late night coffee shops

Happy Monkey!

2010-04-28T18:39:00.001-07:00

A gift from my pal, Vincent Waller.
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Only In America

2010-03-28T12:34:00.000-07:00

Recent JD Head Shot Shoot

2010-03-04T14:52:00.000-08:00

Nikon D200 / Sigma 50mm f/1.4
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Ray Price: City Lights

2010-02-19T00:10:00.000-08:00

Baby Bath Time!

2010-02-17T22:32:00.000-08:00

Do The Freddie

2010-02-08T01:01:00.000-08:00

Diamond Head Uke Puppets

2010-02-06T11:39:00.000-08:00

Introducing Picklefritz the Pup

2010-01-08T16:23:00.000-08:00

"Pickles" for short...
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Touyube Goodness

2009-12-20T14:12:00.001-08:00

More Gory Details

2009-12-11T22:41:00.000-08:00

the life

2009-11-12T17:47:00.001-08:00

AHA! Something NEW has been added!

2009-11-02T19:57:00.000-08:00

GORY DETAILS! Mango Fly Infestation

2009-11-02T19:01:00.000-08:00

My pal Reverend Al Ridenour is the shadowy king of underground Los Angeles. He's Bob Clampett, Basil Wolverton and Soupy Sales all rolled into one. (Yes, I am serious!) Anything he does is guaranteed to be fun. His latest project is dramatic presentations based on real life medical trauma... "The Art of Bleeding". HOW FUN IS THAT?! I'm going to be following this series closely.

I should pitch Al on my "monkey monologues" idea.

Happy Pal-o-ween!

2009-10-27T16:28:00.000-07:00

Click for bigger

Work in Progress

2009-10-24T17:01:00.000-07:00

Leonard Rossiter- GENIUS!

2009-10-17T14:14:00.001-07:00

People in the US don't know Leonard Rossiter, but he is famous in the UK. Check out these commercials for Cinzano he did with Joan Collins!

Rossiter was an accomplished actor, but he excelled in comic characters. Check out Netflix for The Fall and Rise of Reginald Perrin and Rising Damp. You'll be glad you did.

And for the brave, check out Leonard Rossiter's performance as "Le Petomane"

Do The Tantrum!

2009-10-02T17:47:00.001-07:00

Win A Dream Date With...

2009-09-18T11:49:00.000-07:00

I probably don't have many lady readers (since I posted that chimp attack post) but for the few of you out there, I present this video as a public service...

Dating Montage
Uploaded by smithy00101. - Watch original web videos.

Good Lord Almighty

2009-09-02T22:50:00.001-07:00

Monkey Magic

2009-08-26T20:21:00.000-07:00

See more funny videos and Cute Animals Videos at Today's Big Thing.

Thanks, Michael!

Sister Rosetta Tharpe: Up Above My Head

2009-08-23T13:45:00.000-07:00

What Th'...?!

2009-08-19T10:43:00.000-07:00

Jo-Jo Made A Cartoon!

2009-08-17T23:07:00.000-07:00

YouTube: Boy Shoots Video At Apple Store

2009-08-16T14:05:00.001-07:00

San Diego Skyline

2009-07-23T00:30:00.001-07:00

Shot with my new Canon SD880 point n'shoot camera.

Whiplash the Cowboy Monkey

2009-07-09T20:16:00.000-07:00

Find more videos like this on www.truveo.com.

More Great Mary Kaye Trio

2009-06-18T18:05:00.000-07:00

Mary Kaye Trio: Lonesome Road / Smile A While Today / Get Happy

Ghost Town: The Bumpy Road To Bodie

2009-06-04T20:25:00.000-07:00

When I was very small, I had one of those horses on springs. I would jump on it and bounce around furiously while my Dad would urge me on, calling out to me to "Ride that horse down the bumpy road to Bodie!"

Before I was born, my family had taken a trip to the High Sierras and my Dad and Mom never forgot the potholes they had to navigate their 56 Chevy station wagon over. It was a memory they spoke of often. When I got a little older, I got to visit Bodie with my folks, navigating a slightly more modern Chevy station wagon over those same potholes. Bodie became a lasting part of my consciousness as well.

There's something about the air in the High Sierras... and the light too. Bodie felt like another planet... still... quiet.. except for the incessant wind blowing through the boards. Even as a child, it seemed to me to be a very special place.

Throughout my life, I've had a special interest in ghost towns. As a Boy Scout, my Dad would take me camping at Calico Ghost Town. I'm still not entirely sure why sagebrush and shacks appeal to me so much, but it has something to do with the stillness left behind.

I know there aren't really any ghosts here, but that doesn't mean that I don't still feel their presence. People always leave a mark on the land... just like the sun, and the wind and the rains do.

I love places like this, and to this day, I dream of riding that horse down the bumpy road to Bodie.

I have a photograph of me as a toddler stark naked riding the horse, but it's locked up in a drawer. Don't bother to ask.

Here's a great documentary on Bodie from the mid-1950s... probably not too long before my folks first navigated those legendary potholes...

Part One:

Part Two:

If you love ghost towns like I do, check out my photographs of...

Mary Kaye Trio: Calypso

2009-05-29T20:57:00.000-07:00

Here's a great clip of the queen of Las Vegas and the first lady of rock and roll... Mary Kaye. Enjoy!
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You Can Beat Swine Flu!

2009-05-11T10:28:00.001-07:00

Another brilliant Art of Bleeding video from my friend, Al Ridenour.

Vasquez Rocks Panorama

2009-05-06T16:11:00.000-07:00

That tiny sliver of a picture is a 180 degree panorama of Vasquez Rocks taken with my Tokina 11-16 2.8 and Nikon D200. But the tiny web images don't do justice to this whopping 36 megapixel image. Roll up your sleeves, put on a pot of coffee and get lost in the detail of the Full Size Version of this image.
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Chinese Bluegrass

2009-02-24T12:50:00.000-08:00

The Worst Story I Ever Heard

2009-02-21T10:58:00.001-08:00

My New House

2009-01-26T09:10:00.000-08:00

Look what I just bought!

Three bedrooms, three baths, 1700 sq. ft.

Living Room: Behind those mirrors is a 1950s photo mural of the High Sierras. I'm going to take down the mirrors and put a mural of an animation background there.

Nice kitchen.

One of the oddities of the house is this hallway. But for me, it's perfect... a 25 foot long walk in closet for my record collection. The window on the right will be replaced by French doors leading into my library.

Here is the fun part... a RUMPUS ROOM! I'm installing a screen and video projection system in here. You're all invited to the movie parties!

Li'l Pal is pleased as punch with her very first back yard.

Lots of work to do before I can move in. Anyone know good drywall / flooring / painting / cinder block wall guys?
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A Couple of Holiday Pics

2009-01-14T18:47:00.000-08:00

This time taken with the Tamron 17-50mm f/2.8.

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This is the closest we get to autumn leaves in Southern California.

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Himself, the elf.

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The pencil never stops.
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Friends And Family Are The Best

2008-12-30T21:58:00.000-08:00

This batch is shot with my Sigma 50mm f/1.4. Click the picture for a larger version. The jumbotronic full resolution size is linked below...

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Here is JoJo enjoying a refreshing beverage at Bob's Big Boy.

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Alex Vassilev strikes a GQ pose with his fancy schmantzy new hat.

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Guess who got a dainty girlie-girl sweater for Christmas?

My brother, the rock star!

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Danny Young got a swank new camera for Christmas...

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...and Michael Woodside did some posin' for the camera.

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Better in B&W?

Sausage Sing-Along

2008-12-03T13:12:00.000-08:00

Jolson and Calloway: I Love To Sing-A!

2008-11-22T11:29:00.000-08:00

Thanks, Skip!

Laurel & Hardy's Culver City

2008-11-10T11:29:00.000-08:00

Update: CIA Halloween

2008-11-01T13:39:00.000-07:00

I've had requests for more information on my Halloween trip to CIA in North Hollywood. Here, presented for the first time, is exclusive video footage of the secret "Orgy Room" located deep down in a subterranean basement of the California Institute of Abnormal Arts...

Click to Play

A Visit To CIA

2008-10-26T21:25:00.000-07:00

Last night Claudio took JoJo and Alex and I to a club that I live two blocks from, but have never visited before... CIA: The California Institute of the Abnormal Arts.

CIA is a museum of oddities. Every corner has bizarre treasures, like this mummified clown who bears a remarkable resemblance to Robert Ryan.

My new 30mm f 1.4 lens got a real workout, shooting available light by candle and Christmas light. I was amazed at what I was able to squeeze out of almost total darkness.

It's fitting that we visited so close to Halloween. Little did we know that a band that was playing that night, Happy Dwarf had invited all of its fans to dress in costume.

Hey! Waitaminute! Did I just see what I thought I saw?

This shot is lit by a single candle. There was a big movie screen outside playing weird silent movies and cartoons. Claudio kept asking me, "What's this?" and I recognized just about everything they were playing. He was impressed.

Oooo! Spooky!

Mother Earth visits with the spawn of the Earth's core. Trippy!

I wasn't going to post this picture, but I kept thinking about it. So here it is.

Can you tell that I had a very good time?
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Never Lend A Chimp The Keys To Your Car

2008-10-21T16:51:00.000-07:00

These Are A Few Of My Favorite Things...

2008-10-19T20:18:00.000-07:00

Marty Robbins, sweet little parlor guitars...

great cowboy yodelling...

...and Doodles Weaver goofin' it... All in one place!

This clip comes from the 1967 feature film, Road to Nashville Get it on Amazon NOW! Ten bucks! It's got great performances by Johnny Cash, the Carter Family, Whispering Bill Anderson, Faron Young, Porter Waggoner, Lefty Frizzell, and a gazillion others. Too good!
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Last Lens Test

2008-10-17T18:26:00.000-07:00

This time, it's the Sigma 30mm f/1.4...

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The irrepressible Skip Heller in his natural habitat- Canters.

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Claudio Riba basks in the afterglow of the best haircut in his life.

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This shot is at 1.4. I'll try to shoot another one next week where I focus on infinity instead of that doggone tree in the foreground.

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Here is an example of the sharpness stopped down a couple of clicks. Pretty nice. You can see all the peeling paint.

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Here's another one wide open. I sure shoot a lot of pictures of these guys!

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At the ASIFA-Hollywood Student Animation Festival this weekend, JoJo and Michael Woodside took a break from the screenings to go over Preston Blair exercises.

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I have just been appointed Danny's official Facebook profile picture photographer.

My lens kit is now complete. I'm ready for anything.

Respectable

2008-09-26T15:42:00.000-07:00

Danny tells me I'm supposed to write things about my life here. He says pictures are good, but he wants thoughts and ideas too. Well, I suppose I can muster up a thought or two. I'll work on coming up with an idea for next time. Here goes...

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Last night I was heading downstairs to the laundry room with Li'l Pal lugging a hamper full of stinky underpants when a neighbor called out after me and came up to talk to me. He said he had something he wanted to tell me. He was shirtless with a big scripty tattoo in Spanish across his chest. He didn't speak a lot of English, but he could get his points across to me. He told me that his family has lived on this street for 12 years. I told him I've been here for over 20 years. He said he knew that without me telling him. He introduced himself and we shook hands. He was trying to figure out how to tell me something, so I just stopped and listened. He told me that his sister lives in my building with her husband and child, and he lives across the street with some other friends and relatives. Over the years he and his family have seen me in the neighborhood. He pointed up and down the street to indicate that he had seen me all around. He became serious and looked me in the eye and said, "I always wanted to tell you I respect you."

Respect?

At first, I was confused and thought he might just be using the wrong word. After all, what is there to respect about a person you just see walking down the street every once in a while? When I think of people I respect, there are specific things they've done to earn that. The guy could see I was wondering what he meant. He put his hand over his heart, looked me straight in the eye again and repeated the word...

Respect.

He meant it. I felt surprised and a little flattered. I told him, "I don't know exactly what I've done to deserve your respect, but I appreciate it." I shook his hand again and thanked him. He smiled and turned and walked back into the darkness to sit on the curb. All day, I've been thinking about this. If I was describing myself, "repectable" wouldn't be the first word I'd choose.

What did I do to earn his respect? Maybe it's something I don't even remember... just some situation I was in around the neighborhood years ago that impressed him. My mom and dad were always worried about me on this street, but I've always felt comfortable and safe here. There's the occasional problem, but overall these are good family people in this neighborhood.

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The odd thing is that this isn't the first time something like this has happened. A big muscly guy covered with prison tattoos who lived in the building once invited me into his apartment to introduce me to his wife and baby and told me that if I ever needed them to help me in any way, just to let them know. I could tell that he meant it too. Another family invited me to their Christmas party. I didn't speak a word of Spanish, and they spoke no English, but it didn't matter to them. They treated me just like another member of their family. When I was unemployed once, I stopped by the local bar and a fella insisted on paying for my beers, telling me over and over, "America- very good. America- my home now." A next door neighbor couple who had two little girls brought them back almost ten years after they moved away to shake my hand and to "thank Mr. Stephen for being so good to them when they were little." My current next door neighbors always help me carry bags of groceries up the stairs and bring me tamales. They worry when I'm sick and don't come out of my apartment for a couple of days in a row.

Respect is something you earn. It isn't something you get given to you without reason. I guess even when you're not doing anything in particular, you're still doing something. Whatever I did to deserve it, I sure appreciate it.
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Another Lens Test

2008-09-19T21:24:00.000-07:00

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Not quite steady on the night shot- handheld.

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These were taken with my Sigma 50mm f1.4 lens.
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Were You There?

2008-09-16T22:24:00.000-07:00

Johnny Cash, the Carter Family, Jerry Byrd and the Tennessee Three from the Grand Ol Opry Hall of Fame DVD Box Set
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Eccentric Dance

2008-09-10T21:21:00.000-07:00

From Bettie Page: Varietease/Teaserama
Click the pic, Jack! In case you were wondering, EJK over at BoingBoing offers this link as a clue to the meaning of the punch line, Man! Dig that crazy Bendix!"

No Admittance

2008-09-10T20:19:00.000-07:00

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I took this with my new ultra tiny Casio camera. I don't know why this picture appeals to me... I guess it's the lighting and colors... and all the crazy tangents. I was looking at a friend's blog today. He writes about real life stuff. Hmmm. I dunno about that. I think I'll just show pictures of it.

Chileo Flats

2008-09-08T16:54:00.000-07:00

My pal Danny just drove all the way from Hollywood Florida to Hollywood California. In his entire life, he's never seen anything but beaches, sink holes and swamps. So I drove him up to the top of Angeles Crest to see what a mountain is like.

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These were taken with my Tokina 11-16 2.8 ultra wide angle lens.

The Piano Has Been Drinking

2008-07-08T20:03:00.000-07:00

Lately, I've been watching a lot of Fernwood 2 Nite and America 2 Nite shows on DVD...

And Now A Word From Our Sponsor...

2008-06-27T09:30:00.000-07:00

Little Jimmy Dickens: Hillbilly Fever

2008-06-12T19:42:00.000-07:00

After our recent trip to see George Jones, Richie surprised me with tickets to see a concert by a country legend that I didn't even know was still performing... Little Jimmy Dickens- all four foot eleven of him!

I have to apologize for the quality of these pictures. I left my Nikon at home, so I had to shoot these with my iPhone. The concert was in our own backyard this time... Safari Sam's in Hollywood. The place looked familiar to me. I remember visiting there when a previous business that dealt in "midsection terpsichorians" (ahem!) inhabited the place. It was a lot nicer this time.

Little Jimmy Dickens is 87 years old. He put on a dynamite show, complete with jokes and hillbilly style comedy routines. The show ended with his tear-jerker, "Raggedy Ann". A few laughs- a few tears... What more could you ask for? He truly is the last of his kind.

After the show, he came out into the audience and signed autographs and shook hands with everybody. What a gentleman! I got a chance to tell him that I saw him perform in 1965. I took a trip with friends to the Santa Monica pier, and they were taping a music television show. I don't remember any of the other acts I saw that day, but I vividly remember Jimmy singing May The Bird Of Paradise Fly Up Your Nose.

Here is a recent interview with this great performer... Part One...

And Part Two...

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A New Angle On Bob's- Wide

2008-06-12T17:37:00.000-07:00

I got a new lens... a super wide angle- Tokina 11-16 f2.8. We took it to Bob's Big Boy to try out. (Here's a full resolution copy of this picture.)

It produces flattering portraits if you hold it about five inches from your face.

JoJo brought his birthday present with him.

I was as pleased as punch with the way these pictures turned out.
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Pssshhhhppppttttt! WHITE LIGHTNIN'!

2008-05-04T17:57:00.000-07:00

Another road trip with Richie... and his brother Jeremy. This time, we visited Primm, Nevada to see another God of country music... George Jones.

I took a lot of panorama shots. They look kinda scrawny in the blog, but don't let that bother you. Click on them to see them in their full glory.

First stop was Denny's in scenic Baker, California... Richie ordered a stack of hotcakes as big as his head. We discovered that every offramp in the Mojave Desert has its own Denny's... one after another... mile after mile... like an endless "Twilight Zone" of sagebrush and hash brown potatoes.

We took a quick side trip to the world's largest thermometer in Baker. It doesn't look as good as this postcard picture any more. Now it's billed as "the world's tallest mini-mall". Very sad.

We arrived in the chaos of Primm, and found it to be exactly as we left it a couple of weeks ago. Richie and Jeremy gambled away their pocket change while I sat and sipped a Diet Pepsi and people watched. Finally, it was time to see George...

Well, there was bad news and good news... The bad news was that ol' George had a sore throat and was pretty hoarse. The good news was that no one can call him "No Show Jones" any more. He took the stage and proceded to give us all a great time anyway.

George's band was great... Especially Brittany Allyn, who took the Tammy Wynette parts throughout the evening. She did a great solo version of "Blue Eyes".

George Jones is a first class performer. Although it was clear that he was struggling with his voice, he didn't let it slow him down. He gave us a full two hour set of songs from his entire fifty year career in music. He gave each of his band members a chance to shine, and the fiddle breakdowns in particular were real crowd pleasers.

To heck with Merle Haggard and his blah forty minute set... Ol' George really delivered the goods.

Thanks for the great show, George! I'll come out and see you any time you're in the area.

In case you aren't familiar with him, George Jones is one of the living legends of country music. Here are a couple of pictures of him, then and in more recent times...

Here's a video clip of George blowing the lid off the Grand Ol Opry...

Eddie Fitzgerald- Man of Many Moods

2008-04-26T10:00:00.000-07:00

A Treat From My Friend Mike Fontanelli...

2008-04-23T18:50:00.001-07:00

Down Every Road...

2008-04-06T18:30:00.000-07:00

I just got back from another road trip with Richie to see a legend of country music... It was also a trip back to my childhood in honor of an old friend.

When I was a kid, our Boy Scout troop used to go for overnight camping trips to a tourist trap in the middle of the desert called Calico Ghost Town. Richie and I returned there together after over three decades. It's just the same.

Calico was built by Walter Knott, the man who created Knott's Berry Farm. The story of Walter Knott is an interesting one... Through some clever genetic trickery, Knott's neighbor, Rudolph Boysen grafted a blueberry and a raspberry. Knott asked Boysen for a slip from his bush and within a few days, he had patented Boysen's creation under his own name. Knott became rich, and to show his appreciation, he named the fruit after the inventor. (He didn't share the harvest of money he made on it though!)

In the early 50s, at the height of the cowboys and Indians craze, Knott had the harebrained idea of turning a real ghost town in the middle of the desert into a wild west theme park. The idea tanked (location! location! location!) and Knott was hemmoraging money on the project. How to get out from under the albatross around his neck? He did what any other great businessman would do... He donated the property (and the debt incurred for the upkeep) to the government. Calico Ghost Town became a county park.

Richie and I spent many a summer night camping under the clear blue skies of Calico. Our buddy Kirk loved Calico almost as much as he loved Disneyland. Kirk passed away last month after a long bout with cancer. Although we didn't speak it out loud, it was clear that we were visiting Calico for Kirk.

Personally, I've always preferred Knott's Berry Farm to Disneyland. It's less manicured and somehow more real. I could spend all day wandering through the ghost town there, or at its doppelganger in the desert, Calico. But we only had an hour.

Calico had a terrible fire break out about five years ago, but it has rebuilt and it looks better than ever. It's nice to find something that actually still is the way you remember it from your childhood. The fire actually seems to have added something to the atmosphere of the place.

Since it's run by the county of San Bernardino, there are no flashy rides at Calico, and the gift shops aren't packed with Chinese made plush and plastic. Sasparilla and penny candy are the chief products here.

There is something strange about the desert wind. It comes in hot and dusty and keeps on going. It doesn't stop to swirl around the rotting buildings; it goes in a straight line. It never stops and it never gets where it's going. The timelessness of the desert contrasts nicely with the heavy mark the passage of time has put on man's creations at Calico.

Calico is a wonderful place to ponder life's mysteries. Richie and I visited one of the most mysterious places on earth... THE MYSTERY SHACK. Strangely enough, all of the photographs I took of the Mystery Shack turned out blurry. If you want to know the secrets of the Mystery Shack, you will have to visit Calico for yourself.

From the furthest reaches of our childhood, Richie and I heard a jolly tune wafting on the breeze. A man's voice spoke...

Amazing! Amusing! Highly scientific and educational! Nothing jumps out to frighten small children. Everyone loves an unsolved mystery and the Mystery Shack is CHOCK full!

I asked a pretty lemonade girl if she had ever seen a ghost at Calico. She said that she hadn't herself but people she knew had seen strange phantoms drifting through the weathered timbers late at night. I hope Kirk is one of them. He would love to haunt the Mystery Shack.

Down every road there's always one more city
I'm on the run, the highway is my home
I raised a lot of Cain back in my younger days
While Mama used to pray my crops would fail
I'm a hunted fugitive with just two ways:
Outrun the law or spend my life in jail.

Every road nowadays seems to lead to a mini-mall food court, and this one was no different. From the quiet solitude of Calico, we burst into a full on white trash circus in progress... Stateline.

This is what passes for landscaping in Primm, Nevada. I always used to wonder who stopped in these low budget casinos... why not drive another thirty minutes and do it up right in Vegas? Well, I found out. Buffalo Bill's casino sits about thirty feet over the Nevada border. It was packed with San Berdoo teenagers between the ages of 18 and 20 taking advantage of Nevada's looser drinking age laws. Mingling with the drunken children were disoriented elderly folk who seemed to arrive by the busload every hour on the hour, and plenty of unkempt and often smelly cheapskates looking for a $39 room and nickle slots.

Primm Nevada is like something out of David Lynch's Wild At Heart.

But we weren't here for the cheezeball McDonalds food court and the inbred hicks drinking their brain cells away. We were here to see one of the grand old men of Country Music, Merle Haggard.

Yes, Haggard is a great musician. But this wasn't one of his best nights. He sleep-walked through a few lackluster truncated renditions of his old hits, neglected to introduce the musicians in the band by name, and ended up cutting the evening short with an abrupt, "Well that's it. Goodbye." He marched off the stage and all the cretins in the bleachers stumbled back to their nickle slots and 99 cent beers.

Oh well. I've always got my records...

A reason to go back to Thailand...

2008-03-29T17:27:00.000-07:00

The Chairman of the Board

2008-03-01T19:44:00.000-08:00

Three by Sinatra. I'll have an interesting surprise regarding this video in a couple of weeks. Check back.

Frank Sinatra: "Just One Of Those Things" / "Angel Eyes" / "The Lady Is A Tramp"
from The Frank Sinatra Show: High Hopes (1957)
Quicktime / 19.5 MB / 9 minutes

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A Hero Comes To Bakersfield

2007-10-06T00:12:00.000-07:00

Yesterday, my oldest friend Richie and I took a road trip to...

Bakersfield is a great old cattle town two hours up the Grapevine.

We took a little time to soak up a little of the local color.

Bakersfield has a vibe (and a smell) all its own. Everyone drives a truck there.

Why would we take the day off to make this particular trip? Well, we went to visit the late Buck Owens' Crystal Palace supper club...

To see our longtime Country & Western hero, Ray Price.

Price, who is going to be 82 next week, was there with his Western Swing band, The Cherokee Cowboys.

He started the show with a medley of his country hits... Crazy Arms, Heartaches By The Numbers, City Lights...

...and covered all of his pop favorites too, like Make The World Go Away, For The Good Times and I Won't Mention It Again.

But even with his pop songs, the accent was on Country.

It was clear that everyone was having a good time.

Ray's band was great. I've never heard this kind of music live before. It was a revelation.

At the end of the evening, Ray sang a song by his old pal, Hank Williams... Mansion On The Hill. He left us with this comment, "I want you all to know that old-time country music isn't dead. Radio was the one that turned its back on you- not us. We good ol' boys are still here makin' music for you."

That got a standing ovation.

Ray Price is one of the legends of Country & Western music. In case you don't know who he is, this great video should give you a taste...

Los Angeles County Fair

2007-09-21T22:19:00.000-07:00

It's County Fair Time again!

There is so much to see at the Fair, it's hard to take everything in.

Everyone is primed to have fun at the Fair. That's why we go!

You don't have to play a single game to be a winner at the fair. Just watching is fun.

The best time at the Fair is right at dusk. I always head for the Fun Zone then.

But at night, the place really comes to life.

Everything blinks and spins. Especially my eyes and head!

You meet all kinds of people at the Fair. It's a people-watcher's dream!

The Fair has a dark side too. The Carny Folk will give you the Evil Eye if you aren't on your best behavior.

But most people are just regular folks.

Some panoramas to make you feel like you're there.

This one is the mother of all panorams... Scroll around and take the tour!

Here are two pictures by Michael of a couple of my friends at the Fair... First is Thumber the Pig. He has been the mascot of the Fair since the mid-1930s. Neither of us look quite as good as we used to.

This is a very special person. It's Lucy from the Imported Beers booth. She was voted the best fair employee of the year one year, and she deserves it. Every year, she looks for me the first week of the Fair. She is a jewel. She shines and sparkles and stands out in a crowd.

My favorite area is the Commercial Exhibits. Hide my credit card!

Magic happens every year. You have to be ready for it.

I sure am happy with my new camera!

I miss Ditto. We went every year. But he's in Tennessee now.

This year, Michael went with me for the first time. That makes it special.

Uh oh... Too much time spent at the Imported Beers booth! (click)

Let's go to the Fair!
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Coronet: Drama In The Courtroom (Coronet/April 1947)

2007-09-20T18:53:00.000-07:00

Here is a photo feature from the April 1947 issue of Coronet magazine. It's uncredited, but I'm quite sure that some of these photos are by Arthur "Weegee" Fellig.

Every day, against the dramatic background of courtrooms and police stations, men and women come face to face with the cold, immovable figure of law and order. Their reactions, prompted by innocence or guilt, have created some of photography's most compelling and meaningful portraits. From the grim files of courtroom scenes as recorded by top news photographers, K.S. Safranski submitted hundreds of pictures to Coronet. Now, after careful selection, the editors bring you the best of those courtroom pictures woven into an exciting pattern you will not easily forget.

For men who break or ignore the law, there is no hiding place, no turning back. His hands eloquently expressing self-pity, this man confessed to killing two people. "I wish I'd kept still." he said.

But while one regrets his confession, another bewildered soul is truly penitent. Sobbing, "He done me wrong," this woman admitted killing her husband in a fit of temporary insanity. She was acquitted.

Held in the tortured grasp of their turbulent emotions, criminals often resort to vain excuses, flimsy attempts to lessen their punishment. Here, the accused murderer on the left points a symbolic finger at her innocent neighbor, who was implicated in a similar case. In a graphic demonstration, innocence sits calm and unmoved as proved guilt talks and points and squirms its way into prison for life.

In courtrooms everywhere, there are moments like this which tug at your heart. Though he was freed for feeding pigeons illegally, this kindly old man could hardly be blamed for his tears of indignation.

There are ugly moments too- and ugly tales, like the one in which this unshaven, unkempt man was involved. For attempting to kill a seven year old girl, he was sent to prison for forty years of his life.

No matter what the charge against him, you can often tell the worth of a man by watching him in court. Errol Flynn, on the right, was the picture of dignity as he listened while his innocence was proved...

...but this killer, dead today, succumbed completely to uncontrollable emotion during his trial. Like symbols of the law itself, strong arms held him. He was sentenced to the electric chair.

In the courtroom, lawyers themselves cannot always resist their clients' outbreaks of feeling. Here a baliff intervenes in the struggle for a card- exhibit A- in a hectic courtroom drama.

A verdict of freedom for an innocent man evokes the happiest of courtroom scenes. At the news of his acquittal, this defendant patted his lawyer's cheek in an outburst of well-earned joy.

Outside of the courtroom too, emotions may explode into violence. Here, an impatient father ripped his daughter from his wife's arms, in a court fight for his right to custody of the child.

And even when there is humor in the courtroom, it is a pathetic, grim sort of humor- as in this case of a drunk who was given the choice of jail or a glass of castor oil. He took the castor oil.

In the courtroom's supreme moment of tragedy, it is often possible to watch a man go from life to death in a few seconds. Here, smiling and self-assured, a killer faces the court. The judge's voice begins...

It rolls out over the silent room. The criminal listens. He bites his lip. His eyes are far away. The judge's voice drones on...

You are hereby sentenced... The condemned man catches his breath sharply, trying to grasp the cold fact of the situation...

...to die in the electric chair. This killer is crushed. This is his reward for murder. And may God have mercy... He hears no more. The people are avenged.

But in or out of the courtroom, no criminal hurts himself alone. He cuts a wide, heartbreaking path. Here, an hysterical mother, restrained by her attorney on the left, reaches in anguish towards her two sons, but they are destined to be executed for murder. And this woman, who committed no crime, who is free and innocent herself, must face life anew, haunted by a painful memory through the endless years.
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Sammy and Lee

2007-09-04T20:32:00.000-07:00

There will be no snickering allowed.

Some performers are pianists. Others are dancers. Some are actors or singers or comedians. But in my opinion, the best are entertainers first and foremost.

Admit it. You're getting carried away with the music and you can't take your eyes off the guy. Yeah... yeah... I know. It doesn't matter.

It's easy to make fun of these two entertainers. They make fun of themselves. But underneath the fun is pure talent. They're amazing to watch. They sing, they dance, they tell jokes. What more could you ask for?

Don't make me slug you... Shut up and enjoy!

Liberace on the Sammy Davis Jr. Show (early 70s)
Quicktime / 16.5 MB / minutes
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IV-V

2007-08-22T15:30:00.000-07:00

It was my friend's birthday, but I got a gift.
friends are the best kind of treasure.
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JD's Pictures

2007-08-21T19:18:00.000-07:00

My buddy JD needed head shots and a movie poster for his film DOUBLE QUICK! So I set up my new studio lights and pulled out my new camera and shot these...

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I Have Seen A Thousand Faces (Coronet/Sept 1949)

2007-08-08T20:46:00.000-07:00

THE HUMAN FACE, with its infinite range of expression, is an ever-changing reflection of the story of humanity. Now, from hundreds of photographs, the editors of CORONET have selected a distinguished gallery- to bring you a new interpretation of that ageless story.

I have seen a thousand faces, old and young. More eloquent than words, each speaks to me. Not on their lips, but in their eyes is sung the sorrow and the song of life's brief melody.

I have seen the first faint flush of undertanding invade infant eyes, like a breath that born unseen, blooms in visible birth upon a mirror's clear, commanding face, and fades, and seems to leave no trace of what has been.

I have watched a child's bewildered face, so soft and fair. A shape unformed, as changing as a cloud in Summer skies. Here each trembling moment is eternal, and yet, unaware. The distant years of manhood have flickered in these eyes.

I have seen the face of wonder, rapt and still. A brief and yielding sculpture, molded by surprise. A captured glance set free without consent of will, to rest again, enraptured on some wonderous compromise.

I have seen the face of innocence, touched only by the wisdom of the wind, the blessing of the sun. guileless, undefended, yet knowing not one lonely hour. For a world at morning is a lifetime just begun.

And I have searched the face of infinite and everlasting peace, composed and thoughtful of the years that slip away. And yet how rare this face, like a light beam shafting down from a troubled sky in benediction on each ending day.

I have seen the tousled face of laughter, unconfined by sly restraints that bind an elder world to a smile. For aged convention has not shaped this eager, joyous mind. Nor shall ambition's sharp and worried edge intrude awhile.

And I have known the rough-hewn face of time, tracing back to mend the frayed, unraveled thread of years. Though all reflection is an empty glass- replacing not one fragment dream, nor sealing off one avenue of fears.

I have seen the breathless face of youth, set free to conquer pathways trod a thousand times before. And yet for each discoverer embarked, expectancy holds forth the golden promise of a newly opened door.

And I have seen the face of middle years look back on a brimming cup, and wish to alter not one drop within. This is a face by richness touched, and whatever lack may be, is shadowed by the triumphs happiness can win.

I have watched the indrawn face of strain, still haunted by the spectres of a hundred nameless terrors overcome. And eyes, the muted witnesses of what has been, are taunted still by shocks, like echoes held within the prison of a drum.

And I have seen the face of courage, eyes upraised to meet the future challenge and the present need. Here judgement conquers doubt, and dreams appraised of their true metal, find perspective, and succeed.

And I have been a witness to the tortured face of grief, untempered by the knowledge that all passions ebb and wane and leave, like the tidal pools along the rising shoreline of relief, only the depths of sorrow, and the scattered memory of pain.

And I have seen the face of wisdom, calm and stern, where sadness dwells in quiet company with age. These eyes have known what each mortal life must learn- that faith is answered in the turning of the final page.

I have seen a thousand faces, all the rest are lost, like blades of grass that crowd upon a sod. And of a thousand passed, these I remember best- The quiet faces brushed by the waiting hands of God. -J.P. Folinsbee
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Out Of Time: Count Basie

2007-07-27T22:23:00.001-07:00

It's strange how simple, off-the-cuff stuff can be so beautiful, it makes you cry.

Here's Count Basie on the Jazz Casual TV program in the early 60s.

Basie paints a picture of Kansas City and Harlem in a golden age, then dispells it with a laugh like the smoke from his cigarette. "So, uh... Where were we?"

Why can't the past last?

At least there are glimpses like this one once in a while. This is what I live for.

"That's The Lion's ending."

Count Basie on Jazz Casual
"Hand Full of Keys" / "Squeeze Me"
Quicktime / 5:30 / 11.8 mb

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Divided Time At Bob's Big Boy

2007-07-26T14:23:00.000-07:00

I went to Bob's Big Boy in Toluca Lake twice this week.

Michael asked me to take him out to learn to take pictures.

He was surprised I suggested doing it at night, but he was happy with his results.

Charlie Bozo is the world's most highly evolved human. He is what the rest of us will be in a few thousand generations.

I haven't been able to enjoy Charlie's company at the Coral lately. I think we will retreat to Bob's more often.

We got to sit in the "Beatle Booth".

JD loves the camera.

It's hard to divide myself. I feel like King Soloman's baby.

I hear the Popeye DVD is coming out this week.