Little Miss Sunshine in CA, Pt. 3

Part 3 begins at the Orpheum Theatre in downtown Los Angeles for the main event: The LA Conservancy’s Last Remaining Seats showing of James Dean’s “Rebel Without A Cause” (1955). I hadn’t been inside the Orpheum since 2008, and it still looked pretty grand.



To say “they don’t make ’em like they used to” in this case would be a gross understatement. A little bit of history from the Orpheum’s website:

Since its February 15, 1926 opening, the Orpheum has played host to some of the most venerable names in show business – from burlesque queen Sally Rand, a young Judy Garland (as Francis Gumm) and comedian Jack Benny, to jazz greats like Lena Horne, Ella Fitzgerald and Duke Ellington. The 1960s brought a completely new dimension to the theater – “rock and roll” – with performers such as Little Richard, Aretha Franklin and Little Stevie Wonder.



Imagine this craftsmanship produced for something that will barely be noticed in a darkened theater:





Edward Torres played the organ before the movie began, which definitely added to the experience of a very special evening.



Out in the lobby were Sarah Lann, director of education for the LA Conservancy, Natasha Gregson Wagner, actress and daughter of Natalie Wood, and Christy, aka Little Miss Sunshine, also the President of the James Dean Museum in Fairmount, IN which is the only official Dean museum sanctioned by Dean’s family:



A quick selfie before the film began with Christy and Natasha, who couldn’t have been any sweeter:



Time to turn the lights down!



Before the showing of “Rebel,” film critic Leonard Maltin interviewed (sort of) Natasha.



Leonard did most of the talking, which was unfortunate. Once he let Natasha speak, we got to hear how meaningful this role was and the respect Natalie had for Dean’s talent. They had worked together before in the “I’m a Fool” November 14, 1954 episode of General Electric Theater, which was introduced by Ronald Reagan. 



And then the remaining house lights dimmed and the movie began! While it was amazing to see Sal Mineo, James Dean, and Natalie Wood up on the big screen in a classic movie palace like the Orpheum, it was a bit disappointing that it was a digital projection and the quality of the projection was not all that great. While many details were revealed at that large size, the print seemed a bit muddy and fuzzy, especially considering what the current Blu ray version looks like.



A little Vogue-ing in the theater lobby before we exited:



Outside the theater we all waited for our rides home. Christy is surrounded by Daniella, photographer Taylor Galloway, and Kate Croley:



After a late night chat by the Chateau pool…



Christy and I returned to 67 to order room service, since the dining room was closed for an event held by luxury menswear brand Ermenegildo Zegna.



The big reveal: we each got a sinfully delicious Nutty Chewy Sticky Gooey dessert:


 
…and another round of Garden Gimlets.



What had tasted so delicious and refreshing that afternoon sitting by the pool tasted more like fermented lawn clippings at midnight.



We left them out on the porch until the next morning when the clippings appeared to have congealed.



I got up early to do my laps; as I crossed through the gate to the pool, this cute little tableau was setup outside the bungalows, as part of the Zegna event:



There was also a temporary edicola (newsstand in Italian) by the pool, guarded by two stoic young men who looked like they’d just stepped off the runway:



The edicola was stocked with limited-edition copies of Zegna’s print publication, Top magazine.



Inside the hotel, this was the first time I got to see the new Chateau Marmont photo history wall on the first floor (which features a number of images from my collection!).



It’s pretty amazing to see all of the famous artists and celebrities that have stayed here over the years. A true testament to this Hollywood architectural legend.





This is one of my favorite images, featuring many of the hotel’s employees (some still there, some not):



Before breakfast, a quick selfie from the seventh floor:



My good friend Jorge from San Diego happened to be in LA at the same time, so he joined us for breakfast:



The pancakes were just as delicious and fluffy as I remembered:



Even without its usual pepper crust, the Chateau bacon is second to none:



Jorge joined us on the ride back to San Diego, where we made a detour to the Mission at San Juan Capistrano.



Stay tuned for Part 4!

See more Los Angeles Orpheum Theatre photos at my main website.

Protecting Americans

Even before I was first able to experience Angels Flight Railway for myself last year, I was semi-obsessed with this little transportation gem in downtown Los Angeles. Recently, I acquired this you-are-there image from August 1965, showing passengers enjoying their journey aboard the little orange railway that could. One thing struck me though; there was no door or rail keeping passengers from falling out the back. I had never noticed this detail before in my other vintage images.

Today, not only are there doors to prevent people from falling/jumping out mid-ride, but there’s a sign telling passengers to “wait inside until car stops.”

What has happened to society in the last sixty years to make it necessary to protect them from dangers that would seem like common sense? Is this kind of signage and protection used in other countries, or is being stupid something Americans have cornered the market on?

Yes, I’m shaking my head.

See more Angels Flight Railway photos at my main website.

The Ambassador Hotel Lives On!

Two recent acquisitions show the fabled (and now defunct) Ambassador Hotel, once located on Wilshire Boulevard in Los Angeles. An American Airlines plane has touched down on the front lawn in the first photo.

In this color 1960’s image, John Gray is performing at the hotel’s famous Cocoanut Grove nightclub, with “extra added attraction” Peter Duchin Orchestra. Reminds me of a story from the old days of radio that my dad told me about. The script for the announcer listed the “George Cates orch.” The announcer apparently was ignorant to the fact that “orch” was short for “orchestra” and announced “George Catesorch.” Cates was known as the sometimes conductor of the Lawrence Welk orchestra. That was a long digression…

Even though the hotel closed in 1989, it was still very much alive in 1994, thanks to movie magic. Hollywood often used the building as a film location, including Jim Carrey’s entrance to the Coco Bongo club in “The Mask”:

Yup. That’s the Ambassador.

Three years earlier in Steve Martin’s “L.A. Story,” the Ambassdor was used for a variety of scenes, including the entrance to L’Idiot, the snobby restaurant where Patrick Stewart was the Maitre D’ and Chevy Chase was the abused patron.

More on both of these recently rediscovered (to me) movies in future posts.

See more Los Angeles Ambassador Hotel photos at my main website.

Flying Saucer Friday

It’s not truly a Flying Saucer, but it sure looks like one! Here’s a vintage shot of Theme Building at LAX from April 1962, less than a year after it opened. Dig that Mercedes Benz in front!

The original airport design was created by James Langenheim of Pereira & Luckman in 1959, but was apparently too ambitious. William Pereira, Charles Luckman, Paul Williams, and Welton Becket stepped in with the revised plan, which included the Theme Building built on the spot that was intended for the original airport terminal, as a reminder of the initial design. The futuristic Theme Building was dedicated on June 25, 1961 by Vice President Lyndon B. Johnson. Contrary to reports, the building’s restaurant never revolved. The structure was dedicated on June 25, 1961, by Vice President Lyndon B. Johnson.

Interestingly enough, Disneyland’s Flying Saucer attraction opened about the same time, August 6, 1961.

Saucers must have been on the brain in 1961! Thanks for the memory jolt, KS!

See more LAX photos at my main website.

Poolside at the Cavalier

In my batch of 1956 Disneyland and Mission Inn slides there were a few of the Cavalier Hotel, located at 10724 Wilshire Boulevard near Westwood Village in Los Angeles. Zooming in to see the sign:

This shot of the pool area is everything. ALMOST postcard perfect.

Look at those gals soaking up the sun, slathered in tanning oil. Yes people...oil, not lotion, back before SPF, harmful rays, and ozone had become part of our lexicon.

There didn’t seem to be too much info about this place on the net, other than this vintage card which had sold on ebay. The front:

…and the back. Apparently it was part of the Lee Hotel chain. Is that Sara Lee? Or Robert E. Lee? Inquiring minds want to know.

I also found this image of a vintage ashtray for the hotel:

Apparently the Cavalier is long gone. This is the massive building that replaced it. Sigh.

See more vintage and contemporary hotel photos at my main website.