Musso & Frank

  

 Musso & Frank is old Hollywood. It was opened in 1919 by French immigrant Firmin "Frank" Toulet. I guess Frank was easier for Americans than Firmin. In 1923, Toulet partnered with Joseph Musso, and Musso & Frank Grill was born. Over the years, ownership has changed and even expanded into a neighboring space, but it's still at the same address. Right from the beginning, it attracted the film community.  Movie stars, studio executives, and talent agents would drop by the restaurant for a steak and martini, hash out deals, and gossip about who was sleeping with whom.  Still in business, it still has a menu that leans towards steak, and alcohol.  It also has a dress code.  Suits and ties for gentlemen and dresses for ladies are no longer required, now it's business casual.  I suspect I'd be turned away if I showed up in my usual blue jeans and tee shirt. 

The caption on the back of the card, "Musso & Frank Grill.  FINEST CUISINE.  6667 Hollywood Boulevard, Calif 11 A.M. to 11 P.M.  HO 7-5123 or HO 7-7788."  And the publisher, "PUB. BY "CUMMINGS" (213) 344-6560" 

North Hollywood

 

Just enough of the license plate holder is readable to see that this Rambler station wagon was purchased from a dealership in North Hollywood, a neighborhood in the San Fernando Valley, and not really all that close to Hollywood itself.  I wonder if she's off to dance class for the aspiring child stars of the 1950s. 

Music To My Ears 6

I still haven't quite figured out what name this woman eventually ended up using, at least professionally.  Mary Reagan and Ann Parker are my two best bets, but who really knows.  I did, however, find a lot about photographer Winifred Gail  I know she was born on October 2, 1917 in Hollywood, Los Angeles, California.  I know she was a photo retoucher and eventually opened up her own photo studio in Hollywood.  In 1940 she married Jay Richard Bailey, an aeronautical engineer, and in 1953 she moved her studio from Hollywood to Palos Verdes, California.  According to the March 5, 1953 issue of the Palos Verdes Peninsula News she had been in Hollywood for 15 years.  If that figure is correct then she opened her Hollywood studio in 1938.  During her life she moved around a bit, and ended up in Alaska,  She died on October 6, 2017 in Sitka, Alaska.  Four days past her 100th birthday.  And, as an extra added bonus, she was a life long Christian Scientist.  So, we now know that this photo was taken before 1953.

Click on Music To My Ears in labels to see more.

Music To My Ears 1

Time to start another collection. But who is it about?  Well, that's a bit of a mystery since I have pictures of the same woman though she seems to have taken a stage name.  Leverne and Mary Reagan and Jerry Hilliard are featured in the photograph from this story from the entertainment pages of the Los Angeles Examiner.  A sister act, most likely, appearing in "Music To My Ears" which looks to have been a successful show at the Troopers Theater on Las Palmas in downtown Hollywood, L.A., California.  There are still lots of venues in that area, but I'll have to actually head over to Las Palmas to double check the address, and to be honest, it's not something I'm planning on in the near future.

Mary is the sister that shows up in other photos which is not surprising since her name is underlined.  Some of the captions on latter photographs mention "Mommy & Daddy"  and I'm moderately certain the Dad is Jerry Hilliard.  Anyway, I scanned the back of this clipping because it's how I dated the article.  Ride 'Em Cowboy, Sleepytime Gal, The Male Animal and Ghost of Frankenstein were all released  in 1942.  The Vogue Theater mentioned in the one article is still there, though no longer in use.  With all the development going on in Hollywood, I suspect it's days are numbered.

Obviously Musics To My Ears will be the tag in the labels section at the bottom of the post that eventually will pull up the whole collection.  For the time being, I'll be starting with a couple of press clippings before taking a break when I'll be posting other things.   And before I forget, I did run Leverne and Mary Reagan through IMBD as well as some of the other names used by Mary.  Nothing for the sisters though there are two credits for Jerry Hilliard.  The Red Skelton Hour form 1953 credited as supporting character and Jimmy Wakely's Jamboree from 1954 credited as himself.  It was a musical short so that makes sense. I have no idea if it's the same Jerry Hilliard.

A Bit Of Sweden

Hey, I like a good smorgasbord.  A Bit of Sweden isn't there anymore.  It was at the corner of Sunset and Doheny on the Sunset Strip.  I wasn't able to find out when it went out of business, but I like the idea of Jim Morrison dropping in for some meatballs after playing  the Whiskey. 

So, information from the back, "Bit of Sweden  9051 Sunset Blvd.  HOLLYWOOD, CAL  Phone. BRadshaw 2-2800  The Unique Restaurant featuring the world's largest Smorgasbord, find foods and liqueurs."  "A Shini Color by Colourpicture, Boston 15, Mass., U.S.A. 2143 So. Alsace Ave., L.A."  Colourpicture was in business from 1938-1969. 

I found the original black and white photo on line.   The colorist at the publisher removed a poll and a lot of cars. 

Dolores Del Rio and Her Hollywood Home

What can I say?  I love Dolores Del Rio.  She was born in Mexico, moved to Hollywood during the silent era and started working in the movies almost immediately.  She made a couple  of really good silents, especially What Price Glory and Ramona, and then, despite the accent, made an easy transition to sound films, making a few classics along the way.  Right of the top of my head, Madame Du Barry, Flying Down to Rio, In Caliente, and Journey Into Fear.  As the Hollywood parts became harder to get, she returned to Mexico and became a big star all over again, and when she was working, Mexican cinema was in a golden era.  As she aged out of lead actress territory, she came back to the United States and finished up her career with TV and smaller movie parts.  She died in 1983, aged 78. 

Next time I get to the Hollywood Walk of Fame with all the cheesy tourist shops I'll have to check if someone is still making postcards of star's homes.  I doubt it, but you never can tell.

Mariette Hartley and Arlene Dayton?

One would think, since I live in Los Angeles and work in the movies (albeit at a very low level), I'd have lots of Hollywood photos.  Not really.  The fact is they don't interest me all that much. I only have these two pictures because they were in one of those occasionally purchased envelopes of images that almost always have stuff I wouldn't have bought by themselves.

So, the woman on the left is Mariette Hartley, an actress that those of us of a certain age would recognize right away.  She did a lot of episodic television, the occasional movie, and most prominently, along with James Garner, was a long time pitch woman for Polaroid cameras. 

Look at the bottom of the two pictures and stage lights can be seen.  Clearly from a sound stage, probably from one of her many television appearances.  Going by the hair styles and clothing, I took a quick look at her IMDB page, searching for a possible match from about the late seventies through the eighties, but couldn't find an actual show.  As far as Arlene Dayton, her name is written on the back of the top print, but no one by that name  has an IMDB listing. 

Born in 1940, Hartley is still active.  She's had a recurring role in the Fox series 9-1-1. 

Sound

After the photo lab I worked at went belly up, after going through my unemployment, savings and retirement fund, I started doing background work in the movies.  This piece of equipment is a boom mic, and quite frankly, they haven't changed all that much since this picture was taken.  But who is the guy?  All the techs I've seen on set dress casually.  For some reason, they seem to favor shorts.  Did boom operators once show up to set wearing suits?  Hard to imagine. 

Mildred Takes A Trip 4

Well, ramblin' Mildred is on the road again.  The top photo is pretty obvious.  It's the Hollywood Bowl.  Over the years, there have been more than a few renovations to the shell, I've been doing some research and I'm thinking that this particular photo is from either 1928 or 29.  Then, it's back to Arizona, note the saguaro cactus.  And, I'm not sure where, but those steps with maybe Mildred to the right, look familiar to me.  I'm not 100% sure, but  I think I've stood at that exact spot.

You guessed it, click on Mildred's album.

Hollywood At War

These two photos are each stamped, "MAY 13, 1943."

Most people, when they think of Hollywood and war,  think of war movies.  The war actually made and destroyed the careers of many actors.  George Reeve of Superman fame was an up and coming actor who spent several years in the marines, returned to Hollywood only to find his career stalled.  John Wayne was a minor star who had made a few good movies, most notably Stagecoach.  Too old for the draft, bad knees from college football injuries, rejected by the O.S.S., he became a major star almost by default.  And then there was Dwight Frye, Renfield in Dracula, suffering from a heart condition, unable to serve, he ended up working two jobs.  Actor by day, draftsman at a defense plant by night.  He ended up dying of a heart attack from over work.

U. S. Army Air Force

This one is the full 8x10, heavy, double weight, fiber paper print meant to be displayed in the silver frame on the mantle piece.

I had a couple of threads to pursue on this photograph.  There is an embossed studio mark on the bottom of the print, part of which is visible.  "FRANKLIN DUNCAN, HOLLYWOOD, GR 1037."  I thought it would be easy to find something on Mr. Duncan, but sadly, I struck out on that front.  I tried Franklin Duncan, Hollywood, California, as well as Franklin Duncan, Hollywood, Florida and couldn't find a thing.  Who ever he was, he was skilled, but not necessarily talented.  I've seen a very similar pose on many a print.  Even when I was working as a professional photo printer, and I'm way too young to have been working in the World War 2 era, this pose showed up all the time.

The other thread, the shoulder insignia on the young man's uniform.  I recognized it as the mark of the United States Army Air Force, organized in 1941, disbanded in 1947, with the founding of the separate Air Force we know today.  I had hoped to find out who were the officers and who were the enlisted men.  Pilots, co-pilots, and navigators were the officers, like out lieutenant, while gunners, and mechanics were the enlisted men.  The one position I'm not sure of, bombardier.

Nice looking woman.

70 Years Ago Today

Written on the back, "Hilda Lillie Boykin Made 4th July, 1944 in Hollywood."

Lana Turner

Imagine.  It's the 1940s and you've saved your money so  you can visit Hollywood.  You go to the restaurants you've read about in the fan magazines.  You hang out at the studio gates, and take the tour bus to the home's of the stars.  And in the end, the only movie stars you see are the ones on the postcards sold at the corner news stand.  Remember, it's Hollywood, where people make up stories for a living.  The folks back home can be told anything, and who's the wiser.

Oh Lana Turner, what a life she lead.  Born in 1921 in Wallace, Idaho, as Julia Jean Turner, she moved with her family to sunny southern California when still a child.  No, she wasn't discovered at Schwab's Drug Store, but at a small cafe near Hollywood High School.  The rewards of skipping class.  She made a lot of movies in her career, and by any standard  was a successful actress.  A lot of those films were good movies and a couple have withstood the test of time.  Most notably, The Postman Always Rings Twice (1946), The Bad and the Beautiful (1952), and Imitation of Life (1959).  Unlike a lot of glamour girls, Turner could act, and while the parts disappeared as she aged, she never officially retired.  Eventually she would make her way to television and make a notable turn on the night time soap, Falcon Crest.  Her last movie was Thwarted, a low budget film made in Florida.  It was made in 1991, just a few years before her death in 1995.

Lana Turner also had an adventurous private life, going through seven husbands, and more than a few lovers.   To put it mildly, she didn't always make the best choices.  There were husbands that hadn't gotten around to divorcing previous wives.  Physically abusive husbands, including one, actor Lex Barker, who was alleged to have  raped Lana's teen aged daughter, Cheryl Crane.  And then there was boyfriend, Johnny Stomponato.  Stomponato was a gangster and member of the Mickey Cohen crime family.  Lana and Johnny took up  in 1957.  Lana tried to break things off, but Johnny Stomponato wasn't the type of man to leave when asked.  In 1957, Lana took a part in a movie being made in England, Another Time, Another Place, opposite a young Sean Connery.  Johnny followed her to England and  confronted Connery with a gun.  Sean Connery decked Stomponato with one punch, disarmed him, and turned him over to the police.  When Lana Turner returned to Hollywood, Johnny Stomponato was waiting for her.  And then he was dead, stabbed to death in Lana Turner's house.  The official story is that Stomponato was beating her and that Lana's daughter, Cheryl, stabbed Stomponato, defending her mother's life.  But of course, it's a Hollywood story, so there are rumors of murky cover-ups.  The most popular is that Lana and Johnny had reconciled, that things had gotten rough, and that Lana did the stabbing, and that after consultation with studio lawyers and publicity men, it was decided that Cheryl should take the blame to save her mother's career.  In 1958, the  DA decided that Cheryl Crane's actions were justified and no charges were filed.

Mack Sennett's Bathing Beauties

I'm not going to write much about Mack Sennett.  He was born in Canada in 1880 and died, within my lifetime, in 1960.  He was early cinema's King of Comedy, the producer or director of hundreds of one and two reel shorts.  He also either ran, or was a partner, in several studios, most notably, Keystone, Triangle, with Thomas Ince and D. W. Griffith, and, of course, The Mack Sennett Studios.  There are plenty of articles on the web, as well as the better source, well written books, out there for those who want to know more.

This post is about the Mack Sennett bathing beauties.  Smart business man that he was, Sennett saw the relationship between pretty girls and ticket sales, so in 1915, he recruited his first troop of bathing beauties.  It wasn't hard to find  pretty young women, on the beaches of California,  willing to be filmed or photographed wearing a skimpy bathing suit. (In 1915, the above image was skimpy.  Things do change, after all.)  But while the bathing beauties were about box office, they weren't about stardom.  Sennett did his best to keep them as anonymous as possible.  They weren't credited, and were often replaced by someone prettier or more willing to do anything for a laugh.  Many of them would get their featured bits, or  what even could be considered an actual part, but only a few got out of  the background and into the limelight.

Juanita Hansen, 1895-1961, had the lead or a major supporting role in dozens of silent films, but a problem with alcohol and cocaine addiction ended her career in 1923.  Eventually, she got sober and had a second act as an anti drug and alcohol activist.

Claire Anderson, 1891-1964, made 73 movies, many as one of the bathing beauties, and many as credited lead.  Her last film was in 1926.

Marie Prevost, 1898-1937, was the first of the beauties to become a major star, with the lead in several films directed by  Ernst Lubitsch.   After her mother died in a car accident, and an unhappy love affair with Howard Hughes, she sank into a deep depression and, like Juanita Hansen, developed a drug and alcohol problem.  Her last film was in 1936.  She died a year latter from the long term damage caused by alcoholism, and acute malnutrition.  At her death, her estate was worth less than $300.  If Joan Crawford hadn't paid for her funeral, it would have fallen to Los Angeles county to bury her as an indigent.

Phyllis Haver, 1899-1960, married millionaire William Seeman in 1930, and retired form the screen, but not before starring as Roxie Hart in the first film version of Chicago, in 1927.  Divorced in the mid forties, Haver would die of an accidental barbiturate overdose.

Carole Lombard, 1908-1942.  The greatest of the bathing beauties, Lombard, was one of the great film comedians of the sound era.  She starred in a number of genuine film classics including, Twentieth Century, My Man Godfrey, Nothing Sacred, Mr. and Mrs. Smith, and the Lubitsch classic, To Be Or Not To Be.  After America's entry into World War 2, she returned to her native Indiana on a war bond tour.  Her plane back to Los Angeles crashed, killing all on board, including her mother and agent.   Her husband, Clark Gable, joined the army not long after her funeral.

And finally, I've never understood the appeal of the six degrees of Kevin Bacon game, but....Kevin Bacon appeared with Colin Firth in Where the Truth Lies, Colin Firth costarred with Claire Bloom in The King's Speech, Claire Bloom was Charlie Chaplin's leading lady in Limelight, and Chaplin had a supporting role in Mabel's Strange Predicament, directed by and starring Mabel Normand, produced by Mack Sennett, .

Ramon Novarro

I'm not one to collect autographed pictures of actors, but I was scrolling through EBay, 99cents, free shipping, click and it was mine.

So, who was Ramon Novarro? He was born Jose Ramon Gil Samaniego, in 1899, the son of a successful Mexican dentist. In 1916, fleeing the Mexican revolution, Ramon and his family ended up in Los Angeles. A year latter, in 1917, Ramon was earning money as a dancer, singing waiter, piano teacher, and movie extra. For five years he struggled in his career, the occasional small part, but mostly background. And then he was cast as the lead in The Prisoner of Zenda. Three years latter, in 1925, now renamed Ramon Novarro, he had the biggest success of his career. The lead in Ben Hur: A Tale of Christ. His film career continued into the sound era, getting the romantic lead opposite Greta Garbo in Mata Hari, in 1931. That was it, the peak. After that, it was a slow slide into smaller and smaller parts. Eventually his work was mostly in episodic television.

In 1968, Ramon Novarro, a gay man who often picked up street hustlers. was murdered in his North Hollywood home by two of those hustlers, who thought that, because he had once been a movie star, he must be rich.

Ciro's on the Sunset Strip

Two folders, two prints, but only one negative. Most of these old, classic nightclubs would have photographers, usually a pretty girl in a skimpy costume, at least by the standards of the day, who would wander the room offering to take pictures of the guests. The photographer caught and interesting group. She probably instructed these four people to look into the lens and smile. The couple on the left followed directions, but the couple on the right, not so much. The woman only had eyes for her date, while he barely acknowledged her presence.

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Ciro's was opened in January of 1940 by William Wilkerson. With gossip columnists Hedda Hopper and Louella Parsons dropping in on a regular basis, Ciro's became the place to see and be seen. Average Angelenos and star struck tourists could rub elbows with such regulars as Marilyn Monroe, Humphrey Bogart and Lauren Bacall, Frank Sinatra, Ava Gardner, Marlene Dietrich and Cary Grant. In the 1960s Ciro's made the transition to rock club featuring acts from Dick Dale and the Surftones to The Byrds. In 1972 Ciro's became The Comedy Store, which is still going strong. I couldn't find anything on when ownership of Ciro's went from Wilkerson to H. D. Hover, but I did find out that serial killer Rodney Alcala killed 23 year old Ciro's heiress Ellen Jane Hover in 1977. An interesting mix of acts are listed on the back of the folder. I wonder what guests made of folk singers Libby Holman and Josh White. Two of my favorites. Click on nightclub in the labels section to bring up a number of other old souvenir photos.

The Hollywood Palladium

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I admit that this isn't the strongest photograph in the world, but the cover is nice and the Hollywood Palladium is still up and running and doing quite well. Too, it's about five miles from my apartment, and I drive by it three or four times a month. The Palladium was built by Los Angeles Times publisher Norman Chandler and opened on October 31, 1940. The opening night act was The Tommy Dorsey Orchestra featuring vocalist, Frank Sinatra. With it's large stage and dance floor, the Palladium soon became one of the most popular big band venues in the country. From the mid fifties to the mid sixties it was the place to be for Latin jazz and bands. Tito Puente was a popular, and recurring act. The Palladium was also the home of The Lawrence Welk Show. With the rise of rock & roll, coupled with the decline in big band music, by the sixties the hall became a rock showcase. Among others, Jimi Hendrix played multiple shows at the Palladium. It also hosted the Grammys, and political events. During the 1960 Democratic Convention, nominee John Kennedy gave a major speech about the rise of right wing extremism in the Republican party at the Hollywood Palladium. In 2007, new owners took over the hall, and shut it down for major renovations. It reopened on October 25, 2008 with Jay-Z headlining. No information on the four people pictured, but printed on the back, "For additional prints write to The Hollywood Palladium 6215 Sunset Boulevard, Hollywood, California. When Ordering Please mention This Number 34607." As usual, click on nightclubs, souvenir photo or souvenir photo folder in the labels section to bring up the growing collection of old nightclub souvenir folders.

The Hollywood Post Office

Did J.E. buy this postcard of the Hollywood Post Office at the Hollywood Post Office? If so why did he mail it from Beverly Hills? Printed on the back, "WESTERN PUBLISHING & NOVELTY CO., LOS ANGELES, CALIF. C.T. ART-COLORTONE REG. U.S. PAT. OFF." Post marked "BEVERLY HILLS, CALIF SEP. 3, 5:30 PM, 1942" And the message, Bev. Hills, Cal. 9/3/42. Dear Janie, Suppose C.B. is still on vacation. hope he is enjoying same. What are you girls doing? Guess D.J. is about ready for school again. Tell her I haven't forgotten her and shall try and answer her letter before I go into the army which may be soon. Tell C.B. to write me as soon as he gets home as I have a matter to take up with him. I'm awfully busy these days working overtime and sleeping overtime too. That's all I do, work & sleep. Answer soon, bye J.E." Addressed to "Mrs. Clyde Elam 4407 Brush Hills Rd. Nashville, Tenn." I'm always finding photos and postcards from the World War 2 era, and I always wonder who survived and who didn't. Most linen postcards started out with a black & white photo that was hand colored, and sometimes somewhat altered before printing, hence they just make it into the realm of photography. Anyone interested in more info on postcards should click on postcards in the labels section.

Hollywood Hot Spots

These two images are linen postcards of night spots from the golden age of Hollywood. (Information about how linen postcrds were made can be found in my post of 7/3/10 Catalina in Postcards.) The first Brown Derby was opened 1926 by Herbert Samborn at 3427 Wilshire Blvd. and was shaped like a derby hat. It was so popular with the Hollywood crowd, that Samborn opened a second, more conventionally designed restaurant at 628 Vine St. near the corner of Hollywood Blvd. It opened on Feb. 14, 1929. This is the building depicted in this postcard. A third Brown Derby was opened in Beverly Hills, and the final one in the chain was opened on Los Feliz Blvd. They have, since, all been closed. In 1934, Samborn died and the restaurants were taken over by Robert Cobb, the inventor of the Cobb salad. One of the anecdotes I've found about the Brown Derby; noted for it's movie star caricatures, the restaurant's manager would place those of married couples and actors who were dating, together. If the marriage or relationship ended, the caricatures would be moved to opposite walls. I've already written about the history of the Earl Carroll Theatre-Restaurant in a previous post, dated 8/18/09, which can be easily accessed by clicking on night club in the labels section. The Earl Carroll Theatre opened on December 26, 1938. Both of these cards were published by the same company, "WESTERN PUBLISHING & NOVELTY CO., LOS ANGELES, CALIF." "C.T. ART-COLORTONE REG. U.S. PAT. OFF." On the back of the Brown Derby card, "The famed Brown Derby on Vine Street, Hollywood, with it's adjacent distinctive bamboo roof, is the acknowledged center of the smart social life of the movie colony." The Earl Carroll postcard, "The Earl Carroll Theatre-Restaurant in the heart of Hollywood on Sunset Boulevard near Vine, is a favorite Nite Spot in the Film Capitol of the the World. Seating arrangements are terraced so all guests may enjoy unobstructed view of the lavish stage productions with "Sixty of the Most Beautiful Girls in the World." Both of these cards are unused.

The Earl Carroll Theatre Restaurant, Hollywood

Two unrelated souvenir photo folders from the same Hollywood, CA night club. Earl Carroll was a Broadway producer, director, composer, and song writer. Starting in the 1920's he had a number of very successful stage revues, many of which were considered "businessman's specials" shows that were considered racy, often with brief or implied nudity. On December 26, 1938 he opened the Earl Carroll Theatre Restaurant at 6230 Sunset Blvd. in Hollywood, California. A night club, it featured floor shows, performed on a large rotating stage. The woman featured on the photo folder, as well as a large neon sign on the front of the theater was Beryl Wallace, Carroll's mistress. They died in a 1948 plane crash. After their deaths, the Carroll Theatre continued to operate. It was, eventually sold, and became the Moulin Rouge Theater, then the Hullaballo, The Aquarius, and is now the Nickelodeon, and is used for the filming of the iCarly show. The picture with the soldiers is dated, November 21, 1943. The other image is dated October 23, 1945. Written on the soldier picture, "Good luck, Heather." On the other photo, "William, Betsy, Dotty, Joe Barrett." Printed on the back of the folder, "For additional prints write to EARL CARROLL'S THEATRE RESTAURANT Sunset near Vine-Hollywood 28, Calif. Price Ex. Tax, $1.219512. Sales tax, $.o30488. Total Price, $1.25. Be certain to mention this No._ and Date_ HOLLYWOOD NITE CLUB PHOTOS 6304 Riley Way, Carthay Circle Theatre Bldg., Los Angeles 36, Calif. YOrk 5293."