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There aren't many celebrity birthdays I can be bothered to remember. There's Groucho's (October 2, 1890) and Humphrey Bogart's (December 25, 1899 -- though, as I recall it, the year is up for debate in certain corners).
Perhaps a handful of others.
But Tom Waits' birthday ought to be a damned national holiday -- and in my own little alternate universe, it is.
Happy 57th, Mr. Waits -- long may you wave.
More on the LA trip...
Wednesday, Nov. 22 -- My old pal Greg works in the shipping department at Warner Brothers, and he offered to spend his lunch hour giving Flo and I a private tour of the storied Burbank studio.
We jumped at the chance, natch.
But not before sleeping in just a bit and stopping by the In 'n' Out Burger on Sunset for lunch. Mmmm-mmm, were those good burgers (though I remain true to Astro Burger).
It's always great to see Greg, whom I've been friends with since high school, and he couldn't have been more patient and generous with Flo and I as we strolled the WB lot. One really gets a sense of the history of the place, as you walk the grounds -- so many great movies have been filmed there, and, of course, a lot of television, too.
Greg knows of my love for old movies, and he didn't disappoint me, making sure we got to visit historic sound stages that played host to the filming of such classics as my alltime favorite, Casablanca, as well as The Big Sleep, Dark Victory, the original Ocean's Eleven -- and the upcoming Ocean's Thirteen, to boot.
It's a treat to see the craftsmanship of those responsible for creating the scenes depicted in movies. Perhaps the most impressive set construction we witnessed the entire trip was at Paramount. We were strolling the set, built for Charlie Wilson's War, an upcoming political thriller starring Julia Roberts and Tom Hanks, that depicted a Congressional office. Every detail was just so, but even more impressive was the long, long hallway just outside the office door. It was, in every way, an entirely plausible corridor, such as one would find in a large corporate or government office building. Except, when we reached the end of the hallway, exited, and looked back from the exterior, we saw that it was just a long plywood tunnel, appointed on the inside to resemble a corridor of power.
Greg took us to the outdoor set for The Gilmore Girls, and if we'd been blindfolded and led there, we'd have been sworn we'd been set down in the town square of a small Midwestern town.
It really was an startling and impressive experience to be reminded, once again, that in Hollywood, things are not always what they seem.
Greg took us to every corner of the WB lot (though, since time was limited, we did have to keep moving constantly). We got to stroll the hospital set of E.R. (pictured to the right), another very impressive structure, and visit some of the standing back lots, like the faux New York residential street pictured to the left.
In addition to the interior set for E.R., we also got to see an external set (a El train platform) from that show and even -- wait for it -- George Clooney's parking spot.
While at Warner Brothers, we saw the same production trailers we'd seen at Paramount and Sony (these are the trailers that house the cast and crew of a television show or movie during location shooting -- we see similar trailers on the streets of New York City all the time). Most of the trailers at the LA studios carried the same company name -- Star Waggons -- but I didn't think much of it at first (except to note in passing that it struck me as kind of a lame name).
Turns out Star Waggons is owned by none other than Lyle Waggoner, late of The Carol Burnett Show and The New Adventures of Wonder Woman. Seems he was doing some location shooting once and expressed some curiosity about his trailer. "You rent these trailers?" Waggoner asked one of the producers. The answer was yes. "If I had a trailer, would you rent it from me?" Sure, why not, came the response.
So Waggoner started with a single trailer, renting it out to smaller film and television projects, and when he'd seen enough return on his investment, he bought another trailer and then another. Now, it's said Waggoner's company is the largest supplier of these trailers, bringing in $20,000,000 annually.
I'm willing to bet that's more than he ever made as an actor.
Our time was too short with Greg -- I could've spent hours more strolling the WB lot -- but we said our goodbyes, so he could get back to work, and headed north on the 101 to see some pals. I stayed at Susan and Lenny's place in Encino during my last visit to LA, and I wanted to say hello to them and their lovely daughter Zoe, so we met them at an athletic field just off the 101 before Zoe's afternoon soccer practice and spent an hour or so catching up.
Zoe asked me to practice passing with her, not knowing that I am one of the least athletic men to ever stroll God's green earth, and I can't help but think she lived to regret it. She spent far more time chasing down my inaccurate kicks than she did kicking the ball herself.
From there, we took the Balboa exit off the 101 to travel a several-mile stretch of Mulholland Drive, something Flo had wanted to do. I think she enjoyed the scenic drive and eyeing many of the astonishing lush and lavish homes along the way, but the darned drive is so twisty (and some of the roadside dropoffs so frightingly steep) that I mostly kept my eyes on the road.
It was a fun and challenging drive, though, so I've no complaints.
That evening found us at the movies. We had hoped to attend a screening at the Cinerama Dome, but they were showing Happy Feet, and neither of us were particularly in the mood for animated penguins. So instead, we turned to the Arc Light theatres, just behind the Dome, and took in For Your Consideration. It turned out to be perhaps not the strongest picture to date from Christopher Guest, Eugene Levy, and company, but even their worst would be well worth catching, and we both enjoyed it.
Prior to the movie, we stopped for a bite at a very appealing little spot called Magnolia, a half a block east of Vine on Sunset. It's a casually stylish little joint, with sidewalk tables and an appealing decor. We enjoyed a great garden burger, some delicious fried calamari, and some very tasty hummous with pita chips. It's very reasonably priced, with a varied menu, and I'll certainly return there next time I'm in LA. If I were a local, it'd be my regular spot before or after catching a movie at the Dome or the Arc Light theatres.
After the movie, we stopped over to Hollywood Boulevard for a nightcap at the Frolic Room, an old-school Hollywood hangout that's been serving libations for decades (it appears in a scene in L.A. Confidential, too). The Al Hirshfield mural on the wall is nice, and the overall feeling of the place appeals, but the multiple TVs showing sports and late-era neon signs advertising bad beer dented the mood a bit. It's a spot that could really be a time machine, with just a little effort, but who knows? Perhaps a quiet little watering hole that looks like it did in 1942 isn't enough of a draw for the average tippler today.
More to come...
More on our LA trip...
The lovely Flo pointed out to me that, in discussing our tour of the Paramount lot, I neglected to mention our visit to the Paramount television facilities therein. That segment of the tour is well worth mentioning, if only because it was then that we encountered the first of the only two famous faces we saw that week.
When our guide, Justin, mentioned that we'd be seeing the Entertainment Weekly set and that the show might even be taping while we were there, I told him that, many years ago, I'd known ET host Mary Hart a little bit. Her last stop before moving to Los Angeles and hitting it big on Entertainment Tonight was Oklahoma City, where she was briefly the co-host of a local daytime talk show, Danny's Day, and we became casually acquainted.
I had no idea whether she'd remember me -- I assumed not -- but some years ago (a dozen or more), a mutual friend told her I'd said hello, and, as it turned out, she did, indeed, remember me. So I'll admit that I did sort of hope that we might encounter Mary during our visit to the ET set.
And we did, as it happened. But just barely. The taping was over for the day, and as we stood out of the technicians' way and looked over the set, a cute blonde did pop out of a doorway perhaps thirty or forty feet to our left. It was Mary! But she didn't look our way (and I certainly wouldn't have counted on her recognizing me, anyway. I've changed a bit in the past 25 years -- more than she has, certainly), and I just couldn't bring myself to call out to her.
So, a tearful reunion with Mary was not to be. But chin up, kid -- we'll always have Oklahoma City.
Further along in the television part of the tour, we got to visit the set of The Insider. I have to say, I wouldn't watch that show (or, if truth be told, Entertainment Tonight -- sorry, Mary!) on a bet, but it's always interesting to see the behind-the-scenes workings, anyway, and I have to tell you that I was very impressed, indeed, with the crew of The Insider. They allowed us access to the control room, and the staff there couldn't have been warmer or more welcoming.
They didn't have to be, you know. They were busy as bees, waist deep in the final editing of that day's program, and I fully expected they'd give us a cursory, collective nod and get back to business, but no, they engaged our little group, showing us how everything worked, explaining the processes they were currently involved in, and even going to the trouble of asking individual members of our tour group about themselves. They really couldn't have been more charming -- or funny, for that matter.
The TomKat wedding was all the rage that day -- the entire show was devoted to it, I think -- and during one of the montages, they displayed on-screen a professional photo of the happy couple. One of the guys in the booth commented on the fact that, in the photo, Tom Cruise towered over Katie Holmes, even though she's actually a couple of inches taller than he is. This wag explained the discrepancy by wisecracking, "We're pretty sure he's standing on the pre-nup" -- a jape that got the hearty laugh it richly deserved.
Those fifteen minutes really were some of the most enjoyable of the tour, and, given my lack of interest in that particular program, I certainly wouldn't have expected that. Hats off to the crew of The Insider, a truly classy bunch.
Flo took a picture of me, standing just where Pat O'Brien does on The Insider set, but it came out too dark to share here.
Tuesday, Nov. 21 -- On Wednesday morning, we drove out to Culver City to take a tour of Sony (formerly MGM) Studios.
It was fun to stroll the streets, sidewalks, and sound stages that once made up the great MGM studios, but it was a little surprising and even disheartening just how little the tour focused on MGM. In an introductory film, the focus was on Columbia Pictures (which Sony has owned for some years now) -- MGM received barely a mention.
Once the tour began, occasionals mentions of MGM were made, but considering the hallowed ground on which we were walking, it was strange it didn't happen more often.
Also, in sharp contrast to Paramount, where photos were allowed just about everywhere, the Sony rules barred all photography, except on the studio's Main Street USA backlot. So I don't have much to show you from the Sony Studios tour, except the shot on the right of the former main entrance to MGM.
We did get to enter the giant sound stage that housed Munchkinland during the filming of The Wizard of Oz, which was a kick for Flo, who is a big Judy Garland fan. They also filmed part of A Day at the Races there, which pleased me, a huge Marx Brothers fan.
We also got to see the building that formerly housed the schoolhouse for MGM's child stars (Garland and Mickey Rooney, among them), and the former office (and the small park below) of Lucille Ball and Desi Arnaz. And we got to take a peek at the set for the popular game show, Jeopardy. But when you can't take even a snapshot of these locations, it can't help but dampen one's enthusiasm.
Oh, and it was at the Sony Studios that we saw our second and final "famous face" of the week -- character actor Kurt Fuller, who's currently starring as the father of the bride in ABC's new sitcom Big Day.
From Culver City, it was back to Hollywood, where Flo and I strolled Hollywood Boulevard a bit, stopping by Grauman's Chinese Theatre to check out the hand- and footprints of the stars and finding the tributes to some of our favorite stars imbedded in the Walk of Fame.
Then we had a late one-martini lunch (actually, I opted for a tequila gimlet, and Flo enjoyed a whiskey sour) at the oldest restaurant in Hollywood, Musso and Frank Grill. This classic old joint has been in business (and with the same owners) since 1919. It's got the dark wood, the red leather booths, and the ancient waiters in short red jackets that you'd hope (and expect) to find in a spot of this vintage.
Lots of Hollywood power players have dined (and lunched) at Musso and Frank over the years, and I wanted to make sure Flo got to see it. I had a ham and swiss, while Flo enjoyed a tomato omelette. We had a grand time.
Then it was over to Beverly Hills, where we enjoyed a self-guided driving tour of some movie stars' homes. We saw the former abodes of such celebrated names as Lana Turner (the house in which her daughter stabbed Johnny Stompanato), Jack Benny, Jimmy Stewart, Hedda Hopper, Lucille Ball, Marilyn Monroe, George Burns, George Reeves, Harold Lloyd, Rudolph Valentino, and Frank Sinatra.
As I've observed before, it always strikes as surprising how accessible most of these homes are. Sure, they're large and impressive, but somehow I always expect them to be huge estates -- lavish mansions hidden a half-mile beyond fifteen-foot fences and guarded gates.
They're not. They're just large homes, and generally sitting right there on the street with a not particularly oversized lawn. Had you known, when he was still with us, where Ol' Blue Eyes lived (or Jimmy Stewart, Jack Benny, or any of the others), you could easily have driven by his house now and then and eventually have spotted him coming through the front door bright and early one morning (well, in Sinatra's case, maybe it wouldn't have happened bright and early, but you get the idea).
That evening, we made our way out to Santa Monica to spend the evening with Flo's pal Natalie. We arrived nearly an hour early, so we drove all the way to the end of Santa Monica Boulevard so that Flo could a) see the marker there that designates the western end of Route 66 (we couldn't find it, so I can only guess it's be refurbished or replaced) and b) get a peek at the Santa Monica pier, in case we didn't get back out there before trip's end.
After strolling the beachside park for a bit, we drove a few blocks east to Natalie's place. She has a lovely home -- an expansive duplex with private roof access. Quite impressive to a couple of Manhattanites.
Natalie recommended a sushi joint on Santa Monica's Third Street Promenade where the dishes go skimming by the tables on conveyor belts. Both Flo and I had heard of such establishments, but neither of us had ever patronized one, so we were game.
In theory, it sounds like a fun idea, having the food slide by so that you can reach out and grab whatever catches your eye, but in practice, I found it a bit distracting. I sometimes had trouble following the conversation, so intent was I not to miss some tasty treat as it paraded by. But that's okay -- it was Old Home Night for Flo and Natalie, anyway. I was something of an interloper (though not made to feel such).
It was chilly by the time we called it a night, so my tentative plans to return to the Pier for some seaside fun were given the gentle kibosh by Flo. Next time.
More to come...
I'll have more news of the LA sojourn soon, but in the meantime...
I've posted before about the daily poll that is conducted via imdb.com's daily email. The polls (and the results) tend to skew heavily toward new(ish) movies, but I still always kind of kid myself that the respondents are movie buffs who have an interest in films of every era.
I really am so naive.
Check out today's poll and its results so far.
What's your favorite movie to receive Oscar nominations in all four acting categories?
| I care for none of these films | 3820 | (31.9%) |
| Sunset Boulevard | 1809 | (15.1%) |
| Bonnie and Clyde | 1745 | (14.6%) |
| A Streetcar Named Desire | 1737 | (14.5%) |
| Network | 1236 | (10.3%) |
| Who's Afraid of Virginia Woolf? | 650 | (5.4%) |
| From Here to Eternity | 487 | (4.1%) |
| Reds | 220 | (1.8%) |
| Mrs. Miniver | 141 | (1.2%) |
| Coming Home | 113 | (0.9%) |
I have no particular quibble with the order of the films -- in fact, I'm somewhat cheered by the fact that SUNSET BOULEVARD is the top choice of those prepared to name a favorite -- but nearly a third of the voters saying they don't like ANY of those movies?
Sigh ... that's just depressing.