Lucille Ball, early morning on Hollywood Blvd.
“You just ask anyone about me,” he says with a sweep of his arm that seems to indicate the greater Los Angeles area.
It’s early morning on Hollywood Boulevard. The sun is beginning to warm the sidewalk, along with pungent Morning After smells.
The man leans against a light post as he flags down a stranger, a visitor to the city who is easily identifiable by their bright TCM Classic Film Festival badge.
The Hollywood resident is a short, stocky man dressed in a timeworn cotton shirt, unbuttoned at the collar. In his right hand he holds a weathered paperback, circa 1980. Under his left arm is a slim beer glass, washed and waiting.
He’s probably in his 70s, and his face suggests he’s done a lot of living in those years. But he’s all charm this morning. He leans towards you when he speaks, as though he’s giving you a hot money-making tip.
“I do a mean Al Jolson,” he says, and acts out a bit of dialogue. He sounds more like Jimmy Durante – he sounds exactly like Jimmy Durante – but it’s a free performance and it’s very good.
“I was well known as a kid,” he says. “I did Jolson in blackface and everyone loved it.”
Suddenly he’s All Business, and wants to know if the 1971 film Nicholas and Alexandra is playing at the film festival. (It isn’t.)
“I saw it when it first came out,” he says. “I haven’t seen it in years, but I loved it.”
He pauses for a moment, then says something unexpected.
“When I saw it, I remember thinking this is the best movie I will ever see.”
Grauman’s Egyptian Theater on Hollywood Blvd., early morning.
Hollywood Boulevard is an intense place. It is unnaturally peaceful (but pungent) early in the morning before it fills with tourists seeking pieces of Hollywood’s colourful history.
Everyone loves the old stories: how Sid Grauman invented the red carpet premiere to promote movies at his theatre; why costume designer Robert Kalloch put a blanket over his head whenever he rode in a moving vehicle; and why African-American actress Hattie McDaniel was denied her request to be buried in a nearby cemetery. (Go ahead – guess why.)
The memories of Hollywood Past linger everywhere, and people are anxious to grasp them. They kneel for selfies beside the terrazzo stars embedded in the Walk of Fame, or pose for photos with a Charlie Chaplin impersonator.
Some are classic movie evangelists.
Example: As we were schlepping our festival gear from theatre to theatre, we passed a young woman impersonating Marilyn Monroe. She wore the famous white dress (and shoes!) from 1955’s The Seven Year Itch.
She winked at us and said in a breathless voice, “Honey, you know blondes have more fun.”
The Hollywood Museum, Max Factor Building.
We saw wonderful films at this year’s festival, many of them new to us. We watched Forbidden Planet at an outdoor poolside screening, and were enthralled with the political satire of The Russians are Coming, The Russians are Coming.
The most compelling experience, for us, was at Grauman’s Egyptian Theater which hosted the screening of The Passion of Joan of Arc (La passion de Jeanne d’Arc). This 1928 silent film, an examination Joan’s trial and sentencing, was presented with a live orchestra and the UC Berkeley Alumni Chorus.
It was an experience that surrounds you: the stark, stunning visuals; the stirring music; the haunting lyrics sung in Latin. All of this in a grand theatre that has been showing films since 1922.
It’s hard to describe the evening. However, as we left the theatre, it occurred to us that the man who approached us on Hollywood Boulevard that morning, the one who asked about Nicholas and Alexandra, had already articulated the experience.
In his words, we may never see a better film.
Silver Screenings 
What a superb post, Ruth.
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Thanks, Karen. There’s so much to say about the festival, I thought I’d just touch on a couple of the highlights.
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This is so beyond awesome! I’m so happy for you! 💃⭐️😍
Also…”We watched Forbidden Planet at an outdoor poolside screening…” Positively green with envy.
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Thanks, Sarah! Yes, the poolside screenings of Forbidden Planet was SO much fun. They even brought the real Robby the Robot to help introduce the film.
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That. Is. Awesome. 🤖
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I LOVE your memoir style! I could read at least fifteen more of these. 😉 It sounds like you had an awesome time, and I’m as happy for you as I am jealous.
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Aw, thanks! It was so much fun, and a real thrill. I hope you can make the “pilgrimage” very soon! 😉
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A pleasure meeting you Ruth at the fest and a nicely put together post! Let’s do it again next year.
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Thanks, Mike! It was nice to meet you, too, and spend time at the Hollywood Museum with fellow Canucks!
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Nicholas and Alexandra (1971), is truly a unique gem. Would be great to see it on the Big Screen (seen in a few times, years ago, on TV). Sad to hear about the discrimination Hattie McDaniel faced, besides being an Oscar winning Hollywood artiste. An outdoor screening of Forbidden Planet sounds interesting. It’s supposedly an adaptation of The Tempest. I just mentioned it in my Shakespeare post, recently.
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Thanks for dropping by. I’m going to check out your Shakespearean post!
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Such a captivating post! I hope that you were able to see The Hollywood Museum? 🙂
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Yup, we were able to tour the museum, and it was truly fascinating. It’s well worth it if you find yourself in Hollywood.
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Thanks for sharing your stories with those of us who live a little too far away to attend the festival. It’s fascinating how stories and memories can transform something that might otherwise – dare I say it – be fairly ordinary!
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Yes, I think that’s true. The festival itself was amazing, but it was the people I met that really made it for me.
I hope one day you’re able to go. 🙂
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This was such a moving post, Ruth! You really made me feel like I was on Hollywood Boulevard with you and experiencing the street life there. I loved reading about the movies you saw and where you saw them. It sounds like it was an amazing time. I am so happy for you that you got to go. Thanks for sharing some of the highlights with us!
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Thanks, Shari! It was an incredible experience, all of it. Hollywood Blvd seems overwhelming, but if you’re out early in the morning you really get a sense of the community.
As for watching the films in those grand old movie palaces, it was such a treat!
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I’ve got goosebumps. What an exquisite experience … thanks for sharing its essence … you brought us all along. Well done!!
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Thanks! Yes, it was a marvelous experience. So glad I was able to go & experience a little of the Hollywood life.
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