Hollywood Cooking: Chasen's Chili

Photo from LIFE

Since opening in 1936 until closing in 1995, Chasen's was a Hollywood institution.  The restaurant, which used to be located at the corner of Doheny Drive and Beverly Boulevard at the edge of Beverly Hills,  hosted the greatest stars ever to appear on screen. 

James Cagney, Pat O'Brien, Ralph Bellamy, Frank Morgan and the rest of their "Boys Club" would gather every Wednesday at Chasen's during the forties to eat, drink, sing, and catch up after their busy days working at the studios. In 1939, after Clark Gable and Carol Lombard introduced the newly arrived director from England, Alfred Hitchcock, to Chasen's, the director and his wife would have their Thursday night dinners at the restaurant. The Jimmy Stewarts, Don Ameche (who introduced owner Dave Chasen to his wife Maude), George Burns and Gracie Allen, Ronald Reagan, Bob Hope, Frank Sinatra, Jack Lemmon, Billy Wilder, David Niven, Fred MacMurray, Joan Crawford - well, nearly every major star from the Golden Age of Hollywood dined at Chasen's.

One of Chasen's signature dishes was their chili. Elizabeth Taylor loved the chili so much that in 1962, while in Rome on location filming for Cleopatra, she paid $100 to have the chili shipped to her on dry ice! I love chili and knew I had to try the Chasen's chili if it really is that good. Although the restaurant has been long closed, the book "Chasen's: Where Hollywood Dined - Recipes and Memories" by Betty Goodwin, contains the recipe for this famous chili.

With winter here I could think of nothing better to cook up than a hot bowl of chili, so I took a try at making this Hollywood classic. Here is the recipe and the results from my cooking:

Chasen's Chili

Prepping the Ingredients

1/2 pound dried pinto beans

water

1 28-ounce can diced tomatoes in juice

1 large green bell pepper, chopped

2 tablespoons vegetable oil

3 cups onions, coarsely chopped

2 cloves garlic, crushed

1/2 cup parsley, chopped

1/2 cup butter

2 pounds beef chuck, coarsely chopped

1 pound pork shoulder, coarsely chopped

1/3 cup Gebhardt's chili powder

1 tablespoon salt

1 1/2 teaspoons pepper

1 1/2 teaspoons Farmer Brothers ground cumin

1. Rinse the beans, picking out debris. Place beans in a Dutch oven with water to cover. Boil for two minutes. Remove from heat. Cover and let stand one hour. Drain off liquid.
2. Rinse beans again. Add enough fresh water to cover beans. Bring mixture to a boil. Reduce heat and simmer, covered, for one hour or until tender.
3. Stir in tomatoes and their juice. Simmer five minutes. In a large skillet saute bell pepper in oil for five minutes. Add onion and cook until tender, stirring frequently. Stir in the garlic and parsley. Add mixture to bean mixture. Using the same skillet, melt the butter and saute beef and pork chuck until browned. Drain. Add to bean mixture along with the chili powder, salt, pepper and cumin.
4. Bring mixture to a boil. Reduce heat. Simmer, covered, for one hour. Uncover and cook 30 minutes more or to desired consistency. Chili shouldn't be too thick - it should be somewhat liquid but not runny like soup. Skim off excess fat and serve.

Makes 10 cups, or six main dish servings.

Simmering and Sauteing 

The cook in the kitchen.

Simmering all ingredients together.

Dinner is served!

I must say, this chili turned out amazing! I understand why Elizabeth Taylor had this chili shipped all the way to Rome. If you are looking for something hearty and tasty to make this winter and want to dine like a classic Hollywood star, I recommend giving this chili a try. 

For more of Chasen's recipes I recommend picking up a copy of Goodwin's book. In addition to the recipes are some intimate photographs of the stars who dined at Chasen's as well as some fun anecdotes about the restaurant.

Warner Breaks James Cagney's Contract

Warner Bros. Publicity Still for Ceiling Zero

Around the time James Cagney was making the film The Crowd Roars, he started having troubles with the Warner Brothers studio brass. By now, Cagney had a few films under his belt which had earned the studio a decent profit, although, the studio still paid Cagney like a regular contract player. Cagney has said, "I realized that there were roughly two classes of stars at Warner's: those getting $125,000 a picture - and yours sincerely, who was getting all of $400 a week." Cagney, recognizing his value to the studio, decided to walk out. 

Warner Bros. Hollywood Theatre

A few years later, Cagney would again walk out on the studio when he learned that Warner's broke his contract. According to Cagney's contract he was to get top billing in his films. When the movie Ceiling Zero was released Cagney found out from his friend and co-star, Pat O'Brien, that Warner had placed O'Brien's name above his on the marquee of the Warner Bros. Hollywood Theater. Cagney sent a photographer to take a picture of the marquee and then took Warner to court. This was not about ego, but about money.

These were the studio days when actors worked six and seven days a week, from first thing in the morning until late in the evening or even the next day, with not much for breaks. So, Cagney's walkouts, although financially motivated, were also about being treated fairly.

In the above photo is the marquee of what used to be the Warner Bros. Hollywood Theatre, now owned by the Pacific Theatre company and operating as a church. It is this marquee that Cagney sent a photographer to capture Warner's breach of contract. The theater opened in 1928 and in 1951 was converted to showcase Cinerama films. The theatre was converted again in 1978 into a triple-screen theatre and finally closed for good in 1994, after the Northridge Earthquake.

In the 1940s, Carol Burnett, who grew up in Hollywood, worked as an usher at the Warner Theatre.

Looking East down Hollywood Blvd. at the Warner Theatre

On another note, maybe someone out there can help me out with the photo below. I picked up the photograph from an antique store. I know the man on the left is actor Pat O'Brien, but can anyone tell me the names of the two men on the right? Also, does anyone know any background on this image? I know that during the 1940s, O'Brien participated in USO events supporting the troops, so I'm guessing this is around that time.

Pat O'Brien on left looking at weapons.

Your thoughts?

"Pieces of My Heart" - Robert Wagner to discuss new book.

Actor, Robert Wagner

This Tuesday, April 21 the hard working film and television actor Robert Wagner will be at the South Pasadena library to discuss his latest book, Pieces of My Heart. If you consider yourself a fan of actors and actresses from Hollywood's past then you must get your hands on a copy of this book. Wagner, who grew up in the posh neighborhood of Bel Air, became a teen heart throb for Fox studios, and later became a television legend gives readers an entertaining and revealing insider's look of the Hollywood world. I'm very excited to hear in person more about some of the fascinating stories from Wagner's book. What kinds of stories?

Well, during the filming of one of Wagner's early films, What Price Glory, starring James Cagney, the legendary director John Ford would only call Wagner by the name of "Boob." During the filming of one of Wagner's scene's Ford yelled, "Cut" and then walked across the set. "You know, Boob, if you can't see the camera, the camera can't see you. You be clear to the camera." Then Ford pushed Wagner hard to the ground. Cagney, who was standing next to Wagner said, "Don't worry, kid. He does that. You'll be all right. Just remember your lines, that's all you have to do."

Later, while filming another scene Ford picked up a rock and started to throw it at Wagner. Basically, according to Wagner, the director was trying to destabilize him, which he did.

On another film with actor Spencer Tracy, who Wagner had become close friends with, Wagner got to learn the dark side of Tracy's alcoholism. While filming The Mountain on location in the French Alps, Tracy one day got completely smashed in the hotel bar. By the time Wagner had finished filming his scenes for the day and found Tracy in the bar, Tracy was throwing a glass at the bartender who he believed made some remark. Wagner reached out to stop the glass but it shattered in his hand giving him some bad cuts. The next day Tracy had no memory of the event.

A lot of the book focuses on Wagner's many relationships with women. His love affair with the much older actress Barbara Stanwyck and most famously his on and off again relationship with actress Natalie Wood up until her death. Throw in some other interesting loves and you got some juicy stories.

Speaking of Natalie Wood, when Wagner was first married to the actress, the two went together to New York City to see the stage show of Gypsy. Jack Warner, the head of Warner Bros, had bought the rights to Gypsy as a potential movie project for Wood. After seeing the show, Wood did a press conference with Warner announcing their plans for the film and then posed for photos. Meanwhile, Wagner joined Warner in his Fifth Avenue office.

"Would you like a drink?" Jack asked. Warner poured Jack Daniel's for both of them and then started to discuss the film project for Wood. Warner, who had been congenial up to this point asked Wagner, "Who do you think should play the mother?" Wagner said, "Well, Jack, in my estimation there's only one person in the world who can play the part - Judy Garland."

Now, after hearing that name Warner was no longer Mr. Nice. Warner responded, "That fucking cunt will never work in my studio again! Fuck her! She's a pain in the ass, a no-talent cunt." Warner continued on with this rant. Apparently, when Garland worked for Warner Bros. on the film A Star is Born, he noticed at the premiere party which was held at Judy's house, that her home was filled with all the furniture used for the sets from the film. Garland had stolen furniture from Jack Warner and he never forgave her for it.

My favorite story is one that involves Wagner's friend, actor David Niven. Wagner went to visit Niven at Cortina d'Ampezzo in Europe to take a break from things. One day Niven and Wagner were riding a chairlift that went up a tall mountain, where at the top there was a nice restaurant. The two men had dressed casually but the weather had changed drastically and became very cold. After lunch, when Niven and Wagner got back in the chairlift to ride down the mountain, Niven casually said, "My cock is frozen. I have a frozen cock. Frozen solid."

When the two got to the bottom where there hotel was Niven asked Wagner's friend and future 2nd wife, Marion Marshall to sit on his lap to warm up a "very valuable part of David's life." Niven then ordered a Brandy and asked Wagner to follow him to the bathroom where he then unzipped his pants and dropped his penis into the brandy snifter to keep from getting frostbite.

Next the bathroom door swung open and a man dressed in a military uniform walked in. Seeing Niven with his cock in the glass and Wagner staring at it the man stood shocked. Without skipping a beat, Niven looked up and said, "I always give it a little drink from time to time."

These are just some of the many entertaining stories that you will discover if you read Wagner's book, Pieces of My Heart. I mentioned some of the humorous stories but not all the book is funny. It is also filled with heartbreaking stories of divorce, death, and complicated relationships. Wagner has a fascinating story to tell and you will enjoy reading it. And if you have the chance you may want to visit the South Pasadena public library this Tuesday, to talk more about his new book.

Details:

Location: South Pasadena Library, 1100 Oxley Street, South Pasadena, CA

When: April 21 at 7pm

Cost: Free!