Van Eaton Galleries Auctions Collection of Disneyland Memorabilia Today and Tomorrow

Posted on July 18, 2023 by Elise Thompson

Hitchhiking Ghosts. Starting bid 80k. Van Eaton Galleries Disneyland auction. Photo by Elise Thompson.

Once again, Van Eaton Galleries is auctioning off a mind-boggling Disney collection. This time around it is the collection of Joel Magee. Located in the Burbank Mall, there is everything one could possibly want, from classic uniforms (Oh why did I give away that canoe guide shirt???) to a Doom Buggy to a mermaid from the submarine ride. I personally lust after the ride’s viper fish. There are mock-ups, cars, working models, and posters and maps galore.

It was nice to wander around the museum-quality displays of auction items and admire the artistry of the imagineers. I was lucky enough to meet the late imagineers, Joyce Carlson, who designed most of the It’s a Small World Dolls, and Rolly Crump, who designed almost everything else.

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Movies Till Dawn: From Long Ago

Posted on July 16, 2023 by Paul Gaita

*indicates that this title is also available to view, rent, or purchase on various streaming platforms.

“Tom Mix: Sky High/The Big Diamond Robbery” (1922/1929, Undercrank Productions*) Two adventures featuring Tom Mix, a Western star of the silent era whose vast filmography exists today as only a handful of titles. “Sky High” benefits greatly from action sequences filmed on location at the Grand Canyon (including one hair-raising aerial stunt) and a relatively prescient take on immigration issues (Mix’s Border Patrol agent battles traffickers smuggling Chinese workers into the States via Mexico). “Diamond Robbery” – Mix’s final silent feature – moves him to the big city to track down the thieves who took a diamond belonging to speed-loving Kathryn McGuire (who co-starred in several Buster Keaton comedies). The stunt work, much of which is done by the then-49-year-old Mix, is again the key selling point; the Blu-ray features crisp 2K restorations by Undercrank Productions from archival 35mm prints preserved by the Library of Congress and Lobster Films and new organ scores by label chief/historian/preservationist Ben Model.

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LA Through a Cracked Lens: Dracula Actress Helen Chandler Finds her Final Resting Place at Hollywood Forever

Posted on July 14, 2023 by Brian Donnelly

Helen Chandler. All photos by Brian Donnelly.

Helen Chandler (February 1, 1906 – April 30, 1965) American film and theater actress, was best known for playing Mina Seward in the 1931 horror film Dracula. Now, almost 60 years after her death, Helen Chandler has a proper resting place at Hollywood Forever.
Thank you to Arthur Dark, Jessica Wahl, Chapel of the Pines, Hollywood Forever and everyone who donated.

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Meals on Wheels Hollywood Under The Stars Event Brought the Glamour

Posted on July 14, 2023 by Zoë Sharpe

Chef/Owner Nika Shoemaker-Machado of Georgia’s Restaurant. Photo by Bob Lee.

Hollywood Under The Stars returned to the Paramount lot benefiting St. Vincent Meals on Wheels at the end of June. Emceed by Doug Savant and Fox News Anchor Susan Hirasuna, the gala presented Martin Sheen with the “Vincent’s Heart Award” from the Daughters of Charity, whose order founded St. Vincent Meals on Wheels. Sheen received the award for his support of St. Vincent Meals on Wheels, along with other philanthropic organizations, and for “standing in solidarity with those who have been forgotten and discounted.”

St. Vincent Meals on Wheels is the largest privately funded senior nutrition program in the country, delivering over 100,000 meals a month to at risk seniors in their homes. With a staff that includes a registered dietician and a chef, meals are tailored to each client’s specific dietary needs. For some seniors, St. Vincent Meals on Wheels also offers them a valuable social connection. Hollywood Under The Stars Gala provides the perfect opportunity to support this amazing cause while sampling treats from local eateries.  Continue reading →

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Dudamel Conducting Verdi’s Requiem At The Hollywood Bowl – Killed By Death Mass

Posted on July 13, 2023 by Bob Lee

There’s no getting around it, no point avoiding it – the more years you spend on this planet, the more likely you are to end up at a performance by the LA Phil of a famous composer’s Requiem Mass and find it has some personal resonance in your own life. There’s loss, and we the living go on however we can find a way, and these pieces of music are intended for us. They remind us of those people, let us say prayers for their eternal rest, and fill us with terror for the awful judgment day that still awaits us sinners on the earth. “Day of wrath/ that day/ Earth will be in ashes…How great the tremors will be / When the judge comes to examine everything/ Strictly! Strictly!”

Verdi is one of the most button-pressing composers there is, and Gustavo Dudamel conducts his music with physical force. That “Dies Irae” pounds, and it’s meant to. Verdi is tailor made for the Bowl, his big and loud moments are the biggest and loudest in the canon. It’s melodic enough to travel outdoors.

The spotlight truly shined on the featured singers, Leah Hawkins, soprano, (a last minute replacement for the billed vocalist Angel Blue), mezzo-sporano Rihab Chaieb, tenor Mario Chang, and Ryan Speedo Green, bass-baritone. With support from the LA Master Chorale, directed by Grant Gershon, the effect was a complete immersion in Verdi’s heightened state of emotion, not just the fear and trembling of the scary part, which everyone loves because it’s so dramatic, but also the pleas for mercy and declarations of faith.

 

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watt’s picture of the week – wednesday, july 12, 2023

Posted on July 12, 2023 by Mike Watt

brother matt here spinning during his spin cycle on the watt from pedro show (twfps.com)… twentytwo years and two months now! crimony.

photo by mike watt

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mike watt’s hoot page

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This Is A Hell Of A Week For Good Shows At The Hollywood Bowl

Posted on July 11, 2023 by Bob Lee

This is your week to indulge in the summertime fun at the Hollywood Bowl, with shows worth going to for the next six days solid. Tickets remain available for all of these, starting near $20.

Tonight – LA Phil/ Dudamel Conducts the Verdi Requiem. A potent piece of music by one of the most beloved composers on earth, which many of us will surely find relevant right now.

Wednesday July 12 – Charlie Wilson & En Vogue. EV are my favorite group from the New Jack Swing era, real old school lunar-note harmonies with some badass funk backing. Wilson, veteran of the Gap Band, is sure to keep the Party Train going.

Thursday July 13 – LA Phil/ Dudamel Conducts Ellington & Gershwin. Our great American composers get the concert presentation they deserve.

Friday July 14 & Saturday July 15 – Kool & The Gang, Village People, If Charlie and EV have not saturated but only stimulated your funk neurons, you’ll want to be back on the weekend. Kool & The Gang opening for Van Halen about ten years ago was one of the best support groups ever, one with a large number of familiar tunes, still playing sharp and tight. Continue reading →

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Neil Young Delivers The Event Of The Season In The Wild Environs Of The Ford

Posted on July 7, 2023 by Bob Lee

Photo by Bob Lee for LA Beat.

Around the time he was starting his third song during the opening night of a four-show run at the Ford, Neil Young looked around and asked his audience, “Nice place, isn’t it?”

We in the seats hooted in universal agreement. It’s not often we get to see Neil in such intimate surroundings, though not unprecedented – I’ve had the chance to see him with Crazy Horse at a 1,500-seat theater in Bakersfield, and with Promise of the Real, aka Willie’s Kids, at a similar place in Pomona. Real hardcore fans may tell tales of visiting the Corral in Topanga on one of the nights Neil and his crew held court on the tiny stage in the early seventies. But not even those privileged viewings could compare to the atmosphere in the Ford, its natural hillside backdrop making it feel as though we were hanging out on folding chairs at Young’s (former) ranch. You expected to see a mountain lion walk along the range, or maybe a coyote howling along.

In reality, only the drunks around us howled, or in the case of one particular enthusiast in the row behind us, snarled and growled. But in close proximity, Young’s aura has a way of taking up your entire field of vision as soon as he straps on a guitar. His vibe is strongly felt. And his performances that I observed on the first and last night of the run were warm and very potent. Continue reading →

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Movies Till Dawn: New Vintage

Posted on July 7, 2023 by Paul Gaita

*indicates that this title is also available to view, rent, or buy on various digital streaming sources.

“Hugo” (2011, Arrow Video*) Audiences didn’t take to Martin Scorsese’s affectionate, Oscar-winning adaptation of Brian Selznick’s “The Invention of Hugo Cabret,” about a young boy whose discovery of film pioneer Georges Melies (Ben Kingsley) proves integral to his own burgeoning creative efforts. It’s understandable on a surface level: “Hugo” is a sprawling period piece which hinges on the joys of silent movies, mechanics, and reading – worthy subjects, and while certainly not outside the scope of viewers’ interests, perhaps not on the radar of Scorsese fans or some younger audience members.. Too bad, since the movie is lovely to look at, features remarkable 3D and recreations of Melies’ “A Trip to the Moon” (the one with the rocket in the Man in the Moon’s eye) and a cast that includes Michael Stulhbarg, Chloe Grace Moretz, Helen McCrory, Ray Winstone, Richard Griffiths, Emily Mortimer, and Sir Christopher Lee in a rare gentle turn. Arrow’s  Limited Edition two-disc set includes the 4K Ultra HD debut of the film (you’ll need a 4K player to watch it), Blu-ray presentations in 2D and 3D, interviews with (among others) Selznick, composer Howard Shore, DP Robert Richardson, and featurettes on Melies, the film’s production, its special effects, and cast.

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Sunday! Sunday! Sunday! Liquid Kitty’s Summer Punk Rock BBQ at Harvelle’s!

Posted on July 6, 2023 by Elise Thompson

Friends, the Kitty may be gone, but the Liquid Kitty pUnk rOck BBQ is back! The owners of Harvelle’s are nice enough to let us make some noise in their fine establishment. Sunday, July 9, 2023. 12:30 pm – 6pm, doors at 12:30pm, music at 1pm. (that’s in the afternoon, dumbs*%t, so get your lazy ass out of bed) 21 and over, NO COVER CHARGE.

5pm: IT’S OK!
4pm: DONDO
3pm: LAWNDALE
2pm: MONSTERS ON VACATION
1pm: KITTEN FISHING

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