ANOTHER OPENIN’ ANOTHER SHOW/ATAS SALUTE TO TV THEMES
It’s hard to imagine The Mary Tyler Moore Show, Mission Impossible or Hawaii Five-O without thinking of their theme songs. With current shows like Heroes and Brother and Sisters opting out of elaborate opening credits altogether, it was great to spend an evening at The Academy of Television Arts and Sciences (ATAS) for its tribute to TV themes Another Openin’ Another Show.
Hosted by Monica Mancini and Divided up into categories Like “Action/Military,” “Medical”and “Sci-Fi/Fantasy” the program sampled about 120 show themes, from All in the Family to Wild Wild West. We got to sing along with The Brady Bunch’s Maureen McCormick, rub elbows with Man from U.N.C.L.E. Robert Vaughn and see original Bionic Woman Lindsay Wagner. Vic Mizzy is most known for the themes to Green Acres and The Addams Family. While recording Acres, he realized that Eva Gabor wasn’t the best singer and encouraged her to act the lyrics. “She only had to sing the last note and luckily we got it in the first take.” The Addams Family has been his most lucrative song and can be heard regularly at sporting events and in commercials. Summing up its success, Mizzy deadpanned, “Two snaps and you get a house in Bel-Air.”
John Schneider and Jean Louisa Kelly performed several songs, including Dukes of Hazzard, I Love Lucy and Three’s Company. Jean Louisa climbed onto the piano and sang a Marilyn Monroe/JFK version of The Mickey Mouse Club to which John replied, “After that, I’m sure Walt’s no longer frozen.”
Mike Post has scored twelve series for Steven Bochco, including the unfortunate Cop Rock. Their first collaboration was Hill Street Blues. Post played the music once for Bocho and the rest is history. The theme for L.A. Law went through four or five versions because there was a committee of people weighing in with “…it needs to reflect the majesty of the law…I don’t hear courtroom energy…make it more sexy…” and so on. That’s why it sounds like the way it does.
Stacy Keach, star of Mike Hammer, performed that show’s piano-based theme “Harlem Nocturne” and introduced its composer Earle Hagen. Mr. Hagen wrote the song in 1939 and he must have been about 5 years old at the time because he barely looked a day over 60. He has 3000 hours of television to his credit. His easiest composition may have been The Andy Griffith Show which he wrote thinking, “it needs to be simple enough to whistle.” His toughest was probably I Spy because the international series required musical cues reflecting so many different cultures. Some factoids I picked up this event:
•The Addams Family was recorded with Lawrence Welk’s harpsichord.
•Future Oscar-winner John Williams wrote the theme to Lost in Space.
•Kotter was re-titled after John Sebastian submitted his song “Welcome Back.”
•Mike Post composed NYPD Blue based on two words: drums and subway.
•Henry Mancini agreed to score Peter Gunn thinking it was a western.
•Composer Earle Hagen is the whistler heard in The Andy Griffith Show theme.
Thanks to Shawn and Diana for inviting us along to this fun night full of celebrities.
OAK GLEN
About 90 minutes east of Los Angles and 4500 ft above sea level is the apple-growing region known as Oak Glen. The terrain, temperature, and low moving clouds all remind me of the Smoky Mountains. At this time of year, when the leaves are turning, it is especially evocative.
We were there on Friday which meant less traffic and fewer crowds. On the down side, some locations and attractions were closed. We sampled and shopped at five growers including Parrish Pioneer, Riley’s, Law’s and Los Rios. Snow Line Orchard was a new stop this year. Our favorite apple varieties there were the Pink Lady—named because of the marbled pink flesh—and the sweet & crunchy Honey Crisp. Snow-Line also had these sinfully delicious apple cider mini-donuts which were the perfect size and texture. I don’t usually seek out donuts, but I’ll be looking for these babies next year.
After an afternoon in what felt like Western North Carolina, we continued on to the high desert of Joshua Tree to spend a fun, laid back weekend with my Uncle Carl.
RAYMOND CHANDLER TOUR
The following Saturday we took the first-time-ever “Raymond Chandler’s Hollywood ” tour offered by the Hollywood Heritage Society. The presentation was a work-in-progress but we enjoyed this close-up look at some of the haunts that were around during the time that Chandler was writing classics like Farewell My Lovely and The Big Sleep.
CAHUENGA BUILDING
Private detective Philip Marlowe works in the fictional Cahuenga Building supposedly located at the intersection of Cahuenga and Hollywood Boulevard. Our first stop was 6404 Hollywood Boulevard to see the kind of office described in Chandler’s books. Located on the third floor was a working office owned by a film noir buff. He had appointed the two-room suite with vintage furniture, a manual typewriter, a rotary phone, a hat rack, and an oscillating fan. The only thing missing was Marlowe himself.
FREEMAN HOUSE BY FRANK LLOYD WRIGHT
A few blocks northwest of the “Cahuenga Building” is the house Frank Lloyd Wright built for Harriet and Samuel Freeman in the late 1920’s. It sits above the intersection of Franklin and Highland but I never noticed this architectural gem because it is hidden behind some foliage and a four-story cactus.The Freeman House has the pressed concrete tiles of the Hollyhock and Ennis Brown houses and—like its more famous sisters—suffered extensive damage during the 1994 earthquake. The USC School of Architecture owns the building and is refurbishing the foundation and interior. The have pictures from the house’s heyday here.
It had some classic Frank Lloyd Wright touches, such as a budget that more than doubled during construction. The Freemans dumped Wright and architect Rudolph Schindler completed the project, eventually adding an apartment to the lower level where bandleader Xavier Cugat lived for a while.
VILLA CARLOTTA
At the entrance to this four-story courtyard apartment building we were met by a man wearing a smart ascot, tweed vest and riding pants. All he was missing was a megaphone or a polo mallet. Our guide looked right at home in the Villa Carlotta since the place reminded me equally of the Tower of Terror and the Venable house in Suddenly Last Summer. See for yourself.
Inside on the right was the two bedroom apartment which functioned as Louella Parsons’ office. She used to hand the couriers her columns through one of the courtyard windows. Upstairs we got to peek in our guide’s studio apartment. He explained that when the Villa Carlotta opened maid service was included. Every apartment had a second entrance so that the maid could enter the kitchen directly and prepare breakfast for the resident.
This was a building that actually welcomed movie folk in a time when landlords posted signs reading: “No Dogs. No Actors.” A frustrated Gloria Swanson famously remarked “We didn’t even get top billing!”
CHATEAU ELYSÉE
Across the street was our next stop, the Chateau Elysée. Built in the French Normandy style, in 1929, this stately building operated for years as a hotel to the
stars and later as a retirement home for aging actors. It was purchased by the Church of Scientology in the early 70’s, returned to like-new condition in 1989 and functions today as the church’s Celebrity Center International.The grounds were lovely and the interior portions that we saw—rear lobby, side hall and Renaissance Restaurant—were also immaculate.
MORE CHANDLER
At tour’s end, we were given instructions on how to find the house from Double Indemnity (6301 Quebec Drive ) and the tower referenced in Chandler’s book The High Window. Featured prominently in the film Dead Again, the tower is located near the Freeman House in the Broadview Terrace/Los Altos/ High Tower Drive area.
I haven’t seen it for my self but there is a book called Raymond Chandler’s LA by Elizabeth Ward and Alain Silver. It features excerpts from his writings paired with photographs of the locations which inspired them.
If you’d like to learn more about the man, here is Chandler’s wikipedia entry, a critical essay from Salon.com called The Case for Raymond Chandler, and an examination of the real life events incorporated into Chandler’s novels.
CHOC WALK/DISNEYLAND RESORT
The next day, we were at the annual CHOC Walk fundraiser benefiting Children’s Hospital of Orange County. We met our friend Margo and her four-year-old daughter Ruby on Main Street before 7:00am. The little one was excited to be there but disappointed that none of the rides were open. Once we started moving, she cheered up.
Disneyland had posted enthusiastic cast members along the route, but I didn’t really need Alice and the Mad Hatter’s encouragement after a mere 15 minutes of walking. They actually slowed us down as walkers stopped to take pictures. We made our way through Disneyland, California Adventure and Downtown Disney. I think the route was somewhere in the 5K range. Next year it might be more cost-effective to have everyone walk through the Indiana Jones queue twice.
Afterwards, Daryl got friends Ryan and Ann into the park, while I stayed outside with Margo and Ruby. Margo’s husband Richard and older daughter Lea were headed to the resort but ran into some traffic since the highway exit ramp, parking deck, tram, and security were still recovering from the morning’s glut. Margo and I entertained ourselves playing hide and seek with Ruby and catching up. By the time we got everyone inside, secured a stroller and met up with Daryl, it was time for lunch. Following that, Daryl and I headed out about 1:00pm, leaving our tickets with Richard and Margo so the kids could ride Buzz Lightyear twice in row.CAROL BURNETT: A WOMAN OF CHARACTER
Later that week, we made our way to The Paley Center for Media in Beverly Hills. They were premiering a new Carol Burnett documentary for PBS that is airing this week as part of American Masters. Check your local listings because it’s a terrific show.
In addition to The Carol Burnett Show, there were clips from The Garry Moore Show, Once Upon A Mattress, and specials with Julie Andrews and Beverly Sills. More than a career retrospective, the film explores Burnett’s non-traditional upbringing, her alcoholic parents, her marriages, her daughter’s struggle with drugs and lots more. At the end of the film when the narrator says “For more on Carol Burnett, go to PBS.org” Carol, sitting in the first row, shouted “There’s nothing left!” and got a big laugh. In the lobby, people mingled with the stars and part of me really wanted to say something to Carol, Tim Conway and Harvey Korman, but I rarely approach celebrities. Sometimes I feel guilty that I haven’t shown more appreciation to folks whose work I admire.
There’s no way that Carol, Tim and Harvey could have left that theater without knowing their work had brightened our lives. Even that old clip from Went With the Wind brought the house down. I laughed so hard during all the show clips that there were tears coming out of my eyes. All I could think as we left the building was “I’m so glad we had this time together.”Thanks to Christy and Shawn for inviting us along to this one.
PUMKINPALOOZA AT DESCANSO GARDENS
Did you know that the pumpkin is considered a fruit? I didn’t until Daryl, Diana and I drove up to Descanso Gardens for PumkinPalooza. Although there weren’t that many pumpkins on display, there was a kids costume parade, sing-along, petting zoo, crafts station and festival shop. Beyond the festival doings, I think the highlight for Diana was seeing the rose garden. (I wonder if they’ve considered staging “Rose-a-Palooza?”). She and Daryl took about 100 pictures, but you can’t really blame them. It was an amazing display. 
We left in time to lunch at Zeke’s Smokehouse and to stroll the Farmer’s Market in downtown Montrose That evening at Diana’s we were joined by Kim for our first experience with the Wii game console. It was awesome. We bowled, played Skee-Ball and competed in a bunch of midway games, laughing a lot. I’m recommending that Diana host an annual competition called Hallo-Wii-n. Thank you, Diana!
HALLOWEEN CARNAVAL IN WEHO
A few nights later, for the third straight year, we spent Halloween evening in West Hollywood (WEHO.) We got there at 7:30, walked along Santa Monica Boulevard and looped back to the car by 9:30. Sure, the party goes on until all hours of the morning, but navigating the crowds becomes a real challenge around 10:00.
In addition to food stands and vendors, the event has stages with live music, DJs and under-dressed dancers of both sexes. There are also evangelicals and Hare Krishna’s looking for converts. Daryl and I are just there for the wacky costumes.
I didn’t have time to snap one of my favorites: A black T-shirt with the message “My costume would’ve been funnier but the writers are on strike.” Official photos and contest winners should be posted soon at WEHO Halloween Carnaval.
STAR SIGHTINGS
At the Carol Burnett presentation, we were especially thrilled to be seated behind Tim Conway, Florence Henderson, Phyllis Diller, Carl Reiner, Jon Cryer and Harvey Korman.
NOVEMBER
We will definitely be giving thanks that the fires were finally put out.
Until next month,
James
