Point Loma (an anglicized Spanish version of "hill") is a peninsula located in San Diego and the landing place of the first European expedition to come ashore in present-day California. Today, Point Loma has two military bases and a national cemetery (shown in the first vintage 1958 photo).
Two current day shots that I took of the Point Loma Lighthouse, built in 1854. Apparently, it only saw some 30+ years of service as the constant fog and clouds in the area hampered its effectiveness. As they say, location location location (say it along with me, please). It now serves as a museum of sorts and is open to the public
Elsewhere in Point Loma is Humphreys, one of the most unique concert venues in the area.
This outdoor venue can get a little chilly at night, but thanks to its location near the bay, sure makes for a beautiful evening with great views of the stage and the nearby marina. There are a handful of rooms at the Humphreys hotel that overlook the stage; talk about a party!
Last night, Steve Martin & The Steep Canyon Rangers played to a full house. As Martin pointed out in between numbers, the management rudely put the words "SOLD OUT" over his photo. I'll wait a bit until you figure that one out.
Just announced, Martin & The Rangers are contenders in five categories for the Bluegrass Awards, including Album of the Year and Entertainer of the Year. Their CD's title track is up for Instrumental Recorded Performance of the Year, and Martin is up for writing the Best Liner Notes for the CD "Rare Bird Alert." Their fifth nomination is for Best Graphic Design for a Recorded Project.
Nicky Sanders wowed the audience during the encore with his violin solo for "Orange Blossom Special."
It was a perfect evening - beautiful weather, great music, and wonderful friends.
Proof that some things never go out of style. Photo by Harry Langdon:
See more vintage & current San Diego photos at my main website.
The multi-talented Steve Martin has long been a favorite of mine (and not just because he used to work at Disneyland in the early years!). This previously posted first photo shows him honing his craft on the stage of the Bird Cage Theater at Knott’s Berry Farm in June 1965.
I discovered his wild brand of comedy when I was in Junior High. I remember wearing out my “Wild and Crazy Guy” vinyl LP back in the late 70’s, especially because of its novelty hit song “King Tut” (backed by the Nitty Gritty Dirt Band but labeled as the Toot Uncommons). It is also one of the highlights of Saturday Night Live’s musical history:
In college, my film class analyzed his 1981 movie “Pennies from Heaven.” I was mesmerized by this dark classic, which was full of irony in its references to Depression era musicals. In his first dramatic film, Martin studied tap dancing for 6 months so that he’d be believable in the musical numbers with Bernadette Peters...and yes, he pulls it off!
Another favorite Martin comedy is “Dead Men Don’t Wear Plaid,” released one year later in 1982. Mixing classic film noir footage with currently shot scenes, a completely new wacky farce is created that integrates Martin with Humphrey Bogart, Bette Davis, and Joan Crawford. This loving tribute to classic Hollywood marked the last work of both costume designer Edith Head and composer Miklós Rózsa.
As detective Rigby Reardon, Steve Martin assists Juliet Hay Forrest (Rachel Ward) in finding out who killed her father. Both Martin and Ward look as if they could have stepped out of a 1940’s noir thriller and do a perfect job of playing each comic scene straight, rather than hamming it up and ruining it.
Martin and Carl Reiner teamed up again for 1983’s “The Man With Two Brains.” As Dr. Michael Hfuhruhurr, Martin perfects the method of cranial screw-top brain surgery. He saves the life of gold-digging Dolores Benedict (Kathleen Turner), who uses her beauty and sexuality to get him to marry her...
...but holds back “the goods” for him while she sleeps with everyone else that crosses her path.
Besides being a comedian and actor, Steve Martin is also an accomplished musician. This photo of him with a banjo was taken by famous photographer Harry Langdon:
Martin won the Grammy Award for Best Bluegrass Album in 2010. He has also been touring with The Steep Canyon Rangers; recently, I had the pleasure of watching him perform in San Diego at the Balboa Theater. The mixture of comedy and Martin’s brand of humor was a perfect match. Please let it be noted that I did NOT use a flash for any of these photos!
One of my faves from the concert was “Atheists Don’t Have No Songs.” Before anyone gets their panties all twisted, the tune is not a statement against atheism.
