7/20/22
Newsletter47
The Ass Crack of Dawn
It is night as I begin.
Steve Gordon spent the decade of the 1970s writing many TV shows like “Chico and the Man” and “Barney Miller.” He wrote a screenplay, “The One and Only,” that was produced in 1980. In the proper Hollywood fashion, he hastily made a writing/directing deal before “The One and Only” was released and bombed. In 1981 Steve Gordon got his first shot at directing a movie, from his own script, and the film was “Arthur.” “Arthur” was a smash success. Gordon was nominated for Best Original Screenplay, and the film won Best Song. So, at the age of 44, being the hottest property in Hollywood, what Gordon do next? He dropped dead of a heart attack.
By 1916, in the middle of WWI, Grigori Rasputin, known as the “Mad Monk,” had completely taken control of Tsar Nicholas II, his wife Alexandra, and the entire Russian royal family. Nobody in the royal court understood or accepted that this crass, foul-mouthed, dirty, Siberian monk was running their country. On the night of December 29, 1916, Prince Felix Yussupov, the richest man in Russia and the husband of the Czar’s only niece, and Grand Duke Dimitri Pavlovich, the Czar’s first cousin, decided to kill Rasputin. They gave him cakes and wine heavily laced with cyanide. Rasputin ate the cake, drank the wine, and nothing happened. Yussupov then took a pistol and shot Rasputin three times, including through the heart. Now Rasputin tried to get away and got outside. Yussupov and Pavlovich shot him again, beat him with shovels, put him in a bag, knocked a hole in the ice of the river, and stuffed Rasputin in. The next day Rasputin’s body was found on the shore. He had managed to get out of the bag, crawl out of the river, then froze to death.
For the one and only time, at the 1944 Oscars, Barry Fitzgerald was nominated for both Best Actor and Best Supporting Actor for the same film, “Going My Way.” Fitzgerald won Best Supporting Actor, and his co-star, Bing Crosby, won Best actor.
The first movie studio in Hollywood, started in 1911, was Christie-Nestor Studios located at Sunset Blvd. and Gower St. This was before the introduction of feature-length films, so Christie-Nestor produced three 10-20 minute films a week: a comedy, a drama, and a western. Soon there were so many actors hoping for a part and already dressed up as cowboys and Indians loitering around that corner that it was jokingly nicknamed, “Gower Gulch.” Presently, there is a small shopping center located on that corner called Gower Gulch.
And now it’s a brand new day.
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The Ass Crack of Dawn
I am thoroughly enjoying this daily dose of vintage Josh. These are the stories and life updates that you have always had to sneak into answers to questions at your site, and I'm loving the stream of consciousness here. It's only been a few weeks, but this morning when you were a few minutes later than usual, my first thought was "oh my gosh I hope he's ok!" This is a great way to kick off the day, the title notwithstanding, so keep 'em coming!