Grand View news

I am still watching for the latest on Grand View, but this week, a court hearing is planned. The last update mentioned late May as a possible one day opening for Grand View again. This is from the Glendale press (nothing confirmed at this time):

"The tentative plan to open the park on May 25 could be confirmed at a status conference hearing on May 16 in Los Angeles Superior Court."

Just some thought, as I start work on book two...

It has been four months since we launched The Sea Gull. So time is turning toward re-starting the biography I was working on, before the Sea Gull book.

The Sea Gull was actually my second book planned for Edna, but with Lita's health, I decided to do it first. The reason being, quicker to produce. And I just made it under the wire, by a week, as Lita (Edna Purviance's grand niece) died eight days after the launch.

I have to say, her death did put me out of the mood for the second book (as well as all the business things I had to do for SG). I can't say I felt like I launched a book yet, because there was nothing traditional about it. Just me in the office, like now, looking at a computer screen, emailing people and signing books on a little night table by my computer. And I didn't even have to 'dress' for it. I could wear anything at my 'launching and signings' and no one would know better.

It was great, but nothing traditional, except for some very nice flowers and very nice comments emailed back. I did have about four phone calls about the book, which was greatly appreciated, since I rarely see people or talk to them in person.

We like to thank, again, everyone who has, and currently, ordered The Sea Gull. It certainly turned out better than I thought.

But with Lita gone, and I have been trying to get use to that.

What Lita's death sort of did, was place me back to where I was before I met her, because I had a book in the making already, and that was the biography. It wasn't a complete biography, but it was a start, with the early years pretty well covered.

I have been getting all my drafts together of the biography the last couple of weeks. Tonight, I started to open them for the first time in two years.

The early years and most of the career years of Edna, I had written, before I met Lita. The later years Lita was going to help with, which she did, until her health made it impossible to do more. I have articles to work with and loads of new material from the Hill collection and added research since, but also more research to do on material Lita didn't have.

Since the biography is going to be centered about Edna and her family (mainly her mother and two sisters) I have thoughts on how to do that, and keep the project going. That I will cover as I go along...

It is not easy to just pick up and start rolling on something again after two years, after working on it for over 10 years. But I am very glad I did get all the research I did, because starting from scratch now, with the increase cost and turn down in the economy, would have made it nearly impossible to do. And being 10 years older and with my eyesight, not the best, anymore, I am so grateful to have so much done.

So it is just getting the mood back into doing a second book. I have the material here sitting to work with. Writing here does help me start thinking about it.

Releasing the first book does take much of the excitement away. You only get one shot at launching your first book. But, since I really don't feel like I launched a book yet, it does leave some excitement left.

Now it time to start 'hitting the keyboard and research material' for the second book... Hopefully soon.

I have a very good friend launching a book in 2009. Sounds like a good year, but might be closer to 2010, seeing how long The Sea Gull took. But the sooner I start, the sooner I will get it done. And I have fans 'who ate up the first book' and now waiting for the second course...

The working title for this book is 'Purviance' and that is what I will use throughout the writing and production work.

(The nice thing about my new computer? It talks to me! So I can hear how this article sounds. A voice in my little attic world.)

Maybe the duck has the right idea

Well, we surely went right by spring and heading quickly into summer, as the forecast calls for 90F+ degrees (32C+ range) this week. Everything still looks winter like, since we had little to no rain this spring and cold weather in general.

With it getting so hot suddenly, I wonder if ducks have the right idea. I don't know how many of you have seen a duck at work under water, but here is a link to a silent video of just that. The video does has an ad for the client, but watch this duck! LINK>

May 2008 - Chaplin Library Latest Books

Dominique Dugros has sent us his Latest book additions for the Chaplin Library. It includes books from Japan, Germany, Mexico and Sweden. I also have the Library Database 'in the wings' to come.

TCM's Premiere - Anna May Wong

June 5, 2008

TCM Television Premiere
Anna May Wong


Frosted Yellow Willows:
Her Life, Times and Legend

Produced by Elaine Mae Woo
Narrated by Nancy Kwan

Part of TCM's month long look at Asian films.
Every Tuesday and Thursday night in June.

"Anna May Wong made over sixty films in her career. She is best known for her role in Joseph Von Sternberg's Shanghai Express (1932) in which she starred alongside Marlene Dietrich." - NPG
Link to a past article on Wong from the National Portrait Gallery in London.

Cinecon's Robert W. Nudelman has died

Los Angeles, California - Hollywood preservationist, Robert W. Nudelman, has died at the age of 52. Robert was visiting his father in Arizona, who was recently ill, when Robert died suddenly at his family home. He was best known for his work saving landmarks like El Capitan Theatre and Cinerama Dome. He was also involved with Cinecon, where we met him in 2006.


The Los Angeles Times reports:
"In 1984, Nudelman and a group of investors launched the Hollywood Museum, a small memorabilia showplace in an old bank building on Hollywood Boulevard. It attracted about 10,000 visitors before going broke a year later. He was the longtime director of preservation for Hollywood Heritage and had served as president of the group. He also was curator of the Hollywood Heritage Museum in the Lasky-DeMille Barn and had written several books about Hollywood. Friends invariably mentioned his wry humor, his humility and that he didn't own a car. At the time of his death, he was working with Debbie Reynolds and her son Todd on the Hollywood motion picture museum she is building in Tennessee."

While some battles were won, saving the past can be tough, when people show little interest. When Nudelman was working on saving the MGM lot in the 1970s, the movie industry showed little interest:

"We want to turn the lot into a theme park," said Robert Nudelman of the Hollywood Group. "We could rent it out to movie companies occasionally."

But the response was not enthusiastic from the film industry, Nudelman continued:

"I've talked to the people in the movie industry and their reaction seems to be 'Who cares?' - LA Times

Plans are in the works for a special memorial. Check this link for very good report from Cinema Treasures about Nudelman. more>

Lon Davis, Secret of the Silent Movie Stars

Lon Davis, author of

Silent Lives
April 9, 2008 - Interview with Kelli Warner
Secrets of the Silent Movie Stars

Includes footage from the special DVD "Silent Lives: Classic Screen Moments" available only when ordering from Bear Manor Media.

News from Edna's Day - Voting Machines

News from Edna’s Day
Series 1#
I am beginning a new series of articles featuring news Edna’s parents and Edna Purviance herself read during their lifetime in Nevada and beyond. You may find it interesting, that the same concerns they had, are similar to ours today. With many elections happening this year, I will begin with an article about the early use of voting machines.

December 27, 1894
Silver State - Nevada
The Voting Machine
"The new constitution of New York permits the use of voting machines, several of which have been successfully tested in the western part of the state. These machines are built on the cash register principle. The names of the candidates are printed on the push buttons, and the buttons are arranged in rows of different colors, representing the various parties.

The voter pushes the button bearing the name of the candidate for whom he desires to vote, and his vote is recorded. An ignorant voter can vote straight by simply pushing the buttons of the color representing his party.

It is estimated that although New York City would require 1000 of these machines at $250 each, the city would save $100,000 annually on the cost of elections by using them. They would do away with poll clerks and with tickets, besides preventing fraud, and would guarantee accuracy in the count.

The voting machine is the ideal ballot box. It cannot be stuffed, and its computations are unfailing. If it should come into general use the returns of elections would be received early in the evening, instead of late at night."

Note: This article was released about one year before Edna Purviance was born.

Edna Purviance's Grand Niece, Lita Hill videos

Here are some video links featuring Lita Hill, Edna Purviance's grand niece. One is a new video just posted today.

These videos were taken during our first visit together in April 2005. None of the footage seen in this series of clips were used in the video interview shown at Cinecon 42 in 2006. I will be placing this series into a special page, as the project develops. Lita passed away on January 21, 2008, and this is part of our tribute to her.

August 2006 - Behind the Scenes
A small preview I created just before going to Cinecon in 2006. Features Lita and I with the Hill collection.

March 2008 - Recipe
A short segment about Lita talking about a recipe Edna created.

April 2008 - Good Friend
A video featuring a good friend of Lita's.

May 2008 - First Job
About Lita's first job in LA, while she was living with Edna Purviance. (Background: Lita lived in Reno for a few years, after her father Morgan left the film industry. After high school, Lita returned to Los Angeles and lived with Edna.)

Update: I have continued to notice the video/flash page section has been getting steady to heavy traffic since the Lita videos have been added. When playing a video, if it seems a bit slow in loading, just let it load and than press the re-start link. Once it loads, you should have few problems. Thanks for visiting.

April 2008 comes to a close

April started out with the great news of reading about Rainbow Orchid being published (I have been a longtime fan), hearing about the special events in Italy for Josef von Sternberg (wish I could see), another record month of visitors (including fans during Chaplin's Birthday) my G4 dying (I knew that was coming, just was hoping to update later this year) and getting a new computer (which I am still settling into, after seven years on my favorite system). 

May will have some new posting for Edna's site, including my next Lita Hill video, a special 'fan' slide show and a video trip to London.  I will be updating the Latest Page in the Chaplin Library, with new books from Dominique and I still have more coming for the library as well.

On the Sea Gull book news, we like to thank everyone who bought books in April. Also, we have been contacted by a group of historians in Carmel, California. They have purchased copies of the book and will be helping to see if some of the locations can be 'pinpointed' from the Monterey Bay area. 

From my earlier research, the dock scenes in The Sea Gull book were taken at Monterey Bay, California. Additional scenes were taken near Carmel.

Some of the other scenes in the book appear to be around Point Lobos or even the 17-mile-drive area. They agree that some appear to be around Point Lobos, and will be seeing if they can pinpoint some of the locations.

As always, just keep checking back for the latest and thanks very much for visiting.

Latest from Publishers Weekly on Amazon

The latest from Publishers Weekly on the Amazon Booksurge push for full control. See the full article at this link

"Along with discussions of hot books and high prices at this month’s London Book Fair, another major topic of conversation in the aisles was Amazon. The immediate flashpoint was the e-tailer’s new policy of making publishers who use print-on-demand go through its BookSurge subsidiary if they don’t want to risk having Amazon deactivate the buy button on their titles.

"While Amazon has so far been concentrating on implementing the policy primarily with online publishers such as AuthorHouse (which just agreed to use BookSurge), Amazon has said it wants all publishers, including traditional publishers, to use BookSurge for POD. The head of one of the major houses called the demand “outrageous,” but declined to say if this publisher had plans to use BookSurge." - Jim Milliot, Publishers Weekly

Update April 29, 2008 - If you visit Amazon on this date April 29, 2008, you will see an open letter from Amazon and a link to their letter to shareholders, which they said they don't normally do. It is about their Kindle product, but a look into the direction they want to go. Here is a bit:

"We started by setting ourselves the admittedly audacious goal of improving upon the physical book. We did not choose that goal lightly. Anything that has persisted in roughly the same form and resisted change for 500 years is unlikely to be improved easily.

At the beginning of our design process, we identified what we believe is the book’s most important feature. It disappears. When you read a book, you don’t notice the paper and the ink and the glue and the stitching. All of that dissolves, and what remains is the author’s world.

We knew Kindle would have to get out of the way, just like a physical book, so readers could become engrossed in the words and forget they’re reading on a device."

(This is only a 'bite' so go to Amazon today to read the whole letter. I guess I'm 'old fashion' but I prefer a nicely produced book on the shelve, like I still enjoy album covers. We lost LP record covers, could printed books we next on the 'endangered' list. And I haven't notice any of my favorite books disappearing.)

Follow-up - May 5, 2008 - The death of the mom and pa bookstores continue as one of our last local shops will be closing soon, after 35 years in business. Their comments on the closing:

"Amazon is taking the biggest bite out of us, and Wal-Mart and Costco and Barnes & Noble," she said. "Every grocery store sells books."

"When Barnes & Noble came to town, we stayed around after the other bookstores had to close, but we've been hanging on.

Christmas sales were slow, "and it just got worse," she said. "Usually spring break picks up and we can get through the summer. We had tourists, but nobody was buying. They'd just come in and look or come in and write down names so they could buy it at Amazon."

Silent Films returned to the US

The Australian government plans to return to the USA eight silent films. These films included news reel footage and a one-reel Western called 'The Prospector" created by Essanay Films. This article from Variety mentions the films being returned:

"The titles are "The Prospector" (1912), a one-reel Western made by Essanay Film Manufacturing; "Sin Woman," trailer (1921), a preview for a melodrama; "Mutt and Jeff: On Strike" (1920), an animated short of the popular cartoon characters; and "Long Pants," trailer (1927), a preview for Frank Capra's comedy starring Harry Langdon.

The other four shorts are a 1920 Pathe newsreel, a U.S. Navy documentary, a travel tour of Japan and an early Hollywood promotional short of movie celebs playing baseball." - Variety