¡ Viva Velvet ! ~ A View of Vintage Tijuana • South of the Border 1928-1968

Ay Ay Ay ~ Long Before Estamos Californianos travelled to Disneyland, Las Vegas or the Coachella Music Festival for The Weekend ~ We Went South of the Border ~ Down Mexico Way…A Lost Paradise In the Days before the Carteles and All the Drugs Drama ~ Mexico was Fun Fun Fun..!

The Original Caesar's Restaurant & Bar ~ The Creators of none other than the Caesar Salad, Tijuana 1920's

Tijuana, B.C. Mexico ~ An Exotic Name for a Once Very Exotic Place, even to us Dyed-in-the-Natural Cotton-Californians. In the Nineteen-Twenties up to Quite Recently, (It’s become a Little Heavy Down There lately), Tijuana Beckoned Us with Amorous Adventures of Sport, Games of Chance, Just Plain Carousing and a Variety of Questionable Activities. One could Pack Up His or Her Favorite Senorita or Senor, Gang of Four or Family and within 2 or 3 hours, Travel to Tropical Tijuana or further south to Exotic Ensenada for all kinds of Fun in the Sun !

From 1919 to 1933, Alcohol, Casinos, Prostitution and Horse Racing were all forbidden or tightly restricted in California, (what else is new) and all were easily available in Tijuana. A Go-South-Young-Man No-Brainer !

Because of this California Condition, Great Pleasure Palaces were built, including the city’s fabled Agua Caliente Casino & Racetrack, and countless Hollywood celebrities, their imitators, various wanna-be’s and hangers-on Crept South by car, rail, ship and small plane.

Agua Caliente during the 1920′s was The Biggest Attraction in Tijuana – and beside being a Major Party Attraction to the EveryDay California Gentry, was a Second Home to many of the most famous Horse Racing Jockeys of the day, including the Legendary “Iceman”, George Woolf ~

George "The Iceman" Woolf ~ Cool Under Fire on the Track

Woolf was One of the Winningest Jockeys of his time along with his pal, a Fun-Loving Fella named John ‘Red‘ Pollard. Within about 6 years the 2 Men would Become Most Famous for Courting and Riding to Victory perhaps the Most Famous Californian of her era ~

~ A Demure Yet Fiesty Young Lady named Seabiscuit.

Built on an Artesian Hot Spring, hence the name ‘Agua Caliente‘, the Casino attracted and entertained high profile patrons as the stars of the Film Industry in Hollywood would venture down to Mexico for Fun, Drink and Gambling. The Grandstand had a Spanish~Mediterranean feel to it with its white buildings and red tile roofs…

By All Accounts, Agua Caliente was the Jockey’s Favorite on their circuit, this being the days before Del Mar & Santa Anita Racetracks were built Up North in California Proper. These Boys had the Neighboring Boardinghouse nee’ Bordello at their Disposal On The Hill above the Track, along with No Doubt Mucho Macho roving Bands of Mariachis, Lovely Latin Ladies & Liberal Libations ~ as they were Outright Local Stars and Heroes of The Tijuana Sporting Life…

The Agua Caliente Casino was the Crown Jewel of the Classic Tijuana era. It opened in 1928, Tiled and Stuccoed, All California Moorish and Missionary, Vast and Self-Assured. It lay only six miles South of the Border, covered 655 acres and cost about $10 million at the time ~

The Lion’s Share of The Dough was supplied by American investors. It was “one of the most opulent resorts ever to grace the Americas,” but more significantly, it was the inspiration for Las Vegas in the years following…

Wish I could jump in My Time Machine & Stop In for a Couple Margaritas on that Patio, a Couple Cancions from the Mariachis, then Head Straight to the Track ! ~

Along with the Casino offering Roulette, Baccarat and Faro (but no windows or clocks), Agua Caliente featured about 400 rooms and bungalows, a horse-racing track, a golf course, a spa fed by natural spring water (hence the name), an Art Deco ballroom, various cocktail bars, tennis courts, a riding academy, a landing strip for small planes, a blue-tiled minaret and an iconic bell tower, a replica of which now stands at the beginning of Boulevard Agua Caliente.

Tally Ho Boys ~ Bing & Co. Styling it Down South

Charlie Chaplin and Gary Cooper came to the Races. Douglas Fairbanks sat on the Board of Directors. Jean Harlow tried the golf course. Bing Crosby and Clark Gable saddled up horses, and the showroom featured a teenage dancer, Ms. Margarita Cansino, who later changed Her Hollywood Name to None Other Than Rita Hayworth.

If One tired of All The Excitement at The Races, Perhaps a Cerveza or a Siesta is in order, or go Across Town to El Toreo for a Hemingway-esque Day in the Sun at the Bullfights…

¡ ole !

The very first Plaza de Toros (That’s Bullring in Gringo-Speak) in Tijuana was a wooden structure that would accommodate 2000 and was built in 1904 by Sevillian banderillero Antonio Gonzalez Rubio and Mexicali merchant Don José R. Alvarez, in the square block then described by 3rd and 4th streets and Avenida Revolución and Avenida Madero.

In May of 1911, the Plaza burned to the ground, allegedly by Welsh mercenary Caryl Pryce, and was subsequently replaced by a new, slightly larger (capacity 2,500) Plaza, on 5th and 6th streets, to become the Center of Tijuana’s Toro Activities in the 1920s and ’30s.

It was officially inaugurated as Plaza El Toreo de Tijuana on July 3, 1938.

Practically every Great Torero or Bullfighter of the era performed in the historic Tijuana Plaza de Toros ~ and a Few Well-Known Toreras performed there tambien...

More than a Few Celebrities visited Tijuana All The Time, even The Mild-Mannered Charles Lindbergh, ‘Lucky Lindy’ himself. He doesn’t look like a Real Fun Guy to Hang Out with though, Wonder how he did at The Track ..?

El Piloto Famoso Senor Charles Lindbergh ~ El Plaza de Toros, 1930's

El Matador Antonio Montes ~ Who lived to be 103

Enough Will All the Turismo, History & Culture ~ Sometimes you Just Need a Beer…

You could Belly Up to the Longest Bar in the World ~

La Cantina Ballena, a Real Whale of a Bar in Mexicali ~ and Throw Down just 5 Centavos American for a Tall Cold Cerveza, or Go Big and Get a Pitcher for .25c ~ Viva Mexico !

Ahora Quien ~ Marc Anthony

In the Midst of All the Mariachi Madness, no one saw what was coming. On the Horizon, everything was Manana. In 1933, Prohibition came to an end and a series of morally conservative presidents ruled Mexico. Nevada legalized gambling in 1931.Tijuana all but dried up and blew away. How Ironic ~ the Same Presidents had relied on Tijuana’s income to fund their armies during the Mexican Revolution. The Enterprising Tijuana Turismo Industry had to Dream Up other Forms of Entertainment now that alcohol was once again legal in Estados Unidos.

The U.S. was Gearing Up the Military Presence in the late 1930s in anticipation of the Second World War, and San Diego became a Major Navy Base. Tijuana responded to the sailors’ needs by saturating the area around the old bull-ring with hotels, restaurants, and bars. Informal betting along the lines of three-card monte was common.

The Vida Alegre, that is to say, Prostitution, extended into the suburbs of Colonia Libertad and Colonia Independencia. Another Form of Entertainment & Betting Revenue in Tijuana debuted with the Opening of El Grande’ Fronton, The Jai-Alai Palace in 1947 ~

Jai Alai ( High’-Lie) originated as a handball game in the Basque area of Spain’s Pyrenees Mountains over four centuries ago. Games were played on Sundays and holidays in small villages at the local church, hence the name jai alai which means “merry festival” in Basque. Players would use the open-air church courtyard and the walls of the church as the fronton or arena. Often called the “fastest sport in the world,” Jai Alai consists of men with weird basket appendages a la Cricket, whipping rock-hard balls against a granite wall, trying to make their opponent miss the return while avoiding being hit with the speeding bullet themselves. It’s a game that requires a combination of skill, speed, and acrobatics.

The game spread to and gained popularity in Spanish-Speaking countries like Mexico and Cuba, and even the Phillipines. After its initial introduction in the U.S., frontons started going up all over the country. Spectators flocked to jai alai arenas to watch the “ballet with bullets,” and it quickly became an alternative to horse and dog racing for gambling.

Betting on Jai Alai is just like betting on horse racing or dog racing. So you can place a single “win,” “place,” or “show” bet on a particular team or you can pick two teams to finish first and second with a “quinella” bet.  Spectators can also make Trifecta and Superfecta bets.

The skill and agility of the players allows for some handicapping but the speed and tricky action of the pelota introduces an element of luck into the equation ~

Another Development in Mexico’s Mad Quest for Turismo Dolares was the Emergence of The Maquiladora ~ What Us Gringos would call The Black Velvet Painting Factory…

There are a Few Iconic Superheroes of the Black Velvet Painting. Of Course ~ Numero Uno The World Over is Senor Jesus Christ just nipping Elvis By a Nose at the Wire in Popularity. Voluptuous Pin-Up Girls, Marilyn and Madonna, The Devil & His Vices (there are a lot of THOSE in Tijuana), Jungle Fantasies and Religious Scenes are common themes. Personal Favorites de Federico tend toward what could be called The American Badass Genre, Charles Bronson, John Wayne and The Man with No Name ~

Latin Art Curator Christina Ochoa says Black Velvet Painting goes back to the 14th century, when Marco Polo found samples of velvet paintings in Kashmir. The popularity of American black velvet painting can be traced to the work of one man known as the “American Gauguin” — Edgar Leeteg, a native of Sacramento, California, who lived and painted in Tahiti from 1933-to-1953. Leeteg, although no more skilled at the technique than his Mexican Artesano Counterparts, can be credited with effectively blending Tiki Style & Culture with the Mexican Maquiladora style of painting, and that blending in effect, is what California Culture is All About ~ Que No ?

Leeteg’s vast output of thousands of black velvet paintings served as the inspiration for imitators who flocked to create a vast industry churning out a form of art that would be indelibly associated with tourism. Many of Leeteg’s works were purchased by Navy personnel based in Hawaii, who would return to San Diego, bringing Leeteg nudes and commission Mexican painters in Tijuana to make similar portraits of their girlfriends in black velvet. She Looks Damn Good above The Waterbed ~ and In It !

For Years, Even Though the Ractrack was Gone, there were and are still Bullfights, but the old Gran Corrido is gone, and even the One that Replaced it is gone too….

A New Estadio is outside town now, not Quite the Same ~ the 3rd or 4th in a Long Line of Bullrings Long Gone.  The Jai Alai Grande Palacio is Gone as well. There are still Endless Mercados…but instead of Switchblades, Black Velvet Elvis’s, Cusano Rojo Mezcal with The Worm in the Bottom, Strip Clubs, Donkey Shows, Serapes, Paesant Blouses, Endless Bad But Cool T-Shirts, Maracas & Huaraches, it’s Fake Chanel and Hermes’ (from China) and The Illicit Internet for Trashy Tijuana Turistas Looking for Quick Insta-Love. The Maquiladoras Still Churn Out the Velvet Paintings to Sell to Unsuspecting Gringos Tired & Wasted on their Way Home, lined up at The Border, but they’re not Quite The Same, either. Instead of Toreros, it’s Tupac, and even he’s not Around Anymore  ~ It All kind of makes you feel you’re Just Lucky to Still Be Around at all…And those Tacky Souvenirs you Threw in the Trash, saying Why in Hell Did I Buy this ? – Are Low-and High-Brow Art Now… But Weren’t They Always ?

¡ VIVA TIJUANA !

Thou Shalt Drag ~ “Big Daddy” Roth Lives ! A California Genius in his Heyday • 1963

Although this Modern Day Badass Hot Rod was not built in California ~ The Style it Embodies is completely a la Ed “Big Daddy” Roth 1963…

And California-Style It Is…Having seen, owned & been exposed to A Lot of Hot Rods, Federico had to admire Blown to Be Wild for the Sheer HotRod Audacity, Craftsmanship & Total Big Daddy RothNess of a Monster Car Come to Life ~

Though we now use any manner of digital technology to create Modern Art, preserve Nostalgia, Pop Culture & Retro-Everything, ( which I am Shamelessly Guilty Of ), One of the Most Iconic California Pop Maestro MasterMinds, Mr. Ed Roth, like Mssrs. Matisse, Picasso & Dali before him, gazed for the most part Wholly and Phantasmagorically Into the Future. None of these Neo-Artistes sat and lamented on Things ‘Back in the Day’, but completely without the aid of computers or digital devices of any kind, Roth created a FantasyLand of FantasticNess we now Worship as California High Art …and Rightfully So ~

Ed 'Big Daddy' Roth building "Mysterion" in his Maywood, Calif. shop, 1963

Big Daddy embraced a wholly original technique d’art. Using Plaster of Paris to create a master shape for his Outlandish California Creations, he would hand form a molten batch of Goo into a hardened Futuristic Shape and cover it all with FiberGlass, a relatively new media technology developed during World War II. What would begin as a Big Mess on the floor, Roth would transform into a Rolling Renaissance Machine, like “Mysterion” above, built in 1963 and “Beatnik Bandit”, below in 1960.

DisneyLand and the Nice Kids had Mickey, Roth and the rest of us had Rat Fink, 1963

Roth's Beatnik Bandit - controlled by a central 'Joystick', (no steering wheel) and hand-blown bubble top, 1960

” In Africa I had got this fantastic idea for a fiberglas car when I saw a picture of Henry Ford beatin’ the trunk of one o’ his new ’41 Fords with a sledge hammer and it wouldn’t dent. Ya could’a knocked me over with a feather. It was also very cheap! It could also be done by people with little or no talent and I had both. It seemed too far out for my brain so I just dismissed it ’til I saw the LIFE article. In ’57 I started playin’ with ‘glas’. I got some of the gooiest messes ya’d ever wanna see. My pants are always ruined by the end of each day, but in them days I’d have to throw ‘em away each day. Shoes was good for about 4 days before I’d throw a coat of black paint on ‘em.”

“First I had the frame which was your basic ’29 Ford rails and fitted this junk Caddy engine into (junk but ran good). I knew fiberglas existed but couldn’t get anyone to help me (except Dirty Doug later on) so I was gonna make me a body outa wood like the Shadoff Special guys’d done. But it was too complicated and besides, wood and me don’t jive! So I went to the local lumber yard and got some casting plaster (which is gross ’cause it dries so quick) but it was cheap and better’n wood.”

The Shadoff Special ~ Bonneville Speed Week, 1953. Body of fiberglass over a wooden 'buck' or frame, built by Dean Batchelor. One of the most successful 'Streamliners' of its day.

“Makin’ the buck was no problem. Guys in Detroit was usin’ clay since the early 20′s but clay was a buck a pound. Forget it! Plaster was a buck for 100 pounds. I used that! Then I covered the plaster with this messy, ooey, gooey stuff. I mean, like, it just ran into this big pile of mush on the asphalt. It was devastating.”

From “Hot Rods By Ed ‘Big Daddy’ Roth”/Roth,Thacker 1995

Early Big Daddy – hand airbrushing Monster Shirts, pre-Fame and screenprint days. Above right, Justifiably Proud Big D with Outlaw, 1956-60. His 1st FiberGlass car, and its Offspring, the Revell licensed model kit of it you can still buy today.

Roth's "Outlaw", at an early 60's L.A car show, his early airbrushed T-shirts on display

The Original "Outlaw" Revell model kit ~early 1960's

Gazillions of the model kits were made of several Roth creations..and for a while at least, in His Heyday, Big Daddy was makin’ Big Bucks..He had literally Created a Monster and Mysterion defined the Early 60′s California Hot Rod Era ~

Big Daddy Roth model kits ~ every hip kids' 'Must Have' in 1965 for just $2Bucks !

Big Daddy outside his Maywood shop, circa 1960

Roth built Most of his Masterpieces along with producing his T-shirts at Roth Studios, his very Low-Techy Mad Scientist’s Laboratory on Slauson Avenue in Maywood, an L.A. suburb. Revell American produced model car kits that featured the “Beatnik Bandit” and “Road Agent”. Other model kits included “Rat Fink” and the gang, a group of hot rodding monsters. During 1963 Revell paid Ed “Big Daddy” Roth a one cent royalty for each model sold. In 1963 Ed brought in $32,000 that year in royalties, that’s a lot of model kits…

Big Daddy Ed, The Old World Craftsman, built his California Creations almost single-handedly in his small shop, heating and blowing Plexiglas Bubble Tops for his Masterpieces in a pizza oven, like some Mad Venetian GlassBlower Time Travelling to Shakey’s ~

Roth's Shop in Maywood, his Ol' 55 & plywood form for one of his Pizza-Oven 'Bubble Tops' out front

Roth at work on Mysterion at his shop, 1963

Mysterion fiberglass body shell under construction, 1963

Later On he got so busy he hired a few Dedicated Employees, guys like Dirty Doug, Robert Williams and Ed ‘Newt’ Newton, who drew most of the Cool Monster T-shirt designs. Years later, Roth would work with Moldy Marvin, who carries on the Roth Legacy, maintaining ‘All Things Roth’ to this day.

Roth was Getting So Big he started printing Catalogs – Perfect Reading During 4th Grade Math Class…

BDR at the Office ~ Drag 'T' ,Rat Fink Hat & a Sea of Silkscreens behind him...Dress for Success !

I'll be Upstairs Doing My Homework, Mom

His lightweight, rear-engine Space-Age Road Agent, used a rear-mounted Corvair engine and ultra-light construction, you’ve gotta love those StarTrek pods on the sides….preceding the StarShip Enterprise, which wouldn’t be seen on the new T.V. show Star Trek for another 2 years…

Big Daddy, no Average Beatnik – demonstrated a Stroke of Pure Genius completely devoid of Modern Technology….i.e. arguably the first use of what we know as ‘RGB’ color in a non-printing application, with the lighting on his Orbitron, below, 1964. An excellent article on Orbitron is here :

http://www.ratfink.org/orbitron/history.htm

Roth's Orbitron ~ lost for years, and found recently outside a Mexican adult bookstore & restored...ever heard the term 'RGB' with relation to computer color? Roth's 3 headlights produced a white beam, in 1964. Roth felt the car was "a failure at the shows..." for not having its chromed Corvette engine exposed.

Big Daddy Monster Shirts just $2.49 ! (in 1965)

Big Daddy had a family to support. He had quit his job as a Window Display artist at Sears-Roebuck and financed his Custom Car Creations work through sales of the ‘Monster’ T-shirts, travelling around to various Custom & Hot Rod Shows and related events for years, parlaying his designs into lucrative licensing agreements with Revell, for the Model Kits. Today we think of the T-shirt, with any manner of design on it, to be anywhere from ‘Designer’ couture – as in a simple black petite ladies T-shirt with ‘Prada’ on the front, to a 12 year-old’s latest Volcom ‘Surfwear’ 18-color-cool-for-a-week-design.

Every time you see some ‘Metal’ or ‘Punk’-flavoured design or ‘Urban’ streetwear, and All the Kids and Half the Adults are ‘rocking’ Cool Skulls-this-or-that, you’ve got Big Daddy Roth to Thank, because he Did it First…

Roth did his original shirts by hand, graduating to silkscreens in one to 3-4 colors, a contemporary of Mr. Andy Warhol with regard to screenprinting technology. Considering a Warhol screenprint is now worth several hundred-thousand to millions of dollars – at the same time Big Daddy was knocking out hundreds of screenprints, all the while producing 3-dimensional full-size Rolling & Driving Works of Art.

Genius at Work ~ Roth and "Rotar", motorcycle-powered hovercraft, 1965. Would it fit Obama's programs to develop 'alternative energy' today? Quite possibly.

Another often overlooked aspect of Big Daddy’s Intellect were his sometimes subtle to blatant messages to Us Kids on the subjects of Anti -War, Question-Authority,  yet showing Respect to Soldiers, Servicemen & Country, Government, Cops, The Establishment & encouraging us to ‘Stick It to the Man’.

Of course it was All in Fun and he was just Covering All His Bases. This was 1963-1965, Vietnam was still relatively unknown to the Average Kid, but the Big Kids knew, and Roth was speaking to them too ~

Semper Fi Do or Die ! Most of Roth's best T-shirt art was done by an artist named Ed 'Newt' Newton

Although Roth knew Full Well – Kids were his Audience, his Army in America and We Were the Future …

…he wasn’t always so Popular with the Parents..but in Retrospect – through his Crazy California Ways, his Humour with Tongue Firmly in Cheek and his Unmistakable Genius, maybe he was Right…and perhaps now one can ask – have we Learned any Lessons he was trying to Let Us in On ?

2010 SmartCar or Big Daddy's Surfite ? 900 lbs., 40MPG ~ Ed Roth, 1964

I was In The Presence of The Great Big Daddy Roth Twice. Once at the young age of my Peers in the photo above, at an L.A. Car Show, watching Roth airbrush T-shirts, just like in the photo up top there, by himself working away, covered in paint ~ a cloud of enamel haze around his head.

He obviously made an impression, as 10 or 15 years later, I was now a young Graphic Designer/Sign Maker sharing a studio not entirely different than Roth’s above with an early partner, whose Dad was Head of the Graphics and Sign Shop at Knott’s Berry Farm. Big Daddy was working there at the time, toward the End of his Career. So of course we went to see him, and I was Beside Myself. Walking into this archaic wooden, very rural-style shop left over from the Early 30′s Days of Knott’s, my expression upon meeting him was no doubt like those of the boys in that photo above, a Jaw-Dropping Idol of mine. I had been One of Those Kids. Roth had managed to Pinstripe, Flame, Scroll and Letter – in tiny script practically the entire surface of the Shop Interior with Big DaddySpeak.

Famous Flames ~ The Tom McMullen 'Deuce' Roadster ~ Flames by Roth

With a wry grin, towering over me – he shook my hand and chatted with us for a few minutes, before mounting his Equally Vintage Cruiser Bike, also completely BigDaddy-ized with Perfect Pinstriping and Dazzling Druid Decoration on every inch of metal surface, as He Rode off on yet another Fantasy Mission into the California Sunset ~

California Earth Day ~ Figueroa Mountain

Made in California ~ Objets D’Art part1 • Los Californios y Yanquis 1800-1930

It’s Important to Remember, or to learn anew about Where We Live – for California has Contributed Greatly to the Arts, even inadvertently through other Intentions and Inventions in the Past, now considered Art Forms…

7 Palms ~ Montecito, 1924

In our Typical Jaded California & Occasionally Uninformed Way, it took Two Non-Californians to Remind Us Locals that indeed, Time Waits for No One, and Rust Never Sleeps. Los Senores Mick Jagger & Neil Young ~ Muchas Gracias Hombres

Neil Young cruising Zuma Beach, Malibu. © Henry Diltz, 1975

Therein lies the Essence of our Stories here in Federico de California. As all of Our Highly Regarded FdeC Researchers are currently Out on Spring Break surfing, snowboarding, hiking, skiing, just Generally Carryin’ On or Out on WalkAbout ~ It’s left to me to Tell the Tale…

In the Beginning there were The Chumash ~ They had it all to themselves. Abalone of several pounds on the Beaches and Lobster in the Tidepools. Wild Game in the Hills and Mountains, Bear, Deer, Mountain Lions, abundant Halibut and freshwater Trout in the Streams. They Fashioned their jewelry from Abalone and Conch Shells strung with leather from hides. Their Canoes were light and fast, carved of wood in sections and the seams sealed with tar, natural seepage from the Natural Petroleum offshore.  They lived in villages along the ocean, pretty much Grooving on the California Scenery much the way we do today, in places like Umalibo ~

1000 year-old Chumash Cave Painting ~ Painted Cave, Los Padres Nat'l. Forest

Chumash Plank Canoe ~ 1880's

Scholars differ regarding the meaning of its name; although it is certain that “Malibu” can be traced back to the Umalibo ranch belonging to the native Chumash Indians, the actual meaning of the word is uncertain, although it could well be the name of a person. And Albeit Several Generations later, The Greatest California Surfer of them all, none other than Miklos Sandor Dora, a 1st generation Californian of Hungarian descent, along with the Chumash should well have monuments erected to them along the Coast of Malibu today. It was they who most truly appreciated their place and although separated by many generations and cultures,

I like to think they Understood Each Other in that regard…

It is in a Most California Hurry Up & Remodel – Screw the Past Way, many of us today do not understand, California is an Art Form in of Itself ~

And Then, one day The Chumash looked up from their village to see the White Sails of the first Europeanos ~ The first outside explorers, flying the flags of Spain and of England, as they sailed along the coast of California for the first time from the early 1500s to the mid-1700s, but no European settlements were established. The most important colonial power, Spain, focused attention on its imperial centers in Mexico, Peru, and the Philippines. Confident of Spanish claims to all lands touching the Pacific Ocean (including California), Spain sent an exploring party sailing along the California coast. The California seen by these ship-bound explorers was one of hilly grasslands and wooded canyons, with few apparent resources or natural ports to attract colonists. And with these first Explorers from Another Land, so came the first Objets d’Art with them. It can be said travellers from Ancient Peru and even the Sandwich Islands (Hawai’i) and Beyond preceded them, but that is all getting a Little Heavy for old Federico ~ as I have mentioned, the Staff Anthropologists are all Out To Lunch. We’re here for the Art & The Culture a little more as We Know it Today…

Arizona Hohokam pottery bowl with Spanish influence ~ 1400's

Talavera pottery bowl produced in Mexico by Spanish artisans ~1500's

Talavera pottery is the Mexican variation of the Spanish majolica produced in Talavera de la Reina and other Spanish cities and which derived from Italian Renaissance Majolica, with Islamic influences. The craft arrived in Mexico after the Conquest (1500′s) when the city of Puebla was settled. Talavera is a very stylish and beautiful glazed pottery originally produced in Puebla only by Spanish artisans as  glazing was unknown in pre-Hispanic Mexico. It is likely these were some of the first types of Objets D’Art brought by the Europeanos into California, and Talavera pottery and tiles were produced in great quantities  to meet the need for  architectural tiles, tableware and utilitarian pottery in the New Spain. For New Spain was what California was About to Become. Baja California, specificially La Paz, was one of the original Ports of Call for the Spanish coming aboard. This is Somewhat Before Carlos N’ Charlie’s and the Giggling Marlin were Established.

The Espanoles were also very skilled Woodworkers & Carpenters, bringing with them Religious Objets D’ Art in the form of Paintings – many from Italy. Altars, Furniture, Doors and all manner of Dieties, Crucifixes and as we shall see, eventually in Part 2 ~

Federigo (he's in the Club!) Gonzaga (1500–1540) (Francesco di Marco di Giacomo Raibolini) (Italian, Bolognese, active by 1482, died 1517/18) Tempera on wood.

Their Descendants in Mexico, who created that Ultimate California Kitsch Folk Art Souvenir ~ The Mexican Black Velvet Painting. Honour the Dios !

Saint Ambrose in His Study, ca. 1500. Spanish, Palencia. Wood with traces of polychromy. Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York City.

A new Breed of the Populace Had Emerged ~ Los Californios …

As we Now have all of these Talented, Creative & Romantic-Minded Spanish Folk in our Backyard, of course They were all having Such a Good Time, and as Californians have been known to do, especially when on an Extended Holiday in Baja ~ in the Parlance of the day…it was Time to Party.

 

 

The New Californio people possessed a European background of Literacy in the Arts, Skilled Trades and Horsemanship. In one Big Rock & Roll Move, they brought with them the Spanish Guitar. Their Explorer adventuresome spirit, bred with the Distinctly Mexican skills and resources in Mining, Cuisine, and the Numero Uno skill of Tequila Distilling. So…Now it’s all starting to Make Some Sense, ¿Que No? A handsome New Breed of People were ready to Bring it On and Venture Norte’…

Frederic Remington~Mexican Gentleman Rider • steel engraving, 1908

Early Californio Artesanos naturally made handicrafts more of necessity than decoration, however combining a skill gradually more refined and ornate. With the abundance of Mexican Silver enriching not only the Spanish government, also through the trappings of the Well-to-Do, especially in form of Saddlery and Jewelry. a Vaquero’s saddle was not only testament to his skill as a rider, also to his Position in Society, much the same as Today’s California Car Culture.

Many decorative designs in 1800′s Native Mexico for Blankets, Serapes, Ponchos and Jewelry motifs were borrowed from those of Native North American Hopi, Navajo, Zuni and Ancient Anasazi Indian tribes. The geometric patterns were inherited from thousands of years of related cultures not far away in Arizona and New Mexico, or Pre-Colombian motifs to the South. The Spanish introduced Colonial influences from their holdings and all were absorbed into a Progressive Climate of Growth in the arts, forming the basis of much of California’s Cultural Arts ancestry today ~

Navajo Saddle Blanket ~ mid 1800's

Navajo Indian engraving ~ U.S. Bureau of Ethnology, 1881

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

As the Mexicanos & Californios migrated North, and were influenced by Native American design, the Biggest Factor in Commercializing Mexican Culture into California came by way of the Easterners & Midwesterners in America ~ California Here Come the Yanquis ~

Prominent Yankee businessmen & Families made their Way West as the Railroad progressed ever further toward Virgin California. The Mexican Californio Government had established Presidios staffed initially by the Spanish and gradually giving way to Mexican rule throughout the Californias in the Early 1800′s. However ~ once high-falutin’ Soldier & Warrior-minded Yankee Businessmen like John C.Fremont made their ways into California to the North, followed by the likes of the Irvines, The Hollisters and the Stanfords.

John C. Fremont ~ No Mariachi-lover He

All these stiff-lipped White Boys with their Patrician East Coast ways came on Hell-Bent to Take Over. Mexican Rancho and Land Grants to 1st-Generation Californios and Mexicanos were gradually taken up by the Easterners, and they Sure as Hell weren’t going to be imbibing any California Indio Tequilas or wearing Navajo Concho belts. And On They Came ~ And they’re Still Coming. They brought their English, Irish & French Baroque Upper-Crust style of Painting and their Harpsichords all in Major chords, and much the same as the sound of a major key Clashes with those of Andalusian and African-rooted Minor key Spanish guitar…

During the Bear Flag Revolt, Frémont imprisoned José de los Santos Berreyesa, the alcalde, or mayor, of Sonoma; two Berreyesa brothers; and others he believed were against him. On June 28, 1846, Berreyesas’ father, prominent landowner José de los Reyes Berreyesa, crossed the San Francisco Bay and landed near San Quentin with two cousins, twin sons of Francisco de Haro, the first alcalde of the Presidio of San Francisco. Berreyesa intended to visit his sons in jail. Frémont ordered Carson and two others to shoot and kill the three Californios, as there was no room for more prisoners.^[11] Later, Carson told Jasper O’Farrell that he regretted killing the men, but that the act was only one such that Frémont ordered him to commit.^[12].

Within a very short time, Fremont & His Yankee Army went South to capture first – The Presidio at Santa Barbara, and On South to Capture the Pueblo de Los Angeles. The Mexican -American War was over ~ and the Yankees were Now Large and In Charge of all California Norte. Now that all this War-Mongering was over, The Yankee Business Machine went to work and the Classic Spanish Period was over ~ at least until Yankee Ingenuity hit on the Great Idea of marketing California’s Own Native Culture Back to Itself…

All this Back-selling of one’s own resources from under their feet smacks of one of California’s Characters of Fiction ~ however loosely based on fact….

Black-Hearted Daniel Plainview ~ "Now if you have a milkshake, and I have a milkshake, imagine MY straw, going all the way to YOUR milkshake..."

One of the Earliest Yankee Artisans to embrace the Spanish-Mexican Arts Culture and market it successfully as a saleable Art Form was an authority on Architecture from New York, William Spratling. Spratling had travelled West first to New Orleans and visited Mexico, first in 1926. Spratling quickly was introduced to and became a welcome participant in the artistic circles of Mexico. His activities in promoting the art of Diego Rivera among New York galleries led to his participation in the first exhibition of Mexican arts held in the United States. The exhibit was funded by the Carnegie Institute and opened at the Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York. Spratling assisted in assembling the exhibit and also lent a number of his own pieces. During this same period, Spratling was working on drawings for the expanding Morrow home in Cuernavaca. Many of these drawings were included in the book written by Elizabeth Morrow, Casa Mañana.

 

Dwight Morrow, the US Ambassador to Mexico, suggested to Spratling in 1931 that Taxco had been the site of silver mines for centuries. However, Taxco had never been considered a location where jewelry and objects of silver were designed and made. Subsequently, Spratling hired an experienced goldsmith from Iguala who moved to Taxco and created silver jewelry of Spratling’s design. Other craftsmen joined Spratling’s shop and produced tin ware, copper items, textiles and furniture – all designed by Spratling.

These earliest designs were based on pre-Columbian motifs as well as simple themes utilizing rope borders, strap designs and other such basic ideas. The enterprise grew far beyond Spratling’s expectations. Because he had created an apprentice system of training young silversmiths, many new talented artisans had an opportunity to develop their craft. Over time, many of these artisans opened shops of their own – all with Spratling’s support.

Other Enterprising Yankees ~ influenced by the Emerging Success of Latin Style & Culture through Artists like Matisse & Picasso, would soon realize a Spanish Cultural Revival in Architecture, The Arts & Design, Ceramics, Furniture & Music and would soon Capitalize on the once fading and Now re-emerging Spanish Style…as we shall see…

Birth of the Iconic California Swimming Pool ~ 1927

In honour of a California Tradition, the Super Sunny Summer Holiday ~ A Tribute to the Swimming Pool ~ A Most California Invention…

Kenneth Anger’s book written in 1959, Hollywood Babylon, states, “Hollywood was not yet a dirty word in 1916. It was just a junction of dirt roads, a solitary ‘Mission-style’ hotel, some claptrap bungalows scattered in the orange groves, and the startling apparition of a Babylon orgy in full swing in the sunshine, smack on Sunset Boulevard.”

Faye Dunaway Admires her Latest Leading Man ~ The Day after Becoming Best Actress, 1977

Sunny Los Angeles in the Nineteen-Twenties of Course gets Credit for Popularizing the Pool. In Other Adventures found within Tales Told Herein, The Legend of Russian Actress Alla Nazimova is told, and upon her arrival in HollywoodLand in 1927 ~With proceeds in hand (she was soon earning $13,000 a week) the “Woman of a Thousand Moods”, “the greatest artist of the screen”, as Metro dubbed her, took possession of her mansion, The Garden Of Allah for $50,000.

The ‘Black Sea’ Swimming Pool at the Garden of Allah~ named for actress/owner Alla Nazimova’s homeland.

Set in three and a half acres of tropical plants and trees, with an orange grove, lily pond, cedars and palms, and garlanded with many “bizarre birds” – the feathery kind kept in an aviary she installed; the two-legged creatures, like Chaplin’s wife Mildred Harris, or Valentino’s two wives Natacha Rambova and Jean Acker, paraded on the terrace overlooking the orange groves and vineyards to the hills opposite[7]. She lived here with fellow actor, Charles Bryant, her “pseudo-husband”[8], who was reputedly paid ten percent of her salary for acting the part. Although the two flirted in public, they “had separate bedrooms and led separate lives.”[9]

The Second Player and Undisputed Heavyweight champion in the California Swimming Pool Contest of All-Time History was none other than Gazillionaire Publishing Magnate William Randolph Hearst.

The Undisputed Heavyweight Champion of all California Swimming Pools ~ The Neptune Pool at Hearst Castle

In 1919, William Randolph Hearst gained control of the land that would be called San Simeon. And the ranchero would grow to 250,000 acres after Hearst bought up all the surrounding land. He hired one of the first notable female architects of the 20th Century, the other noted ladies of California Architecture being Lutah Riggs, assistant to George Washington Smith, and the Moody Sisters, ladies with notable commissions for homes & mansions in the Santa Barbara and Montecito areas. Miss Julia Morgan was a diminutive figure, not unlike that of famous Hollywood costume designer Edith Head. However reticent in stature and nature, She was the first woman to graduate with a degree in architecture from the Ecole des Beaux-Arts school in Paris. Throughout her long career, she designed multiple buildings for institutions serving women and girls, The architect of over 700 buildings in California,^[1]

Mr. Hearst wrote to her in 1919, “Miss Morgan, we are tired of camping out in the open at the ranch in San Simeon and I would like to build a little something…” were Hearst’s words to noted San Francisco architect Julia Morgan whom his mother had utilized to build a home for them in Pleasanton, California. He asked for “something that would be more comfortable” than the platform tents that were in use when visiting the ranch at the time. The project set atop the hill he had camped upon as a boy would balloon into the most expensive private home ever built.

Architect Julia Morgan gettin’ busy with Boss William Randolph Hearst ~ 1920′s

The home, deemed La Cuesta Encantada, follows a Mediterranean Revival theme. Adjacent are three guesthouses, and two pools pictured here- one outdoor, one indoor. The indoor pool, although pale in comparison to the outdoor Neptune Pool, is notable for having real 24 kt. tiles imbedded into the Art Deco style mosaic walls that surround it. Keep in mind, the houses & pools were built before electricity was readily available. Even bringing water to the home- which is built atop a hill 1600 ft above the ocean- was a project in itself. It had to be done with a system of piping and cisterns from natural springs miles away. Workmen labored for 26 years- and still didn’t finish. Parts of the home are clearly half-done. The way they left it is what we see today.

Pool Party Anyone? Another view of the Neptune Pool at Hearst Castle

Hearst had traveled around the world, and inspired by his boyhood tour of Europe, had been collecting treasures in an endless stream, shipping them back to warehouses on both coasts. Architect Julia Morgan would strive to design the pieces into the home.

The Indoor Pool at Hearst Castle ~ replete with 24kt Gold tiles in the Art Deco walls

Hearst~in True California Fashion opted to leave his somewhat dowdy yet stable-minded wife on the East Coast, as his choice of California Companion was none other than the Beautiful, Fun & Frolicking Flapper Film Star Marion Davies. He was so enamored of her and their California Life together, and who wouldn’t be ? Ms. Davies was the Jennifer Aniston of her day and Hearst a portly and not particularly handsome 60-plus. In True California Advantageous Relationship Fashion, in many ways they were Perfect for Each Other, and she remained by his side for over 30 years. In 1929 while the Castle was still under construction, Hearst had Ms. Morgan design and execute a Fabulous Beach House on then-named Roosevelt Highway (now PCH), on the beach south in Santa Monica.

Marion Davies’ Santa Monica Pool ~ Making a Splash in 1929

Morgan created a three-story, 34-bedroom Georgian mansion on the Pacific Coast Highway in Santa Monica. It was accompanied by three guest houses, tennis courts and dog kennels. Called “Ocean House” or “The Beach House,” it was the grandest property in the neighborhood. Rumor has it the cost was $7 million dollars. And, of course, this Beach Babylon came equipped with The Prototypical CaliforniaPool(s), 2 of them as well.

Marion Davies Styling It at her Pool Pad in Santa Monica ~ No Dowdy BF Hearst in Sight

SurfRiding Santa Monica at Marion Davies’ Santa Monica Beach Bungalow, 1930s

With California Celebs like Nazimova, Hearst, Davies and their Movie Pals seen Galavanting all-smiles Poolside, another California Cultural Development, along with the growing popularity of the automobile and California Car-Culture arrived on the scene. The ‘Motor Hotel’, or Motel as it became known, made its Debut. where else ?

The first ‘Motel’ in the United States was built alongside El Camino Real, Highway 101 just north of San Luis Obispo, midway between L.A. and San Francisco in 1925. The original plan of the Milestone Mo-Tel was to include both bungalows and attached apartments with parking outside each unit, though some would have a private garage. Each location of the chain was to include laundry facilities, a grocery store, and a restaurant.

Each unit included an indoor bathroom with a shower, obviously a level of privacy not found at campgrounds. Arthur Heineman’s first “Mo-Tel” sign garnered reports of an apparent misspelling. He added the hyphen to emphasize to compound nature of the word and the building’s architecture and use.
The exterior of the buildings were modeled after the Spanish missions in California; the three-stage bell tower was a reflection of the Mission Santa Barbara. The motel cost $80,000 to build in 1925. It originally charged $1.25 per night per room.^[2]

However, even after spending All That Money on a Great Idea with All Those Amenities, something was missing…

It took some Wiseguys from the East Coast, a little California Ingenuity, and a Postwar Pool Popularity to really Get Things Heated Up Poolside…

As the California Car Craze sped up, auto reliability increased, people were really starting to be able to Get Around in Style. Highways improved and a new kind of  ”freeway” let people hit the road like never before. Of course California led the way with the advent of the Pasadena Freeway opening in 1939. Access to the Mountains, the Desert and the Sea let people enjoy all parts of California & beyond they never dreamed of…

El Rancho Vegas ~ The First Hotel on the Las Vegas ‘Strip’, early 1940s

The El Rancho Vegas was the very first hotel and casino on the Las Vegas Strip (US 91). It was located at 2500 Las Vegas Boulevard, at the southwest corner of Las Vegas Boulevard and Sahara,^[1] and opened on April 3, 1941. While most credit Benjamin Siegel (don’t call him Bugsy, if you know what’s Good for Ya) & ‘The Mob’ with The Flamingo Hotel being the first on ‘The Strip’, El Rancho Vegas beat Da Boyz to The Bank by almost 10 years. The Flamingo opened in 1947. El Rancho Vegas, not being in an old Clapboard Cowboy storefront building downtown was arguably the first Vegas Hotel with a Pool.

The Curvilinear Esther Williams ~1946

With the advent of Gambling available just over the Nevada border to Californians, and autos that could get there from L.A. in around 5 hours, what better thing to do after riding in a not-so-cool no air-conditioned, no sunroof Rotisserie of a Car for hours, but Hit The Pool? Man, look at that Rancho Vegas postcard…sure looks a lot better than the Las Vegas of Today. Other distant Resort spots like Palm Springs offered the traveller an Exotic Destination to Get Away From it All..

The Fabulous Mira Loma Hotel ~ Palm Springs. Please take me there right now.

Suddenly Everybody in California Had To Have One…Even William Holden in Sunset Boulevard…

” The Poor Dope, he Always Wanted a Pool…”

Frank Sinatra’s Twin Palms Estate ~ Palm Springs 1950. Julius Schulman photo

One of the Trippiest, Offbeat Hollywood 60′s films Starring Burt Lancaster and Co-Starring several of Connecticut’s Upper Crust Perfect Pools is “The Swimmer“, from 1968….to quote Will Doig, and his essay on the film ~ The Swimmer, the 1968 surrealist film based on a John Cheever story, makes hay of the phony glamour of swimming-pool culture. Burt Lancaster stars as an aging sexpot whose enviable life with his loving family has vanished. He’s had an affair, he’s bankrupt, and many of his friends have abandoned him…

The film opens poolside, with Lancaster at a neighbors’ house, when he realizes that all of the pools in the neighborhood form a virtual chlorinated river that leads all the way to his house; he dubs it the Lucinda River, “in honor of my wife,” and whispers, peering deep into the middle distance, “I could swim home.” And he does, hopping from one pool to the next, conversing with increasingly hostile neighbors along the way, each interaction revealing another piece of the story of his tragic downfall. When he reaches his old, now-empty house, he pounds on the door and wails, then curls into a ball on the stoop and wails some more. It’s a scene so daringly preposterous, so amazingly overacted, you have to admire its chutzpah.

In The Swinging Sixties, Suddenly everyone was either, Naturally –  A. A Swinging Single, creating a Huge Market for Singles Housing, AKA The ‘Apartment’…

David Hockney • Portrait of Nick Wilder, 1966. Acrylic on canvas 72 x 72 in. (183 x 183 cm) Private collection

And everyone living in those was

B. Looking to Have a Family, creating the need for C. The House with a Pool.

The Pool Company was a new New California Creation, one of the First & Foremost being a company called Anthony Pools. This excerpt from the Anthony Pools History on their website says it all:

Anthony Pools promotional ashtray~ 1950s

Phil Anthony founded the company in Southern California in 1947 and, like Silverman on the East Coast, he took advantage of the postwar building boom to establish a thriving enterprise. Bernard Forester took over the company in 1973 and began to diversify beyond the seasonal swimming pool business, acquiring a wide range of businesses that he placed under the corporate shell of Anthony Industries, which he operated out of the Los Angeles, California, suburb City of Commerce. Forester’s approach was to target recreational and sporting goods companies that had some brand-name recognition and were leaders in small niche markets. In 1974 Anthony acquired Hilton Active Wear, a Chicago company that produced bowling shirts, athletic jackets, and other imprintable items.

Anthony Pools Sales Brochure~ 1960s. Sign me Up.

So, the Rest is History. Take a Plane into or out of California & look out the window…there they are.

And without the Iconic California Swimming Pool, so many other Groovy California Inventions & Pool Vernacular would not have Come to Be like The Pool Slide, Diving Board, Water Polo, Pool Party, Marco Polo (or just) “Polo!”, The CannonBall, the list goes on & on…

And without those, would we have The Spa, The Hot Tub/Jacuzzi, and All That They Imply? So of course, Once Again Us Californians Prevail ~ The Purveyors of Pool…

Jay Adams Ripping the SoCal Drought-Era DogBowl, Beverly Hills~1977

Got Pool ? Ever Creative Californians Carve Up a Crazed Anti-Establishment Pool-Riding Chapter into DogTown History ~

David Hockney • Portrait of an Artist (Pool with Two Figures), 1971. Acrylic on canvas 84 x 120 in. (214 x 304.8 cm) Collection David Geffen

Time is All You’ve Got • Ry Cooder & The 1952 Lakester at El Mirage Dry Lake

Southern California Speed Merchant Earl Evans & his Lakester ~ 183 mph in 1951, El Mirage Dry Lake

http://www.nytimes.com/interactive/2008/11/23/travel/23ry_cooder/index.html?th&emc
=th

Pastel Blue Dodger Days ~ The Businessman’s Special and Koufax in the Series • 1965

An Unforgettable Day ~ The kind of Memory Every Dad & Every Kid can Hold Forever. My Dad’s not around anymore, my Best Friend, Big Brother and just my Biggest Role Model Ever.

A Brilliant Blue Warm California October Day ~ the 11th, his Birthday. His 40th. I remember that Fall brightness, dramatic long shadows and a Santa Ana dryness in the Air. Still my favorite. As usual I mounted my trusty Sting Ray for the less than a block ride to school, lamenting on yet another long year of class drudgery in the 2nd Grade. Back then – at least at my school kids couldn’t wear shorts to school so it was basic chinos. The off-white ones were always my favorite, with perpetually grass-stained knees. Our street dead-ended at the schoolyard, an endless green lawn with huge Eucalyptus trees bordering 2 baseball fields, my home away from home. A Cold-War era Paradise of Escape. I motocrossed at high speed riding wheelies to school, gripping my lunch sack with ‘Freddie’ on it. Crummy Monday SchoolDay.

Miss Watson was my 2nd grade Teacher. I was still trying to appreciate her Mildly Dowdy, Quasi-Secretary Style. In the First Grade, I had Mrs. Klenz, who was to say the least, An Absolute Bombshell. She was a Model-Quality Brunette, straight out of Mad Men – about 5’8, I remember she wore Red a lot. Tight A-Line dresses with bare legs and those pointy Jackie-O heels. White ones. Around ChristmasTime Mrs. Klenz would let us boys sit on her lap and seems to me there was a certain amount of kissing involved. Now, at this point in time my Mom wasn’t really around. My Dad and I were Batchelors. I remember him coming to Parent/Teacher night Dressed to Kill for Mrs. Klenz. She was a Hot Tamale and I was Six. What the Hell, I Dressed to Kill for her too. She’d probably be in Serious Trouble these days for some of her suggestive behavior toward us boys, but who cares? Let’s say she was developing in us a Healthy Attitude Toward Women.

Kiss me Mrs. Klenz - You Make My Heart Go Boom

So now it’s On to Second Grade and Miss Watson, who was a bit more of a bookish but fetching Secretary-type. School had only been on a month so I was still trying to figure her out, get her number so I could charm her with my Nerdish Debonair. My seat was in the middle, not quite in the Coveted Back of the Class, nor the Dreaded Front. So I had to watch it, mind my P’s& Q’s as they say. I was still staring out the window across the hallway at Mrs. Klenz, sashaying around out there.

Miss Watson can I Stay After School ?

Aimlessly Admiring the wafting Santa Ana’s, daydreaming about recess & mildly scheming on my Next Prank. My desk top was up, concealing my Coveted Cigar Box, I’m checking out my stash of marbles, pencils, comic books, pocket knife, rubber bands, bubblegum & Other Cool Stuff. Double Bubble. Accept no substitutes. Back Then we’d do the Flag Salute, belt out 1 or 2 Patriotic Hits like “My Country ‘Tis of Thee“, and “America the Beautiful“. Then Chalkboard Time – Miss Watson will Have Her Back Turned. Prepare to Fire Rubber Band.

We actually did the Duck & Cover drills under our desks every day. There were air raid sirens on towers in the neighborhood going off all the time, and once during an Air Raid Drill, I was going to Bill’s Ranch Market in the car with my Dad when the sirens went off. In the field opposite as we drove, a missile silo opened up out of seemingly bare ground and a sinister cluster of 4 Nike ground-to-air missiles rose up in a menacing angle pointed at the sky. The Russians were a Real Threat – and everyone was basically Scared Shitless of Them back then. Nasty loud Fighter Jets were Blasting around all the time – Badass F-104′s – Sonic Booms – BAM.

Nukes in the Neghborhood - Should I be Fascinated ? Or Terrified ?

In the middle of all these Kennedy-Era Nuclear Panic Schoolday Shenanigans, who should appear at the door of my class, silouhetted against a brilliant October sky, but My Dad. 6-foot-two, 200-plus, short-sleeve white dress shirt, skinny black tie, size 11 Wingtips. Presenting a Serious Threat if I’m in Trouble. A Furious instant-Adrenaline rush of Sheer Panic ran down my spine. Immediately Sweating Profusely, my mind raced to think what Horrible Thing had I done to have my Dad show up at class? What girl’s honour did I insult ?  Whose eye did I almost take out with a Deadly Rubber Band/Paper Clip shot to the forehead ? Remember that one? STOP THAT BEFORE YOU TAKE SOMEONE’S EYE OUT ! A Million Times. In a millisecond, all this is causing me to start thinking up an excuse for something I haven’t even been Blamed For yet… He confers with Miss Watson as I Await my Fate. I pretend to be casual about it…’Oh, Hey Dad’. A designed-to-charm Adults-Casual Wave. COME UP HERE SON. The entire class goes silent – pondering my crime. I shuffle to the front, Dead Man Walking.

Like Father Like Son

“Alright son, C’mon, let’s go.” With an embarassed nod to Miss Watson, I’m out the door, my Dad’s Triumph TR-3, top down, Pastel Blue, gleaming in the sun at the curb. “Get In”. Next thing I know I’m strapped in and off to my Destination & Fate Unknown…

I try to Play it Off as casual as possible…”Hey Dad how’s the birthday going?” Just bobbing & weaving, wondering if I’m being driven to Reform School…

“And uh, hey Dad, by the way, where are we goin? “Oh, you’ll see son”. Great, Jesus – at least I know I’m too young for the Penitentiary.

Suddenly we’re on the freeway, going north, into Urban Sprawl. I have No idea. No Clue (as usual). I start to Relax. My dad’s got a mild Cheshire Cat Grin going..and it IS his Birthday, so it finally hits me..We’re going to Do Something Super-Cool ! I just don’t know what. As usual I’m just happy to be cruising in an open Sports Car with those Triumph cut-down doors, Buzz-Cut in the Breeze, sun on my face as always and pretty much my whole M.O. since. The Only Way to Fly…I was lucky to grow up with said Triumph, Jaquars, Lotus, assorted American Muscle and a constantly-changing assortment of Cool Wheels ~ Cool Jazz on the Radio. I had yet to acquire one of the approximately 8-10,000 pairs of shades I’ve had since, I remember thinking,’I need to get some’. Mr. Six-year old Cool.

And it Suddenly Comes to Me… ‘Dad ! Dodgers ! World Series !’ And he couldn’t keep it a secret any longer. Yep, that’s right. My Dad on his 40th birthday – Busted me Out of School to take me to Game 5 of the ’65 World Series against the Minnesota Twins. The Twins to me, in my Lifelong L.A. Dodger World, were Nobodies. I was born in L.A. in ’57. The Dodgers Came to Town in ’58. My Mom was a Brooklyn Dodgers Fan. Way more hard-core than my Dad ever was. It’s in my blood, which is Dodger Blue.

This day, none other than One of the Greatest Dodgers of Them All, Sandy Koufax is Pitching.

Koufax ~ The Greatest Major League Pitcher - Ever.

I had seen Koufax pitch. I have seen Drysdale. Juan Marichal of the Hated Giants. I have seen a lot of Great Pitchers. Bob Gibson, Vida Blue. Nolan Ryan. Fernnando Valenzuela in his M.L. debut. Since it opened and partially because of this day, I have been going to Dodger Stadium my whole life. 50 years. Another of the greatest modern pitchers I’ve ever seen is Mariano Rivera of the N.Y. Yankees.

When you look at pictures like these of that Pastel Blue L.A. sky that matched the awnings and seats of the Stadium, they have a particular washed-out look to them… partly because of the film quality of the era and partly – which is never mentioned now, L.A. was Incredibly Smoggy in those days. Everything was perpetually Hazy. Nobody gave a damn about Air Pollution back then.. The EPA? What’s that? Didn’t exist yet. All those Hazy Colors in a Haze of Smog. Fill Up the Rocket 88 with Hi-Test. Put a Tiger in Your Tank.

The other Great Thing about the Stadium back then…T.V was still relatively new, having only been around about 15 years at that point. And some of the games were broadcast on T.V., some were not. Then everybody, Everybody – had a Transistor Radio. It’s rare these days at the Stadium, but a great Dodger Tradition has always been the Businessman’s Special. There were many more Day Games back then in the Era before Prime Time this and that. All the Businessmen came to the Stadium with Transistor Radios in their shirt pockets, and earphones. They left work midday so they could listen to Vin Scully. Then and Now. The “Official Voice of the Dodgers” since 1949. No Mega-Video Screens, just big scoreboards & Union 76 Balls in the Sky. ‘Fast Food’ was a Dodger Dog and a Beer. Still the Best thing Ever at the ballpark. The Best.

Koufax Blew Away the Twins that day. 7-0. The third straight game they won in the Series, which of course they went on to win. The L.A. Dodgers could do no wrong in those days. The days before the owners aired their divorce or drug habit, or infidelity in the media. Days before personal scandal made bigger headlines than the game, or the players themselves. This story isn’t about Sports Facts, Trivia or History.

The Incomparable Vin Scully with His Dad ~ Early 1960's

ESPN shows the same loop of ‘highlights’ and innocuous meaningless rhetoric. 5 ‘sportscasters’ lined up trying to say what the Incomparable Vin Scully can do with one phrase or sentence to Paint the Perfect Picture of the game. He is truly the Greatest Sports Story of our time. Irreplaceable. There will never be another like him. My Dad’s gone now, and my Mom as well, the Biggest Brooklyn Dodger fan ever. When I go to the ballpark now, or hear the most esteemed Mr. Scully on the airwaves. it takes me back to that day. His voice is literally the only audible voice I have left of that time, and I cherish the sound of it for the memory of that day so long ago, in Second Grade. Koufax and his immortal high kick, and a Fastball Out of Nowhere.

2006~40 Years Later at the Stadium

The Original Superstar of a Hollywood Lost ~ Rudolph Valentino • 1895-1926

Long Before Clark Gable or Brando, James Dean or Elvis, Paul Newman, Brad Pitt or Johnny Depp – the First Pop Icon Glam Rock Superstar Held the World at His Feet. His Name was Rudolph Valentino. And Long before National Enquirer, Vanity Fair or TMZ, Valentino managed to Achieve SuperStar Fame & Weave a Tangled Web of Personal Scandal to rival that of any Modern-Day Star….and so it Begins ~

At the Turn of the 20th Century, Los Angeles was but a sleepy Pueblo, just coming into its own as a City. San Francisco had already established a huge Shipping trade by virtue of its Great Bay, however crippled she was by the Earthquake of 1906. The City would rebuild to hold the Panama-Pacific International Exposition just nine years later.

Other Cities in Southern California were sought out by Easterners as a Place to flock to for the Climate. Towns like Redlands and Riverside were Reached by Rail from parts Eastward for their Hot Springs and balmy climates in the Days before Modern Medicine, as Folk travelled West for a Climate to Cure what ailed them, or an opportunity to work in the New Agricultural Paradise, Miles and Endless Miles of Lemons, Oranges and every kind of Virgin FarmLand Crop to Sow as Far as the Eye Could See. California Towns South and East were larger and more Established than Los Angeles at that time, nearer and more accessible from the East by Railway and Rural Roads in the Days before Highways.

San Dimas Orange Grove ~ Early 1900's

But The Sleepy L.A. Pueblo had begun to grow, with an incredibly varied terrain, Mountains, Sea, Growing Cityscape and cheap, endless land just waiting for any Entrepeneurial Spirit to Come Along. Recent improvements to the City Infrastructure had only recently arrived, like Electric Streetlights. In 1912, A Former New York actor came to town, his name was Mack Sennett. With financial backing from Adam Kessel and Charles O. Bauman of the New York Motion Picture Company, Sennett founded Keystone Studios in Edendale, California, (which is now a part of Echo Park). The original main building, the first totally enclosed film stage and studio in history, is still there. Many important actors started their careers with Sennett, including Mabel Normand, Charlie Chaplin, Gloria Swanson,The Keystone Cops, Bing Crosby, and W. C. Fields.

Mack Sennett Keystone Studios ~ Edendale (Now Glendale) 1915

Charlie Chaplin on set in "The Circus"

On the Other Side of the World, a Young Italian named Rodolfo Alfonso Raffaello Piero Filiberto Guglielmi, born in 1895 from the small village of Castellaneta, had moved to Paris at the age of 17. However, unable to find much work, he returned to Italy, then still struggling, made his way to America by way of Ellis Island and New York City in 1913. As Irony and Fate would have it, the very first ‘moving picture’ was shown in Paris the year of Valentino’s birth. Rumor has it that Rodolfo, the middle child, (his siblings were Alberto and Maria), was his mother’s favorite and a handsome son. She doted on him and lavished him with attention. As one would expect, Rodolfo grew into a wild child, spoiled and of the belief that he could get away with anything. His teachers didn’t share that belief, and Rodolfo was expelled from many schools before he managed to graduate from the Academy of Agriculture with a diploma in the Science of Farming. Rodolfo moved to Paris and studied apache dancing while still a teenager. He obtains a position working as a dancer at Maxim’s. In 1913, after he had collected the $4000 inheritance coming his way, Rodolfo took off for New York.

a young Valentino in New York before a handbill for 'The Masked Model' 1917

He meets Bonnie Glass, who is in need of a new dancing partner to tour New York clubs and the Vaudeville circuit. Valentino is billed as Signor Rodolfo. After Ms. Glass retires, Rodolfo dances with Joan Sawyer and continues to tour in vaudeville on the East Coast, all the while perfecting his penchant for Argentine Tango. Valentino did whatever else he could to get by: he bussed tables and became something of a gigolo. During this time, Valentino fell madly in love with a married society woman named Blanca de Saulles. Mme. de Saulles had been unhappily married long before she had met Valentino and eventually divorced her husband John. Perhaps trying to win de Saulles over (she had never returned his affections) Valentino testified at the trial.  John de Saulles was extremely powerful and had Valentino arrested on trumped up vice charges.  The arrest was highly publicized and shortly after Blanca shot and killed her husband over a custody dispute. Rodolfo wisely left New York with a traveling musical that included Al Jolson and changed his name from Guglielmi to the now known ‘Valentino’.

A Young Valentino ~ as yet Unsure of The Screen Persona that would Make him a Star

Valentino soon joined an operetta company that travelled to Utah where it disbanded, then travelled to San Francisco where he meets the actor Norman Kerry, who is Mary Pickford’s leading man. Kerry convinces him to try a career in films. Many of Valentino’s peers had delved into acting in New York before making their migrations West, and as many stars would do later, Brando, Paul Newman, Marilyn Monroe, James Dean – all acted extensively in New York before coming to Hollywood. Around 1917, Valentino made the exodus to Hollywood, completely bypassing the New York movie scene before making his migration West. Almost immediately he procured his first movie role – albeit a small one – in the film Alimony, thanks to his Tango abilities. There is some discrepancy on what his first movie role is-he apparently appeared uncredited in a few other films before Alimony, such as My Official Wife (1914, starring Clara Kimball Young) and The Foolish Virgin (1916). Rudolph Valentino made just over 20 films before his big breakout role, and in none of these did he play the smoldering lover he would become so famous for. He was still finding his footing in Hollywood, and this included finding the right name for himself. Handsome Irish or English white men were the romantic types of the day, (Jack Pickford, Douglas Fairbanks, Thomas Meighan) while anyone deemed ‘not white’ was unable to obtain such roles.  Foreign looking actors usually were given nothing but evil villain roles. Valentino would eventually be the first to change this with the help of his mentor June Mathis. Despite playing ‘heavies’, Valentino’s early roles show his natural acting talent.  At a time when some stars still overacted (remnants of early 1900 stage acting) Valentino portrayed his characters in a natural way.  He also showcased his skill for comedy during these years in films like “All Night” in 1918.

At various times, he has been credited as M. Rodolfo De Valentina, M. Rodolpho De Valentina, M. De Valentina, R. De Valentina, Rudolpho De Valentina, Rudolpho De Valentine, Rudolph DeValentino, Rudolpho Valentina, Rodolph Valentine, Rudolph Valentine and Rodolph Valentino. Some of these early films include: All Night (1918),Virtuous Sinners, Eyes of Youth (both 1919), Passion’s Playground and The Sinner (both 1920). He primarily played the ‘villain’ in these early films. Most, but not all of these early films are Lost Forever, the highly soluble, flammable and volatile film stock from the period meant many were lost or destroyed due to minimal copies made, exposure to light or simple poor handling and archiving.

Jean Acker in 1921 ~

In 1919 Rodolfo began a courtship and impulsively married the actress Jean Acker—who through her later affairs in the Garden of Allah would prove to be a lesbian—on their wedding night, she locked him out of her bedroom. The marriage was never consummated. Rudolfo struggled with his reluctant wife and seemingly still unaware of her being a lesbian, writes her impassioned letters and sends her three photos inscribed with endearments of a loving husband. His efforts failed and in late December, an announcement is made of their official separation and they divorced in 1921. She and Valentino remained friends for the rest of his life. Jean Acker went on to have a minor career as an actress for the majority of her long life, she died in 1978. She kept the name Valentino her entire life, obviously no doubt to some advantage.

Several factors now came into play as to the direction of Valentino’s career, about to soar on a steep path of fame. Valentino would meet his Mentor. Her name was June Mathis, and she was the first female movie executive, having wrote the 6th best selling silent film of all time, Four Horsemen of the Apocalypse. Ms. Mathis saw an Exotic, Erotic persona in Valentino that other Studio Execs had missed, always passing on him for the White Leading Men of the Day….Douglas Fairbanks, Chaplin, the Lot of Them, and their Stars were about to be Eclipsed.

The Mentor ~ Jean Mathis ~ the First Female Film Mogul in her office at Metro Studios, early 1920's

Mathis was the Staff Scenarist at Metro Studios and the Driving Force behind the new film, “Four Horsemen of The Apocalypse”. Calling Valentino to her office, she offers him the plum lead role of Julio – a decision that proves to be a Huge Hit for Metro, making Valentino an Overnight Sensation.

Another Factor to give rise to Valentino’s ‘Exotic’ looks and persona, halfway Around the World in Egypt, though several of the foremost excavators over the past century had declared there was nothing left to find in the Valley of the Kings, Howard Carter and his sponsor, Lord Carnarvon, spent a number of years, 31 in all – and a lot of money searching for a tomb they weren’t sure existed. In November 1922, they found it. Carter had discovered not just an unknown ancient Egyptian tomb, but one that had lain nearly undisturbed for over 3,000 years. What lay within astounded the world….The Nearly Unbelievable Solid Gold Treasures revealed in King Tutankhamen’s Tomb.

Sid Grauman's Egyptian Theater ~ The World's First Hollywood premiere, 1922

Suddenly All the World and of course the World of Hollywood was Mad for all Things Art Deco Egyptian. Or Aztec, Mayan, Arabian..Chinese…Anything Exotic. Hollywood Built Shrines to All of Them in form of Huge Exotic Theaters, even naming one The Shrine. All Still Stand in Hollywood Today and are All California Cultural Treasures. Much to his Good Fortune, His Rising Star, Exotic Looks and the Persona of Rudolph Valentino – all just happened to perfectly coincide with This Exotic Moment in Time…He Would Fill Those Theaters One and All, without ever Speaking One Word on Film.

Egyptian, Mayan or Chinese ? Take your pick in '20's Hollywood

The Four Horsemen of the Apocalypse, released in 1921, became a commercial and critical success – being one of the first films to make $1,000,000 at the box office. One of the best selling silent films ever. The film made Valentino a sensation, earning him Instant Fame, merging his emergence perfectly to The World’s Sudden Obsession with Everything Exotic Era of the Roaring 20′s ~

The Origins of Cool ~ Valentino ~ Overnight SuperStar of the Four Horsemen, 1921

Metro continued only paying Valentino $350 a week (when most stars made several thousand a week). Valentino was never wise with business dealings and suffered from similar contract and money  issues his whole life. When he died in 1926, his estate was heavily in debt, something not expected of a star of his stature.

To add to his troubles Metro threw him into a ‘B’ picture, “Uncharted Seas” (now lost), which would foreshadow his artistic and power struggles with studios and movie moguls his entire career. During this period Valentino meets the great Russian actress Alla Nazimova, who is preparing to film an adaptation of “Camille”.

Esteemed Russian Actress Alla Nazimova ~ 1921

Natacha Rambova ~ The 2nd Mrs. Valentino ~1922

Mr. & Ms. Valentino ~ Ole ! The 2 James Abbe Sepia 7x9" Prints shown sell for $3-5000. (each) in today's Art Photography market.

By 1918, Alla Nazimova had signed a contract with Metro and continued to make 11 films for them over the next three years. She was making around $13,000 a week in 1917. Nazimova lived with actor Charles Bryant during this period, although the two never married. It was well-known that Nazimova was bisexual. She apparently had affairs with not only Valentino’s not-quite ‘ex’, but with several of his other lovers of the Day. Lucky Girl, indeed. Her first real artistic triumph came with the filming of “Camille” in 1921 which had sets designed by Natacha Rambova and co-starred Rudolph Valentino. This marked the beginning of the Rambova-Valentino love affair.

Natacha Rambova – was an American silent film costume and set designer, artistic director,screenwriter, producer and occasional actress. Ms. Rambova was born Winifred Kimball Shaughnessy, in Salt Lake City.  (What a difference a name makes) ! At age 17 Rambova fell for 32 year old Ballet & Opera star Theodore Kosloff . While in England she posed as a governess to Kosloff’s wife and child. Rambova returned to America and began touring with the Kosloff company. In addition to dancing she began costume designing as well. After the tour ended Kosloff had been hired by Cecil B. DeMille to perform as well as contribute designs. Rambova joined him and was dismayed to find herself as part of Kosloff’s “arty harem”. Kosloff had taken several lovers amongst the dancers, who would perform with his company, teach at his studio, and assist him uncredited in his film work. Rambova took to researching historical accuracy for her designs, which Kosloff would then use without giving her credit, stealing her sketches and claiming them as his own.

Rambova soon had enough of Kosloff stealing her Ideas & with him. Being Talented, Smart & Beautiful, who better to latch onto than the Most Available Hollywood Batchelor of the Day? And Voila ~ Mr. & Ms. Valentino were married in Mexico in May, 1922. Only One Problem ~ Mr. Valentino was still married to his former wife Jean Acker ~ No Bueno.

And So the Valentino Saga Shifted into High Gear, with Fame & Modest Fortune, a list of upcoming Films that would make Rudolph Valentino known to the World ~ His Life was about to become increasingly Complex. Ruled by by his Heart more so than his Head ~ On & Off-Screen, Valentino’s own life was like that of one of his Romantic Characters..and so a California Icon he Became. He was 25.

Valentino’s next Film was Camille. Having met Alla Nazimova, who had been at work on the film adaptation, his Rising Star and the astute business sense of June Mathis evolved him into starring opposite Ms.Nazimova. Natacha Rambova was elected as Costume Designer on the film and she possessed a great talent in her role. Pictures of her costumes and the film itself showcased her skills. Valentino began pursuing her and a courtship with Rambova during filming. Initially he makes a poor impression but perhaps his skill at Romance and Growing Fame persuaded her toward him. At any rate they are living together by the close of production on Camille. And the Plot thickens. The former Ms. Valentino, Jean Acker files for divorce.

The Valentino’s, objects of derision in the Press for charges of Bigamy, had been living in Sin within the Romantic Paradise of The Garden of Allah, a Group of Spanish Bungalows built on the grounds of the Palatial Home of none other than Valentino’s co-star, Ms. Nazimova. Paramount Studios had bestowed Nazimova with the home and grounds when the star was at her apex so she might enjoy a glamorous retreat in the burgeoning Hollywood community. A 1959 LA Times article discusses those early years:

‘To garnish the gift, [Nazimova] built Hollywood’s largest swimming pool—65 x 45 ft.—and had it shaped like the Black Sea of her girlhood. The pool hung like a dewy sapphire around the heart of her garden.

And when she made her garden over, Nazimova was bountiful. In the big revamp, she showered $1.5 million on the place, built 25 unique villas of Spanish design and packed them with the last word in charm and fashion’…

The Garden of Allah ~ Circa 1920

The Garden of Allah was torn down in the late 1950′s, nearly forgotten and having fallen into disrepair, before the days of Hollywood’s Cultural Awareness and Preservation for her Landmarks. It is now a generic shopping center, devoid of any of the Hollywood History, Scandals, Fashionable Parties, Romance, and the ‘Black Sea’ swimming pool for which it was known.

2 excellent articles on this time :

http://www.freewebs.com/looking-for-mabel/nazimova.html

http://www.hollywoodlostandfound.net/locations/gardenofallah.html

“They Paved Paradise, and put up a Parking Lot”

- Joni Mitchell, “Big Yellow Taxi” ~ 1970.

Truer Words were Never Spoken.

The Valentino's Home on Wedgewood Place ~ 1922. Torn down to build the Hollywood Freeway

And So ~ although Rudolph was briefly arrested and jailed, the Valentino’s were able to move on from his bigamy charges & scandal to be legally & officially married. And, as all Hollywood SuperStars are Wont to Do, it was time to go House-Hunting…

Rudy and Natacha jointly purchase a home in the fashionable Whitley Heights section of Hollywood at 6770 Wedgewood Place, in December.  Natacha moves in while Rudolph lives in a bungalow nearby until the divorce proceedings are concluded.  They anticipate a Spring Wedding…Rudolph is about to embark on his Next Picture -”Beyond the Rocks“, co-starring one of the Biggest Stars of The Day, Ms. Gloria Swanson. It is a Busy, Rapidly Accelerating Time & A Happy One. However ~ as in the Theatrics True to Every form of Melodrama, from Ancient Rome to Shakespeare to the Modern Day Silver Screen of the Roaring 20′s,  Alas, Forever it is Not to Be…

The Young Nobleman ~ Valentino & Gloria Swanson - "Beyond the Rocks" Filmed on Catalina Island, 1922

And What of Valentino the Man ? For now he had Become truly a A Star ~ Known to Millions, with the means to indulge in The Roaring 20′s Life to its Fullest. He was an avid horseman, not only as his screen persona but in his personal life as well. Hollywood and Los Angeles was almost rural in those days. A ‘Freeway’ was an unknown contrivance, unnecessary for another 20 years. The Red Line streetcars were ‘urban transportation’, automobiles had been on the recently paved streets no more than 10 years. Wealthy and indeed all classes of people were still well-versed in horses and their presence throughout the land. Valentino maintained an increasing stable of horses and loved riding them in the Hollywood Hills. By all accounts he was an excellent rider.

Valentino & 1923 Avions Voisin at his Woodley Place home

A New Wife, Hollywood Home, Fame and the relatively new mode of transportation ~ The Automobile. Valentino had Distinctly European tastes in all. No doubt in todays terms he would have had a garage full of vintage Ferraris and their equal. He was an avid lover of Dogs as well, and from this point on in his personal life, a majority of photographs show him with his beloved dogs by his side. Upon the death of one of his favorites, Kabar, Valentino had the dog interred in his own plot at a Hollywood Cemetery normally reserved for the human species, such was his love for him.

This seems to say a lot about him as a man.

Natacha Rambova ~ Ms. Valentino 1923

Rudolph Valentino went on to become an Even Bigger Star ~ perhaps the biggest star in Hollywood, ever. It’s quite easy to find that to be an arguable point, however I daresay nearly no one reading my story was around to experience his Fame at that time. In researching and writing this entry,

I found just an incredible amount of information and images about him, certainly more so than I have encountered on any other California subject I’ve written about, including 60′s Rock, The Doors, and almost any subject I’ve ever researched online. Images of him and his Film Posters in several languages, Spanish, Dutch, German, French, Arabic. An Incredible Cultural Presence in the 1920′s era of Communication - He certainly was adored by his public. I think not only for his films but also a certain sensitivity to life, and the enjoyment of at all costs, having risen from a mixed life of middle-class, then near poverty to achieve his Glorified position. Having grown up in Southern California and influenced by Grandparents somewhat similar in styles and tastes to Valentino and his wife, it became quite clear to me where, as a young couple, they got their inspiration. And for whatever remains of that, I appreciate having grown up in a place touched by those influences. Valentino, Nazimova and Rambova, along with other Famous People in California of the Day, established a Style & Culture level that influenced Fashion, Architecture and an entire environmental persona in California that, However Lost we have become in a Modern Day World of strip malls, urban crime, media, freeways, ‘impersonal internet sociability’, cellular & digital communication filling the air around us, density and a jaded hurried non-awareness of the Place We Live. Somehow images of how California was, and what remains ~ seem important to seek out. There are many, many places, facts & trivia to detail the remainder of Valentino’s Life, and Death, the Endless Mystique of A World Without Valentino Since. Indeed the majority of his fame began at the point I leave us here in my dialogue ~

What made him so vital in the Hollywoodland Days of his Fame and now, were Visual Images Without Words that are Timeless.

The Courtyard of Falcon Lair ~ The Home Valentino built for Rambova ~ She never set foot there. A most excellent website on Falcon Lair, and of Valentino is http://www.rudolph-valentino.com/

Blood & Sand ~ 1922

Still from The Four Horsemen of the Apocalypse ~1920

Moran of the Lady Letty ~ 1922

Valentino & his Arabian Jadaan ~ Son of the Sheik 1926

Valentino on set with his crew ~ 1925

The Sheik ~ U.S. 1-sheet poster 1923

Valentino's Favorite Bistro, Musso~Franks Grill • On Hollywood Blvd. Since 1919

The Longest Day • The Stones, Hell’s Angels & some band called Prince • 1981 (Part 2)

Well… I had to think about this one for a Few Days…because it was One of Those Life-Changing Moments in The Life of Federico.

I’ll Skip Over the George Thorogood & J.Geils Bands. I will say I’ve seen the George Thorogood Band a couple times since this day. Honestly how does a musician like this get to Be Famous? On sheer Attitude, because he can’t really play, he got No Style, No Soul. Just kind of a total White-Boy letdown, I assume like all his fans as well. He doesn’t look all Rocker-Foxy…at all. One of the few rock acts, when he comes on the radio, I turn that dial as fast as I get my hands on it. Just Bad. Never did see Faye Dunaway either. She was probably Chilling at the Polo Lounge, not slumming out there with all us White Boys & Hells Angels. White Boy Rock. Somehow I’ve got a little Latino & Blackness in me & my music preference, Part of the Reason I Love the Stones.

So, about this time, the Acid Kicks In. Only a half-tab., and the One & Only Time I ate it ever before or since. Perfect. Massive Crowd…I’m starting to realize The Only Way is To Rise Above It…literally ~

Ladies & Gentlemen, The Rolling Stones!

Stones Captive Audience ~ L.A. Coliseum Sept. '81

So..of course, All of Us Get Separated.. Good thing we had those Walkie-Talkies, smuggled in our back pockets. Amazing no real security back then, pretty much Anything Goes through the Front Gate. “Geo, come on, Breaker Buddy, I’m in the stands due North of Stones’ stage, 6 rows back, row 38..busting a move to the Field, what’s your 10-20? Over.” cssssshhhhhhh…pure static. I’ve got my sideman Jackie D. with me, and we’re getting ready to Charge the Field, along with a surging wave of  50,000 other Stones & no doubt Stoned Maniacs….

Fh, sporting rare full beard, Doing Recon, with Walkie-Talkie, Stones 1981

I’m starting to see some Rainbow Colors, and they’re not all coming from that Stage Backdrop 100 yards & A Sea of People in front of me. “C’mon, Jackie, we’re Going for It”.

So – Forward went the Charge of The Light (Headed) Brigade..seemingly beginning to Float on a Psychedelic Cloud. It’s So Beautiful ! And over The Sound of One-Hundred-Thousand Coliseum Gladiators Roaring at Top Volume. Jagger..”Well Alright..!” By now, I’m Gliding Forward on a Sea Of Rock & Roll to the Promised Land..Mick leading the charge, Jumping & Dancing forward, hands over his head, just fueling the massive crowd on Rock Nitro. Keith & Ronnie Wood, new to the band, replacing Mick Taylor from the 70′s era. I’ve seen Ronnie previously with Rod Stewart & Faces. He & Keith with matching chopped-up Rocker Shag hair, ripping it up on twin 60′s vintage Fender Telecasters…

An aside on the Stones, as I have seen them a few times now. Over a period of 20 years since this day..Keith & Ronnie always have their Trusty Fender old-skool Basketweave Twin Reverb amps on stage with them. Early 1960′s-era, thrashed cases, with no-doubt State-of-The Art TLC  to Keep those Babies Glowing. Wow, if those things could talk, the tales they would tell. Beat-up on the Outside but still Rocking on the Inside..

I know the Feeling All Too Well.

Something I have always admired about the most legendary Musicians I’ve seen. They can afford to their own Islands in the Carribean, be with some of the Hottest Ladies on the Planet. and in Mick’s case, be Knighted by the Queen of England, Sir Mick. No Small Honour. And yet they’re touring with 20-year $300. Fender amps backing them up, as they did and do still Sound the Best. Of course they’re playing through Monitors the Size of the World Trade Center Towers. Another example of this is Neil Young, who owns and has performed some of his most famous recordings with a 1940′s Martin acoustic guitar - Originally owned by none other than Hank Williams.

As I Glide on my Psychedelic Haze through the Crowd forward, I’m taking all this in. My Walkie-Talkie is chirping away in my back pocket, No Way in Hell to hear it, nor do I care, single-mindedlysurging ahead, by now So Smoothed-Out, I’m not even ruffling anyone’s feathers as I press on, to the Front of the Stage. The Gemini-Must Get to The Front in me, urging me forward on my Inescapable Quest. By now, my feet are off the ground. I’m so Chilled Out, I have made it to within about 50 feet from the front of the stage, Jagger directly in front of me. My feet are literally off the ground, as the crowd is so dense, I’m being held suspended about 6″ off my feet by Sheer Humanity…

Sir Mick in command of his armies, 1981

Being Elevated Above the Crowd by several inches, I am taking in a Commanding View. Jagger is strutting about & Looks Directly at Me. Our eyes lock for a moment, and we communicate as he has no doubt done with millions of others in his amazing career. For me, I feel I am The Stones-Whisperer for that instant. The crowd is surging back & forth with the force of an Ocean of People, but I am Riding the Wave, held suspended in a Stones Haze. This is my Moment of Rock Nirvana & The Essence of my Story…

Needless to Say, this moment was indeed the highlight of the day..My friend, who is quite Fearless, The Inimitable Jackie Davis, a Pure-Bred 22-year-old Irishman quite experienced in Mayhem of All Sorts, is nearly crushed to death by the crowd. On departure, he is speechless & cowering in a darkest back corner of my van, having nearly Met his Maker in his mind this day. We’ve briefly acquired the company of some Unattached Ladies, who have Crammed in Back with the Boys. They last for a bit further along in the day, before Disappearing as Mysteriously as they Arrived. I never did get all the details, for I am Le Chauffeur ~ What Goes on in Back of Limo, Stays in Back of Limo.

By Days’ End, around 10pm, after a Grueling 14 hours thus far, I’m letting the Boys Out the van, still riding the Aftermath of Acid, but in Command of my Wits. Suddenly I’m pounced upon from the front by none other than the Blazing Headlights of my friends, The Huntington Beach Police Department. My boys have summarily departed, save my Companero, Geo. Loyo, who’s still in back, in the Shadows of the Van Interior. The cop headlights have blazed a 1000 Watt Daylight Awakening into my windshield, and snapping me Back To Reality rather abruptly. I exit the front & greet my fate head-on, casually strolling to the Front of the Stage, suddenly inspired to throw down a Command Performance. “Hello Officers, what seems to be the problem here ?” As I commence to giving an Oscar-Worthy acting job to my Captive Audience, I faintly, ever so faintly feel the van back door open from within, as I am Casually Leaning on the Van. Geo is Silently Sanitizing the contents from the rear of the van into the bushes by reaching just outside through a crack in the door….

I proceed with my Acid-fused Command Performance, regaling the Police of our Stones Adventure, and ‘Gee, what a Fun Day it was, Officers, I’m SO Glad to be Home..!’ (I was not at home). Somehow by the Grace of God & Sir Mick looking over us, I manage to De-Fuse the Situation & escape Certain Death, had the Cops searched the van, or even look in back. Our friends leave us, and after one of my Greatest Days Ever, capped by the greatest Best Actor Effort I’ve ever put forth, before or since, I’m Maxed Out, enlisting the efforts of Geo Our Saviour, to drive us home.. and so ends (one of my many) Longest Days of all ~ And its Adventures…

Cheers, F of C

The Longest Day • The Stones, Hell’s Angels & some band called Prince • 1981 (Part 1)

Geo & Johnny & the FH Love Van • L.A. Coliseum Parking Lot 1981

We heard The Stones were Coming..The concert was still months away, at the L.A Coliseum which holds in excess of 100,000 people. Of Course We Had to Go. This would be the Biggest Concert I had been to Yet. My partner Geo & I had our 1st, well actually, 2nd Studio together in a Huntington Beach Industrial Park. Geo was a year younger than I, we were both the Art Stars in High School. Geo was Mexican. His family was from Mainland Mexico City and somehow he had inherited from his ancestors an Incredible Talent. The guy could illustrate in a total ancient Mayan way. Think of the glyphs inside the Pyramids at Chichen-itza, or if he wanted, straight from the hip-Diego Rivera, 1930′s Style. He was really good, always a better Illustrator than I. To this day probably the Purest Art Talent I have known ever. Anyhow, we were Partners in a Studio together, which was a bit of a Hangout for the Boys. My Buddy Jackie Davis had come by with Johnny Shortsleeve to help us Inaugurate the Studio. We had a Sparkletts water cooler in the corner. The Boys showed up with a Sparkletts bottle, a glass one filled with Cuervo Gold Tequila, & swapped it onto the cooler, replacing the water. Johnny had recently Crashed his Camaro on a 405 offramp & rolled it, ended in a ditch, all Iceplant with his left arm pinned under the car all nite ’til they found him in the morning and pulled him out. He Was Medicating. Great. Thanks Boys.

California Jam flier-1974

This was the End of an Era of the Stadium Concert. Going to these was a Total Expedition. A Commitment. Nowadays the shows last for maybe an hour, 90 minutes? ‘Let’s get a Starbucks before so we don’t Fall Asleep, K’? Weak. Back then you would prep for days to Gear Up for Concerts like the California Jam. The 1st one was held at the Ontario Motor Speedway, California’s answer to the Indianapolis 500-style of Racetrack. Deep Purple, Black Sabbath, Black Oak Arkansas, ELP, Earth, Wind & Fire & Assorted Other Bands, ALL IN ONE DAY. Read the Fine Print..ticket price $14.  It was Hot, Dusty & Mega-Packed with People from all over California, Arizona &  God Only Knows where else. Awesome. You would Get a Whole Summer Tan in One Day. We went to these things all the time. Anaheim Stadium, Big Giant Venues-Stadium Style. Closest thing now is The Coachella Music Festival. But I have yet to see the likes of bands like Deep Purple & Black Sabbath & Black Oak Arkansas show up there all in one day, or even 2. VIP Tent? Forget it, All for One & One for All. Incredible Rock Madness. Dirt, Dust, Drugs. It pretty much was Arkansas. Now the Stones were Coming. We were Huge Stones Fans. I Still Am…Wikipedia says this about the Tour stopping in L.A we were Gearing Up For Next -

The Rolling Stones‘ American Tour 1981 was a concert tour of stadiums and arenas in the United States to promote the album Tattoo You. It was the largest grossing tour of 1981 with $50 million in ticket sales. Roughly three million concert goers attended the concerts, setting various ticket sales records.^[

Bummer Squad hauls out another Cal Jam Victim, Ontario Motor Speedway, 1974

Geo & I both had Vintage 60′s era VW Vans. His was a Thrasher & he got in a wreck & did a full California-style Masterpiece re-do on it. I had paid too much for mine, a ’65, something like $1900. That was a lot then. Tinted side windows, bed in back, jamming stereo. I drove it to New Mexico & blew up the engine on the way back. I Painted it a Solid German Blue in our shop, no 2-tone. I put in a Brand-New 1800cc Screamer in there. Instant Porsche Cayenne in a Breadbox. Much cooler than the big-ass American Vans the Rednecks drove. But I gotta admit, I had had a Redneck Van myself. I had bought it new for $6000 from the Chevy Dealer, a Black one. Bad Move. Crappiest vehicle I ever owned, and to this day, the only New Car I ever bought. Hated it. What a Lemon. I was buried in payments on that Thing for awhile.  So now it was The Reagonomics Era, and Gas had become pricey, so we got some Cool VW Vans & Styled Them Out. The  ’Cal-Look’. They are actually called the VW Kombi.

Charming SoCal Architecture-80's Style

We rolled down Beach Blvd. to the combination Head Shop/Ticket Agency & Checked Out the Stones’ advance sale Ticket Prices. They had these hand-typed lists on Ditto paper that said Who, When, Where & How Much concert tickets were coming. The Stones were maxing out at like $45 bucks each ! NO way Dude. That was Out of Hand. No Internet. No craigslist. Scalpers around & about we knew… No Dice. Tickets Maxed Out. We thought We Weren’t Going.

New Wave & Punk Shows were Happening, and we saw bands like X at the Whisky, Slam Dance-Mosh Pit History in the Making..By Now we only listened to tiny KROQ from Pasadena on the radio. Rodney on the Rocks. The Legendary Rodney Bingenheimer had debuted New Wave Bands like Devo & Talking Heads, Blondie, Black Flag & The Buzzcocks in L.A. We could barely get the station in, it was so small, no ‘bandwidth’ so to speak. We knew we were gonna have to be Punk-Rockers soon, but for now we were still Rockers, hanging on the Last Vestiges of a Dying (for the moment) Genre. We hadn’t sold out to be ‘Punk Rockers’ yet. A lot of them really were just that. Punks.

X - Whisky a Go Go 1979

The New-Wave & Punk Bands never played the Big Venues. We went to the Cuckoo’s Nest in Costa Mesa, and they were Cool but almost Too Cool. The New-Wave & Punk Era did influence my Graphics Sense a lot though, Anti-Style. We loved that, to this day if I can lay out type Crooked & Dirty, I will. However for the Moment were up for one more Major Rock Expedition..load up the Vans & Go. We knew the days were numbered for those Big Blow-Out Stadium Shows. We were already Nostalgic about it. Veterans.

Some Girls 1980 - Andy Warhol 'moveable' Album Cover

We loved the Stones because they were So Good, they Made Fun of all the other emerging genres of Music as they came along, like 70′s Country Rock & Disco. Then they came out with tracks that were better than all the bands taking those genres seriously. Songs like Dead Flowers & Country Honk made fun of Country while being Great Country Songs. The Stones had the Hottest Girls, the most Ultra-Jet-Set Lifestyle, The Most Money & the Most Legendary Notoriety. Andy Warhol did their album covers. The Hells Angels did their security in Cailfornia. We Had to Make That Show Hell or High Water.  A Bright, Sunny October morning, I’m pacing around the Shop like a Tiger. No Tickets. Geo & I are looking at each other & fuming. Then the Boys Show Up, with this look on their faces like we’re Going on our Last Mission to Bomb the Nazis, We May Not Return. “Get in the Van, Boys”, I say. “We’re going to the Stones”. We loaded up & left, no prep, no tickets. We did grab our 2 Walkie-Talkies we used around the shop. One of us had got them for Xmas when we were were kids & now they were a novelty to use in the Shop, like an intercom system…”Jorge, it’s that girl you met at Sav-On, on the phone, are you here ?, Over”. Geo did pretty well with the Muchachas. We brought the Walkie-Talkies.

I’ve got Jackie D., (My To-This-Day-Since-Then Main Man), Johnny Shortsleeve, a bit torn-up from his Camaro Roll-over, some other guy who I’ve lost track of, in the back of my van. We’ve stopped for beers & they are drinking & smoking H-B style Mexican weed back there, undercover of dark tinted windows. Geo is a Torrid Bud Smoker as well, however I never really have been. He is riding Shotgun & yours truly Mr. Motocross Champion driving. I roll up the road & it’s Weekday (A Holiday for Us), Traffic & I hit the offramp. There, on the side is the Most Glorious Sight. 2 dudes holding HIGH FOR ALL TO SEE… STONES TICKETS !! I pull over right on the side, van side doors bust open with 3 maniacs each with a fistful of cash. We end up getting 5 tickets for face value, which is $16. Unbelievable. I can still see those guys out my windshield clear as day, like 2 Disciples from Heaven. So we roll to the Coliseum, or rather about 4 blocks from it. The whole zone, where Staples Center is now, Solid Brothas from the ‘Hood selling any scrap of concrete for parking, like $5. We Saddle Up & at the very last minute, somebody – probably Medicated Johnny says, “Fred, have a hit”. It’s Acid. Great. This is a new addition to my Repertoire. So I eat half, Grab my Walkie -Talkie & Start Walking. Us & 100,000 other Crazed Stones Fans…

Mick Jagger, L.A. Coliseum 1981 I'm out there, literally, somewhere.

Five years later we’re in on the field. It’s early. The Lineup is Some Band we never Heard of, Called Prince. George Thorogood (Not a fan at all). The J.Geils Band, who I don’t love either. However lead singer Peter Wolf is married to actress Faye Dunaway. Her I’m a Big Fan Of, maybe I’ll get to see her. A Main Stones-only stage at one end about 200 miles in front of us… and we’re right behind a pack of real-deal Hell’s Angels at a smaller stage. Opening Act Prince comes out first, never heard of him. Wearing an open trench-coat, blazing October heat. Thigh-highs & I think garter belts underneath with 6″ Black Platform boots. Prince is all dancing & prancing around trying to do his thing. Prince’s guitar player is Pretty Androgynous Looking as well. The Angels are having none of it. Within 2 songs they are hurling half-full Coors beer bottles at Prancing Prince, and hitting him. Prince looks a fright & terribly crestfallen soaked with Coors Beer & he is Gone. See you later Prince, Whoever You Are.                     Stay Tuned for Part 2…..