Question for the Readers

"Day Dreams" looks like it might be delayed on Amazon into next week, we had a technical glitch.  But its fixed now!  The cover is so gorgeous, I'm so freakin excited about it!  You can still order it here.

Will be updating soon but I have a question I've been meaning to ask you all.  My email for this site is misspickford@forgetthetalkies.com   .  Now I have a million websites and emails, all of which I use the same host for.  For quite awhile I've had a handful of people tell me, particularly at that particular forgetthetalkies.com email, they can't get a hold of me.  It bounces back.  Or something.  I thought maybe the original glitch came from people clicking the email links and not realizing they had to wait for their email browser to open.  But I don't think that's the case.  Some people think I've blocked them, though I assure you that only applies to David Bret (seriously, no one else is blocked).  Some people eventually get through, but apparently some others don't.

This is the kinda thing that keeps me up at night.  Lord knows who or what is trying to email me and not getting through.  Has anyone had problems with it?  If so we have a logical way to tell me: leave a comment.  I'd appreciate it!

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May 23rd.  

3:33pm.

15-14-12-25 20-23-15 13-15-18-5 23-15-18-4-19

8-1-22-5 25-15-21 6-9-7-21-18-5-4 9-20 15-21-20?

20-23-15 13-15-18-5 4-1-25-19

2 more days.

2 more clues.

 

23.

9.

1921 PVG Publishing

Inside United Artists Theatre

The United Artists Theatre in Downtown LA (9th and Broadway) has been closed off as a slightly kooky church for many years (but kudos to the church for keeping it in good condition!).  It was created by 3 out of 4 United Artists (Chaplin had a 'thing' about the studio having its own theatre) and opened in December 1927.  I'm pretty sure Coquette was one of the opener films, but I can't remember.  Either way silents were all but done for.  Even Charlie's final ones would premiere elsewhere ("City Lights" premiered down the street at the Los Angeles Theatre, apparently he changed his mind in the ensuing years as he invested heavily in that theatre.)  From Bringing Back Broadway:


The United Artists Theatre (aka Texaco Building) opened on December 26, 1927, by its founders D.W. Griffith, Douglas Fairbanks, and Mary Pickford; who needed the massive Spanish Gothic style movie palace as a venue for world premieres of their movies.

The opening of the studio's Flagship premiere house in L.A. marked the beginning of a theatre chain that is one of the nation's largest today.

Mary Pickford took large part in the project, selecting the site, the architect, and spending so much money on it that the plaster cast molds used for the theater had to be re-used in Detroit and Chicago to amortize their cost. Although C. Howard Crane of Detroit was engaged to design his only theatre west of Omaha (not counting Sydney, Australia), the 12-story office frontage for the complex was designed by the L.A. firm of Walker and Eisen for a long term lease by Texaco for their western regional offices.

The UA Building was the tallest privately owned structure in LA until 1956, when the city finally repealed its Beaux Arts inspired "City Beautiful" concept of a 125-foot height limit for everyone but City Hall. In fact, the tower on the roof exceeds that limit but squeezed through on a technicality since it was unoccupied space used to house elevator equipment, the sprinkler system reservoir, and other equipment. The building permits described it as "signage."

The screening room in the basement used by Mary Pickford is now the repository of the church's bible collection.

The style of the building was originally described as "Spanish Gothic," a rare combination for an auditorium. Much of the plaster decorations around the building’s entrances and in the auditorium are copied from those at the Cathedral at Segovia – although the Spaniards themselves never contemplated anything on this scale.

The lobby of the UA is half a block long, separating the auditorium from an adjacent office building.

To mitigate the length and height of the lobby space, Crane designed two double-decked bridges to connect each balcony with a staircase on the opposite side of the lobby.

The vaulted ceiling is finished in fresco murals, the only installation of its type on a west coast theatre. All mirrors in the lobby are gold-backed. Stairways at either end lead to basement lounges, a smoking room and a powder room. The smoking room was elaborately furnished in the Moorish manner and still retains its elaborate Malibu tile baseboards. Most of the original furnishings were relocated to Santa Barbara when the Fox Arlington theatre was restored as a performing arts center. The lavishness of the smoking room could probably be explained by the fact that it also functioned as a lobby for a private screening room built for Mary Pickford's use.

The screening room is also connected by passageways with the dressing rooms, and elevators from the lobby to the balconies.

Although United Artists needed a theatre to guarantee an outlet for their product, they had no intention of operating it themselves. The Publix unit of the Paramount Corporation was engaged to open the theatre, an arrangement that lasted until the depression. Always more committed to film than to the stage, United Artists discontinued stage productions here several times, but always seemed to revive them when competition got the edge with downtown stage shows.

In the early 30's, the theatre was operated by Paramount Publix for United Artists. In the mid-thirties it was being called Grauman's United Artists. Later Fox West Coast was the operator. The theatre was closed briefly during the depression, then reopened to spotty attendance, due to the relatively remote location it occupied too far south on Broadway.

Saddled with a 50-year lease they couldn't break, UA decided in 1956 to day and- date first run with their Hollywood houses by remodeling the UA for 70mm Todd- AO wide screen projection. The booth was relocated from the second balcony to the main floor, a curtain and a screen were installed in front of the proscenium (necessitating the removal of some decorative elements), and the first balcony or "golden horseshoe" was removed to guarantee sightlines from the back corners of the orchestra level.

UATC took over the operation themselves in the 50's (along with the nearby Loew's State). The theatre reopened with a first-run engagement of "Oklahoma," which soon closed, as did the theatre. The entrance, lobby and main floor of the auditorium have a nice appearance in "Sweet Smell of Success" (1957). Burt Lancaster, Tony Curtis and others do a scene in front of the stage and we see the booth installed for Todd-AO, the sidewall murals and a bit of backstage. After being dark for the next 10 years, the UA reopened as a Spanish language movie house, in surprisingly good condition as a result of the wear and tear it was spared in the early 60's. At the end of the United Artists' movie days it was operated by Metropolitan Theatres.

Several notable features of the UA include the auditorium murals depicting the history of the film industry, featuring UA players, of course. The fire curtain bears an adaptation of the Shakespeare quote "The Picture's The Thing" implying the ultimate triumph of the motion picture over performing arts. The theatre also contains one of the most ambitious lighting systems of its time, controlled by an immense 35 foot, pre-set control board. All ceiling fan vaulting is backlit, as are organ screens, illuminated in layers.

The ceiling dome is indirectly floodlit, and can be adjusted to contrasting and changing color combinations. The manual Wurlitzer was removed in 1955, but an orchestra pit lift still functions (outliving those at the Hollywood Pantages and downtown Paramount.)

The office tower above the theatre was once the headquarters for Texaco, and the penthouse floor features mahogany wainscoting, arched windows, and lower floors feature views of the buildings gargoyles.

Information compiled from sources including: Los Angeles Conservancy; Los Angeles Historic Theatre Foundation; Cinema Treasures; google pages downtownlosangelestheatres; Forgotten Detroit

Bringing Back Broadway and some Los Angeles Conservancy members were recently allowed a tour.  They took many photos that make me postiviely giddy.  You can see them on their Facebook profile by clicking here.  The Theatre is now for sale and I know many wish to see it become a Theatre again.  Here's hoping as I'm pretty sure it'd make my life complete.

Epic Win: New Miriam Cooper DVD release

I'm a little annoyed no one informed me!  Many moons ago Grapevine promised to re-release "Is Money Everything?", one of only two Miriam Cooper non D.W. Griffith features to still exist.  They had released it on VHS years ago, but it wasn't on DVD or readily available, much like Olive Thomas' "Love's Prisoner".

Miriam Cooper is one of my favorite actresses, and most people are not aware of her. She played Brown Eyes in Intolerance and one of the Southern Clan in "Birth of a Nation" not only does she have a modern look on par with an Edwardian styled Louise Brooks, but she has that natural je ne sais quoi about her as well.  She married Raoul Walsh, and acted in many of his films through the late 1910s.  But then he finally let her retire (long her wish) and by 1921 she was done with it...but then the family needed money.  So she made two final films, one decent: Kindred of the Dust, and one crappy: Is Money Everything?

This woman made 21 features, 5 total exist.  Why? Raoul Walsh did most of his work for FOX...whose vaults exploded in 1917.  That's a shame as things like "The Honor System" and "Evangeline" will probably never be found.  3 are Griffith features, the other two are Kindred and Is Money Everything.

Kindred of the Dust was restored and screened in 2004, slated for one of those fancy $80 rare film sets.  But it never happened.  The Eastman house owns the print and won't share it or let it be released reasonably priced (bless em they do good work, but they want what they put into it!)  Is Money Everything? only exists in private hands, which happen to be Jack Hardy's.  Thankfully he shares a lot nicer and makes lots of rare goodies available via Grapevine Video.

"Is Money Everything?" is a B production made in Michigan (yes, Michigan) starring Miriam Cooper and Norman Kerry.

Since no one informed me of the release, I've just ordered it.  But reports from those who have it say its a 35MM print and tinted in good condition, so whether the plot holds or not you at least are getting a great copy of it.  You can order a copy here.  And while you're at it you totally need a copy of Miriam's delightful autobiography "Dark Lady of the Silents" which you can order here quite reasonably priced.

I haven't done many honor projects in awhile, but getting Miriam's non Griffith features on DVD was one of them.  Since Kindred of the Dust probably will not yet see light of day, I'll consider this Honor Project closed.

Chaplinites Rejoice!

June is pretty much going to be the most excellent Charlie Chaplin (praise be his name) month ever...at least if you're somewhere in California.  On June 17th the Aero Theater in Santa Monica, CA begins a Chaplin retrospective that made me fall to my knees in glee.  Sure it'll cost a bundle (each screening is $11, $7 with a membership) but...its freakin his holiness Charlie Chaplin!!!!!

Alright...calming myself down below is the lineup: 

Thursday, June 17
7:30 PM Charlie Chaplin: "The Idle Class", "Sunnyside", THE CIRCUS

Friday, June 18
7:30 PM Charlie Chaplin: CITY LIGHTS, A WOMAN IN PARIS

Saturday, June 19
7:30 PM THE GOLD RUSH; Charlie Chaplin Shorts

Sunday, June 20
3:00 PM THE KID; "A Dog's Life"

Wednesday, June 23
7:30 PM Charlie Chaplin: "Payday"; LIMELIGHT

Thursday, June 24
7:30 PM Charlie Chaplin: MODERN TIMES; A KING IN NEW YORK

Friday, June 25
7:30 PM Charlie Chaplin:THE CIRCUS; THE GOLD RUSH

Saturday, June 26
7:30 PM Charlie Chaplin: THE PILGRIM; THE GREAT DICTATOR

Sunday, June 27
3:00 PM Charlie Chaplin Shorts program

I don't really get why The Circus is being run twice, other than sheer awesomeness of monkeys.   I particularly appreciate A King in New York, which is one of his finest talkies and hasn't been run in years theatre wise...anywhere.  My life goal has been to catch City Lights on the big screen, so that's pretty exciting.  Seriously they couldn't have done anything MORE...this is the most perfect Chaplin lineup EVER.

If you're in the area, tickets can be bought in advance (30 days in advance, so in a few days) here.  Best.month.EVER!  What can make it even better?  The Silent Movie Theatre is running a Chaplin shorts night on June 16th (perfect timing).  Tickets are $10, free for members.  Click here for more info.

For those not in the LA area, Niles Essanay Silent Film Museum in Fremont, CA are doing their annual Chaplin Days (complete with short screenings and a town full of Chaplin impersonators) June 5th and 6th.  In addition they'll be showing The Gold Rush.  Most of the event is free, screenings are under $5.  Click here for more info.

1-20 19-21-14-18-9-19-5

Soon

9 days

19-8-1-4-15-23-19 1-14-4 18-1-4-9-15-19

3 more clues till the end 

19-5-5 25-15-21 15-14 20-8-5 18-4 15-6 20-8-5 19-20-5-21-2010

6-5-1-20-8-5-18-19 1-14-4 6-1-21-14-19

Q: What could these be?
A: 13-1-25-2-5 10-21-19-20 1-14-15-20-8-5-18 16-9-5-3-5 15-6 20-8-5 13-25-19-20-5-18-25







12-15-15-11 1-7-1-9-14 6-18-9-4-1-25 14-9-7-8-20-5-14-2010

Live Again Doris Eaton

Man what depressing news!  Doris Eaton (also known as Doris Eaton Travis) passed away Tuesday, she was 106.  Not only was she one of the few silent film adult actresses left, but she was also pretty much the last Ziegfield Follies girl.  Girlfriend KNEW OLIVE THOMAS!

Doris danced every year for charity.  I know she danced in 2009, and I'm pretty sure she danced this year as well.  There's youtube footage of her dancing a few years back (at the spry age of 100) which puts most of us to shame.

Doris was one of the famous Eaton clan.  Her sisters Mary and Pearl were well known and also did films and follies.  Doris was big on dancing and had her own TV show during the 50s for it.  I think one of her spiffiest facts was she debuted "Singin in the Rain" in the late 20s.

Doris released two books, "Days We Danced" which was a proper biography, and "Century Girl" which is a huge gorgeous arty coffee table book detailing her life and career.

She lived on a ranch for most of her later years, and moved back to Detroit recently.  She gave an interview last year that was pretty interesting over at Midnight Palace.  I meant to interview her once, but I never quite got the connection.  I did get an autograph though, Doris was always sweet with those.

I wish some of her movies were around, most of her silents are lost.  Maybe her death will reinspire people to look.  Live Again Doris!

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Kisses are not free

For Once.

You.

Rudolph Valentino

5.23.2010

12-15-15-11 1-7-1-9-14 23-5-4-14-5-19-4-1-25-5-12-2010

(have you cracked it yet?)

9 23-9-12-12 2-5 2-1-3-11 15-14

May 23rd, 2010.  

3:33.

1921 PVG

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