Mary Mallory / Hollywood Heights: 10th TCM Classic Film Festival Celebrates Love and Romance

Posted on March 27, 2019 by lmharnisch

image
The TCM Classic Film Festival celebrates not only the glories of film but also the joys of romance in its 10th annual festival April 11-14, 2019 in Hollywood. Highlighting the history of cinema from silents to Cinerama to serials to musicals, the event offers a little something for every filmgoer to love, including enjoying features on the big screen in such movie palaces as the TCL Chinese Theatre and the Egyptian Theatre, the way movies were meant to be seen.

This year, beloved film historian Kevin Brownlow receives the second annual Robert B. Osborne Award saluting preservationists and their impact on film. Brownlow will be honored before a screening of his 1964 film “It Happened Here” at the Egyptian Theatre on Saturday evening. Critic Leonard Maltin will interview him before a Sunday night screening of Clarence Brown’s romancer “A Woman of Affairs” (1928) featuring a print restored by Brownlow’s own Photoplay Productions and with the renowned Carl Davis conducting the accompanying orchestra.

TCM Classic Film Festival website

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Hollywood Photography at Auction: George Hurrell and Cecil Beaton

Posted on March 26, 2019 by lmharnisch

M39551-2 001

Gary Martin of the Brain Trust passes along word of several lots of photos being auctioned by Swann Auction Galleries. The auction is April 18.

He notes Lot 91, a set of 10 signed photographs by George Hurrell, including Anna May Wong, above, plus John Barrymore, Charles Boyer, James Cagney, Joan Crawford, Jascha Heifetz, Veronica Lake, Gilbert Roland, Ann Sheridan and Gene Tierney. The lot also includes an introduction by Douglas Fairbanks Jr. and a certificate of authenticity, printed in 1980.

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Movieland Mystery Photo (Updated + + + +)

Posted on March 25, 2019 by lmharnisch

Last Angry Man
This week’s mystery movie was the 1959 film “The Last Angry Man,” with Paul Muni, David Wayne, Betsy Palmer, Luther Adler, Claudia McNeil, Joby Baker, Joanna Moore, Nancy R. Pollock, Billy Dee Williams, Robert F. Simon and Dan Tobin. Screenplay by Gerald Green and Richard Murphy from a novel by Gerald Green. Photographed by James Wong Howe, edited by Charles Nelson, art direction by Carl Anderson, set decoration by William Kiernan, costume design by Jean Louis, music by George Duning. Produced by Fred Kohlmar and directed by Daniel Mann.

“The Last Angry Man” was released on VHS, but is not commercially available on DVD. A 16 millimeter print is for sale on EBay.

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Mary Mallory / Hollywood Heights: 21st Film Noir Festival Highlights Tension-Filled 1950s

Posted on March 25, 2019 by lmharnisch

Film Noir in the 1950s

Take a walk back in time to the tension-filled, conspiracy-driven world of the 1950s during the 2019 Annual Film Noir Festival at the Egyptian Theatre in Hollywood. Kicking off Friday, March 29, the 21st annual festival examines the down and dirty, double-crossing, and dark despair of characters running out of both time and chances. “Czar of Noir” Eddie Muller and Alan Rode of the Film Noir Foundation will introduce films spanning the decade, showing the rise and fall of the studio system and the turbulent decade.

Opening night features the newly restored 1949 film “Trapped,” starring a young Lloyd Bridges in a tale of Secret Service agents on the prowl through the streets of Los Angeles searching for a counterfeiting ring and ending in the Red Car barn. Tempestuous Barbara Payton plays Bridge’s love interest. Barbara Stanwyck headlines the 1950 noir “The File on Thelma Jordan,” the tale of a duplicitous femme fatale leading Assistant D.A. Wendell Corey astray. A special reception takes place during intermission of the double feature.

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Gentlemen, Your Wedding Photos Are Ready After 62 Years, Part 6

Posted on March 19, 2019 by lmharnisch

1957 Gay Wedding, Philadelphia

If you just tuned in, I’m digging into the 1957 photos of a wedding of two men in Philadelphia. The film was left at a photo shop and the manager refused to return the pictures, which were saved by a store employee and later sold on EBay. Copies of the images were given to the ONE National Gay & Lesbian Archives, which is trying to identify the men in the photos.

Previously:

Part 1 | Part 2 | Part 3 | Part 4 | Part 5

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Gentlemen, Your Wedding Photos Are Ready After 62 Years, Part 5

Posted on March 18, 2019 by lmharnisch

1957 gay wedding

This is the last interior shot accompanying the photos of the 1957 wedding of two men in Philadelphia. Let’s see if we can detect anything that may shed some light on our mystery guests.

Previously:

Part 1 | Part 2 | Part 3 | Part 4

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Movieland Mystery Photo (Updated + + + + +)

Posted on March 18, 2019 by lmharnisch

Dulcy
Last week’s mystery movie was the 1940 MGM picture “Dulcy,” with Ann Sothern, Ian Hunter, Roland Young, Reginald Gardiner, Billie Burke, Lynne Carver and Dan Dailey Jr.

Screenplay by Albert Mannheimer, Jerome Chodorov and Joseph A Fields, based on a play by George S. Kaufman and Marc Connelly, photography by Charles Lawton, music by Bronislau Kaper, recording by Douglas Shearer, art direction by Cedric Gibbons, with associate Howard Campbell, set decorations by Edwin B. Willis, gowns by Adrian, hairstyles for Miss Sothern by Sydney Guilaroff and editing by Frank E. Hull

Produced by Edgar Selwyn, directed by S. Sylvan Simon.

“Dulcy” has apparently never been commercially released on DVD or VHS.

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Mary Mallory / Hollywood Heights — “ ‘Nice People’ Wear Mallory Hats”

Posted on March 18, 2019 by lmharnisch

Mallory Hats Window
Mallory hats, courtesy of Mary Mallory.

Note: This is an encore post from 2014.

Not many companies in the United States can claim over 100 years in business, especially clothing manufacturers, who must deal with so many unique variables, and in particular, constantly changing styles. Two purveyors of classic, quality clothing, Brooks Brothers and Levi’s, have been operating more than 100 years. One, Mallory Hats, constructed quality, classic men’s and women’s hats for more than 142 years before ending production in 1965. Here is their story.

The brochure/book, “A Century of Hats and the Hats of the Century,” published in 1923, relays the history of the industry surrounding the manufacturing of hats by the Mallory family in Danbury, Conn. The text claims the first hat manufactured in the United States came out of Danbury in 1684. Ezra Mallory established his own hat manufacturing concern in 1823 to construct beaver “stovepipe” hats. Mallory supervised the making of hats, and ventured to neighboring towns and stores to sell his wares, and by 1825, took steamboats to New York promoting his stock. His company slowly grew in number and reputation, adding new styles to their output. They produced roughly twelve hats a week.

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

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Gentlemen, Your Wedding Photos Are Ready After 62 Years, Part 4

Posted on March 14, 2019 by lmharnisch

1957 Philadelphia Gay Wedding

Here is another interior shot from the film showing the wedding of two men in 1957. This image, alas, doesn’t seem to have as much information. Let’s take a closer look.

Previously:

Part 1 | Part 2 | Part 3

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Black Dahlia: Did George Hodel Kill His Secretary? Another Steve Hodel Lie

Posted on March 13, 2019 by lmharnisch

1945 Ruth Spaulding Suicide

Steve Hodel claims repeatedly in his “Black Dahlia Avenger” franchise that his father,
George Hodel, killed his secretary, Ruth Spaulding. It’s even in Wikipedia.

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Gentlemen, Your Wedding Photos Are Ready After 62 Years, Part 3

Posted on March 13, 2019 by lmharnisch

1957 Gay Wedding Interior

In case you just tuned in, I’m exploring a series of photos taken in 1957 of a wedding between two men. The photo shop refused to return the photos, which were saved by a store employee and sold on EBay many years later. The ONE Archives also received copies of the images and is trying to identify the men in the pictures. Before looking at the gents and the ceremony, I thought it would be helpful to examine the decor of the home where the event took place.

Previously:

Part 1 | Part 2

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Gentlemen, Your Wedding Photos Are Ready After 62 Years, Part 2

Posted on March 12, 2019 by lmharnisch

1957 same-sex wedding Philadelphia
Yesterday, I posted a few photos from 1957 showing a wedding between two unidentified men.

Before we get to the event, let’s look at some of the decor to see if we can find any clues. Whoever snapped these pictures filled out the roll with some shots of a home.

Previously on the L.A. Daily Mirror:

Gentlemen, Your Wedding Photos Are Ready After 62 Years.

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Mary Mallory / Hollywood Heights: Clarence Brown Provides Quick Shave to King Gillette Ranch

Posted on March 11, 2019 by lmharnisch

King Gillette, New York Times, 1932
King Camp Gillette dies at the age of 77 in 1932. He gave architect Wallace Neff free rein to built an expansive ranch in Calabasas, but only lived there for a few years before his death.

Tennessean Clarence Brown reigned as one of MGM’s top directors in the early 1930s, directing everything from Greta Garbo star vehicles to Joan Crawford Pre-Codes to Clark Gable romantic comedies. Looking for a ranch at which he could spread his wings, literally and figuratively, Brown purchased the lush King Gillette Ranch out in Calabasas, fit for any pasha. Brown enjoyed his little slice of paradise, helping preserve its unique character.

A bucolic wonderland in the 1920s, far from the city, Calabasas and the surrounding area of the Santa Monica Mountains lured the elite westward for rural rest and relaxation. Razor king King C. Gillette fell under the area’s spell in 1928, purchasing 640 acres on which to erect a grand hacienda by the popular architect Wallace Neff.

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

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Movieland Mystery Photo (Updated + + + +)

Posted on March 11, 2019 by lmharnisch

March16, 2019, Mystery Photo
This week’s mystery movie was the 1951 Ealing Studios film “The Man in the White Suit,” with Alec Guinness, Joan Greenwood, Cecil Parker, Michael Gough, Ernest Thesiger, Vida Hope, Howard Marion Crawford, Miles Malleson, Henry Mollison, Patric Doonan and Duncan Lamont.

Based on the play by Roger MacDougall, screenplay by Roger MacDougall, John Dighton and Alexander Mackendrick,  production supervisor Hal Mason, photography by Douglas Slocombe, edited by Bernard Gribble, unit production manager L.C. Rudkin, sound supervisor Stephen Dalby, camera operator Jeff Seaholme, assistant director David Peers, recordist Arthur Bradburn, continuity Felicia Manheim, costume designer Anthony Mendeleson, special processes Geoffrey Dickinson, special effects by Sydney Pearson, makeup by Ernest Taylor and Harry Frampton, hairstyles by Barbara Banard, scientific adviser Geoffrey Myers, additional photography by Lionel Banes, art director Jim Morahan, associate producer Sidney Cole, music by Benjamin Frankel, played by the Philharmonia Orchestra, conducted by Ernest Irving. Produced by Michael Balcon, directed by Alexander Mackendrick.

“The Man in the White Suit” is available on DVD from Amazon.

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Gentlemen, Your Wedding Photos Are Ready After 62 Years

Posted on March 11, 2019 by lmharnisch

1957 Gay Wedding

Can you identify any of these men?

In 1957, film with these images was left to be developed at a photo shop at Broad Street and Allegheny Avenue in North Philadelphia. According to Philadelphia Gay News, the shop manager had a policy of not returning photos to customers if he found the content objectionable, as he apparently did with these pictures of a gay wedding.

Rather than destroying the photos, however, he allowed store employees to have the unreturned  pictures and these images were saved by a woman who worked in the shop. The woman’s daughter, Jackie Madarang, found the pictures many years later and sold them on EBay, but donated copies to the ONE National Gay & Lesbian Archives.

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Movieland Mystery Photo (Updated + + + +)

Posted on March 4, 2019 by lmharnisch

Hell's Hinges

This week’s mystery movie was the 1916 New York Motion Picture Co./Triangle Film Corp. production “Hell’s Hinges,” with W.S. Hart, Clara Williams, Jack Standing, Alfred Hollingsworth, Robert McKim, J. Frank Burke and Louise Glaum.

It can be streamed for free at the National Film Preservation Foundation website. (The preserved version lacks an opening title card).

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Mary Mallory: Hollywood Heights – Mary Pickford Day

Posted on March 4, 2019 by lmharnisch

Dec. 4, 1923, Mary Pickford Day

Note: This is an encore post from 2013.

Los Angeles in 1923 was a bustling, growing, optimistic place.  The town recognized all sorts of interesting people and topics, saluting them with their own days.  There were Raisin Day, Prune Day, Father-and-Son Day, Fireless Cooker Day, and many others that year.  Dec. 3, 1923 was Mary Pickford Day, which unfortunately coincided with Golden Rule Day.  Per the Dec. 4, 1923,  Los Angeles Times, only a few Golden Rule observations occurred.

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

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

Posted on February 25, 2019 by lmharnisch

Noble Johnson

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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Movieland Mystery Photo (Updated + + + +)

Posted on February 24, 2019 by lmharnisch

Lawyer Man title card

This week’s mystery movie was the 1932 Warner Bros. film “Lawyer Man” with William Powell, Joan Blondell, David Landau, Helen Vinson, Claire Dodd, Alan Dinehart and Allen Jenkins. Screenplay by Rian James and James Seymour, based on the novel “Lawyer Man” by Max Trell, edited by Thomas Pratt, art direction by Esdras Hartley, photography by Robert Kurrle, gowns by Orry-Kelly, associate director Stanley Logan, Vitaphone Orchestra directed by Leo F. Forbstein.

Directed by William Dieterle.

“Lawyer Man” is available from Warner Archive in the “Forbidden Hollywood Collection” Volume 4.

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Mary Mallory / Hollywood Heights: UCLA Festival of Preservation Features Newly Restored Films

Posted on February 19, 2019 by lmharnisch

Bobby Troup Stars of Jazz
Continuing its long tradition, UCLA presented its popular Festival of Preservation condensed into a mini film festival over one weekend, unlike those in the past spread out over a month. The selection covered the gamut of entertainment, from film noir to silents to animation to television kinescopes. While I was only able to attend one day, the films I watched looked great and offered moving and hilarious entertainment.

I attended Saturday, February 16, to see restored silent shorts and eclectic TV productions. The day kicked off with a screening of “Playhouse 90,” preceded by a rare, fascinating kinescope of a closed-circuit press conference filled with elaborate production work, cutting back and forth between stars, sets, and the TV stage. Opening with a shot of CBS Television City off Fairfax Avenue, the kinescope featured appearances from a wild blend of behind-the-scenes executives and major stars.

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

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