WHAT'S NEW, PUSSYCAT?

This theater marquee that has seen better days represents the last gasps of what started in 1940 as the Monica Theater at 7734 Santa Monica Blvd in West Hollywood (before it became West Hollywood, of course). A neighborhood theater showing 2nd run major motion pictures, it was briefly an arthouse, showing foreign films before, in 1968, it changed its name to the Left Bank Theater and went into the nudies game.

In 1970 it became the flagship theater of the adult film Pussycat Theater chain and remained so until the '90s when it became a gay adult theater and changed its name (appropriately enough) to the Tom Kat. 2006 saw Mr. Tom Kat make way for STUDS, and after that, it just seemed a slow but inexorable slide to obsolescence. The above photo, post-COVID, reflects the theater's 2022 fate.

Whatever lies in store for the empty space now, I hope someone holds on to the "celebrity" footprints of the deceased legends of the "porno chic" '70s that grace the front courtyard. 

John Holmes / nee John Curtis Estes (1944 -1988)

Linda Lovelace / nee Linda Susan Boreman (1949 - 2002)

Harry Reems / nee Herbert John Streicher ( 1947 - 2013)

Marilyn Chambers / nee Marilyn Ann Taylor (1952 - 2009)

STEP BACK IN TIME

A FEW OF MY FAVORITE FOOTPRINTS IN THE FORECOURT OF
GRAUMAN'S CHINESE THEATER IN HOLLYWOOD

ELEANOR POWELL

Tap dancing great Eleanor Powell placed her hand and footprints in cement as well as copper casts of her tap shoes when she was honored on December 23, 1937. The occasion was the premiere of the musical "Rosalie" in which she co-starred with Nelson Eddy 

JEAN HARLOW

Blonde Bombshell Jean Harlow actually had the honor of placing her footprints in cement twice. The first time was on Monday, September 25, 1933 during an evening ceremony in honor of the premiere of her film "Dinner at Eight." For the first time (and probably the last) the footprint ceremony was held on the Grauman Theater stage due to traffic complaints related to the usual outdoor affair. However, in transporting the 500-pound block of cement to the forecourt, it broke in half. Harlow was invited back to repeat the whole thing on Friday, Sept. 29th for a noon ceremony held in the forecourt... with the cement block already safely in place.  

CARMEN MIRANDA

Portuguese-born, Brazilian entertainer  Carmen Miranda had just completed her first American film ("Down Argentine Way") when invited to place her hands, signature, and platform wedgie prints in cement. The ceremony was held March 24, 1941, making Miranda the first Latin-American performer to be honored in the forecourt. Sadly, her block of cement looks to have weathered a great deal of wear and tear.

JOAN CRAWFORD

Then known as "America's Dancing Daughter," future megastar Joan Crawford's footprint ceremony took place on a Saturday evening at 11:15pm prior to a midnight screening. When Joan left her prints and autograph in the cement on September 14th, 1929, she was appearing onscreen in "The Hollywood Revue of 1929."  

JUDY GARLAND

The premiere of the MGM musical "Babes in Arms " (co-starring Mickey Rooney) was the occasion for Judy Garland to put her prints in cement outside Grauman's. The event was held Tuesday evening, October 10, 1939, and patrons wishing to be the first to see Judy in her follow-up film to "The Wizard of Oz" had to pay a hefty $2.20. With Mickey Rooney at her side (he'd put his footprints in wet cement the year before with the premiere of his film "Stablemates") Judy Garland was the 74th star to be honored by Grauman.

Ken Anderson©

REDD FOXX WALK OF FAME

933 La Brea Avenue in Hollywood, Ca. is the former site of Redd Foxx Productions. The black and white striped building housed the production offices of the iconic African-American comedian from the mid-70s (the heyday of his hit sitcom, Sanford & Son) through to the late 80s.
Back in 1978 I used to attend Columbia College, a film & television school, which then was located next door (behind the trees in the photo above) and would pass by the glittering offices every day. If memory serves, the facade of the Redd Foxx Building was red where the tiles are currently white, and the side (shown yellow, above) was painted completely red with an caricatured drawing of a fox, which served as the comedian's logo.

In the cement forecourt of the building was the "Redd Foxx Walk of Fame" where Foxx and many of his friends and associates placed their footprints in cement, a la Grauman's Chinese Theater.
Although the building stands empty today, the footprints remain.

The late, great LaWanda Page, who portrayed "Aunt Esther" on Sanford & Son, is given support by Foxx himself as she places her footprints in the cement in the forecourt of  Redd Foxx Production. Image is from Jet Magazine, dated October 19, 1987

A few samples of the footprints. Alas, many of the people who signed these are unknown to me and Google hasn't been much help. 

Tony (Anthony) Major helped run Redd Foxx Productions and a producer on Sanford & Sons 

Leroy & Skillet (Leroy Daniels and Ernest Mayhand) were a comedy team. They made several "party records" with LaWanda Page

Hooray For Hollywood Forever Cemetery

Originally known as the Hollywood Memorial park Cemetery, Hollywood Forever Cemetery was built in 1899 and is located at 6000 Santa Monica Blvd. in Hollywood, near Vine Street.
Known for being the final resting place for more stars than anywhere in the world, if you visit the cemetery with young ones or teens (as you should, it's beautiful and historic) be prepared for a day full of "Who's that?" and "I've never heard of any of these people!"

Hattie McDaniel- American actress. Academy Award winner for Gone With The Wind

Rudolph Valentino- Silent screen heartthrob. The Brad Pitt of his time

Toto- The Wizard of Oz co-star and hard-to-live-up-to icon of cuteness for canines everywhere

Don Adams- Comic TV actor of the 60s and the best physical comedian ever

Jayne Mansfield- 50s sex symbol and underrated actress

Peter Finch- Actor and Academy Award winning star of Network

John Huston- Legendary film director

Vampira- 50 TV horror movie hostess. The original Elvira, if you will

Mel Blanc- legendary voice-over artist. Mr. Bugs Bunny

Yma Sumac-Exotic 50s singer

Darren McGavin- American TV actor known for the TV series "The Night Stalker" 

Cecil B. De Mille aka (Cecil Blount De Mille) - Legendary film director

Tyrone Power- American leading man

Douglas Fairbanks- Silent movie swashbuckler, married to Mary Pickford and founding member of United Artists

Adrian- Famed Hollywood costume designer not only hid his Jewish ancestry behind a single moniker (Adrian Adolph Greenburg), but hid his homosexuality behind a marriage to actress Janet Gaynor.  

Mr. Blackwell- Noted costume designer and creator of the ten best /worst dressed list

Fay Wray- Actress famous for sitting in King Kong's paw

Nelson Eddy- Operatic singer and  leading man of the movies, often co-starred with Jeanette MacDonald

Harry Cohn- President of Columbia Pictures and alleged chaser of Rita Hayworth and  Kim Novak

Johnny Ramone- Stage name of John Cummings, one of the founding member of the punk rock band, The Ramones,   

A couple of year-round residents of Hollywood Forever Cemetery

Peacocks also grace the cemetery grounds