“Let’s Do Lunch…”
As a self-professed foodie & film(ie), I love to go out for lunch. ‘Fess up…we all do. It’s that precious time in the middle of our busy work days to actually settle down and spend time with friends, family, business associates, clubs or even by yourself, and enjoy a nice meal and a much needed break.
When you’re out with a friend for lunch does it ever cross your mind who might “see” you? Do you dress a certain way on the off chance that you’re “seen”? Do you order a certain type of entrée that will photograph better than others? Let’s turn back the hands of time and visit a typical Hollywood lunch hour in 1940...
Believe it or not, there once was a time when we didn’t have internet access or social media. Yes, Virginia, there was no Face book or Twitter to be found. Oh, yes there was social media, it consisted on how “sociable” you wanted to get with the corner news stand attendant who sold you your copy of the LA Times for a nickel. The stars of Hollywood’s golden age had to dress the part and make their mark whether it was in a film or at lunch. Photogs would scramble for a glimpse of a real movie star dining just like the rest of the working class public. Jockeying for positions at the entrance, or outside by the windows, of the eateries, extra film and flashbulbs in hand. “Google” up flashbulbs, you youngsters.
First you had to pick the perfect lunch spot. The favorites included The Brown Derby, which was actually a chain of three restaurants in the LA area with the most famous being the one located on Wilshire Blvd. The location which saw the most “star packed” atmosphere was actually the one located on North Vine St. in Hollywood. This was in large part due to its proximity to major studios. As mentioned in an earlier posting, the famous cobb salad was created here and the recipe is still just as delicious.
Next there was Musso & Frank’s on Hollywood Blvd., notorious for entertaining a literary set of our famous writers, as well as, our early silent film actors. There has always been stories of Chaplin and Valentino
racing horses down Hollywood Blvd and the winner treating for dinner.
Then we have Chasen’s on Beverly Blvd. Known primarily as the early home of the Academy Awards and for its world-famous chili recipe. Once you had the restaurant chosen, you started pulling in your favors with the matre’d for your prime lunching and viewing booth. Now you carefully select your lunch entrée that wouldn’t make a mess on your designer ensemble or hand tailored suit, all the while making sure you tilt your head or laugh in just the right direction to gain the much needed attention that would keep those photo-mags selling. You were your own best publicist. Agents of the time had a full time job juggling various clients and spinning tales to keep the bad press out of print. It was the much maligned “studio system” that ran the film lots and they only doled out so much cash for their stable of stars.
Unfortunately, now all we have to do is pick up a copy of any weekly rag and see what mischief our so-called stars of today have gotten themselves into. Paparazzi are everywhere, hounding celebs of all levels. I don’t defend the photogs in the least, but maybe the celebs should wise up a bit when they’re out in public? They have chosen this lifestyle and they should be prepared for the attention. They thrive on it. If not, there wouldn’t be anyone on Twitter.
I can’t recall when I last saw a headline stating where an Oscar winner had lunched, or with whom they dined, let alone what they wore or what they ate. No, no that would be way too tame and “normal”.
The publicity de jour seems to be embarrassing press, and that’s what sells papes, mister. Its also a sad testimony of old Hollywood to know that the legendary hashery hideaways and watering holes to the stars have all gone by the wayside. Chasen’s is now a grocery store and the dome of the Brown Derby has been converted into the roof of a Korean strip mall. It seems fashionable nowadays for the current Hollywood hang-outs seem to be owned by the stars themselves…and I’ll leave that topic alone for now.
All things come to an end, even a long lunch with a silver screen star dining in refinement and sipping on an afternoon martini. Just like we wanted to be able to do in Anytown America in 1940...
That’s a wrap!
- Hollie Wood
Wednesday, April 24, 2013
Monday, April 22, 2013
"Mercury Man..."
“I have always been more interested in experimentation that in accomplishment…” - Orson Welles
Personal debate on the genius of Orson Welles could fill many pages of many books, but no matter what your personal opinion dictates, he was a genius when it came to his vision for the films he created.
He was no one-hit wonder.
I recently went back and viewed two of his early films and was once again riveted to the plot and the acting prowess let alone his inventive camera angles and master direction.
He managed to command all three areas of the media: radio, theater and film. In his early twenties he wrote, produced, acted and directed his productions from the early days at the Mercury Theater (1937), where he honed his craft and groomed his key players.
Most remember him for his “War of The Worlds” radio broadcast which sent a good portion of the nation into total panic. Its still a great Halloween creep fest if you’re so inclined to cue it up for a listen.
When he finally made it to Hollywood, the studios were not very receptive to having this young upstart in town. It took more time than anticipated for him to be able to start with his first film.
“CITIZEN KANE” , 1941. Cinematic genius on celluloid.
His filmography is a cinephile’s dream “to-do list”. Do yourself a favor and check off a few for your own enjoyment and education.
His experimentation in all things visual for the audience has been a cornerstone of all directing styles throughout the decades. You can find his techniques still used today and many directors accredit his experiments as the defining reasons they decided to make films.
Welles never stopped experimenting his entire life. He was a scrappy Midwestern kid who at the age of ten, decided to run away from home only to be found a week later performing on a street corner. Traveling to Europe as a young teen, he performed on stage to great acclaim which eventually brought him back to the US and Broadway. He was an accomplished Shakespearean actor (see “Othello” & “Macbeth”) and even a magician.
He was brash, gregarious, relentless and tenacious to a fault. When one endeavor was accomplished, a new one was discovered for the conquest.
All too often we fail to recognize or don’t have the privilege of seeing a genius at work, thankfully in the case of Orson Welles, we only have to sit back and watch…
That’s a wrap!
-Hollie Wood
Personal debate on the genius of Orson Welles could fill many pages of many books, but no matter what your personal opinion dictates, he was a genius when it came to his vision for the films he created.
He was no one-hit wonder.
I recently went back and viewed two of his early films and was once again riveted to the plot and the acting prowess let alone his inventive camera angles and master direction.
He managed to command all three areas of the media: radio, theater and film. In his early twenties he wrote, produced, acted and directed his productions from the early days at the Mercury Theater (1937), where he honed his craft and groomed his key players.
Most remember him for his “War of The Worlds” radio broadcast which sent a good portion of the nation into total panic. Its still a great Halloween creep fest if you’re so inclined to cue it up for a listen.
When he finally made it to Hollywood, the studios were not very receptive to having this young upstart in town. It took more time than anticipated for him to be able to start with his first film.
“CITIZEN KANE” , 1941. Cinematic genius on celluloid.
His filmography is a cinephile’s dream “to-do list”. Do yourself a favor and check off a few for your own enjoyment and education.
His experimentation in all things visual for the audience has been a cornerstone of all directing styles throughout the decades. You can find his techniques still used today and many directors accredit his experiments as the defining reasons they decided to make films.
Welles never stopped experimenting his entire life. He was a scrappy Midwestern kid who at the age of ten, decided to run away from home only to be found a week later performing on a street corner. Traveling to Europe as a young teen, he performed on stage to great acclaim which eventually brought him back to the US and Broadway. He was an accomplished Shakespearean actor (see “Othello” & “Macbeth”) and even a magician.
He was brash, gregarious, relentless and tenacious to a fault. When one endeavor was accomplished, a new one was discovered for the conquest.
All too often we fail to recognize or don’t have the privilege of seeing a genius at work, thankfully in the case of Orson Welles, we only have to sit back and watch…
That’s a wrap!
-Hollie Wood
Wednesday, April 17, 2013
"Houston, we have a problem..."
“Houston, we have a problem…”
Words we have all come to know as spoken by actor Tom Hanks in 1995‘s “APOLLO 13”, but today marks the anniversary of the “REAL” Apollo13 mission, and folks, the true story of American heroes is who we celebrate today…
1970, a time when kids my age actually skipped school and glued themselves to their television sets, if your parents owned one, or went to a neighbor’s house to watch theirs. A chance for Americans to “shoot up into outer space!” Who wouldn’t want to try that?! This was still an age of burgeoning technology and it seemed that there wasn’t anything we brave Americans couldn’t do, or wouldn’t do. It was a very real concept that any one of us kids could grow up, adopt a cool nickname like “Buzz” and blast off into outer space with the best of ‘em.
We all watched the take off and anxiously awaited the live reports back from space. What would they tell us this time? What would they have seen? What would they bring back? Would they throw a football or baseball on the moon this time around? We waited and then it happened….
The date: April 13. The time: 2108hrs.
The rest is history, but in those precious and tense few hours, we waited to hear from our heroes in space.
We as kids, watched as adults made conjectures as to how they would make it back. We watched as many gave up hope and called it a lost cause and that we should never have put men in space. We watched as news reports kept reporting nothing except the same story over and over again just to keep viewers. And then it happened…
Our heroes were home safe on Earth. Of course, they were! We had no doubt at all. If we could have real people go into space, of course they could always figure a way to come home. Why didn’t they just ask a kid how to do it?
I’m saddened that today’s space program has been put on hold. I think we should always be prepared to advance the program and be ready to explore whatever else might be “out there”. I miss the collective awareness of being able to gather around a TV set and watch another group of new heroes launch toward another exciting mission for all of us here on Earth…waiting for our turn.
Thank you
Commander James A. Lovell, Jr.
Comm. Module John L. Swigert
Lunar Module Pilot Fred W. Haise, Jr.
That’s a wrap!
-Hollie Wood
Words we have all come to know as spoken by actor Tom Hanks in 1995‘s “APOLLO 13”, but today marks the anniversary of the “REAL” Apollo13 mission, and folks, the true story of American heroes is who we celebrate today…
1970, a time when kids my age actually skipped school and glued themselves to their television sets, if your parents owned one, or went to a neighbor’s house to watch theirs. A chance for Americans to “shoot up into outer space!” Who wouldn’t want to try that?! This was still an age of burgeoning technology and it seemed that there wasn’t anything we brave Americans couldn’t do, or wouldn’t do. It was a very real concept that any one of us kids could grow up, adopt a cool nickname like “Buzz” and blast off into outer space with the best of ‘em.
We all watched the take off and anxiously awaited the live reports back from space. What would they tell us this time? What would they have seen? What would they bring back? Would they throw a football or baseball on the moon this time around? We waited and then it happened….
The date: April 13. The time: 2108hrs.
The rest is history, but in those precious and tense few hours, we waited to hear from our heroes in space.
We as kids, watched as adults made conjectures as to how they would make it back. We watched as many gave up hope and called it a lost cause and that we should never have put men in space. We watched as news reports kept reporting nothing except the same story over and over again just to keep viewers. And then it happened…
Our heroes were home safe on Earth. Of course, they were! We had no doubt at all. If we could have real people go into space, of course they could always figure a way to come home. Why didn’t they just ask a kid how to do it?
I’m saddened that today’s space program has been put on hold. I think we should always be prepared to advance the program and be ready to explore whatever else might be “out there”. I miss the collective awareness of being able to gather around a TV set and watch another group of new heroes launch toward another exciting mission for all of us here on Earth…waiting for our turn.
Thank you
Commander James A. Lovell, Jr.
Comm. Module John L. Swigert
Lunar Module Pilot Fred W. Haise, Jr.
That’s a wrap!
-Hollie Wood
Monday, April 15, 2013
"Now, He belongs to the ages..."
“Now he belongs to the ages…”
Famous words which were uttered on the morning of April 15,1865 by Secretary of War Edwin M. Stanton, in a small bedroom in a house across the street from Ford’s Theatre in Washington D.C. The nation had lost Abraham Lincoln to an assassin’s bullet just days after the end of the tragic United States Civil War.
Hollywood has long used any high-profile tragedy, loss, scandal and corruption to further its box office appeal to the masses, and with the assassination of one of the most beloved American presidents, they have, for the most part, given justice to the memory of Abraham Lincoln. Let’s take a break from focusing on tax deadlines today and look at a few Lincoln films.
“Abraham Lincoln” 1930, starring Walter Huston along with 1940’s “Abraham Lincoln in Illinois” starring Raymond Massey both have strong leads and pay an honest tribute to young Abe and his journey from simple country boy to his aspirations for political advancement. Both actors tend to be a little older than Abe should have been at the time and much more stoic than we are accustomed to wanting to see “young” Abe.
“Young Mr. Lincoln” 1939, starring Henry Fonda is an engaging film that’s part biography and part fiction, but a good tale nonetheless. It centers around young Abe as he embarks upon his law career and takes on a murder case for the first time. Fonda gives a great performance and helps to remind us that Lincoln did start out as a young lawyer with lean years before advancing to Washington.
Lets fast forward to 2012 and Steven Spielberg’s “LINCOLN”, starring Daniel Day-Lewis as the man himself. Very rarely have I ever found myself so convinced with an actor’s portrayal of a character that I start to believe this is truly the character and not an actor, but Day-Lewis was able to inhabit the role of Lincoln.
Many have criticized his manner of method acting, myself included, but this time it seems to have paid off. Not in awards and recognition, but in the way we as Americans have wanted to be able to see and hear this great man. This great man that we have done countless school reports on and taken field trips to Washington D.C. to stand at the tips of his boots as he sits upon his massive chair with his steel gaze affixed on the Capitol.
His voice was not what we expected, although we have always heard it was of a high and nasal timber. His humor was there and his unending compassion and judicious balance in manners of state and family. One can only hope that if Lincoln himself were to have viewed this latest version of himself, he probably would comment on how the actor had to summon all his metal to portray such a simple man of simple beginnings with only a simple plan in life…to do what any man would do.
The right thing.
That’s a wrap!
-Hollie Wood
Famous words which were uttered on the morning of April 15,1865 by Secretary of War Edwin M. Stanton, in a small bedroom in a house across the street from Ford’s Theatre in Washington D.C. The nation had lost Abraham Lincoln to an assassin’s bullet just days after the end of the tragic United States Civil War.
Hollywood has long used any high-profile tragedy, loss, scandal and corruption to further its box office appeal to the masses, and with the assassination of one of the most beloved American presidents, they have, for the most part, given justice to the memory of Abraham Lincoln. Let’s take a break from focusing on tax deadlines today and look at a few Lincoln films.
“Abraham Lincoln” 1930, starring Walter Huston along with 1940’s “Abraham Lincoln in Illinois” starring Raymond Massey both have strong leads and pay an honest tribute to young Abe and his journey from simple country boy to his aspirations for political advancement. Both actors tend to be a little older than Abe should have been at the time and much more stoic than we are accustomed to wanting to see “young” Abe.
“Young Mr. Lincoln” 1939, starring Henry Fonda is an engaging film that’s part biography and part fiction, but a good tale nonetheless. It centers around young Abe as he embarks upon his law career and takes on a murder case for the first time. Fonda gives a great performance and helps to remind us that Lincoln did start out as a young lawyer with lean years before advancing to Washington.
Lets fast forward to 2012 and Steven Spielberg’s “LINCOLN”, starring Daniel Day-Lewis as the man himself. Very rarely have I ever found myself so convinced with an actor’s portrayal of a character that I start to believe this is truly the character and not an actor, but Day-Lewis was able to inhabit the role of Lincoln.
Many have criticized his manner of method acting, myself included, but this time it seems to have paid off. Not in awards and recognition, but in the way we as Americans have wanted to be able to see and hear this great man. This great man that we have done countless school reports on and taken field trips to Washington D.C. to stand at the tips of his boots as he sits upon his massive chair with his steel gaze affixed on the Capitol.
His voice was not what we expected, although we have always heard it was of a high and nasal timber. His humor was there and his unending compassion and judicious balance in manners of state and family. One can only hope that if Lincoln himself were to have viewed this latest version of himself, he probably would comment on how the actor had to summon all his metal to portray such a simple man of simple beginnings with only a simple plan in life…to do what any man would do.
The right thing.
That’s a wrap!
-Hollie Wood
Saturday, April 13, 2013
"Saturday Night in Casablanca..."
Saturday night in Casablanca…
On a recent Saturday evening, I was introduced to a lovely lady whose husband served our country during WWII. When I inquired as to which theater of war he had participated in, she proudly stated he had seen action in Northern Africa. Spending time in Casablanca Morocco, to be exact.
Of course, one can’t possibly have a conversation with the city of Casablanca in it, without conjuring up memories of one of the most beloved Hollywood classics of all time.
The 1942 classic “Casablanca”, directed by Michael Curtiz,( a personal favorite director of mine for reasons we’ll discuss in future installments), starring Humphrey Bogart, Ingrid Bergman, Claude Rains and who‘s-who of supporting actors. “Casablanca”, is fraught with everything an audience might possibly desire: intrigue, foreign locale, the backdrop of WWII, good guys, bad guys and of course the love story. Interesting to note that the back lot of Warner Bros. Studios doubled for the exotic Moroccan locale, with the finale being shot at the Van Nuys Airport. The popularity of “Casablanca” was due in part by the success of Operation Torch just 18 days prior to the film‘s release. GOOGLE it, its history and its important!
Hollywood “heavy” Bogey finally gets his first romantic lead in the titular role of Rick, playing opposite Ingrid Bergman’s perpetually teary-eyed Ilsa. it’s a story of Rick’s struggle between, and I quote, “love & virtue.” Should he forego the woman he loves to aid her husband in fleeing the Vichy-controlled Moroccan city so he can continue his fight with the Czech resistance against the evil Nazis????? What will Rick do? What will Ilsa do? Don’t worry, they’ll always have Paris…
Character actor Claude Rains certainly steals the spotlight in the film. Playing the role of Captain Louis Renault, Vichy France’s prefect of police in Casablanca, and he proudly professes unscrupulous cynicism. The concepts of right and wrong have gone by the wayside and Louis places his loyalty on what’s left: the winning side. He’s a decent guy and a good friend to Rick when the chips are falling. I enjoy his screen presence much more than that of the main stars. See for yourself….he has the best lines!
If you haven’t viewed this classic, and there are a select few of you out there, do so immediately. Admit it, you know the famous line: “Play it again, Sam”, now see and hear it as Dooley Wilson played it for the first time. The film hasn’t lost any of its relevance as to how we approach any foreign conflict especially with the overt overtones of patriotism which we can all relate to here in 2013. It hits home for all of us who have loved and lost, or at least have been in a tense situation and not quite sure what is the best avenue to travel down. Not a bad way to spend a Saturday evening.
How about dinner & a movie? Whip up a batch of homemade chili from the original Chasen’s Restaurant in West Hollywood. It was “THE” hangout for “THE” stars and was also home to the Academy Awards for a few years. Known for the famous Chasen’s Chili…go figure. Can’t imagine our so-called stars of today chowing down on chili made from actual beans and actual red meat. Ahhh, those were the days…read the note from Liz Taylor when you view the recipe!
http://whatscookingamerica.net/Soup/ChasenChili.htm
Hope to see ya soon at Rick’s Café Americain…
That’s a wrap!
-Hollie Wood
On a recent Saturday evening, I was introduced to a lovely lady whose husband served our country during WWII. When I inquired as to which theater of war he had participated in, she proudly stated he had seen action in Northern Africa. Spending time in Casablanca Morocco, to be exact.
Of course, one can’t possibly have a conversation with the city of Casablanca in it, without conjuring up memories of one of the most beloved Hollywood classics of all time.
The 1942 classic “Casablanca”, directed by Michael Curtiz,( a personal favorite director of mine for reasons we’ll discuss in future installments), starring Humphrey Bogart, Ingrid Bergman, Claude Rains and who‘s-who of supporting actors. “Casablanca”, is fraught with everything an audience might possibly desire: intrigue, foreign locale, the backdrop of WWII, good guys, bad guys and of course the love story. Interesting to note that the back lot of Warner Bros. Studios doubled for the exotic Moroccan locale, with the finale being shot at the Van Nuys Airport. The popularity of “Casablanca” was due in part by the success of Operation Torch just 18 days prior to the film‘s release. GOOGLE it, its history and its important!
Hollywood “heavy” Bogey finally gets his first romantic lead in the titular role of Rick, playing opposite Ingrid Bergman’s perpetually teary-eyed Ilsa. it’s a story of Rick’s struggle between, and I quote, “love & virtue.” Should he forego the woman he loves to aid her husband in fleeing the Vichy-controlled Moroccan city so he can continue his fight with the Czech resistance against the evil Nazis????? What will Rick do? What will Ilsa do? Don’t worry, they’ll always have Paris…
Character actor Claude Rains certainly steals the spotlight in the film. Playing the role of Captain Louis Renault, Vichy France’s prefect of police in Casablanca, and he proudly professes unscrupulous cynicism. The concepts of right and wrong have gone by the wayside and Louis places his loyalty on what’s left: the winning side. He’s a decent guy and a good friend to Rick when the chips are falling. I enjoy his screen presence much more than that of the main stars. See for yourself….he has the best lines!
If you haven’t viewed this classic, and there are a select few of you out there, do so immediately. Admit it, you know the famous line: “Play it again, Sam”, now see and hear it as Dooley Wilson played it for the first time. The film hasn’t lost any of its relevance as to how we approach any foreign conflict especially with the overt overtones of patriotism which we can all relate to here in 2013. It hits home for all of us who have loved and lost, or at least have been in a tense situation and not quite sure what is the best avenue to travel down. Not a bad way to spend a Saturday evening.
How about dinner & a movie? Whip up a batch of homemade chili from the original Chasen’s Restaurant in West Hollywood. It was “THE” hangout for “THE” stars and was also home to the Academy Awards for a few years. Known for the famous Chasen’s Chili…go figure. Can’t imagine our so-called stars of today chowing down on chili made from actual beans and actual red meat. Ahhh, those were the days…read the note from Liz Taylor when you view the recipe!
http://whatscookingamerica.net/Soup/ChasenChili.htm
Hope to see ya soon at Rick’s Café Americain…
That’s a wrap!
-Hollie Wood
Thursday, April 11, 2013
Lunch with Larry…
You’ve just dined on one of those “new” salad creations from Robert Cobb, at his Hollywood Brown Derby restaurant, and now you’re walking down Wilshire Boulevard. Who’d have thought to actually name oneself after a salad….wonder if it will catch on? Nevertheless, what to do on this sunny April day in 1939. Maybe a matinee? What to see? You head over to the Laemmle theater in Highland Park…
What luck. The year is 1939, arguably the most important year in cinematic film history. Go ahead, GOOGLE it for yourself, and just take a look at the list of classic films released in 1939. America was still 2 years away from sending its boys off to WWII, and Hollywood was trying to raise everyone’s spirits, what with the Great Depression still thriving.
What better way to escape your reality of daily worries and cares than to spend two hours with larger than life personas, a stirring story of far away places and wistful romance?
What luck. It’s April 1939, the Laemmle theater is showing “Wuthering Heights”, Emily Bronte’s tragic tale of star crossed lovers Heathcliff & Catherine, starring Laurence Olivier and Merle Oberon. Director William Wyler has crafted a period film that many say is the perfect love story. Laurence, or Larry to his contemporaries, has long been regarded as the greatest actor of the 20th century. No argument here. No other actor has been able to accomplish his great depth of work and run the gamut of expression and emotions in so many different genres of film. No method acting here, folks. When asked whether he subscribed to the art of method acting, where an actor has to totally immerse themselves in the role, never breaking character even to a fault, he asked , “Why should we? We’re called actors, we act.” Way to go, Larry. You tell ‘em.
William Wyler’s film is indeed a sweeping romance for its time, unfortunately for those who have read Bronte’s tome, the film ends way before the story does. Do yourselves a favor and rent the 1992 version, as well, starring Ralph Fiennes and Juliette Binoche. All the loose ends between Heathcliff and Catherine are all tied up, and Fiennes portrayal of our beloved but misguided gypsy, Heathcliff, is more intense and true to the novel, lending just enough pre-Voldemort creepiness to seep through.
Here’s the original Brown Derby Cobb Salad recipe: http://www.melindalee.com/recipes/the-original-brown-derby-cobb-salad/
Create your historic Hollywood salad, settle down with both versions of Wuthering Heights and enjoy your own
Lunch with Larry…
“That’s a wrap!…”
-Hollie Wood
You’ve just dined on one of those “new” salad creations from Robert Cobb, at his Hollywood Brown Derby restaurant, and now you’re walking down Wilshire Boulevard. Who’d have thought to actually name oneself after a salad….wonder if it will catch on? Nevertheless, what to do on this sunny April day in 1939. Maybe a matinee? What to see? You head over to the Laemmle theater in Highland Park…
What luck. The year is 1939, arguably the most important year in cinematic film history. Go ahead, GOOGLE it for yourself, and just take a look at the list of classic films released in 1939. America was still 2 years away from sending its boys off to WWII, and Hollywood was trying to raise everyone’s spirits, what with the Great Depression still thriving.
What better way to escape your reality of daily worries and cares than to spend two hours with larger than life personas, a stirring story of far away places and wistful romance?
What luck. It’s April 1939, the Laemmle theater is showing “Wuthering Heights”, Emily Bronte’s tragic tale of star crossed lovers Heathcliff & Catherine, starring Laurence Olivier and Merle Oberon. Director William Wyler has crafted a period film that many say is the perfect love story. Laurence, or Larry to his contemporaries, has long been regarded as the greatest actor of the 20th century. No argument here. No other actor has been able to accomplish his great depth of work and run the gamut of expression and emotions in so many different genres of film. No method acting here, folks. When asked whether he subscribed to the art of method acting, where an actor has to totally immerse themselves in the role, never breaking character even to a fault, he asked , “Why should we? We’re called actors, we act.” Way to go, Larry. You tell ‘em.
William Wyler’s film is indeed a sweeping romance for its time, unfortunately for those who have read Bronte’s tome, the film ends way before the story does. Do yourselves a favor and rent the 1992 version, as well, starring Ralph Fiennes and Juliette Binoche. All the loose ends between Heathcliff and Catherine are all tied up, and Fiennes portrayal of our beloved but misguided gypsy, Heathcliff, is more intense and true to the novel, lending just enough pre-Voldemort creepiness to seep through.
Here’s the original Brown Derby Cobb Salad recipe: http://www.melindalee.com/recipes/the-original-brown-derby-cobb-salad/
Create your historic Hollywood salad, settle down with both versions of Wuthering Heights and enjoy your own
Lunch with Larry…
“That’s a wrap!…”
-Hollie Wood
Tuesday, April 9, 2013
"Here's to Hollywood..."
Welcome, and thank you for joining me as we take a few strolls down memory lane, stopping along the way at the junction of Hollywood & Vine...
I'll be penning my musings on the Hollywood that never was, but always will be...
Movies! Talkies! Flickers! Yes, we'll be exploring some old and perhaps to some of you, new, Hollywood haunts along the way as we pay tribute and to the Golden Age of Hollywood. Now this is not to say that we are excluding any of the modern day Hollywood glamour and glitz, but I will be focusing on Hollywood of yester-year and how it has played a vital role in the motion picture industry that we have all come to enjoy in this 21st century. Classic films are still prevalent today and need to be shared and enjoyed with a new generation of viewers. We'll be showcasing classic actors and actresses and listing classic films to enjoy all over again.
So, if you love everything about classic Hollywood, join me as we settle down into our seats and the lights go dim...
"Fasten your seatbelts...its going to be a bumpy night!"
-Bette Davis as Margo Channing
"All About Eve" 1950
'Till next time....Hollie Wood
I'll be penning my musings on the Hollywood that never was, but always will be...
Movies! Talkies! Flickers! Yes, we'll be exploring some old and perhaps to some of you, new, Hollywood haunts along the way as we pay tribute and to the Golden Age of Hollywood. Now this is not to say that we are excluding any of the modern day Hollywood glamour and glitz, but I will be focusing on Hollywood of yester-year and how it has played a vital role in the motion picture industry that we have all come to enjoy in this 21st century. Classic films are still prevalent today and need to be shared and enjoyed with a new generation of viewers. We'll be showcasing classic actors and actresses and listing classic films to enjoy all over again.
So, if you love everything about classic Hollywood, join me as we settle down into our seats and the lights go dim...
"Fasten your seatbelts...its going to be a bumpy night!"
-Bette Davis as Margo Channing
"All About Eve" 1950
'Till next time....Hollie Wood
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