Filed under: architecture, preservation, vintage | Tags: california, los angeles, los angeles conservancy; century plaza hotel; architectural heritage; historical preservation; preservation
The infinitely noble Los Angeles Conservancy has just issued this important alert for all interested in preserving the architectural heritage of Los Angeles:
THE CENTURY PLAZA HOTEL: ONE OF AMERICA’S 11 MOST ENDANGERED HISTORIC PLACES
The National Trust for Historic Preservation named the Century Plaza Hotel to its list of America’s 11 Most Endangered Historic Places on Tuesday, April 28. Now’s the time to take action to save this mid-century modern landmark from the wrecking ball. Take a pledge and support preserving it today! Take the Pledge
On the Conservancy’s website you can learn interesting facts, read recent articles, and view TV broadcast pieces on the hotel. Go to the LAC Site
On the National Trust’s website you can learn more about the Century Plaza, share your stories, and view a historic timeline. Go to the 11 Most Site
If you’re on Facebook, join our fan discussion about the Century Plaza’s significance. If you aren’t a fan, become one now to get updated information on this issue. Go to Facebook.
About the Century Plaza:
Completed in 1966 by architect Minoru Yamasaki, the Century Plaza Hotel is a highly significant example of mid-century modern architecture and an important part of Los Angeles history. The hotel has played host to U.S. presidents, most notably Richard Nixon and Ronald Reagan, whose frequent stays at the hotel earned it the nickname “The West Coast White House.” Richard Nixon held the first Presidential State Dinner outside of the White House at the Century Plaza in 1969 to welcome the Apollo 11 astronauts back to earth after the first manned moon landing. Countless entertainment, charity, and political events have been held at the Century Plaza over the years, not to mention numerous weddings and other family celebrations.
Minoru Yamasaki designed the hotel with its unique arc that conveys the optimism of the 1960s and of Los Angeles at that time. Yamasaki also designed the World Trade Center twin towers, the twin Century City Towers, and many other buildings across the country and the world. As one of only about a dozen architects ever featured on the cover of TIME Magazine, Yamasaki was a highly influential architect, and the Century Plaza Hotel is one of his greatest works.
Filed under: classic movies, entertainment, hollywood, movies, nostalgia | Tags: charlie chaplin; charles chaplin; chaplin birthday; the great dictator;, City Lights, silent movies
Handsome devil: Charlie, circa 1920.
The Pictorial’s favorite website this week goes to the beautifully designed Association Chaplin website. Charlie Chaplin’s official website, it has grown over the past few years into an impressive, exhaustive resource for all things Chaplin. Download pictures, buy movies and merchandise, and read fabulous biographies, interviews and essays about cinema’s first pioneer … and one of its only true geniuses. From behind the scenes insights into the City Lights score, to a calendar of Chaplin screenings worldwide, Association Chaplin is the definitive go-to-source for anyone who loves the little tramp.
… And while we’re on the subject, in a disgustingly belated homage to one of my favorite writer/director/actor/composer/humanists of all time (his 120th birthday was last week–and he’s also the subject of our most recent Pictorial), I’m posting this clip from Charlie Chaplin’s first talkie–and his last stint as The Little Tramp. 1940’s The Great Dictator. This quick, 2 minutes of film captures everything I love so dearly about Charlie’s tramp: the dignified scavenger with a bottom line, and dandified manner. Sincere, madcapped, loveable, made up entirely of acute angles and a 24 karat heart of gold.
Chaplin himself may have been, as Marlon Brando put it, a “mixed bag,” but name one human being that isn’t. (Including Mr. Brando.) Whatever his quirks, foibles, faults and inperfections, in my humble opinion, his gift outweighs any of that.
And anyway, always remember, like the man himself said, “a day without laughter is a day wasted.”
Filed under: arts, cinema, classic movies, entertainment, film, history, hollywood, movies, preservation | Tags: 1939; Hollywood's greatest year; 70th anniversary of 1939; gone with the wind; gone with the wind 70th anniversary; the wizard of oz; stagecoach; love affair; goodbye mr chips; ninotchka; mr smith goe, dark victory; Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences;
The Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences has announced that they will be celebrating film’s banner year of 1939 with a special series: “Hollywood’s Greatest Year–The Best Picture Nominees of 1939.”
And, like most Academy events, you can expect a roster of very special guests, not the least of whom will include none other than Gone With the Wind’s Ann Rutherford (Careen O’Hara), Cammie King (Bonnie Butler) and Mickey Kuhn (Beau Wilkes).
For all of you out there living in the Los Angeles area, mark your calendars. Tickets are available for purchase Monday, April 27th. You can purchase a Series Pass: all 10 films for only $25, and all seating is unreserved. For more information call (310) 247-3600.
Is anyone else out there absolutely bouncing off the walls in excitement about this? Personally speaking, I’ve never had the honor of seeing most of these on the big screen and I am over the moon at finally, FINALLY, getting the chance to see Gone With the Wind and The Wizard of Oz the way nature intended: on the silver screen.
Here’s the lowdown straight from the AMPAS website:
A 70th Anniversary Celebration of the Best Picture nominees of 1939
All 10 (yes, 10) of the Best Picture nominees of 1939. Best Prints! Big Screen! Special Surprises and Guests! Great Price!
All features will be preceded by one of the year’s animated shorts and a chapter of the 1939 serial “Buck Rogers,” starring Buster Crabbe and Constance Moore.
Check back frequently for updated information on guests, cartoons, and other surprises.
May 18 – Gone with the Wind
The film version of Margaret Mitchell’s epic Civil War romance was the biggest box office hit of Golden Age Hollywood, presenting Vivien Leigh and Clark Gable in their iconic roles as Scarlett O’Hara and Rhett Butler. 238 mins.
Scheduled special guests: cast members Ann Rutherford, Cammie King, Mickey Kuhn and Patrick Curtis.
June 1 – Stagecoach
June 8 – Wuthering Heights
June 15 – Dark Victory
June 22 – Love Affair
June 29 – Goodbye, Mr. Chips
July 13 – Ninotchka
July 20 – Mr. Smith Goes to Washington
July 27 – Of Mice and Men
August 3 – The Wizard of Oz
Filed under: cinema, classic movies, film, history, hollywood, movies, nostalgia | Tags: 1939; classic movies of 1939; Project 39; midnight; love affair; the hound of the baskervilles; wuthering heights; dodge city; dark victory; bette davis; laurence olivier; olivia de havilland; errol f
Things are really starting to get hopping over at Project 39. The past few weeks has seen a terrific slew of top-notch films celebrating their 70th anniversaries.
Remember and rejoice. (all capsule review from Leonard Maltin’s Movie Guide.)
*****
Claudette Colbert & Don Ameche, Midnight
Midnight
*** ½
Mitchell Leisen. Claudette Colbert, Don Ameche, John Barrymore, Francis Lederer, Mary Astor. Penniless Colbert masquerades as Hungarian countess in chic Parisian marital mix-up; near-classic comedy written by Billy Wilder and Charles Brackett. Barrymore’s antics are especially memorable. – Leonard Maltin.
George Brent & Bette Davis, Dark Victory
Dark Victory
*** ½
Edmund Goulding. Bette Davis, George Brent, Humphrey Bogart, Geraldine Fitzgerald, Ronald Regan, Cora Witherspoon, Henry Travers. Definitive Davis performance as a spoiled socialite whose life is ending; Brent as brain surgeon husband, Fitzgerald as devoted friend register in good soaper. Bogart as Irish stable master seems out of place.
Olivia de Havilland
Dodge City
***
Michael Curtiz. Errol Flynn, Olivia de Havilland, Ann Sheridan, Bruce Cabbot, Alan Hale, Frank McHugh. Errol tames the West and de Havilland, in entertaining large-scale Western, with Warner Bros. stock company and the granddaddy of all barroom brawls. Principal inspiration for Blazing Saddles.
Basil Rathbone
The Hound of the Baskervilles
***1/2
Sidney Lanfield. Basil Rathbone, Nigel Bruce, Richard Greene, Wendy Barrie, John Carradine, Lionel Atwill. Rathbone made his first appearance as Sherlock Holmes in this grade-A production based on Conan Doyle’s story about mysterious murders taking place at a creepy mansion on the moors (though he’s off screen for a good part of the story). Fairly faithful to the source material with the now classic closing line from cocaine-user Holmes: “Quick Watson, the needle!”
Irene Dunne & Charles Boyer, Love Affair
Love Affair
***1/2
Leo McCarey. Irene Dunne, Charles Boyer, Lee Bowman, Astrid Allwyn, Maria Ouspenskaya. Superior comedy-drama about shipboard romance whose continuation onshore is interrupted by unforeseen circumstances. Dunne and Boyer are a marvelous match. Screenplay by Delmer Daves and Donald Ogden Steward, from story by Mildred Cram and Leo McCarey. Remade as An Affair to Remember and then Love Affair.
Merle Oberon & Laurence Olivier, Wuthering Heights
Wuthering Heights
****
William Wyler. Merle Oberon, Laurence Olivier, David Niven, Flora Robson, Donald Crisp, Geraldine Fitzgerald. Stirring adaptation of Emily Bronte’s novel stops at chapter 17, but viewers shouldn’t despair: sensitive direction and sweeping performances propel this magnificent story of doomed love in pre-Victorian England. Haunting, a must see film. Gregg Toland’s moody photography won an oscar; script by Ben Hecth and Charles MacArthur.
Filed under: art, arts, cinema, classic movies, culture, film, history, hollywood, movies, photography | Tags: cinematography; Jack Cardiff; The Archers; Michael Powell; Emeric Pressburger; The Red Shoes; Black Narcissus; The Barefoot Contessa; The Princess and the Showgirl; Ava Gardner; Marilyn Monroe; Lauren
Jack Cardiff, legendary British cinematographer, passed away today at the age of 94.
His painterly eye brought color film into its own, expressing human depth and emotion and passion through his radiant, imaginative swirl of a palette. Martin Scorsese once said that Cardiff is “synonymous with Technicolor,” and I think it can be rightly said that, when it comes to color cinematography, he wrote the book.
Cardiff’s prolific career began back in the silent days when he appeared as an actor through the 1920s—not surprising as his parents were of the English music hall and his childhood was mostly spent traveling from theatre to theatre. During his youth, Cardiff was exposed to painting and was fascinated by the use of paint and color and texture. Perhaps this is why, by the end of the 20s, Cardiff had wandered from acting and plunged full speed ahead into movie production. By 18 he was an assistant at British International Pictures and by the 30s, he was a respected camera operator at Denham Studios. The progression from clapper boy to production runner to camera operator to cinematographer was quick: by 1935, Cardiff had shot Britain’s first Technicolor film, Wings of the Morning and, after doing 2nd unit work for an Archers production, the legendary Michael Powell and Emeric Pressburger put him on board for their ambitious 1947 feature Black Narcissus. The Himalayan drama was shot entirely at London’s Pinewood studios and earned Cardif an Academy Award. Cinematographer Herb Lightman is quoted as saying that Cardiff’s work on Narcissus demonstrated “hitherto unrealised possibilities for the kinetic use of colour on the screen.” 1948’s The Red Shoes was his final Archers project, and it remains a cinematic benchmark for sheer artistic creativity. (Interestingly enough, Cardiff did not receive the Oscar for Red Shoes, arousing suspicion of the Academy’s reluctance to give the honor to a foreigner two years in a row.) Cardiff’s work with the Archers was pioneering in its use of colour and his input was a large part of what made their success internationally and differentiated them from the far less flamboyant British film industry of the time. “I was the sort of person to suggest a lot of crazy ideas, “ Michael Powell once said, “and Jack took them seriously.”
Then there were the legends. The African Queen, the Prince and the Showgirl and The Barefoot Contessa had Cardiff lighting the likes of Bogart, Monroe and Gardner. Marilyn Monroe and Cardiff became good friends on the set of Showgirl, (he was a confidant of Monroe’s amidst the notorious battles between her and director co-star Laurence Olivier), and she once gave him a signed picture of herself, inscribed with the words “Dear Jack, if only I could be the way you have created me.” His leading ladies often posed for him for professional portraits, some of which have even been exhibited.
The New York Times wrote reverently of Cardiff’s legend back in 2002 when he received his honorary Oscar, calling him “Cinema’s Vermeer.” “The most interesting lesson in painting is clean-looking light and dramatic emphasis,” Cardiff said in the article, “whether it stands out in a countryside or in a bowl of fruit. Economy and simplicity – that was Caravaggio. Drama and organization – that was Turner. This is what I think about when lighting a scene.”**
Thankfully, his images will live on as long as the masters whom he championed so well.
**Special Thank you to the Powell and Pressburger Pages for their exhaustive sources!
Here’s a look back at some of the man’s most important work:
Black Narcissus, 1947
Debroah Kerr and Jean Simmons in Black Narcissus
The Red Shoes, 1948
Moira Shearer & Anton Walbrook
Moira Shearer, The Red Shoes
Ingrid Bergman in Under Capricorn, 1949
Katharine Hepburn & Humphrey Bogart in The African Queen, 1951
Katharine Hepburn, in The African Queen
Ava Gardner in Pandora and the Flying Dutchman, 1951
Ava Gardner, in The Barefoot Contessa 1954
Sophia Loren in Legend of the Lost, 1957
Marilyn Monroe in The Princess and the Showgirl, 1957
Marilyn Monroe & Laurence Olivier in The Princess and the Showgirl
Filed under: culture, hollywood, movies | Tags: Hugh Jackman; hand and footprint ceremony; Grauman's Chinese Theatre; Sexiest Man Alive
Jackman at X-Men Origins Premiere in Paris
The Sexiest Man Alive is being formally immortalized today in Grauman cement–well done him. But if I have any say in the matter, it’s gonna cost him $1.25! Since such hand and footprint ceremonies requires sectioning off most of Hollywood Blvd, green-living Los Angelinos like myself who faithfully take public transport to work are routinely required to seek alternate routes.
Not a good thing if you happen to be endowed with no sense of direction at all like yours truly. Thirty minutes and $1.25 later I finally crawled to my desk …
So congratulations Mr. Jackman on joining the legion of legends that adorn Grauman’s Chinese … and whenever you get around to it, I could really use that $1.25.
Filed under: art, arts, classic movies, culture, design, fashion, history, hollywood, photography, vintage | Tags: cecil beaton; 30s fashion; 40s fashion; costume design;, julie andrews; sylvia sidney; gwili andre
As something of a cantankerous twitterer, I have as of today softened somewhat in my outright cynicism towards the juggernaut. Thanks to Stephen Fry’s twitter page (yes, I’m a voracious snoop), I am thrilled to learn that the Chris Beetles Gallery in London is hosting an exhibition of photographs taken by the legendary photographer, artist, writer, designer and all around pop culture icon, Cecil Beaton. This exclusive collection of Beaton’s prints is certainly the most extensive such exhibition to date. For those of us unable to attend thanks to rather formidable masses of land and ocean, there is a special 92 page illustrated catalogue of the exhibition available for purchase directly from the gallery. On a personal note, this exhibition ends the day that I land in London for a holiday and I have every intention of braving the jet lag in order to get an up-close-and-personal look at some of Beaton’s most jaw-dropping work:
Sylvia Sidney
Gwili Andre
Julie Andrews
Filed under: art, classic movies, culture, design, entertainment, film, hollywood, illustration, movies, nostalgia, vintage | Tags: art; movie magazine; vintage movie magazine; cover art; earl christy; rolf armstrong; wilson hammell; photoplay magazine, golden age of movies, pulp art; pastel art;
We at the Pictorial love Earl Christy. And Rolf Armstrong. And McClelland Barclay. And R Wilson Hammell. And Charles Edward Chambers. And all of the other American artists from the early 20th century that made up advertising’s great, golden age of Illustration. Not only because of what they did for women’s journals and literary magazines but, of course, for the exquisite works of art created for American movie magazines. Photoplay, Modern Screen, Picturegoer, Screenland et al. Working largely from celebrity photographs, and in mediums such as oil and pastel, their work was firstly functional and not always … shall we say … artistic (hey, they had a hell of a workload, OK?) But when they were able to push the creative envelope, oh mama! The results were downright breathtaking.
According to the superlative website Grapefruit Moon, “The printing industry with its technological advancements and the American Industrial Revolution made for a multicolor offset printing process that was fast, affordable, and flat-out glorious in print. Cover artists were much in demand, earned lavish salaries and often became household names and stars in their own right.” Of course the likes of Norman Rockwell are venerated these days for their work, but today, for no reason at all, the Pictorial felt obliged to tip its hat to the illustrators of the great American movie magazines of yesteryear.
Below is a culled retrospective of some of our favorite eye-popping, sensational, drool-worthy illustrations of that explosively creative era.
* * *
Constance Bennett, by Earl Christy
Norma Shearer, by Marland Stone
Anna Q Nilsson, by Rolf Armstrong
Ann Sheridan, by Earl Christy
Bette Davis, by John Rolston Clarke
Claudette Colbert, unknown artist
Joan Crawford, Wilson Hammell
Katharine Hepburn, unknown artist
Carole Lombard & Fred MacMurray, by Earl Christy
Martha Mansfield, by Rolf Armstrong
Mary Astor, by Earl Christy
Myrna Loy & William Powell, colorized studio photo
Norma Talmadge, by Earl Christy
Filed under: TV, classic movies, history, hollywood, movies | Tags: TCM 15th anniversary, TCM; turner classic movies; robert osborne; The Kitty Packard Pictorial of the Week; Ben Mankiewicz
How could we not?
Today TCM celebrates its crystal anniversary: 15 years as television’s foremost platform for all things classic film. For all of us classic movie fans out there, there really aren’t enough words to express our gratitude that TCM exists—I’m sure I’m not alone in saying that it has cheered many a gloomy morning, eased many a stressful day, and brightened many a lonely night. For 15 years its been a loyal, dear friend to all of us, giving its all every day, through good times and bad. Always ready for us with open arms, a cozy armchair conversation and an unfailing arsenal of the movies that make us believe in life, love, and even ourselves.
So here’s to Robert Osborne, Ben Mankiewicz and all the unsung heroes over at Turner Classic Movies. You are definitely the best station out there, and the best website of the week any week out of the year!
Do tune in to TCM today as its 15th anniversary celebrations kick into high gear as TCM fan guest programmers take over the airwaves, and make sure to visit the special 15th anniversary section of the TCM website..
Filed under: cinema, classic movies, culture, hollywood | Tags: hollywood; remake; movie remakes; butch cassidy and the sundance kid; robert redford; paul newman; tom cruise
the *best* buddy western ever. isn't that enough?
As if directly influenced by our recent post about remake mania sweeping Hollywood, rumors are now swelling that Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid could next end up on Remake Row … if Tom Cruise has anything to say about it. According to The Guardian, “If the rumours are true, Tom Cruise is set to fulfil his childhood dream by remaking Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid. Cruise would take the Robert Redford role – apparently one of his favourite cinematic performances – with his friend and fellow Scientologist John Travolta filling Paul Newman’s boots. Newman apparently gave Cruise his blessing for the project before he died last year.”
Dear God.
The article goes on to whimsically suggest ideas for Cruise’s remake of the iconic (ie, BEST LEFT ALONE) film:
“
The bicycle ride In a whimsical musical interlude, Butch/
Travolta takes Sundance/Cruise’s girlfriend (Katie Holmes, in a flouncy white dress) for a ride on his throbbing Harley Davidson. How Deep Is Your Love plays on the soundtrack. She laughs from a hayloft as Travolta pulls wheelies before comically crashing through a fence. In bursts Cruise, in a leather jacket and aviator shades, astride an even more throbbing motorbike. The music switches to Highway to the Danger Zone as he swoops in and takes repossession of Holmes (not that he’s controlling or anything).
The cliff jump Mid-heist, the duo are ambushed by a trainload of paparazzi. They attempt to lose them by riding together on Cruise’s motorbike, which he affectionately calls “ol’ Ron Hubbard” – just to hammer the metaphor home. They are cornered in a canyon, but luckily they find a giant sofa. Recreating Cruise’s famous Oprah moment, they jump excitedly off it into the river below. Separately, though – jumping together would look a bit too “Brokeback”.
The comedy heist Exiled to somewhere foreign, Cruise and Travolta attempt to hold up a nearby theological conference. “Psychiatry is destructive and wrong! We can bring peace and unite cultures! Give us all your money!” screams Cruise. Everyone else scratches their heads in utter incomprehension.
The famous ending Their mission at an end, the lovable outlaws take refuge in a luxury spa resort, totally surrounded by the media, autograph hunters and a posse of internet protest groups. Unaware that the game is up, they discuss a possible remake of The Sting, incorporating elements of Battlefield Earth, before rushing out into a devastating hail of negative publicity.”
You may laugh … but I fear, the Guardian’s sensastionalistic ideas might well be closer to the mark than they intend if this project gets the green light.
