Elaine!

SCENE SPOILER ALERT! It's an iconic scene. The disheveled somewhat loony young Benjamin Braddock (Dustin Hoffman) stands in the balcony of the church screaming the name of his girlfriend Elaine (Katharine Ross) who has just finished getting married to another man (Brian Avery). It's the kind of thing that definitely gets one's attention.



Elaine's father (Murray Hamilton) is angry, whereas her mother, the sadly lecherous Mrs. Robinson (Anne Bancroft) is filled with glee, believing she has foiled Ben's ability to end up with her daughter.



And then Elaine erupts with her scream for Ben, as she realizes she must be with him. Nothing but mayhem follows, as Benjamin shoves aside Elaine's father...



tears Elaine away from the clutches of her mother. NOTE: In one of the worst looping jobs in film history, Katharine Ross' line of "Not for me!" doesn't even begin to match the look on her face.



Benjamin fends off the churchgoers with a cross...



putting it through the door handles to effectively keep them from following him and Elaine as they grab a bus to what we all hope is eternal bliss.



Why am I telling you all of this? Because I finally took a road trip to see the Modernist building in person.



The United Methodist Church that was used in the 1967 film "The Graduate" is located in La Verne, California.



Just 30 miles east of Los Angeles, this sleepy little town was definitely worth the trip. The church looks very much like it did when Dustin Hoffman and Katharine Ross filmed the movie there 50 years ago.



The lobby where the wedding guests were trapped:



The stairwell up to the balcony:



And the interior itself:



TIME magazine listed this church as one of the top 10 iconic movie locations back in 2010. I would have to agree.

More LA and surrounding area photos at my main website.

Trip to NOHO

In going through my photos, I realized I never posted the shots I took on my one and only "visit" to North Hollywood for a photo shoot two years ago. How about that entry sign? There's a lot of stuff going on there!

I immediately zoomed in on the El Portal Theatre.



Wish it had been a night shoot; I really need to return to capture this neon when it's all lit.



Did you know the Beatles movie "A Hard Day's Night" played here in 1964? More than a thousand screaming fans lined up to watch it here.



Beatles aside, I was in Art Deco heaven.



Looking above, I also fell in love with the plaster details:





My shoot was at a nearby junkyard with actor David Brackett.



Very different vibe.



More North Hollywood photos at my main website.

Back to Clifton's

Last month marked my third time to Clifton's Cafeteria since it's very successful restoration/overhaul. Each time I struggle between taking photos of new details versus enjoying the delicious food. Always a battle. Take a gander at this beautifully sculpted watermelon!





And the signage...so vintage...so well done...it boggles this type-lover's heart.



Organic chicken tenders?!? Why go to McDonald's when you get so much more at Clifton's!



I'm a sucker for Clifton's meatloaf; one of my favorites to dine on here.



Who else makes jello look this cool?



And then of course the decor; like this huge-ass tree in the middle of the restaurant:



The little framed wonders:



And of course the taxidermy:



Silent film siren Louise Brooks was playing on a wall nearby:



One of these days I need to sample Clifton's at night when it REALLY comes alive.

More goodies from Clifton's at my main website.

Serendipity, Greased Lightning, and the LA River, Pt. 2

Cha Cha's scarf is down and the drag race has begun. I finally made it to the LA River and I have to say it was one of the coolest places I have ever done a photo shoot. Train tracks, graffiti, water, concrete...all too good to be true. AND a sunny day to boot!



While I may not have been in the exact same place that Sandy, Danny, Rizzo, Kenickie, and Cha Cha were, I was damn close.











I had amazing models to work with, including NYC photographer Molly O'Brien, wearing a super-mod Jeremy Scott dress:





Even amidst a sea of concrete a little green manages to poke through.



My first shoot with Creative Director Marcus Paglialonga:



Hopefully there will be more.



A few detail shots to round off this post:





And now it's time for the weekend! TGIF!

More Los Angeles photos at my main website.

Serendipity, Greased Lightning, and the LA River

On a recent trip to LA, I was doing a photo shoot at the LA River. My very first time. The gang was somewhat hangry, and not being particularly familiar with the downtown area, I left things up to chance and was greatly rewarded (as I usually am when I turn everything over to the Universe) by finding Urth Caffé. Just what we all needed.



Located in the Arts District, there was a very cool playground nearby as well.



And through another serendipitous piece of good fortune, I stumbled upon the angel wings mural by Colette Miller. I had always wanted to see this piece in person but was too lazy to do the actual research and find it. Again...the Universe stepped in.





On part two of my post about my trip to LA, we will visit the haunt of Cha Cha DiGregorio. If you don't who she is, please don't tell me.



More Los Angeles photos at my main website.