Art At The Chateau Marmont

Another post about my Hollywood Hotel obsession, The Chateau Marmont. One of the things I love about it is the decor; eclectic is a good word to describe it, especially in reference to its collection of art. One of my favorite paintings hangs right next to the host stand in the lobby for the restaurant.



According to a post on Instagram, famously tanned actor George Hamilton once owned it and sold it but lost track of it. Years later it wound up at The Chateau to his surprise. The artist is George Albert Harris, and according to my brief web search, it appears he was an American painter, muralist, lithographer, and educator. He was a participant in the WPA Federal Art Project and was among the youngest artists on the mural project at Coit Tower.

The next painting hangs in the stairwell as guests leave the lobby to trudge up to their rooms. This huge work of art appears as if it could have been pilfered from a grand European cathedral.



On a previous visit, I encountered this cool deco work of art hanging in the men's room of the lobby. Yes, my camera goes with me there, too. The artist is German-born Florian Durzynski (1902-1969).Want to know more about him? This WPA Murals website has some interesting info.



This Salvador Dali print can be found in almost every Chateau Marmont guest room. Possibly there was a sale on this one and they got a bulk buy discount.



The cottages near the pool area evoke the Arts & Crafts/Mission era. The art on the walls appropriately reflects that style as well.





This piece hangs in room 34; I have no idea of its origin or the artist, who appears to have been challenged with proportions. I still kind of like it.



A detailed view of the lower right-hand corner:



There are many cool vintage photos that hang in the guest rooms, too:



Liz, back in her glory days:



More Marmont at my main website.

More Mardi Gras World and Disney

Thanks to faithful Daveland reader Bryan, I realized that there is yet another statue at the Disneyland Resort whose origins are most likely Blaine Kern's Mardi Gras World in New Orleans. Check out the statue I photographed there a few weeks ago and the one below from Downtown Disney:



Throughout the warehouse I noticed a number of other more obvious Disney characters.



Zooming in you can see the Three Caballeros (next to Salvador Dali, no less!):



Look closely at this random group of sculpts…



and you'll see Mowgli from "The Jungle Book," front and center:



The Rescuers, from the 1977 animated film:



This one I almost missed:



A painting of the Partners Statue:



Rock your world with a little more Mardi Gras Parade Float Madness at my main website.

The Walt Disney Family Museum, Pt. 2

Today's post takes you over to the main building of the Walt Disney Family Museum. Many (including myself) raised a big question mark when the Museum's location was announced as San Francisco, but after seeing it in person, I cannot imagine a more lovely setting. With a view of the Golden Gate Bridge and a long front porch with plenty of seating, the building is extremely warm and inviting.

One of the first things you see inside is a section with furnishings from Walt's Disneyland Apartment.



Many of these original pieces can be seen in the famous photo from National Geographic:



According to the accompanying text from daughter Diane: "Dad and Mother spent many weekends in the apartment, often with some of their grandchildren. They decorated it in the Victorian style they both knew and loved."





I was most astounded by the abundance of things to see here; and not once did I feel like the museum was "padded" to fill up space. Every item on display was a revelation, rich in the history of Walt Disney. Here is his Certificate of Baptism:



An original signed cartoon by Walt himself:



A shot of young Walt using his camera to make a movie:



Lo and behold, the camera itself:



Throughout the museum, Walt's actual voice told much of his story by piecing together vintage interviews. This treasured piece of paper was Walt and Lillian's Certificate of Marriage. What I loved most about the museum was that it successfully intertwined Walt's personal life with his professional achievements, thus fleshing out a real person.



A cleanup animation drawing by Dick Huemer for the Silly Symphony "The Goddess of Spring" (1934):



A menu from the Studio Restaurant:



Note that in the steaks/chops section, the time it takes to cook some of the items is listed. Perhaps to help those on the time clock make a better decision?



A few items from "Pinocchio":





A reproduction of an Animator's Desk, based on the design by Kem Weber for the Burbank Studio.



The multiplane camera that gave so much depth to early Disney animation:



A few photos of Walt with Salvador Dali:



Concept art for "Night on Bald Mountain, Fantasia" (1940) by Kay Nielsen. So much of this concept art could stand on its own in a gallery. It is breathtaking, and often even more powerful than what reached the screen.



There was even a section on the infamous strike at the Disney Studio. In the accompanying text came this quote from concept artist Joe Grant: "I think Walt was a fair man; he would have done most of the stuff they were fighting for, but they didn't give him a chance."



A gorgeous watercolor by Mary Blair:



Her concept art for "Cinderella" (1950):



and "Peter Pan" (1953):



Even Disney's artists did their part to keep the servicemen's "morale" up:



David Hall's 1939 concept art when "Alice in Wonderland" was in its earliest stage of development. Just a tad bit freaky!



Tomorrow: Disneyland!

See more Walt Disney Family Museum photos on my WD Family Museum web pages.

July 1972: Frontierland

I’m going to take another stab at the before/after format with this batch of July 1972 Frontierland photos, beginning with the Frontierland/New Orleans Square Depot.

And from May 2007, minus the Santa Fe logo:



The Ernest S. Marsh pulls into the station...



Almost 40 years later, still doing the same thing, but this time with a little more steam:



A similar contemporary angle with the C.K. Holiday:



This one is beyond duplication, as both the Nature's Wonderland Train and Cascade Peak are gone:



This is a similar angle, with lots of foliage covering the missing elements:





The Columbia, aka “The Floating Skillet,” still takes guests around the Rivers of America:





Have you all checked out the Fantasia/Fantasia 2000 Blu-ray release yet? One of the amazing bonus features is the Disney/Dali collaboration of “Destino.” The documentary about how it came to be (clocking in at over an hour) is fascinating all by itself. To watch “Destino,” pieced together almost 60 years later after it was initially storyboarded is a revelation. I also love the fact that they used the original vintage recording of “Destino” instead of re-recording it to remove the vintage surface noise.

Here’s Salvador Dali checking out the Lilly Belle in Walt’s backyard:



A frame from the original test animation created by John Hench for “Destino”:



See more Disneyland Frontierland photos at my main website.