ABOUT SOME MOVIES


Often, when I am not doing anything else, I like to check out what Turner Classic Movies is showing, and not too long ago I tuned in towards the beginning of one of my all time favorite films: “Sullivan's Travels”—a wonderful Preston Sturges film (He was a great Writer-Director….for the uninitiated)--it’s just such a ‘thirty’s-forty's’ kind of a movie.It was released in 1941-2. Joel McRae & Veronica Lake, (her best film performance to my way of thinking…and McRae is gorgeous and delightful and besides that, great to look at, too...) are the stars, with many of those great great character actors of that period---one of the best parts of ‘the studio system’.


What makes this such a great film for me is that it starts out a slapstick comedy, set in Hollywood—witty and silly with fast clipped dialogue-- and ends up with a ‘message’ that makes me cry every time I see it. I often talk about it, and tell younger people who are unfamiliar with this film, that it’s a ‘must see’ because the ‘message’ is such a terrific one. I always felt and still do feel that the look of the ‘chain gang’ sequences had more of real feel to them than any other film I’ve seen to date, including those in ‘Cool Hand Luke’…! Maybe because “Sullivan’s” is in Black & White…I don’t know.

In this film, Joel McRae plays a Hollywood wriiter-director who is known for his smash hit comedy films but he longs to make a serious movie that shows the 'problems' of the Depression Time...because he wants to move and touch people and make them think.
And the name of this film he is dying to make is called "Oh, Brother Where Art Thou", and it is not just a coincidence that the very recent George Clooney film of the same name was taken straight out of "Sullivan's Travels". That is the kind of impact that this slapstick-comedy-with-serious-overtones made on many of the film comunnity who weren't even born when this film first came out, and still makes.

And there is such a look to the film...that special look that B & W films had at that time...lit so very carefully to get every bit of 'juice' out of it, so to speak. I urge you if you don’t know this film and want to have a great time, run out and rent it...or put it on your Netflix Queue! I so much want to tell the great ending and the ‘message’, but I won’t. Suffice it to say, it’s worth renting on many many levels, not the least of which is that it is a Preston Sturges film….
and while you are at the rental store or Netflix, be sure to get “The Lady Eve”, too….another very witty faced paced "screwball" comedy Sturges-written-directed picture with two of our greatest actors ever…Henry Fonda and Barbara Stanwyck, both looking fabulous, I might add, plus more of those fantastic thirty’s and forty’s character actors—William Demerest, Eric Blore, (both in “Sullivans”, too) and Charles Coburn, to name just a
few...

A few weeks ago, when I couldn’t sleep early early in the morning, I was surfing around those other movie channels that have no interruptions, and saw the last fifteen minutes of “The Miracle Worker”….
another film that I just love!! Besides having two of the greatest performances ever committed to film, it has a gorgeous score by Laurence Rosenthal that can bring me to tears in a millisecond---in fact, this is another film that always brings me to tears—most especially at that moment of the discovery of 'the knowing', when the young Helen Keller makes the connection between ‘words’ and ‘objects or names’ that Annie Sullivan has been trying to teach her throughout the film....well, at that point in the film I am always a goner! Between, these two great actresses performances—(Anne Bancroft and Patty Duke)--and the direction of Arthur Penn coupled with that incredibly moving score---the tears always come—I mean sobbing tears---and I’ve probably seen this film 20 times.

I was lucky enough to have seen the original Broadway production with the same two actresses which was an incredible experience “live”—especially the dinner scene, if you are familiar with this play and film, you know the scene I mean---
and on top of that it’s so damned inspiring too, you know? And again…gorgeous black and white photography---Ernest Caparros—of whom I know nothing except that he was the cinematographer on this film!

I said in another post which practically no one ever saw because it was on my old blog and I was very new to blogging and had no readership, shall we say... I said, how the movies saved my life and ruined my life, too…and that is still true, today. Give me a terrific movie and I am a happy person….including all the movies that allow me to cry like a baby. Like “Finding Neverland”. Oh my….I was so grateful that I was able to see this in my own home, by myself.
It would have been deeply embarrassing to be in a movie theatre….because it is a-whole-box-of-Kleenex movie for me, you know?….I want Johnny Depp to adopt me…no, wrong….I just want Johnny Depp! Beautiful Beautiful film, in every way---another gorgeous score, and that extraordinarily wonderful little boy—Freddie Hysmore…in fact there wasn’t a false moment in that entire film. And for my money, this film should have won the Academy Award. I knew it wouldn’t, but I still think it should have….I don’t even remember what did win---“Lord Of The Rings”?? (I think).

“Sullivan’s Travels” didn’t win anything and wasn’t even nominated for anything. Neither did “The Lady Eve”. “Finding Neverland” won one major Award and that was for the music, but on the other hand, both Anne Bancroft and Patty Duke won Academy Awards back in 1962 for their stunning performances in “The Miracle Worker”.

‘…..Sometimes There's God So Quickly….’ !

(In the interest of 'truth in publishing', this post was on my old blog that hardly anyone ever saw and before I knew how to do "photographs", so I edited it and reworked it and added the photo's, which make a big difference...)

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WEIRD THINGS


Chatty (Thank you soooo very much, dear Chatty),tagged me to do this about a week ago, and I know someone else tagged me a few weeks before that when I didn't have time...(Forgive me, I cannot remember who???) to do this 5 weird things, thingy...


The first player of this game starts with the topic “5 Weird Habits I Have.” People who get tagged then write an entry about their 5 weird habits as well as state this rule clearly. In the end, the writer will need to choose the next five people (victims) to be tagged and links to their blogs.

1.- I don't usually buy ONE of anything...I buy 3 or 4....Kleenex, Cat Food, (now here we are talking-Cases Of Things), Paper Towels, Toilet Paper, etc.... I hate the idea of 'running out' of anything...I'm sure a shrink would have a field day with that!

2.- And along those lines...I have a special sound proof room that has foam rubber on the walls and floor, where I can go scream and rant and rave and cry my eyes out if that's what I need to do...a life saver of a place! And it's right here in my house. And I've been do this for years and years and years!

3.- I have a lot of trouble with noxious fumes..It hurts my lungs and so I cannot be around smoke or cleaning products or peticides of any kind.
It is rather restricing to the cleaning of my house and the tending of my garden, but, it is truly dangerous to my lungs.

4.- I wear socks when I go to bed, winter and summer! Gotta keep my footsies warm...

5.- I never wear a brassiere if I can help it...and possibly I should, but it feels very restricting to me so wherever and whenever I can, I go 'braless'.


I know I'm supposed to tag 5 someones, but...I'm not going to. I just think if you think this would be fun, you should give it a try!

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OPRAH FEELS DUPED!

So I saw this short video clip on Internet Explorer today, and said, out loud, to no one except my cat Sweetie,..."Well, Finally!"

I was very disturbed after the original revelations obout James Frey's book came out, that Oprah went on Larry King Live, and by telephone or whatever..(I didn't actually see this...just heard about in the News Media....) and continued to back up this man's book, saying it wasn't important if some things weren't the actual truth...etc., etc (and THAT is a paraphrase of what she said....)

I didn't really understand that...cause things are either the truth or they aren't. And it does matter if you have specifically said...'this is a true story'....And I understand we can all 'forget' details of experiences and even 'remember ' them in strange ways that another person would say...'that's not what happened'...Even GIVEN THAT....I could not understand Oprah backing up this guy sooo quickly, without further investigation...

And especially, now that her next Book Club pick is Elie Weisel's "Night"...and this is a man who is known for telling the truth of his life and the horrors that he lived through during the Nazi regime and the Holocaust and having written about it for many many years...
How does that reflect on him if she says the truth doesn't matter...How does that reflect on every person who has lived through unbelieveable horrors who then write about it as 'fact'....How does it reflect upon the insane people who already think that the Holocaust didn't happen, or that even if it did happen it's been exagerated....those were many of the thoughts I had...
AND, what does this say about Oprah, that she could let this 'go by'...

Over the years I have seen (as we all have) Oprah become an activist for many many important wrongs that she hopes to 'right' or at least that she hopes to try to 'right'...she has put her money where her mouth is, too...which is more than a great many people do...and I admire her and respect her for that...But....but....but.....

There are some other things that I have not been able to "square" within myself regarding The Oprah Winfrey Show....and one of them is how the audience that we see 'on camera' looks....Everyone looks like a model or a successful 'young woman of a certain age'....perfect dress, perfect hair, perfect make-up, perfect Weight...And I've wondered...Where Are 'The People'? Whatever happened to her regular audience that we used to see all the time....you know what I mean...all shapes, sizes and colors...Young, Old, Fat, Thin, Well Dressed, NOT Well Dressed...I don't know about you, but I find it intimidating and false...But, truthfully, I am mostly disturbed by 'The False' part...this is not how a roomful of people look, unless they are auditioning for "Desperate Housewives"...And, further, where are all the men?? Old, Young, Fat, Thin.etc....?

When did Oprah's audience become so restricted in encompassing humanity as we know it and see it every day of our lives, or when we look in the mirror??

I don't have the answer to this or anything else about Oprah, except what I am shown by those camera's and what I hear coming from her and her guests....

Yes, I was really glad to see this little clip today...now I would like to see the whole interview-confrontation with James Frey, and see what else she says to him and to the millions upon millions of people that watch her every day who have given her their trust.


***Okay...Update!

I watched Oprah's show after I had written the above...and I've gotta say, she was terrific. Her apology was heartfelt and she addressed all the concerns with this story and her having called in to the Larry King Live show, and she apologized and said she was wrong! Good for her! And she grilled James frey, to her credit, asking him a lot of very tough questions. And, she even had two journalists on, Richard Cohen & Frank Rich, both of whom had criticized her, in print, for seemingly saying that the truth of this book didn't matter...She addressed that head on and said she was sorry for giving "...the impression that the truth doesn't matter, because that is not how I live my life, at all."...her words!

And she had another man on who addressed the exact concerns I mentioned up above in regard to the Elie Weisel book...and in truth, addressing the greater issue of all books that say they are the 'truth'.
Watching James Frey, I thought...this guy may not take drugs or drink anymore, but the fact that he could write a book and 'lie' about some very very important 'facts' means to me his 'recovery' is at deep risk...Being truthful is one of the cornerstones of recovery, as I understand it....He may not actually drink anymore, but he is, it seems to me, like what they call a 'dry drunk'.


His situation will be very interesting to observe as time goes on...

One of the journalists who Oprah had on was Frank Rich of The New York Times, who had written about the Comedy Cental comedian Stephen Colbert having coined the word "truthiness"....isn't that a great word? And it does seem that this is what we live with now, "truthiness"... More than ever...especially from our politicians.

There is a wonderful line from the movie "Something's Gotta Give" where the Jack Nicholson character says to Diane Keaton's character, "I've always told you some version of the truth!"....and she answers, "The truth doesn't have versions...."
I really think that this is why this whole thing about Frey's book is so very important. The truth doesn't have versions. The truth is 'The Truth'. Anything else is fiction.

As for Oprah....she redeemed herself in a most public way, (making for great great television at the same time,) and I respect her for that with all my heart.

Now what about the way your audience is portrayed, Oprah?

What do you think about this whole thing?

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Same thing, sort of....

And....

Another one, that is similar...

And.....

Ooooooo.....

And...

Another.....

And Then....

And finally....

This is what I was photographing...

Only....

The one above was taken during the day, of course, when you can actually see the street where the night shots were taken....That street, La Brea Avenue, is soooo very busy that I was trying to show the huge amount of traffic, going both ways bumper to bumper, with all the lights. And I moved the camera by mistake and it looked so cool, I actually began to shake the camera a lot of different ways, on purpose....but had no idea till I saw the photographs what they would look like!

And, incidentally, a few of you did guess lights from traffic and you were indeed, correct. There were more shots, too...but I didn't want to over-do it...Well, I guess I may have anyway....

Thanks so much for guessing...

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JAN CLAYTON

How I got to thinking about Jan Clayton is too long to tell here, but suffice it to say, I watched an old "Lassie" TV show, (when, believe it or not, it was called "Jeff's Collie"....!) Jan Clayton played Ellen Miller, Jeff's (Tommy Rettig) mother, from 1954 to 1957....and though over the years, she did many many guest starring appearances on television, for many people The Lassie Show was what she was best known for....when, in fact, Jan Clayton had a big broadway career in the mid to late 40's....

And, before that, she starred in quite a few movies....yes, they were what used to be called B movies, (maybe even C movies) but, she did star in them...


But where I first became aware of her was in the Rodgers & Hammerstein Broadway Musical, "CAROUSEL", (the Original Company with John Raitt) in 1945.
She originated the role of Julie Jordon and had the opportunity to sing the great GREAT duet-song---a little musical play unto itself---"If Loved You". She recieved fantastic reviews and became the toast of Broadway...and the following year starred in the very first Revival of the Jerome Kern/Oscar Hammerstein musical, "Show Boat"...again,
taking Broadway by storm and landing on the cover of Life Magazine. (Whch was a
a very prestigeous thing to happen, back then....just try to buy one of those original Life Magazines today....)

There are things that happen to you in your life that are so memorable they stay etched in your memory, forever...Maybe it's because my life has been devoted to the theatre and music that some of my memories have more meaning to me than they might to someone else...such a 'memory' came back to me as I watched "Jeff's Collie"...

In my World AIDS Day post, I spoke of my dear friend Carl Bostelmann,
and how he enriched my life in so very many wonderful ways, not the least of which were the glorious intimate party's that he gave...all were always 'happenings' of a sort...and all were always beautiful in every way...He had a knack for gathering people together and for making everything about the entire evening, perfection! Such a party was his 50th Birthday Gathering.

Everyone wore white, (a requirement for this 'special' occassion), and Cocktails were served in the front yard of Carl and his partner's unprentious home... Dinner was served in the back garden where they had six tables of 5 or six people, all chosen carefully, to compliment one another...Balloons and Candles were everywhere...Beautiful China and Glassware and Linen were all in abundance, and the Menu had been carefully planned considering the fact that this was August and it would be very very warm...everything, as I said was pefection which was always the case with any of Carl's party's...magical actually, with over 100 candles burning and all this exteremly beautiful china and glassware and linen adorning each table with special votive lights for each table, again, chosen with great care by Carl. He always created a warm welcoming atmosphere...using beautiful formal looking things, but there was never anything 'formal' about the way one felt being a part of these gatherings.

Part of his great gift as a host, was to bring people together who would make for a good mix because of their connections to each other. I was at the "mostly musical" table...my dear pal Betty Garrett was there at that table and a wonderful Composer/Lyricist--Billy Barnes,
who had written 6 very successful Musical Reviews and had also written 'special material' for a number of Musical Variety TV Shows...I had known Billy almost as long as I had known Carl....we had worked together in a piano bar where he played and I sang, early on in our friendship...

Then there was as a young man, Glenn Moore, who was a Musicologist Archivist. His special interest was The History Of The Broadway Musical--he knew every show that had ever been produced on Broadway and who was in it...Then there was a lovely man named Al Morley, who owned a Movie & Music Memorabelia store and who had been in and an around theatre in Los Angeles working on the Producing side for as long as I had been in L.A. And last but not least, was the lovely and talented Jan Clayton. The 'Musicologist' and I were the only two who had not met her before...and Carl had said that she might not even be able to come because she had only gotten out of the hospital a few days before and was still quite ill...But, she was indeed there, and Carl was excited, because her birthday was coming in a few short weeks and ever the thoughtful host, Carl had made this a double celebration. So, this was the mix at our lovely 'musical' table.

Everything about this party was a dream come true. Everything, except for one element...the pianist that Carl had hired to play for the evening. He was, in a word, Bad. In fact he was Truly Terrible. Perhaps it was just our table that knew how really really bad he was...Though no one would say anything to Carl about it, we, at our table, did kind of snicker among ourselves, everytime this guy hit a clinker, and there were many many clinkers throughout dinner. So, quite frankly, at the end of dinner when Carl begged Jan Clayton to sing, I really didn't think she would...not only because this pianist truly stank, but because she was still so very ill and in fact had hardly eaten any dinner, at all. But sing she did. and brilliantly, too, I might add.

There is a song that was written for the very first revival of "Show Boat" that Jan Clayton had starred in...in fact it was the last song Jerome Kern ever wrote...called "Nobody Else But Me"...a beautiful wonderful musically complicated song that Carl had requested that Jan sing on his special night. It was, I think the essence of Carl in many ways, and I think Jan Clayton knew that and so, she made this extra special effort for our Birthday Boy.

Here are the lyrics, by Oscar Hammerstein to "Nobody Else But Me". I think they are are worth notating:

I WANT TO BE

NO ONE BUT ME

I AM IN LOVE WITH A LOVER WHO LIKES ME

THE WAY I AM.

I HAVE MY FAULTS,

HE LIKES MY FAULTS,

I'M NOT VERY BRIGHT

HE'S NOT VERY BRIGHT

HE THINKS I'M GRAND THAT'S GRAND FOR ME!

HE MAY BE WRONG, BUT IF WE GET ALONG

WHAT DO WE CARE? SAY WE!

WHEN HE HOLDS ME CLOSE

CLOSE AS WE CAN BE,

I TELL THE LAD THAT I'M GRATEFUL AND I'M GLAD

THAT I'M NOBODY ELSE BUT ME.

This song has more key changes than almost any other song I have ever heard...the point being that it is a very very difficult song to sing and an even more difficult song to 'play'....(I'm sure you are getting the picture here...) Stinko Piano Player butchered this song so badly I honestly don't know how Jan Clayton sang it at all. Having someone backing her who sometimes was not even in the same key as she was (and he had the music in front of him,) had to be her worst nightmare come true. But because Carl had requested this song and it was his birthday, Jan Clayton, in her most professional 'trooper--the-show-must-go-on-way', finished this number and everyone was enthralled and thrilled, and truthfully, because of her professionalism, no one at that party except the 'mostly musical' table were really aware that the piano playing was absolutely dreadful !

So, here was this great performer, barely out of her sick bed from the hospital, singing her heart out under the most adverse of circumstances...and pulling it off without most of the people there knowing that she was in deep deep doo doo with the awful rotten accompanist, who wasn't!

I don't know if this means anything to anyone else...but this woman singing under those conditions on that night was such a moving and sweet moment in time, to me...a once Broadway Star now singing--years later, (maybe for the last time), in this little unassuming intimate garden here in Los Angeles, a song that landed her on the cover of Life Magazine....another memorable moment in her wonderful career.....and, in just a few short weeks, (and as it turned out, two days after her very own birthday), Jan Clayton would be dead. None of us there that night knew that this would be her very last 'performance'....the very last time she would appear in public and sing in a public forum, albeit, a very small forum. And, it was a 'freebie' at that, with a terrifingly awful piano player. Not a pretty finish to a truly distinguished caeer.

The twists and turns of a life in 'the business of show', in all it's wonderful and ironic glory. Truth really is stranger than fiction, isn't it?

This is a bit of a postscript: A dear and good friend emailed me this comment and I wanted to share it with you....

Read your blog about Jan Clayton, and wanted to let you know about "Jeff's Collie". "Lassie" was ALWAYS called "Lassie"... except when it went into syndication. THEN it was re-named "Jeff's Collie" to keep it from being confused with "Lassie", which was still on the air. Since the early "Lassie"'s had changed families with the introduction of "Timmy" and June Lockhart (as I recall, the series introduced Timmy as an orphan or something... there was a "flow" from one family to the next), it was easy to package the early ones as "Jeff's Collie"; but when they originally aired they were part of the "Lassie" series.

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"MARCH OF THE PENGUINS"

So I finally saw this BEAUTIFUL BEAUTIFUL film...I found the struggle of the Penguins inspiring, heart warming, depressing, and tragic..ALL at the same time....What a hard hard life they have...in every respect! The adversity. Those 'Winters'...(My Lord...). The devotion of the fathers to their egg and then to the baby.... The devotion of the mothers...walking those 70 miles, 3 times....Awesome, Awesome, Awesome.....A beautiful and amazing film....the devotion of the filmakers to these dear sweet huggable creatures and the artful cinematography....absolutely brilliant!
These filmakers deserve any and all Awards given this year for Best Documentary...(It should also get an Award for Best Love Story...)


I've always loved Penguins and I'm not sure why exactly...but as a tiny little girl, maybe 4 years old, I had a stuffed penquin...he was so adorable and I LOVED him with all my heart...His beak and his wings and his feet where all made of black leather...his eyes were those little buttons type-eyes...and his shape was truly 'classic' Penguin...

I have one semi-vivid memory of being in some theatre somewhere...I don't remember if it was an Opera or a Broadway play or musical...or a Concert....(my family were always going to all of these wonderful things ) And I know, whatever it was, I either wasn't feeling well or I was kind of bored with it...and my memory is walking around a sort of lobby like place, with my dear Penguin and some grown-up BIG person, holding my other hand, (the one that didn't have my Penguin in it..) walking with me so that I wasn't just wandering around alone at four years old in this strange building....

My poor Penguin got relagated to the attic in our house in Great Neck, at some point...He wasn't put away carefully with paper around him or anything like that, but he was not thrown out, either...And he got moved around a lot and shoved here and there and somewhere along the way, he lost one of his wings...I have no memory of how or where or even of what happened...but no matter how tattered or torn he got....he never got thrown out...

My mother did a MAJOR cleaning out of everything in that house after all of us were living our lives elsewhere and after she had a very serious bout with Breast Cancer...She got rid of all sorts of things that..well...I sure wish she hadn't... My entire collection of Comic Books...(A Priceless collection...I cannot imagine what they might have gone for on Ebay, eventually...) My entire collection of Movie Magazines....the
Photoplay's and Modern Screen's all of which were collector's items and were worth...God Knows What...(more Ebay stuff...Good Lord....) But no, they went out with the garbage!

But, she didn't throw out my Penguin...(or my Giraffe, either)!
My sweet Penguin got put in boxes, shoved in corners, pushed and squeezed and pretty badly abused, but...she never threw him out...

After she died, a few years later....my siblings and myself had to do all those things that one has to do...my mother had lived in that house for 40 years. It was the house where we all grew up....and the attic, though much cleaned out and organized, was still very very full...other magazines---Life, Look, National Georgraphic, The New Yorker, Fortune Magazine, Esquire Magazine....and sooooo many more, plus all sorts of other stuff...a lifetime of living and four children, all of whom were and are 'collectors' of stuff and things...

My sister Gene and I spent most of the late spring of that year, plus the entire summer, getting everything sorted and given away and everything that needed to be decided on--furniture, paintings, silverware, china, etc., etc., etc., WAS decided on and though each one of us had to give up things we didn't think we could part with...we were giving it up to each other, so that it was still going to stay in the family...and our personal childhood things, if we didn't have them with us already, we got them that summer....that house would be sold since no one in the family really could or would live there...everyone's life established in other city's and states....

As I'm sure you can imagine, this was a very difficult and emotional time for all of us....but, we did it, and I think we did it well...
And so, finally, I had my few stuffed animals from my childhood in my personal possession...packed away once again for shipping to Los Angeles...and then...finally unpacked and put in a rather dear place by my way of thinking...out in my garage, in a Basket that I hung up right near the door that goes to the inside of my house, so that I see them at least once a day if not much more...and I feel like my Penguin and the others guard that door and me....protecting me from....whatever.




And here he is....tatterted and torn...older 'than dirt', as they say, but still with me.....

My dear little Penguin who has been through the mill...maybe not quite the mill that the Penguin's in that wonderful film went through, but, in his own way, he has survived evrything...and mostly, he survived neglect.

But he didn't get thrown out...and I'm deeply grateful for that...

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"THE PLANT"







So....on Monday, January 16th, my gardener and two other strapping men along with my gardener's two sons, cut back the rest of the arms off of the twenty year old Euphorbia Amak Verigated. This is the 50ft.+ plant that got uprooted and fell onto my Patio Roof, on January 2nd, during the worst Rain/Wind storm I have ever lived through in all the years I have lived up here on the hill.


To bring you up to speed...for those of you who have been following this saga, and for those that have not been following this saga, too, the first thing my gardener did, (two days after the horror happened)
was to try to lift the plant up, using a rope and 5 young men to lift it. This could not be done. The plant was too heavy...(as stated before..almost 3 tons, yes, count them...Three Tons...and remember that's all fiber and wood and liquid...and it's a sticky liquid, at that,) So, then, though it was heart breaking to me, he began to cut off as many of the arms as possible in the BEST way possible, so that the rest of the plant could be saved.... (there were around 20 GOOD sized arms and maybe another 20 small ones...)
Many of these arms were then put on my front patio, and the rest were put down on the side of the house--standing up--, so they would have a better chance of surviving when it comes time to plant them.

At a certain point, they could not continue without possibly causing more damage to the roof and the plant...So, another possible solution was sought. I called in the so called 'Tree Experts'...(well, it depends on the tree's in question...I guess), and that was a total waste of time and energy....

Meanwhile, we realized that the plant had cracked at the base and it could not just be 'uprighted'...which had been my fervent hope from the moment it happened...

With all these many roadblocks, I had to make peace with each one, as they came along, because more and more it was becoming clear, that the life of that plant as I had known it, was over....That may not seem so terrible to a lot of people, but remember, I planted this Euphorbia twenty years ago when it was less than two feet high..and I watched it grow every day because it was planted near the front door of my home...and I felt like it was a 'child' of mine...and more than that I took such pride in how incredibly beautiful it was and how huge it had become...


So, after they figured out how to do the rest of this BIG job, Sevin came with his crew on this past Monday, and they sawed off...(very very carefully, I might add) another 30 or so arms...and they piled them up temporarily, on the entry way to the garage. And then they had to 'saw' what was left--in this case, the 'stalk' --into smallers pieces so they could get each piece to a size that would not be too unwieldy, and where the rest of the stalk could be removed the rest of the way....


I just had to document Sevin doing this mammoth job, and I guess, I was trying to, again, make more peace with the loss of this very wonderful plant. I am so very grateful to Sevin and his 'second', Luis, (who used to work in my garden, too) for taking such great great care of my roof, and of the plant, and of me. I am very very lucky to have someone like Sevin, who loves these plants almost as much as I do...

What they did, sounds like it was easy but it wasn't at all....again, because the original full plant weighed so very much...as I have said before...and each of these arms had to be so very carefully cut down so as not to have more damage to the roof, because if an arm were to fall...and some of these arms weighed up to 200 pounds each..and possibly more...well, you get the picture!


So, even when all the arms had been sawed of and the shaft down to what someone would consider a 'reaonable' size---something that could be carried away by perhaps 2 men---it was still so bloody heavy that they had to rig it so it could be dragged to the street, which, in this case luckily, was not that far away....and once there, more sawing was done so that that part of this amazing plant, (now gone), could then be carted away...
Those smaller pieces each probably weighed at least 40 to 50 pounds, and since we didn't have a scale to weigh them, they could have possibly been even heavier than that.....Looking at this cross-section of the trunk, you can see the 'heart' of the plant...that's the 5 pointed star-like shape in the center....this is the Life-Blood of the plant in every respect...Then, the next layer...not quite as soft as the heart but what protects the heart and grows larger and wider as needed, as does the heart as the plant grows upward and gets more and more arms...and then, the outer portion--the 'skin', if you will, where we see the outside color and where we see some prickly things, too....this particular piece is not the bottom of the plant yet...this piece was still about 12 feet off the ground and was probably 13 to 15 inches across...Amazing to see the inside like this...and the white stuff is that sticky liquid that tells you that this plant is a part of the Euphorbia Family of plants.


And then....the last of the stalk, after it was dragged to the street...still, too heavy to be lifted...the bottom ALL wood....
and where more sawing took place so that again, it could be carted away and not be too unwieldy while being taken to the dump....(Oh My!)








So, my beautiful twenty year old Amak Verigated is 'no more. BUT, we have been able to save way over 50 arms...maybe 70, when you count the smaller pieces!!! And each one of them can be planted so that this mother plant, which is no more, will live on in another incarnation. And amazingly, some of the arms would be considered to already be huge mature plants on their own, right now... And I plan on giving away as many of these arms as possible so that other people who have continually admired my garden and this plant in particular, can and will enjoy having their own version of it....(I wish I could share them with some of you out there in the Blogesphere...).




So here on this dark afternoon earlier today, with rain threatening...this is how things look now...



You may be seeing some other photo's of this wonderful plant as time goes on..Who knows, maybe in my next post. I don't know...I just know I'm finding it difficult to 'Let Go, Let God', here, though I'm sure I will be able to....and, by the way, where this plant was, I will plant something else, but at this point I'm not sure what. It won't be another Amak Verigated because I think it might be good to put something else there that will be beautiful, too, but that won't get that big....of course it will be in the Cactus/Succulant family of plants because that's what appeals to me, and that will be in keeping with the rest of the garden...maybe something that has a flower like this, that the Humming Birds might want to visit!

***(If you click on this photo you will see a little ant, drinking the necter from this flower...Nature...it's WONDERFUL)

Time will tell.....

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| posted by OldOldLady Of The Hills at 12:47 AM

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Tuesday, January 17, 2006

"STREETCAR"

I originally posted this on my Old Blog, before I had my scanner, so there were no photographs and only about 2 people actually read this, or, I should say, commented about this. and I have edited and somewhat re-written it and corrected most of the spelling, (I hope...)

So here is is, another chapter from my past....hope you find it interesting....


My first summer as an “Apprentice” in Summer Stock, at the Sea Cliff Summer Theatre... Sea Cliff, New York, I got my Equity card after being cast as Eunice Hubbell-(The Woman Upstairs) in the beautiful Tennessee Williams play, "A STREETCAR NAMED DESIRE". This was an Original Production at Sea Cliff and not a traveling 'package', as so many Summer Theatre Productions were in those days…That is, shows cast with a “Star” and a few principle Players that went from one Summer Theatre to another each week appearing in a different place for ten or more weeks...(an unbelievably difficult and very grueling schedule for the Star & Principle Actors, to be sure....)

The reason I got cast in this play was because of the Musical "Pal Joey", (Richard Rodgers & Lorenz Hart) which had been the 5th production of that first season at Sea Cliff, and what an exciting week that was! It gave all of the 'apprentices' such a lift because there were lots of little fun colorful 'set' pieces that had to be built and painted---things that could be moved in and out of scenes very quickly, this being a musical with many many scenes. And, incidentally, this particular summer production of “Pal Joey” is what sparked the very first revival of this terrific musical on Broadway that following season---though not with the cast that was traveling with the show that summer.


Our cast was Carol Bruce as Vera and Bob Fosse as Joey! Fantastic together and alone! The whole cast was fun and the show was a hoot. These 'packages' of musicals always had more of a cast that traveled with them, than most shows…(but not nearly the cast size of a Broadway or Road production...these casts being cut way back because of costs)…. In this case there were four chorus girls and four chorus boys---that was it. All the supporting players who had musical numbers came with the package, too, but the rest of the cast was filled in by the 'Resident Company' and the apprentices. This show was a smash hit, wherever it went and Sea Cliff was no exception, and because our theatre was so close to NYC a lot of show people and agents and related celebrities would trek out to see their friends and clients...it was a very exciting week and everyone was psyched by the energy that was generated by this fantastically talented group of players, as well as the fact that it was a 'musical'....

I mean, Bob Fosse? Hello! He was a heart breaker if there ever was one as well as being one of the most talented Dancer/Choreographers, ever...everyone in the show was sharp and funny and absolutely professional and we all had a ball with them! I had actually seen the Original Broadway production of 'Joey' with Gene Kelly and Vivienne Segal....some people would say this was a strange show to bring a child to, (well...considering it was about a young opportunistic gigolo-type-man who persues an older woman who 'keeps' him....The song "Bewitched, Bothered & Bewildered" is from this show, sung by the Older Woman, Vera)....but, I loved it and the only scene or song I had any memory of from all those years ago was The Pet Shop scene with Joey and a young innocent girl who falls in love with him, and the song I remembered was "I Could Write A Book"....the most innocent of scenes and songs. I was already a hopeless romantic... (You see, it just shows you that what you do not understand as a child just goes right over your head, at least I think it does, well...it sure did in my case...hmmmmm.) Anyway, back to how I got the really good part in “Streetcar”....the apprentices all got together during that week and did a late night take-off of "Pal Joey" and I played Vera, (all-be-it a rather pudgy one)....and whatever it was about what I did that night, the Producers immediately cast me in this wonderful part in "Streetcar"!



Louis McMillan, one of our Producers was going to play Stanley. He was an extremely attractive man and though I'd never seen him act, one just felt something from him---an animal magnetism---that made you know he was going to be a terrific Stanley. I loved this play and had seen the Original Broadway production, too, with Jessica Tandy as Blanche, Marlon Brando as Stanley and Kim Hunter as Stella...
Well...at Sea Cliff, that summer, Blanche was to be played by an actress named Helen Twelvetrees.
I was not familiar with her, but was told she had been a pretty big star in the 30’s in films and had also worked on stage in the theatre as well, and that then suddenly her career was pretty much over by the early to mid 40's.
Being very young and fairly opinionated about 'The Theatre' (not just because I was in Drama School, but I think because I had seen so many many plays and musicals on Broadway in my still very young life,) I thought, no one could possibly be a better Blanche than Jessica Tandy...Ahhhh the unbelievable confidence if youth...well, about some things, anyway....


That very first day of rehearsal, the whole 'Streetcar' company was on the outdoor back platform, behind the theatre. It was a huge space and it was where all rehearsals took place when it wasn't raining.
(With this particular play the actors had started rehearsals the week before…an unusual circumstance for Summer Theatre…but this particular Summer Theatre was an unusual place to be sure.) So, all of us were there and I was very very nervous. My part was a pretty big part for an apprentice---one that would have normally been 'jobbed in', so I felt a lot of pressure to be really good and was deeply afraid I was going to be very bad...In one scene, which took place offstage, I had to scream a truly blood curdling scream....my husband in the play, 'Steve', was an abusive wife beater and this scene was in the play to illustrate the fact that we fought like cats and dogs all the time and that the neighbors, (The Kowalski's--Stanley & Stella) could hear us. I honestly did not think I could do this scream, but was afraid to tell that to anyone. Our Resident Actor, (as he was known), George Mitchell, a dear dear man and a superb actor, was playing my husband, Steve Hubbell. And in the play as I said we lived upstairs from Stella & Stanley and 'Steve' was one of the poker players in Stanley’s regular weekly game.
It was the wonderful George Mitchell who coached me through the screaming and helped me to release these blood curdling sounds. No, he didn't actually hit me, but on one of those first days of rehearsals I shared with him my fear about screaming...(So ironic that not 20 years later I would be reaching down into my deepest feelings in something called Primal Therapy, where I had no trouble screaming at all, and still don't, but I was pretty repressed in those early days at Sea Cliff, and so very young, too, in experience) George and I were walking into the sleepy little town of Sea Cliff at a lunch-break, and I told him how scared I was that I would not be able to scream realistically. And this gentle man said, 'I'll make you scream...If you really believed I was going to hit you...', and he raised his hand in such a menacing way, that I screamed...tentatively at first, but it did get better and better as the two of us rehearsed on the way to lunch! (Whatever works, you know?) He never did actually hit me, but the threat of it was so real....it worked. And once I gave voice to that scream in a real way, I got over my inhibitions about it. It was a really terrific lesson for me that I was able to utilize as an actress long after that. So, once I conquered my fear of screaming, I could relax and move on to all my other fears!


So there, on that first day of rehearsal with the full cast, we waited for Miss Twelvetrees. This very lovely lovely actress and excellent writer too, Anne Marie Barlow, was playing Stella in this production, and of course she was already there, and in fact, everyone in the cast was there, already….Finally, we were told had that Miss Twelvetrees had arrived at the theatre and would be with us at any moment.
Shortly thereafter, this ethereal looking woman---blond and very pretty though in a faded sort of way, came down the path towards the back platform. She was wearing a very feminine white summer dress with flat shoes and she was truly 'a vision' right out of 'The Elysian Fields' . She looked quite a bit older than her actual years, particularly by today's standards---we are not used to seeing women of her age looking that dissipated these days (most of the time) because of Botox, and other things, as well....but alcohol and the pain of her life had taken it's toll on her I'm afraid.
She came closer to greet each of us individually, and as I was introduced to her I couldn't help but notice that she had the saddest eyes I'd ever seen. I thought to myself, 'My God, she is Blanche'. Everything about her was soooo 'Blanche'. She seemed somewhat fragile physically though one sensed great strength in her, too. But it was also obvious that she had an extremely fragile psyche....she was a sweet woman and a very nice person. And she was a truly lovely actress as it turned out....and she was the character of Blanche Dubois down to her marrow....you wanted to 'take care' of her. Something about her brought this out in all of us and almost as one person, we desperately wanted her to succeed, and succeed, she did.

It was a very exciting week for all of us, but especially for me. The production came together beautifully during that week of rehearsal. Louis was a wonderful Stanley… Ann Marie Barlow was a terrific Stella and Miss Twelvetrees was 'The Real' Blanche, in every way. I never did find out what her personal story was but it was certainly all in her face and persona, so that what she brought to the play was a unique quality. She didn't have to worry about 'acting', all she had to do was 'be', and it worked like gangbusters for this play... (she had some problems remembering lines...I recall one particular performance she skipped about seven or eight pages, but somehow we got back on track) But she was a 'professional', and because she was such an emotionally fragile woman her Blanche was deeply deeply touching. And in fact, it broke your heart. Like I said, she truly was Blanche.

This week of "Streetcar" was very successful for Sea Cliff and audiences literally ate it up! It was incredibly exciting for me to have my first paying job as an actress be in this great great play and with such a lovely and talented cast, particularly the tragic Helen Twelvetrees. It was a memorable week, in every respect.

Just seven years after that summer poor sweet shattered Helen Twelvetrees, died by her own hand. Whatever her demons were, (and I guess they were manifold), they seemed to overtake her as time went on and eventually she lost her battle with them….One wonders if at that time all the very wonderful medications that are available today had been available to her, perhaps she would not have killed herself but would have lived her life somehow not just barely treading water but with a certain joy, continuing to be a working contributing artist. We’ll never know. But her death was most certainly a terrible terrible loss.

And that particular few weeks of my life were terribly important to my growth as an artist and as a human being. To have the privelage to be in such a brilliant play was a true reward, in and of itself, plus the entire experience of working with such dedicated people who brought such care and "professionalism" to their work, was for me at such a young age, an exquisite moment in time. And the three summers I spent at The Sea Cliff Summer Theatre gave me a grounding in the seriousness of 'the work' and the great great rewards of 'the doing of the work for the works sake'....and that THAT was the greatest reward of being a creative artist in the theatre....

Lucky Lucky Me!

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WHAT ARE YOU LOOKING AT?



What do you think you are looking at here....?

This is looking through one of my Den windows, looking at the view. But, I took this on the morning of the Tornedo like Wind/Rain....the same morning my 50 foot Big Amak fell on the roof of my Patio where it sits, still, thirteen days later....I took this picture about 10:30a.m. (Before the "crash") on that morning and as you can see the rain and wind were so heavy that my floor-to-ceiling windows got all that rain blown on them....there is a very big overhang to protect one from getting wet if there is no wind, but....

It looked like it was possibly dawn and the sun had not come up yet....that's how dark it looked as the rain and wind grew...Later, after the rain stopped for a while, it still looked trecherous even though, here and there you could see the sun trying to come out and shine down upon certain parts of the city...


And here, as I said, you see the sun trying to come out at least here and there...

Having this incredible view that won't quit, you get to see a 180 degree vantage point and depending on how clear it is, (I don't even know how many miles I'm talking about here,) but....this is just a section of what the eye can see...I would need a Panoramic Digital Camera to capture what the eye can see...Do they actually make a camera like that? Well, if they don't, I'm sure they will....


Here is another plant, in silhouette, almost underneath my home....that in the next photo, is gone....

It, too, got hit by the Tornedo like winds...and the whole top half just broke off and plummeted to the ground, knocking off pieces of other things as it flew......

As you can see, the whole top has been cut off leaving a jagged edged thingy where the top was....(that street in the background is La Brea Avenue)

Nature tames you weather you want to be tamed or not! It is humbling!

And if one had any doubts that there is a 'Higher Power', well....make Nature your 'Higher Power'...like...The Ocean, or A Hurricane....or The Wind and The Rain....I tell you, it is very very humbling...and quite frankly, I'm starting to be afraid to take pictures of things as they look now because I take so much pride in them...is Nature saying "Don't Be So Filled With Pride?" Gee, I hope not....it's just that I truly love all these plants, so deeply.....
on the other hand.....




Here, looking East from my deck, is a semi-close-up of Downtown Los Angeles.....


I sure hope something horrible doesn't happen to it cause I took this picture!





More to come as we go along.....

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ALMOST DUSK ON THE HILL

It was one of those very very clear days that we get when there has been a Santa Ana....(a warm wind that comes in and blows everything clean & clear...)
Looking west....on a day like this, you can see way out into the Pacific Ocean....and it almost feels like you could touch the ocean, it feels so very close....I've taken hundreds of pictures of the view from my deck, and other vantage points, over the years....people say to me, "Oh you must be tired of this view by now...it's old hat to you....". and they look at me..thinking out loud..."you must be bored by all this, now...."





"No....I never tire of this view...never." I mean, how could you get bored with a 'Dusk' like this....

Because this view is always different; always changing. And the sky? Well, the sky may be similar from time to time, but, it's never ever really the same, twice....

Depending on so many factors, you can have every kind of Sunset one could possibly imagine. There is this, below....looking out at the ocean in a semi close-up....Amazing colors and not boring for one second....








Then, here's another beautiful breathtaking visual....How could anyone possibly tire of the ever changing, moment to moment sunset changes at dusk, up here on the hill...Look at this!





The day I tire of this, Shoot Me!

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FOUR THINGS MEME

About a week or so ago Wendy, tagged me to do this Meme, so....finally, here it is!

FOUR JOBS YOU HAVE HAD IN YOUR LIFE:
1.- Stage Manager (Stage Managing plays in the theatre, that is...
2.- Nightclub Singer...Worked in the worst Toilets, ever! What an education that was... and it sure took the joy out of singing!
3.- Office Assistant...I worked for my brother for a short time, back when he was in the business of "Business" and Oil Exploration.
4.- Television Actress (among other acting jobs) Many Many Small (Operative Word--Small) Parts On TV!

FOUR MOVIES YOU WOULD WATCH OVER AND OVER:
This list is soooo long, it is hard to pick out just a few...but just to show you how eclectic I am....and how many decades I span...here are just 4, as requested...
1.- "Devil Doll" this film preceeded 'The Incredible Shrinking Man' by quite a few years...I stumbled on this one, years after it first came out...like 30 odd years later...Fascinating special effects....and a most fascinating performance by the wonderful Lionel Barrymore who for part of the movie dresses up like a woman and channel's his sister, Ethel!
2.- "The Wizard Of Oz"...Eveything about it is perfect. EVERYTHING!
3.- "To Kill A Mockingbird"...great story, great acting..truly moving and Gregory Peck at his finest! He was Atticus....and a bonus with the great great Stage Actress, Kim Stanley, doing the very moving narration as the grown-up Scout...
4.- "Love Actually"...I LOVE everything about this film...all the actors..the story..the music...Emma Thompson gives another amazing performance....A very satisfying 'feel good' movie...
(There are sooooo many other films that I would watch over and over...and DO!!! "Mr. Smith Goes To Washington", "The Lady Eve", "Gone With The Wind", Casablanca"....and that's just a few from THAT time period....another post sometime...except to say...from the 70's "The Godfather 1 & 2" Great films in every way! And...in the 2000's..."Finding Neverland"...love, love, love this movie...and would you please tell Johnny Depp I've unlocked the door, and the pot of coffee is on, and the silk sheets await...)

FOUR PLACES YOU HAVE LIVED:
1.- Great Neck, N.Y.
2.- Miami Beach, Fla.
3.- Angeles, Pa.
4.- Los Angeles, Ca.

FOUR TV SHOWS YOU LOVE TO WATCH:
1.- "West Wing"
2.- "Boston Legal"
3.- American Experience-PBS (Almost anything they show is worthwhile)
4.- "The Daily Show with Jon Stewart" (The Best!)
(I have to add one more!...Just Have Too...and that is....)
5.- "The Late Show with David Letterman"--The BEST OF THE BEST, is Dave....always liked him, even in the years he was kind of a bit of a grouch...and now he is as 'mellow as a chello' and the BEST interviewer there is....and, funny too, as well as deeply endearing...Love Him!


FOUR PLACES YOU HAVE BEEN ON VACATION:
1.- Vieques, Puerto Rico...This was a beautiful untouched little Island when I went there many many years ago...nothing fancy, but really beautiful....and, the best part....v-e-r-y few people!
2.- Hawaii...Paradise! Everything about it....beeautiful, peaceful, great snorkeling, great food...a photographers paradise...
3.- Cap d'Antibes, France...GLORIOUS!!! GLORIOUS!!! (and a couple posts about this one in the future...)
4.- St. Thomas....The Caribbean is gorgeous....it was a long time ago, but I have to be believe that the whole area is still very very beautiful...
(And you all know that I loved, loved, loved, The Cotswolds...)


FOUR WEBSITES YOU VISIT DAILY:
(Well...there are many many MANY blogs I visit and LOVE to visit on a daily basis...and many of you know most of them, but, here are a few that you may not be as familiar with that I enjoy tremendously....)
1.-Chickie at www.skitteringthoughts.blogspot.com She is a delight! Always makes me laugh and she has two doggies that you will fall in love with as well as her huband "Sweety", who is a hoot!
2.- Ron at www.bighappyfunhouse.com This is a 'found photo's' website and it truly is one of the bright spots of my day...Rachel goes there, too!
3.- Danny Miller at www.dannymiller.typepad.com/blog He got me started blogging and I love his humor and his very serious side, too Wonderful writing!
4.- Chatty at www.watchutawkinbout.com Chatty tells it like it is and makes me laugh, a lot...she also has a serious side that touches my heart!

FOUR OF YOUR FAVORITE FOODS:
1.- Dark Chocolate...in any form!
2.- Eggplant Parmesan
3.- Vegetarian Risotto from Orso's.
4.- Sesame Noodles from Hunan Cafe or Yang Chow

FOUR PLACES YOU WOULD RATHER BE RIGHT NOW:
1.- New York City, seeing 8 plays and musicals on Broadway in 8 days!
2.- Having a great dinner at The Bel Air Hotel, Bel Air, CA., a stones throw from me sort of, but it's another world entirely....Great place for a Honeymoon....
3.- The Cotswolds...see all those previous posts...
4.- Lying on the Beach almost anywhere that is Tropical so I can watch the ocean and be mesmerized....

FOUR BLOGGERS YOU ARE TAGGING:
I'm not going to tag anyone...If you feel like doing this, do!
It's fun!

And...I have not been surfing about on many blogs too much today, nor will I be for a few days more...because I am working on my letters that I have to write notes on and sign, for the S.T.A.G.E. Benefit that I Co-Chair each year for (counting this coming show) twenty years along with my dear friend Betty Garrett....

The letters are an enormous undertaking because there are 411 of them...HELP ME, PLEASE....and the notes, depending on how well or how close I am to people, are sometimes quite l-o-n-g....but it does make a difference--this writing of personal notes to people, and, of course, it does take a lot of time...I'm just starting on the K's....

So...don't worry about me if you haven't seen a comment, I'm okay...just busy with other stuff...And I WILL be back after I get finished with all this...

Enjoy the Four Questions Meme.

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WHERE HAVE ALL THE FLOWERS GONE?

Do any of you remember this song?

It was a kind of an anthem in the 1960's and '70's, written by the great GREAT Pete Seeger and sung at Anti War Protest rallies by people who felt very strongly about all of our boys dying in a senseless war that we had no business being in-- in the first place....(Sound Familiar?)

Earlier today I got up to go into the kitchen to feed Sweetie, and for some strange reason, this song came into my head...I don't know why...but I know that things like that happen for a reason....Anyway, I thought to myself...'what made me think of this song?'...and then I thought about seeing Marlene Dietrich in concert at The Dorothy Chandler Pavillion here in Los Angeles in the 1970's...and remembering that she sang this song as part of her repetoire in that particular concert and how deeply moving it was to see this fantastic performer sing this particular song....

WHERE HAVE ALL THE FLOWERS GONE
(words and music by Pete Seeger)

Where have all the flowers gone?
Long time passing
Where have all the flowers gone?
Long time ago
Where have all the flowers gone?
Girls have picked them every one
When will they ever learn?
When will they ever learn?

Where have all the young girls gone?
Long time passing
Where have all the young girls gone?
Long time ago
Where have all the young girls gone?
Taken husbands every one
When will they ever learn?
When will they ever learn?

Where have all the young men gone?
Long time passing
Where have all the young men gone?
Long time ago
Where have all the young men gone?
Gone for soldiers every one
When will they ever learn?
When will they ever learn?

Where have all the soldiers gone?
Long time passing
Where have all the soldiers gone?
Long time ago
Where have all the soldiers gone?
Gone to graveyards every one
When will they ever learn?
When will they ever learn?

Where have all the graveyards gone?
Long time passing
Where have all the graveyards gone?
Long time ago
Where have all the graveyards gone?
Covered with flowers every one
When will we ever learn?
When will we ever learn?

©1961 (Renewed) Fall River Music Inc
All Rights Reserved.



Dietrich was one of The Great Entertainers of the 20th Century. An "Icon" and memorable in every respect...She was a Star of Films, Theatre, and Cabaret....an amazing women that never ceased to surprise in the depth of her caring....

God knows how many of you remember Marlene Dietrich or even know who she was...but, the above song is not a song one would have associoated with her. Dietrich was a "STAR" in the truest sense of that word....before the 'one name' recognition of very talented people ever really began...even before Elvis....There was Marlene!

This woman had been a star in her native Germany and came to the United States in 1930, having had a very successful career in theatre and films, climaxing with the original German version of "The Blue Angel" and she was then put under contract to Paramount Pictures...

Her American film career spanned from 1930 till around 1964, with a few more films after that....but she was this international icon by virtue of those early films in Germany and at Paramount and then later as a Caberet Performer playing ALL the major cities of the world and making over a hundred recordings in English and German...

One of her most famous record albums came in this incrediby beautiful packaging, which, when you opened the cover, the perfume Dietrich wore (Lanvin's Arpege) would wisp it's way out, enveloping you in 'The Dietrich Mystique'...this album was a true gem, and was recorded 'live' opening night, at The Cafe De Paris in London with an introduction by the very great Noel Coward...1954.

When Dietrich was reviewed in London...Milt Shulman of The Evening Standard in London said:

"Slithering down the famous stairs like a glacier glinting in the sunlight came a fantasy in white furs and rhinestones that kissed Mr. Coward, wrapped itself round the microphone and turned out to be Miss Dietrich.
She was wearing a dress that could only be described as a masterpiece of illusion. It was transparent enough to make you think you were seeing everything and opaque enogh to make you realise you were seeing nothing. Houdini must have designed it."

She was known for many many things...including the greatest pair of gams, ever! Even in her 70's, she exuded glamour and a sexuality like no other performer before her or since...It was said that she had affairs with both men and women and broke many many hearts...and I can believe it having seen her perform in concert in 1974.

Many years before, I had been on my way to an audition with my then accompanist, Nat Jones, and we were in a cab on 54th street in New York...and there walking towards our stopped-in-traffic cab, attempting to cross the street on a diagonal and going right by the cab and then behind it...heading for the downtown side of 54th streeet was Marlene...and those legs!
Nat and I both followed her with our eyes, twisting our heads to be able to see her through the back window of the cab, till she disappeared in the crowd of people walking on the sidewalk...YES! Dietrich and her legs were extraordinary!

Sitting in the theatre waiting for Dietrich to make her entrance in 1974 as Burt Bacharach conducted her oveture, the audience was holding it's breath in anticipation of her arrival....she did not dissappoint! Known for wearing these gorgeous long sparkling tasteful off white gowns on stage and entering from the wings with a long white fur wrapped around her shoulders and body...she was the epitome of the glamourous sexy woman, (even then, in her 70's)...who could wrap any man (and/or woman, I gather) around her little finger.
Singing many of her signiture songs, like "Falling In Love Again"...not the more modern one, but the one from the 1930's..."Falling in Love Again..Never Wanted to...What Am I To Do, Can't Help it..." ...and then the B section of the song or chorus as it is called, has a line in it..."Men cluster to me like moths around a flame...And if their wings burn I know I'm not to blame...." and that was her reputation....a lady killer who shot men down by breaking their hearts and then moved on...So, for her to switch gears and sing "Where Have All The Flowers Gone" might seem completely out of character, but, indeed, it wasn't at all...

In spite of her German background she was very Anti Nazi...and during World War 2, having become an American citizen in 1939, she entertained our troops all over the world, traveling many times to very dangerous places near the fighting....she was later given The Medal Of Freedom by The United States Of America...her adopted and beloved country...
The highest honor a civilian can recieve in this country..."Meritorious Service in support of Military Operations meeting grueling schedule of performances under battle conditions despite risk to her life"...A brave and loyal woman this Dietrich, on top of all her other attributes...

When Dietrich died in 1992, she was almost 91 years old...and there never was another like her, nor will there be....In the Orsen Welles directed film "Touch Of Evil" Marlene has a line in which she says in reference to the the character that Oren Welles is playing in the film..."He was some kind of man"....

The same could be said of Dietrich: "She was some kind of woman".

And if she were alive today, she probably would still be entertaning the troops by traveling to Iraq without even thinking twice at the possible cost or risk to her own life, and then too, here on the 'Home Front' she would be playing her concerts dressing in that same fantastically glamourous sexy way...still creating that same illusion....and all while singing about the very real losses of life and limb and the costs of war, as written in this poignant song by the great Pete Seeger, "Where Have All The Flowers Gone".

Artist's and their heartfelt convictions. If they are good, (and Dietrich was great) they touch you and move you and can break your heart, every time....and you remember them 32 years later, as if it were yesterday.

Bless Her And Bless Pete Seeger, Too.

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MY GARDEN

This is a rather long post, so take that bathroom break, now!

I started my Cactus Garden in 1986. It is hard to believe that almost 20 years have passed....I've always loved Cactus, so after I had the outside of my home painted and when I realized that the painters left all the surounding areas looking like a War Zone...I decided I wanted to do something different with my garden...And, I had always loved Cactus.

My house hangs out over the hill cantilever style, which is one of the great alternative methods of building in the hills....And it's almost the only way, given the steepness of some of these hill lots. The largest portion of land available to me for planting, is underneath my house. I began planting down below my house after clearing out a lot of things that were of no real interest to me because there had never been any rhyme or reason for them being there in the first place.

BUT, I didn't do any of the underneath planting until I kind of ran out of room upstairs in the front of my home. When I began out in front I started with this rather small piece of land on the far side of my garage which is on the left of my house as you face it. If you read my World Aids Day post, on December 1st, you may remember I spoke of a wonderful man named Jim Lee, who owned a nursery and who became a good friend. The plants I mentioned in that post were one of the first things I planted after finally tracking them down at his place. They are called Yucca Rostrata's, and they come from Texas. I had never ever seen them before in my life, and then came across them outside this building near Theatre West where they were in huge pots....(this was the place that eventually told me they had come from Flamingo Gardens, Jim Lee's nursery.) And here they are, very shortly after I planted them in 1986....that plant to the right behind it is a Euphorbia Ingens....






The next photo is about 3 or 4 years later....and as you can see, the Rostrata's haven't grown that much, yet, but that Euphorbia Ingens over in the back, on the far right, has.... It is very very exciting to watch these incredible plants grow and change and mature.


Here they are, about 10 or 11 years later.....(over on the right)


Rostrata's are not fast growers at all, so this was pretty remarkable. (And as you will see in the next photo....today, the Rostrata's are huge !)





And here they are, in all their glory. The Euphorbia Ingens, that big one behind the Rostrata's, has grown unbelievably....and it is actually about 2 to 3 feet lower than the Rostrata's due to the nature of the hill...And if you look carefully, there is a tiny Rostrata...behind the first one on the left, which is a baby off of one of those original three, and it's about 10 years old....they grow v-e-r-y slowly till they reach a certain age....

Amazingly beautiful plants....

The huge thin hairy-fuzzy cluster over to the right, is probably about 15 years old, and it was given to me by a friend.....it came in a tiny oblong planter, 3 inches by 6 inches and there were three teeny tiny stalks of these hairy people....here is a close-up of some flowers on this plant....it has had over 500 flowers in any given year....and they are most unusual....here is a picture of them....as you can see, they are tubular in shape and a deep red, in color....with a little stamen, that is yellow....

They do not open any further than you see in the photo....and as with so very many Cactus type plants, these are very sculptural and also, as you can see with this particular plant, very very phallic, too!
What's interesting too, is...the fuzz looks soft and like it would be nice to the touch....NOT! One must be extremely careful with cactus type plants....they are often very spikey and almost lethal....but you see, that is their protection in 'the wild'....so, though beautiful as they are, you really have to keep your distance, in a certain way......I personally find them utterly fascinating....knowing that they have survived century upon century...through everything imagineable and unimagineable, and that they still persevered and endured...they are survivors, and I think that's another reason I like them....they inspire me....

Once I started to plant things down below my house, (after removing all sorts of stuff that wasn't really serving much of a purpose) then, I had to have a way to get closer to the plants that I planted. The hill underneath my house was virtually impassable all the years I had lived here. Anytime I had ever tried to get down there just a little bit, I would fall because it was so very steep, and there was nothing to hold onto....so, after we began planting just a few things down below, it became clear that I needed stairs and walkways and then the task was to find someone who would be able to build these stairs and walkways....There was a mason who had done work for me in the past and I liked him very very much. He was honest and worked very quickly and cleanly and always finished ahead of his estmated schedule....a rarity in the 'building busines'. So I spoke with him and he came out to see the "problem" area....He said he thought the best materials to use were Railroad Ties...new ones, he suggested, because he said, they would weather very well and it's material that is guarenteed forever! Plus, he felt that due to the nature of this hill, railroad ties would look great....and I agreed with him, and so Joe Leone, the fabulous man and mason, began. These picture show the beginnings of two of the areas where we put the steps and stairways.

Over approximately a five year period we added more stairs and more walkways...And this happened as the garden grew with each passing year....Because, as I planted more plants so, more steps and walkways were needed...and, by the end of this 5 year period I was able to traverse my property from top to bottom and all the way from left to right...(it's almost impossible to show in pictures...you need to walk through it to get the full impact of the steepness and the vastness of this garden....)






Here are some more of the very special plants that were living in the garden, at the time this photo was taken....(I say this, THIS way, because, as with any living things, there are illnesses and in the case of plants, fungi and other diseases that can happen...and, unfortunately, DID happen...so I've lost almost 45 plants over these last two and a half years....Incredibly heartbreaking to me, I might add...I'm just grateful that I took all the photoraphs that I did...before their demise....)



This is a panoramic view, sort of, of just one little section of the garden,(looking north-east) with a couple of my neighbors homes in the background....(this neighborhood is filled with lot's af Artists and Artisans of Film and Television....the two homes in the background were both built around 1927...many, many of the original homes that were built in this area as it was being developed back then, are Spanish Style with Red Tiled Roofs...and it always gave this area a lovely feeling...as time has gone on, somewhere along about the late 1950's, the original developer lost control of the 'type' of home that could be built here, and so now you see many different styles of architecture up here in these hills, as you see throughout most Los Angeles neighborhoods).....and it's interesting that after I began developing the property underneath my home, my neighbors began doing the same thing, in their own way of course....and by this act of developing previously unchartered territory, many of us have increased our living space and by so doing we have enriched our lives as well as the lives of all those who live in this neighborhood. Many of my neighbors love my garden and tell me so as they walk the neighborhood on any given afternoon, which is very gratifying.

Here is a photo of a different view of the garden looking north-west....


You can see that this is quite a steep hill with the steps going up, and all....and you can just barely see one of the white pilings in the upper right hand corner of the photo, under some greenery...one of quite a few pilings I might add, helping to hold up my cantilivered house...








You can really see a portion of the underneath of my house in this photo...(more north than east) another part of the garden looking up to the right hand corner of the house....and more pilings....and more plants, too....







If you are way down at the bottom right corner of the property and look up, this is what you see...Another Rostrata in the forground and the corner of my house, hanging over the hill, at the top of the photo...and you get just a small idea of the steepness of this hill.....

And then, this photo is looking up at the undernath of my house from the lower left hand corner, with a Sequaro in the foreground....these beautiful majestic plants are found in the desert all over Arizona...and this one, here in my garden is just a baby. Probably only 200 years old!

There will be more to come.....and just to give you a little treat...I'm going to post one more photograph.....a flower that proves that these plants have a tender beautiful soul.....and a heart, too.....



This is a close-up of a flower that is only about a half an inch high.....so much beauty and vibrant color in such a tiny little person...and living on a rather scary spikey though beautifully symetrical plant...

Like I said...More to come...

***FURTHER UPDATE: Saturday, Late Afternoon...They came; they saw; they have no answers yet! Hopefully Monday they will come up with two different scenerio's, after they get some prices on 'cherry picker's' and/or other types of "lifts"....it is completely clear, I'm sorry to say, that NOW, we'll be lucky if we can save more arms...Part of the problem is that very few people have worked with these kinds of plants....Virgin Cacti Removers...!

I hope I will know more by late Monday...one thing that Seven realized today and showed me is that the plant broke somewhat at the bottom...so besides being uprooted, the weight of the plant combined with these gale like-Tornado-like winds, snapped this poor dear at the bottom...Oh Nurse!***

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MY GARDEN -2 (well, what should have been 2--written before Monday Morning...)

Continuing with more about my garden...over this almost 20 years, some of the plants have grown, unbelievably....The family of plants known as Euphorbia's are generally a pretty fast growing group, though many do not grow "tall", but grow "spread out"....(The Euphorbia family is about 1,500 species strong....I know, it's hard to fathom)....anything that has a milky substance inside is part of the Euphorbia family, so...you have things as diverse as a big tall cactus-like-plant such as this Amak Verigated to a small and beautiful Pointsettia....


And to see what this plant looked like about 8 months after I planted it..here it is, a tiny person, less than two feet high!
This is in a very small border-type planter that lines the small walkway going to my front-door. At best, it only got sun around 3 hours a day...because that particular section of the entry-way just doesn't get more sun than that....so, it took many many years to reach the roof line...even though this Euphorbia Amak Verigated is normally a very fast grower in 'the wild'.

Here are two views of this same plant as it got closer to that much needed roof line so it would get 12 hours of sun a day!


Here, looking towards the front door..this poor spindly looking person
didn't really show the signs of how magnificent it would one day be....but, one must have faith, you know?

And, the close-up of the upper section gives just a hint of what might be coming...though in truth, I had no idea that once this actually got above the roof line it would take off and become a gorgeous gorgeous tree-like HUGE plant, probably 50 feet high....
maybe even more....no one can really get up to the top to measure it....all we can do is try to take some photographs that may hopefully give you the 'idea' of it's enormity....

__________________________

This was as far as I got in what was going to be the 2nd post about my Cactus Garden....and then, the tragedy happened on Monday...So...this beautiful plant now has about 25 less arms...(As much as Seven and the guys could remove on Thursday...) and it is still questionable if it can be saved...part of the problem is that it weighs so very much...we now realize it probably weighs 3 or 4 tons...Yes...Tons.

And how did we come to this conclusion? Well, since Seven and his crew had to lift and carry each of these 25 arms....and estimated that some of them weighed 150 pounds or more (many being over 14 feet with their own arms!!!....)
and in addition there are all the heavy heavy arms that are still left on this wonderful plant...and this unbelievable thick wood-like trunk....so...you do the math!

And as I write this, it is still on that 45 dregree angle where is has been since Monday Morning...the 'pully' mentioned in my Thursday Thirteen turned out to be a Mickey Mouse type solution....which had no chance of working...and any and all of the other things that Seven considered were all Mickey Mouse, too, I'm afraid...not because he doesn't care, but because he just doesn't have the answers to this enormous, in more ways than one, problem.....

So, I called 'The Cavalry'....that is: There is a Nursery out in Pasadena,
Meleenee, that I discovered twenty years ago, which only grows and sells Cactus and Cactus Related plants! A true treasure trove, if that is your interest...it is a family owned and run business...and the father, who is now dead, had 6 or 7 children, all girls...One of the daughters runs the Nursery..her name is Molly, and all of them couldn't be nicer...Over the years I bought an enormous amount of plants from them...some 'speciman'....ALL Beautiful....so I call on Molly whenever I encounter a problem that I don't have the answers for....she has always been extremely helpful and understanding...today was no different, though it was difficult to get her to grasp the enormnity of this plant....Once she got it, she said, "You need a trees service to come out and help you trim those arms...". Duhhh! Well, yes! (lol) I got that, but what was more difficult to explain was because of the height, we couldn't reach a lot of the arms, and, when they could reach them...they were so top heavy that without proper support they would fall...and most likely break...and possibly cause more damage to the already damaged roof!!!

Once that became clear to her, she said... "You need a 'cherry picker'! Well, when I finally got what THAT was, it then became clear that some kind of Major Tree Service was needed...again, the wonderful Molly searched the internet and faxed me some names of local-to-Hollywood tree services....After a number of hours, I spoke with a very nice man named Mark Bruna who is coming today..(Friday) to evaluate the situation....

I have sort of made peace with the idea that this great magnificent plant will most likely have to be cut down...and yes, the amazing thing about these plants is each arm can be planted...Not that I can plant that many...there isn't enough room for the all-together 50 odd arms....but I will happily give many of them to people who would like to have them and will plant them in their own gardens...I've done that for all the years I've had this magnificent collection. Whenever we have cuttings we plant what we can and give the rest away...it's a lovely thing to do and a very satisfying thing to know that arms from your plants are all over the place being propagated and continuing to spread joy...)

So..Stay tuned for the next installment of the mystery of "The Euphorbia Amak Verigated's" outcome...Right now, it looks pretty bad because all these plants grow as needed and balance themselves as needed-- as they grow, so they always have a beautiful shape....it no longer has that shape, and after today and the amputation of so many arms, it never will have this same shape again....even if we can save it.

Not the end of the world, I know. There are much much worse things, and so, I'm trying to be as philosophical as I can about the outcome here...whatever happens will be, what happens...or as Doris Day sang...Ca Sera, Sera....But in all honesty, it is a problem I wish I had not had to become philosophical about...given all the other losses in the garden over these last two and a half years...

Like I said....stay tuned....

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THURSDAY THIRTEEN


1.- So, there was this horrific Wind/Tornado-Like-Hurrican-Like Rain-Thing that happened on Monday Morning, here in Los Angeles....

2.- I've lived up Here In The Hills for a loooooonngg time and NEVER NEVER NEVER experienced anything like this v-e-r-y, V-E-R-Y SCARY thing that took place, on Monday Morning...

3.- This Euphorbia Amak Verigated, which is probably 50+ feet tall, and weighs a ton...literally...A TON...was knocked over onto the roof of my patio, (Thank God it was the Patio Roof...)

4.- It is now Wednesday, and it is still sitting there, where it landed. on Monday Morning...


5.- My gardener, Seven...came over to look at it on Monday afternoon while it was still raining...and wisely decided that it was too slippery up there on the roof to do anything about 'righting' it...(besides not having any help to do anything even if it wasn't still raining and dangerously slippery)...and proceeded to put a rope around it, tying it down so that it would not be knocked down further, or do more horrible damage to it, or to my house by the then still continuing winds...

6.- Needless to say I was wrecked about this, because this plant is so very very dear to my heart....Ironically, I have been preparing some posts about my garden, the second post was going to feature this plant...in all it's unbelievabe glory...along with photo's of it when it was first planted, almost 20 years ago...at less than 2 feet tall....(LESS THAN 2 FEET, PEOPLE...NOW, 50+ FEET.....help meeeee!)

7.- I will still put these posts up eventually, but the further irony of it all, is...I'm not sure we can save this Amak Verigated at it's present height...and, as of now, around 12 + arms have been knocked off by the 'fall' and more could come off when they try to 'right' it, cause, as strong and sturdy as this guy is, he is also delicate, too....the amazing dichotomy of these Euphorbia's....

8.- So....On Tuesday, late afternoon, Seven came and 5 young strapping boys/men met him up here not really knowing what they were expected to do...He, Seven, had a plan, but...his plan did not work. He put a piece of hose around the plant and these 5 kids got up there on the roof and tried to pull it up-right....

9.- It wouldn't budge! Not an inch! Nada.
Nothing. They could not move it--no way, nowhow, anyway that they tried....and they did try, (though a couple of them expressed great fear of heights...perfect candidates for this roof job, wouldn't you say???)

10.- So...they took down the 12+ arms that had broken off...now sitting on my patio...(one of them probably weighing 60 or 70 pounds...)....

11.- Seven re-tied the Amak the way he had it on Monday afternoon, and said he would come back on Wednesday after getting a "pully" arrangement to try to get the plant righted that way...

12.- He called me about 3:08pm on Wednesday and said he wan't able to pick up the pully, but would get it first thing Thursday morning and after going to his other clients, (he works for me all day on Saturdays with three of his sons...one of them, Fernando, had brought these 4 friends on Tuesday) and besides the fear of heights problem, we also had the 'they know nothing about Cactus Plants'--problem....One of these young assholes said, "Well, why don't you just cut it down...?"

13.- Yeah! Sure! And why don't you just cut your arm off, Naomi? Or cut your heart out?? I mean, that's what this is like for me....this plant is like my child...I have been watching over it and loving it for almost twenty years...so this beautiful magnificent plant is a part of my heart...
I realize this young man doesn't have a clue...and I probably wouldn't have at his age either..but, I did tell Seven on the phone on Wednesday afternoon, that he really needs to find some guys who know what they are doing and will "care"....and treat this plant with all the respect it needs and deserves...the 'Perils Of Pauline Saga' continues....It is my fervent wish to try to save the integrity of this magnificent creature...well, I should say, what's left of this magnificent creature, with so many of it's arms already lying on the patio floor, and the very real possibility of more arms coming off with the further attempt to right it later today...(I hope)...
All I can say is OY!....

Stay tuned.....







(I KNOW THIS IS A LOUSY STINKING PHOTOGRAPH....BUT IT'S 3 O'CLOCK IN THE MORNING....WHAT DO YOU EXPECT???....)

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LIAR, LIAR PANTS ON FIRE #2

Okay...here is the way this one comes down...

1- I played duets on the piano with Jeff Bridges.

Yes! I did play duets with Jeff...we both belonged to Theatre West and we had a special improvisational night there called "Thursdays"..so called cause we couldn't think of another name for it....But it was an 'anything goes' kind of night...including in this case, Jeff and myself playing "gibberish" duets on the piano there..it was one of the most exciting excersizes I've ever participated in...
Jeff and I had an exquisite musical communication that showed that we were so in tune with one another it almost sounded like we were actually playing real music...I've always been sorry that there was no recording of that 'happening'...it was THE perfect example of 'talking' and 'listening' which is what all truly great acting is based on, only this was musical communication, at it's finest! We played like this for a good 45 minutes!!! It was great!


2-Chazz Palmenteri was in a play I wrote.

Yes! Indeed he was. It was his first paying 'acting job' in Los Angeles.
He was working as a bouncer for a very posh nightclub in Beverly Hills...and he was also a member of Theatre West, at the time. I had written a three-act play called "The Dressing Room" about backstage happenings on a particular night of a particular play in a Broadway Theatre, one hour before curtain, which took place in four different Dressing Rooms in 'real time'. Chazz played the Limosine driver who happened to be a good friend of The Stage Manager of this particular play. It was not a huge part, but it was a very important part because it showed the frustrations of a young man who wanted better things than driving a limo.... Chazz was quite wonderful in it. And all during the run of my play he was writing and working on his own one-man show, "A Bronx Tale", which became a hugely successful Theatre piece (Directed by the very handsome and incredibly talented Mark Travis....remember him at my New Year's Party?) and then "Bronx Tale" went on to be a successful film which was directed by Robert DeNiro (another crummy show biz story....)....besides being a super actor, Chazz was a real team player in my play, too, which really endeared him to me.


3- I shared a dressing room with Lucy Lawless-Xenia.

Yes! As some of you seemed to know, already...I did indeed, along with 30 (yes, thirty!) some-odd other women...and not a 'diva' among them I might add, including Lucy.
She performed in the S.T.A.G.E. Benefit, (Southland Theatre Artists Goodwill Event) which I Co-Chair with Betty Garrett. Besides being incredibly co-operative and nice and very very talented---she sang beautifully--Lucy could have been a Diva, but wasn't, at all! She single handedly sold over $10,000 worth of tickets just because she has this incredible fan-base who travel just about anywhere to support her and anything she lends her support to as well. I had never heard of Xenis...never seen it...had no idea what it was, so when our Director David Galligan told me Lucy Lawless had agreed to do our show..I said; "Who?" I know...deeply feeble....! But I found out pretty quickly. And during our three day marathon weekend of performances, someone asked me to ask her if she had any personal kinds of things she would be willing to donate to our Silent Auction...and this question came up because we were all so impressed with her loyal fans who had booked seats for all three shows; flown in from the east, etc. It's a long story which I won't go into now, but, suffice it to say, Lucy couldn't have been more cooperative or nicer about it, and donated three things that were very special limited-editions DVD's of her show...which she
signed especially for S.T.A.G.E., and with signed photo's too....so ultimately she helped to raise another almost $5000. with this donation.....ALL this in the most generous and open hearted way...I would say that all of us were very impressed with her heartfelt generosity as well as being so giving of her talent....for no money I might add...All the talent in our shows do not get paid a dime! All proceeds go to the AIDS Charitys that we do this for, and S.T.A.G.E. is the oldest longest running AIDS Benefit, in the world. This coming March will be the 22nd year of this fund raiser.


4- I have met two former Presidents of The United States.

Yes! I have met two former Presidents.
So now you know that Ben Affleck has not been in my house...BUT, there is more to that story, which I will get to after the Presidential sagas...
The Presidents: I got to meet Lyndon Johnson in Washington D.C., when he was still President of The United States. I won't go into the exact circumstances except to say it was at a rather important ground breaking ceremony. President Johnson was this very tall very very handsome and imposing man. He smiled at me and shook my hand and I just about swooned...There is something awesome about 'The Office', and this makes 'The Man In That Office' even more incredibly awesome, too...it has nothing to do with weather you like his polictics or not....that seems to have no meaning when this kind of thing happens to you...I've spoken to other people who have met Presidents and former Presidents whose politics they abhored...and they were bowled over by the 'personal charisma' of that President...
Truthfully, I didn't care for Johnson's politics, especially concening the Viet Nam war, but I tell you, this man was charismatic like the biggest Rock Star you could possibly imagine, ever!
I met Dwight D. Eisenhower, and it was long after he was President....very long after....
He lived in Palm Springs, at least in the winters, he did... (That seems to be a popular place for some former Presidents...) and he was a great Golfing afficianado...the people I was with knew him and again, I just got to shake his hand and say hello, and I was in tears for a few moments after, I was so moved by the experience...and I thought he was a terrible President! So....I guess, our Presidents are like the rest of the world's royalty...The Office, truly generates an overwhelming awesomeness....no matter who the man actually is...that's pretty amazing in and of itself, isn't it?


5- Ben Affleck has been in my house.

Well, now you know that this was the lie...but, he actually could have been in my house, because he used to be a neighbor living as he did down the hill from me...
And I use to look down onto the roof of his house where the pool is (Only in The Hollywood Hills, right, pools on roofs!) and see him and some of his buddies swimming and sun bathing...
He sold that house because it was so very close to the street that he had absolutely no privacy, at all. (Little did he know he had someone looking down on his roof...Talk about 'no privacy'!)...I remember when that house was built...they had to gauge out a huge portion of the hill just to be able to build it and it was built on spec...so, when the speculater who built it, ran out of money and couldn't quite finish the house, the house was put on the market...All the people who live up here are always going to see houses that are up For Sale in the neighborhood...so, of course I wanted to see it....and trust me here...this was a terrible house....it was a very skinny house because of the hill problem; it went up 5 story's...and the kitchen was on the 2nd or 3rd floor...(don't remember now...) with the master bedoom on the 4th floor and the pool and patio on the 5th floor.....

It had no yard whatsoever, except for the hill behind the house which was at an almost 80 degree angle so that you couldn't really do anything with it at all....(it makes my hill underneath my house look flat, in comparison....) Anyway, I believe this was Mr. Affleck's first house after winning the Academy Award....and he sold this house during the most 'heated' part of his engagement to Jennifer Lopez, because the paparazzi gave him no peace and no privacy, either.....and frankly, I think his close-by neighbors weren't too thrilled with having lots and lots of people with camera's right at their front doors!

So there you have it.

Of all the people who guessed, it was interesting that all the answers were pretty evenly divided between #1, #2, #3, and #4...with, in order: 4, 4, 3 & 3 and so not quite half of you voted for #5 and you all were correct! (3 people had no idea at all, and so didn't vote at all....)

Congratulations to all those who guessed correctly! Hope you enjoyed this as much as I did....and thank you all for participating, my lovely's...



And, if you get a chance, do stop by Karen at Heartsongs today....her beloved doggie crossed over The Rainbow Bridge day before yesterday....and she could use the support of all of you who will understand this terrible loss because you have your own four footed friends whom you treasure....

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LIAR, LIAR, PANTS ON FIRE #2

So here's another "Liar, Liar"....I have no idea if this one will be as successful as that first one, (Colleen said that with her 2nd one people guessed the lie pretty easily...) but I thought it might be fun to give it another go...the first one was so much fun!

So...I will tell you 5-(Five....making this a little harder...I hope) things about myself and 4-(Four) will be the truth, and one will be the lie! Sound like fun? I hope so!

So, here they are....


1 - I've played duets on the piano with Jeff Bridges.

2 - Chazz Palmenteri acted in a play of mine.

3 - I shared a Dressing Room with Lucy Lawless-Xenia!

4 - I've met 2 (two) former Presidents of The United States.

5 - Ben Affleck has been in my home.


I decided to make all of these about famous people because you know more about me and my life now than you did when I did this the first time....

Have fun, my lovely's....I will eventually post which one is the lie, etc....after giving everyone plenty of time to guess.

Have a good time....

And, if you get a chance, do stop by Karen at Heartsongs today....her beloved doggie crossed over The Rainbow Bridge yesterday....and she could use the support of all of you who will understand this terrible loss because you have your own four footed friends whom you treaure....

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SOME PHOTO'S OF NEW YEARS
(see post below this one)

Here are just a couple of pictures of some of the truly silly "gifts" in The White Elephant Game....plus a couple of others, not silly...

Betty G. with the "Tickle Me Foot"!
This little doozy, began laughing while still in it's Christmas wrapped box...it really is very amusing and so silly as to be truly funny! Betty loved it and lucky lady that she is, nobody took it away from her....so, she went home with this funny thingy...(Just touching it would make it laugh so it laughed all through the game...and everytime it laughed, so did all of us....I guess we are all pretty silly and easily pleased too, I'm happy to say.....)

But, let's go back before the game started. Here are a couple of photo's as we had some pre-dinner and dinner..... The beautiful Karen Culliver, (Betty's talented daughter-in-law) and Maddy Claire Parks, (Betty's Grandaughter...) They had barely gotten off the plane from Florida having visited Karen's folks for Christmas....Karen has one of the most beautiful soprano voices I've ever heard...I call it 'a Heartbreak Voice'....because she can break your heart with her glorious singing...And, Andrew Lloyd Webber thought so too...and Karen Opened the Chicago company of "Phantom Of The Opera", playing it there for a year and a half before moving to the Broadway company....dear adorable Maddy will turn 10 years old on January 12th....
and here is this bright darling little girl with her Daddy, Garrett Parks...(Betty's incredibly handsome and talented son, a very fine musician....) Maddy, who just started wearing braces in these last few months... is the brightest, funniest 10 year old I've ever met...maybe it's because she is surrounded by sweet and bright talented people! Whatever it is, she is a joy to be around...

And here are a few other random photo's at the dinner table and elsewhere....

The beautiful Seemah Wilder....good friend and lovely human being....One of the Six Cotswolds Cuties.....And Jacquie Scott and Joe Umbrino...
Jacquie is a terrific actress and a very very old friend and the darling Joe is a great great friend and a very special human being...such fun to spend time with and a joy to be around...somehow age differences never seem to matter in 'show business'...which means that your circle of friends can range from people quite a bit older than yourself and the reverse, as well...I love that about all the people in my life, and I know all of us feel that way, maybe because we are all children at heart, and doing the kind of work we do trancends age, race, sex, etc....I'm happy to say...




Here's a Happy New Year kiss, from Dianne Travis to her very dear husband Mark....more good dear old friends....she, a splendid actress and he, a superlative director...

Now....more of the strange but funny White Elephant Presents....

These are the "Old Fart" Slippers....which I was lucky enough to open....but also was very fortunate that someone took them away from me...(Thank You Dear Lord!)...they are kind of funny, and of course, extremely extremely silly...when you walk on them, they make farting noises....and I suppose, if the name wasn't so brazenly printed on them, one might think that someone truly did 'let one fly'....

(There seemed to be more sort of risque or downright dirty gifts this year than any of us remembered from years past....hmmm...what the hell does that say about all of us?)

This next little item is for someone who needs to get their anger out, and knows they may need to do it again and again and again....You can tear this little guy apart and then put him back together again...I think the lovely Seemah got to take this item home....people were not exactly fighting over it....I took two photo's of this because the front had the name of it and the back--the second photo, had a fine picture of what this 'doll'(?) looks like...anybody want this? I'm sure Seemah would be happy to send it to you with very little encouragement needed....No? Well, nobody else wanted it either! And the rules of the game are: You open it and nobody takes it from you...YOU take it home with you! (No one is allowed to leave any of this crap at my house...lol)

Now, this next one is rather X rated....if you are easily offended by graphic body parts....leave now!

This "Creamer"..(yes, that is what it is....) has been floating around this game for about 8 or 9 years....a different person seems to end up with it each time and since you cannot put things in the game one year after another but have to wait till the following year...it could have been around the game longer than 9 years...I honestly don't remember...But, I have had this in my possession for the last two years and put it back in the game this year...I don't know why I did that because, believe it or not, I have become very fond of this creamer...(Don't ask!). Charlie B. (Another Cotswold's participant) opened this and later, I took back from him, and this year NOBODY took it away from me...I have no idea how come, but it now sits back in the place I had it in for two years..it's not exactly in a prominant place, mind you, but it is certainly not hidden away where no one can see it....if one were to look closely, one could definitely see it. Ready???

This really is a 'gross' picture, isn't it?

Well, now that you know more about me and my sweet friends than you ever wanted to...

(And this is not a drinking crowd, by the way, at all! Nor are we really a randy crowd, either..but everyone certainly does love a good dirty joke! And this item falls into that catagory, wouldn't you say?? Ahh yes, those Bawdy Theatre People, you know?)

I think these are the highlights of the 'bad' gifts...maybe there are a couple of other things..Oh yes! There is one more sort of 'Strange But True' item that I photographed...an Urn of sorts, with holes in it..(???)...this is the perfect kind of White Elephant for the game....so ugly that it's fascinating and everyone wants it, so this went around the circle many many times before 'times up'. I know that in the morning whoever ended up with this will be saying...like, "why did I want this?????...what was I thinking!!!??"




And so, another New Year's Eve has come and gone...another White Elephant Game played, and a truly wonderful time was had by all...

You know, we've all known each other for so long that everyone knows everything there is to know about each other and we all still love one another....so more than anything, it's the getting together on New Year's Eve that makes for a memorable evening...and in spite of the fact that our numbers were reduced by "The Crud" that is cursing L.A. this New Years, a good time was had by all who were well enough to be here, I'm happy to say! This was a swell way to usher in 2006!

And so, on this very first day of the brand new year, I again wish all of you the very best that you can have in 2006! May all your dreams come true, my lovely's....

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2006 IS HERE!

Here on the hill, we brought in the New Year with scrumptios starters; a beautiful dinner and the fun game that we play every year..."The White Elephant Game"....which I explained in detail in my Thursday Thirteen...a little over two weeks ago.

Dinner started a little bit later than usual because the weather here was pretty lousy....rain, you know....and when it rains in L.A., especially the first big rain in a while, the streets are a mess...slick and difficult to navigate...so traffic is usually pretty bad....No one knows how to drive here in L.A., when it rains...and with good reason...because the streets do get flooded very very quickly....and where it's not flooded, the streets are, as I said, slick....this 'slickness is from accumulated oil-residue from NOT having rained in months sometimes, and that makes the streets
v-e-r-y slippery in the rain till that residue is washed away....

So that made people somewhat late. Then, three of the people, (My dear friend Betty's son, Garret and daughter in-law Karen and granchild Maddie, had flown in from Florida where they had gone for Christmas to be with Karen's family....and had not arrived back at their house till about 6:30pm....so they didn't get here till around 7:50pm...and I wanted to give them time to settle in and have some yummy beginnings....so, we didn't sit down for inner itself , till much later than originally planned....but that was fine and everyone seemed to enjoy the food very very much...

We played the game and some very silly and atrocious things were opened by the 12 of us....(we were to have been 18, but a terrible bad "Upper Respiratory Illnes" is running rampant here in L.A. So our numbers were a bit smaller this year...which as it turned out was just fine...this smaller more intimate group made for a different and really nice mix, which everyone seemed to enjoy...And, the game went a bit faster because our numbers had thinned out by one-third...I will post some of the pictures, maybe tomorrow....though they are not great....just so you can see some of the mostly silly game things....for now, I'm going to toddle off to bed and try and recover from this truly wonderful evening...and hopefully I can give you more detail....tomorrow.

HAPPY NEW YEAR, ONE AND ALL!

Later......

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