If you are a fan of movies from Hollywood’s golden era and/or a regular watcher of TCM (which amounts to pretty much the same thing, doesn’t it?) then chances are good that among your personal list of Top Ten Favorite Movies Of All Time at least one of them came out in 1939. That’s because in the late 1930s, Hollywood was on an unstoppable roll. Many of the most creative people to have ever worked in film were operating at the top of their game, and collectively, they were producing movies that enthusiasts like us could (and do) watch again and again.
Among those movies might be:
As it happens (full disclosure: it’s no coincidence) these six movies are mentioned in my newest novel which is now available for sale:
SELZNICK’S GIRL FRIDAY
A Novel of 1939 Hollywood
by Martin Turnbull
Book 1 in the Hollywood’s Greatest Year trilogy
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Polly Maddox lives under the sheltering wing of Santa Catalina Island, her world as small and idyllic as the isolated cove where her father ran a not-so-secret moonshine operation during Prohibition. But when he’s accused of a startling crime and goes on the lam, Polly’s life capsizes, leaving her with little choice but to flee toward the gleaming mirage of 1939 Los Angeles.
Armed only with lightning-fast fingers and a sharp wit, Polly talks her way into the executive suite of demanding, brilliant movie producer, David O. Selznick, as he labors over his most ambitious project: a film the rest of Hollywood scornfully dismisses as “Selznick’s Folly.”
As Polly gets swept into the chaos of filming “Gone with the Wind,” she realizes Selznick may hold a clue to where she might find her father—but does he have murky motives of his own? Undaunted, Polly’s battle to clear her father’s name thrusts her directly into the path of a ruthless insider—and he plays for keeps. Polly must outmaneuver his insidious ploys in a town where favors and fraud reign hand-in-hand.
From the author of the Garden of Allah novels comes book one in the Hollywood’s Greatest Year trilogy. This delightfully nostalgic yet gripping tale promises to transport you to a time when movies were larger than life and Hollywood was reaching its golden zenith.
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Pick up a copy of Selznick’s Girl Friday in your favorite format from your preferred retailer:
Audiobook: COMING SOON!
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ALSO BY MARTIN TURNBULL:
The Hollywood’s Garden of Allah novels
Book 1 – The Garden on Sunset
Book 2 – The Trouble with Scarlett
Book 3 – Citizen Hollywood
Book 4 – Searchlights and Shadows
Book 5 – Reds in the Beds
Book 6 – Twisted Boulevard
Book 7 – Tinseltown Confidential
Book 8 – City of Myths
Book 9 – Closing Credits
Chasing Salomé: a novel of 1920s Hollywood
The Heart of the Lion: a novel of Irving Thalberg’s Hollywood
The Hollywood Home Front trilogy:
Book 1 – All the Gin Joints
Book 2 – Thank Your Lucky Stars
Book 3 – You Must Remember This
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As most of you will probably know, that building in the center of this photo is the Capitol Records building. It opened at 1750 Vine St, Hollywood in 1956. That freeway in the foreground is the Hollywood Freeway, which had been completed in 1952. But what I’d like to draw your attention to is that three-shrub planter in the diving strip. Here’s my question: Whose idea was it to put living plants in the middle of a freeway, and did they really think those poor shrubs would survive?
Stan’s was a popular chain of drive-in restaurants that at its peak had over a dozen locations around LA. This one was at 2902 Wilshire Blvd at the southwest corner of Hoover St. It didn’t have a date, but going by those cars parked out front, I’m guessing mid 1950s. Drive-ins with a central tower to attract attention were a fairly common sight around LA in the 30s through 50s as were my favorite part of this photo: Those three phone booths tucked away in the background. I’m half-expecting Superman to emerge and launch himself into the air.
This photo show us how quickly the Cinerama Dome was built. It opened at 6360 Sunset Blvd in Hollywood on November 7, 1963, however this photo was taken a scant 15 weeks before the opening, which dates this photo at around the beginning of August. I don’t know how long it takes to build a full theater from scratch these days – or even back then – but 15 weeks sounds like a short time to me. But I suspect that was the appeal of the concept: to have a fully functional movie theater up and running in a relative short amount of time. From this photo we can also see that Stanley Kramer’s “It’s a Mad, Mad, Mad, Mad World” was already booked in to be the movie that opened the Dome. I love how you could call MAD.1100 for tickets!
A couple of days ago I posted a photo of the Universalist Church on N. Raymond Ave in Pasadena. A follower of my main Facebook page, Nick Lewis, posted this photo in the comments, which I felt was worth featuring. Known as the Wooster building, it was built in 1887 as the home of Throop University (forerunner to Caltech) and stands on the corner of Fair Oaks Ave and Kansas St (now Green St) in Pasadena. What a marvelous testament to 19th century architecture, and how builders back then took so much care to imbue their projects with texture, details, and individuality.
For nearly 30 years I’ve driven past the Casa de Cadillac showroom on the southwest corner of Ventura Blvd and Beverly Glen Blvd in Sherman Oaks and always admired its sleek 50s-era signage. But until I found this two-for-one image didn’t I think to look into its history. In 1948, a gas station opened up next door to Casa de Cadillac. Naturally it was called “Casa de Petrol” but not because of the dealership, but because that intersection was known as “Casa Corner” as it also included a Casa burger stand and a “Casa de Cascade” car wash. But even more interesting is that, Casa de Petrol was the final stop in Los Angeles that 24-year-old James Dean made on September 19, 1955. At around 2pm, he gassed up his new Porsche 550 Spyder before setting out on the drive up the coast that took his life.
What a remarkable building this is! I wouldn’t have even picked this as a church, but apparently it was the Unitarian Universalist Church located on the southeast corner of Chestnut and Raymond Streets in Pasadena. The photo was taken in 1890, and we can see the streets aren’t even paved yet – note the ruts in the dirt caused by the wheels from horse-drawn carriages. The detailing on the exterior walls is striking, but especially that domed tower!
I had never heard of the Angelus Hotel before I came across this sadly atmospheric photo taken in 1956, just before it was torn down. The hotel stood on the southwest corner of Spring and 4th Streets and opened for business on December 28, 1901 with a bowling alley, billiards room, buffet, and what was described as “a finely furnished ladies’ hair dressing parlor, with professional attendants.” It sounded like it was the height of 1901 elegance. How sad to see it like this with “Auction” and “Close Out Sale” signs and its entrance covered with grime and neglect.
The movie studio at 9336 Washington Blvd in Culver City has changed through many hands and been known as many things over the years. In 1927, Cecil B. DeMille sold his interest in a film company known as Pathé, which in turn was acquired by RKO in January 1931. The always-cashed-strapped RKO mostly profited from ownership of the lot by renting out the soundstages, occasionally using it themselves, which they did for “King Kong.” (1933) In 1935, film producer, David O. Selznick leased the studio for his newly formed Selznick International Pictures. This photo would have been taken sometime between 1931 and 1935, even though these days, movie fans are more likely to recognize the studio’s main building from Selznick logo.