With all of the turmoil over our new President (yes, I know...many claim he's not their President), why not get ready for 2020 by voting for Myra Breckenridge? Clad in her patriotic red, white, and blue, this statue apparently toured around Los Angeles to promote Gore Vidal's book and the upcoming movie that would star Raquel Welch and Mae West.
I don't know anything about these November 1968 photos other than they were shot in California (according to the trailer's license plate) and that the statue was also featured on the cover of Vidal's book.
These three images were part of a collection of a man who worked as a cameraman and Technical Director at NBC in Washington DC at WRC-TV-4 from 1947-1978. Apparently he passed away in 2004.
UPDATE: This statue is either the same or an homage to the one that once twirled on Sunset Boulevard near the Chateau Marmont Hotel from 1957-1966. My personal opinion when comparing the two is that they are different, and it's more than just a coat of paint. The one on the flatbed looks more like a temporary/cheaper construction version.
More vintage movie and television photos at my main website.
Wow...what a slice of Americana that could have been easily forgotten without this post. KS
ReplyDeleteMyra looks very enthusiastic and patriotic. She'd be for Trump for sure. Look at all of that optimism! For shame...
ReplyDeleteThanks Dave
She was a 'Sahara' girl who sat atop a billboard on the corner of Sunset Blvd and Marmont Ln. from the late 50s through the mid 60s (I want to say around '66 or so she came down). She spun around atop that sign. I think she was shown in the film just almost out of focus and frame. I'm wondering if maybe the flat bed trailer hauling her is over by Forrest Lawn Hollywood possibly? She was one of the stars of Sunset Blvd 'billboard land' before the Marlborough Man and all the years when the record cos. were at their height of promoting the latest LPs/groups on Sunset Blvd billboards.
ReplyDeleteHi beachgal - I just updated my post. I believe these two statues are different, although the Myra version is obviously inspired by the Sahara Girl.
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ReplyDeleteThe bearded fellow with the Sahara showgirl is Jim Moran, a famous press agent. He said that he rescued the original showgirl figure from the Sahara sign from a San Fernando Valley dump by paying $1,500 for her. Bantam Books (Gore Vidal’s publisher) and 20th Century Fox (producer of the Myra Breckinridge movie) had him travel across the country with the figure on a trailer. So if all Moran said was true, this is the figure from the sign,
ReplyDeleteWhat I want to know is whether the Sahara showgirl in the Myra movie is this one. Shawn Levy’s recent book The Castle on Sunset says it was a reduced-size replica. But if so, it’s an incredibly faithful copy.
If you happen to be reading this: I know all this stuff because I’m working on an exhaustive article on the Sahara sign and the Bullwinkle statue across the street. I wondered if I might borrow your photo of Chateau Marmont and the surrounding buildings (in a different post), with credit?
(Addendum: I’m not sure if the figure Moran bought was the same showgirl in blue shown in your photo, repainted, or if the Sahara swapped in a different figure at some point. But Moran’s sure looks the sign figure as she looked from at least the mid-1960s onwards.)
ReplyDeleteHi Harry - Thanks for the great info! Feel free to email me about the questions you have: dvdpicasso@aol.com
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