Greta Garbo

I didn't know much about Greta Garbo until I came across an article on her. She was originally born in Stockholm to a a poor family. Her family was so poor, that she was basically adopted out to a benefactor.

Garbo was discovered by Swedish director Mauritz Stiller at 19 years of age. She then headed out for New York, then to Hollywood and went on to star in 24 films.

Then, just as quickly as she began, she quit the business. At the age of 36, no one saw another film with her in it. She never discussed why she left the business, and continued to live a relatively unknown life until her death.

Judy Garland

41 Years ago today Judy Garland died of a drug overdose. Judy had a very sad life, as most people know, filled with depression and anxiety. "Despite her professional triumphs, Garland battled personal problems throughout her life. Insecure about her appearance, her feelings were compounded by film executives who told her she was unattractive and manipulated her on-screen physical appearance. Plied with drugs to control her weight and increase her productivity, Garland endured a decades-long struggle with prescription drug addiction. Garland was plagued by financial instability, often owing hundreds of thousands of dollars in back taxes. She married five times, with her first four marriages ending in divorce. She also attempted suicide on a number of occasions."

Judy definitely had her demons, but was a troubled soul because of everything she had gone through in her life. Here are some pics to remember her by.

Oh Marilyn...

I thought it's about time for some new pics of Marilyn. Enjoy your weekend friends!

Dorothy Lamour

Dorothy Lamour was a true beauty, who was often mistaken for being South American, because of her French Louisianian heritage. She entered a Miss New Orleans pageant at an early age and won in 1931. After moving from New Orleans to Chicago, she met Louis B. Mayer while doing a cabaret show. He arranged for her to do her first screen test, which resulted in a contract with Paramount in 1935.

Early in her career, Lamour met J. Edgar Hoover (the director of the F.B.I.) and he pursued her actively for years. There are rumors that the two had an affair for years! Juicy!

The role that made her famous was her character Ulah in "The Jungle Princess." She wore a sarong, and therefore became a pin up girl for many of the servicemen of the time. She went on to have a very successful acting career, and died at the age of 81 in her Hollywood home. Here are some gorgeous pictures of Dorothy! Have a great Friday! Enjoy!

Hollywood Forever Cemetery

Hollywood Forever Cemetery


Cecil B. DeMille


Marion Davies


Bugsy Siegel


Tyrone Power

Where do the stars go for their final rest? They are spread out all over Los Angeles, but many have plots at Hollywood Forever Cemetery. Morbid subject? Not really. Many people, including me, are fascinated with both the lives and deaths of Hollywood royalty. The cemetery is actually located on part of the Paramount Studios land, which is fitting, since it is still right in the middle of the "action."

There are many interesting personalities who are buried here. Some of them include: --Rudolph Valentino(1895-1926), Hollywood's original hunk, who was often visited by a mysterious "lady in black" after his death for many years
-- Elmer Berger (1891-1952), who was the inventor of the rear view mirror
--Lana Clarkson (1962-2003), who was allegedly murdered by Phil Spector
--Douglas Glenn Colvin, aka Dee Dee Ramone (1951-2002), bassist for The Ramones
--Marion Davies (1897-1961), famous actress who had a long term relationship with William Randolph Hearst
--Estelle Getty (1923-2008), of Golden Girls fame
--Tyrone Power (1914-1958), actor from one of my favorite movies, "The Witness for the Prosecution"
--Benjamin "Bugsy" Siegel (1906-1947), gangster
--Mel Blanc (1908-1989), voice over actor, most famous for the line, "That's all folks!"
--Cecil B. DeMille (1881-1959), famous Hollywood director/producer
--Griffith J. Griffith (1850-1919), park and observatory donor
--Charles Chaplin, Jr. (1925-1968), son to Charlie Chaplin

There are many others, some stars were cremated there, then ashes spread somewhere else, such as George Harrison of the Beatles. Others were given a memorial there, but are not buried there, such as Jayne Mansfield, and Hattie McDaniel.

The cemetery has old movie showings in the summer, where you can bring your lawn chairs and alcohol of choice to spend a "night with the stars."

If you are interested in visiting the cemetery, the address is 6000 Santa Monica Boulevard, Hollywood. It is definitely a historical piece of Old Hollywood that you won't want to miss. Here are some pics of the cemetery and those who are laid to rest there. Enjoy!

Jane Russell--more than 38"?

Jane Russell was the daughter of an actress, and was trying to break into Hollywood, when Howard Hughes discovered her in his dentist's office. According to Hughes, he was looking for a woman with an ample "chest" to be cast in his film, "The Outlaw," in 1943. The film caused a storm of controversy due primarily to the amount of cleavage shown by Russell onscreen, and, after brief releases in 1941 and 1943, it was not officially released until 1950. The controversy brought her much publicity, often in the form of off-color, sophomoric jokes. However, she surpassed her mindless "bombshell" image and went on to perform with versatility in a number of films during the subsequent three decades.

"The Outlaw (1943) faced close scrutiny by the Hays Office (and Joseph Breen), due to its exploitation of star Jane Russell's prominently-uncovered 38" chest in her debut film by Hollywood huckster Russell Birdwell. Salacious advertising with lines such as: "What are the two great reasons for Jane Russell's rise to stardom?" added to the lurid sensationalism and kept the film from being widely circulated. In addition, pin-up shots of big-busted Russell rolling around in the hay had the desired effect at the box office (especially among WWII GIs). One of the film's most vulgar stunts, also orchestrated by Birdwell, was to have skywriting planes fly over San Francisco where they spelled the film's title followed by two giant circles -- each dotted in the center."

Jane was usually cast as a "tough broad," or sassy kind of girl from then on. Here are some pics of Jane, including one from the film that caused so much scandal (the pic with her shirt falling off her shoulder). Hope you enjoy! Have a great day!

Haunted Hollywood Hotels

With Halloween fast approaching, I thought it was time for some spooky Hollywood tales. Many of the old "haunts" (ha ha) of famed actors and actresses are now torn down due to lack of care. But there are a few that are still around and have even been renovated over the years. The first such place is the Hollywood Roosevelt Hotel.

The Roosevelt opened in 1927 and was host to several of the Hollywood elite. Many famous Hollywood legends such as Marilyn Monroe and Montgomery Clift stayed here in its heyday. The hotel remained popular for many years and then in 1984, underwent a restoration. Since that time, the ghosts, they say, have been putting in frequent appearances. The first strange event took place in December 1985, about two weeks before the grand re-opening. Alan Russell, the personal assistant to the General Manager, was in the Blossom Room, where the first Academy Awards banquet was held in 1929 (I was just in this exact room in August and it is GORGEOUS!). He was sweeping the floor and noticed an extremely cold spot in one part of the room. He and the other employees who were present were perplexed to find there were no drafts or air conditioners to explain away the chill. Psychics who have investigated the hotel believe there is a man in black clothing who haunts this room, although who he may be, no one knows.

On that same day, another employee named Suzanne Leonard was dusting a mirror in the manager’s office. She looked into the glass and saw the reflection of a blond woman there. She turned quickly around but there was no one behind her, although the reflection remained for some time before fading away. So, who was this mysterious figure? It was later learned that the mirror once hung in Suite 1200 of the hotel, a suite that was frequently used by Marilyn Monroe. Could she still be lingering behind at the Roosevelt?

As guests began to arrive at the refurbished hotel, the staff was told of other encounters. They frequently heard complaints about loud talking in nearby rooms and of voices in hallways...rooms and corridors that would prove to be empty. Phones were lifted from receivers in empty suites...lights turned on in empty, locked rooms ... a maid was inexplicably pushed into a supply closet...a typewriter began typing in the middle of the night in an empty, locked office...a man in a white suit (who was seen by three different people on two different days) walked through a door and vanished ...extra bedspreads that were hung on a rod in the basement began moving on their own...a little girl was seen playing in the lobby and then vanished before the eyes of a startled staff member...and much more.

Some employees also reported strange shadows on the Ninth floor, prompting many of them to refuse to work on that level. Strange things were especially connected to Room 928. Here, housekeepers have reported cold spots that brush by them and others have felt a strong presence watching them or walking beside them. One night in 1992, a female guest reported that a man’s hand patted her on the shoulder while she was reading. She turned, thinking that it was her husband, only to find him sound asleep.

Room 928 has been most prominently connected to actor Montgomery Clift, who lived in the room for three months in 1952 while filming From Here to Eternity. Clift was said to restlessly pace his room and the corridor outside, rehearsing his lines and practicing the bugle. And some say that he still does...

Wow! What an exciting place! I can honestly say that it is truly amazing to be inside the Roosevelt. You can imagine being there in the 1940's with all the other starlets. It definitely has a "haunting" quality about it. Enjoy the photos!




Sources:
Haunted Places: The National Directory By Dennis William Hauck (1996)
Hollywood Haunted by Laurie Jacobson and Marc Wannamaker (1994)
Hollywood and the Supernatural by Brad and Sherry Steiger (1990)
Hollywood Babylon by Kenneth Anger (1975)
Hollywood Babylon 2 by Kenneth Anger (1984)
Hollywood Roosevelt Hotel (official website www.hollywoodroosevelt.com)

Pantages Theater

Every time I go to Hollywood, (which isn't often enough!), I am in awe of The Pantages Theater. It stands as a historical landmark that reminds me of times much more glamorous than our own. The Pantages Theater stands n the heart of Hollywood, on Hollywood Boulevard, right down the block from Vine Street.

The Pantages opened on June 4, 1930. "The opening night audience couldn't have been more impressed by the show than they were by the theatre. Alexander Pantages had conceived of this theatre, the last built to bear his name, as a fitting monument to his position in the entertainment industry. Although the Wall Street Crash occurred between groundbreaking and completion, no expense was spared in its construction. The cost of the Pantages Theatre itself, not counting the considerable expense of theatrical and projection equipment, was $1.25 million -- the equivalent of about $10 million in today's dollars."

If you have ever visited the Pantages, you know the amount of detail that went into the design. The restrooms and lobby are so impressive, you almost want to spend your time there, rather than in the main theater. Every time I go, and use the lounge, I am reminded of the many starlets who had their cigarettes and powdered their noses there.

Howard Hughes, through RKO pictures, acquired the Pantages as part of his national chain of movie houses in 1949. At this time, the Pantages played host to Hollywood's most spectacular annual event -- The Academy Awards, which were handed out to lucky winners (including Humphrey Bogart, Vivien Leigh and Frank Sinatra) on its stage each year from 1949 to 1959. As you can see in one of the photos, in 1963, celebrity patrons were treated to a special screening of Cleopatra at $250 apiece, the proceeds going to the construction fund for the new Music Center.

The Pantages has since been remodeled and is now used for Broadway productions, including Wicked, The Producers, and many more. It has been restored to its original 2,691 available seats and still holds all the glory it once had. My favorite memory of the Pantages, is being there for the first time to see Phantom of the Opera and being in complete awe of the staircase in the lobby. What is your favorite memory of the historical theater? Here are some of the vintage pics I could find. Enjoy!