Sunday, August 28, 2011
peacocks at hollywood forever
So.....finally, The Peacocks of Hollywood Forever. Isn't he a beauty? They have an enclosed area over against the wall on the Santa Monica Blvd. side of the cemetery, and there, they keep and raise, beautiful Peacocks. I have no idea why they do this because as many times as I have been to this cemetery I have never seen the Peacocks roaming about the way the other birds roam about---but it is my understanding that they do, on occasion, roam about. I really should call HF and ask them about their Peacocks......Every time I have been there the Peacocks are always in this rather large Pen......
That day in early July when Shawn and Kim and I were out for a spin---this recent July---we stopped Hollywood Forever and went by the Pen to visit the Peacocks. Now, I was sitting in the front, on the passenger side of the car, and as it happens that passenger window is sickly and you cannot make it go down...So, all of the pictures you see here were taken through the rather dusty window and through the wire that encloses the Pen, as well----considering that, I think they came out pretty good.....
This felt so far away....I needed to get in closer......Below, a closer look at the tail feathers of two of the very beautiful Peacocks living in the Pen.......
We need to see this tail much closer than that......
It is unreal looking, it is so very beautiful.....Here below another view of another Bird.....
I love the angle of the picture above....I wish I could tell you that I posed this Peacock just for the picture....but, no....that is just where he was.....There was quite a bit of movement in the Pen, and quite a few birds were in there.....Look at this beauty, below......
Check out these feet......
This next Peacock is interesting because the tail was not nearly as bright as the ones I've already shown you.....
And above, on a closer look, the tail looks faded and, one might say, 'old'.....Though I honestly don't know what I mean, except that I know there is a big difference between the other Peacocks tails, and this guys tail........
I so wish I could have gotten a better picture of this Emerald Green Peacock, above.....So very Beautiful....but, better this than no picture at all, right?
Above....the Peacocks in the Pen at Hollywood Forever seem to line up on some kind of wooden thingy and just sit there....In the first picture there are five (5) Peacocks, and getting in closer, we see three (3), though one is not as visible as it was in that first picture.....
A closer look at that BEAUTIFUL Blue fellow.....Gee, they are so exotic and unique......
I think the one on the right is a Female....In reading a little bit about Peacocks, it seems the males have the glorious plumage and the females are rather grayish and bland......
Look at this handsome devil.....He is really quite something....! I cannot get over the vibrancy of the blues and the greens of these male peacocks.....
Above, another interesting fellow....As you can see, the top picture shows him from rather far away and the second picture is a closer look at his head and his "comb"......And below, one more lovely Peacock, sitting in that Pen......
It was incredibly special to see these Birds and to take some pictures of them---even under the extreme conditions forced upon me....But what made this particular visit so very very special on that particular day was the fact that there were some little Peacock Babies. Yes! Some little Chicks.......
Awwwwwww, how dear are they....?
This was such a rare treat for me and for Kim & Shawn, too. These babies sure look sweet, don't they? This was a truly special day for all of us and memorable in every way, thanks to these little Peacock Chicks.....And, Thank You Hollywood Forever for having Peacocks as part of the Beauty of this wonderful place.....!
More To Come............
Note: To all of you who live on the East Coast of our wonderful country...I pray that "IRENE" does not do any damage to you and yours, and that you are safe and sound once Irene dissipates and moves on out to sea.......
| posted by OldLady Of The Hills at 12:08:00 AM
Tuesday, August 23, 2011
hollywood forever & birds - part 2
Hollywood Forever is right in the heart of Hollywood, yet you might not know it is there because it is in a rather uninteresting-looking part of town, though the back end of it butts up against Paramount Studios and the old RKO/ Desilu Studio, too---In fact, The Hollywood Cemetery once owned ALL of that property......
Those structures in the background above are the back of 'sets' on the Paramount Lot. And, incidentally, they do a very interesting here at Hollywood Forever. In the summertime, they show movies here at night---people sit out on the large expansive lawn, (There are no graves there so it is not a disrespectful happening, at all....).
The films are projected on the side of one of the Mausoleums----the lawn known as he Fairbanks Lawn because it is right behind the Douglas Fairbanks, Sr. Monument----is where these films are shown.....
I did not take these last two pictures---I found them on 'the net'.....I have never been to the outdoor movies there at Hollywood Forever, but I know people who have and they say it is a wonderful fun thing to do.....In the recent movie "Valentines Day", Director Garry Marshall uses Hollywood Forever and the outdoor films as a location.......
And the movie that is being shown in Garry Marshall's film is "Hot Spell" (1958) with Shirley MacLaine and Warren Stevens...In "Valentines Day" Shirley MacLaine plays a retired movie star and there is a scene in front of the movie being shown on the Mausoleum wall of MacLaine's character in the present with her husband played by Hector Elizando---it is really quite wonderful..........
Above, what we see up on the side of the Mausoleum in "Valentines Day", before the film "HOT SPELL" begins.....I loved that Garry Marshall used Hollywood Forever in his film----it is a lovely 'homage'.....Back to the birds who live at Hollywood Forever......During the day, if you go and visit this cemetery you will see lots of different birds, like these Swans on the Pond......
And the Egrets........
And there are an abundance of Beautiful Ducks on the Pond, as well as around the Fairbanks reflecting pool---at times.......
And, let's not forget the Wonderful Canadian Geese.....They are in abundance, too, in Hollywood Forever.......
There are lots of Canadian Geese there at Hollywood Forever....at least there were at the time I took this next series of pictures.....
I think they are such elegant birds, in all their big roundness-on-short- legs and their long-neck-ed-ness......And I think they are really quite beautiful.....Here below, a kind of wonderful series showing these birds on-the-move.......
And where they were headed was to this area that is on the side of the Mausoleum where Valentino is buried.....There seemed to be some yummy things there on the asphalt of the narrow street that runs behind the building........
In the picture below, you can see that these Geese wander all over the place......You can see them way across the Pond and closer to the foreground of the picture, they are very close to the pond...In fact, they go into the Pond quite a lot.......
I love the shadows of the trees reflected in the Pond....And below, my very favorite picture of one of the Canadian Geese at Hollywood Forever......
I promise to get to the Peacocks in Part 3. I had no idea I was going to get so carried away with the background of this amazing place...But, you get me started and I just can't stop! (lol)
More To Come........
| posted by OldLady Of The Hills at 12:08:00 AM
Thursday, August 18, 2011
hollywood forever & birds
One day in early July, Shawn and Kim and I took a drive and one of the places we went was to 'Hollywood Forever'....which use to be called The Hollywood Cemetery.....
I have written about my very favorite 'final resting place' many times before.....I really love this place. It has such a feeling of 'Old Hollywood' and embodies so much Hollywood History. It is where Rudolph Valentino's Crypt is............
And Douglas Fairbanks, Sr. is buried here......
Above, is the very beautiful monument to Fairbanks. And below, a closer look, and you ca see some of the Birds that live at Hollywood Forever....
Also....Marion Davies is buried here in her very own family Mausoleum...Douris is the name on the building because that was Davies real 'family' name. It is a beautiful little building with many lovely details---do click to make it bigger and then, click again to make it really Big!
Many other great and notable Hollywood people are buried here, too. The very handsome, talented and very much under rated Tyrone Power has a very tasteful small monument, with a very appropriate and famous quotation from "Hamlet" on the bench itself, ending in"....Good Night Sweet Prince, And Flights Of Angels Sing Thee To Thy Rest......" 
And the great great film Director, Cecil B. DeMille is buried here in the heart of Hollywood. There is a family crypt---well, not a crypt in the strict sense, but a beautiful double monument made of white marble.......There always seem to be fresh flowers there......here it is, below.......
And Harry Cohn---the head of Columbia Pictures in it's heyday, and, they say--'the most hated man in show business'.......
I don't know if that is true, but supposedly, after Cohn's Funeral, which was Standing-Room-Only, the fabulously talented Danny Kaye was quoted as saying, "Give the people what they want and they will come...!" These titans of the Studio System were really tough men---Harry Cohn, was known as the toughest....I don't know if Danny Kaye actually said that, or someone else....but it is one of those Hollywood story's that has been passed down, and one that is taken as 'truth'......
And the wonderfully talented actor, Peter Finch---who deservedly won an Academy Award for the movie "Network" is buried here in Hollywood Forever, too, not far away from Valentino, actually. (Finch died just before the Academy Awards that year, so his Best Actor Award was given to him, posthumously....I remember his widow accepted the Award for him and it was very a touching moment.....) And there are so very many many other wonderful film and television people buried here, too.......
There is a wonderful pond and many beautiful birds swim about there and people come and bring bread for the birds and Birdseed, too....
And below.....my very favorite picture of the Hollywood Forever birds, enjoying their special treats from the human visitors who come by just to feed them......
One can only hope that they all get some of the treats that are brought to them by these lovely generous people.....There are many different kinds of birds that live at Hollywood Forever.....And here below is a little bit of a tease for Part 2....Coming along here in a few days.........
Yes! Hollywood Forever has Peacocks!
More To Come..............
| posted by OldLady Of The Hills at 2:15:00 AM
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