Here in the Hills

Wednesday, August 26, 2009

back story - part 2

Hollywood & Highland, 1905. That house that is pretty clear down at the bottom of the picture, dead center, was still there about 15 years ago....On the actual corner of Hollywood and Highland across from where that whole complex of entertainment is located now, was The Hollywood Hotel.....which I believe was built in 1905....here it is, below. Way over to the far right was the corner of this famous Hotel....And, and eventually, making way for progress, this very famous Historic Hotel it was torn down......... A great friend and wonderful actor/performer, James O'Reare, loved anything and everything about old Hollywood and Broadway and he was so dismayed when he read that they were going to tear this famous landmark down, that he went into the Hotel and took as much Stationary as he could and as many Postcards as he could, too.....It was always a treat to get a letter or Postcard from Jimmy. This is the building that was built on the old Hollywood Hotel Property....and here below is another picture that I took of that building
in November of 2008, through the car window........
And of course....over on the left side of the picture above is the Hollywood & Highland Complex......Going back to some more of those characters who were out and about on that recent Monday....here below are some more 'backs' of some the other dress-ups......Why it's Superman and Capt. America...(Is that right? Captain America??? Yeah, I think so)....And Captain America is all padded up......And below, we got to see their faces....well, sort of...... A blond Superman and a Captain America that looks kind of like a girl....Or am I just imagining that? Maybe it's the thing covering Captain America's head and all that puffy stuff in the costume....Let's look closer..... You see what I mean? Well, I do think it is all that puffy stuff in the costume.....Superman has all that puffy stuff, too---plus the blond hair....lol....... Well.....Superman's 'puffy' is not as puffed up as Captain America, as you can see from these two pictures.....One wonders where they get these costumes....Maybe they make them themselves..... Look at this guys puffiness...And I don't have a clue as to who he was supposed to be---I never saw him from the front. And then there is a third Capt. Jack---different color Cape...And some tourist having his picture taken with both these 'characters'....Simply Amazing! This guy above was "Rick James" and he was really great! His whole costume including his shoes and the guitar were very authentic looking....Here is a closer look at him, below..... There he is and there's Snoopy right next to him going the other way.....This guy really looks like he is having a great time....He is happy to be there and loves what he does....... I love this picture below because it shows Grauman's Chinese when there was almost nothing else around it.....It's astounding when you know what it all looks like now........ It looks as if it wasn't finished yet and in fact, they were still building it.....It was one of the great Movie Palaces.....everything pristine and exact as well as ornate.....! The picture above was during the late 1930's.....When a "premiere" was a true happening...People dressed in formal clothes....There was no Red Carpet, as we know it now.....There was no television, but these Movie Premiere's were a very important moment for a new picture, and Grauman's Chinese Theatre was home to many of these great Premiere's.....It also was one of the early theatres which held The Academy Awards......What a lot of History has taken place right there..... And now.....it's come to this. Someone dressed as Darth Vader, having his picture taken with two young kids and a man dressed as Shrek with some very colorful pants.....!

There will be a Part 3, my dears.....

More To Come

UPDATE: I cannot let this day go by without saying something about the loss of Ted Kennedy....So very sad.....The end of something that we will never see again. A family dedicated to "service" in the truest sense. Whatever else some people may think about the Kennedy's, what cannot be denied is the impact on American life and values that they have had on our beautiful wonderful country in terms of their "service" to people in need....Civil Rights comes to mind first, for me, but there was and is, so much more, not the least of which was his very deep commitment to Health Care For All, which he spoke about publicly as far back as 1962......I am only one year older than Ted Kennedy and like many of you reading this, have lived through all the triumphs and tragedies of their family and in turn, the fallout of these tragedies to our country....Nothing was the same after John Kennedy was assassinated in November of 1963. Nothing. Then, in 1968, Bobby Kennedy was assassinated, just two months after Martin Luther King's assassination....what was happening to our country??.....Everything seemed lost, once again. And it didn't look like Teddy Kennedy was up to carrying on the legacy of his brothers. Well, it turns out he was more than up to it...And he grew in stature and in every other way as he matured. Ted Kennedy carried on the legacy of his two brothers in his 47 years in the Senate, in a consistently stunning way, that will reverberate for many many many generations to come....With his death, it feels like the true end of something that has been a part of our life---certainly a part of my life, for as long as I can remember....My heart goes out to all of his dear family and to his many friends everywhere and to all of us who feel this loss.....Let us hope that his words will live on in actions, despite his sad and untimely death......

"......The dream shall never die!"

24 Comments:

Arkansas Patti had this to say:: I love old pictures of any town before it becomes the town we now know. Hum, I even confused me with that sentence.
I agree with your view of Capt. America. What are these guys using for padding, old socks?
It is Halloween every day there. I wonder if they get any money or is it just for the fun of it. Dress up is fun.; Tuesday, August 25, 2009 at 4:00:00 AM PDT
tweetey30 had this to say:: Amazing.Just amazing.. I have heard so much about these places growing up on TV but Tv doesnt do them justice.. One bit.. Thanks for sharing. i felt like I was riding along with you seeing these for myself. Hope all is well..; Tuesday, August 25, 2009 at 5:35:00 AM PDT
Anonymous had this to say:: Sigh

How much did we lose when the grand old movie houses gave way to the suburban cineplexes? Too much, I'm afraid.

Cheers.; Tuesday, August 25, 2009 at 6:48:00 AM PDT
VV had this to say:: I love that old Hollywood Hotel. I think it looks much better than what replaced it. I love seeing old pictures compared to the now. It's interesting to see the area in more of its original state. It's hard to conceive how everything grew so big.; Tuesday, August 25, 2009 at 1:24:00 PM PDT
Scarlet had this to say:: To have been a part of Old Hollywood in the 30s. Imagine all that glamour and the buzz! What a thrill it is just to think about it.

I love your black and white photos and the befores and afters. One of the puffy guys look a little deflated, but "Rick James" looks super freaky and all pumped up! lol

I love your town, Naomi! Bring on Part 3!

PS - Speaking of B & W photos, have you see the subject for my first painting lesson? She's on my blog. :); Tuesday, August 25, 2009 at 6:07:00 PM PDT
Rick Rockhill had this to say:: these are fabulous photos Naomi, wonderful back story to all this, of course!; Tuesday, August 25, 2009 at 7:42:00 PM PDT
kenju had this to say:: Graumann's was the first place we went to when we arrived in LA. It is a landmark and icon for the whole world. The early photos of it are amazing, Naomi!

When I was there, there were no "characters" in costume - maybe it's just as well?!; Tuesday, August 25, 2009 at 9:53:00 PM PDT
MaR had this to say:: I love "before and after" shots, I have been collecting old postcards from my Spanish village, the ones no one wants to buy because they are so old, lol.

Barcelona still has a couple of old movie theaters, and it is delightful to go there, hope they stay forever .; Wednesday, August 26, 2009 at 12:15:00 AM PDT
sonia a. mascaro had this to say:: Naomi, really you did a good job here! Much history and much contemporary scenes too. I enjoyed so much this photo reportage! Looking forward to Part 3!

PS: Carlos asks me to say thank you for your compliment on São Paulo's pictures.; Wednesday, August 26, 2009 at 6:14:00 AM PDT
TorAa had this to say:: Agree with your Update.

Once again I'm thrilled by your ability to tell stories combining the past and present.

You never stop to engage me. I only wish I had more time to really dive into your fascinating world of wonderful memories.

btw. I just posted about our visit to the home of George Sand. What a woman she was. Took me some great time to investigate before I wrote.
In respect for this very extrodinary woman.

Yesterdays post was about the Kittens.

hugs from
Norway; Wednesday, August 26, 2009 at 3:04:00 PM PDT
LL Cool Joe had this to say:: It always so good to see all your photos plus the stories behind them.

I love the black and white shots too.; Wednesday, August 26, 2009 at 4:24:00 PM PDT
Teena in Toronto had this to say:: Those superheroes look so big and strong ... NOT! Ha!; Wednesday, August 26, 2009 at 4:37:00 PM PDT
Anonymous had this to say:: We have old pictures of our city here and one can see the drastic changes as well as improvements. I can see that the picture of the building you took looks the same as of the recent except probably the colour.

The guys in costumes looked quite funny with all those stuffings. They look like mascots instead.; Wednesday, August 26, 2009 at 11:28:00 PM PDT
Kanani had this to say:: As usual, I enjoyed the photographs --past and present! And yes, I've enjoyed meals at Musso and Frank's. I love the waiters...they've been there forever!; Thursday, August 27, 2009 at 2:07:00 AM PDT
Shammickite had this to say:: It's fascinating that you have posted pictures of hollywood as it used to be. I've only been in LA once, and really didnt have time to see anything, certainly not all those crazy movie characters milling about the streets. That would be so much fun to have a pic taken with Darth Vader or Shrek.
I've often wondered about Grummans Chinese Theatre.... what mad it Chinese? Did it show Chinese movies at one time?; Thursday, August 27, 2009 at 5:56:00 AM PDT
Deana had this to say:: I would've loved seeing old Hollywood! I still want to see the new Hollywood for that matter, but the old was so much more glamourous. And a very nice tribute to Ted Kennedy!; Thursday, August 27, 2009 at 6:28:00 AM PDT
Melody had this to say:: I was sorry to read about Ted Kennedy in todays online news. An end of an era hey?

You are full of history Naomi - per usual - another learning post. Thanks for sharing...; Thursday, August 27, 2009 at 8:14:00 AM PDT
colleen had this to say:: He looks like the real Rick James, or Sly Stone. I have never seen old Hollywood or the new. It's one of my secret fantasies though, to go on the night of the Academy Awards.

Thank you for your heartfelt thoughts about Ted Kennedy. I have been crying as I watch the news and specials, so much about it hits homes, him joining his brothers, the Mass and Irish connection. Did you know that the Kennedys once stayed at a house in the little beach town that I'm from? Hull. It was the home of Rose Kennedy's father when he was mayor of Boston.

I don't know who will replace him. No one comes close. He spoke his truth. What did he have to lose? He already lost so much.; Thursday, August 27, 2009 at 6:27:00 PM PDT
joared had this to say:: This post and the previous one are very interesting. Bachelor buddies including my husband (long before we met and wed) traveled old Route 66 in the late '40's or early '50's from back East to L.A. Always enjoyed his stories of how the area was then -- never imagining years later he'd live out here.

I enjoy some old TV shows of Ralph Storey titled "Things That Aren't There Any More" that has been on PBS.; Thursday, August 27, 2009 at 9:55:00 PM PDT
joared had this to say:: Lovely tribute to Ted Kennedy. What a loss!; Thursday, August 27, 2009 at 9:56:00 PM PDT
Diane J Standiford had this to say:: I am not up to blogging...JFK JR.s death had me down a long time, such high hopes I had. Yes, a piece of us is gone and a part of us has ended. This one ripped me.; Thursday, August 27, 2009 at 11:27:00 PM PDT
geewits had this to say:: I really love the old Hollywood pics. I love stuff like that. As for Ted, well put. You might also like to read Ian's post about him:
http://mrwriteon.wordpress.com/; Friday, August 28, 2009 at 2:28:00 AM PDT
Lilly had this to say:: Oh that was so interesting Naomi. To be there and seeing all the changes over the years is something else. I don't know I think I would have preferred the way it was..progress to soem is not the same to me. As for Ted Kennedy.. it is so very wonderful to see the outpouring of grief and gratitude for all he did. HE seemed to be truly loved and respected by man. I am glad he is getting the attention he deserved. It must have been very difficult for him to have lived in politics after his brothers' deaths. Then he was a wonderful uncle to his brothers families too. I just read his daughter had lung cancer at soem point too - they really have suffered a great deal for all the wealth they had. I am with you, even over here I remember as a small child my mother crying and crying the day that Bobby Kennedy got shot. I hope the younger generation can carry the torch. Hop you are well. Now I am off to read Part 3.; Saturday, August 29, 2009 at 11:09:00 PM PDT
Rachel had this to say:: Great photos Naomi! More amazing things to see in Hollywood! They all seem friendly and willing to smile and have their photos taken.

I think it's sad when they tear down the old landmarks too. I know some folks like change but it's often sad to see the old things we know get destroyed for progress.; Sunday, August 30, 2009 at 4:09:00 PM PDT