Dear Old Hollywood

Who's Been Sleeping in My Bed? (1963) - Film Locations

2012-01-28T11:25:00.000-08:00

Dean Martin at grand opening for Market Basket

Originally, I was going to post part two of The Big Fix (1978) film locations, but I decided to push that back to next week to make way for the swingin', crooning, Italoamericano, Dean Martin.

In the film Who's Been Sleeping in My Bed? (1963) Martin plays a doctor on a popular television show, particularly popular with female audiences. He is engaged to cute art teacher, Melissa Morris (Elizabeth Montgomery) who wants to get married but who is upset with Martin for delaying their wedding plans. Things get worse when all of the wives of Martin's poker playing friends, confusing Martin for his television persona, start coming to him for advice on their marital doldrums. Each encounter with his friends' wives makes Martin even more disenchanted with the idea of marriage and he decides to break his engagement with Melissa. With the help of her friend Stella (Carole Burnett), Melissa comes up with a plan to get Martin to propose to her again.

Who's Been Sleeping in My Bed? (1963) may not be one of Dean Martin's best films, but it does have some funny moments, especially a couple with a scene stealing Carole Burnett appearing in her film debut. Other notable stars supporting Martin include Jill St. John and Richard Conte. The film also features a few interesting film locations, including scenes at Paramount Studios, a Market Basket supermarket, and the Beverly Hills Hotel swimming pool.

The film starts with Dean Martin appearing as the celebrity TV doctor at the grand opening of a Market Basket supermarket. This was a grocery chain and the location used in the film was one that was once located at 11315 Ventura Boulevard, Studio City, California. Interesting to note is that this Studio City location had its grand opening in 1963, the same year as this film. The Market Basket supermarket is now gone and today the building is used as a Bally Total Fitness.

A crowd gathers at the Market Basket for the grand opening.

11315 Ventura Blvd, Studio City

The Market Basket is now Bally Total Fitness

A view of the Market Basket parking lot.

The parking lot as it appears today.

Another view of the parking lot as seen in the film.

After Martin makes his appearance at the Market Basket grand opening we see Martin take off in his car. While driving, Martin leaves Studio City behind and gets on the 405 freeway heading south. In the next comparison below, Martin is on the 405 freeway with a view of Sherman Oaks in the background.

Martin driving on the 405 Freeway. Sherman Oaks in background.

A present day view looking down the 405 towards Sherman Oaks.

The 405 freeway looking towards Sherman Oaks.

Stella arranges a phony wedding for Melissa, hoping it will make Martin jealous. The scene takes place at the pool of the Beverly Hills Hotel, located at 9461 Sunset Boulevard, Beverly Hills, California. The pool area looks much different today. The hotel has expanded since the 1960s.

The Beverly Hills Hotel Pool as seen in the film.

An old photograph of the pool maybe from the 1960s.

The pool as it appears today.

Photo from BeverlyHillsHotel.com

Burnett & Martin at the Beverly Hills Hotel pool.

There are a few scenes that take place on the Paramount Studios lot. It's at this studio where Martin's character films his television medical drama. All of the scenes were shot on what is known as "Avenue P" of the Paramount lot.

Dean Martin exits Stage 18 on Avenue P.

Stage 18 on the Paramount Studios lot.

It's this same area of the Paramount Studios lot that was so famously used in the classic film Sunset Boulevard (1950). Stage 18 is the same stage where in Sunset Boulevard Gloria Swanson goes to visit Cecil B. Demille.

In the next comparison below, Martin's studio co-workers and poker buddies are seen standing on Avenue P of the Paramount Studios lot. The palm trees in the background are sticking up from Hollywood Forever Cemetery which borders the backside of the Paramount lot. The two story building seen of the left is the "Dreier" building, the same building used by William Holden in Sunset Boulevard as the writers building.

Martin's studio co-workers and poker buddies.

Looking down Avenue P as it appears today.

The next comparison is still of Avenue P but looking the other direction, away from the Hollywood Forever Cemetery border. On the left is the Medical Services building and straight ahead is the Lubitsch building.

The Paramount Studios Medical Services building as

seen in Who's Been Sleeping in My Bed? (1963)

Paramount's Medical Service building and Lubitsch

building as they appear today.

Dean Martin signs autographs outside Stages 5 & 6.

Stage 5 & 6 as they appear today.

This last comparison shows the beginning of Paramount's Avenue P, just past the historic Bronson Gate. Stage 4 can be seen straight ahead and Stage 2 and the Edith Head building can be seen on the right.

Looking towards Paramount's Stage 4 as seen in the film.

Looking towards stage 4 as it appears today.

Who's Been Sleeping in My Bed? (1963) is another Swinging Sixties sex comedy, similar to a couple other films I've covered here on Dear Old Hollywood: Sex and the Single Girl (1964) starring Tony Curtis, Natalie Wood, Henry Fonda, Lauran Bacall, and Mel Ferrer and Bachelor in Paradise (1961) starring Bob Hope and Lana Turner.

Thanks to my friend Chris Cottle for the photos at Paramount.

The Big Fix (1978) - Film Locations Part One

2012-01-21T14:54:00.000-08:00

Imagine all those detective films from the 1940s with Humphrey Bogart, but instead its the 1970s and Bogart is a dope smoking, counter-culture has-been nostalgic for the radical days of protests and fighting for 1960s liberal causes. That's kind of how the film The Big Fix feels. Instead of Bogart and his Sam Spade/Philip Marlowe characters we have Richard Dreyfuss playing private eye Moses Wine. Where Bogart had a tough guy presence - I mean you wouldn't be surprised to see him throw a punch at a guy that had it coming, the Moses Wine character is not a tough guy, but a Berkeley schooled academic rebel more familiar with protesting or arranging sit-ins.

In the film, Moses is a divorced father of two, just barely getting by financially, when his old college friend Lila (Susan Anspach) hooks him up with a job. Lila wants Moses to work for Milles Hawthorne, a candidate running for governor of California, to investigate who has been trying to sabotage his campaign. Although Moses doesn't agree with Hawthorne's policies, it seems like all the other 1960s radicals have sold-out, so why shouldn't he? Besides, he needs the money. Moses takes on the task but the deeper he gets in his investigation, the stranger and more dangerous things become.

Although there are some holes in the plot, The Big Fix is still an interesting story with an excellent performance by Richard Dreyfuss. The supporting cast is great too, particularly F. Murray Abraham playing an Abbie Hoffman like character. Seeing John Lithgow in a full beard in what was one of his first film roles was also interesting too.

The Big Fix was filmed all over Los Angeles, from downtown LA to the beachside boardwalk in Venice. This post is part one of two which features many of those filming locations. You will have to check back next week for part two.

Hawthorne Campaign Headquarters

Corner of Wilshire Blvd and Shatto Place

Looking at the corner of Wilshire and Shatto Place.

The Hawthorne campaign headquarters are located at the corner of Wilshire Boulevard and Shatto Place (see comparisons above and below). The building has since been demolished and the site is now a vacant lot. The whole area has changed quite a bit since 1978, with old buildings torn down and replaced by new developments.

John Lithgow looks at Dreyfuss and Anspach out of

the campaign headquarters window facing Shatto Place.

The vacant lot where the headquarters once stood

as seen from Shatto Place near Wilshire Blvd.

Lithgow looking across Shatto Place from inside the

headquarters. A Wells Fargo can be seen across the street.

The Wells Fargo building on Shatto Place is still

there but its no longer a Wells Fargo.

Looking south down Shatto Place towards Wilshire Blvd.

The strip mall in the background is now gone and a new condo

development stands in its place.

Dreyfuss, with kids, gets in car parked on Shatto Place.

Wilshire Blvd in background.

Looking from Shatto Place across Wilshire Blvd.

Early in the film Dreyfuss and Anspach pay a visit to the University of California Los Angeles. In the scene below Dreyfuss and Anspach are first seen walking down the outside hallway of Royce Hall and then entering the UCLA Humanities Building.

Dreyfuss and Anspach walking down Royce Hall at UCLA.

Anspach and Dreyfuss enter the UCLA Humanities Building.

In another scene Anspach and Dreyfuss visit the Hall of Justice building located in downtown Los Angeles at 210 West Temple Street. Ever since the 1994 Northridge earthquake this 1925 building has been sitting vacant. This landmark is where Robert Mitchum served time after being charged with marijuana possession and was also the location where the autopsies of Marilyn Monroe and presidential candidate Robert Kennedy took place. To see how the interior of the Hall looks today visit the website of Los Angeles County Supervisor Zev Yaroslavsky. The exterior photo of the Hall of Justice building is one I took.

Anspach and Dreyfuss walk inside the Hall of Justice.

An exterior look at the Hall of Justice building.

While on the hunt for his suspect, Dreyfuss goes to the Rainbow Club Casino. According to an old advertisement I found the address was listed as 13915 South Vermont Street, Gardena California. The building as seen in the screenshot also has an address number of 13915. There is no casino located at this address anymore. Now its a tract with small homes.

Rainbow Club Casino, 13915 S. Vermont Ave, Gardena, Ca

13915 S. Vermont Ave, Gardena, Ca as it appears today.

In the next scene Dreyfuss visits an electronics shop located at 905 S. Vermont Avenue where he expects to find more about his suspect.

Dreyfuss exits car parked at 905 S. Vermont Ave.

9th Street is the cross street in the background.

Looking down Vermont Ave from 9th Street.

Dreyfuss outside the electronics shop at 905 S. Vermont Ave.

The view looking from the electronics shop today.

Dreyfuss outside the electronics shop on Vermont Ave.

There still is an electronics shop at 905 S. Vermont Ave!

Anspach's character lives in the Harper House apartment building located at 1336 Harper Avenue in West Hollywood. In the scene below Dreyfuss is seen walking up to the Harper House apartment.

Looking from the entrance of the Harper House as seen in the film.

The view in front of the Harper House. 1336 Harper Ave.

Dreyfuss walks up the stairs of the Harper House.

The Harper House building as it appears today.

The last few comparisons involve a car chase scene that takes place in downtown Los Angeles.

Flower Street at 2nd Street as seen in the film.

Flower Street at 2nd Street as it appears today.

Dreyfuss in VW bug on 7th Street near Hope Street.

Looking down 7th Street towards Hope Street.

Looking down 6th Street from Flower Street.

Looking down 6th Street at Flower Street today.

Looking down 7th Street from Hope Street.

Looking down 7th Street from Hope Street today.

Looking down Wilshire Blvd from S. Figueroa Street.

Looking down Wilshire Blvd from S. Figueroa Street today.

Entering the tunnel at 2nd Street and Hill Street.

Looking towards the tunnel at 2nd Street and Hill Street.

The ramp to 1st Street from S. Figueroa Street.

Looking at the ramp to 1st Street from Figueroa St

I don't believe The Big Fix (1978) is available on DVD but it is currently available as a Watch Instantly title on Netflix and has been released on VHS.

Next week I'll be back with part two of the filming locations for The Big Fix (1978).

Your thoughts?

Will The Academy Move the Oscars From the Kodak Theatre?

2012-01-12T20:22:00.000-08:00

Photo (c) Getty Images

According to the Hollywood Reporter, the Academy may consider moving the Oscar ceremony to another venue, namely AEG's Nokia Theatre in downtown Los Angeles. The Academy's lease with the Kodak Theatre expires in 2013 and it doesn't sound like the Academy is going to immediately renew their lease.

The Hollywood Reporter writes, "the downtown venue is offering a lease comparable to what the Academy currently pays CIM Group, owner of the 3,400 seat Kodak, but with a perks package that includes more seats, better infrastructure, greater promotional opportunities and more ancillary facilities for parties and press."

After many businesses left Hollywood in the 1980s and 1990s and the area became known as an unsafe place to visit, the opening of the Kodak Theatre and the attached shopping complex in 2001 attracted other business back to the area. Every time I go through Hollywood it seems like a new popular restaurant, club, shop, condominium complex or other business has opened. The streets are always filled with locals and tourists alike. I think it would be sad for the Kodak Theatre which has played a large part in Hollywood's revival and for the Hollywood neighborhood as well, to lose the prestige of hosting the Oscars.

However, it wouldn't be the first time the Academy Awards ceremony has moved to another venue. After the first ceremony took place in 1929 at the Hollywood Roosevelt Hotel, across the street from where the Kodak Theatre complex stands today, the Academy Awards had moved to the Ambassador Hotel in Hollywood, the Biltmore Hotel in downtown Los Angeles, the Grauman's Chinese Theater in Hollywood, the Shrine Auditorium near downtown Los Angeles, the Pantages Theatre in Hollywood, the Santa Monica Civic Auditorium in Santa Monica, and the Dorothy Chandler Pavilion at the Los Angeles County Music Center in downtown Los Angeles before ultimately ending up at the Kodak in 2002.

What do you think about the Oscars possibly moving from the Kodak Theatre in Hollywood to the Nokia Theatre in downtown Los Angeles?

No Time For Sergeants (1958) - Film Locations

2012-01-07T16:27:00.000-08:00

No Time For Sergeants stars Andy Griffith as a dim witted country bumpkin who gets drafted into the Air Force. Griffith's character, Will Stockdale, is similar to the character Forrest Gump, but whereas the people around Gump always benefited from his help, Stockdale always brings more trouble for those around him, especially Sergeant King, Stockdale's barracks sergeant. Sergeant King, a career military man who has found success by managing to stay under the radar by "not making waves" finds his steady career in jeopardy with simple minded Stockdale under his command.

Griffith is hilarious in this comedy. Yes, he could be funny on the Andy Griffith Show, but he is really, really funny in No Time For Sergeants. His comic timing and delivery are perfect. Myron McCormick, Nick Adams, and future Andy Griffith Show co-star Don Knotts also star in No Time For Sergeants.

In my post on the film locations for Suppose They Gave a War and Nobody Came? (1970), Tony Curtis is seen driving a bus onto Warner Bros. Midwest Street to pick up a group of military recruits. Twelve years earlier, the film No Time For Sergeants (1958) also used Midwest Street to serve the same purpose, but in No Time For Sergeants hillbilly Andy Griffith is getting picked up for military service.

Another difference between the two films: Suppose They Gave a War, in the scene where the recruits are waiting to be picked up, filmed from the front side of the Midwest Street white chapel building. In No Time For Sergeants, Griffith, Nick Adams and the other recruits wait to be picked up on the backside of the white chapel.

Recruits behind the white chapel on Midwest Street.

The white chapel on the Warner Bros. Midwest Street.

Griffith gets handcuffed to a gas pump near the chapel.

The gas pump would have been in the center of the street.

An Air Force recruit says goodbye to his sweetheart.

The same view of Midwest Street as it appears today.

Griffith, Nick Adams, Murray Hamilton

Same view of Midwest Street at Warner Bros.

Another view behind the chapel.

Looking behind the chapel as it appears today.

Griffith (Stockdale) and Adams (Whitledge)

Benjamin B. Whitledge: You ever had R.O.T.C.?

Will Stockdale: No..., but Irvin did! Close to a year of it. He's so 'ornary I think he still might have a touch of it.

Benjamin B. Whitledge: No, Will R.O.T.C. ain't a disease, its trainin'...Reserve, Officer's, Training...,uh...Corporation!

Another view behind the chapel as seen in

No Time For Sergeants.

The same view as it appears today.

No Time For Sergeants is available on DVD. Have you seen it?

Charlton Heston Saves Rose Bowl

2011-12-31T11:40:00.000-08:00

Charlton Heston with wife Lydia at home.

He fought for mankind in Planet of the Apes, he battled zombie, vampire like beings as the last man on earth in The Omega Man, he saved a 747 from disaster in Airport 1975, he saved many of LA's citizens in Earthquake, and in 1994 Charlton Heston saved some Wisconsin ticket holders from missing the Rose Bowl football game.

According to the blog Wisconsinology,

"Many counterfeit tickets had been sold before the game. The sudden infusion of Wisconsinites into Los Angeles caused two things - one, a city wide beer shortage and two, a hot market for illegal ticket sales. Outraged by the news that ticket sharks were preying on helpless visitors, Charlton Heston graciously opened his home to anyone caught without a seat. There, they could watch the game on Heston's wide screen state-of-the-art home theater."

If I flew cross country to watch the Rose Bowl game only to learn that my tickets were fake, I think watching the game with God (Heston did the voice of God in the film the Ten Commandments) at his modern designed home high atop Beverly Hills, would be a pretty nice alternative.

Heston's wife of fifty years was from Two Rivers, Wisconsin. To read more about other Hollywood, political, musical, and pop-culture significant figures connected with Wisconsin I recommend reading the entertaining blog Wisconsinology.

The #9 Wisconsin Badgers are once again back at the Rose Bowl, this time as the underdog taking on the #6 Oregon Ducks. The game will be on January 2, 2012 at the Rose Bowl stadium in Pasadena, California.

Suppose They Gave a War and Nobody Came? (1970) - Film Locations

2011-12-26T16:15:00.000-08:00

Suppose They Gave a War and Nobody Came? (1970) is one of those movies I just had to see because of the all-star cast but when I finally did see the film I knew why, despite all the names in the film, nobody ever talks about it. Brian Keith, Tony Curtis, Ernest Borgnine, Suzanne Pleshette, Tom Ewell, and Don Ameche headline this parody of the U.S. military, but nothing any one of these stars does can save this film from feeling long and boring. Made at the height of the Vietnam war, you get the feeling that this movie was supposed to be one of those "message" films but really, the whole movie seems so ridiculous that any intended message gets buried in the clownish story.

The story is set in a small Southern town that is home to an Army base. The town locals dislike the presence of the military in their community and tension builds between the locals and the military. Col. Flanders (Ameche) hires Officer Nace (Keith) to help improve community relations, but Ernest Borgnine, a sheriff with a chip on his shoulder isn't ready to work with the military on improving relations. Tony Curtis, a loud-mouth, scheming, trouble making Sergeant only makes matters worse and eventually ends up in jail. When his friend Nace comes to break him out using a borrowed tank, the zealous Tom Ewell leads a milita to go to war against the Army.

As much as I disliked the film, I did enjoy noticing that the small town where most of the action takes place, including the final confrontation between the locals and the military, was filmed on the Warner Bros. backlot in Burbank, specifically on Midwest Street. This area of the lot has most recently appeared in the television show Hart of Dixie filling in for another Southern community and also on the big screen in The Muppets. In The Muppets, Midwest Street is "Smalltown," the town where Jason Segel and Amy Adams live.

Below are comparisons of Midwest Street as it appeared in Suppose They Gave a War and Nobody Came? (1970) and how Midwest Street appears today.

Ernest Borgnine & Suzanne Pleshette in a drug store set.

Looking out from the drug store entrance.

Pleshette leaves the drug store.

Another view looking from the drug store.

Borgnine near the center of Warner Bros. Midwest Street.

Warner Bros. Midwest Street. The same

chapel stands in the background.

Borgnine walking towards the middle of Midwest Street.

Looking at the center of Midwest Street as it presently appears.

Borgnine stands in front of the drug store.

The drug store facade as it appears today.

Borgnine, Tony Curtis, Brian Keith on Midwest Street.

Looking down Midwest Street.

Curtis drives a bus into Midwest Street to pick up new recruits.

The building on the left is the "Star" theatre building.

Borgnine looks at the military in disgust.

The facades behind Borgnine as they appear today.

The drug store is seen top center.

The same facades today, stripped down.

This next view is pretty cool because the western style facades no longer exist. You can see in the contemporary photo the green hills in the background but the western facades have been demolished and replaced.

The western style facades above no longer exist.

All that is the same are the green hills in the distant background.

Bradford Dillman stands on a jeep parked on Midwest Street.

The facade of the Star theatre as it appears today.

Borgnine in front of the police station.

The police station facade as it appears today.

The next view is another showing more of the western style facades (on the right side) that no longer exist. On the left you will notice the backside of the white chapel building is still there.

The army and the town police go at it on Midwest Street.

Entering Midwest Street from the back.

The backside of the white chapel.

The backdoor to the chapel building has been stripped away.

The tank pulls into Midwest Street. The front side

of the chapel would be a little further to the left.

The same view in front of the chapel is it appears today.

Looking down from the police station.

The police station facade is where the green trim is. This

view has changed quite a bit.

Over ten years prior to Tony Curtis arriving on Midwest Street in a bus to pick up military recruits another film, a very funny military themed comedy from the 1950s, used the same location on the Warner Bros. backlot as the spot to pick up new recruits. Any guesses as to what movie this may be? Come back next week and I'll have a post on the now and then comparisons from this 1950s film.

Update: January 7, 2012

To see the answer of which 1950s film used Midwest Street as the location to pick up military recruits click here.

NINOTCHKA / DESIGN FOR LIVING Double Feature

2011-12-23T16:15:00.000-08:00

Gary Cooper, Fredric March, Miriam Hopkins in

Design For Living (1933)

Earlier this month The Criterion Collection released a high definition digital restoration of the pre-code classic film, Design For Living (1933) on DVD and Blu-Ray, but if you want a chance to enjoy this film on the big screen as it was meant to be, prior to enjoying the film at home, the American Cinematheque will be presenting a screening of the film at the Aero theatre in Santa Monica, California. The screening is scheduled for Wednesday, December 28, 2011 and is the second part of a double feature, the first film being another Ernst Lubitsch classic, Ninotchka (1939). Lubitsch's daughter Nicola, will be introducing the double feature. And for those who haven't purchased a copy of Design For Living, all ticket holders will have a chance to win a DVD of the Criterion release.

Design For Living stars the always handsome Gary Cooper, the actor's actor Fredric March, and scene stealer Miriam Hopkins. Cooper and March play roommates living in Paris who both fall in love with the same girl, Gilda Farrell, played by Hopkins. Hopkins can't decide which man she loves, so what does she do? She decides to live with both men!

"Garbo Laughs!" was the tagline for the romantic comedy, Ninotchka, starring Greta Garbo and Melvyn Douglas. In this film, Garbo is a tough Russian woman sent to Paris to sell some stolen jewelery and bring back three fellow Russians who couldn't complete the task because they had become distracted by the luxuries of a capitalist society. Garbo too begins to fall in love with the West and also with a charming Count (Douglas). What is a Russian girl to do?

Details

Where: Aero Theatre, 1328 Montana Avenue, Santa Monica, CA

When: Wedensday, December 28, 2011 at 7:30pm

Down Three Dark Streets (1954) - Film Locations

2011-12-04T17:51:00.000-08:00

Down Three Dark Streets (1954) stars Broderick Crawford as John Ripley, an FBI agent who takes on three unrelated cases in hopes that one will lead to the killer of his fellow agent. As with so many 1950s crime films, this one was done in a documentary style, with a heavy use of voice-over. I feel this technique makes the film less thrilling but overall the film still works as an entertaining mystery. What's most attractive about this film is its use of location photography, including scenes at Los Angeles's Subway Terminal (yes, LA had a subway in the 1950s), downtown Los Angeles, and the Hollywood Sign.

The establishing shot for the Los Angeles branch of the FBI, as seen in the screenshot below, includes LA's iconic City Hall building on the right and the District Court building on the left. As you can see in the comparison photo, this location hasn't changed much. That isn't the case with some of the other locations.

District Court building on left. City Hall on right.

The District Court and City Hall buildings as they appear today.

Before FBI agent Zack Stewart (Kenneth Tobey) is shot and killed and Crawford takes over his cases, Stewart pays a visit to Ohrbach's department store on Wilshire Boulevard where he intends to meet a woman named Kate Martel (Ruth Roman), a victim of an extortionist. Ohrbach's was located where the Museum Square area is today. Below is a screenshot of Stewart walking up to Ohrbach's, a vintage postcard looking down Wilshire Boulevard with a view of the art deco Desmond's building in the background, and a Google Street View showing the same view as it appears today. If you look closely you can still see the Desmond's department store tower in the background of the Google Street View.

Stewart visits Ohrbach's department store.

Ohrbach's department store on Wilshire Boulevard, LA.

What is left of Ohrbach's department store on left.

In another scene, Crawford visits Connie Anderson (Martha Hyer), the girlfriend of one of the men Stewart was investigating at her apartment in West Hollywood. Hyer's apartment building is the Colonial House located at 1416 Havenhurst Drive. This building, built in 1930, recently had a three bedroom condo for sale listed for $2,150,000 so it doesn't come cheap. Below is a screenshot of the entrance of the Colonial House, a contemporary view of the entrance and a Bing Bird's Eye view of the building.

Crawford and partner approach the Colonial House.

Colonial House, 1416 Havenhurst Drive, West Hollywood

Bird's Eye View of the Colonial House

The screenshot below is a view looking down North Broadway towards West Temple Street. The Law Building can be seen on the right. On the far left you can see the corner of the Los Angeles Hall of Justice building. In the contemporary image you will see that The Law building and the building directly across the street are both demolished. The old Los Angeles Hall of Justice Building, although closed, is still standing.

Looking down Broadway towards Temple.

Hall of Justice far left. Law Building on right.

Looking down Broadway towards Temple.

Hall of Justice on left. Law building on right now replaced.

In another downtown Los Angeles scene FBI agents follow Hyer on her way to the subway. In the screenshot below we get a glimpse of Hill Street at Fourth Street. For comparison I've included a historic image of the intersection from the Los Angeles Library Photo Collection which shows the domed Brighton Hotel on the northeast corner and the Hotel Sherman on the southeast corner. Below that is a contemporary view of the intersection. You can see nothing is really left. The whole intersection is completely different.

Looking down Hill Street towards Fourth Street.

Hill Street at Fourth Street.

Looking down Hill Street at Fourth Street as it appears today.

When Hyer boards the subway at the downtown Los Angeles Subway Terminal Building, she sneaks onto a train headed for Glendale. That train comes above ground at the Toluca Portal near 279 S. Toluca Street. The portal has now been sealed up and the train line has been completely blocked by the construction of a new building. Below is a screenshot from the film showing the train exiting the tunnel, a contemporary look of the tunnel as it appears today looking from Toluca Street, and a Bing Bird's Eye View showing the building that now stands directly in front of the tunnel.

Hyer rides the train through the Toluca Portal.

Looking at what is left of the Toluca Portal.

The portal (top center) blocked by a large building.

Once the train goes above ground it follows the path of Glendale Boulevard. In the screenshot below the train goes under the Beverly bridge near the intersection of Glendale Boulevard and 2nd Street.

The Beverly Bridge. Glendale Blvd @ 2nd Street

The Beverly Bridge as it appears today.

In the next scene the train continues down Glendale Boulevard. In the screenshot below the train approaches the intersection of Glendale Blvd and Court Street. What's amazing to see is how the skyline has changed so much since 1954. In the background of the screenshot you cannot see even one high-rise building. In the contemporary image you can see all the modern office tower buildings in the background.

Glendale Blvd at Court Street

Looking down Glendale Blvd at Court Street as it appears today.

In the next scene the camera changes directions and looks down the other direction of Glendale Boulevard, still near Court Street, towards the 101 freeway in the distance.

Looking down Glendale Blvd from Court Street.

Looking down Glendale Blvd from Court St towards the 101 freeway.

The finale of the film all takes place in the Hollywood Hills near the famous Hollywood sign. Crawford is hot on the trail of the killer of his fellow agent who also happens to be the extortionist. The screenshot below shows the intersection of Westshire Drive near Beachwood Drive just a short distance below the Hollywood sign.

Westshire Drive at Beachwood Drive as seen in the film.

Westshire Drive at Beachwood Drive as it appears today.

Crawford learns that the killer as at the Hollywood sign.

Down Three Dark Streets is an alright film that is worth watching if for nothing else, the time capsule look at Los Angeles in the 1950s. My favorite scenes are those showing the old Subway Terminal Building and the shots of the train passing through the Toluca Portal. Down Three Dark Streets is available on DVD and is also currently available as a Netflix Watch Instantly title.

Your thoughts?

Your favorite Christmas films?

2011-11-27T08:49:00.000-08:00

Christmas with the Griswolds

Now that Thanksgiving has passed I'm in full Christmas mode. The tree is up, wifey has been putting up decorations, we've both started the shopping madness and now we're ready for a marathon of Christmas movies. Well, my wife will watch a movie now and then and I'll be the couch potato that will watch one right after the next. Thank goodness for laptops and smartphones - I rarely need to get up from the TV.

Every year I like to mix in some of my favorite Christmas films with others I've never seen before. By far my favorite annual film is National Lampoon's Christmas Vacation (1989). No matter how many times I see this film I always find myself laughing out loud. My brothers and I can practically quote the whole film.

The Griswold Home

"Where do you think you're going? Nobody's leaving. Nobody's walking out on this fun, old-fashioned family Christmas. No, no. We're all in this together. This is a full-blown, four-alarm holiday emergency here. We're gonna press on, and we're gonna have the hap, hap, happiest Christmas since Bing Crosby tap-danced with Danny fucking Kaye. And when Santa squeezes his fat white ass down that chimney tonight, he's gonna find the jolliest bunch of assholes this side of the nuthouse."

That's Clark Griswold (Chevy Chase) ranting after so many things go wrong with the perfect Christmas he had planned.

I've already got Holiday Affair (1949) with Robert Mitchum and Janet Leigh in this season. Next up on the viewing list is the original Miracle on 34th Street (1947) with Maureen O'Hara, John Payne, Natalie Wood and Edmund Gwenn.

What are your favorite Christmas season films to watch? I'm always on the look out for some lesser known holiday films. This year I'm going to watch All Mine to Give (1957) which I've only heard of a couple years ago and have not seen yet.

Hollow Triumph (1948) (a.k.a. The Scar) - Film Locations

2011-11-20T15:46:00.000-08:00

Hollow Triumph (a.k.a. "The Scar")

Actor Paul Henreid, probably best known as Victor Laszlo in the film Casablanca (1942), gives a thrilling and very different performance in the noir Hollow Triumph (1948), also known as The Scar. Henreid plays brilliant crook John Muller, who with the help of a few friends, attempts to pull a heist on a casino. Things don't go according to plan and Muller must take the money and go into hiding. The casino owner, a tough gangster, will stop at nothing to capture Muller and sends two of his thugs to capture him.

While in hiding, Muller is mistaken on the street as Dr. Bartok, a psychiatrist, who bears a striking resemblance to Muller. Only the real Dr. Bartok has a scar across his cheek. Muller takes a photo of Dr. Bartok and then using the photo for reference, creates a scar on his own cheek. Only the photo lab made a mistake and printed the image in reverse, so Muller ends up with the scar on the wrong side of his face. This doesn't stop Muller from fooling most people into believing that he is Dr. Bartok, including the doctor's tough-minded secretary Evelyn Hayn (Joan Bennett). But for how long can Muller impersonate the doctor before people begin to catch on?

A few of the film's scenes take place in downtown Los Angeles and some of the landmarks that can be seen are the Barclay Hotel, Angels Flight, and the Olympic Theatre. Here are a few of the locations seen in Hollow Triumph.

The first is the Barclay Hotel, located at the corner of 4th Street and Main Street in downtown Los Angeles. In the scene below, the two thugs that are after Muller find him in a hotel/apartment building across the street from the Barclay.

Two thugs after Muller (Henreid). Barclay Hotel in background.

The Barclay Hotel as it appears today.

Although in the film the thugs find Muller leaving an apartment/hotel across the street from the Barclay, the building that stood across the street at the time of filming, the Westminster Hotel, is different from the building seen in the film. The film crew must have shot the building where Muller is hiding out in a different location and then edited the film to make it look like it was across from the Barclay.

Muller leaves the apartment/hotel building across the street

from the Barclay hotel.

This is how the building looks in the film.

This is the Westminster Hotel, the building that was actually

across the street from the Barclay Hotel.

This is how the same location looks today.

Muller takes off running from the thugs. He runs up to Hill and Third Street, pass the Belmont Hotel and up to Angels Flight next to the Third Street Tunnel. You will see that this location has changed drastically since the time of filming. Angels Flight was moved a few blocks over, the tunnel has been widened, and all of the buildings have been demolished and replaced by more modern high rise buildings.

Muller runs up to Angels Flight.

Vintage look at Angels Flight and the Third Street Tunnel.

The Third Street Tunnel as it appears today.

The two thugs, standing on Third Street next to the Belmont Hotel,

spot Muller boarding the Angels Flight.

Two old men in 1969 stand at Third Street next to the Belmont.

Looking down Third Street where the Belmont Hotel once stood.

Later in the film there is another chase scene with Muller (Henreid) trying to get away. In this scene we see the historic Olympic Theatre located at 313 W. Eighth Street and the intersection of Eighth and Hill Street. This same intersection was the site of another chase scene with Pat O'Brien and Bette Davis in the film Bureau of Missing Persons (1933).

Muller passes the Olympic Theatre on Eighth Street.

Olympic Theatre (on right) as it appears today.

Rounding Eighth Street onto Hill Street.

Looking down Hill Street at Eighth Street.

Looking North down Hill Street from Eighth Street.

Hollow Triumph (1949) is available on DVD. It is also available on Netflix as a Watch Instantly title, but under the name, The Scar.

Vintage photos from the Los Angeles Public Library collection. Street images (c) Google 2011

Marilyn Monroe's LA Haunts and Hangouts

2011-11-12T07:49:00.000-08:00

Marilyn Monroe

To celebrate the release of the upcoming film My Week with Marilyn starring Michelle Williams as the iconic Marilyn Monroe, the Huffington Post has put together an interesting list of some of the stars's former haunts and hangouts. The list includes restaurants she ate it, hotels she stayed at and her final resting place. Visit the Huffington Post site to read the full article and have fun retracing Monroe's steps.

Impact (1949) - Film Locations

2011-11-06T15:21:00.000-08:00

Impact (1949)

I'm going beyond the borders of Los Angeles again, this time exploring the Northern California filming locations for the 1949 film, Impact. This is the second time I've tracked down locations in the Northern half of the state. A few weeks back I did a post on The Lawless (1950) which was filmed in the small towns of Grass Valley and Marysville. That got me thinking about possibly changing the tag line on my blog to something that would include exploring the world of "Hollywood" beyond just the borders of Tinseltown. My focus will remain on Hollywood and Los Angeles, but look for an occasional post outside LA city limits.

Impact stars Brian Donlevy as cuckold Walter Williams, a wealthy San Francisco businessman who's wife Irene (Helen Walker) is plotting to have him killed. When Williams needs to go on a business trip his wife asks if he could pick up her cousin "Jim" on his way and drive her cousin back to his home. Jim is really Irene's lover and intends to kill Williams along the way, but things don't go according to plan. While pulled over on the side of the road to fix a flat tire, Jim hits Williams over the head and rolls his body down a cliff. Jim drives off but he ends up in a flaming car crash and dies. Meanwhile, Williams awakens and lifts a ride into town where he learns that he was set-up.

Williams stays on in Larkspur, "Idaho" the small town where he was dropped off and gets a job as a mechanic working for Marsha Peters (Ella Raines), a widow who's husband died in the war. The two develop a relationship and Williams ends up staying in Larkspur longer than he intended - that is until he reveals his past and Peters convinces him to go back to San Francisco to set things straight. When Williams arrives back in San Francisco everyone is shocked to see that he is still alive. The police arrest Williams under suspicion of murder. Peters, with the help of detective Quincy (Charles Coburn) and the Williams's maid (Anna Mae Wong) fight to prove his innocence.

Donlevy is excellent in the lead role and so is the supporting cast of Walker, Raines, Coburn and Wong. The story is a bit convoluted but this part noir, part crime thriller is an interesting watch.

Filming took place in three different California cities: San Francisco, Sausalito, and Larkspur.

San Francisco Locations

The Williams's apartment building is the Brocklebank Apartments located at 1000, Mason Street in San Francisco. The intersection is Mason Street at Sacramento Street. Below is the view looking out the window of the Brocklebank building as seen in the film and a contemporary street view of the same location.

The view looking out of the Brocklebank Apartments.

Looking away from the Brocklebank Apartments.

Mason Street at Sacramento Street.

Irene leaving the Brocklebank Apartments

The Brocklebank Apartments in San Francisco.

In the scene where we see Irene leaving the Brocklebank Apartments she continues to walk down Mason Street, passing the historic Fairmont hotel and ending at the intersection of Mason and California.

Irene in front of The Fairmont hotel.

The corner of The Fairmont hotel. Mason at California Streets.

Looking down California Street from Mason Street.

It's amazing how much the skyline has changed since 1949. One used to have a clear view of the bridge. Now only part of the bridge is visible between the tall high-rise buildings that have gone up. The same is true in the next view below looking down Sacramento Street from Mason Street.

Looking down Sacrament St. from Mason St.

Looking down Sacramento St. from Mason St.

Another San Francisco location is the old Hall of Justice building located at 750 Kearny Street. The building has since been razed and replaced by a Hilton hotel.

Former San Francisco Hall of Justice, 750 Kearny Street.

750 Kearny Street, now a Hilton Hotel.

The next two comparisons are views of Kearny Street as seen from Washington Street.

814 Kearny Street in background as seen in Impact.

Looking at a contemporary view of 814 Kearny Street.

The corner of Washington Street and Kearny Street.

Sausalito Locations

The next three locations are located in Sausalito, California. It's at this location where Donlevy's character thinks he is picking up his wife's cousin Jim. We get a view of the historic Hotel Sausalito located at 16 El Portal Street and some of the neighboring buildings.

Looking down Bridgeway at El Portal Street.

The Hotel Sausalito can be seen on the left.

Looking down Bridgeway. Hotel Sausalito on the left.

Looking down El Portal at the Hotel Sausalito.

Looking down El Portal St. at the Hotel Sausalito.

Looking up El Portal St. towards Bridgeway.

Larkspur Locations

The next set of locations are all in Larkspur, California, although in the film the story is supposed to be set in Larkspur "Idaho." The first two comparisons are views of the center of town from the intersection of Magnolia Avenue at East Ward Street.

Williams arrives in Larkspur - walking down

Magnolia Ave from E. Ward Street.

Looking down Magnolia Ave at E. Ward Street.

Williams (Donlevy) stands on E. Ward Street near Magnolia Ave.

Looking down E. Ward Street.

Williams stays at the home of Marsha Peters located at 234 Magnolia Avenue. I actually found this address from a printable historic self-guided walking tour provided by the City of Larkspur. You can view the walking tour which highlights other significant buildings in the town by clicking here.

Raines & Donlevy at the home at 234 Magnolia Ave.

The home as it appears today at 234 Magnolia Ave.

When Williams arrives in Larkspur he gets a job as a mechanic at a shop owned by Peters. I couldn't find the Mobil service station, but just a few blocks down from the Peters home on Magnolia Ave I saw the building below, a hair salon that looks like it could be the same building as the Mobile service station, only remodeled. Look at the white columns and the basic structure of the building and you can see how it matches up. The building is located at 238 Magnolia Ave.

Donlevy as a mechanic at the service station.

238 Magnolia Avenue

The service station building remodeled. Now a hair salon.

The last few comparisons take place near the Larkspur City Hall building and the Larkspur Fire Department.

Looking up at Larkspur City Hall, 400 Magnolia Ave.

Looking at Larkspur City Hall on Magnolia Ave.

The Larkspur Fire Dept. next to City Hall.

The Larkspur Fire Department next to City Hall.

Looking down Magnolia Ave from King Street.

A fire truck leaves the Fire Dept. and heads down Magnolia

towards the center of town.

Looking down Magnolia towards the center of town

from the Fire Department.

Impact (1949) is available on DVD and is also currently available as a Netflix Watch Instantly title.

All Street View images (c) Google 2011.

John Wayne Tribute Event

2011-10-30T09:41:00.000-07:00

The Jules Verne Festival is back again and this time they are honoring the legendary actor, director and producer, John Wayne. The festivities include a special screening of the Wayne film, True Grit, an award for Wayne that will be accepted by his sons Patrick and Ethan Wayne, an exclusive filmed interview with Glen Campbell that will be shown at the screening and special celebrity guests. Some of the guests in attendance will include actress and True Grit costar Kim Darby and harmonica player Tommy Morgan (Rio Bravo, The Cowboys, Dances with Wolves) and others yet to be announced.

Tickets can be purchased here and a limited number of ticket buyers will receive the John Wayne Screen Legends Collection DVD Box Set which includes the films, Wild Wind, Rooster Cogburn, Hellfighters, The War Wagon, and The Spoilers. The event takes place on November 10, 2011, at the Cinerama Dome in Hollywood. For more details visit the official Jules Verne Festival website.

I've gone to two Jules Verne events in the past, one honoring Tony Curtis (who was still alive and in attendance at the time) and another honoring Steve McQueen. The tribute to Curtis was a fun and entertaining time and it was wonderful being able to listen to Curtis share many stories about his classic Hollywood costars, such as Marilyn Monroe. The event honoring McQueen I felt was much less organized and started much later than scheduled. Nevertheless, it was interesting to listen to actor Robert Vaughn, who was in attendance at that event, to share some funny stories about McQueen. I'm sure there will be many great stories to be heard about John Wayne from his sons Patrick and Ethan, as well as his costar Kim Darby. Let's just hope that this event runs a little more on schedule than the McQueen event.

The Big Night (1951) - Film Locations

2011-10-23T09:10:00.000-07:00

The Big Night (1951)

Director Joseph Losey had a short career making films in America before he was forced to move to Europe after being blacklisted in Hollywood during the era of red-baiting and HUAC hearings. So, it's no surprise that Losey's films didn't get much attention in the United States, especially those films that he made in Europe. Although Losey's films are highly regarded in Europe, they're still not widely recognized and appreciated in the United States, which is a real shame because Losey made some real gems.

A few weeks ago I did a film locations post for one of Losey's American films, The Lawless (1950), which was filmed in Northern California. This time around I spotlight some of the film locations for The Big Night (1951) which was filmed in Los Angeles.

Like many noir films, The Big Night (1951) is a revenge story with a very simple plot, but I was quite surprised at just how dark and moody this film was. The film stars a young John Drew Barrymore, a teenager who witnesses his father beaten to a pulp. Barrymore takes to the streets with the intention of getting back at his father's attacker, but when he confronts the man that beat his father, he discovers some dark secrets about his father. But are they true? Things are little more complicated than Barrymore thought.

In one scene when Barrymore is wandering the streets he comes up to an old church. The building is St. Joseph Catholic Church located at 218 East 12th Street in Los Angeles. The church was constructed in 1901 and stood on the site for many decades, until in 1983 a fire damaged the church and the building was demolished. A new church was then erected in its place. Below is a screenshot from the film of Barrymore approaching the church matched with some images of the church during different time periods.

Barrymore at St. Joseph Catholic Church, Los Angeles

St. Joseph Catholic Church in 1906

St. Joseph Catholic Church ca. 1940

St. Joseph Catholic Church as it appears today.

During the opening of the film and later in the story, we see Barrymore running down the streets where the Southern California Gas Company tanks once stood. The intersection below is Center Street at Commercial Street near downtown Los Angeles.

Barrymore between the Southern California Gas Company tanks.

Center Street at Commercial Street, Los Angeles

Barrymore running down Center Street passed the Friedman Bag

building, now the Devon Self Storage building.

Center Street at Commercial, Los Angeles

Former Friedman Bag building on left.

Side street next to the Friedman Bag building.

Looking down the side of the former Friedman Bag building.

The Big Night (1951) is currently available for streaming on Netflix Watch Instantly, but is not to be confused with the film from 1960 with the same title. To my knowledge it has not been released on DVD in the United States, but it is available on DVD as part of the Joseph Losey collection box set released in the United Kingdom.

Street View images (c) Google (2011), St. Joseph Catholic Church images from Los Angeles Library photo collection.

Donovan's Brain (1953) - Film Locations

2011-10-15T07:07:00.000-07:00

Donovan's Brain (1953)

It's not a horror film, but Donovan's Brain (1953) is creepy enough (ok, campy enough) for October Halloween viewing. In the film, Lew Ayres plays Dr. Patrick Cory, a scientist experimenting with keeping monkey brains alive outside of their bodies. When a millionaire by the name of Donovan crashes nearby Dr. Cory's home and lab, Dr. Cory volunteers to help resuscitate the victim. When that fails, Dr. Cory secretly removes Donovan's brain and attempts to keep the brain alive outside the body. The experiment seems to work until Donovan's brain begins to take control of Dr. Cory.

Many of the scenes take place at the home of Dr. Cory, which looks to be a remote area of Southern California. However, there are a few scenes that take place in Los Angeles. In an early scene when Lew Ayres needs to go into the city, we see his plane flying over downtown Los Angeles with a view of City Hall in the background.

Lew Ayers flies over Los Angeles. City Hall in background.

Bird's eye view of City Hall in Los Angeles as it appears today.

When Ayers needs to stay in Los Angeles for a few days he crashes at The Town House apartment building located at 639 S. Commonwealth Ave. This same apartment building can be seen 22 years earlier in the Charlie Chaplin film, City Lights (1931) in the scene where Chaplin, after receiving money from a millionaire, runs out of the apartment to buy the basket of flowers from the blind girl. Below are comparisons of the Town House apartments as they appear in the film and how the building appears today.

Lew Ayres arrives at the Town House apartments.

639 S. Commonwealth Ave, Los Angeles

The entrance to The Town House apartments.

A present view of the entrance to The Town House apartments.

The Town House Apartments, 639 S. Commonwealth Ave.

I'm not a hundred percent sure, but it looks like there may have actually been scenes filmed inside The Town House apartments building. Usually, a film production would recreate the interiors on a soundstage at the studio, but the screenshots below look like they may be an authentic look at the interior of the Town House apartments circa 1953.

Lew Ayres enters The Town House apartments.

Ayers goes up the steps to the lobby.

Ayers in the lobby of the Town House apartments.

The elevators inside the Town House apartments.

In the next scene comparison Lew Ayres is seen leaving The Town House apartments, getting into a cab parked on Commonwealth Ave. In the background you can see the First Congregational Church of Los Angeles, the same church where James Mason brings his family in the Nicholas Ray film, Bigger Than Life (1956). In the modern day view you can just barely see the church steeples peeking above the trees and partially blocked by the modern glass building.

Looking down Commonwealth Ave

outside the Town House apartments.

Looking down Commonwealth Ave, the First Congregational

Church of Los Angeles in the upper right corner.

In one scene when Lew Ayres is going about town he is spotted by a reporter. In the screenshot below, we can see that the building Ayres goes into was on South Olive Street near West 7th Street. The building in the background can also be seen in Charlie Chaplin's film City Lights, in the opening credits of the Joan Crawford film, Possessed (1947), and in the Pat O'Brien and Bette Davis film, Bureau of Missing Persons (1933).

Reporter on S. Olive near W. 7th Street, Los Angeles

S. Olive near W. 7th Street, Los Angeles

Near the end of the film, Lew Ayres is almost completely controlled by Donovan's brain. Under Donovan's control, Ayres nearly gets killed by stepping in front of moving traffic. The scene was filmed near the intersection of Wilshire Blvd and S. Westmorland.

Ayres on Wilshire Blvd near S. Westmorland. The art deco

Bullocks Wilshire building can be seen on the right.

Looking east down Wilshire. Bullocks Wilshire building on right.

Looking down S. Westmorland near Wilshire Blvd.

The side street is now divided in half.

Donovan's Brain (1953) is available on DVD and is currently available to Watch Instantly on Netflix.

The film also stars Nancy Davis, later known as Nancy Reagan and Gene Evans.

Your thoughts?

Female (1933) - Film Locations

2011-10-05T19:53:00.000-07:00

Female (1933)

It's a woman's world in the film Female (1933). Ruth Chatterton plays Alison Drake, a tough business executive at an automobile factory who has her way with all the men that work for her. When Alison sees one of her male employees that she fancies, she invites them over to her house for what will be a one night stand. Miss Drake doesn't get attached. That is until she meets Jim Thorne (George Brent), an inventor who refuses her advances.

This unusual film is a pre-code comedy filled with gorgeous art deco sets and snappy dialogue. One of the interesting film locations is Chatterton's home, which is the Ennis Brown house designed by Frank Lloyd Wright. The home is located at 2655 Glendower Avenue in the hills of the Los Feliz neighborhood of Los Angeles and can be seen in numerous films. The Ennis Brown house was even the title character in House on Haunted Hill (1959), starring Vincent Price.

Ruth Chatterton and her help outside the Ennis-Brown house.

The entrance to the Ennis-Brown House.

The Ennis-Brown House as seen in Female (1933)

The front of the Ennis-Brown House

The driveway of the Ennis-Brown House.

Ruth Chatterton in front of the Ennis-Brown house.

The back of the Ennis-Brown house.

Ruth Chatterton about to take a dip in her art deco pool.

In one scene we see that Chatterton's home has a large art deco swimming pool. That pool is not part of the Ennis-Brown home designed by Wright. It was fabricated on a Warner Bros. soundstage. According to IMDB, it was actually constructed for the musical number "By a Waterfall" in the bigger budget film, Footlight Parade (1933), starring James Cagney.

Spooktacular October Screenings!

2011-10-02T10:14:00.000-07:00

October is here and Halloween is just around the corner. That means a month of thrills and chills. For a classic movie fan like me it means a month of viewing creepy films to get in the Halloween spirit and fortunately, in Los Angeles, there are numerous theaters showing some scary films to pull me away from my Netflix marathons at home. Here are some of the upcoming screenings that I am marking on the calendar.

On Thursday, October 6, at 6:30pm the Egyptian Theater in Hollywood will be doing a double feature of Island of Lost Souls (1932) and Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde (1931). Filmmaker John Landis will be on hand to introduce the films and to sign copies of his new book, "Monsters in the Movies."

Island of Lost Souls is an adaptation of the H.G. Wells book, "The Island of Dr. Moreau" and stars Charles Laughton, Bela Lugosi, Richard Arlen and Kathleen Burke.

The 1931 version of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde stars Fredric March in the dual roles of Jekyll/Hyde and Miriam Hopkins as the barmaid Ivy Pearson.

Visit the American Cinematheque website for full details by clicking here.

On Saturday, October 8, at 7:30pm the Egyptian Theatre will be showing three Frankenstein films: Frankenstein (1931), Bride of Frankenstein (1935), and Son of Frankenstein (1939). All three films star the legendary Bela Lugosi as the Monster.

On Saturday, October 22, at 2:00pm, one of my favorite theaters, the Alex Theatre in Glendale, is showing the campy Ed Wood film, Plan 9 From Outer Space. This film stars Bela Lugosi, Vampira, and Lyle Talbot. For full details including ticket information click here.

On Thursday, October 27, at 7:30pm the Egyptian Theatre will be showing the Creature From the Black Lagoon (1954) in anaglyphic 3-D! The film stars Richard Carlson and Julie Adams. Actress Julie Adams will be at the Egyptian to discuss the film and will be available to sign copies of her new book, "The Lucky Southern Star: Reflections From the Black Lagoon" before the film. This is part of a double feature, the second film being Bend of the River (1952), starring James Stewart, Arthur Kennedy, Rock Hudson and Julie Adams.

All month long the Cinefamily will be showing horror fair at the Silent Movie Theater. On Tuesday, October 4, at 8pm, animation historian Jerry Beck will be programming a "monster mash-up" which, according to the Cinefamily website will include, "classic cartoon monsters, spooks and witches - from Casper the Friendly Ghost and Witch Hazel through TV's Groovie Goolies and Milton the Monster, all on the big screen using rare 35mm and 16mm film prints that range from ghoulishly red Eastmancolor or gorgeously garish Technicolor." Other films that will be shown during the month of October include the silent picture, The Bat, Fright Night, Halloween II, Nightmare on Elm Street III, Friday the 13th IV, and Death Becomes Her. And to cap things off, on Monday, October 31, the Cinefamily will be presenting the Vincent Price classic, The Tingler (1959), in "Percepto"!

View all of the upcoming Cinefamily screenings here.

Also, the New Beverly Cinema will be showing three double features of horror:

October 23, 24 - A Nightmare on Elm Street / Wes Craven's New Nightmare

October 28, 29 - The Burning / Friday the 13th

October 30, 31 - Island of Lost Souls / Them!

Visit the New Beverly Cinema for more information by clicking here.

The Lawless (1950) - Film Locations

2011-09-24T10:02:00.000-07:00

The Lawless (1950)

In something a little different today, I've gone beyond my Los Angeles borders to track down film locations in two Northern California towns seen in the 1950 Joseph Losey movie, The Lawless. Many of Losey's films analyzed different social issues and in The Lawless, the director shines a light on racism in a small California community. What shocked me when I first saw this film is how contemporary it feels sixty-one years later.

The friction is between the middle class whites that live in the fictional town of Santa Marta and the Mexican fruit pickers that live in the poorer neighboring community, Sleepy Hollow. Not all, but many of the residents in the white community look down at the Mexican immigrants, considering them lazy and troublesome. During one evening, some white teenagers decide to go to Sleepy Hollow for a night of dancing. At the dance, the white teenagers pick a fight and an all out brawl ensues, spiraling out of control. When one of the Latino boys accidentally hits a cop many people in the white community, without knowing all the facts, go on a hunt for the Mexican juvenile, much like the mob in the Fritz Lang film, Fury.

Macdonald Carey, a regular in many 'B' movies, plays Larry Wilder, a newspaper publisher who has left the city life to go live and work in a quieter small town similar to the one he fondly remembers growing up in. Being new in town, Carey initially doesn't want to make any more waves in the community than there already are. When Carey realizes just how bad the anti-Mexican hatred is he decides to take action, using his newspaper to get out the facts and to be a voice of reason in the community.

Macdonald Carey outside The Union Square Building

Union Square Building, 151 Mill St, Grass Valley, Ca

Above and directly below are screenshots from the film showing Carey's newspaper office building compared with contemporary images of the location. In the film, this building was to be in the fictional town of Santa Marta, but this building is located at 151 Mill Street, in Grass Valley, California. What I think is interesting is that this building, built in 1864, really was a newspaper building according to the Nevada County Association of Realtors website.

Another view of Union Square Building from The Lawless

151 Mill Street, Grass Valley, Ca - Union Square Building

The next few screen comparisons show more locations moving down Mill Street in Grass Valley, going in the direction of the historic Del Oro Theatre. You will see the residents beginning to form a mob and then turning into a chase scene.

Mexicans driving down Mill Street through the white crowd.

Cars driving down Mill Street near the Del Oro Theatre.

The Del Oro Theatre in the background as seen in The Lawless.

Del Oro Theatre, 165 Mill Street, Grass Valley, Ca

According to Cinema Treasures, the Del Oro Theatre was built in 1942, making the theatre only about seven years old during the time The Lawless was being filmed.

The mob races past Casey's Restaurant in Grass Valley.

Casey's Restaurant is now a parking lot.

In the above scene, the crowd formed into a mob and began racing down Mill Street, chasing one of the Mexicans past Casey's restaurant at the intersection of Mill and Neal Streets. As you can see, Casey's Restaurant is now a parking lot.

In the next screenshot comparisons, what is supposed to still be Santa Marta was actually filmed in Marysville, California, about 30 miles away from Grass Valley where the other scenes were filmed.

5th Street at D Street, Marysville, Ca as seen in The Lawless

Looking down D Street at 5th Street, Marysville, Ca

In the screenshot above, if you look in the upper right corner, you can see the pointed circular peak of what was the Western Hotel. I was able to identify this building thanks to some historic images on the Historic Downtown Marysville website. You can check out this informative and interesting site by clicking here. The Historic Downtown Marysville site says this about the hotel:

"Opened on November 1, 1853, the five-star Western Hotel was built for $30,000 by R.J. Murray. It burned in May 1854, June 1933, and August 1956 [just seven years after The Lawless was filmed]. The hotel had installed the first elevator, steam heaters, and electricity between Sacramento and Portland in 1911; thus, it kept the hotel ranked with its five-star rating. The hotel stood for 95 years and was demolished in 1956."

As you can see, the hotel is not the only building missing since the time of filming. Clearly some of the other buildings that once stood on D Street are now gone.

The next couple comparisons show the old Yuba County Court House in Marysville, which was located at the corner of 6th and D Streets. Like the hotel, the old Court House is no longer standing.

Yuba County Court House as seen in The Lawless.

6th & D Streets, Marysville, Ca - Former site of Court House.

In front of the Court House, looking down D Street.

Looking down D Street where the Court House once stood.

In the next scene comparison we see a park in the center of town that the mob passes through during the chase scene. This park was Cortez Square, located near where the Court House used to stand. The park was situated between B and C Street and 5th and 6th Street. Like the Court House, Cortez Square is also gone.

Cortez Square, Marysville, Ca as seen in The Lawless.

Cortez Sqaure now covered by buildings.

This last comparison shows Ellis Lake, located in Marysville, Ca. The lake can be seen later in the film when a cop drives by the sign reading "Santa Marta - The Friendly City."

A view of Ellis Lake, in Marysville, Ca.

A present day view of Ellis Lake in Marysville, Ca.

The Lawless is an entertaining 'B' movie that has held up well over time. In addition to seeing real life film locations, another great thing about this movie is that Joseph Losey cast actual Latinos, rather than throwing on some dark make-up on white actors to play Latinos. I always grimace a bit when I see that done.

The Lawless is currently available for streaming on Netflix. I don't believe there has been any official studio release of The Lawless on DVD, but it can be found for sale online.

All present day images (c) 2011 Google; (c) 2011 Microsoft Coporation, (c) 2010 Pictometry International Corp (c) 2010 NAVTEQ.

Your thoughts?

The Best Years of Our Lives (1946) - Film Locations

2011-09-17T07:30:00.000-07:00

Theatrical Poster

There are so many movies about war, but not nearly as many that show life after war. One of the few classics on the post-war subject is the 1946 film, The Best Years of Our Lives. This Academy Award winning film tells the story of three veterans returning home from World War II and the challenges each one faces.

Fredric March plays Al Stephenson, an Army Sergeant who returns to his loving wife Milly (Myrna Loy) and their family. He was a successful bank executive before the war and when Al returns, he is promoted to Vice President. All seems good, except that Al is having trouble adapting back to civilian life and is now struggling with alcoholism.

Dana Andrews plays good looking Fred Derry, a soda jerk before the war and during the war an Air Force bombardier. After the war, Fred expects to get a better job upon returning home, but finds that he faces tough competition from other returning vets and that he lacks the necessary civilian skills. To make matters worse, Fred's wife has moved on to other men while Fred was away at war.

Harold Russell plays Homer Parrish, the quarterback of his football team before the war, who married his sweetheart Wilma (Cathy O'Donnell) before leaving to fight. Homer, a sailor in the war, lost both of his hands. When he returns home to his fiance and family, he has trouble adjusting to life with his disability. What troubles Homer most of all is that he feels that he will be a burden on his fiance, so he pushes her away, trying to give her a way out of their relationship.

The home that Fredric March's character returns to is an apartment building located at the corner of Beverly Boulevard and N. Sycamore Avenue in Los Angeles. It's a pretty nice building about a block from La Brea Avenue that looks like the kind of fancy place where a bank executive might live. Below is a screenshot of the building from the film and an image of the building as it appears today.

Fredric March's apartment building.

Looking east down Beverly Blvd.

Fredric March returns home with Dana Andrews in the car.

The Best Years of Our Lives won seven Academy Awards, including Best Motion Picture, Best Director for William Wyler, and a Best Actor award for Fredric March. This film is currently available on DVD and it sounds like a blu-ray release is still TBA.

College Coach (1933) - Film Locations

2011-09-10T07:19:00.000-07:00

College Coach (1933)

What is college football without a few scandals? It seems like every football season a few more scandals pop up. Just this year eight players for the University of Miami are in trouble for accepting illegal gifts. But this is nothing new. Illegal gifts, phony entrance exams, dirty money and other illegal affairs have long been a part of college sports and this was even the premise for the 1933 film, College Coach.

In College Coach, Pat O'Brien plays the title character, a shady coach willing to do anything to win, even if it means buying players for his team and getting them into classes they can pass. This is a far stretch from the real life coach, Knute Rockne, that O'Brien would play a few years later. As coach Gore, O'Brien is hired by Calvert University, a school looking to turn their football team into a winning team in order to attract more money for their school.

The film doesn't mention where the story takes place, but the film was made in and around Los Angeles. Here are a few of the filming locations from College Coach.

For the fictional Calvert University, filming was done at Millspaugh Hall which was once located at 855 N. Vermont Ave. Millspaugh Hall was built in 1914 and was the main administration building for the University of California, Southern Branch which would eventually come to be known as University of California, Los Angeles or UCLA. By 1929, UCLA moved to their new campus in Westwood. Millspaugh Hall has since been demolished.

Calvert University as seen in College Coach (1933)

Millspaugh Hall, 855 N. Vermont Ave

Photo Credit: Los Angeles Public Library

855 N. Vermont Ave. Now the site of Los Angeles City College.

In one scene, after Pat O'Brien has accepted the job at Calvert University, he goes to meet his wife at the train station. O'Brien's wife, played by the attractive Ann Dvorak, is coming to join her husband in the new town where he will be coaching. The train station that was used in the film was the former Santa Fe Depot in South Pasadena. In the film we get a glimpse of the depot as well as the Graham and Mohr Opera House, another historic building that has since been demolished.

O'Brien standing across from the Graham and Mohr Opera House

El Centro Street, South Pasadena

The Graham and Mohr Opera House (demolished)

Photo Credit: South Pasadena Library

Santa Fe Depot on Left. Opera House on Right

El Centro Street, South Pasadena

Photo Credit: "South Pasadena" by Rick Thomas

El Centro Street, South Pasadena as it appears today.

In another scene we see the Calvert University football team arriving in town for a game. Signs welcome the arrival of the Calvert players. The street that we see the team driving down is Broadway and we get a glimpse of the historic United Artists movie palace on the left hand side. The United Artists theatre was built in 1927, just six years prior to the filming of College Coach.

Broadway, Los Angeles as seen in College Coach

933 S. Broadway, United Artists Theatre on left.

The football scenes were all filmed at the Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum, which was built in 1923, just ten years before the filming of College Coach. The Coliseum has hosted many events in addition to college football games, including the Olympics, the World Series for baseball, and Super Bowls. The Coliseum has been the home field for the University of Southern California Trojans since 1923.

Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum as seen in College Coach.

Present view of Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum entrance.

Calvert University plays at the Coliseum.

Looking inside the Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum

Lyle Talbot, Dick Powell race on to the field to see O'Brien.

Another view inside the Coliseum.

Hugh Herbert, Ann Dvorak, Pat O'Brien

College Coach also stars Lyle Talbot, Dick Powell and Nat Pendleton as three of the football players for Calvert University. And if you watch closely, you get a glimpse of a very young John Wayne, as one of the Calvert students.

College Coach is available on home video through the Warner Archive Collection.

Bigger Than Life (1956) - Film Location

2011-09-05T06:31:00.000-07:00

The first Nicholas Ray film I ever saw and I imagine is the case for many people, was Rebel Without a Cause, with James Dean and Natalie Wood. I was just a teenager who at the time was more interested in seeing James Dean. Even as a teen in the early 90s James Dean was still cool. But when I watched Rebel, it wasn't just Dean that sucked me in, it was the dramatic way the film was captured, such as the faraway camera shots and the striking camera angles, like the opening scene where the camera is looking up at James Dean lying on the ground, playing with a toy. It was the Nicholas Ray touch that made this teen drama so engaging.

Ray might not have been a Billy Wilder or a John Ford, but he had his own style that made him great and it was the auteurists who started the French New Wave that first recognized Ray's greatness. Appropriately, in college, when as a student I was expanding my knowledge of classic cinema, I discovered more of Ray's films and began to appreciate him as a director. The more I saw the more I liked Ray as a director. In A Lonely Place and On Dangerous Ground became fast favorites.

This past August marked the centennial of Nicholas Ray and to celebrate, Tony Dayoub of the blog Cinema Viewfinder is hosting a Nicholas Ray blogathon, starting today and running through September 8, 2011. To read all the entries, visit Cinema Viewfinder by clicking here.

This is the first blogathon I have chose to participate in. The subject of Ray was just too good to pass up. As my contribution, I'm sticking with the theme of this blog so I am celebrating Ray's centennial with a look at some of the filming locations for three of his classics: Bigger Than Life (1956), In A Lonely Place (1950), and Rebel Without A Cause (1955).

In Ray's film, Bigger Than Life, James Mason plays a father and school teacher who becomes seriously ill. When it appears that Mason's illness is hopeless, Mason becomes dependent on a miracle drug to cure him. The only problem is the drug causes Mason to go mad and he begins to scare and hurt those around him.

There are not many external film locations in Bigger Than Life, but there is one scene where Mason and his family go to a church service. That church is the First Congregational Church of Los Angeles, located on the NE corner of Sixth Street and Commonwealth Avenue in the Wilshire District. The church is the oldest continuous Protestant Church in the city.

First Congregational Church of Los Angeles

as seen in Bigger Than Life (1956)

First Congregational Church of Los Angeles present day.

Bigger Than Life also stars Barbara Rush as Mason's husband and Walter Matthau as Mason's friend.

For more Nicholas Ray film locations check out my previous posts on:

In A Lonely Place

and Rebel Without a Cause.

Your thoughts?

The Hollywood Bowl - Music Under The Stars

2011-08-27T10:32:00.000-07:00

A view of Hollywood looking over the Hollywood Bowl.

Since the early 1920s, residents of the Hollywood area have been gathering at The Hollywood Bowl to listen to music outside, under the stars. The "Bowl," a natural amphitheater carved into a hillside in the Hollywood Hills, is the home of the Hollywood Bowl orchestra, the summer home of the Los Angeles Philharmonic, and the setting for so many other outdoor musical events, such as The Sound of Music Sing-a-long, the Playboy Jazz Festival and many pop concerts.

An early postcard view of the Hollywood Bowl

Like so many other Angelenos, for me, attending the Hollywood Bowl is developing into an annual summer time experience, although I'm still learning some of the tricks to make the most out of a Hollywood Bowl show. Some attendees arrive to the Bowl early bringing a full picnic spread which they lay out in one of the tree covered spots on the Hollywood Bowl grounds. Attendees come with packed coolers and picnic baskets filled with their favorite libations and yummy bites. The grounds surrounding the bowl feel very woodsy, almost like being on planet Endor, you know, where the Ewoks live in Star Wars? It feels like an escape from the city and the perfect getaway for a picnic. (Excuse me while I slide my glasses up my nose after making that nerdy comparison). If you don't bring your own picnic basket, the Hollywood Bowl does sell picnic baskets which you can order.

By the way, if you visit the Hollywood Bowl, it is worth taking the time to look at "The Bowl Walk" exhibit. There are ten stations around the Hollywood Bowl park area displaying images and information on the cultural events and history of the Bowl.

Easter Service at the Hollywood Bowl 1920s

The iconic looking bandshell where the orchestra performs wasn't constructed when the Hollywood Bowl first opened to entertain guests. In 1922, the Bowl only had a simple awning covering the stage and makeshift wooden benches for the audience to sit. Above is one of my postcards showing the Hollywood Bowl during a special Easter service without the bandshell in the background. Below is another of my postcards showing an Easter service, but a few years later with a bandshell.

A later view of the Bowl hosting an Easter service.

There have been several different shells at the Hollywood Bowl. The first shell was built in 1926. At that time the grounds were regraded and the wooden benches were replaced by permanent seating. Although the upgrades to the Bowl provided more seating, the acoustics were diminished by the regrading. Lloyd Wright, the son of Frank Lloyd Wright, was hired to build a new shell. Wright had previously built sets at the Bowl for various theatrical productions and for the shell he designed for the 1927 season, he recycled wood from a Robin Hood set to build a pyramid structure that was supposed to improve the acoustics and complement the rustic setting. Wright's shell was demolished at the end of the 1927 season and in 1928 Wright was hired again to design a second shell. Wright's second shell had a more modern design popular during the time period, however, like Wright's previous shell, his second would also be demolished at the end of the year.

Vintage postcard image of the Hollywood Bowl.

There would be several different versions of the shell at the Hollywood Bowl. The current shell, built in 2004, incorporates elements from some of the previous shells but also integrates the latest state-of-the-art lighting and sound technology.

Looking east across the Hollywood Bowl.

THE HOLLYWOOD BOWL IN THE MOVIES

Several classic films have featured The Hollywood Bowl as a location including A Star is Born (1937), Champagne For Caesar (1956), Hollywood or Bust (1956), Moonlight Murder (1936), and Two On A Guillotine (1965) to name a few. My favorite films that feature the Hollywood Bowl are two classics from the 1940s: Anchors Aweigh (1945) starring Frank Sinatra and Gene Kelly and It's A Great Feeling (1949) starring Doris Day, Jack Carson, and Dennis Morgan. Below are some screenshots of the Bowl from Anchors Aweigh and It's A Great Feeling.

Frank Sinatra and Gene Kelly try to get into the

Hollywood Bowl in Anchors Aweigh (1945).

Sinatra and Kelly sneak into the Bowl by

climbing up the back hillside.

Kelly and Sinatra looking down at The Hollywood Bowl.

The entrance to The Hollywood Bowl as seen in the

film It's A Great Feeling (1949).

Dennis Morgan and Jack Carson both try to win

over Doris Day at the Bowl in It's A Great Feeling.

Morgan, Day, and Carson watching a show at the Bowl.

Wifey and Robby at the Bowl for

the Playboy Jazz Festival.

Fantasia at the Hollywood Bowl

Fireworks during Fantasia at the Hollywood Bowl.

Summer is coming to an end, although, it certainly doesn't feel like it will be over anytime soon with how hot it is currently in Los Angeles, but there is still another month of performances at the Bowl. Visit the official Hollywood Bowl website to view the calendar of events by clicking here.

Do you have any fond memories or experiences from visiting The Hollywood Bowl? Do you have any tricks or tips to share for visitors?

Pushover (1954) - Film Locations

2011-08-21T16:41:00.000-07:00

Pushover (1954)

In the 1954 film, Pushover, Fred MacMurray plays detective Paul Sheridan, a single, middle-age detective who falls in love with a bank robber's girlfriend, played by an irresistible blonde, Kim Novak in her first major starring role. When Novak learns that MacMurray is a detective, she uses her allure to convince him to kill her mobster boyfriend so the two can run away together with the robber's loot. MacMurray is a "pushover." He goes through with the plan but in the process of killing the mobster, MacMurray accidentally kills a cop. The suspense builds as MacMurray must deceive his fellow detectives and keep them off his tracks.

Pushover has often been compared to the earlier MacMurray film, Double Indmenity (1944), directed by Billy Wilder. Instead of an insurance salesman who falls for the wife of one of his clients, MacMurray is a detective who falls for the girlfriend of one of the crooks he is supposed to capture. Only in Pushover, Novak plays the femme fatale role that Barbara Stanwyck played in Double Indemnity. Although there may be many similarities between the two films, Pushover is an enjoyable noir thriller that is a classic in its own right.

Ben's Cocktails, Magnolia Blvd, Burbank, Ca

The film opens with MacMurray first meeting Novak in a movie theater parking lot. That movie theatre was the Magnolia Theatre located at 4403 West Magnolia Blvd in Burbank, California. In the opening scene we get a glimpse of a bar called "Ben's Cocktails" (see screenshot above) which was located next to the theater. I'm not sure if Ben's was a real bar or not, but the building has since been demolished as you can see in the photograph below. The old Magnolia Theater building is still standing and can be seen on the right side of the photograph. The Magnolia Theater closed in 1977, but then operated as a recording studio. The building currently appears to be available for lease.

The Magnolia Theater is on the right.

The parking lot next to the theatre where MacMurray meets Novak.

The former Magnolia Theatre building.

4403 W. Magnolia Blvd, Burbank, Ca

The Magnolia Theater marquee as seen in Pushover.

Patrons leave the Magnolia Theater in the film Pushover.

The police department that is seen in the film is the Burbank City Hall building located at 275 East Olive Avenue. Construction on this beautiful art deco building was completed in 1943 and was funded by the Federal Works Agency, Works Project Administration (WPA) . The outside of the building features bas relief sculptures, many art deco details and a gorgeous fountain. The inside features large murals by the painter Hugo Ballin, who also painted murals in the Griffith Observatory.

The Police Department in Pushover.

Burbank City Hall

Fountain in front of Burbank City Hall.

Flying fishes on the fountain outside Burbank City Hall

275 E. Olive Ave, Burbank City Hall

A relief sculpture on the side of Burbank City Hall

If you haven't seen Pushover, the film is available on home video.

The Liebster Award

2011-08-20T11:52:00.000-07:00

Many thanks to Another Old Movie Blog and The Kitty Packard Pictorial Blog for bestowing Dear Old Hollywood with the Liebster Blog award! Honestly, I wasn't all that sure on the background of the Liebster award, but from what I gather, the intent is to highlight and draw attention to noteworthy blogs. I'm delighted that some of my blogging peers think Dear Old Hollywood is a noteworthy blog.

As part of receiving the award, I now must select five blogs that I find interesting and that I think others should take a moment to check out. First, if you haven't already, you should make your way over to Another Old Movie Blog and the Kitty Packard Pictorial, both excellent, well-written, and entertaining blogs with a focus on classic cinema.

Now, here is a list of five other blogs that I think you should take a look at:

1. Ann Dvorak: Hollywood's Forgotten Rebel - This site is dedicated to all things Ann Dvorak, the beautiful actress who appeared in many classic films of the 1930s, like early gangster films such as Scarface and G-Men. Christina, the blog's author and an Ann Dvorak collector, is currently writing the first ever and much anticipated biography on Ann. I discovered this blog a few months ago and now it's my go to place for this underappreciated actress.

2. Laura's Miscellaneous Musings - Laura's blog covers a wide range of topics but there is a heavy focus on classic film. Some of my favorite things I find over at Laura's blog are her "Around the Blogosphere" posts where she highlights news from around the web that I might otherwise miss and her reviews on classic films. Laura doesn't just review the mainstream classics, but also reviews some of the lesser known films and she always does a great job of noting where readers can find the films, such as whether it is available for streaming on Netflix, home video, or if a film is unavailable.

3. Daveland - Dave's blog is mainly about Disneyland, highlighting the park from the past to the present. I always enjoy seeing Dave's photo filled updates on changes to the park as well as his large collection of vintage Disney images. If you're a Disney fan, this is another blog to add to your list.

4. Paradise Leased - This is another blog I've come across in recent months and it has quickly become a favorite. Paradise Leased covers the history of Hollywood and Southern California, it's people and architecture. Steve Vaught, the blog's author, is so detailed in his writing and covers many lesser known topics. Plus, I'm always awed by some of the stunning images he comes up with. If you are interested in Southern California history, Hollywood, and architecture bookmark this site now.

5. Out of the Past - A Classic Film Blog - I've been haunting this blog for a while now. Raquelle has been serving up classic film reviews, book reviews, classic film contests, and covering all topics in the classic film world for a few years. Raquelle writes about classic film in a way that makes having an interest in classic film seem modern and not just nostalgic.

On Vacation: The North Woods Part Two

2011-08-14T13:29:00.000-07:00

Senator John Warner and Elizabeth Taylor

(Photo from Ministry Health Care Facebook Page)

This post is the second part related to my trip to the North Woods of Wisconsin. To read my first vacation post on the Little Bohemia Lodge, the site of the John Dillinger shootout with the FBI and the filming location for the film Public Enemies, click here. In today's post I visit a site related to the grand actress, Elizabeth Taylor.

Elizabeth Taylor spent ten of her childhood summers fishing, hiking and playing in the woods at her uncle Howard Young's estate, Cedar Gates, in Minocqua, Wisconsin. This small North Woods town, sometimes referred to as "Island City," is surrounded by thousands of lakes and rivers. Young's estate was situated on Lake Minocqua, "one of whose islands Sara [Elizabeth's mother] had renamed 'Elizabeth's Island,'" according to Alexander Walker in his biography, Elizabeth: The Life of Elizabeth Taylor. The island reminded Sara of J.M. Barrie's enchanted island in his play Mary Rose. One can imagine a young Taylor, play acting on the island, like a character out of one of Barrie's plays.

Minocqua, Wisconsin - "Island City"

Photo Credit: Jesse Canfield

When Taylor and her family had to go into town, Leslie Rusch, who owned a local dime store, remembered in a July 4, 1977 People magazine article, that Taylor "used to look at the coloring books and play the penny slot machine." I remember when I was a kid how fun it was to go and visit the small shops in Minocqua. As a boy, I was more interested in the sling-shots and the toy bow and arrows that I would have my parents buy so that I could go "hunting" outside when we got back to the cottage.

Like myself, Taylor always had fond memories of the summers she spent in Minocqua and would sometimes return to the area as an adult. On one occasion in 1977, Taylor visited Minocqua with then husband, Senator John Warner, for the dedication of the Howard Young Medical Center, a new state-of-the-art hospital. Taylor's uncle Young was a wealthy art dealer, who in 1972, surprised residents of the area when he bequeathed $20 million so that the area could build a new hospital and attract the best doctors. The photo at the top shows Taylor and Warner at the dedication ceremony.

Howard Young Medical Center

In the next-door town of Woodruff, 2,500 people came out for the dedication of the new hospital, but mainly to see Elizabeth Taylor. "This would have been the proudest day of Uncle Howard's life," Taylor, as quoted in People, told the audience. Taylor told the audience how beautiful the area still was and explained that it was in Minocqua that she learned to fish, but that on this trip, her husband John fished without her. "He came back dangling a poor little fish," Taylor said. "He said, 'Honey, here's your breakfast."

Now, you may be wondering, other than being a die-hard Elizabeth Taylor fan who must see everything related to Taylor, why would anyone want to visit this hospital? Well, for one, continuing in the tradition of Howard Young's passion for art as a dealer and collector, the hospital regularly displays artwork by local artists. These include paintings, drawings, photography and three-dimensional artwork. Even the outside of the hospital, was designed to be a copy of Thomas Jefferson's Monticello, one might say an architectural piece of art. Second, inside the hospital is a display and video kiosk showing the history of Howard Young that is pretty interesting.

Video kiosk inside Howard Young Medical Center

The most interesting parts of the video kisok for me were the scenes of Howard Young at his Minocqua estate, which include some scenes of Elizabeth Taylor and Young's friend, President Dwight D. Eisenhower. Young considered Eisenhower a close friend and even played a big part in Eisenhower getting into the 1952 presidential race.

Video kiosk showing Howard Young Fishing in Minocqua

Prior to the new state-of-the-art hospital built using the money bequethed by Young, the first major hospital built in the Lakeland area also has an interesting back-story. Local doctor, Kate Newcomb had envisioned a hospital for the area and through contributions and volunteer help, construction began on a new hospital. Unfortunately there was not enough money to complete the project.

Students at the Arbor Vitae-Woodruff School, at the suggestion of their geometry teacher Otto Burich, started a campaign to collect a million pennies. This started the Million Penny Parade and the money collected would go towards the completion of the hospital.

In March 1954, Dr. Kate visited California for a doctors convention and ended up being the surprise guest of the TV program, "This is Your Life." Dr. Kate's appearance on the popular TV show inspired people all over the country to donate money to the campaign. With these additional donations enough money was raised to finish the hospital.

The World's Largest Penny - Woodruff, Wisconsin

The hospital completed with funds from the Million Penny Parade.

Dr. Kate Museum, Woodruff, Wisconsin

Around the corner from the Lakeland area hospital which was built using money raised from the Million Penny Parade, is a museum dedicated to the legacy of Dr. Kate. It's an interesting stop worth peeking into. There is a screening room which shows the episode of "This is Your Life" that Dr. Kate appeared on and a short documentary on her life. There are also several artifacts on display including the letters sent in from people all over the United States who sent in money for the Million Penny Parade, the snow shoes Dr. Kate wore during the blustery and snowy Wisconsin winters to make "house" calls, as well as many photographs.

Letters sent in from the Million Penny Parade

If you are interested in learning more about the Lakeland area here are some other sites to visit:

Minocqua Area Chamber of Commerce

Town of Woodruff

Howard Young Medical Center - Ministry Health Care

On Vacation: The North Woods Part One

2011-08-08T12:33:00.000-07:00

Entrance to the Little Bohemia Lodge

Manitowish Waters, Wisconsin

Following in the footsteps of many classic Hollywood stars including Bing Crosby, actresses Janet Gaynor, Joan Crawford and Elizabeth Taylor, my wife and I took a vacation to the North Woods of Wisconsin. Although, it wasn't the Hollywood connections that attracted us to the area, but the same things that have attracted so many people to the area: the fresh aroma of pine trees, crystal clear lakes, fishing, boating, wildlife and a peaceful and serene atmosphere.

As a kid, I looked forward to vacationing in the North Woods every summer. I had not visited in over 15 years and had longed to go back, as well as show my wife, a born and raised Los Angeles city girl, what life in the woods is like. The moment we arrived in northern Wisconsin we were greeted by the familiar scent of pine. We saw bald eagles, loons (a common bird in the area), turtles, fish, otters, plenty of deer, woodpeckers, and numerous other wild critters. It was a landscape far different from the cityscape we left behind in LA. We were in the middle of the woods, far from most everything but nature. It's no wonder why so many of the big Chicago gangsters of the 1930s and 1940s also came to the North Woods of Wisconsin to get lost.

Little Bohemia Lodge, Site of the John Dillinger Shootout

Yes, that's right, gangsters. During the 1930s and 1940s, whenever things got heated in Chicago, many of the gangsters would flee to the North Woods to hide out from the law. Many gangsters had cabins in the area or stayed at one of the small lodges in the woods. Sometimes the gangsters weren't hiding out. They were just looking for a relaxing vacation. Even gangsters need a little R&R.

One of the most famous incidents involving gangsters in the North Woods is the shoot-out between the FBI and John Dillinger and his gang. If you've seen the film Public Enemies, starring Johnny Depp and Christian Bale, you know the shoot-out I'm talking about. Both the actual shoot-out and the scene in the film took place at the Little Bohemia Lodge, located on Little Star Lake in Manitowish Waters, Wisconsin. All the pictures in this first part of my trip report are of the Little Bohemia Lodge.

The balcony where Dillinger and gang escaped FBI.

In April of 1934, John Dillinger, a.k.a. public enemy number one, arrived in Manitowish Waters, along with his gang, to spend the weekend. The gang included Lester Gillis ("Baby Face Nelson"), Tommy Carrol, Homer Van Meter, and Pat Reilly. They were also accompanied by five women.

Dillinger and his gang were on the lam after a killing and robbery spree that took them across the Midwest. The FBI, headed by J. Edgar Hoover, were ready to do anything to catch Dillinger who had embarrassed the department when he was able to escape capture once before. On Sunday, April 22, 1934 the FBI received a tip that Dillinger and his gang were staying in Manitowish Waters at the Little Bohemia resort. Hoover gave orders for FBI agents in St. Paul and Chicago to head up to Manitowish Waters immediately.

The FBI's surprise attack on Dillinger and his men was a disaster. FBI men surrounded the lodge and when three innocent bar patrons left the lodge, the FBI opened fire on their car, killing one of the patrons immediately. Dillinger and his gang heard the gunfire and started their escape out a rear window and headed towards the shore of Little Star Lake. Baby Face Nelson, who was in another cabin, took off toward Highway 51, where he came across more agents in a car. Nelson opened fire on the agents, killing one and then taking their car to escape. The FBI continued firing bullets and tear gas at the lodge, but when they entered, only the five women who were left behind were found. Dillinger was ultimately gunned down three months later when he was leaving the Biograph Theatre in Chicago.

Bullet holes in the 2nd floor balcony.

In the above photo you can see the balcony where Dillinger and his men escaped. The bullet holes in this balcony were recreated for the filming of Public Enemies, but you can see real bullet holes from the actual shoot-out in other areas of the lodge. Further below are some photographs of the actual bullet holes.

Actual WANTED ad for John Dillinger.

Items left behind by Dillinger and gang.

Original newspapers headlining Dillinger's escape from the FBI.

The main bar at the Little Bohemia lodge.

Looking into the bar.

The suitcase Dillinger used to carry their stolen money.

Items left behind by Dillinger's gang.

A photo of Johnny Depp dressed as Dillinger with

the current owners of the Little Bohemia lodge.

The sign above the lodge restaurant.

Real bullet holes in the window.

Bullet holes.

Dining room with bullet holes everywhere.

Real Bullet Holes.

Clothes left behind by Dillinger.

More clothes left behind by Dillinger and gang.

The room where Dillinger and gang stayed.

Another view of the room where Dillinger stayed.

The bathroom next to Dillinger's room.

The Little Bohemia Lodge Restaurant.

My wife and I, along with my parents, had a late breakfast in the restaurant at the Little Bohemia lodge. The portions were quite large and everyone seemed to enjoy what they ordered. I was more hungry for lunch, so I ordered the "Dillinger Dip," Little Bohemia's take on a French dip sandwich.

If you stop by to visit Little Bohemia, which I definitely recommend, it is worth eating in the restaurant. Our friendly server, Vince, was also full of knowledge regarding the filming of Public Enemies. My favorite story was regarding all the pine needles on the ground. Before the filming started, Vince was raking the grounds around the Little Bohemia lodge, clearing the area of all the fallen pine needles and pine cones. This is before he knew they would be using the lodge for the film. By the time Vince finished raking the grounds he found out that the film crew was shipping in $5,000 worth of pine needles from New Hampshire!

Looking at the lodge from the lake side.

The back side of Little Bohemia lodge.

Little Star Lake behind the Little Bohemia Lodge

Above is Little Star Lake, right behind the Little Bohemia lodge. It is along the shore of this lake that Dillinger and his gang made their escape. During the filming of Public Enemies, our server Vince and his friends were able to watch the filming take place from their boat on the lake.

It was also nice to hear everyone speak kindly of Johnny Depp. People said he was a nice guy and that he took time to pose for photographs.

If you ever make it to the North Woods of Wisconsin, the Little Bohemia lodge is certainly worth a stop. Later I'll post some more of my North Woods trip.

Watch Polo At Will Rogers State Historic Park

2011-07-29T19:23:00.000-07:00

Will Rogers Polo Field

When I think of the sport polo, the one where men or women on horseback gallop across a giant field and swing mallets at a ball, I usually think of wealthy, high class, international types. I don't really think of polo as an American sport, although, in the 1930s, polo was much more popular in America, particularly in Hollywood. According to the Pacific Palisades Patch, there were more than 25 outdoor polo fields in the Los Angeles area in the 1930s. Today, there is only one, at the Will Rogers State Historic Park.

My earliest memories of polo are of watching some of the early Disney animated shorts. There were a few Disney cartoons that featured polo in the story line, but the one that stands out the most was a 1936 short called Mickey's Polo Team. In this short, Mickey Mouse, Goofy, Big Bad Wolf, and Donald Duck play against a team of movie stars, which included Stan Laurel, Oliver Hardy, Harpo Marx and Charlie Chaplin. Not surprisingly, during the 1930s, Walt Disney was a fan of the sport and would often play in weekend matches at Will Rogers' polo field.

Mickey's Polo Team

Many actors played polo during this time, including Clark Gable and Leslie Howard, but one of the most avid players was actor Spencer Tracy. Actresses such as Joan Crawford, Barbara Stanwyck, and Joan Bennett could be seen in attendance as spectators. Studio executives also played the game too. Darryl F. Zanuck was even known to carry a mallet around his office and the 20th Century Fox studio lot. After matches at Will Rogers' polo field, Rogers and his friends would go to to the Polo Lounge at the Beverly Hills Hotel. The restaurant acquired its name because of all the movie stars visiting the restaurant after polo matches.

Spencer Tracy and Walt Disney

Right now the Will Rogers Polo Club is encouraging the public to attend the polo matches that take place on weekends from April through October at the Will Rogers State Historic Park. Parking at the grounds is $12 but admission to watch the matches is free! For more information on the Will Rogers Polo Club click here. For more information on Will Rogers State Historic Park click here.

Walt Disney's Swimming Pool

2011-07-27T07:43:00.000-07:00

4053 Woking Way, Los Feliz

Apparently, one of the realtors showing Walt's former home at 4053 Woking Way says that there was no pool at the house when Walt lived in the home? This doesn't seem quite right to me. I remembered that in the documentary film, Walt: The Man Behind The Myth, Diane Disney-Miller, Walt's daughter, shared her memories of the home in the Los Feliz hills. Diane specifically mentions how she had fond memories of Walt's animators coming over to use the pool and for barbecues.

The photo at the top is a screenshot of how the home at 4053 Woking Way looked at the time of the documentary. This is the house that they show as an establishing shot when Diane goes on to talk about the pool. The documentary then shows some vintage home movie footage of one of Walt's pool parties. The two black and white screenshots below show how the pool looked. What's amazing is how undeveloped the Los Feliz area looks in the background. If you own the DVD, this clip is about 35 minutes in.

Pool Party at Walt's House

An undeveloped Los Feliz can be seen in the background.

Does anyone have more information on the swimming pool at Walt Disney's 4053 Woking Way home? I'm assuming Walt's daughter's memory and the vintage home movie clips are correct and there was a pool. Perhaps, more likely, the realtor meant that the pool at the home today isn't the original pool?

I Just Bought Walt Disney's Los Feliz Home!

2011-07-23T16:45:00.000-07:00

Walt Disney's Residence at 4053 Woking Way

Ok, so I didn't buy Walt Disney's home. I was just fantasizing. But, if you haven't heard, Walt's former residence at 4053 Woking Way in the Los Feliz hills is up for sale. If you have $3,650,000 you could live just like the creative studio mogul. All of these photos (and there are more where these came from) are from the official Walt Disney LA Home website. I picked a few of my favorite rooms.

Love the stained glass touches!

Can you picture Walt and wife Lillian

brushing their teeth together here?

I bet Walt read a lot of scripts here.

The pool where Walt would invite some of his animators

over to enjoy on hot summer days like the country is having now.

Isn't this ceiling great? It looks like a fairy tale home.

I wish I could afford to move into this home, but unfortunately, it's just a little out of my price range. I only hope, that whoever does end up purchasing this home, they preserve the unique design details. It always sickens me when some classic Hollywood home is torn down only to be replaced by a large, modern, and gaudy building.

Your thoughts?

To Be or Not To Be (1983) - Film Locations

2011-07-23T15:58:00.000-07:00

To Be or Not To Be (1983)

Although the 1983 film To Be or Not To Be may have been set in Poland, Mel Brooks didn't go any further than Burbank, California to make this remake of the 1942 Ernst Lubitsch comedy. The "Bronski Theatre" and all the other Polish buildings were part of the Warner Bros. Studio backlot, specifically, the "New York Street" area of the lot.

In this version, Mel Brooks and Anne Bancroft play the roles that Jack Benny and Carole Lombard played in the original. Brooks and Bancroft are Frederick and Anna Bronski, Poland's most famous acting couple. After the Nazis invade Poland, Brooks, Bancroft and everyone in their acting troupe must use there acting skills not to entertain, but to fool the Nazis. They are playing not for an audience, but for their lives.

The film opens with Brooks and his acting troupe performing at the Bronski Theatre. What is supposed to be Poland, is really New York Street on the Warner Bros. lot.

Bronski Theatre

New York Street, Warner Bros. Lot

Bronski Theatre after the Nazis invade Poland.

Brooks arrives at the theatre.

Looking across from the "Bronski Theatre."

The Bronski Theatre dressed for the arrival of the Fuehrer.

Another view of the theater building on the WB lot.

Brooks driving away disguised as the Fuehrer.

Another view of NY Street at WB used as Poland.

As much as I enjoy the original, it doesn't stop me from liking this remake. Brooks adds his fast paced, zany, schtick and really makes this version of the story his own. To me, I see the films as two different kinds of comedies. What do you think? Have you seen either version of To Be or Not To Be?

2011 Tiki Celebration at the Egyptian Theatre

2011-07-17T15:55:00.000-07:00

King Kukulele and his Friki Tikis

This past Saturday, the Egyptian Theatre in Hollywood hosted their annual Tiki Celebration which included performances by the comical and kitschy performer King Kukulele and his Friki Tikis, Polynesian food and tropical drinks at neighboring Maui & Sons restaurant, vendors selling tiki themed products, a tiki fashion show, a tribute to legendary Disney clown Wally Boag for his contributions to the Disney tiki themed attraction, "The Enchanted Tiki Room," and a screening of the 1951 Polynesian themed film, Bird of Paradise. It was a beautiful summer evening in Hollywood, perfect for such a tropical themed event. Although the turnout was not large, it was great to see such a diverse group in attendance. There were young kids probably experiencing tiki culture for the first time, older adults who probably have been sipping strong tropical drinks from tiki mugs for many years, and everyone in between.

King Kukulele and his Friki Tikis

The event started in the courtyard of the Egyptian Theatre with solo artist Ukulele Davey playing some musical standards on his uke. Then the band King Kukulele and his Friki Tikis took to the stage, pulling in the audience with their melodies and lively performance. This was my first time seeing King Kukulele, who is not only a singer and musician, but quite the comedian too. To see a Youtube video of King Kukulele, click here.

Tiki Crafts

I only have two complaints with the Tiki Celebration.

First, the way I interpreted the event info on the American Cinematheque website, was that Maui and Sons restaurant would be serving BBQ and Polynesian themed drinks in the courtyard. This was partially true. If you were lucky enough, you could eat/drink in the courtyard but only in the area attached to the Maui & Sons restaurant near the entrance of the courtyard. The thing is, you could hear the music from that location but not watch the performers. The other option was to go inside the restaurant and not see nor hear the musical performances at all. I figured the restaurant would have some kind of catering set-up to serve the attendees in the courtyard where they could eat, drink and still watch the music. At the TCM Classic Film Festival they didn't serve food, but they did at least have a station to order drinks which you could then take with you around the Egyptian Theatre courtyard. I thought the Tiki Celebration would be set up in a similar manner.

Second, when my friends and I arrived at the theatre, just a few minutes past the start time of 5pm, we couldn't find anyone around who was working the event. There was no one at the ticket booth to pick-up will call tickets, no one at the doors to the theatre or in the courtyard, or at least anyone making themselves noticeable, to answer questions. When you go to a regular theatre, a restaurant, a hotel, and many other service oriented businesses, there is usually some kind of host/hostess to greet guests and answer questions. I wish the Tiki Celebration would have had some kind of host available to answer questions. That way, instead of listening to rumors from other clueless attendees who said the festival would be bringing food/drink to the courtyard where the performance area was, I could have asked someone official working the event and found out that I should have gone straight to the restaurant to grab a decent spot.

Nevertheless, my family, friends, and I still had a good time. I mention the above only so that maybe next year these two items could be fixed for an even better experience.

Disney Legend, Wally Boag

After the musical performances outside in the courtyard, the event moved inside the Egyptian Theatre. King Kukulele hosted a tiki fashion show, where women dressed in tiki fashions, such as Polynesian inspired dresses, sarongs, and grass skirts strutted their way to the front of the theatre. This was followed by a video tribute to Disney comedian, Wally Boag, which was shown on the Egyptian's huge theatre screen. Boag was most famous for his performances in the long running stage show at Disneyland, "The Golden Horseshoe Revue." Boag also added his comedic talents to many other Disney related projects, including writing most of the script and doing voices for the the attraction, "The Enchanted Tiki Room." Boag unfortunately passed away earlier this year, but he had attended the Tiki Festival a couple of years ago to talk about his experience at Disneyland and his involvement on the Enchanted Tiki Room attraction.

Another Disney legend, Richard Sherman, who wrote the song, "The Tiki Tiki Tiki Room" for the Enchanted Tiki Room attraction was supposed to attend this years Tiki Festival, but turned out unable to make it.

Bird of Paradise (1951)

After the tribute to Wally Boag, the event ended with the feature presentation, the 1951 film, Bird of Paradise. The film, beautifully shot on location in the Hawaiian islands, is quite stunning to watch on a large screen. The story however, is a bit campy. I felt like I was watching one of those cheesy films that the television show, Mystery Science Theatre 3000 would have poked fun at. I don't think I'll need to watch this film again, but it was fun to watch to go with the whole Polynesian/tiki theme for the evening.

All in all, the Tiki Celebration was a fun summer event that I hope will continue in future years and continue to grow each year with new offerings. If you want to learn more about the tiki culture, a good starting pointing is the Tiki Magazine website.

Witness to Murder (1954) - Film Locations

2011-07-09T12:51:00.000-07:00

Witness to Murder (1954)

How would you like to rent Barbara Stanwyck's apartment? Maybe you would prefer the posh pad of her neighbor George Sanders? But, what if there was a murder in the neighborhood? Would you still want to move in? Well, you can! Both buildings have units ready to move into. Of course, I'm not talking about Stanwyck's or Sanders's real homes, but the apartment buildings where their characters live in the 1954 film, Witness to Murder.

In Witness to Murder, Stanwyck plays Cheryl Draper, a single working girl, who from her apartment window one night, witnesses a murder being committed in the apartment across the street. The always delightfully smarmy George Sanders plays Albert Richter, a former Nazi and intellectual type, who commits the murder. From the beginning, we know that Sanders is the murderer and Stanwyck tries to prove to the police that Sanders committed the murder, but the police don't believe her. Sanders, using his charm and cunning abilities, leads the police to believe that Stanwyck is a bit delirious. Stanwyck does everything she can to prove that Sanders is the murderer, but the harder she tries, the more crazy the police think she is.

The story isn't groundbreaking and the writing is a bit weak in spots, but what is luring about this film is the performances by Stanwyck and Sanders. In fact, Sanders is so good in my opinion, that I don't care that he speaks with an English accent even though he is supposed to be German. If you want to see a more melodramatic version of a film in the vein of Alfred Hitchcock's Rear Window, which came out the same year I might add, then you should give Witness to Murder a view.

After watching Witness to Murder I was curious about the apartment buildings featured in the film and so I decided to track the buildings down. I had seen some buildings with a similar architectural style in a book on the historic Los Angeles neighborhood, West Adams, so I decided to start looking in that area first. After about 15 minutes of touring the area street by street, via Google, I found the apartment buildings in an area now known as Koreatown!

In the below screenshot and photo, we can see Barbara Stanwyck's apartment on the right (with the awning) and George Sanders apartment straight ahead and to the left. The intersection is S. Serrano Ave at San Marino Street.

S. Serrano Ave at San Marino Street

Stanwyck at her apartment. 939 S. Serrano Ave

Stanwyck's apartment. 939 S. Serrano Ave

Stanwyck's apartment is available to lease.

There is a unit a available in the building that was used as Stanwyck's apartment. If you want to move in, there is a phone number listed in the above photo. Below is a full shot of the apartment building.

939 S. Serrano Ave, Los Angeles

The next few images are comparisons of the building that was used as the apartment for George Sanders. From a real estate listing on Trulia, it appears that this building which was built in 1922 and known as the Miramonte Terrace, is now a condominium, with one unit for sale. The price for the 2 bedroom, 2 bathroom unit is $325,000. It comes with one secure parking space, shared access to the rooftop deck, and a rec room/billiards room in the basement. To view photos of the inside of the building, click here. The exact address for this building is 3400 San Marino Street, Los Angeles.

Sanders arrives at his apartment. 3400 San Marino Street

3400 San Marino Street, Los Angeles

The entrance to the Miramonte Terrace

This plaque can be seen in the film.

The next few images show comparisons of the intersection from different angles. The first is of Stanwyck walking from her apartment on Serrano and heading to Sanders apartment on San Marino. The view in the background is looking down San Marino. The second comparisons show the view looking down Serrano.

Stanwyck crosses San Marino Street

Looking down San Marino Street.

Looking down S. Serrano Ave (left side of street).

Right side of Serrano Ave.

As I mentioned, Stanwyck plays a working professional. She is an interior designer at a store in Beverly Hills. The building that was used as the business still stands, although the outside has been slightly modified. What was at one time the home of W. & J. Sloane, located at 9560 Wilshire Blvd, Beverly Hills, is now home to Burberry and Niketown. To read more about this building and to see interior photos from the 1950s, click here.

W. & J. Sloane, 9560 Wilshire Blvd, Beverly Hills

Burberry / Niketown, 9560 Wilshire Blvd, Beverly Hills

Are you ready to move into Stanwyck's or Sanders's apartments? By the way, if you have Netflix, this film is currently available for streaming.

Hollywood Hillview Apartments

2011-07-04T11:31:00.000-07:00

Hillview Apartments, 6533 Hollywood Blvd

At a time when Hollywood was a sleepy little town influenced by residents with strong puritan principles, actors arriving from the stages of New York and looking to get into "pictures," often had no where to stay. What few living spaces were available to rent had signs that read, "No Dogs and No Actors." The lack of housing available to actors in Hollywood led movie moguls Jesse Lasky and Samuel Goldwyn to build an apartment complex that would cater specifically to the acting community. In 1917, at 6533 Hollywood Boulevard, the Hillview Apartments (now the Hudson Apartments) were erected.

Photo Credit: Hudsonapartments.com

The Hillview Apartments included modern amenities such as a garbage incinerator and automatic elevators, as well as a rehearsal space in the basement to cater to the many actor residents. According to PreserveLA.com there was even a Speakeasy. A Los Angeles Times article from September 20, 2007 further explains that Rudolph Valentino ran the speak-easy, which was accessible by a trap door. Some of the early stars that have filled this 54-unit apartment include Mae Busch, Stan Laurel, Jack La Rue, Barbara LaMarr, Joan Blondell, Jack Dougherty, Clara Bow, and Mary Astor to name a few.

Photo Credit: Hudsonapartments.com

During the 1960s the Hillview Apartments started a decline in safety and appearance along with the rest of Hollywood. Transients and drug dealers took over the area. The building itself suffered damage from the 1994 Northridge earthquake, sinkage due to the tunneling of the MetroRail subway and a fire in 2002. Fortunately, Jeffrey Rouze, the architect responsible for remodeling the El Capitan Theater further down Hollywood Boulevard stepped in to help preserve this building. The restored building reopened on July 14, 2005.

Photo Credit: Hudsonapartments.com

If you're looking to move into the Hillview Apartments, it doesn't come cheap. Each level of room is named after early silent film stars. The least expensive, "The Greta Garbo," is a 375 Sq. Ft. studio/1 bath that starts at $1400. The priciest apartments, a "Chaplin," will cost between $2200-$2700 for a 2 bed/2 bath, 1054 Sq. Ft space.

Photo Credit: Hudsonapartments.com

Early Hollywood is filled with scandalous stories and it seems that is still true today. Earlier this year, one of the young female tenants of this complex was murdered by her fiance in the 3rd floor hallway. According to the resident forum at hollywoodhillviewapartments.com, there have been other reports of battery, a prostitution ring, and sexual assault.

It is sad to hear that such despicable events are taking place in the Hillview Apartments building, but if the building can be restored to its original beauty, then maybe the environment inside can be restored to something safe and respectable again.

In a Lonely Place (1950) - Film Locations

2011-06-25T18:04:00.000-07:00

Bogart as screenwriter, Dixon "Dix" Steele

In 1950, Hollywood produced three amazing films revealing a dark side to show business: Sunset Boulevard, All About Eve, and In a Lonely Place. In my opinion, Sunset Boulevard and All About Eve are the much stronger films overall, but In a Lonely Place is certainly no slouch. Humphrey Bogart's electrifying performance as down-on-his-luck screenwriter, Dixon Steele, really makes In A Lonely Place a gem to watch. Add in Nicholas Ray's melodramatic directing touches and noir starlet Gloria Graham and you got the ingredients for a delicious cinematic treat. Like Sunset Boulevard, In a Lonely Place features a few Los Angeles area locations and I decided to track some of those locations down.

The film opens with Bogart driving. Bogart comes to a stop at an intersection and turns to a pretty girl who is sitting with her husband in the next lane over. On a hunch, I figured that this intersection would be in Beverly Hills, so using Google Street View, I picked a commercial street and started comparing the buildings to the screenshot below. I couldn't have been more lucky. I found the intersection after scrolling just three blocks from my starting point. The intersection is North Beverly Drive at South Santa Monica Boulevard. The way I spotted this was from the unique detailing on the building which I've circled with the red oval.

N. Beverly Drive at S. Santa Monica Blvd, Beverly Hills

N. Beverly Drive at S. Santa Monica, Beverly Hills

The only building still standing at this intersection that can be seen in the film is the one that I've circled. The rest have been torn down and replaced. The next two comparisons give a different view of the intersection.

Bogart at the intersection of Beverly & Santa Monica

Looking south down Beverly Boulevard. The store in the background is now replaced by a modern glass building.

Looking south down Beverly Boulevard.

Looking north up Beverly Boulevard.

One interesting note about In a Lonely Place, is that Nicholas Ray modeled the set of Bogart's apartment building after the Villa Primavera apartments in West Hollywood, the same apartment building Ray lived at when he first came to Hollywood. Although the apartment courtyard and interiors were recreated on a soundstage, in one scene we do get a glimpse of what is across the street from the actual apartment location. In the screenshot below, Bogart is walking up to the entrance of the Villa Primavera apartments located at 1300 North Harper Avenue. The view in the background is the intersection of Harper and Fountain Avenue.

Bogart at the Villa Primavera apartments.

Fountain Ave at Harper, West Hollywood

Bogart in the apartment courtyard.

The apartment is gated, but below is the entrance to the Villa Primavera apartments. You can see a fountain in the center by looking through the gate, similar to the one Ray recreated on a soundstage.

1300 N. Harper Ave, West Hollywood

Later in the film Bogart is seen leaving the Beverly Hills post office which is located directly across from the Beverly Hills City Hall building. Below is a screenshot of Bogart and the City Hall building. As of present, the area between City Hall and the Post Office is fenced off and under construction, so I couldn't get a good photo of the City Hall building. Instead, I have a Google Street View screenshot for comparison.

Bogart in front of Beverly Hills City Hall

Beverly Hills City Hall (c) Google 2011

In another scene, Bogart is taken into the Beverly Hills Police Station for questioning in a murder case. Below, Bogart is seen leaving the police station, which is a side entrance to the City Hall building. Today the bushes have been cut away and now palm trees have been planted in front of the entrance.

Bogart leaves the Beverly Hills police station.

Side entrance to Beverly Hills City Hall.

Below is a scene of Bogart driving off with Gloria Graham after a beach picnic. In the background we see the Canyon Market, located at the intersection of Chautauqua Blvd, Channel Road and the Pacific Coast Highway in Santa Monica. Just below the screenshot is a historic photograph of the Canyon Market that gives us a better view of how this intersection once looked. Following that image is a photo I took showing how the intersection looks today. I believe the building that is standing there today is the same building, only greatly modified.

Photo Credit: Santa Monica Public Library Image Archives

Former site of Canyon Market, Santa Monica

As Bogart drives off in a rage, another building we see him pass is the Casino Lunch building. This is located across the street from the Canyon Market building. Below is the screenshot of the Casino Lunch building as seen in the film. Below that is a historic photo providing a better view of the Casino Lunch building, followed by a photo I took showing the intersection as it appears today.

Bogart drives by the Casino Lunch building in Santa Monica.

Photo (c) California Historical Society

Former site of Casino Lunch, Santa Monica

Of the three show biz related 1950 films, Sunset Boulevard, All About Eve, and In a Lonely Place, what's your favorite? (I say "show biz" because I know All About Eve is more about Broadway than Hollywood.)

Why Palm Springs is Hollywood of the Desert

2011-06-18T10:28:00.000-07:00

Palm Springs Postcard

As early as the 1920s, Palm Springs has been a getaway spot for Hollywood stars. Garbo, Clark Gable, Alice Faye, Phil Harris, Frank Sinatra, Dean Martin, Bob Hope, Liberace, Walt Disney, Loretta Young, Marilyn Monroe, Kirk Douglas, and many other classic Hollywood stars have stayed and played in Palm Springs. This YouTube video, "Why Palm Springs is Hollywood of the Desert," highlights some of Palm Springs Hollywood connections, including the site of Ginger Rogers' wedding and the room where Frank Capra polished the screenplay for It's a Wonderful Life.

"Why Palm Springs is Hollywood of the Desert"

Have you ever visited Palms Springs and if so, did you tour any of the places connected with old Hollywood? Where is your favorite getaway?