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Tales Of Hollywood And Politics
by: Stephen Schochet
Arnold Schwarzenegger's surprise announcement that he was seeking the California Governorship brought to mind the many times Hollywood figures have been involved in politics. Here are some related anecdotes:
When actors first came to Hollywood there were signs put up in front of hotels and apartments that said no dogs or actors allowed, with the performers ruefully complaining about not getting top billing. The insecurity of the profession has come through in...
In Hollywood As In Life You Never Reach The Top
by Stephen SchochetWhen Jim Carey was paid $20,000,000 for The Cable Guy, a record breaking salary for a movie star, John Travolta topped him by asking for $20,000,001 for the movie Michael and got it. But there is always someone who makes more than you. John Travolta was invited to Robin William's birthday party in Northern California. He arrived there in his Lear Jet and was greeted by a cigar smoking Steven Spielberg, who had suggested he take the Michael role in the first place, and his...
Hollywood Humor Cary Grant s Muffins
by Stephen Schochet In 1853 in Saratoga Springs, New York, American Indian Chef George Crum was preparing his specialty French fried potatoes in the upscale resort he was working at, when he received word that one of the patrons complained they were cut too thick. An annoyed Crum decided to slice the delicacy razor thin to teach the customer a lesson. To his surprise the guest loved it, and that's how we got potato chips. Nearly one hundred years later another squeaky wheel named Cary...
Hollywood Horse Stories
by Stephen SchochetA recent Hollywood rumor was that Tobey Maguire injured his back during the making of Sea Biscuit doing horseback riding scenes, making him unable to star in the sequel to Spider-Man. Although it turned out to be false, he rode a mechanical horse in the film, many actors have had close calls working with horses. One example was Michael Caine, whose first movie Zulu (1964) required him to ride a horse after a hunting expedition, which after several embarrassing takes...
Can I Have Your Autograph
?
by: Stephen Schochet
Being a celebrity means dealing with fan demands for autographs, ranging from polite and appropriate to rude and overbearing. One time Katherine Hepburn was performing on Broadway and tried to exit backstage through a crowd of jostling autograph hounds. Bodyguards helped her to her limo and once safely inside the very private star rolled down the window and shouted, Run em down! We'll clean up the blood later! The crowd scattered and the limousine sped away, pausing...
Strange Encounters With Hollywood Legends
by: Stephen Schochet
Meeting famous people is often a surreal experience for both parties. In 1956 when Elvis Presley arrived in Hollywood he and his entourage stayed at the Hollywood Roosevelt Hotel. One day he got into the elevator. What floor? asked the operator. Tenth please. The operator looked at him with disdain. You can't go up to the tenth floor. Elvis is staying there. No one is allowed there. A bemused Presley said, I know. I'm Elvis. The hotel employee stared at him...
Tales Of The Broke And Famous
by Stephen SchochetBeverly Hills is a place where you spend a lot of money you don't have to impress a lot of people you don't like!- - Anonymous Hollywood Producer If the rumors are true that Michael Jackson's lavish life style has left him broke, he would not be the first famous celebrity in financial straights. John Wayne found himself in hock after 150 movies. Three wives, seven children, investing his own money in the box office troubled The Alamo (1960) combined with an exceedingly...
Mrs Disney
by: Stephen Schochet
Warren Beatty once observed, That if you get married in Hollywood, you should always do it before noon. That way if it doesn't work out, you don't kill your evening. But in 1925 Walt Disney, still getting his feet wet in Tinseltown was not interested in pampered starlets. His eye was on a employee of his named Lillian Bounds, originally from Lewiston, Idaho who worked for him as ink paint girl making fifteen dollars a week. She reminded him of the hard working...
Who Lives In The Star Wars Galaxy
?
by: Stephen Schochet
It's hard to say where old Hollywood ended and new Hollywood began. People in the industry don't think of themselves as making history, they are just going to work. But the day in 1967 that Jack Warner cleaned out his desk at Warner Bros. studio, George Lucas and Frances Ford Coppola arrived on the lot.
The two young filmmakers were very different in demeanor. Coppola a legend at UCLA film school was 27, a loud boisterous mixture of mogul and marxist, who prided...
Tales Of The Warner Brothers
by: Stephen Schochet
The four Warner Brothers, which included the womanizing Jack, the conservative Harry, the quiet Albert and the visionary Sam, had risen from obscurity with The Jazz Singer (1927) the first famous and financially successful talking movie ever made. Tragically, Sam Warner, the real brains behind the whole project, died of a brain tumor two days before The Jazz Singer's debut. Jack was thrilled by the film's success, but crushed by his brother's death. He became difficult...
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