It's
nearly impossible to be raised in Southern California and not - in at
least some small way - be affected by the movie industry. I was
profoundly affected.
The
distance of years and a semblance of maturity have slightly diminished my
youthful enthusiasm for Hollywood, yet it still lingers with enduring
persistence.
I
was six years old when my family moved to California. At that long-ago
time, remnants of Hollywood's golden past still lingered. The original
Brown Derby restaurant was doing a brisk business on Wilshire Boulevard.
Ciro's and the Coconut Grove were still hot night spots.
Movie
stars were often out and about and sometimes accessible. We saw Harpo
Marx on Hollywood Boulevard and Debbie Reynolds at the (then famous)
Farmer's Market. I met comedian Henny Youngman on Olvera Street (the famed
touristy Mexican street in L.A.) when I was a kid. In my sublime youthful ignorance I'd
never heard of him - but got his autograph anyway.
As a child I had the privilege of seeing numerous TV shows being filmed on location (a friend of our family worked in the industry). Most notably I remember the movie ranch owned by stuntman/actor Ray "Crash" Corrigan, which was located in the Simi Valley, nestled in the scenic foothills of the Santa Susana Mountains.
Later known as Corriganville, it was in active use from the 1930's until around 1965. Hundreds of cowboy movies were filmed there and many TV shows including Gunsmoke, Rawhide, the Cisco Kid, Rin Tin Tin, the Lone Ranger, etc.
Unfortunately, all the movie sets were destroyed by a series of fires in the 1970's.
I never had any aspirations to be an actor or to work in the film industry, but I was still intrigued with it.
When
I was in my 20's (and early 30's) I spent a lot of time in Hollywood
and had the opportunity to mingle with some of the bigwigs. I met many
stars - including John Wayne, Groucho Marx, Shelley Winters, Sammy Davis Jr., Raquel
Welch, Cher, Ann Miller, Patty Duke, George Burns, Zsa Zsa Gabor (to
name only a few).
Just for the heck of it, I also did a few stints as a movie extra and worked on such enormously forgettable pictures as Malibu Beach and Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band.
I
probably shouldn't ruin my sterling reputation by mentioning this (big
*smile* inserted here), but I knew a fairly well-known director of adult
films and was on the sets of a few porn movies - including one on
location near the old Spahn Movie Ranch, where notorious Charles Manson and his murderous hippie gang
used to live.
I
even had an offer to be in a gay porn flick but declined. Despite ugly
rumors to the contrary, I do have a small semblance of pride and
dignity.....
My main interest, of course, was music and I exclusively concentrated on my work as a pianist.
Yet,
my fascination with the film industry later inspired me when I was a
freelance writer. I published many articles about Hollywood history
(with an emphasis on the silent era). My foremost objective for writing was
to resurrect the memory of forgotten stars and films.
My
present existence as an impoverished semi-hermit in the Tennessee wilderness is very
far removed from my California youth. My Hollywood memories linger
tauntingly like echoes of a faded dream.
I cherish them.
Note:
this is a rehash from a previous blog post
It must have been surreal being able to see celebrities from a bygone era. I also find it intriguing that you are interested in the silent black and white movies and their history. Meeting the Marx Brothers must have been a treat. Had I been in Holiwood when I was a teenager, I probably would have wanted to see the musicals and Gene Kelly. ( I love Musicals.... even though they are a rare thing these days.) Or the Sci-Fi guys. Battlestar Galactica, Buck Rodgers, Starwars... Yes, even Star Trek... Though I do not think of myself as a "Trekkie". And call it a curious oddity, but being on a porn set might have been just strange enough to intrigue me, without scaring me off. My wife is looking forward to those "gay Porn Movie" memoirs. ( She has a odd curiosity as well....) She was enchanted by your new years eve post.
ReplyDeleteSeeing John Wayne in the flesh must have felt epic. The man is a Legend in Hollywood AND the Nation.
Err... Hollywood. Typo.
DeleteWhat a life! I was - and continue to be - fascinated by Hollywood. Rather, the old, actually glamourous Hollywood. From what I've heard, what exists today sounds dismal and disgusting.
ReplyDeleteVery interesting. If I read this before, I don't remember it, but I forget a lot these days.
ReplyDeleteI share your fascination with the Hollywood era gone by, Jon, as those were certainly quite the days of movie stars. Since I had never heard of Corriganville, I checked on YouTube and found several videos which I watched. Years ago, many states had western theme parks and in NJ, the one my parents took my brother and myself to was called Wild West City in Netcong, NJ. Here in NH, there was one called Six Gun City and many of the buildings are still there, but it's fenced in.
ReplyDeleteI do remember this post and it still amazes me how lucky you were to have such experiences! So cool! I was always fascinated by musicians and wanted nothing but to sing all the time - envied singers who made it big and wanted to be like them ever since I was a very small little girl. lol
ReplyDeleteAnyway, I am glad you shared this post again! (Jon, you were such a little cutie pie, weren't you? :-)