PPM revisits Manchester's Belle Vue amusement park - Picture ...

The Hollywood
Canteen was opened by Bette Davis and
John Garfield in 1942 as a club for servicemen, where they
were waited on by stars like Rita Hayworth and Dorothy
Lamour. Postcards could be mailed free from the canteen
and were stamped “Free Hollywood Canteen.” Sometimes,
service personnel asked stars to autograph the
backs of cards and this one bears the signatures, among
others, of Anne Shirley, Fortunio Bona Nova and Helen
Vinson. The Hollywood Canteen was the subject of a feature
film made in 1944. (Longshaw Card Co. Los Angeles).
Sent from Los
Angeles in December 1928, this card
shows the world famous Grauman’s Chinese Theatre on
Hollywood Boulevard. Grauman’s has hosted many premieres
since it opened with that for Cecil B. De Mille’s King
of Kings in 1927. On its forecourt can be seen the handprints
and footprints of the stars. (Pacific Novelty Co, San
Francisco and Los Angeles).
Picture Postcard Annual 2010
is now available at £4.75 with an up to date
directory of dealers, fair organisers, auctions
etc plus lots of features and articles, and a list
of important 2010 postcard fairs. On sale from
your favourite dealer or direct from the
publishers at
15 Debdale Lane,
Keyworth, Nottingham NG12 5HT (plus postage £1
UK, £2.50 Europe, £4.50 rest of world)
The famous Hollywood Bowl has hosted performances by
musical greats from Frank Sinatra to The Beatles - as well
as the annual Easter Sunrise service - for over 90 years.
The shell covering the stage dates from 1929. (Los Angeles
Photo Postcard Co.).
liked to have seen inside
one of his houses, but the
crush was awful. I’d sure
like one of his saddle horses
and one of his beautiful
dogs.”
Another comment
referring to Charlie Chaplin
reads:
“...isn’t Charlie a rotter in
private life; I think the public
ought to taboo his pictures
for a while. They say he
already has another girl in
his eye....”
Messages such as
these provide a wonderful
insight into Hollywood gossip
of the time.
Whilst studios and
stars’ homes make up the
bulk of material, other cards
also reflect the glamorous
lives of the movie idols,
who had to be seen at fashionable
clubs, hotels and
eateries. The Pig N’Whistle
and Musso and Franks’ are
restaurants on Hollywood
Boulevard which have survived
from the 1920s and
were once frequented by
the likes of Chaplin, Cecil B.
De Mille and Clark Gable.
Historic movie theatres
and the lavish premieres
staged at them are most
collectable. Most famous
are the Egyptian and the
Chinese, both opened by
theatrical mogul Sid Grauman
on Hollywood Boulevard
in 1922 and 1927
respectively. But there are
many others, among them
El Capitan, the Pantages
and the Pacific Cinerama -
all part of Hollywood’s heritage.
An article such as this
cannot possibly do justice
to the breadth of the Tinseltown
scene, but merely
serves as a taster. Postcards
feature many iconic buildings
- like the Hollywood
Bowl and the Griffith Park
Observatory. In fact, almost
every card in my collection
adds another chapter to the
fascinating
story.
Hollywood
DORSET
POSTCARD
CLUB
ANNUAL FAIR
Sunday
11th July
AT THE
CORN
EXCHANGE,
DORCHESTER
10am to 4pm
* Many well-known dealers
* Refreshments
ENQUIRIES TO DAVID STEVENS
01305 871629 (evenings)
Picture Postcard Monthly July 2010 31