tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19336675.post6471383005958947411..comments2023-11-03T06:02:02.128-07:00Comments on By Ken Levine: The Hollywood Walk of Faded FameBy Ken Levinehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17305293821975250420noreply@blogger.comBlogger43125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19336675.post-40681935475690934892017-08-11T17:15:36.729-07:002017-08-11T17:15:36.729-07:00I saw Skelton live twice in the 70s. The phrase &q...I saw Skelton live twice in the 70s. The phrase "in pain from laughing" was almost never more accurate than it was those two nights.cadavranoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19336675.post-25776991447296503202017-08-10T20:05:27.141-07:002017-08-10T20:05:27.141-07:00@Mike Doran: Those Martha Raye/Red Skelton outtake...@Mike Doran: Those Martha Raye/Red Skelton outtakes are on YouTube. If it's any indication, the "dirty hour" was pretty tame and uninteresting by modern standards.<br /><br /><a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=y2FJCRnqBm0" rel="nofollow">https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=y2FJCRnqBm0</a>Andy Rosenoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19336675.post-7838678145767879572017-08-10T15:36:59.773-07:002017-08-10T15:36:59.773-07:00"Sometimes it’s confusing when two stars have..."Sometimes it’s confusing when two stars have the same name. The night Michael Jackson died there were huge wreaths and candles and shrines placed upon his star – except it was the star of Michael Jackson, the local radio talkshow host."<br /><br />The reason for that, Ken, was because on the day MJ died, the Chinese Theatre (where the more famous Michael Jackson's star was located) was hosting the premiere of <i>Bruno</i>.<br /><br />The last time I walked down Hollywood Boulevard was November 2013; I was with my autism group, and one of us kept complaining about the seedy parts of the area because he apparently had this overly stereotypical view of what Hollywood should look like. We ended up teasing him the entire time. (Yeah, we were dicks.)Joel Strewthhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/06212183358531629735noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19336675.post-1078761144901562992017-08-10T07:59:16.354-07:002017-08-10T07:59:16.354-07:00I don’t know what made me feel older – knowing who...<i>I don’t know what made me feel older – knowing who Ann Blyth was or being the only person reading the names.</i><br /><br />Ken, that should be "who Ann Blyth <b>is</b>". Veda Pierce is still alive.Sakaridishttps://www.blogger.com/profile/17356279811393289044noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19336675.post-74472345728192885142017-08-10T01:38:44.238-07:002017-08-10T01:38:44.238-07:00@Jay Check the video in my post. It was the Lucy-D...@Jay Check the video in my post. It was the Lucy-Desi Comedy Hour and they speak... a little. Johnny Walkerhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/13302545167970532080noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19336675.post-30229117020875496622017-08-09T19:25:27.985-07:002017-08-09T19:25:27.985-07:00Dr Frank C Baxter is also still remembered fondly ...Dr Frank C Baxter is also still remembered fondly by fans of "The Mole People."Kosmo13noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19336675.post-43698399963179347262017-08-09T19:19:15.210-07:002017-08-09T19:19:15.210-07:00Getting a star has less to do with merit and more ...Getting a star has less to do with merit and more to do with raising the fee to become enshrined. Last I hear it was $20,000, but I'm sure it has gone up since then.Cap'n Bobhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/11783977137812876489noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19336675.post-46415698913501679422017-08-09T18:32:37.042-07:002017-08-09T18:32:37.042-07:00My favorite Red Skelton story, and it may be apocr...<i>My favorite Red Skelton story, and it may be apocryphal:<br />Red and Lucille Ball are doing a sketch in the days of live TV. They both playing hobos. The script call for Lucy to try to pick something from Red's pants pocket, but apparently there was a hole in the pocket and and Lucy couldn't find the prop required for the sketch to continue. She gamely continued trying before turning to Red and saying "I feel stupid!"<br /><br />Red instantly replied "Keep going, you'll feel nuts."<br /><br />The network immediately went black.<br /><br />Anyone know if this actually happened?</i><br /><br />Ball and Skelton only worked together on television one time, when he guest starred on one of those 60 minute I LOVE LUCY specials that they did a few of every year after the half-hour series ended, and since those were all on film, it wouldn't have happened on live television. There is a sketch at the end of that Skelton episode, though, where he and Ball are playing hobos, so something like what you describe could certainly have happened during rehearsal. If I recall correctly, the sketch is a pantomime, so there wouldn't have been any dialogue.Jaynoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19336675.post-33842714538714805802017-08-09T17:38:22.516-07:002017-08-09T17:38:22.516-07:00Donald, when I visited Los Angeles some years back...Donald, when I visited Los Angeles some years back, a long time resident told me homeless people from other states come to California and LA in particular because they know that at least they're guaranteed year round sunshine. I don't think it's got anything to do with what what little vestigial traces there are left of the showbiz allure.Peternoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19336675.post-69521437763904538852017-08-09T16:28:07.824-07:002017-08-09T16:28:07.824-07:00I can't speak to Red skelton's movie roles...I can't speak to Red skelton's movie roles but his television performances were par excellance and his Vegas show was the best in the business at its time. I saw him the night his mother passed away and he still was at the top of his game.Normhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/10344626134240504739noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19336675.post-83173637552779409172017-08-09T14:45:44.346-07:002017-08-09T14:45:44.346-07:00@RockGolf That sounds too perfect to be real. Here...@RockGolf That sounds too perfect to be real. Here's Lucille and Red together as hobos... did they do this more than once? Was it a regular bit?<br /><br /><a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mWVtfCVPPIg" rel="nofollow">https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mWVtfCVPPIg</a><br /><br />Stu Shostak would know the answer to this.Johnny Walkerhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/13302545167970532080noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19336675.post-69349927222029210582017-08-09T14:41:33.561-07:002017-08-09T14:41:33.561-07:00Is there a bodyguard over Donald Trump's star?...Is there a bodyguard over Donald Trump's star? How do they stop people gluing fake cat turds to it?Johnny Walkerhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/13302545167970532080noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19336675.post-25346038687416809322017-08-09T14:39:07.369-07:002017-08-09T14:39:07.369-07:00For Rock Golf:
This story sounds like something t...For Rock Golf:<br /><br />This story sounds like something that might have happened during a Skelton dress rehearsal, also known as "The Red Skelton Dirty Hour".<br />Skelton did one or two dress run-throughs for each show, during which he would ad-lib as much off-color stuff as he could think of; reportedly, these rehearsals were usually standing room only - anyone and everyone who was working at Television City would try to get in to see a show that they knew would never get on the air, but they would have juicy stories to regale their friends.<br />When time came to record the actual show, Skelton was always on his best behavior; CBS regarded the "Dirty Hour" as " ... letting Red get it out of his system ...", but in the meantime, it was somewhat of a morale booster for the crews.<br />Supposedly, there's a bootleg film of a "Dirty Hour", with Skelton going one-on-one with Martha Raye; this was purportedly a big favorite on the party circuit for years (I hear it can be found on an "unauthorized" DVD - can't confirm)).Anonymoushttps://www.blogger.com/profile/05527404061764217504noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19336675.post-10061787007562640922017-08-09T14:30:35.792-07:002017-08-09T14:30:35.792-07:00Having only lived in Burbank for less than a year,...Having only lived in Burbank for less than a year, my wife and I still go check out Hollywood probably once a month. I marvel at some of the handprints at the Chinese Theater. Some of those names are long, long forgotten but I can imagine the big deal it was for the then-hot movie star, at the time. <br /><br />The Walk of Fame is great for trivia nerds who can instantly name a project that some obscure honoree was attached to. Or, convincingly make something up on the spot!Aaronhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/05394862556353144282noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19336675.post-2861062708786714802017-08-09T14:11:18.772-07:002017-08-09T14:11:18.772-07:00My favorite Red Skelton story, and it may be apocr...My favorite Red Skelton story, and it may be apocryphal:<br />Red and Lucille Ball are doing a sketch in the days of live TV. They both playing hobos.<br />The script call for Lucy to try to pick something from Red's pants pocket, but apparently there was a hole in the pocket and and Lucy couldn't find the prop required for the sketch to continue. <br />She gamely continued trying before turning to Red and saying "I feel stupid!"<br />Red instantly replied "Keep going, you'll feel nuts."<br />The network immediately went black.<br /><br />Anyone know if this actually happened?Rock Golfhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/04945235295808697884noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19336675.post-42524590945754417502017-08-09T14:07:11.034-07:002017-08-09T14:07:11.034-07:00Who decided it would "honor" show busine...Who decided it would "honor" show business stars by encouraging people to walk over their names? Not to mention drop gum, spill drinks, spit, etc.<br /><br />And now to do battle with CAPTCHA. This thing is getting to be an ordeal. I'm not a robot! <br /><br />Buttermilk Skyhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/07430011403223875192noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19336675.post-20598583765367095612017-08-09T14:06:35.042-07:002017-08-09T14:06:35.042-07:00Many years ago, a couple of "rebirths" b...Many years ago, a couple of "rebirths" back, I read an article about the homeless problem in downtown Hollywood. According to a social worker, patients released from mental institutions and such would be offered bus tickets home, and they'd usually choose "Hollywood". The idea of Hollywood as a physical place to see stars or become one was largely dead, but enough of the myth lingered to draw people who really didn't have someplace to go. <br /><br />The would-be stars and dealmakers keep coming, of course, but most are just smart enough to know studio talent scouts don't haunt drugstore soda fountains (if they exist at all). <br /><br />I would guess Las Vegas has a similar problem with pilgrims assuming the glamor and money is easily accessed; just as San Francisco once attracted sad runaways seeking a long-past Summer of Love.DBensonhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/01144515471557731622noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19336675.post-67530455380732153542017-08-09T14:05:06.098-07:002017-08-09T14:05:06.098-07:00Friday question: Recently, a guy named Kieran Fish...<b>Friday question:</b> Recently, a guy named Kieran Fisher ( @HairEverywhere_ ) wrote: “Name a forgotten TV show you really enjoyed.” He lives in Scotland so a lot of his replies were names of UK shows I’d never heard of, but I was gratified to see Peter Sagal (of NPR’s <i>Wait Wait Don’t Tell Me</i>) list <i>Quark</i> and <i>Buffalo Bill.</i> (I myself threw out <i>Grand</i> and <i>Doctor Doctor.</i>) Curious what some of your forgotten/enjoyed shows might be.Joe in DCnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19336675.post-10804203182701128072017-08-09T13:58:48.589-07:002017-08-09T13:58:48.589-07:00It was twenty years ago, having finished graduate ...It was twenty years ago, having finished graduate school in Baltimore and received a post-doc appointment at UCLA, I drove a rental truck across the country with my wife and two oldest children in the cab, and a rusty Toyota Tercel towed behind. The truck's transmission failed east of Kingman, Arizona, but we were on the road again the next afternoon with all our stuff transferred to a different truck. Coming through downtown LA late that night, rather tired and trying to follow Interstate 10 to get through to our arranged Mar Vista apartment, we got confused by the signage and turns, and decided to pull off the freeway to get our bearings. We parked the truck and looked at the street signs, and laughed. The corner of Hollywood and Vine. OK, we had indeed made it to LA.John Mansfieldnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19336675.post-23221640190509898572017-08-09T13:56:04.326-07:002017-08-09T13:56:04.326-07:00I go from time to time and talk to John Belushi...I go from time to time and talk to John Belushi's star.@jackzullohttps://www.blogger.com/profile/03899676928520715739noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19336675.post-76142211736215970952017-08-09T13:49:28.799-07:002017-08-09T13:49:28.799-07:00I was a big Red Skelton Show fan, even when he and...I was a big Red Skelton Show fan, even when he and his guest stars "spontaneously" got the giggles or ad libbed. It was flat-out, unapologetic corn and Skelton knew physical comedy was a lot more than just falling down. He was certainly funnier than Bob Hope, who might have a decent monologue but really lame sketches.<br /><br />In my youth Red Skelton films were usually a treat, in part because there were fewer of them on local TV. He was every class clown's ideal: the guy who mugged and hammed outrageously, and could find a laugh in stumbling up a stairway. Bob Hope films were usually sure things, but after "Son of Paleface" he declined from comedian to Beloved American Institution.DBensonhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/01144515471557731622noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19336675.post-58382877667173913472017-08-09T13:36:06.237-07:002017-08-09T13:36:06.237-07:00Phil Spector, Robert Blake and O.J. Simpson don...Phil Spector, Robert Blake and O.J. Simpson don't have stars on the Walk of Fame, but one convicted murderer <i>does</i> -- Spade Cooley, a western swing star <i>a la</i> Bob Wills who was a Los Angeles TV pioneer. (Ken may remember him.)<br /><br />I resent the increasing corporate influence over who is selected, and would love to see honorees who actually have ties to entertainment in LA or southern California. For example, why doesn't singer-songwriter Jackie De Shannon, a major part of the Laurel Canyon music scene in the '60s and '70s, have a star? She's still with us (as anyone who hears her weekly reports on the Sunday morning Beatles radio show can attest); c'mon, Hollywood Chamber of Commerce, give Jackie a star ceremony.VP81955https://www.blogger.com/profile/11792390726196611188noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19336675.post-53953874540111334012017-08-09T13:33:59.304-07:002017-08-09T13:33:59.304-07:00Ken, have you seen Dunkirk yet? I've seen it t...Ken, have you seen Dunkirk yet? I've seen it twice. It's truly magnificent. And I speak as someone who's not a Nolan fanboy. For once the hype is justified. Thankfully it's under 2 hours. When the film was first announced, I was certain it would be a three hour ordeal. But it's just the right length. Everything about it is spot on. The last three minutes in particular are pitch perfect.<br /><br />Plus I noticed in the end credits that the historical consultant was someone called Joshua Levine. Jeez, you've got a big family. Peternoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19336675.post-29561965586166277662017-08-09T13:22:40.247-07:002017-08-09T13:22:40.247-07:00It was twenty years ago, having finished graduate ...It was twenty years ago, having finished graduate school in Baltimore and received a post-doc appointment at UCLA, I drove a rental truck across the country with my wife and two oldest children in the cab, and a rusty Toyota Tercel towed behind. The truck's transmission failed east of Kingman, Arizona, but we were on the road again the next afternoon with all our stuff transferred to a different truck. Coming through downtown LA late that night, rather tired and trying to follow Interstate 10 to get through to our arranged Mar Vista apartment, we got confused by the signage and turns, and decided to pull off the freeway to get our bearings. We parked the truck and looked at the street signs, and laughed. The corner of Hollywood and Vine. OK, we had indeed made it to LA.John Mansfieldnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19336675.post-53595326094318716202017-08-09T12:33:22.549-07:002017-08-09T12:33:22.549-07:00Ken,
It's funny you should mention Skelton be...Ken, <br />It's funny you should mention Skelton because I just re-read Mark Evanier's story about him telling dirty jokes at Bel-Aire Camera in Westwood. It's a fun read:<br />http://www.newsfromme.com/pov/col157/iamr4manhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/03886388328762709050noreply@blogger.com