Tag Archives: Los Angeles

Classic Hollywood #151 – Laurel & Hardy Among Actors On WWII Victory Caravan

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Hollywood Stars Support World War II Effort – 1942

Los Angeles, CA – It’s forward march for the Hollywood Victory Caravan. A squad of 22 top film stars and eight starlets who will take a three hour tour variety program to Washington, D.C., and twelve other large cities in the interests of Army and Navy Relief, marches toward their special train in Los Angeles between honor guards of soldiers and sailors. In the squad can be seen Eleanor Powell, Rise Stevens, Charlotte Greenwood, Joan Blondell, Desi Arnaz, Katherine Booth, Pat O’Brien, Frances Langford, Charles Boyer, Fay McKenzie, Cary Grant, Marie McDonald, and Jerry Colonna. In the foreground, left and right, are Stan Laurel and Babe Hardy. April 27, 1942 photo: Acme

The patriotic stars forfeited their salaries for a month to support the Army Emergency Relief and The Navy Relief Society. The goal was to raise to $250,000. Continue reading →

Classic Hollywood #137 – Clark Gable & His Father In A Bizarre Court Case

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Clark Gable And His Dad At Trial – 1937

Clark Gable and his father April 20, 1937 photo: Los Angeles Daily News

The support of your parents is helpful especially if someone is trying to extort you.

Clark Gable (1901-1960) is seen here talking with his father William Henry Gable (1870-1948) at Federal Court in Los Angeles. Continue reading →

Circus Elephants Get A Police Escort In Los Angeles May 6, 1953

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Elephants In The Streets Of Los Angeles

credit: Los Angeles Daily News 1953

Elephants in the streets?

It must be for the circus and they’re transporting their pachyderms to a show site.

But this is Los Angeles where movie magic can be the reason behind unusual happenings. Continue reading →

When We Used To Manufacture Things In The United States

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U.S. Manufacturing And Industry In Cities In The 1930s

When The U.S.A. Did Not Rely Upon Imports

See What 16 Cities Of The United States Used To Produce

Worker at furniture factory, Arthurdale, West Virginia 1937 photo: Ben Shahn via Library of Congress

As the Covid-19 debacle made clear to Americans we are now dependent upon foreign countries for many of the things necessary to conduct our daily lives.”Supply-chain” issues have been one of the main reasons given to explain the shortages of thousands of products. Continue reading →

Classic Hollywood #132 – Robert Preston & Dorothy Lamour

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Romantic Couple Robert Preston & Dorothy Lamour Bid Adieu 1940

ROMANTIC COUPLE SEPARATES
But not for long, perhaps. Here are Robert Preston and Dorothy Lamour, who met and fell in love during the making of the Paramount production, “Typhoon,” together at a farewell party for Dorothy before she left for a vacation in Honolulu. Friends gathered at the Cocoanut Grove to bid her bon voyage, Preston abandoning his work in the San Jacinto mountains on Northwest Mounted Police” to keep the date. Photo: Paramount, May 11, 1940

As many co-stars do, Preston and Lamour did have a love affair during the filming of Typhoon. Despite the intimation that this vacation break was temporary, the young and glamorous couple did soon permanently separate.

Dorothy Lamour

Dorothy Lamour was born Mary Leta Dorothy Slaton (December 10 1914) in New Orleans, LA.

Lamour was three years older than Robert Preston, so maybe age and life experience differences would hasten the end of the relationship.

Robert Preston & Dorothy Lamour, Cocoanut Grove nightclub Ambassador Hotel Los Angeles 1940. photo: Paramount

Soon after the love affair was over Preston married actress Kay Feltus (professionally known as Catherine Craig) on November 8, 1940 in Las Vegas. The two had met while studying acting together at the Pasadena School of the Theatre. Continue reading →

Classic Hollywood #125 – Abbott & Costello Raise Money At A War Bond Drive

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Abbott & Costello Raising Money In Los Angeles – 1942

The Government Later Shows Their Gratitude With An IRS Audit

Lou Costello (l) and Bud Abbott (r) raise money at a War Bond rally in Los Angeles. Photo: Los Angeles Daily News

Bud Abbott and Lou Costello were the number one box office stars in 1942, so who better to go out and rouse the public to buy War Bonds?

The United States entered World War II after Japan’s surprise attack on Pearl Harbor, December 7, 1941. Abbott and Costello were too old to serve in the armed forces, but they would do their part to aid the war effort.

The comedians each donated their $10,000 weekly personal appearance salary to the Army and Navy relief fund. Traveling the country, Continue reading →

Classic Hollywood #120 – Yvette Mimieux

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Yvette Mimieux 1964

Yvette Mimieux in bikini at beachDoctor’s Orders
Because of the immense success of two episodes in the Dr. Kildare TV series which featured lovely Yvette Mimieux as the glamor interest for Richard Chamberlain, the handsome doctor of Blair General Hospital is to have the girl as his leading lady in a feature film called Joy In The Morning. For us, the appearance on the screen of enchanting Yvette Mimieux will make it joy in the afternoon or evening as well. – May 15, 1964 – NBC

After receiving hundreds of fan letters praising her appearance on Dr. Kildare Yvette Mimieux said, “People loved it because I  played a vital, intelligent girl. She was a surfer but wasn’t cheap. Producers of vulgar pictures are exploiting the industry. They forget there are still many people of good taste.”

A “Good Blank Expression”

Yvette Carmen Mimeux was born January 8, 1942 in Los Angeles to a Mexican mother Maria del Carmen-Montemayor (1910-2000) and a French father, Rene Antoine Mimieux (1900-1978).

Yvette Mimieux was discovered by her manager, Jim Byron by accident when she was 15-years-old. Byron was riding in a helicopter on his way to an event and strong winds forced the helicopter to land on a bridle path where Mimieux was riding with a girl friend. Continue reading →

Classic Hollywood #110 – Jayne Mansfield Selling Cigarettes For Charity

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Jayne Mansfield, Saleslady – 1957

Jayne Mansfield charity 1957 Photo: APLos Angeles – February 11, 1957: Jayne Mansfield Hit As Cigarette Girl
Jayne Mansfield sells customer David Rosslaw a pack of cigarettes during charity banquet here last night and apparently, judging from expressions of unidentified spectators, was a success in her temporary role. About a dozen girls including Zsa Zsa Gabor and Marie Wilson, roamed the floor for about ten minutes during the evening but giving no change as profits went to local charity. Hundreds, including many Hollywood celebrities attended. photo: AP wirephoto

The news slug does not identify the charity Jayne was collecting for. Continue reading →

Classic Hollywood #104 – Alfred Hitchcock & His Films

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Alfred Hitchcock Shows Off His Films – 1976Hotchcock with all his films including new movie Family Plot 1976 photo Philippe Halsman

Canned Hitchcock – Alfred Hitchcock found out how his motion pictures would look if laid end to end when Universal Studios lines up prints of all his films, starting with “The Pleasure Garden” circa 1925, and ending with his 53rd motion picture, “Family Plot,” now being edited by the master of suspense.Alfred Hitchcock’s Family Plot starring Karen Black, Bruce Dern, Barbara Harris and William Devane, has been selected to open the 1976 Los Angeles International Film Exposition (Filmex) on March 21 at Plitt’s Century Plaza Theatre as a black tie pre-release world premiere, followed by a special Filmex Society “Salute To Alfred Hitchcock” at the Century Plaza Hotel. Film drama about the search for a lost heir will open nationally three weeks later on April 9. – photo: Philippe Halsman, January 1976

IMDB lists 54 feature film credits for Alfred Hitchcock as director, not 53. Somewhere along the line someone forgot to count one of Hitchcock’s films. Continue reading →

Classic Hollywood #84 – Party For Rudolph Valentino?

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United Artists Holds A Party. Who Is The Guest Of Honor?

United Artists Party with Buster Keaton, Charlie Chaplin, Douglas Fairbanks, Mary Pickford, Constance Talmadge, Norma Talmadge, Joseph Schenk, Rudolph Valentino, Hiram Abrams at Biltmore Hotel Los Angeles April 8 ,1925United Artists Pictures executives, stars and their families attended this dinner party at the Biltmore Hotel in Los Angeles on April 8, 1925.  This was an enormous display of Hollywood power brokers in one small room. What was the reason they were there?

Silent screen idol Rudolph Valentino had signed a contract a month earlier with United Artists.  When this photograph came up for auction several years ago, it was attributed in the auction that Valentino was the recipient for this gathering.

But that is not the case. Continue reading →