Hey, I'm busy

but here's a little anticipatory Christmas music from my favorite group Conspirare

A Company of Voices: Conspirare in Concert from KLRU / Conspirare on Vimeo.

not all of it is christmas music but they are a joy to listen to. Remember those who aren't with us this holiday season.

It's that time of year

they really knew how to sell a movie in those daysFox trots their talent roster out to plug their 1947 Christmas movie.

a Thanksgiving offering

we had a few minutes on our hands, so we said hello to some old friends at Hollywood Forever today:

We went to Beatrice Lllie's Villa this morning

and had to sit through this before they would serve the stupid pancakes.

It all went to hell Eighty-Five years ago today

Well, for a lot of people, but let us start with Thomas Harper Ince: see, The Chief was throwing a birthday party for Mr Ince on his boat "the Oneida". Lore has it that Marion had disappeared underdeck with perhaps Mr Chaplin for horizontal mambo-ing. The Chief, a jealous sort, went and got his gun and starting firing wildly and allegedly shot Ince in the process.

Such was the power of the Hearst press that the incident was spun very differently: Ince was overtaken with severe stomach cramps and was taken off the boat and driven home where he died. 'Course the fact that the chief had his body taken from the boat to the crematory sort of obviates that possibility. Ask Louella or ask Mother to ask Louella for you. A very entertaining book I would go see if I could find a used copy either at Larry Edmunds or Dragon Books<:

another good for larfs:
"written" by Marion Davies, who had something or another to do with Mr. Ince's passing.

It all ended for Joe Forty Years Ago Today

I am speaking of the patriarch of the Kennedy clan, once all-powerful Joseph Patrick, who spent the last eight years of his life paralyzed and in a wheelchair unable to speak.

Needless to say, a "complicated" guy. Mother recommends this book: Mother is "of a generation" wherein people still wrote letters to each other. His letters to his children do show a side of him not really seen before.

Mother had to borrow a cup of Drambuie from Mr. Benchley's villa, and while there he reminded us that this book is very entertaining::

excellent reading, from the author of "Without Lying Down: Frances Marion and the Powerful Women of Early Hollywood" which is an excellent book.


I myself have a favorite to suggest: this should succinctly explain it all for you, these are all good Christmas presents.