10, 2021 by lmharnisch

Arty, 634 S. Main St., site of the Dugout Cafe, where a bartender thought he might have seen Elizabeth Short -- and no, he didn't. Via Google Street View

Sorry, Netflix. But once again. There is no connection between Elizabeth Short, the Black Dahlia and the Hotel Cecil. This is Arty, 634 S. Main St., former location of the Dugout Cafe, where bartender C.G. Williams said thought he might have seen Elizabeth Short – and no, he didn’t.

A news story from the 1947 Daily News giving the address of the Dugout Cafe, 634 S. Main St. next to the Hotel Cecil. It's now an art gallery.
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Movieland Mystery Photo (Updated + + + +)

Posted on February 8, 2021 by lmharnisch

2021_0213_credits_03

This week’s mystery movie was the 1950 Paramount film “The File on Thelma Jordon,” with Barbara Stanwyck, Wendell Corey, Paul Kelly, Joan Tetzel, Stanley Ridges, Richard Rober, Minor Watson, Barry Kelley and Laura Elliot.

Screenplay by Ketti Frings from a story by Marty Holland.

Photography by George Barnes, art direction by Hans Dreier and Earl Hedrick, special effects by Gordon Jennings. Process photography by Farciot Edouart. Set decoration by Sam Comer and Bertram Granger.

Editorial supervision by Warren Low. Costumes by Edith Head. Makeup by Wally Westmore. Sound by Harry Lindgren and Walter Oberst. Assistant director Francisco Day.

Music by Victor Young.

Produced by Hal B. Wallis.

Directed by Robert Siodmak.

“The File on Thelma Jordon” is available on DVD from TCM. It’s also available from Amazon on Blu-ray and streaming.

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Mary Mallory: Hollywood Heights – ‘Convention City’

Posted on February 8, 2021 by lmharnisch

Jan. 11, 1934, Convention City
Jan. 11, 1934: “Convention City” opens at the Warner Bros. Hollywood and Downtown.

Note: This is an encore post from 2012.

The early days of the talkie film industry saw plenty of life situations covered realistically and explicitly on celluloid, ranging from nudity, extramarital or sexual relations, addictions, sexual identity, and so on. These films are often now called pre-codes, in that they were produced before the creation of the Production Code Administration in 1934, which regulated what could be shown on screen. This office was created by the film industry in reaction to the Catholic Church’s attempts to organize audience boycotts of films.

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Movieland Mystery Photo (Updated + + + +)

Posted on February 1, 2021 by lmharnisch

Main Title, the Strange Affair of Uncle Harry
This week’s mystery movie was the 1945 Universal film “The Strange Affair of Uncle Harry,” with George Sanders, Geraldine Fitzgerald, Ella Raines, Sara Allgood, Moyna MacGill, Samuel S. Hinds, Harry Von Zell, Judy Clark, Coulter F. Irwin and Craig Reynolds.

Screenplay by Stephen Longstreet, adaptation by Keith Winter. From the play by Thomas Job, as produced on the stage by Clifford Hayman.

Photography by Paul Ivano, special photography by John P. Fulton. Edited by Arthur Hilton, art direction by John B. Goodman and Eugene Lourie. Set decoration by Russell A. Gausman. Costumes by Travis Banton.

Music direction by H.J. Salter, sound by Bernard B. Brown, technician Glenn A. Anderson. Makeup by Jack P. Pierce. Assistant director Melville Shyer.

Produced by Joan Harrison. Directed by Robert Siodmak.

“The Strange Affair of Uncle Harry” is available on DVD from TCM. It’s also available on Blu-ray from Amazon.

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Posted in Film, Hollywood, Mystery Photo | Tagged , , | 49 Comments

Mary Mallory / Hollywood Heights: Valentino Statue Aspires to Greatness

Posted on February 1, 2021 by lmharnisch

Valentino statue

Silent film lover and superstar Rudolph Valentino commanded the screen with his intense magnetism and sensuality. His untimely, tragic death in 1926 at the age of 31 gave him instant immortality, with thousands descending on the funeral home, church, procession, and funeral of their beloved star.

Upon his death, many clamored for ways to memorialize this worldwide icon. Chicago residents announced the first proposed memorial for Valentino within days of his death on Aug. 23, 1926. Judge Francis Borrelli, Assistant State Attorney Michael Romano and lawyers Ellidoe Libonati, Stephen Malato and Michael Rominia filed articles of incorporation for a Rudolph Valentino Memorial Association with the intent of constructing a memorial for the star in the Windy City.

Mary Mallory’s “Living With Grace” is now on sale.

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Black Dahlia: Jean Spangler and the Dr. George Hodel Non-Connection

Posted on January 25, 2021 by lmharnisch

George_Hodel_False
Executive summary: A story in Entertainment Weekly looks at the 1949 disappearance of bit actress Jean Spangler. The author lists purported suspects, including Dr. George Hodel, whom Steve Hodel has accused of countless unsolved killings, including the Black Dahlia, and of being Zodiac. Newspaper accounts from the time show that when Jean Spangler disappeared, George Hodel had just been arrested on charges of molesting his daughter Tamar and held in the County Jail on $5,000 bond pending his preliminary hearing.

Interested? Read on, as I expose even more of Steve Hodel’s lies…

Posted in 1947, 1949, Another Good Story Ruined, Black Dahlia, Cold Cases, LAPD | Tagged , , , , , | 6 Comments

Mary Mallory: Hollywood Heights — ‘Julius Caesar’

Posted on January 25, 2021 by lmharnisch

Beachwood Canyon

Photo: Beachwood Canyon in a panorama from the Library of Congress.

Note: This is an encore post from 2012.

Throughout history, people have come together to communally celebrate.  From groups worshipping at Stonehenge, rejoicing in Times Square at the end of World War II, or experiencing the height of 1960s’ music at Woodstock, unique cultural experiences tend to create small moments of rapture among its participants.  Los Angeles and Hollywood experienced one such unique chapter during a massive outdoor 1916 production of “Julius Caesar” in Beachwood Canyon to celebrate William Shakespeare’s 300th birthday.

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Movieland Mystery Photo (Updated + + + +)

Posted on January 25, 2021 by lmharnisch

Jan. 30, 2021, I'd Climb the Highest Mountain Main Title
This week’s movie was the 1951 Twentieth Century-Fox film “I’d Climb the Highest Mountain,” with Susan Hayward, William Lundigan, Rory Calhoun, Barbara Bates, Gene Lockhart, Lynn Bari, Ruth Donnelly, Kathleen Lockhart and Alexander Knox.

Screenplay by Lamar Trotti from a novel by Corra Harris.

Color by Technicolor, Monroe W. Burbank consultant.

Music by Sol Kaplan, photography by Edward Cronjager.

Art direction by Lyle Wheeler and Maurice Ransford. edited by Barbara McLean, wardrobe direction by Charles Le Maire, costumes by Edward Stevenson, musical direction by Lionel Newman, orchestration by Edward Powell. Makeup by Ben Nye, special photographic effects by Fred Sersen, sound by Eugene Grossman and Roger Heman. Technical advisor the Rev. Wallace Rogers.

Produced by Lamar Trotti.

Directed by Henry King.

“I’d Climb the Highest Mountain” is available on DVD from TCM.

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Black Dahlia: Norton Avenue and a Lesson in L.A. Geography Via EBay

Posted on January 22, 2021 by lmharnisch

Norton Avenue

Map of Norton Avenue An EBay vendor has listed a sign from South Norton Avenue with an asking price of $500, stating that:

Elizabeth Short, the infamous Black Dahlia was found brutally murdered, severed in two, just down the street from where this sign was posted.

Street numbers in Los Angeles start at 1st Street, on the south side of City Hall, so 600 South Norton is at 6th Street. Which means that 39th Street is 3.6 miles away. Not “just down the street” even under the most generous interpretation. It’s just plain old flea market flimflam.

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Mary Mallory / Hollywood Heights: ‘Story of Dr. Jenner’ Promotes Vaccination

Posted on January 18, 2021 by lmharnisch

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Matthew Boulton as the physician who develops a cure for smallpox in MGM’s 1939 “The Story of Dr. Jenner.”

For centuries, smallpox infestations caused massive deaths and disfigurings to civilizations. First appearing in agricultural communities around 10,000 BC, the disease affected rich and poor. Everyone from Egyptian pharaohs to New World residents infected by Spanish conquistadors suffered from the dread disease, either covered in disfiguring skin lesions or dying. The British commander of North American forces fighting during the French-Indian War in the 1750s, suggested using it as biological warfare on Native Americans.

Even after a vaccine was discovered, education was required to inform people of the ugliness of the disease and the salvation of vaccination. Thanks to motion pictures, vast audiences could be educated on the value and importance of inoculation and vaccination. MGM’s 1939 Passing Parade short, “The Story of Dr. Jenner,” provided an entertaining but informative look at Dr. Jenner and his propagation of vaccination.

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