Grauman's Chinese Theatre, May 25, 1963
Well, today's post might be a bit frustrating for some of the Junior Gorillas out there; today's photos feature vintage photos of an event, but we never really see it, except from afar. Hey, that's just the way it goes sometimes!
The year: 1963. The location: Hollywood, California. Our photographer is across the street from the world-famous Grauman's Chinese Theatre. Say, what's with the crowds, anyhow? Is there a Jerry Lewis movie playing there? Nope, it's "Hud" starring Paul Newman. After a bit of research, I learned that Hud played at the Chinese Theatre from May 24th through to July 2nd. The day after Hud debuted, both Paul Newman and his wife, Joanne Woodward became "Forecourt Honorees". I'd say they qualify as Hollywood Royalty.
You know the drill; each honoree said a few words of thanks, and were then immortalized by putting their handprints, footprints, and signatures in wet cement. You never hear about the part right after that, when they are tickled until they barf. But it's all part of the fun. We love the old glamor of Hollywood.
Here's a press photo of Paul and Joanne (yes, I'm on a first name basis) laughing so hysterically that they had to have ice cold water poured on them. The show must go on. Their "square" (actually a distorted hexagon) is right near Bette Davis, Van Johnson, and... William Lundigan?
31 comments:
Am laughing at your commentary, Major. And at the name of that 'Hotel Apts' complex - 'Amor Arms.' I can't wait to check back and read everyone's comments, later today.
Thank you, Major!
Was that black and white photo taken at the "tickled until they barf" moment? I bet it was!
I wonder if Patricia Neal was there in the crowd somewhere, trying to hawk Maxim coffee and Anacin pain reliever.
By the way, John Wayne's block is loose. I cannot view pics of the Chinese Theater's forecourt, without saying that. It's pathological.
- Tokyo Machiavellian!
Well, we may not have a good seat for the goings-on, but that's an excellent view of the theatre (first pic). Thanks Major.
"...tickled until they barf." Oh man, I woulda loved to have seen that!! (A Hollywood tradition rarely captured on film.)
Joanne Woodward has REALLY strange looking feet! No toes and very little heel. It's a marvel that she can stand at all!
- [spooky word that starts with "J", spooky word that starts with "B"]
A couple more quick comments:
I was one of those typical tourists who put my hand in everyone's hand print. I recall Gary Cooper's hands were HUGE. Seriously.
TM! I didn't see John Wayne's block/slab when I was there - it was missing.
- Lou & Sue & Boo Boo!
Tokyo and Sue, the Major's gonna be annoyed with you two. You know that, right? ;-)
JB, my comment was directed to TM! - not Major. And, btw, TM stands for Trouble Maker. :oD
I wonder if because of what Lucy and Ethel did ..... if anyone every tried removing a celebrity “square” ???? I’d almost bet SOMEBODY must have at least tried....
Did anyone see the Annette Funicello footprints , mouse ears prints and signature concrete “square” from the Disney Studios in display at D23 several years ago? Who’s idea was it to show something like that? With the potted plants around the perimeter it looked like it was Annette’s TOMB!!!
As a reminder :
CEMENT is the powdered form
CONCRETE is the mixed , cured and hardened form
Sue, I bet his "block" was under a bed, in a Hollywood hotel room somewhere.
JB, Why will he be annoyed? Patricia Neal never even guest starred on I.L.L.
Besides...I should be forgiven, because it's "pathological." ;-)
- Tokyo Mischievous!
Major-
In the third image, we can see a gentleman standing in the 'service walkway', above and to the right of the pink/white giant painted sign for Irma La Douce along the east side of the theatre. (Irma... was the next film to play at Grauman's, beginning on July 3rd). He must be leaning down looking at all the festivities in the forecourt. It was probably about 10 or 11 years later a group of three or four friends of mine and I managed to have a rather unofficial private tour of Grauman's Chinese Theatre - which covered all the areas of the building - including under the original stage, behind the screen, the Cathay Lounge, the roof areas, and yes, even on to both of those service walkways which extend all the way up to the front of the building, on both sides - way up high. Yes, an incredible experience to be certain.
I'd love to know more about the 'Mt. Olympus Hall of Fame'-? Presume it had to do with Mt. Olympus Estates, in the Hollywood Hills.
Thanks, Major.
My old neighborhood. I walked past the Chinese theatre almost every day as it was around the corner from my gym. It was great to see the theatre restored- it got very run down. That “hood” gets a lot of flak for not being particularly nice, or safe for that matter, however I loved that neighborhood! The first Oscars after the build out of Hollywood and Highland was an amazing transformation of the street- all wall to wall carpet of the most amazing red color- giant arrangements of flowers, big Oscar statues- it was a big deal, and I suppose it still is. That part of Hollywood blvd was frequently shut down for a myriad of things…sometimes I would drive down, but as Bette Davis said in a interview, “take Fountain.” (Which generally…we all did.). Look up that story if it sounds strange. The Amor apts is where the murderer of Ashton Kutchers girlfriend lived. The murder was on the same street. It seems that every apartment building in Hollywood has a story. I lived in a very old Hollywood Regency high rise a few blocks away- when there was something going on I could hear it from my apartment. In the days of Johnnie Grant as honorary Mayor there was a lot of Hollywood Glamour still intact- they would play Ethel Merman singing “there’s no business like show business” during footprint ceremonies. It was sweet and nostalgic. The Chinese was my neighborhood movie theatre- so I saw many movies there. The screen and the sound were great. I’m sure everyone has seen footage of the Mary Poppins premiere there, with the DL tour guides ushering. They would also usher the premiere of The Happiest Millionaire down the street at the Pantages. My building had its own history- Nicholas Cage, Johnny Depp, Tiny Tim (for those who remember him) Crispin Glover, and strangely Matt Drudge who has been immortalized in some TV series that is currently on. As I get older it’s interesting to see who they cast in the roles of your neighbors/friends.I lived in the “death angels” apartment from “Touched by an Angel”. I would get his fan mail often. He passed away way too soon, kind of ironic. I have so many stories from this neighborhood- I really could go on and on. Thanks for bringing back the memories!
My greatest memory is one I shared before. Getting rear ended by a guy in a Mustang in my mom's car on the corner. She got a little crease in the trunk, he totaled his front end. The only flick I remember seeing there, was the aptly named Cold Turkey. I bet the projection booth still smells from that one. Great random goodies today, thanks Major.
These are pretty neat, Major.
I don’t have the spectacular memories you guys do of the Chinese, although I did see Outbreak, Batman Forever, and the 1997 re-release of Star Wars there, BF on opening night and waited in a line around the block reminiscent of 1977 for SW..
I wish I remembered I Love Lucy as well as you guys do. I remember a few classic scenes and the general feel of the show, but it’s mostly a pleasant general memory from childhood. It’s probably been 30 years since I saw an episode and 45 years since I watched it regularly.
Nanook, thanks for finishing out that Mt. Olympus banner for out. I was assuming that it was for the “Mt. Olympus Hall of Spatulas,” but since that was way out in Loma Linda, that doesn’t make any sense here.
Chuck, spatulas...or spurtles?
Major, extra points today for your monologue. Top marks.
I visited here once as a kid, viewing the landmarks. I visited again a couple of years ago, I had a big hotel project on Argyle, a few blocks away. It’s quite a theater, and quite a neighborhood.
The Amazon show “Bosch” is set in Hollywood, I can recommend it highly for everyone, but if you know the neighborhood, you will enjoy it even more.
JG
Lou and Sue, the “Amor Arms” sounds like one of THOSE hotels. You know the kind I mean.
TokyoMagic!, that photo might have been taken just moments *after* the barfing. That’s not cement on their hands. When I was a kid it seemed impossible to believe that Patricia Neal was ever young and pretty, but… she was. I wondered how long I’d have to wait for an ILL reference, and it wasn’t very long…
JB, the tickling ceremony was dropped not long after these photos. For some reason some people considered it to be undignified. WHAT? Poor Joanne managed to triumph in spite of her weird feet. If her movies ever did a foot close-up, they had to get a foot model.
Lou and Sue, I’ve walked past Grauman’s many times, but I don’t think I’ve put my foot into a single footprint. Maybe I would if there weren’t 500 other people around, including people in costumes hoping that you’ll pay to have your picture taken with a slightly off-model Mickey Mouse.
JB, it’s like taxes, I know it’s coming so I just have to deal.
Lou and Sue, the good thing is that I don’t see the comments.
Mike Cozart, I think there was a book about Grauman’s forecourt, if there were any stories about potential theft, it would be there. Nope, didn’t see Annette’s footprints (etc). I looked up “cement” and it says nothing about it being the powdered for only; Wikipedia refers to the powder as… well, “cement powder”. Who knows.
TokyoMagic!, like I said, it was only a matter of time. Like five minutes!
Nanook, why am I not seeing the gentleman above the sign? I see what looks like legs, maybe… but I don’t see the guy. Here’s a controversial take: I’m not crazy about a lot of beloved Billy Wilder movies. Like, most of them. I feel like I should like them, but ultimately I am left feeling unsatisfied. “Sunset Boulevard” is an exception.
Bu, I used to go to Hollywood a lot more often than I do nowadays; much like Times Square it has been cleaned up quite a bit for tourists, but I do remember the days when it was pretty darn seedy, and a bit dangerous sometimes. One time these two dudes tried were trying to scam me and demanded that I give them a ride to… somewhere. Nope! I tend to avoid that area if any big to-do is going on because the traffic is bad, but if you lived close enough, I can see that it would be fun to saunter over and watch the circus. Ashton Kutcher had a girlfriend who was murdered? I had no idea. “Touched By An Angel”, another show I never watched, ha ha.
Jonathan, funny, I watched a car rear-end another right in front of Grauman’s. I still remember the guy who hit the other car, his hands flew up in shock because he had not paid any attention to the cars in front of him. I remember “Cold Turkey”, a Norman Lear joint, with music by Randy Newman!
Chuck, I’ve seen movies at other Hollywood Blvd. cinemas (the Egyptian, the El Capitan), but haven’t seen one at the Chinese Theater. My brother and I saw a movie called “Frankenstein’s Bloody Terror” at the Egyptian, it was my first 3D movie. They supposedly had a nurse on call in case we had heart attacks. I’m OK not remembering episodes of ILL; I feel like it’s a case of a food being terrible but everyone else in the world insisting that it’s delicious. “This bowl of gritty mud with worms is the best!”.
TokyoMagic!, what’s a spurtle?
JG, thank you. Back when my niece and nephew used to come to visit for Spring Break, we took them to Hollywood Blvd. (at my niece’s request) and saw the sights, including random people screaming at nothing, which was an eye-opening experience for them, being from nice quiet Los Osos. Still, we had a good time doing the touristy stuff!
Oh, man - gritty mud with worms is my favorite!
My cat’s name is Paul Newman, so I’m pretending he’s the star of this event! I like that the theater is cooled by refrigeration. Why is there a bikini’d mannequin inside the red curtained portion (pic 2)? I’ve never seen a movie at the Chinese either, though I too have walked by and stood in footprints. Major, I had an encounter with an off-model Michael Jackson here who spoke in the “royal we” and wanted money for photos. Mike Cozart, my cousin worked driving a truck for a while and insisted we called it a concrete mixer, not a cement mixer. Thanks, Major.
My memories are coming back of rando's screaming...I was probably just another one screaming...all completely normalized. there was a woman "Button Lady" she had an outfit covered in buttons and would twirl around in the forecourt talking/screaming to herself. Another local-yokel was the infamous Dennis Woodruff. His car was immortalized in that movie where lava takes over LA...his car is floating in a lava river. I think the Petersen Museum also had his car displayed at some point. Dennis was the proverbial "starving actor" and his car was his billboard. He hung around the Beachwood Market a lot before the neighborhood got together and had the police eject him. His car WAS a bit of an eyesore...look him up. A buddy of mine did a good short film about Dennis called "Idling Brando". Lots of shots of the Chinese theatre in that film. Also had the button lady in it, possibly also that "Superman" look-a-like who got stuffed into clothing donation bin in the valley- that was a very sad story. Another infamous local was "Angelyne"...famous for being on billboards. I think she stole that idea from the movie "It should happen to you with Judy Holliday doing the same thing. She would regularly troop down Hollywood Blvd. in her very very pink convertible Corvette. She was quite the woman if you want to look her up-very very pink. If you know the Brady Bunch...she was a (very) buxom version of the Bebe Gallini character- the pink part anyway. She lived in another buddies building above Sunset Plaza. She was/is an interesting character- soon to be a major motion picture (for real). My building super had lived in downtown Hollywood for decades. His take on the screaming/drugs/etc?.: "It has ALWAYS been like this" "Nothing has changed in 75 years!!" he, like Ms. Davis also said, "take Fountain".
Major-
My assumption is we're seeing the legs and a bent-over torso of a gentleman leaning toward the forecourt, just underneath the arm of the far-right wall wash light fixture.
What's a Spurtle-? Why, it's "...a wooden Scottish kitchen tool, dating from the fifteenth century, that is used to stir porridge, soups, stews and broths". These days, it's taken on all sorts of other shapes and sizes; and also is available in silicone, etc. It's really a very handy kitchen tool.
As for Billy Wilder - his list of great films - both as a writer and director - is pretty long. Towards the end, though, things kinda fell off the table. Fer instance, Buddy Buddy was virtually unwatchable; with the re-make of The Front Page not much better.
@ Kathy!-
I'm guessing that's a mannequin of Shirley MacLaine, plugging their upcoming film at Grauman's, Irma la Douce.
Nanook, thanks for explaining a "spurtle." There is a TV commercial for a set of spurtles, which runs fairly often. It's some lady who claims that she worked for Martha Stewart for years (of course she has to name drop, because nobody would know who the heck she is). She goes on and on about her special set of spurtles and how they will help you in the kitchen. Then at the end, she says, "But just remember! It's a spurtle Myrtle!" It is annoying beyond belief. But I guess it isn't any worse than the remaining cast of characters who appear in TV commercials.....like Tom Selleck, trying to push reverse mortgages on unsuspecting seniors, and Joe Namath and Jimmie Walker pushing supplemental Medicare policies. Oh, and let us not forget Pat Boone and his "walk-in" bathtub!
Kathy!, I saw that "Cooled By Refrigeration" sign as well. It struck me as an odd way to say that the theatre had AC. Usually, you see something like "20 degrees cooler inside!". I'm picturing a couple of old fridges (Philco or Westinghouse) sitting in the lobby or auditorium with their doors propped open.
Tokyo!, Man, it was depressing (and annoying) just reading that 'A' list of celebrity ad hawkers.
I think, many years ago, that the Galloping Gourmet also hawked spurtles. (haha, Bloggers spellcheck doesn't recognize 'spurtle'.)
- Just Buried (I've run out of clever spooky names so I'm re-using the 'classics')
Jolly Boogieman?? Or did you already use it?
J.B., I just saw a new "celebrity" hawker on TV, two minutes ago! It was Joe Montana, and he was also trying to push some kind of health plan on seniors with Medicare. He even says something like, "When I became a senior......" so I had to look him up. He just turned 65 in June. I forgot to mention that Danny Glover and Ernie Hudson are also hawking on TV. They push an insurance policy that will pay your repair bills, if your car breaks down. I've often wondered if these companies approach certain celebs (with a truckload of money) or if the celebrities' agents are out there, trying to find them this kind of work. Maybe it's a little of both.
Lou and Sue and Boo!, I had thought of 'Jolly', but 'Boogieman' fell through my synapses. I'll probably think of a few new names; problem is, I can't remember what I've already used. 8-\
Tokyo [M-word]!, I've wondered that as well; who approaches who? Probably like you said, a little of both.
- Jellied Batwings
Major : Wikipedia proves all the time that often there isn’t a single “brightest” in a “bunch” . I asked Siri and she said she found this:
“What is the difference between cement and concrete? Although the terms cement and concrete often are used interchangeably, cement is actually an ingredient of concrete. Concrete is a mixture of aggregates and paste. ... Cement comprises from 10 to 15 percent of the concrete mix, by volume.
https://www.cement.org › cement-an...
Cement & Concrete Basics FAQs“
Studying architecture, we always got corrected on this difference in Construction Technology. I was really young the first time I became aware of it .... I was at a friend’s house in the late 70’s watching a re-run of The Beverly Hillbilly’s : and Jed Clampet made a comment about their “cement pond” ( swimming pool) and Eric’s dad was passing thru the room and stoped after hearing that and told us that CEMENT was the term for I un-hardened concrete..... or details to that. I believe him! His family started Hazard Construction and built all of San Diego’s and Orange county’s first freeways!!
@ TM!-
That "some lady" you refer to is none other than Lucinda Scala Quinn-! She owns the Mad Hungry Company, and is the big proponent of spurtles. [And yes, she DID work for Martha Stewart Living Omnimedia, as the Executive Food Director].
(Isn't this blog just a 'font' of information-??!!)
Kathy and JB, re: “Cooled by Refrigeration”, I’m thinking this is being singled out as opposed to “Cooled by Evaporation”, or the classic “swamp cooler”, as my parents called them. Evaporation cooling relies on passing air over water and has a limited cooling effect that is markedly reduced by humidity in the air, while refrigeration is a whole different process that not only cools the air, but can also remove humidity, a superior process, more complex and expensive to install but with better results. A marketing point in summer LA.
Mike and Major, Correct, Concrete is the composite cementitious material made up of cement, various pozzolans, fine aggregates (sand), coarse aggregates (gravel), water and nowadays, various workability admixtures (aiding in pumped placement) and even colorants. Concrete is an ancient and versatile building material, Roman concrete over 200 years old has amazing attributes whose replication baffles experts to this day. Technically, concrete is “placed”, not “poured”, but this is specialist jargon. Concrete is almost always today placed with steel reinforcement, whose strength in tension is complemented by concrete’s tremendous strength in compression to allow structures to resist amazing loads. The ratio of water to cement is a controlling factor in the strength of the concrete mix, it’s very likely the “handprint” mix design has more water than would be used in structural concrete, or even conventional paving mixes, and likely would be weaker than either, for the sake of the image retention. I’m not expert in concrete, but we could go on for hours in this vein. I could post some further technical references if you like.
JG
Chuck, at least it’s organic??
Kathy!, wow, “Paul Newman” is some name for a cat! He must be very cool. Somehow the phrase “cooled by refrigeration” seems so antique. Thank goodness they didn’t use blocks of ice. I’ve heard tales of those lookalikes in front of the theater getting aggressive, to be honest I would be happier if they weren’t there cluttering up the sidewalk.
Bu, I guess most big cities have their share of random screamers, but even now I find it to be a very unsettling experience. Kind of cool that your friend made a short film featuring some of those “interesting” characters who hang out on Hollywood Blvd. I feel like I’ve heard of Dennis Woodruff, but maybe it’s just one of those names. Funny that his car was in that movie (“Dante’s Peak”?), what a claim to fame. Angelyne… she showed up to a friend’s art opening, and I actually spoke to her, but she held a Chinese fan in front of her face and shook her head in what looked like fear when I asked her if she would pose for a photo with my friend. I also was driving on the 101 freeway when a pink corvette went past me, and I realized that it was Angelyne. I fumbled with my iPhone to try to get a photo, but by the time I could take the pic her car was too far away. Bummer.
Nanook, yes, that’s what I thought might be the man you were referring to. Seems like he’s facing the wrong direction, unless he just wants a tan. So THAT’S a spurtle? I thought maybe a spurtle was a Pokemon. I realize that I am in the minority, and feel guilty that I don’t love many of his films more. “The Apartment” might be my second favorite. I do NOT like “Stalag 17”, that awful broad humor, ugh. “Irma” was never a movie I loved much either. And even “Some Like It Hot”, though it has its moments (and Marilyn is adorable) doesn’t do it for me. The last line is immortal, though.
TokyoMagic!, a commercial for a set of spurtles. Crazy. “It’s a spurtle Myrtle” might be annoying, but it obviously got stuck in your memory! Tom Selleck, ugh, that guy. I used to love “Magnum P.I.”, but he’s certainly flipped. Hey, a walk-in bathtub just makes good sense. How about a drivable bathtub?
JB, I feel like the “cooled by refrigeration” line sounds more like something you’d see in the 1940s, when it was a real novelty. Homer SImpson sat in front of his fridge during a heatwave, so it must really work. One of the reasons I watch so little TV now is that the ads make me crazy - there’s plenty of ad-free stuff to watch now. More than I have time for!
Lou and Sue, “Jolly Boogieman” is a great name!
TokyoMagic!, I guess if somebody backed a dumptruck full of money up to my driveway and asked me to plug some stupid service I’d be very tempted, but I sure hate the ones that take advantage of older people in need, praying on their fears. But that’s business - anything for a buck.
JB, I guess I am a failure, I haven’t even tried to come up with additional names. To be honest, it’s all I can do to scan photos, clean them up, and write the blog posts. Not to mention everything else that one has to deal with in life!
Mike Cozart, I bow to your expertise! Especially when you have cited the powerful “cement.org”, one of the companies that secretly runs the world! When I think of my mob days, when I would threaten to put people into “cement overshoes”, I am embarrassed to thik of how ignorant I sounded. ;-)
Nanook, now I will be obsessed with spurtles, and might even change the theme of this blog to “all spurtles, all the time”!
JG, I guess I didn’t consider swamp coolers. Once I was in the Sierras and we stayed in a house with a swamp cooler upstairs. It worked remarkably well, we’d sit at the bottom of the stairs and enjoy the cool air flowing over us. But as you said, they barely work if there is much humidity. I wondered if you were going to chime in about cement vs. concrete! I’ve read about advances in concrete technologies that are pretty amazing, such as versions that actually transmit light. Not sure how that works! I was wondering how much time they had at Grauman’s between “placing” the concrete where it belonged and allowing the stars to do the handprint/autograph thing. Did they actually pour it while the stars waited?
Nanook, yes...that's her. She does state her full name in the commercial and she does mention that she was the executive food director for Martha Stewart's company. I wonder why she's no longer in that position. Maybe it's because she would not stop talking about her spurtles. Or maybe because she would not stop calling everyone, "Myrtle." I just find her commercial very annoying. But like Major mentioned, her "catchphrase" (if you want to call it that) did get stuck in my head. However, it did NOT get me to purchase the product, and I think that is the main goal.
Someone mentioned a book earlier (Major?) about the footprints at the Chinese Theater. There is a book called, "Hollywood At Your Feet." It came out in 1992 and is an excellent resource for who is represented in the forecourt and who used to be, but isn't anymore. Some of the slabs or blocks were removed over the years and stored in the basement of the theater. Since they got rid of the basement several years back, so that they could have "stadium seating," I wonder where they put those footprint blocks.
Major, the time between placement and suitability for hand prints etc. would depend on the mix, but would be a matter of a few minutes either way. I haven’t heard about light-transmitting concrete, but as you recall, I’ve been working on the analysis & replication of Roman concrete, which is still something of a mystery.
JG
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