The David Lynch film “Mulholland Drive” (2001) takes place in Hollywood, the land of dreams. Star-struck Betty Elms (Naomi Watts) arrives at LAX, full of dreams and the ambition to become a movie star. How about that shot of the Hollywood sign? Been there, done that…
Betty stays at her Aunt’s apartment, located in a historic complex complete with ivy-covered walls and a ton-o-charm. Auntie is conveniently out of town.
Can you feel Betty’s wide-eyed amazement, as if she just arrived in Wonderland?
The building’s landlady, Coco (Ann Miller), brings a sharp dose of reality as she leads Betty to her new digs. One of the resident’s dogs has taken a crap in Coco’s beloved courtyard. She threatens to “bake his butt for breakfast!” Don’t mess with Coco! Or Ann Miller, for that matter.
I have been obsessed with this place, and just had to see it in person. Located in the Hancock neighborhood of Los Angeles, the Il Borghese condos were built in 1929.
Over twenty years later, the building looks about the same. Unfortunately, Coco didn’t leave the gate unlocked for me.
I’d move here in a heartbeat! Designed by architect Charles Gault, this place is full of history and legend. The rumor mill claims that Shirley Temple lived here, Errol Flynn partied here, Ann-Margret visited her publicist here, and Lionel Richie found his current wife here.
Although I couldn’t get in (this time!), I was able to peek into the building’s well-maintained courtyard.
Yup, the same place where Betty & Coco resided.
Nobody could deliver this line better than Ann Miller: “Honey, you’re a good kid, but what you’re telling me is a load of horse puckey.” Again…don’t mess with Coco. Or Ann Miller.
Il Borghese has 23 residences, consisting of one bedrooms (634 - 800 sq. ft.) and two bedrooms (996 - 1,412 sq. ft.). The exterior:
Betty does nab an audition at Paramount Studios. Just look at her excitement when she gets out of the cab…
and views the entrance gates:
Yawn…been there done that.
Still on my “to-do list” is a visit to the fictional Sierra Bonita apartments featured in the movie. Stay tuned…
See more of my Hollywood photos at my main website.
In this behind-the-scenes photo from “Pillow Talk,” Doris Day is dreaming of powdered donuts. What?!? Yes…it’s a semi-long story, but for my birthday, Melissa (aka “The Colonel”) sent me a still of Doris Day, two bags of powdered donuts, and the accompanying note:
Ann? Yes, readers…as in Ann Miller, famous MGM musical star of yesteryear. For a quick 411, you need to watch the “Hollywood Hoarder” episode on the Punchy Players’ YouTube channel. Judy Garland pays a visit to her old friend and costar Ann Miller (the hoarder of the title) and finds a bag of expired powdered donuts from 1972. Judy tries to get her to throw them away, but Ann explains, “I can’t toss those. You never know when Doris Day is gonna’ come by and she LOVES a good powdered donut!”
I enlisted the aid of a friend and did the requested taste test; Tastykake vs. Entenmann’s:
The result? Entenmann’s was the favorite, thanks to a richer flavor and dare I say it...just a tad more “moist.” So if Doris ever stops by unexpectedly, make sure you get Entenmann’s.
For fans of old Hollywood (and hoarders), here’s the entire “Hollywood Hoarder: Judy to the Rescue” video:
And it just so happens that today is National Doughnut Day! I love when serendipity works out like that.
A few years ago I discovered the Punchy Players on YouTube. From their description:
Favorite personalities of Old Hollywood are celebrated in these satirical videos. Produced and conceived by Chris Tassin. Featuring the voice talent of Jeff Marquis with visuals and additional voice work from Chris Tassin.
Written by Jeff and Chris.
Not only is the writing for these brilliant, but the voices nail the personalities they portray. This is a recently discovered favorite. If you are a fan of the old MGM musicals, this will make a great start to your weekend, and it might encourage you to clean out your clutter!
I would not have imagined a post where there is a common thread for all three, but here it is! The backstory: when I acquired the first image from today’s post, I realized I also had another shot of Shirley from the same evening. At this point, I had zero context. No date of the shots or anything. So...I reached out to Melissa (aka “The Colonel”). Within minutes, she had figured out through Mr. Google that the photos were from August 10, 1954 when Shirley and husband Charles attended the re-premiere of “Gone with the Wind.” That was all I needed; I was off to the races and falling down a rabbit hole of six degrees of separation.
The photo below was found online with this vintage caption:
Shirley Temple was only 11 years old when she saw first premiere of "Gone With the Wind," 15 years ago. She is shown arriving with husband, Charles Black, for second premiere last night at the Egyptian Theatre. “I know I will enjoy and understand it a little better,” she said.
Although the press crossed Charles out from the published shot, I can assure you that Shirley NEVER crossed her beloved husband out of anything. Don’t they look stunning?
Here’s the backstory on the re-premiere: Selznick liquidated his company in 1942 for tax reasons, and sold his share in “Gone with the Wind” to his business partner, John “Jock” Whitney, for $500,000. In turn, Whitney sold it to MGM for $2.8 million. MGM re-released the film in 1942 and 1947. I THINK the shot below is from the night of the re-premiere; on the left is Kay Gable (Clark’s wife). In the middle I am fairly certain we have “Jock” Whitney, with Herman Hover the owner of Ciro’s on the right (thanks Beachgal for the ID!).
From the 1977 book Scarlett Fever by William Pratt:
In February 1954, fireworks had exploded after a televised tribute to MGM’s Thirtieth Anniversary. It seemed that on “The Ed Sullivan Show,” a film clip of GWTW had been shown along with some other MGM films produced over the previous three decades, and David O. Selznick was enraged by the studio’s taking credit for the production. By August—after apologies all around—the Hollywood “premiere” actually became a personal testimonial to the producer as Oscars representing the film’s Academy Award triumph were on display in the Egyptian’s lobby along with David’s own Thalberg Award for the August 10 grand gala event. MGM publicists informed the press that “the gala event marked the first time in history that any picture ever had been given a second Hollywood premiere.” The 125 stars who held reservations for that big night included most of MGM’s remaining contract players, a selection of the town’s Old Guard (Joan Bennett, Gary Cooper, Joan Crawford, Merle Oberon, Tyrone Power, Edward G. Robinson, Barbara Stanwyck, Norma Shearer, Shirley Temple, and Spencer Tracy) and several surviving members of Gone with the Wind’s cast (Mary Anderson, Jane Darwell, Clark Gable, Cammie King, Thomas Mitchell, and Ona Munson, six months before her suicide).
How did the film look after 15 years had gone by? The version shown in 1954 was the first time the film had been shown in widescreen. Since the film was not originally shot in that format, MGM cropped the top and bottom to an aspect ratio of 1.75:1. In doing so, a number of shots were optically re-framed. What do I think about that?
More from Scarlett Fever:
While viewers throughout America appreciated the film’s new panoramic scope that year, many wondered why the color had faded so drastically in certain segments. The cause was simple: in projecting the 1939 image onto a wide screen, crucial portions of some scenes were cut off and, to compensate, MGM had actually rephotographed those sequences with a black mask at screen bottom to raise the affected footage. In so doing, the original color was significantly drained from those moments and their new appearance was limited to a near tint-like quality.…The 1954 presentation also offered a novelty that was a distinct advantage for those theatres equipped with the latest sound systems. Despite is original one-channel, optical (or monaural) sound track, MGM technicians did a difficult and splendid job of dividing it onto a new multiple=channel magnetic tape which broadcast the film in “Perspecta stereophonic sound.” The effect was brilliant: conversations were actually divided line by line (only in certain scenes) and the voice of a character out of camera range could be heard over a viewer’s shoulder—from the back of the theatre. This was particularly well used for Ashley’s reminiscences at the lumber mill and in the finale. Stereophonic sound lost its popularity fairly quickly int he following years and this particular divided sound track was never employed again.
Based on the version available on blu ray, somehow the film has been restored back to its original glory. You can fiddle-dee-dee but don’t fiddle with the film, thank you.
As if all this weren’t exciting enough, guess who else was at the re-premiere event? JAMES DEAN! The thought of Shirley actually meeting my other favorite actor truly boggles my mind. Dean attended the event because he was dating actress Pier Angeli, who was under contract to MGM at the time. Note the Oscars behind them from “Gone with the Wind.”
Here they are with Jane Powell and then-husband Patrick Nerney. If Dean looks uncomfortable, you can bet he was. These types of events were not his type of thing, especially having to wear a tuxedo.
I have no idea if Shirley actually met James Dean. But, on the right side of the photo in the background, it looks like it could be Shirley. For the sake of this post, I’m going to say it is. Don’t burst my bubble, please.
Back to Shirley; this is HER post, after all. Let’s zoom in for a closer look at her in all her gala finery:
A closer look at the table tells us the after-party/dinner was held at Ciro’s nightclub on Sunset Boulevard.
In my collection, I just happen to have a shot of the exterior of the Club from 1954:
Franchot Tone and Zsa Zsa Gabor seem to be having a deep conversation at the party:
Parliament cigarettes were apparently the smoke of choice that evening:
Here are Betsy Blair (wife of Gene Kelly at the time) and “Gone with the Wind” star Evelyn Keyes (who played Scarlett’s sister Suellen):
I’m not sure who the gal on the right is, but she has a big old pack of Parliaments, too. Maybe they were a sponsor for the evening.
Other guests that evening included Debbie Reynolds:
…and MGM musical favorites Ann Miller and Vera-Ellen:
Phew…that was a long one! I hope you enjoyed all the six degrees of separation going on here!
See more Shirley Temple photos at my main website.
Although I hate to admit it, I will confess right now; I do watch "Dancing With The Stars."
There. I've said it.
For as long as I can remember, there has always been something about the joy of dancing that has fascinated and inspired me. One of my earliest memories of seeing somebody dance involved (not too surprisingly) Shirley Temple, as she tapped on top of a white piano in "Curly Top." The first photo for today shows her dancing with George Murphy in "Little Miss Broadway." There was something so surreal yet so liberating watching the two of them dance through a courtroom, covering every inch of the fanciful Broadway set with smiles on their faces the entire way. The most amazing part of watching a dance that is well done is that the dancers make it look effortless. At no point do you see the blood, sweat, and tears that often accompany the countless hours of rehearsal. How many of you have watched an extremely intricate routine and thought, "Hey, I'll bet I could do that!"
Here's one of my favorites from "Easter Parade" with Judy Garland and Fred Astaire:
The most incredible thing about this number is that even though Astaire was a much better dancer, it is difficult to take your eyes off of Garland, whose joyful exuberance causes you to watch her instead.
From the same movie, Ann Miller stole the show with her tap number, "Shaking The Blues Away":
"The Varsity Drag" number from 1947's "Good News" is a great example of how a dance is seamlessly woven into the narrative. It's not part of a show-within-a-show, but rather a musical number that serves to move the plot along by showing that the two leads have finally admitted their feelings for each other. Because the number features June Allyson, the All-American-Girl-Next-Door, it is easy to imagine yourself in her place, doing the routine along with Peter Lawford. This is key for a good musical number to succeed; drawing you in, it gives the false sense that it is entirely effortless and natural.
Fred Astaire was a debonair dancer; aloof and well-dressed, it was often hard to imagine yourself in his place. Although he appeared to dance with ease, not one time would the average audience member mistake themselves for Astaire's well-dressed and hard to approach characters. When Gene Kelly entered the scene, he opened up the possibility of dance to men everywhere.
He dressed like the average Joe, while playing characters who typically had an abundance of machismo.
A favorite Kelly number is from "Singin' in the Rain," in which Kelly, Donald O'Connor, and Debbie Reynolds celebrate their early a.m. brainstorm session with "Good Morning."
Like "Little Miss Broadway," they make use of every inch of the set, dancing through multiple rooms and utilizing every prop at their disposal. As with all good dances, it seems so natural, as if it spontaneously erupted from the plot without any rehearsal.
The legendary Marilyn Monroe performed the oft-imitated number "Diamonds Are A Girl's Best Friend" in the 1952 musical, "Gentlemen Prefer Blondes." I remember reading that she was not comfortable dancing, as she did not have much confidence in that arena. Supported by a group of male dancers, Marilyn does a more than capable job, gliding across the stage in her hot pink satin costume.
Later in my life, I achieved an appreciation for more classical dancing. The 1948 British film, "The Red Shoes" is a wonderful Technicolor primer on the world of ballet.
In the 1960's, swingin' sensation Ann-Margret teases all the boys with her suggestive dancing during the "Gotta' Lotta' Living' To Do" number from "Bye Bye Birdie." The plot is moved along as her character attempts to make her boyfriend jealous, but ends up empty-handed with her unsuccessful (yet sexy) squeeze-play maneuvers.
Musicals made a comeback in the 70's, thanks to two blockbuster John Travolta films, "Saturday Night Fever" and "Grease." It was during the disco era that I first began to dance myself. I will never forget the Junior High Dance where a girl (appropriately nicknamed "Disco Sara") grabbed my arm and pulled me into the Disco Dance Contest. I was definitely NOT a dancer, but by letting her take the lead and attempting to mimic what she was doing, the two of us won. I was hooked! That summer, I went to the theater at least 5 times to catch Travolta's dance moves in "Grease."
In the 90s, I discovered George Balanchine's choreography when I first saw his ballet "Serenade." Bathed in a haunting blue light, this number generated a series of deep emotions in me that had never been elicited from a dance before.
I was inspired to create this painting, using my favorite phthalocyanine blue color in an attempt to capture the feeling of the dance.
I will end this post with the number that inspired me to write today's post. On Monday night, Charlie White & Sharna Burgess danced to the uplifting song "Happy." I defy anyone to watch this piece and not feel joy in their heart.
