Location, Location, Location: Catalina Island

<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhJqdNI8dVaLtHY5wxKfsrFrwYx17coBSYPjRW3vWKY8N4kX3_vclwpH8oxyRBI9bDB-0p4JGexJ2SkQlaBN5nkR7moBWvzlXIa7VMEVw70toCwxrbSCUm_cVmoTmIvcxRe5Jp9spSovL_v/s1600/cropped+1934.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhJqdNI8dVaLtHY5wxKfsrFrwYx17coBSYPjRW3vWKY8N4kX3_vclwpH8oxyRBI9bDB-0p4JGexJ2SkQlaBN5nkR7moBWvzlXIa7VMEVw70toCwxrbSCUm_cVmoTmIvcxRe5Jp9spSovL_v/s400/cropped+1934.jpg" width="338" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Norma Shearer, Paulette Goddard and Charlie Chaplin off Catalina, 1934</td></tr></tbody></table><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif; font-size: small;"><b>A Film Location and Celebrity Haunt Since the Early 20th Century</b> </span></div><br /><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif; font-size: small;">Santa Catalina, one of California's Channel Islands, is just 26 miles SSW of Los Angeles. Once called Pimu, it's been inhabited for more than 7,000 years and has weathered the Spanish conquest, an influx of otter hunters and infestation by smugglers over its long history. It is best known today as a playground for those with money and celebrity and was once a popular location for filming Hollywood movies. </span></div><div style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><br /><a name='more'></a></div><div style="text-align: right;"></div><div style="text-align: right;"></div><div style="text-align: right;"></div><table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right; margin-left: 1em; text-align: right;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg4tQLTAvi13DCbsMl8zs1MF1Gu5oHobWpxNsHawS_DhRTncxpOcAqc88EUVPKt_pftDGFXKK9099EViF-uyZiKSBI4lkpyoud6H9eHdJ8OfmSe2GnPvOHFdPnIIzSpkxmDpCM_I1FUq_Qt/s1600/catalina+ferry+map.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="196" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg4tQLTAvi13DCbsMl8zs1MF1Gu5oHobWpxNsHawS_DhRTncxpOcAqc88EUVPKt_pftDGFXKK9099EViF-uyZiKSBI4lkpyoud6H9eHdJ8OfmSe2GnPvOHFdPnIIzSpkxmDpCM_I1FUq_Qt/s320/catalina+ferry+map.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">22 miles from shore to isle</span></td></tr></tbody></table><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif; font-size: small;">Back in 1891, Catalina was purchased by the Banning brothers who planned to develop the island as a resort. Avalon Harbor was their primary </span><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">focus, but roads and hunting lodges were also built in the interior. A devastating fire and World War I eventually forced the Bannings to sell off the property. In 1919, William Wrigley, Jr., founder of the chewing gum company and owner of the Chicago Cubs, bought controlling interest in the island. He soon set about building a dance hall on Sugarloaf Point - the Sugarloaf Casino.</span><br /><div style="text-align: left;"></div><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"></span><br /><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"> Not long after, in 1920, Al Jolson recorded "Avalon" and popularized the song about Catalina's resort town:</span><br /><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"></span><br /><table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjlxU66jHDWLhocPc6s-XWhjQoWUUb1uCpiuf8bUQD9-xNEHJcjrgNzm4RIT64XT6dw_6OFJqEaqqasM0waIqaVZ98pt5kXVnso23SCjfNILbsisQHs7QvZz_lAF2xonyX0vAG1VGsoBQNP/s1600/avalon+song.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjlxU66jHDWLhocPc6s-XWhjQoWUUb1uCpiuf8bUQD9-xNEHJcjrgNzm4RIT64XT6dw_6OFJqEaqqasM0waIqaVZ98pt5kXVnso23SCjfNILbsisQHs7QvZz_lAF2xonyX0vAG1VGsoBQNP/s200/avalon+song.jpg" width="145" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">"Avalon" sheet music</span></td></tr></tbody></table><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"> </span><i><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">I found my love in Avalon</span></i><br /><i><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">Beside the bay.</span></i><br /><i><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">I left</span></i><i><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"> my love in Avalon</span></i><br /><i><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">and sail'd away.</span></i><br /><i><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">I dream of her and Avalon</span></i><br /><i><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"> from dusk 'til dawn.</span></i><br /><i><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">And so I think I'll travel on</span></i><br /><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><i>to Avalon.</i></span><br /><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><br /></span><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">As it turned out, the song's tune was similar enough to an aria from Puccini's<i> Tosca </i>(1900) that the composer's music publisher filed and won a plagiarism lawsuit.</span><br /><br /><div style="text-align: right;"></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjCyVtwybS9rRyrnRCn4plgDdvLsbGj8AO5oXrEsXp7KvcAIPhDg_G-K6GTVuGVEfwdVmsuma-G2TZjuMdGMgqMiNfcI8TJXRttPeWT8ge_zQbe27BpRkVg4ag_22mI9G0VQiZiZ1cD17GT/s1600/the-ten-commandments-1923%255B1%255D.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjCyVtwybS9rRyrnRCn4plgDdvLsbGj8AO5oXrEsXp7KvcAIPhDg_G-K6GTVuGVEfwdVmsuma-G2TZjuMdGMgqMiNfcI8TJXRttPeWT8ge_zQbe27BpRkVg4ag_22mI9G0VQiZiZ1cD17GT/s200/the-ten-commandments-1923%255B1%255D.jpg" width="146" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><i>The Ten Commandments </i>(1923)</span></td></tr></tbody></table><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">From Hollywood's earliest days, Santa Catalina Island provided a shooting location for film crews. D.W. Griffith was one of the first to use the island for this purpose with <i>Man's Genesis</i> in 1912. Other filmmakers followed suit. Classic silents with a Catalina backdrop include Fox's <i>Treasure Island </i>(1918), directed by Sidney Franklin, DeMille's <i>The Ten Commandments </i>(1923) for Paramount, and <i>Ben-Hur </i>(1925), directed by Fred Niblo for MGM. The island portrayed locales as exotic as North Africa and Tahiti and three diverse island areas were most often used for filming - Avalon, Little Harbor and the Isthmus - which eventually became known as "the Movie Colony Isthmus." Some of Catalina's palm trees were originally planted by film companies, and the island's buffalo herd was the result of a movie production. Legend has it that the animals were imported for Famous Player-Lasky's Richard Dix vehicle, <i>The Vanishing American </i>(1925). Though this is unproven, it is true that the picture was filmed on the island at the same time the creatures first appeared.</span><br /><br /><table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right; margin-left: 1em; text-align: right;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhFB39o8PtKuaViGs8Et0-dk214CYf5r9vMQ9acxXMUtTSPSScNFmnJZf7h3FwvMfdcelwpeH-ziSrhvE5YFtEaQabtIdVgqWRICW-_kUQGOfeADt7cUGoPF_YPMnmjqobVPub7nRRRdls2/s1600/avalon+ballroom.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="232" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhFB39o8PtKuaViGs8Et0-dk214CYf5r9vMQ9acxXMUtTSPSScNFmnJZf7h3FwvMfdcelwpeH-ziSrhvE5YFtEaQabtIdVgqWRICW-_kUQGOfeADt7cUGoPF_YPMnmjqobVPub7nRRRdls2/s320/avalon+ballroom.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">The  Casino's Avalon Ballroom opened in May 1929</span></td></tr></tbody></table><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">Throughout the 1920s the island grew more popular as a resort destination and William Wrigley decided to raze Sugarloaf Casino to make room for a newer, larger structure. Construction on the Catalina Casino, a ballroom and theater, began in 1928. Architects Sumner A. Spaulding and William Webber created a design described variously as Moorish Alhambra and Mediterranean Revival. Fixtures and furnishings and art were designed in the Art Deco style. John Gabriel Beckman, known for his work on Mann's Chinese Theatre in Hollywood, designed the murals.</span><br /><br /><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">The new ballroom opened in May 1929 with the Maurice Menge band providing dance music for 2,500 couples. The theater opened with <i>The Iron Mask</i> (1929), a silent film<i> </i>starring Douglas Fairbanks enhanced by the musical accompaniment of the theater's organ, the largest Page organ in the world. <b><a href="http://youtu.be/4LAp8mukNqM" style="color: #990000;">Click here</a></b> to visit the interior of the Casino theater and ballroom and hear "Avalon" played on the Page organ.</span><br /><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"> </span><br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh7OvLMQprdh2XAPU_5mvxQ23ZcS3IHN5GPxkgRMlOtC1z5TY9uE3EsptuTEisxOfmn9_ewB_jo3ssiICLUgZ30FJOXoKfazHa-jl2WbCY9-hmZRVXoXqhepHzWUA-e9ZAvnwhR8vReAYbO/s1600/avalon-theatre.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh7OvLMQprdh2XAPU_5mvxQ23ZcS3IHN5GPxkgRMlOtC1z5TY9uE3EsptuTEisxOfmn9_ewB_jo3ssiICLUgZ30FJOXoKfazHa-jl2WbCY9-hmZRVXoXqhepHzWUA-e9ZAvnwhR8vReAYbO/s320/avalon-theatre.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">The Avalon Theatre</span></td></tr></tbody></table><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">In 1929 sound permanently took hold in motion pictures. One early talkie filmed on Catalina was Sam Goldwyn's <i>Condemned </i>(1929) starring Ronald Colman and Ann Harding. Critic Mordaunt Hall, writing for the <i>New York Times</i> in November 1929, referred to it as an 'audible film.' In <i>Condemned</i>, Catalina provided the French penal island locale.</span><br /><br /><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">The island went on to appear in several classics of the 1930s: <i>The Island of Lost Souls </i>(1932), <i>Rain </i>(1932), Victor Fleming's version of <i>Treasure Island </i>(1934), <i>Captain Blood </i>(1935), <i>Mutiny on the Bounty </i>(1935) and <i>Captains Courageous </i>(1937).</span><br /><table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right; margin-left: 1em; text-align: right;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhJnG_EnCjiyGL5w_yEkFKQgDSB9BPiKMYUP6kal-gE6L0kjKkU2825zt6vD4e1dAJn9g7-GSd365BSCV9HLY231k5J6GULPyCFeRNSaJMdqv8ovBHJBhGPnYO3BMOxVFz9k4qXusklRA3u/s1600/flynn+on+the+sirocco.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhJnG_EnCjiyGL5w_yEkFKQgDSB9BPiKMYUP6kal-gE6L0kjKkU2825zt6vD4e1dAJn9g7-GSd365BSCV9HLY231k5J6GULPyCFeRNSaJMdqv8ovBHJBhGPnYO3BMOxVFz9k4qXusklRA3u/s1600/flynn+on+the+sirocco.jpg" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">Errol Flynn on the <i>Sirocco</i> just off the island</span></td></tr></tbody></table><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><br /></span><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">Filming on the island introduced movie casts and crews to the pleasures of Catalina, and those who could afford it sailed and vacationed there. Some of the biggest names in movies spent time on and around the island...Chaplin and Paulette Goddard (pictured above on Joe Schenck's yacht) reportedly enjoyed fishing for marlin in the nearby waters. And Errol Flynn, a devoted sailor and carouser, ended up on trial following one of his many sojourns to the island.</span><br /><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"> </span><br /><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">Beginning in 1934, the Casino Ballroom hosted legendary big bands that were broadcast nationwide as they played live. Glenn Miller, Benny Goodman, Harry James, the Dorseys, Woody Herman and other top bands played to ballroom crowds that, over 28 years, averaged 4,000 per night. A record crowd turned out 6,200 strong for Kay Kyser and his band in 1938. The Avalon Ballroom's live big band broadcasts lasted far into the 1950s.</span><br /><br /><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">In the mid-'30s MGM produced this 19-minute musical revue featuring Buddy Rogers and his band (the California Cavaliers), Chester Morris, Leon Errol and others. Filmed in beautiful 3-strip Technicolor, the short includes cameo appearances by Cary Grant, Errol Flynn, Mickey Rooney, Virginia Bruce, Lee Tracy, Randolph Scott, Marion Davies and Lili Damita. Avalon provides the sea- and sun-kissed setting.</span><br /><br /><iframe allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="349" src="http://www.youtube.com/embed/czIGtYPpKrA" width="425"></iframe><br /><br /><table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right; margin-left: 1em; text-align: right;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhkH1qD6z7SEX-zSNGBSw1hPHlR8ZTPionheyRcsaNX-Ak-cAZXRTGYxUR2AOhHHRe-meVO1cDSADzGYIDQSqUWsFOlLj-qpfDYTL-AySjBJgv4JiCvEpi7IgXMyshuDxk3Jjup6vsz8jMT/s1600/Jaws.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhkH1qD6z7SEX-zSNGBSw1hPHlR8ZTPionheyRcsaNX-Ak-cAZXRTGYxUR2AOhHHRe-meVO1cDSADzGYIDQSqUWsFOlLj-qpfDYTL-AySjBJgv4JiCvEpi7IgXMyshuDxk3Jjup6vsz8jMT/s200/Jaws.jpg" width="168" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><i>Jaws </i>1975</span></td></tr></tbody></table><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">When the United States entered World War II, the island was closed to tourism and decreed off-limits to film production for the duration. Following the war, domestic and international air travel boomed and studios began shooting on location in Africa, the South Pacific and around the world. This didn't end Catalina's life as a location site, however. The island and its surrounding waters have been featured many times since in films like <i>Around the World in 80 Days </i>(1956), <i>The Glass Bottom Boat </i>(1966), <i>Rosemary's Baby</i> (1968), <i>Chinatown </i>(1974), <i>Jaws </i>(1975), <i>Dick Tracy </i>(1989), <i>The Hunt for Red October </i>(1990), <i>Apollo 13 </i>(1995), and <i>The Thin Red Line </i>(1998). Beginning with the silent era, Catalina has appeared in more than 200 films. Of course, the island has been featured on TV many times, too...</span><br /><br /><div style="text-align: right;"></div><table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right; margin-left: 1em; text-align: right;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh_Ientt9E9ewNwvabT2r4Uon8j9FbLKOfMjhKeCrkO6GaC9Q4SZjYGs2IFaw1_upKNTgMfrMpAxZSFq1xjln7CLqRNcdAB3FYre60tw6f7712d4bgVmmJW8pyiKAgM_yTvhZFGLqFO-JM6/s1600/Bogart+and+Bacall+Santana.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh_Ientt9E9ewNwvabT2r4Uon8j9FbLKOfMjhKeCrkO6GaC9Q4SZjYGs2IFaw1_upKNTgMfrMpAxZSFq1xjln7CLqRNcdAB3FYre60tw6f7712d4bgVmmJW8pyiKAgM_yTvhZFGLqFO-JM6/s1600/Bogart+and+Bacall+Santana.jpg" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">Bacall and Bogart offshore</span></td></tr></tbody></table><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">Once World War II ended, movie folk returned to the island. Bogart, Bacall and friends sailed often to and from Catalina on his beloved <i>Santana</i>. Elizabeth Taylor and Eddie Fisher spent part of their honeymoon on Catalina. Marlon Brando rented a house on the island while <i>Morituri </i>(1965) was shooting offshore. In 1972, Liza Minnelli threw a party in Avalon to celebrate her Oscar win for <i>Cabaret</i>. Celebrity couples from Warren Beatty and Julie Christie (dancing at the Chi Chi Club back in the day) to Steven Spielberg and Kate Capshaw to Barbra Streisand and James Brolin have been spotted on Catalina over the years.</span><br /><br /><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">On a sadder note, Natalie Wood and Robert Wagner were spending Thanksgiving weekend 1981 in the area on their yacht, the <i>Splendour</i>, and it was in the waters off Catalina that she drowned.</span><br /><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><br /></span><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">During William Wrigley's ownership of the Chicago Cubs, the team's spring training was held on the island - a tradition that went on for 30 years. But in addition to developing and making use of the island, Wrigley wanted to preserve it. In 1972, P.K. Wrigley fulfilled his late father's wishes when he established the Catalina Island Conservancy and transferred family ownership to it. Ever since, most of the island has been held in trust by the Conservancy...and buffalo still roam in the uplands (<b><a href="http://youtu.be/95EWO554CaA" style="color: #990000;">click here</a></b> to watch them roam), schools of Garibaldi fish still swim in the coastal waters, gray whales continue to pass by during their annual migration and dolphins are often sighted not far from shore.</span><br /><br /><table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhu_J86waQKI44FVSBHejyNFN51OXT4Z8teXi739LR5RuHWKo0Gy4RkuZO18rFHqN5KO8oOu2keBvDDDyLP8O9E8C3u9j-tVaRZvtAEtmgSjCsU-HsCLDkYhyphenhyphen3z1JdIKnFDH6grXiXZHQbb/s1600/CatalinaIsland%255B2%255D.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="239" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhu_J86waQKI44FVSBHejyNFN51OXT4Z8teXi739LR5RuHWKo0Gy4RkuZO18rFHqN5KO8oOu2keBvDDDyLP8O9E8C3u9j-tVaRZvtAEtmgSjCsU-HsCLDkYhyphenhyphen3z1JdIKnFDH6grXiXZHQbb/s320/CatalinaIsland%255B2%255D.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">Avalon Harbor</span></td></tr></tbody></table><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"> </span><br /><br /><table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgrIMZePAnogicBE87-t2YbNc5b_Lcbvj_6yeFqnyEYLQ5zx98in04cgjUtOibosRwOYcMIlq3070ZrdK_bXkFNTNkzF_3DRHDTpxQyaGsrhPHvOFSVktgK18N-TllfFkf5vfmwfKMRari-/s1600/casino+entrance+full+shot.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="211" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgrIMZePAnogicBE87-t2YbNc5b_Lcbvj_6yeFqnyEYLQ5zx98in04cgjUtOibosRwOYcMIlq3070ZrdK_bXkFNTNkzF_3DRHDTpxQyaGsrhPHvOFSVktgK18N-TllfFkf5vfmwfKMRari-/s320/casino+entrance+full+shot.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">Catalina Casino entrance</span></td></tr></tbody></table><table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right; margin-left: 1em; text-align: right;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi8H1jTXvDIH2ZNVPWKZFLEsdSKXlVStm-c3KR005z_TZYXHHx8079x1UnmBEE7QP0X8fbSIg_El92O0WTXnrGujCc3QGEf9ez7h2CteMD-lwUCu8FpbUHkoUm3n5tgdoKmlRCD0BNUbx2O/s1600/casino+ballroom+and+theater+entrance.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi8H1jTXvDIH2ZNVPWKZFLEsdSKXlVStm-c3KR005z_TZYXHHx8079x1UnmBEE7QP0X8fbSIg_El92O0WTXnrGujCc3QGEf9ez7h2CteMD-lwUCu8FpbUHkoUm3n5tgdoKmlRCD0BNUbx2O/s320/casino+ballroom+and+theater+entrance.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">Casino entrance detail</span></td></tr></tbody></table><div class="" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"></span><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"></span></div><div style="text-align: right;"></div><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><br /></span><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"> </span><br /><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"> </span><br /><table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjks3_fqVk2rLH-0PBSfya6yIXdJEDryXmbMjoBLQXhzgTanJXFDKY_T5_Mitmd7T5GqBEdUh8snGkh2HBEgHW6tPlacJcxBGq0ylpbiUaq-PS-Nlj1EwrD4gyX7sJkHWyUiNdCmTRlTX-8/s1600/Ronald_Colman_Condemned.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjks3_fqVk2rLH-0PBSfya6yIXdJEDryXmbMjoBLQXhzgTanJXFDKY_T5_Mitmd7T5GqBEdUh8snGkh2HBEgHW6tPlacJcxBGq0ylpbiUaq-PS-Nlj1EwrD4gyX7sJkHWyUiNdCmTRlTX-8/s320/Ronald_Colman_Condemned.jpg" width="209" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><i>Condemned</i> 1929</span></td></tr></tbody></table><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjvyOjkqyjep9CbCkvRkNLe0sW7ZYv8HwlQJ_N6xGiaXfsnQb-S2RYfyMW3IQa31IfWQR6xxhG3-dsL2qtehifhJU9rOIwOPxV_qoreR6XUSdQFkjhx9zkkQ13YwL8yFXc6jgf3GCpV8PC_/s320/Captain+Blood.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;" width="224" /></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><i>Captain Blood</i> 1935</span></td></tr></tbody></table><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiCMGzWUiwIGCggo5rVJ0u815A0hVksVLlaA6Tz5BONSjlItCZjC42v4Eso2MyKdOxgoYA2-o_p9HvYIOnoyZvfZgQz8jSo19QjYhQHobFkt4QgTA-hO0PSzA75DgX7N6kf_APQvZwrJHso/s1600/Muntiny+Bounty.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiCMGzWUiwIGCggo5rVJ0u815A0hVksVLlaA6Tz5BONSjlItCZjC42v4Eso2MyKdOxgoYA2-o_p9HvYIOnoyZvfZgQz8jSo19QjYhQHobFkt4QgTA-hO0PSzA75DgX7N6kf_APQvZwrJHso/s320/Muntiny+Bounty.jpg" width="177" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><i>Mutiny on the Bounty</i> 1935</span></td></tr></tbody></table><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjQeEw7imwKKswXy-frczss6Udraqix2jlwUWt8DwsjGcW6MfbghrwTdo9VyMQNXrknxwKGM-rY4giRPh8fHiu1dxpT_b5XTg6HOnY_FamVXJIH1cILpYrk7twc7DQrrBfyOnDkTa592GUp/s1600/Rosemarys+Baby.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="169" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjQeEw7imwKKswXy-frczss6Udraqix2jlwUWt8DwsjGcW6MfbghrwTdo9VyMQNXrknxwKGM-rY4giRPh8fHiu1dxpT_b5XTg6HOnY_FamVXJIH1cILpYrk7twc7DQrrBfyOnDkTa592GUp/s320/Rosemarys+Baby.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><i>Rosemary's Baby</i> 1968</span></td></tr></tbody></table><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div>

Avalon Bogart Captain Blood Catalina Island Charlie Chaplin Chinatown D.W. Griffith Errol Flynn Jaws Mutiny on the Bounty Rosemary's Baby William Wrigley Jr. Location, Location, Location: Catalina Island

Norma Shearer, Paulette Goddard and Charlie Chaplin off Catalina, 1934A Film Location and Celebrity Haunt Since the Early 20th Century Santa Catalina, one of California's Channel Islands, is just 26 miles SSW of Los Angeles. Once called Pimu, it's be…

Read more »

The Artful Nostalgia of Richard Amsel

<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhHYFDgVVd5aZpZ0uoBVd02eADUSqNGiyabB0dKPiUdj2dNHIS3kLANt2dpVSMe9EYqAhxH6UMkBiCkO5nyus5g1ReZXhhluFNn7bOVJGeh1owpqCl7eZDe2JWMfBr4E_FamD90HHO7B0j1/s1600/amsel+chinatown.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; cssfloat: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="400" ox="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhHYFDgVVd5aZpZ0uoBVd02eADUSqNGiyabB0dKPiUdj2dNHIS3kLANt2dpVSMe9EYqAhxH6UMkBiCkO5nyus5g1ReZXhhluFNn7bOVJGeh1owpqCl7eZDe2JWMfBr4E_FamD90HHO7B0j1/s400/amsel+chinatown.jpg" width="263" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Chinatown movie poster</td></tr></tbody></table>Richard Amsel was a prolific graphic artist and illustrator who created some of the most indelible images of the '70s and '80s.<br /><br />Born on December 4, 1947, he was raised near Philadelphia, in the west side suburb of Ardmore where his parents owned a toy store. An artistic prodigy from early youth, he graduated from Lower Merion High School in 1965; he had been Art Editor of the school yearbook. He went on to attend the Philadelphia College of Art and stood out among his classmates there. Some have suggested that Amsel's precocious talent intimidated even his art instructors at the college.<br /><br />While still in art school, he won a poster art contest for the Barbra Streisand film, <b>Hello Dolly</b> (1968). His career took off as a result... he was just 21 years old.<br /><br />Richard Amsel went on to create a series of magazine ads for designer Oleg Cassini, illustrated movie posters and developed a long association with <i>TV Guide</i> magazine. In addition, he created the art for <i>Time Magazine</i>'s Lily Tomlin cover in 1975.<br /><a name='more'></a><br /><br /><table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right; margin-left: 1em; text-align: right;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh-vGlwoRFwro19yMpOx2Meqq8eG5bHDjuWiEuaRoheyNxK8OGnDUC75244g1WjkYAXe5gS2u_hzPzq3RDOFb4hDKL_l-rqbvnNBbhZElQj1C6L52vkN5KGta1LQS-_3_2OpsUCnBZbJi4P/s1600/amsel+midler.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; cssfloat: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="315" ox="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh-vGlwoRFwro19yMpOx2Meqq8eG5bHDjuWiEuaRoheyNxK8OGnDUC75244g1WjkYAXe5gS2u_hzPzq3RDOFb4hDKL_l-rqbvnNBbhZElQj1C6L52vkN5KGta1LQS-_3_2OpsUCnBZbJi4P/s320/amsel+midler.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The Divine Miss M album cover</td></tr></tbody></table>His illustrations for RCA's remastered recordings of Benny Goodman and some of the label's other catalog artists caught the eye of Barry Manilow, then accompanist for about-to-emerge Bette Midler. Manilow introduced the singer to the artist and Amsel ended up creating the cover art for Midler's debut album, <b>The Divine Miss M</b>, as well as some of her later albums and posters.<br /><br /> His best known movie posters were for classic films of the '70s and '80s and include <b>The Last Picture Show </b>(1971), <b>The Sting</b> (1973), <b>Chinatown</b> (1974), <b>Murder on the Orient Express</b> (1974), <b>The Shootist </b>(1976) and, perhaps most famous of all, <b>Raiders of the Lost Ark </b>(1981).<br /><br /><table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEikK6Rbt5u8fAND9Odf1450PZDjJkhMBDnNYULVbgVNYd_KgJ3yGeH6D4MvuINMkFqLSr29ShyhjkwWY6gVATAiOFQED9bxkbxhiV7ftge4IFX2XWreDqcjv2Rfx8EVsNuSBEGUxCaDLX2B/s1600/Amsel+hepburn.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; cssfloat: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="200" ox="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEikK6Rbt5u8fAND9Odf1450PZDjJkhMBDnNYULVbgVNYd_KgJ3yGeH6D4MvuINMkFqLSr29ShyhjkwWY6gVATAiOFQED9bxkbxhiV7ftge4IFX2XWreDqcjv2Rfx8EVsNuSBEGUxCaDLX2B/s200/Amsel+hepburn.jpg" width="175" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Katharine Hepburn/TV Guide</td></tr></tbody></table>Richard Amsel's relationship with <i>TV Guide</i> began in 1972 when he was commissioned to do a portrait of the Duke and Duchess of Windsor to coincide with a TV movie about them. He created a total of 37 covers for the magazine over the next 13 years. Some of the most well known (and there are many) - "Shogun," Clark Gable and Vivien Leigh when <b>Gone with the Wind </b>debuted on television, Ingrid Bergman as Golda Meier, Katharine Hepburn, Frank Sinatra, Princess Grace of Monaco, Lucille Ball, the wedding of Prince Charles and Princess Diana and "Miami Vice." Amsel's last cover for <i>TV Guide</i> was of the three network news anchormen, Peter Jennings, Dan Rather and Tom Brokaw. <br /><table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right; margin-left: 1em; text-align: right;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjpqi9CEc5WbNP6zZSM9obBO4RlUHFLmgGuISfuKZMkHPgaHtuTLLuqOyJoQA-psAcZLXmFSio8lasIYsIQjgntjUqrLBtJ2Dibo5JXu2ExlgwDtvBUMhHx3VnfzLvAFeKJa36OOHjZaVd7/s1600/Amsel_GWTW_full_art%255B1%255D.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; cssfloat: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" ox="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjpqi9CEc5WbNP6zZSM9obBO4RlUHFLmgGuISfuKZMkHPgaHtuTLLuqOyJoQA-psAcZLXmFSio8lasIYsIQjgntjUqrLBtJ2Dibo5JXu2ExlgwDtvBUMhHx3VnfzLvAFeKJa36OOHjZaVd7/s320/Amsel_GWTW_full_art%255B1%255D.jpg" width="240" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Gone with the Wind/TV Guide</td></tr></tbody></table><br />Amsel's stylistic influences were diverse, among them - Gustav Klimt, Alphonse Mucha and Walt Disney. An Associated Press reporter of the time observed that his "portraits pay homage to the nostalgia of old Hollywood, often through the groovy lens of the Age of Aquarius, while still managing to look contemporary..." About his own work, Amsel said, "I'm interested in uncovering relationships between the past and present and in discovering how things have changed and grown. I don't see any point in copying the past, but I think the elements of the past can be taken to another realm."<br /><div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;"> </div><div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;"><div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;">Richard Amsel died just three weeks before his 38th birthday in November 1985, a victim of AIDS.<br /><br /><div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;">To learn more about Amsel's illustrative art,<span style="color: #990000;"> </span><a href="http://adammcdaniel.com/RichardAmsel.htm"><span style="color: #990000;">click here</span></a>.</div><div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;"><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhQSippn2CiY3fZF5RRfvZUN0OhCd06II-5QdlZ8SZBjJg3Mu402hi-hcYvgmbLAe_4BtM2QbetxXUaaoveBP3e-47OO2Ng4cOf2U1vuMVBB6dz62nuhA1XBm7cHSYjaI4Yl073QzE4ey7k/s1600/amsel+ark.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="400" ox="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhQSippn2CiY3fZF5RRfvZUN0OhCd06II-5QdlZ8SZBjJg3Mu402hi-hcYvgmbLAe_4BtM2QbetxXUaaoveBP3e-47OO2Ng4cOf2U1vuMVBB6dz62nuhA1XBm7cHSYjaI4Yl073QzE4ey7k/s400/amsel+ark.jpg" width="315" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Raiders of the Lost Ark movie poster</td></tr></tbody></table></div></div></div><br /><div style="text-align: left;"><i>As I was preparing to post this piece about Richard Amsel, I realized its timeliness - December is AIDS Awareness Month.</i></div>

Barbra Streisand Bette Midler Chinatown Hello Dolly Murder on the Orient Express Raiders of the Lost Ark Richard Amsel The Lady Eve (author) The Shootist The Sting TV Guide The Artful Nostalgia of Richard Amsel

Chinatown movie posterRichard Amsel was a prolific graphic artist and illustrator who created some of the most indelible images of the '70s and '80s.Born on December 4, 1947, he was raised near Philadelphia, in the west side suburb of Ardmore where h…

Read more »