Trojans in the Park!

January 1963, and the USC band is playing in Town Square. Victorious from the Rose Bowl in Pasadena, it would appear that they were given the honor of a concert at the entrance to the Park, still decorated for the 1962 Christmas season.



Over near City Hall, the former Disney Police Department has been stripped of its name with a blank sign above the door.



The Tour Guides were not allowed to take over this building yet; instead, they had to make do with the little gingerbread booth on the right of the detailed image below. Note that the light posts in front have been painted all black. How gloomy!



That was the easiest way to cover up the original white lettering that alerted guests that “the fuzz” could be found inside:



At some point between January 1963 and April 1965 (the photo below), the Guided Tour letters finally gave a designation to this Town Square building.



See more Disneyland Town Square photos at my main website.

Date Night in Kensington

When I first moved back to San Diego in 1999, the Kensington, Hillcrest, and University Heights neighborhoods of San Diego were my go-to choices for restaurants and fun. Over the years, Kensington dropped off my radar, mainly because it was the furthest out. When pressed for time, an extra five to ten minutes can make a huge difference; also, I am the type of person that easily gets caught in the rut of visiting my favorite haunts. Recently, I decided to rectify that and of course took my camera along. The Kensington sign calls to my inner vintage neon nut. Unknown to me, my photography was being captured behind-the-scenes by my date While I wasn't necessarily happy with how I looked or my posture, I was VERY relieved to see that I still have avoided the dreaded baldspot in back!



Club Kensington’s sign is even cooler than the main Kensington one:



This vintage car was appropriately parked in front of the retro-looking club:



The things I do to get the right angle; I sure hope my knees hold out!



The destination was Trattoria da Sofia, an Italian restaurant that had been on my radar for awhile. They follow me on social media, so naturally I had to check them out!



Capturing the required establishing shot:



The interior decor was interesting; I would call it eclectic. One would expect to see this type of fountain in the lobby of an Italian restaurant:



…but probably not the laundry hanging overhead. It was a very fun touch!



I was obsessed with this fish-shaped water bottle on the table:



Moving onto the food, the arancine appetizer was fantastic and generously portioned:



The crispy burrata was beyond yum!



One of my typical choices when I dine in an Italian restaurant is pollo parmigiana (aka chicken parmesan):



It was also delish. My sweet tooth was a bit disappointed that Spumoni ice cream was not on the menu, but the limocello cake was out of this world!



Sofia’s definitely rated a return visit!

See more Kensington neighborhood in San Diego photos at my main website.

Paramount Set Stills: Now and Forever, Pt. 1

Paramount’s 1934 production, “Now and Forever” (originally titled “Honor Bright” and then “You Belong to Me”) starred Carole Lombard, Shirley Temple, and Gary Cooper. Lombard and Cooper were already big stars; Temple had just exploded onto the scene with her captivating performance in “Little Miss Marker,” also a Paramount production. I am always amazed at the care and detail that went into creating the sets for these films from the golden age of Hollywood. The first production still shows the Sino Manor Hotel lobby located in Shanghai:



As you can see by the board, the film was still being referred to as “You Belong to Me”:



This screenshot reveals that the black area was used for a rear projection effect, thus eliminating having to build the rest of the set. Smart!



Another view of the lobby desk:



Look at all the branded materials on the desk, created just for this brief scene:



The hallway of the hotel, which does not appear in the final film:




This detailed exterior shows the shop where Cooper prints some bogus business cards:



This publicity still shows way more of the set than we see in the final film:



In this office, Cooper sets up shop to milk hotel customers for their outstanding hotel bills so that he can use the money to fund his extravagant trips with Lombard.



How it looked in the film:





The Stateroom occupied by Cooper and Lombard:



This area is barely seen in the final film:



…and yet someone had to go to the trouble of putting together Lombard’s luggage. Note her hat on the couch:



In a 1930s movie to get by with the recently created production code, separate beds were a necessity!



This is all we get to see of the room where “the magic” happens! The status of the relationship between Lombard and Cooper had to be solidified as a marriage, rather than just lovers, in order to appease the censors.



In France, Lombard returns to her hotel and receives a wire from Cooper: 



The corresponding production still:



A detail of the signs on the wall, that probably not a single movie-goer would notice back in 1934:



This little cafe is not in the final film:



It was used for an ultimately deleted scene between Jameson Thomas and Carole Lombard, who were in a relationship before she met Cooper.



More set stills from “Now and Forever” to come!

See more photos at my main website.