NUMBER 1
Every week for about 40 years I enjoyed writing stories to fill the blank back side of the members only Friday lunch menu at our Magic Castle Hollywood. When we changed to a buffet lunch we stopped having a weekly printed menu. I missed having those weekly deadlines, so I started writing occasional blogs.
Arlene had a fun idea that every week we should have a souvenir information sheet at the reception desk about our headliner guest star of the week. She suggested I could use the blank back of the sheet to write about anything that might be of interest to our Cabaret members and guests.
-- Milt Larsen
Arlene had a fun idea that every week we should have a souvenir information sheet at the reception desk about our headliner guest star of the week. She suggested I could use the blank back of the sheet to write about anything that might be of interest to our Cabaret members and guests.
-- Milt Larsen
NUMBER 2
CUTE KIDS AND FABULOUS HOTELS
I have been in the wonderful world of magic all my life. When asked I like to say I was born in the far east, paused and quickly said Pasadena, California. It always gets a modest chuckle. My late brother and I grew up in the Larson family of magicians. My dad was a very successful criminal attorney but gave up the practice of law to pursue magic. After just celebrating four wonderful days of Fourth of July parties at the Cabaret I was reminded of one trick Dad loved to do around this time of year. Instead of typical magic side tables Dad always did his magic dealing with apparatus. It was brought in by the kids, Milt and Bill. I was a cute little six-year-old. In this case I brought in a tray with three scarves, a red, white and blue. Dad would place the three scarves in a tube and accidentally drop the blue scarf. Then he waved his hand and showed the result. It was an American flag only it was just red and white – the blue field was missing. Little Milt (that’s me) would sheepishly hand the blue sky back to Dad who would place the flag with the blue scarf back in the tube. Now the full American flag was restored! It was sure a winner for the holidays.
The Larson family played resort hotels on the West Coast and that was during the depression. Dad figured out that the really rich people still had enough money to go to the expensive resort hotels. Our full evening magic show was usually booked for two weeks in fabulous hotels. We always had the finest accommodations as honored guests during the depression when many folks were in the breadlines. Staying in fancy hotels probably lead to my love of creating ornate places. I also said I was born with a silver spoon in my mouth, but it just had a hotel’s name on it.
There was a secret in booking those hotels with our act. I’ll reveal it in my Fun Facts and Fantasy story next week.
I have been in the wonderful world of magic all my life. When asked I like to say I was born in the far east, paused and quickly said Pasadena, California. It always gets a modest chuckle. My late brother and I grew up in the Larson family of magicians. My dad was a very successful criminal attorney but gave up the practice of law to pursue magic. After just celebrating four wonderful days of Fourth of July parties at the Cabaret I was reminded of one trick Dad loved to do around this time of year. Instead of typical magic side tables Dad always did his magic dealing with apparatus. It was brought in by the kids, Milt and Bill. I was a cute little six-year-old. In this case I brought in a tray with three scarves, a red, white and blue. Dad would place the three scarves in a tube and accidentally drop the blue scarf. Then he waved his hand and showed the result. It was an American flag only it was just red and white – the blue field was missing. Little Milt (that’s me) would sheepishly hand the blue sky back to Dad who would place the flag with the blue scarf back in the tube. Now the full American flag was restored! It was sure a winner for the holidays.
The Larson family played resort hotels on the West Coast and that was during the depression. Dad figured out that the really rich people still had enough money to go to the expensive resort hotels. Our full evening magic show was usually booked for two weeks in fabulous hotels. We always had the finest accommodations as honored guests during the depression when many folks were in the breadlines. Staying in fancy hotels probably lead to my love of creating ornate places. I also said I was born with a silver spoon in my mouth, but it just had a hotel’s name on it.
There was a secret in booking those hotels with our act. I’ll reveal it in my Fun Facts and Fantasy story next week.
NUMBER 3
MAGICIANS, SUPERSTARS & STEPDADS
Back in 1950 there was an Abbott Magic Shop on Sunset Boulevard and Wilcox Avenue. The manager of the shop was George Boston, a well-known magician. I got a job working there as George’s assistant as package shipper, floor sweeper and sometimes salesperson. It was a great job for a just-out-of-high-school kid. One day, not long after George left for lunch, a customer came in, and I immediately recognized Cary Grant. He recognized Bill Larsen’s kid and just wanted to pick up a few tricks. Cary loved magic and was very good. I demonstrated a number of tricks. He ran up a sizable tab. He said he would be sending a driver later to pick them up and said to just send him a bill and then he left.
George returned from lunch. He asked, “Did you have any customers”. “Yes, just one, his name was Cary Grant, Cary said just send me a bill”. George was furious. He said I should have called him, but I had no idea where he was having lunch, and there were no cell phones in those days. George always wanted to meet Cary Grant. Cary was a superstar of superstars!
A little later George was working with the You Asked for It show on ABC television and I started providing some material for them. The host of that show was the marvelous Art Baker and George actually introduced my mother Gerri Larsen to him. Well Art Baker became my stepfather. Then later George was working with Ralph Edwards Productions as a manager of his gift department. I applied for a job as a writer and I submitted some material and it wasn’t exactly right. George Boston needed a new assistant in the gift department. He said it was good if I had a foot in the door. It was a good idea because a little later, I submitted the proper type of acts and ended up being a writer for the Truth and Consequences for the next 18 years. George was instrumental in my career.
Back in 1950 there was an Abbott Magic Shop on Sunset Boulevard and Wilcox Avenue. The manager of the shop was George Boston, a well-known magician. I got a job working there as George’s assistant as package shipper, floor sweeper and sometimes salesperson. It was a great job for a just-out-of-high-school kid. One day, not long after George left for lunch, a customer came in, and I immediately recognized Cary Grant. He recognized Bill Larsen’s kid and just wanted to pick up a few tricks. Cary loved magic and was very good. I demonstrated a number of tricks. He ran up a sizable tab. He said he would be sending a driver later to pick them up and said to just send him a bill and then he left.
George returned from lunch. He asked, “Did you have any customers”. “Yes, just one, his name was Cary Grant, Cary said just send me a bill”. George was furious. He said I should have called him, but I had no idea where he was having lunch, and there were no cell phones in those days. George always wanted to meet Cary Grant. Cary was a superstar of superstars!
A little later George was working with the You Asked for It show on ABC television and I started providing some material for them. The host of that show was the marvelous Art Baker and George actually introduced my mother Gerri Larsen to him. Well Art Baker became my stepfather. Then later George was working with Ralph Edwards Productions as a manager of his gift department. I applied for a job as a writer and I submitted some material and it wasn’t exactly right. George Boston needed a new assistant in the gift department. He said it was good if I had a foot in the door. It was a good idea because a little later, I submitted the proper type of acts and ended up being a writer for the Truth and Consequences for the next 18 years. George was instrumental in my career.
NUMBER 4
“MILT HAS A TYPEWRITER AND BILL HAS THE ADDING MACHINE”
Let’s flash back to the year 1961. I was in the sixth year of my job as a 31-year-old gag writer for Bob Barker’s NBC hit audience participation show Truth or Consequences. The view from my 9th floor window of the building that was at Hollywood Boulevard and Highland was spectacular. I was fascinated with a grand but rundown 1909 residence on the Hollywood hillside. The owner of the property was acquiring all the proper papers leading to his landmark Yamashiro Hotel and Restaurant. That was the year I met Thomas O. Glover and told him of my idea for turning his old mansion into a private club for magicians. Mr. Glover was not a magician. He didn’t know that black sticks had white ends. But he liked the concept of restoring his old building
After impressing him with a few examples of my restoration projects he was also impressed with my telling him I had no business plan and had no idea of how to pay the rent. After all, I was a gag writer! My brother Bill Larsen Jr knew about such things and worked at CBS in the production control department. People used to say, “Milt has a typewriter and Bill has the adding machine.” Tom loved my honesty. We shook hands and he gave me the key. No rent for a year to work on the house and come up with a plan.
Later our lawyer questioned my doing all this with no contract. I said there was nothing more binding than a Texan’s handshake. A year later I was physically creating the clubhouse — The Magic Castle — and Bill formed our Dad’s dream of The Academy of Magical Arts. We opened January 2, 1963. Thank you, Thomas O. Glover and the Glover family.
In 1961 I didn’t really have to deal with the architectural review board, planning commission, coastal commission, the transportation commission and all the other commissions that you have to deal with in today’s world. Unfortunately, it’s a different world. August 31st will be the one-year anniversary of our frustrating delays in the permit process.
Let’s flash back to the year 1961. I was in the sixth year of my job as a 31-year-old gag writer for Bob Barker’s NBC hit audience participation show Truth or Consequences. The view from my 9th floor window of the building that was at Hollywood Boulevard and Highland was spectacular. I was fascinated with a grand but rundown 1909 residence on the Hollywood hillside. The owner of the property was acquiring all the proper papers leading to his landmark Yamashiro Hotel and Restaurant. That was the year I met Thomas O. Glover and told him of my idea for turning his old mansion into a private club for magicians. Mr. Glover was not a magician. He didn’t know that black sticks had white ends. But he liked the concept of restoring his old building
After impressing him with a few examples of my restoration projects he was also impressed with my telling him I had no business plan and had no idea of how to pay the rent. After all, I was a gag writer! My brother Bill Larsen Jr knew about such things and worked at CBS in the production control department. People used to say, “Milt has a typewriter and Bill has the adding machine.” Tom loved my honesty. We shook hands and he gave me the key. No rent for a year to work on the house and come up with a plan.
Later our lawyer questioned my doing all this with no contract. I said there was nothing more binding than a Texan’s handshake. A year later I was physically creating the clubhouse — The Magic Castle — and Bill formed our Dad’s dream of The Academy of Magical Arts. We opened January 2, 1963. Thank you, Thomas O. Glover and the Glover family.
In 1961 I didn’t really have to deal with the architectural review board, planning commission, coastal commission, the transportation commission and all the other commissions that you have to deal with in today’s world. Unfortunately, it’s a different world. August 31st will be the one-year anniversary of our frustrating delays in the permit process.
NUMBER 5
WHO WAS GENE FOWLER?
Members have asked about the empty showcase above the entrance to the lounge. One of my collections of Theater memorabilia is the Gene Fowler hat collection.
Gene Fowler was something of a legend in the days of early Hollywood. He was a respected writer whom all the studios had on the A list. He was the major author of novels, plays and movies. He wrote the biographies of some of Hollywood’s most colorful characters. At one time he was kind of the rat pack of the 30s. Fowler’s book “The Minutes of the Last Meeting” was a fantastic book about people like John Barrymore, WC Fields and the other mavericks. His bestselling novel included “Solo”, “Tom-Toms” and the “Mighty Barnum.” His home in Beverly Hills was also the hangout for all of those characters. In those days all men wore hats even when you went to the theatre. When his friends would visit, if they were friends of that kind of stature, they would leave their hats on his hat rack and he decided they were his hats. He then collected them and that’s part of the collection that will be on display. They included Walter Winchell, the great Radio news caster, Jimmy Durante who was a great comedian, Jimmy Walker, the Mayor of New York, Burt Lahr and Red Skelton. The collection was given to me by his son, Gene Fowler Jr. who is an Award-winning film maker and his other son, Will Fowler who is a very famous writer and reporter.
Members have asked about the empty showcase above the entrance to the lounge. One of my collections of Theater memorabilia is the Gene Fowler hat collection.
Gene Fowler was something of a legend in the days of early Hollywood. He was a respected writer whom all the studios had on the A list. He was the major author of novels, plays and movies. He wrote the biographies of some of Hollywood’s most colorful characters. At one time he was kind of the rat pack of the 30s. Fowler’s book “The Minutes of the Last Meeting” was a fantastic book about people like John Barrymore, WC Fields and the other mavericks. His bestselling novel included “Solo”, “Tom-Toms” and the “Mighty Barnum.” His home in Beverly Hills was also the hangout for all of those characters. In those days all men wore hats even when you went to the theatre. When his friends would visit, if they were friends of that kind of stature, they would leave their hats on his hat rack and he decided they were his hats. He then collected them and that’s part of the collection that will be on display. They included Walter Winchell, the great Radio news caster, Jimmy Durante who was a great comedian, Jimmy Walker, the Mayor of New York, Burt Lahr and Red Skelton. The collection was given to me by his son, Gene Fowler Jr. who is an Award-winning film maker and his other son, Will Fowler who is a very famous writer and reporter.
NUMBER 6
IT IS A SMALL, SMALL WORLD!
My best friend and writing partner Richard M. Sherman is famous for his dozens and dozens of hit songs for musicals like Mary Poppins and Chitty Chitty Bang Bang. The Sherman Brothers also wrote the world’s greatest earworm It’s a Small World After All. It’s A Small World is fitting for my stories about the Magic Castle Cabaret and its history as the Café del Sol. Back in the 1980s we had the Society for the Preservation of Variety Arts. We had a great building in downtown Los Angeles, and we found ourselves as the recipients of the donation of hundreds of human hair wigs from a costume shop that had gone out of business. That gave me an idea about a stage review at the Variety Arts Theater. I talked to Dick Sherman and he said that some of their most famous songs had to do with dogs. They wrote the Magic of Lassie and Snoopy Come Home. I talked to Arlene who was very involved with the Varieties Arts Center. She is a great costume designer. I wanted to know if it would be possible to make costumes out of all of those human wigs to look like dogs. Dick and Bob Sherman would write new songs and Arlene would create costumes and of course I would write the script. We played our small theater to excellent reviews and Arlene won best costume of the year award from the drama league magazine twice. What does that have to do with Magic Castle Cabaret? Simply that Arlene and I bought a wonderful piece of property, the former Café del Sol. We love dogs and have always gotten our wonderful pets from places like the Humane Society. There is a group in Santa Barbara called Dawg (Dog Adoption and Welfare Group) and two of the benefactors used to own the Café del Sol. They were two Chinese immigrants who worked very hard, had no family and left what they could upon their passing to the organization. The property was sold later to provide care for the wife Lilly, and that is how this all ties together. It is a Small, Small World!
My best friend and writing partner Richard M. Sherman is famous for his dozens and dozens of hit songs for musicals like Mary Poppins and Chitty Chitty Bang Bang. The Sherman Brothers also wrote the world’s greatest earworm It’s a Small World After All. It’s A Small World is fitting for my stories about the Magic Castle Cabaret and its history as the Café del Sol. Back in the 1980s we had the Society for the Preservation of Variety Arts. We had a great building in downtown Los Angeles, and we found ourselves as the recipients of the donation of hundreds of human hair wigs from a costume shop that had gone out of business. That gave me an idea about a stage review at the Variety Arts Theater. I talked to Dick Sherman and he said that some of their most famous songs had to do with dogs. They wrote the Magic of Lassie and Snoopy Come Home. I talked to Arlene who was very involved with the Varieties Arts Center. She is a great costume designer. I wanted to know if it would be possible to make costumes out of all of those human wigs to look like dogs. Dick and Bob Sherman would write new songs and Arlene would create costumes and of course I would write the script. We played our small theater to excellent reviews and Arlene won best costume of the year award from the drama league magazine twice. What does that have to do with Magic Castle Cabaret? Simply that Arlene and I bought a wonderful piece of property, the former Café del Sol. We love dogs and have always gotten our wonderful pets from places like the Humane Society. There is a group in Santa Barbara called Dawg (Dog Adoption and Welfare Group) and two of the benefactors used to own the Café del Sol. They were two Chinese immigrants who worked very hard, had no family and left what they could upon their passing to the organization. The property was sold later to provide care for the wife Lilly, and that is how this all ties together. It is a Small, Small World!
NUMBER 7
ONE-YEAR ANNIVERSARY
Saturday, August 31, we will be celebrating the one-year anniversary of the day the Architects Review Board decided we didn’t have the proper building permits, so they were closing the cabaret after four weeks of pre-opening parties. The parties were invitational soft openings and one disgruntled reporter was unhappy because he wasn’t invited to the opening. After a full year of endless paper work, financially backbreaking delays requiring thousands of dollars in architect fees, the S.B. City and County agencies have still not been able to issue a permit.
WE HAVE SPENT WAY TOO MUCH TIME TRYING TO SOLVE OUR PROBLEMS.
This story has to do with my personal experience over a period of fifty years creating Southern California landmarks, The Magic Castle, Hollywood (circa 1910) – The Mayfair Music Hall, Santa Monica (circa 1911) – The Variety Arts Center and Theatre – Downtown L.A., (circa 1926). As a young TV Comedy writer, I found myself fascinated by restoring old buildings. I had a natural talent from turning junkyard trash into architectural antiques.
With the help of the late John Shrum, top NBC Art Director, and other studio artists that shared the thrill of imagination, we were able to create the magical illusion of grandeur without any structural physical changes. Any major construction was always done by outside and licensed contractors. Thus, rather than submit the usual plans and artwork we only needed permits for special projects. By way of credits I served eight years on the Board of the Hollywood Chamber of Commerce, as an elected member of the Hollywood PAC, a member of L.A. South Park PAC, Recipient of the Legends of Hollywood Award and have a star on the Hollywood Boulevard Walk of Fame.
Since you know Arlene and I are only residents of Montecito and Santa Barbara for a mere 40 years it is hard to explain the endless delays in trying to bring our innovative magical ideas to our friends and neighbors in Santa Barbara.
Wouldn’t it be nice to enjoy a beautiful European style Veranda for our members and guests during these hot summer nights? Maybe we will get permission to resume work in time for our next flood.
Saturday, August 31, we will be celebrating the one-year anniversary of the day the Architects Review Board decided we didn’t have the proper building permits, so they were closing the cabaret after four weeks of pre-opening parties. The parties were invitational soft openings and one disgruntled reporter was unhappy because he wasn’t invited to the opening. After a full year of endless paper work, financially backbreaking delays requiring thousands of dollars in architect fees, the S.B. City and County agencies have still not been able to issue a permit.
WE HAVE SPENT WAY TOO MUCH TIME TRYING TO SOLVE OUR PROBLEMS.
This story has to do with my personal experience over a period of fifty years creating Southern California landmarks, The Magic Castle, Hollywood (circa 1910) – The Mayfair Music Hall, Santa Monica (circa 1911) – The Variety Arts Center and Theatre – Downtown L.A., (circa 1926). As a young TV Comedy writer, I found myself fascinated by restoring old buildings. I had a natural talent from turning junkyard trash into architectural antiques.
With the help of the late John Shrum, top NBC Art Director, and other studio artists that shared the thrill of imagination, we were able to create the magical illusion of grandeur without any structural physical changes. Any major construction was always done by outside and licensed contractors. Thus, rather than submit the usual plans and artwork we only needed permits for special projects. By way of credits I served eight years on the Board of the Hollywood Chamber of Commerce, as an elected member of the Hollywood PAC, a member of L.A. South Park PAC, Recipient of the Legends of Hollywood Award and have a star on the Hollywood Boulevard Walk of Fame.
Since you know Arlene and I are only residents of Montecito and Santa Barbara for a mere 40 years it is hard to explain the endless delays in trying to bring our innovative magical ideas to our friends and neighbors in Santa Barbara.
Wouldn’t it be nice to enjoy a beautiful European style Veranda for our members and guests during these hot summer nights? Maybe we will get permission to resume work in time for our next flood.
NUMBER 8
A TALE OF TWO CASTLES
A half century ago my late brother Bill Larsen Junior and I created some amazing projects. Bill and his professional magicians Board of Directors resurrected our father's dream of a fraternal club for magicians. I leased a 1910 old mansion in Hollywood and started working on the place. I would call it the Magic Castle. Of course, the Academy of Magical Arts (AMA) occupies that building and has become the premier magic organization in the world. The Magic Castle is internationally known as a private club and many of our members are also members of our private club in Santa Barbara, The Magic Castle Cabaret.
A few years ago, Magic Castles Inc. and the AMA structured a new arrangement for payments for use of the trademark, etc. Since then items that were in the Castle that are no longer being used and were not wanted became part of the Cabaret. Such things as the tin wall, the elevator gag, the Austrian grand drape that was in their largest showroom, The Palace of Mystery, and the stained-glass windows that were in the Inner Circle. I pride myself in finding ways to use cast off materials again and again.
Over the years, the Magic Castle Hollywood was constantly being changed architecturally using old building materials that were salvaged. I owe credit to Johnny Carson’s Art Director, the late John Shrum, for coming up with innovative ideas to use these cast offs. Much of the Cabaret was not part of the Magic Castle, we have used antiques that were donated by some of our members and wonderful things we found at the Restore Store. I wanted the Cabaret to look like a European Palace from my phony Contessa in Northern Spain. It was her dream to have a Palace of gold, and we wanted to recreate a wonderful atmosphere for Arlene and my personal friends in Santa Barbara and Montecito.
A half century ago my late brother Bill Larsen Junior and I created some amazing projects. Bill and his professional magicians Board of Directors resurrected our father's dream of a fraternal club for magicians. I leased a 1910 old mansion in Hollywood and started working on the place. I would call it the Magic Castle. Of course, the Academy of Magical Arts (AMA) occupies that building and has become the premier magic organization in the world. The Magic Castle is internationally known as a private club and many of our members are also members of our private club in Santa Barbara, The Magic Castle Cabaret.
A few years ago, Magic Castles Inc. and the AMA structured a new arrangement for payments for use of the trademark, etc. Since then items that were in the Castle that are no longer being used and were not wanted became part of the Cabaret. Such things as the tin wall, the elevator gag, the Austrian grand drape that was in their largest showroom, The Palace of Mystery, and the stained-glass windows that were in the Inner Circle. I pride myself in finding ways to use cast off materials again and again.
Over the years, the Magic Castle Hollywood was constantly being changed architecturally using old building materials that were salvaged. I owe credit to Johnny Carson’s Art Director, the late John Shrum, for coming up with innovative ideas to use these cast offs. Much of the Cabaret was not part of the Magic Castle, we have used antiques that were donated by some of our members and wonderful things we found at the Restore Store. I wanted the Cabaret to look like a European Palace from my phony Contessa in Northern Spain. It was her dream to have a Palace of gold, and we wanted to recreate a wonderful atmosphere for Arlene and my personal friends in Santa Barbara and Montecito.
NUMBER 9
HEARINGS, DELAYS, CANCELLATIONS AND THE VERANDA
Last Saturday, August 31, Arlene and I lifted our fancy champagne glasses to celebrate our thirty years of marriage. We worked together for about twenty years before tying the knot. We also toasted the one-year anniversary of the Santa Barbara Architectural Review Board (ARB) from pulling the plug on the third week of preopening parties. The top magicians that were performing those preopening weeks got rave reviews.
We bought the Café de Sol property in May of 2016. We thought we made it clear that we intended to turn it in to a very small private club for our friends and neighbors in Montecito.
We have had delayed hearings, cancellation of hearings, all the while spending lots of money on plans and revisions to plans!
As I have said before, in the early days of the Castle, we did not have to have permits for changes that weren’t structural. When we did need to do structural changes (i.e. a new roof), we hired licensed contractors who took out the appropriate permits.
Despite my being a resident of Santa Barbara for many years it seems like I am being perceived as a “carpetbagger” from the south, who by the way does have a Star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame!
Since the ARB had not approved of our changes, we endured a period of being “red-tagged”, which meant no one was permitted in the building. That obviously impacted our ability to conduct business. The plans we wanted to move forward was to build a veranda on the outside porch so that members and guests could enjoy a lovely sunset overlooking the bird lake. Those plans are still pending. My original concept of the Veranda would match the beauty of the Clark estate in Montecito. By the way, the bird lake is known as the Clark Bird Refuge.
We are hopeful that the ARB will move quickly now to review our multiple plan changes so that we can finish our Spanish mansion.
Last Saturday, August 31, Arlene and I lifted our fancy champagne glasses to celebrate our thirty years of marriage. We worked together for about twenty years before tying the knot. We also toasted the one-year anniversary of the Santa Barbara Architectural Review Board (ARB) from pulling the plug on the third week of preopening parties. The top magicians that were performing those preopening weeks got rave reviews.
We bought the Café de Sol property in May of 2016. We thought we made it clear that we intended to turn it in to a very small private club for our friends and neighbors in Montecito.
We have had delayed hearings, cancellation of hearings, all the while spending lots of money on plans and revisions to plans!
As I have said before, in the early days of the Castle, we did not have to have permits for changes that weren’t structural. When we did need to do structural changes (i.e. a new roof), we hired licensed contractors who took out the appropriate permits.
Despite my being a resident of Santa Barbara for many years it seems like I am being perceived as a “carpetbagger” from the south, who by the way does have a Star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame!
Since the ARB had not approved of our changes, we endured a period of being “red-tagged”, which meant no one was permitted in the building. That obviously impacted our ability to conduct business. The plans we wanted to move forward was to build a veranda on the outside porch so that members and guests could enjoy a lovely sunset overlooking the bird lake. Those plans are still pending. My original concept of the Veranda would match the beauty of the Clark estate in Montecito. By the way, the bird lake is known as the Clark Bird Refuge.
We are hopeful that the ARB will move quickly now to review our multiple plan changes so that we can finish our Spanish mansion.
NUMBER 10
I HAVE BEEN ASKED ABOUT MY WEEKLY RADIO SHOWS.
I have always been fascinated with radio. I was collecting old personality records when I was 18. I had a spot every week with the radio personality, at the time, Jim Hawthorne on KNX Radio in Hollywood. I was a guest bringing one rare recording with me every week and talked with Jim Hawthorne and Andrew White, who is the founder of the Columbia Broadcasting System. I started collecting personality records and because of that interest I found myself doing radio shows. We had a very popular radio show on a satellite radio station called Yesterday USA. That show was called Music Museum and for many years David L. Burger and I produced, hosted and did a radio show using old records.
My shows are on weekly, Saturdays and Sundays, on CRN talk Digital radio. CRN refers to the cable radio network coverage, but it is much more than the cable these days because of the Internet. You can hear my shows any place in the world at any time. Just go to CRN talk.com where there’s seven channels of radio. Go to the directory and there I am every week. I play recordings from my collection basically from the first half of the 20th century. I also have fun novelty records and things you don’t normally hear on radio. My guest every week is my old friend Richard M. Sherman. We talk about the song writers of tin pan alley and my other guest is another old friend, Prof. Harry Hockman who professes to be the world’s oldest vaudevillian and magician. Some people think he sounds a lot like me but he’s a real live genuine fictional phony personality. It’s a fun show. It’s called Hear Them Again for the First Time. We have another hour on CRN talk radio and that’s called Hit Parade Cavalcade. It is simply Richard M. Sherman and I talking about various songwriters. It’s always fascinating. At any rate that’s what I do on the radio. I’m also working on a new show and hopefully it will be on CRN. It will be a show featuring recordings of the greatest hits from the 60s, 70s and 80s. It will be coming to you from a place called The Magic Castle Cabaret in Montecito, so stay tuned in!
I have always been fascinated with radio. I was collecting old personality records when I was 18. I had a spot every week with the radio personality, at the time, Jim Hawthorne on KNX Radio in Hollywood. I was a guest bringing one rare recording with me every week and talked with Jim Hawthorne and Andrew White, who is the founder of the Columbia Broadcasting System. I started collecting personality records and because of that interest I found myself doing radio shows. We had a very popular radio show on a satellite radio station called Yesterday USA. That show was called Music Museum and for many years David L. Burger and I produced, hosted and did a radio show using old records.
My shows are on weekly, Saturdays and Sundays, on CRN talk Digital radio. CRN refers to the cable radio network coverage, but it is much more than the cable these days because of the Internet. You can hear my shows any place in the world at any time. Just go to CRN talk.com where there’s seven channels of radio. Go to the directory and there I am every week. I play recordings from my collection basically from the first half of the 20th century. I also have fun novelty records and things you don’t normally hear on radio. My guest every week is my old friend Richard M. Sherman. We talk about the song writers of tin pan alley and my other guest is another old friend, Prof. Harry Hockman who professes to be the world’s oldest vaudevillian and magician. Some people think he sounds a lot like me but he’s a real live genuine fictional phony personality. It’s a fun show. It’s called Hear Them Again for the First Time. We have another hour on CRN talk radio and that’s called Hit Parade Cavalcade. It is simply Richard M. Sherman and I talking about various songwriters. It’s always fascinating. At any rate that’s what I do on the radio. I’m also working on a new show and hopefully it will be on CRN. It will be a show featuring recordings of the greatest hits from the 60s, 70s and 80s. It will be coming to you from a place called The Magic Castle Cabaret in Montecito, so stay tuned in!
NUMBER 11
MAGICAL MUSICAL MADNESS OF SPIKE JONES
In my last story I was talking about my radio show on CRN digital radio. Some new listeners commented on the fact that I was playing recordings of a new CD collection “Spikes Guys.” What was that all about you ask? Well that was a recording I produced back in 1972. I had the privilege of knowing the great Master of Musical Madness Spike Jones. He was a very good friend of Spencer Quinn the banjo player, and of course a very good friend of mine. We got together often, and I was a very large collector of his wonderful recordings over the years. Spike passed away back in 1965, the victim of millions of cigarettes. In 1972 I put together the Spike Jones band without Spike Jones. We had his arrangers, we had his musicians, we simply didn’t have the boss. One of his key musicians was Joe Siracusa. Joe is still living in the valley, just about hundred years old and still playing and very active. He was the drummer for the Jones Orchestra, he also was Spike's chief idea man, a creative genius at odd musical sounds, special Instruments and vocal gymnastics. We took pride in putting this CD together. In Spike's style we did Those Were The Days, I Am In The Mood for Love and others. We also put together some original compositions. We had great fun at one of Hollywood’s most prestigious recording studio. At the time I was quite busy with my writing partner Bobby Lahr writing The Vin Scully Game Show. I took my salary as a writer at that show to pay for our experiment with Spike Jones and his music. I think Spike loved our album but unfortunately at that time his family really didn’t want to call attention to Spike Jones failing health. We were all pretty busy, although, but we did publish it on our label Electric Lemon Record Company. It was never really distributed. The Masters were on the shelf for about 40 years. Then we decided it was time to issue them again and we did under the name of Spikes Guys. You can find the CD in Arlene’s fabulous gift Emporium. It’s there with our other Electric Lemon records which are now being issued under the Magic Castle records label. I love looking at the earliest collection of Smash Flops and other really strange musical triumphs. Incidentally, as an aside, we get a report from our distributor sales of our songs on iTunes. It is interesting to know that this week’s biggest sales of all our songs was the Sherman and Larsen song from the Smash Flops collection Watch World War III on Pay TV. That one had 400 copies bought, maybe it says something about today’s world.
In my last story I was talking about my radio show on CRN digital radio. Some new listeners commented on the fact that I was playing recordings of a new CD collection “Spikes Guys.” What was that all about you ask? Well that was a recording I produced back in 1972. I had the privilege of knowing the great Master of Musical Madness Spike Jones. He was a very good friend of Spencer Quinn the banjo player, and of course a very good friend of mine. We got together often, and I was a very large collector of his wonderful recordings over the years. Spike passed away back in 1965, the victim of millions of cigarettes. In 1972 I put together the Spike Jones band without Spike Jones. We had his arrangers, we had his musicians, we simply didn’t have the boss. One of his key musicians was Joe Siracusa. Joe is still living in the valley, just about hundred years old and still playing and very active. He was the drummer for the Jones Orchestra, he also was Spike's chief idea man, a creative genius at odd musical sounds, special Instruments and vocal gymnastics. We took pride in putting this CD together. In Spike's style we did Those Were The Days, I Am In The Mood for Love and others. We also put together some original compositions. We had great fun at one of Hollywood’s most prestigious recording studio. At the time I was quite busy with my writing partner Bobby Lahr writing The Vin Scully Game Show. I took my salary as a writer at that show to pay for our experiment with Spike Jones and his music. I think Spike loved our album but unfortunately at that time his family really didn’t want to call attention to Spike Jones failing health. We were all pretty busy, although, but we did publish it on our label Electric Lemon Record Company. It was never really distributed. The Masters were on the shelf for about 40 years. Then we decided it was time to issue them again and we did under the name of Spikes Guys. You can find the CD in Arlene’s fabulous gift Emporium. It’s there with our other Electric Lemon records which are now being issued under the Magic Castle records label. I love looking at the earliest collection of Smash Flops and other really strange musical triumphs. Incidentally, as an aside, we get a report from our distributor sales of our songs on iTunes. It is interesting to know that this week’s biggest sales of all our songs was the Sherman and Larsen song from the Smash Flops collection Watch World War III on Pay TV. That one had 400 copies bought, maybe it says something about today’s world.
NUMBER 12
“YOU NEED MY HELP!”
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One of the most interesting colorful people I have ever met was John Shrum. John was the Art Director in 1961 on Bob Barker’s Truth or Consequences Show. I was one of the writers. People used to ask occasionally what you guys did. We wrote sketches for the audience participation show. What kind of sketches? We did everything from sketches, song reunions to wonderful practical jokes. Many of these ideas for the sketches needed special scenery. We would need scenes like the interior of an airplane or an old English drawing room. I always admired John’s beautiful work as an art director. One day I was out and about, and I ran into John. He created a sketch for an episode we were doing for Rowan and Martin who were guests on the show. His sketch looked like a great Victorian room. I mentioned to John that I had just started working on a new project that involved restoring an old turn-of-the-century mansion in Hollywood. I invited him to go out and have a drink at nearby bar and then come see the old house. That was in 1961, not too long after a handshake deal with the owner of the property to turn it into a club. John took one look at what I showed him and started twitching because at that time it was very, very primitive! I had only gotten as far as putting red flocked wallpaper on the reception room wall. John took one look at it and said in his trademark gravelly voice “You need my help!”
That was the first day of the relationship that lasted until he passed away in the late 80s. John decided everything in the Magic Castle, at the Mayfair musical and Variety Arts Center. He was the Master of Art Direction and of Scenic Design. Although I had skills as a carpenter, because of my grandfather, John was the one that could make wonderful old building materials live again. The clue was never look at them as they look but what they could be. There’re examples of that throughout the Magic Castle which has been here for 56 years. Because of what John Shrum taught me, you’re seeing the same approach at the Magic Castle Cabaret. Again, you are starting to see an old building, a former Mexican restaurant, turned into a beautiful European private palace. While John passed away in 1988, his ongoing influence at the Magic Castle and the Magic Castle Cabaret will continue. Of all the awards he received, his Emmy and numerous recognitions from various artistic groups, I know the one he would be most proud of is his influence and direction of the Magic Castle.
That was the first day of the relationship that lasted until he passed away in the late 80s. John decided everything in the Magic Castle, at the Mayfair musical and Variety Arts Center. He was the Master of Art Direction and of Scenic Design. Although I had skills as a carpenter, because of my grandfather, John was the one that could make wonderful old building materials live again. The clue was never look at them as they look but what they could be. There’re examples of that throughout the Magic Castle which has been here for 56 years. Because of what John Shrum taught me, you’re seeing the same approach at the Magic Castle Cabaret. Again, you are starting to see an old building, a former Mexican restaurant, turned into a beautiful European private palace. While John passed away in 1988, his ongoing influence at the Magic Castle and the Magic Castle Cabaret will continue. Of all the awards he received, his Emmy and numerous recognitions from various artistic groups, I know the one he would be most proud of is his influence and direction of the Magic Castle.
NUMBER 13
Son: “WHEN I GROW UP, I WANT TO BE A MAGICIAN.”
Dad: “NICE IDEA KID BUT YOU CAN’T DO BOTH.”
Dad: “NICE IDEA KID BUT YOU CAN’T DO BOTH.”
Children live in a world of fantasy protected from the world of reality. When you are a kid nothing is impossible. Magicians traveled to the moon long before we actually figured out how to do it. Jules Verne had some really good ideas. Since I have been blessed with a long life as part of the Larsen Family of Magicians, I am often asked “Who was your favorite magician?” My answer is always Walt Disney. Walt said, “If you can dream it – we can build it.”
Frank L. Baum wrote a wonderful line in the Wizard of Oz, “If you don’t believe in magic – you will never find it.”
Incidentally, speaking of the Wizard of Oz you may notice two priceless lithographs in the lounge. One is the poster of the original Wizard of Oz on Broadway. The poster is circa 1900. The Tin Man in the poster is David Montgomery of the famous comedy team of Montgomery and Stone. Fred Stone played the Straw Man. Next to that poster is the poster of a very famous actress of her day, Billie Burke, circa 1910. Of course, she played Glinda in the 1938 MGM Wizard of Oz classic movie.
Supportive of these two lithographs we used our imagination to create a legendary summer palace for magicians in Northern Spain, which is the birthplace of modern magic from the middle ages, according to Wikipedia. We created an illusion using a lot of gold paint and architectural elements. We did not change any of the existing restaurant structure. We still don’t have a veranda. That veranda was supposed to look like part of the Grand Clark Estate, since we are across the street from the Andrea Clark Bird Refuge. The architectural review board still hasn’t allowed us to make the changes that would allow the exterior of the old Café del Sol to match the décor of the summer palace interior design.
Some people just don’t believe in magic.
Frank L. Baum wrote a wonderful line in the Wizard of Oz, “If you don’t believe in magic – you will never find it.”
Incidentally, speaking of the Wizard of Oz you may notice two priceless lithographs in the lounge. One is the poster of the original Wizard of Oz on Broadway. The poster is circa 1900. The Tin Man in the poster is David Montgomery of the famous comedy team of Montgomery and Stone. Fred Stone played the Straw Man. Next to that poster is the poster of a very famous actress of her day, Billie Burke, circa 1910. Of course, she played Glinda in the 1938 MGM Wizard of Oz classic movie.
Supportive of these two lithographs we used our imagination to create a legendary summer palace for magicians in Northern Spain, which is the birthplace of modern magic from the middle ages, according to Wikipedia. We created an illusion using a lot of gold paint and architectural elements. We did not change any of the existing restaurant structure. We still don’t have a veranda. That veranda was supposed to look like part of the Grand Clark Estate, since we are across the street from the Andrea Clark Bird Refuge. The architectural review board still hasn’t allowed us to make the changes that would allow the exterior of the old Café del Sol to match the décor of the summer palace interior design.
Some people just don’t believe in magic.
NUMBER 14
YOU NEED A HALLOWEEN COSTUME
ARLENE NEEDS THE SPACE
ARLENE NEEDS THE SPACE
After years of creating costumes for television shows, Arlene is selling some of the costumes from the years of Truth or Consequences and Laugh-In. Just fun crazy stuff and priced to sell. Some of the items you name the price and take it away. Arlene’s gift shop is open every night the club is open. The sale will continue so check it out and have fun. It is amazing how much comedy stuff Arlene has found on the shelves in our warehouse everything from hats to garters. Memories of Laugh-In and Truth or Consequences.
Arlene is famous for her parties and the cabaret will be open with a very special Halloween party October 31st. The party will be limited to 40 members and their guests. Make your reservation now. Information in our newsletter and on the website. Also, there is our new page on Facebook; Magic Castle Cabaret.
This page is my weekly stories about our lives in the wonderful world of show business. Since we’re talking about Arlene, many of our members know about many of her accomplishments in the world of costume design. She started in the business as a teenager and had lots of experience working in local theater. That lead to jobs in the Wardrobe department of TV studios. She was a “rag picker”. Costumers would have to get up at the crack of dawn. They had to have all the costumes or whatever they were shooting at the studio early. She worked on some of the shows in television. She had her own costume design company with her mother and her sister. It was called Zam and she still uses that company. I met Arlene while we’re at Truth or Consequences. The costume designer for that show had challenges as many people forget that that show had the contestants doing silly things. Many times, we’d have truck drivers in skirts and ladies in all matter of tacky costumes. We were together on that show for several years. When I opened my Mayfair Music Hall in Santa Monica, Arlene became the instant costume designer. We would change the shows every three months and always had fantastic Victorian costumes for our ever-changing cast of players. We worked together on the Mayfair shows, later when we opened the Variety Arts Center and did shows there, and she did the costumes. After 30 years Arlene and I decided to finally get married (which was 50 years ago). The story goes on from there, with Arlene designing hundreds of costumes for our musical Pazzaz as well as other shows. More about that at a later time.
Arlene is famous for her parties and the cabaret will be open with a very special Halloween party October 31st. The party will be limited to 40 members and their guests. Make your reservation now. Information in our newsletter and on the website. Also, there is our new page on Facebook; Magic Castle Cabaret.
This page is my weekly stories about our lives in the wonderful world of show business. Since we’re talking about Arlene, many of our members know about many of her accomplishments in the world of costume design. She started in the business as a teenager and had lots of experience working in local theater. That lead to jobs in the Wardrobe department of TV studios. She was a “rag picker”. Costumers would have to get up at the crack of dawn. They had to have all the costumes or whatever they were shooting at the studio early. She worked on some of the shows in television. She had her own costume design company with her mother and her sister. It was called Zam and she still uses that company. I met Arlene while we’re at Truth or Consequences. The costume designer for that show had challenges as many people forget that that show had the contestants doing silly things. Many times, we’d have truck drivers in skirts and ladies in all matter of tacky costumes. We were together on that show for several years. When I opened my Mayfair Music Hall in Santa Monica, Arlene became the instant costume designer. We would change the shows every three months and always had fantastic Victorian costumes for our ever-changing cast of players. We worked together on the Mayfair shows, later when we opened the Variety Arts Center and did shows there, and she did the costumes. After 30 years Arlene and I decided to finally get married (which was 50 years ago). The story goes on from there, with Arlene designing hundreds of costumes for our musical Pazzaz as well as other shows. More about that at a later time.
NUMBER 15
BOO!
It’s the most magical time of the year. Arlene’s staff has really gotten into the spirit building up to our party on Halloween, October 31st. Scott and Adam have turned our grand entry hall into a cobwebbed catacomb inspired by your favorite old movie. Their beautiful work creating those very realistic clean cobwebs reminded me of an incident many years ago at the Magic Castle in Hollywood. John Schrum, the art director out of the Johnny Carson Tonight Show, and of the Magic Castle, always had wonderful Halloween party events. One of the early ones back in the 60s called for turning our haunted wine cellar into a more haunted wine cellar. To accomplish this John convinced the NBC prop department staff to create cobwebs in the wine cellar. In those days, the cobwebs were accomplished my amazingly crafty artisans using spray guns that shot a rubber cement type of liquid. They would make ordinary items look great with these guns. Halloween prop artists descended on the wine cellar with casual clothes and they did their work all night. The next night I met John at our favorite bar stool at what is now the Owl Bar. He asked how I liked the cobwebs and I admitted that I had not gone down to take a look at them so both of us went down to view their wonderful work. Unfortunately, there was not a trace of what happened. After the great artists were done and had left the building, the cleaning crew had come in and cleaned away the cobwebs.
Other Halloween party memories. One time we noticed a large furry rabbit dancing with some of the gentleman. Nobody knew who the rabbit was until later when somebody pointed out it was superstar Elizabeth Taylor. Another example of elaborate costumes was when one of our bartenders dressed up as Snow White. Seeing a husky bartender in drag as Snow White was curious enough but he had hired seven little people to portray the seven dwarfs and they would follow him around all evening.
Arlene is famous for her fantastic parties. The party on Halloween is limited to just 45 members and guests. We encourage crazy costumes, magic and dancing. Like the old days of cabaret “High Jinks”, you will have tricks and treasures for a memorable evening. We are celebrating Halloween from now through November 2nd. Costumes are optional. In the spirit of Halloween my story next week will be all about my work as a youngster in midnight spooks show. The Doctor Zomb midnight shows played the Fox west coast theaters in the early 50s. Dr. Tom was a very personable person by the name of Orbond McGill. More about that next week.
Other Halloween party memories. One time we noticed a large furry rabbit dancing with some of the gentleman. Nobody knew who the rabbit was until later when somebody pointed out it was superstar Elizabeth Taylor. Another example of elaborate costumes was when one of our bartenders dressed up as Snow White. Seeing a husky bartender in drag as Snow White was curious enough but he had hired seven little people to portray the seven dwarfs and they would follow him around all evening.
Arlene is famous for her fantastic parties. The party on Halloween is limited to just 45 members and guests. We encourage crazy costumes, magic and dancing. Like the old days of cabaret “High Jinks”, you will have tricks and treasures for a memorable evening. We are celebrating Halloween from now through November 2nd. Costumes are optional. In the spirit of Halloween my story next week will be all about my work as a youngster in midnight spooks show. The Doctor Zomb midnight shows played the Fox west coast theaters in the early 50s. Dr. Tom was a very personable person by the name of Orbond McGill. More about that next week.
NUMBER 16
HARRISON “RED” BAKER AND I WROTE OUR FIRST JOKE BOOK WHEN WE WERE BOTH TEENAGERS.
The first one was called In the Aisles, it was about 10 pages of very topical light jokes. My Dad, William W. Larsen, owned the Thayer Magic Store on La Brea Avenue and had one of two hand cranked Mimeograph machines in the back room. He also published Genii Magazine. We printed our books and sold them via adds in Genii. It was the start of my very long career as a TV gag writer.
During that time, through my dad, we got jobs working for Ormond McGill. At midnight you would have the big show. Ormond was billed as Dr. Zomb. Red and I were his assistants. From 1947 to 1954, McGill performed hypnotism and magic. His “Séance of Wonders” show featured horror-themed routines and costumed assistants typical of the midnight “spook shows” which were popular during that era. He had performed in several stage shows all over the globe in the 20th century. Ormond McGill also trained students for therapeutic applications through hypnotism.
Red and I dressed as theater ushers. Lynn McGill, his wife , was doing a very excellent hypnotic act. Later there would be about 25 teenage boys seated on stage. At midnight Red and I would walk around behind them with five cell flashlights. Then Ormond would turn his back on them, and they would have fun doing things like making obscene gestures. We would gently whisper to the young men that it would be wise for them to leave the stage and because of our five cell flashlights they did. The full evening spook shows eventually went out of favor. So, to fill in I would do a couple of illusions and some magic. If there was a midnight spook show it was always a blackout. Red and I would usually position ourselves in the balcony throwing bits of ice-cold mop string down on the audience. It’s amazing how mop strings and threads can feel like worms and spiders! Towards the end of the show, Red (dressed in a gorilla costume) ran down from the balcony along the aisle and out to the lobby. On the way to the lobby most of the teenage boyfriends in the audience would beat on him. It was a fun job and after the show Red and I would go to CBS, which indirectly led to a very important meeting. At that time Steve Allen had a late-night Radio show. When we went over to CBS, we would go through the trash cans looking for scripts from the many comedy shows that also originated there. That led to a meeting with Steve Allen and that lead to our comedy writing career. Spook shows were fun, I wish they were still around, in the meantime Happy Halloween.
During that time, through my dad, we got jobs working for Ormond McGill. At midnight you would have the big show. Ormond was billed as Dr. Zomb. Red and I were his assistants. From 1947 to 1954, McGill performed hypnotism and magic. His “Séance of Wonders” show featured horror-themed routines and costumed assistants typical of the midnight “spook shows” which were popular during that era. He had performed in several stage shows all over the globe in the 20th century. Ormond McGill also trained students for therapeutic applications through hypnotism.
Red and I dressed as theater ushers. Lynn McGill, his wife , was doing a very excellent hypnotic act. Later there would be about 25 teenage boys seated on stage. At midnight Red and I would walk around behind them with five cell flashlights. Then Ormond would turn his back on them, and they would have fun doing things like making obscene gestures. We would gently whisper to the young men that it would be wise for them to leave the stage and because of our five cell flashlights they did. The full evening spook shows eventually went out of favor. So, to fill in I would do a couple of illusions and some magic. If there was a midnight spook show it was always a blackout. Red and I would usually position ourselves in the balcony throwing bits of ice-cold mop string down on the audience. It’s amazing how mop strings and threads can feel like worms and spiders! Towards the end of the show, Red (dressed in a gorilla costume) ran down from the balcony along the aisle and out to the lobby. On the way to the lobby most of the teenage boyfriends in the audience would beat on him. It was a fun job and after the show Red and I would go to CBS, which indirectly led to a very important meeting. At that time Steve Allen had a late-night Radio show. When we went over to CBS, we would go through the trash cans looking for scripts from the many comedy shows that also originated there. That led to a meeting with Steve Allen and that lead to our comedy writing career. Spook shows were fun, I wish they were still around, in the meantime Happy Halloween.
NUMBER 17
“SO, I BOUGHT THEM!”
I try to include some stories about items that were in the Magic Castle and now are elsewhere. Members and guests are curious about where we found some of the building materials that we used in the Magic Castle Cabaret Palace. The longtime members of the Hollywood Magic Castle (The Academy of Magical Arts) remember the beautiful Art Glass windows that were in the Inner Circle, and they now reside at the Cabaret. Those art glass windows have a rather fascinating story. They were originally from an Italian restaurant which apparently was a speakeasy back in the 20s and 30s. When I got them, they had been in storage for many years in a garage in Watts. I got a call from a nice lady (who had asked me a few years earlier if I wanted them and I said no at the time). Now she was going to demolish the building they were in and it would be a shame if they had to be destroyed. So, I bought them! They were amazing and when we got them back to the Castle and cleaned them, we noticed that there were images of a castle, food, and music. So, we installed them in the Inner Circle. Years later the Academy of Magical Arts decided to make some changes in the décor and took them out. I took them up to Santa Barbara. Eventually I installed them in the Cabaret, and they are now where people can see their beauty while quaffing wonderful beverages.
NUMBER 18
JIGGLING TRAINS AND ANTIQUE PROSCENIUM TORCHIERES
I enjoy writing these stories about the Magic Castle and the Cabaret in general every week. For 40 years I wrote stories for the backside of the Friday lunch menu at the Magic Castle in Hollywood. Many of those stories ended up in the books about the castle written by Carol Marie and you’ll find those books in Arlene’s beautiful gift shop. I think you’ll find them very entertaining and worthwhile. I like writing and I like telling stories. I usually write these stories on the train going from Santa Barbara to Burbank. Every week I take the train on Sunday morning to Burbank and Wednesday afternoon back to Santa Barbara. I enjoy the train and it beats driving on the freeway. I have had trouble writing on the train because it jiggles a bit and I’m not a very good typist. So, I started dictating on my computer which is wonderful except there are distractions at many times. I would have a terribly confused story, so I called upon my executive in charge of everything Dale Hindman in our Magic Castles Incorporated offices in Hollywood. He would decipher my messed-up writings and make them sound better. It is much appreciated! I only mention this because today I read it and gave him a messed-up story. I would guess about some things and then I would just ask Dale to ask me a few questions. I give him some answers and that would be my story for this week. So that is what I’m going to do. I will go from my studio in Hollywood to Dale’s office downstairs in Hollywood and take it from here. Welcome to my story Dale Hindman.
Dale: “Milt, why don’t you tell us about the Grand Torchiere’s in the Cabaret as you enter the lounge area.”
Milt: “They are amazing, and I found them in 1968 when they had a fabulous auction of the MGM back lot in Culver City. They were actual antiques, but MGM had them as props for any grand ballroom scene they were filming. When I got them, I imagined I would use them in the Magic Castle or someplace, but they ended up at the Variety Arts theater on both sides of the proscenium. When the Variety Arts closed, they went into one of my many storage warehouses. In remodeling the old Café Del Sol restaurant, I wanted it to look like a private theater in a European Palace. And those torchieres were perfect for the job. They barely fit under the ceiling, but they certainly are spectacular.”
Dale: “Milt, why don’t you tell us about the Grand Torchiere’s in the Cabaret as you enter the lounge area.”
Milt: “They are amazing, and I found them in 1968 when they had a fabulous auction of the MGM back lot in Culver City. They were actual antiques, but MGM had them as props for any grand ballroom scene they were filming. When I got them, I imagined I would use them in the Magic Castle or someplace, but they ended up at the Variety Arts theater on both sides of the proscenium. When the Variety Arts closed, they went into one of my many storage warehouses. In remodeling the old Café Del Sol restaurant, I wanted it to look like a private theater in a European Palace. And those torchieres were perfect for the job. They barely fit under the ceiling, but they certainly are spectacular.”
NUMBER 19
THE QUEEN MARY ON MY ROOF
Last week I told the story when I bought the antique torchières at the MGM back lot auction in 1968. Readers have been curious about that auction. The auction lasted several days and headlined incredible items like Judy Garland’s Ruby slippers from the Wizard of Oz and a full-size Mississippi Showboat from the movie Showboat. At that point in my life I found myself attracted to antique cars and parts of old buildings for the Magic Castle. At the auction there was a whole fleet of miniature ships of all description to be used in the movies. One of the items was hidden away in a shed. It was obviously part of the auction (since it had a number on it). The item was a practical seaworthy luxury liner. It was a replica of the Italian version of the Queen Mary. It was a 52-foot-long model that was used in the MGM picture Luxury Liner starring Jane Powell. It was a curious piece because it had portholes and lifeboats on only one side. But of course, in the movies you only saw one side. I had beach property in Balboa, and I thought it would be really cool to have a party boat in Balboa Bay. I was attending the auction with my old friend John Daniel and didn’t want to wait around see how much sold it for, but I asked to bid. If it was under a thousand dollars, I would like to have it. That night I got a phone call from John. He said, “I’ve got some good news and bad news—the good news I bid $900 and you bought the ship.” “What’s the bad news,” I asked. “What the hell are you going to do with it?”, John replied.
That was the beginning of a long journey regarding the boat. After finding out the costs for mooring, maintenance, etc. in Balboa Bay, I decided it was cost prohibitive. So that is how it ended up on the roof of Variety Arts Building in downtown. I thought it would be fun. The MGM auction has even more stories to come.
That was the beginning of a long journey regarding the boat. After finding out the costs for mooring, maintenance, etc. in Balboa Bay, I decided it was cost prohibitive. So that is how it ended up on the roof of Variety Arts Building in downtown. I thought it would be fun. The MGM auction has even more stories to come.
NUMBER 20
CONTINUING MY STORY ABOUT THE HISTORIC MGM STUDIO BACK LOT AUCTION IN 1968:
“IN ADDITION TO BUYING A 52 FOOT LUNARY LINER...”
I felt I really needed a complete alphabet of neon marquee letters. I would end up using them 10 years later on the Marquee at the Variety Arts Theater. Probably the most intriguing item that I bid on and won was a full-size European Railroad compartment car. It had been used in many MGM pictures and it was really marvelous. Why, would you ask, I would be interested in a full-scale Railroad car? It is very simple; I had an idea for a cocktail lounge that would reside on Tom Glovers Yamashiro property up the hill from the Magic Castle. The idea was ahead of its time! There would be a cocktail hour in the car next to a fabulous waterfall that I would call the Rainbow Falls. The lounge itself would be called the Orient Express. The waiters and waitresses would be dressed as spies from the movies. The auction also had a fabulous Buddha pump. It was used for creating Ocean like waves for those miniature boats. I thought that if I could use it and it would pump enough water that would create this amazingly huge waterfall which would cascade down the Yamashiro hill. The only problem with all that was I was anticipating the fact that Mr. Glover would jump at the chance to build another cocktail lounge between the Yamashiro and Magic Castle. He liked the idea of the express and I also explained how I could make the railroad cars jiggle to give the impression they were traveling through Europe. Then Mr. Glover informed me that he had changed his mind and made arrangements to give the property to his family. I was informed that I had to remove the railroad car from the MGM premises, and I ended up selling them for scrap. I bought them very cheaply and I sold them even more cheaply! There has not been another auction like the MGM and probably never ever one as spectacular and grand. Over the years I had a 1927 La France fire engine, a 1932 Sunset Blvd double decker bus, a 1937 Packard Roadster, and other very expensive hobbies.
NUMBER 21
BACHELOR HAVEN SPAWNS COLLECTION
In 1942 it was the beginning of World War Two. Dad bought the Thayer Magic Company and the Larsen Family of Magicians moved from Pasadena to our new home in Los Angeles. The home in the exclusive Hancock Park area of Los Angeles had a very large lot and a freshwater river ran through it. Thayer’s Magic had an amazing structure housing it’s offices, shop, and showrooms for the magic company. Since it was spanning the water (stream or brook) Mr. Thayer called the estate The Brookledge. My brother Bill and I grew up with the theater in our backyard that was the Thayer studio of magic. When dad became a little too commercial for the neighborhood, he moved the store to nearby La Brea Avenue. That left me with the theater in my backyard. My brother and his family lived in the home and I got to turn those offices and facilities in the theater into a fantastic Bachelor Haven. I was always fascinated with theaters particularly movie theatres which many times we’re also vaudeville theaters. And that sparked my interest in collecting things having to do with vaudeville. I also decided that we needed a wonderful place to run movies, so I invested in movie projectors and built a really wonderful private movie theater over the stairs in the studio. Over the years I also collected movie and TV films and that collection grew and grew until I just recently realized that I had quite a valuable collection of 16mm movies and TV shows. Over 200 of those films have been in storage since we closed the Variety Arts Center in 1990. Many of the films were one-of-a-kind and most of them were very collectible. I love vaudeville films and I had some of the wonderful old TV shows going back to the days of the earliest kinescopes.
I have been donating most of my collections to the University of California Santa Barbara which happens to be the most advanced University for state-of-the-art media in the United States. My collections have included books on the theater, thousands of 78RPM showbiz recordings, scripts, files and architect plans. The University transfers everything to digital format and stores the original. They have a bomb proof vault. I want my collections to be enjoyed by the public and the University makes them available at no charge. It is the best of all possible worlds and also very tax-deductible. Before I donate many of my films to the college, I have made a deal with a company called Retro Video to transfer most of my collection to them. They will in turn digitalize them and make it available to research organizations. That has released a great deal of my storage space that I’ve been maintaining for all these years. It was being an expensive hobby again. A lot of my films and collections will be available to the public. Of course, I used a lot of my personal collections to adorn the wall of our home in Santa Barbara and our Magic Castle Cabaret here in Montecito.
I have been donating most of my collections to the University of California Santa Barbara which happens to be the most advanced University for state-of-the-art media in the United States. My collections have included books on the theater, thousands of 78RPM showbiz recordings, scripts, files and architect plans. The University transfers everything to digital format and stores the original. They have a bomb proof vault. I want my collections to be enjoyed by the public and the University makes them available at no charge. It is the best of all possible worlds and also very tax-deductible. Before I donate many of my films to the college, I have made a deal with a company called Retro Video to transfer most of my collection to them. They will in turn digitalize them and make it available to research organizations. That has released a great deal of my storage space that I’ve been maintaining for all these years. It was being an expensive hobby again. A lot of my films and collections will be available to the public. Of course, I used a lot of my personal collections to adorn the wall of our home in Santa Barbara and our Magic Castle Cabaret here in Montecito.