My maternal grandparents were longtime residents of the San Fernando Valley. My grandmother was a concert violinist who worked recording film music and granddad a master cobbler and carpenter who made shoes for all the dancers and built houses and the first jewish temple. Lee Duncan, owner of Rinn Tinn Tinn would stop and talk about ww1 with 'pop' and Roy Rogers might ride by on Trigger. My godfather, Jack Oakie lived nearby  and scandalised the nieghborhood swimming in his pool nude. Nobody ever confirmed this as Jack had a huge fence. Aunt Janie swore at Jack Benny  for roaring in at a horrendous 25 MPH in his red Buick with sidemounts. It kicked up the dirt in the driveway and she thought he was going to run us down. Uncle Jack bolted inside and we heard an incredible violin duet minutes later. I met an actor named Ron riding his horse while seated in pop's black and emerald green studabaker truck. I think he went into politics later. Sabu the elephant boy lived close too and granddad built houses with him. I met Laurel Hardy at his Santa Monica apartment, and as a baby was held by a sick and tired Bela Lugosi sitting outside a hungarian restaurant on Ventura Blvd.He sang a hungarian lullaby and my mom says I was different ever since. My older brother almost drowned me in a public swimming pool and I've been terrified of the things ever since. So pop took me to Santa Monica and I met this huge german. He was watching 'my old friend Johnny' in a Tarzan Moive and after awhile we walked down to the ocean and he piggybacked me beyond the breakers and taught me to swim. He was on the german team and swam against Weissmuller. One  meeting I don't remember was sitting in Clark Gable's lap in Encino. Pop built his infamous chicken coops. Gable decided he would sell eggs with a crowned egg as his logo 'the King's eggs.'
Years later I became acquainted with Richard Roundtree who starred in a racing movie with Gable's son. I gave him the old photo of me in his father's lap. I've worked for Tom Selleck& Robert Wagner,
rode horses with Richard Widmark and even Sophia Loren called ahead at this godawfull hardware store I worked at to help her. And I met sinatra briefly as told and Don rickles.I've almost run Pam Anderson DOWN twice, as she joggs  onto the ranch I train HORSES at next to her pink castle. She's short, aging badly and foul mouthed.
These are all just people, some really nice,some NOT. But my favourite encounter had to be Telly Savalas. I was at Tommy's hotdogs across from the brewery. Savalas was ahead of me inline and had forgotten to bring any money. The cashiers didn't now him from Adam, were going to call the LAPD because he had started eating- he was really hungry. So I just passed a $20 over him and pointed to us both. He turned around and his rough edged personnae was just another guy relieved a stupid situation we all get into was over. We sat together talking about everything BUT movies.
And what I remember about all these folks, though I didn't have an appreciation for details, is they dressed well, each different, but well.

Last edited by Chris Kavanaugh (2009-05-21 11:25:12)

I'll get one for you. Just be patient. Aunt Janie leads a more exciting life than most of us still.

Hardly ( I am in truth a mediocre athlete except for football ( Girls Ball games for my fellow americans) courtesy of 3 years in an anglican private school. I am a average swimmer, thanks to my brother's traumatising stunt, yet I enlisted in the Coast Guard  to buck family tradition and prove him wrong.
I became a rescue swimmer off of lifeboats before the helicopter swimmer programme started.
I just love horses, hate 'horsey people.' It's one sub culture that drives me nuts.
And again, I'm not the greatest rider in the world, but have a gift enhanced by study of being able to sort out animals that have been screwed up by people or unseen issues.
My favourite was a horse from the infamous El Monte horse and mule auction- the 'armpit' of California's equestrian industry. This older gelding came through in really rough condition. I noticed him first when a car backfired and every animal and most of the audience jumped up nervously. This old campaigner just stood there after looking around at the source.So I knew he wasn't deaf! You could see he was really put together even short at least 100 lbs of body wieght and obviously older. They ran him through, nobody bid except the killers for pet food companies. At the last moment I raised my hand without thinking and he was mine. I also felt another hand on my shoulder. It was the actor Ben Johnson who had just walked in. In his gravelly voice he said ' You did good son, I know that horse!'
What I was now steward of was 'Bad Bob' a half morgan-half quarter who started out on the rodeo circuit as a bucking horse. He was smart enough to figure out if he didn't buck he didn't get ridden rough, and according to legend  in spite of the irritating flank cinch and the rider kicking him WALKED out of the chute   at the Fort Worth Nationals. Bob wound up with the family that connected Jimmy Stewart with his mount PIE and went on to a long movie career doing stunts.
He was retired, sold to somebody who didn't get along with him and fell through the cracks.
So 3 months later I have Bob all fat and slick looking and Mr Johnston came out to Mr Widmark's ranch with a riding partner of the great Yakima Canute! Damned Bob started to whinny and in a few minutes these to old men were doing things like falling down on cue, rearing and taking bows.  Bob became a much loved horse with the horse therapy people, a popular 'first time on a horse instructor 'and trailmount for visiting guests ( Yvonne de Carlo would visit from Santa Ynez  and ride him at BBQs-another great lady.)
His best moment was during the L.A. Olympics. A  dressage competitior was test riding horses and made a crack about 'western riding.' So I just stripped Bob's bit and bridle, folded my arms and cued him to 'matchride' a talent he had for duplicating what the other horse did.  And old Bob was doing dressage moves while I sat quietly doing nothing. That was one angry Austrian!
Bob paid his own way and actually paid mine in many ways for 5 years befofe he went to sleep and didn't wake up at the still robust age of 33!

Last edited by Chris Kavanaugh (2009-05-21 13:09:31)

Last edited by The Ace Face (2009-05-21 13:49:06)

No
Bela Lugosi served in the Austro Hungarian Army in WW1 on the russian front and was badly wounded
in the back by artillary causing lifelong excruciating sciattia. This led to treatement with prescribed opiates. Lugosi eventually sought  treatment for  addiction when his career and finances were at a low.
FRANK SINATRA, who didn't even know Bela quietly paid for his hospitalisation and later covered his funeral expenses.
I was 2 years old when by chance he came walking down the BLVD. The restaurant was full except for an empty chair at our outside table. My father later described him as very tired, sick and very polite as he  accepted a plate of our goulash.
Ed Wood was a nut. But he was a good nut and his films were so bad they are now classics.
Lugosi in fact owned two german shepherds from the Rinn Tinn Tinn kennel and not toy dogs.
Bela is buried in Holy Cross cemetary in Culver City.

Last edited by Chris Kavanaugh (2009-05-21 14:16:43)