July | 2011 | Quite Continental

LIFE Archives: Grad Nite

26/07/2011 § 6 Comments

I was recently inadvertently reminded how awesome it is to grow up in Los Angeles — not that I actually ever forget such things, but I realized that there was something I needed to add to the list. Being a high school senior is great fun no matter where you attend school, no doubt. You go to the prom and graduation, and do all the things that seniors do. But for seniors in Los Angeles, there is an additional graduation tradition that has been around since 1961, called “Grad Nite.” Held every year, Los Angeles seniors are let loose in the Disneyland theme park from 11pm to 6am, for an all-night party just for them.

My mother did it, and so did I. Somehow I have no pictures from my trip, but perhaps my mom might have a few from hers. We can attempt to bribe her, but I’m not sure it will work. In the meantime, I discovered that LIFE sent a photographer to Grad Nite in the early 60s who captured some darling pictures. From the photos, you can see the graduates were required to adhere to a strict dress code that has since been completely relaxed. What was once sport coats and party dresses has become t-shirts and sneakers.

I’m pretty sure her feet hurt more.

To this day, pavilions are still set up throughout the park for dancing.

It gets to be a rather late night…

Because of the late hours, Grad Nite presented seniors with the opportunity to have an extended — albeit highly chaperoned — date, as you can see from the pictures. By the time I went, the experience was a lot less focused on couples, but you were still allowed to bring a date. At that time in my so-called life I was dating — somewhat against my parents’ wishes — a ridiculously beautiful older boy who drove a huge pickup truck, raced jetskis, swore like a sailor and chain smoked. He also modeled for Calvin Klein. Paging, Jordan Catalano. Textbook bad boy, right? Well, not really. When I asked him if he’d like to go to Grad Nite, he declined on account of his fear of buses, since we’d have to take one there.

Now, I’m not sure if he just made the whole thing up because he didn’t really want to go. It’s possible. But to this day, it still makes me laugh. I ended up going with one of my best childhood friends and it was probably for the better because I had absolutely no qualms about falling asleep on him on the (big!! scary!!) bus on the way home the next morning.

Happy Liberation Day: Battle of Guam – July 21, 1944

20/07/2011 § 5 Comments

First US flag on Guam on boat hook mast being staked in ground by 2 US officers on Guam 8 minutes after US Marines & Army assault troops landed on Central Pacific island during WWII. Taken July 20, 1944, via LIFE.

July 21 marks the 67th anniversary of the Battle of Guam, considered the official date America regained possession of the island of Guam, during World War II. Guam, the largest of the the Mariana Islands, remains a US territory to this day. Lasting over two weeks, the battle was difficult, but the victory was decisive. The day is celebrated as Liberation Day in Guam.

Now, why do I know this? Purely self interest. Because my paternal grandfather fought in the Pacific Theatre during World War II, was stationed in Guam, met my grandmother-to-be there (a pretty native Chamorro hula girl), and fell in love. Unfortunately, I was never able to meet my grandfather, as he passed away when my own father was a boy, so I did not get to hear his wartime stories. I did, however, hear stories from my grandmother, who has also passed, about her harrowing experiences during the Japanese occupation.

And so, I wanted to share a bit of history as I remember both my grandparents and celebrate the liberation of a place that I am yet to see with my own eyes. Of course, I’m also deeply thankful to the servicemen and women like my grandfather who sacrificed so much to recapture this tiny speck in the South Pacific.

Happy Liberation Day!

Photos from the LIFE Archives from the Battle of Guam

Last image via US National Archives.

Honored Revisit: LIFE Archives: Circus City USA, 1947 {Hugo, Oklahoma}

19/07/2011 § 4 Comments

Betty Jean Pratt Cannon, 1947.

Just wanted to draw your attention to something that I think is kind of amazing that is currently happening on QC, that you might not have noticed… A few months ago, I discovered a cache of beautiful images taken by Cornell Capa for LIFE magazine in the city of Hugo, Oklahoma in 1947. This city has a very interesting history, due to the community’s long and storied connection to the traditional American traveling circus. I was entranced by the pictures of the town, the multigenerational families of performers, the trained animals, and the beautiful costumes. I ended up posting a bunch of them in April and they drew a pretty average number of viewers, who loved them as much as I did.

Then, around 4th of July, I noticed that the post was drawing a outsized amount of people, and I couldn’t figure out why this was happening. Finally, someone commented. A longtime resident of Hugo let me know that one of the beautiful young women in the pictures had recently passed and that her services were to be that very week. Suddenly, I had an outpouring of comments from current and former Hugo residents, thanking me and letting me know that I had found pictures of their friends, their relatives, and of themselves. I also was honored to receive heartfelt messages from the daughters, granddaughters, and nieces of Betty Jean Pratt Cannon, the woman who passed, and who is pictured above.

If you have a moment, please stop by the original post to view the amazing pictures and read the touching comments. I always figured that this silly little blog was something I did to amuse myself, and I never expected to experience anything so poignant. I am humbled and honored to have this opportunity to connect people to their history.

Original post, April 25, 2011: LIFE Archives: Circus City USA, 1947 {Hugo, Oklahoma}

Summer in New York: Happy Bastille Day

14/07/2011 § 1 Comment

Military planes in formation, 1954 parade

Bastille Day has arrived. This national holiday in France commemorates the storming of the Bastille, considered to be the beginning of the French Revolution. Today, France puts on the world’s oldest and largest military parade (ongoing since 1880, almost without exception), down Avenue des Champs-Élysées.

François de La Rocque, leading the parade in 1935.

While many New York celebrations took place over the last weekend, there are still a few places where you can raise a glass in honor of “liberté, égalité, fraternité” today. Eater has done an excellent round-up, available here. My favorites are the free bottle of Veuve to Marie Antoinette impersonators at Artisanal and the pétanque tournament at Cercle Rouge with big band performances.

How will you celebrate Bastille Day?

Actress Elke Sommer playing pétanque.

LIFE Archives: Chesapeake Bay Retriever

11/07/2011 § 2 Comments

Trigger and Donald. Image via LIFE, taken 1949.

Now, before you accuse me of going all Horse and Hound on you (btw, that YouTube clip features Julia Roberts in a tie! Love!), this picture explains how I got on the path to the images of the sporting ladies. I recently learned that Maryland had an official state dog called the Chesapeake Bay Retriever, and was one of only eleven states to designate an official state mutt. The “Chessie” is a breed that traces its roots back to two Newfoundland pups rescued from a ship called the Canton that foundered off of Maryland in 1807. The dogs were then bred with local retrievers, eventually resulting in this curly-coated, water-loving, gundog that somewhat resembles a Labrador. George Custer was a fan of the breed, taking his Chessies with him on the battlefield. Teddy Roosevelt also had a Chessie, named Sailor Boy, who was supposedly a descendant of Custer’s dogs.

So, why the duck picture? Well, in an effort to find a picture of this storied American breed, I came across these images of Trigger and his best friend Donald (yes, the duck) in the LIFE Archives. Evidently Donald hated the water and whenever his owners would throw him into the pond so that he could be with the rest of the ducks, Trigger the Chessie would immediately jump in the water and gently retrieve Donald. Too hilarious not to share.

Rabbit Hole: Sporting Ladies

11/07/2011 § Leave a comment

I have never been hunting.

Image taken 1915, via State Library and Archive of Florida.

Nor have I ever shot a gun. Or held a gun, for that matter. But for some reason I found myself drawn to these images of sporting ladies this weekend. I have to say my curiosity is piqued. Piqued enough to make it down to a shooting range? Well, we will just have to see about that…

Image taken 1885, via State Library and Archive of Florida.

Image taken 1920, via Montana State University Libraries.

Image via Forks Timber Museum.

Otter hunting, taken 1901. Image via National Library of Ireland.

A young First Lady Lou Henry Hoover, in 1891.
Image via US National Archives.

Image taken 1910, via the Library of Congress.

Harriet Hammond, President of Nemours Gun Club, the first women’s shooting club in America. Image taken between 1910-1915, via Library of Congress.

Nemours Gun Club.
Image taken between 1910-1915, via Library of Congress.

Image taken 1941 by Bernard Hoffman.

Venetian Memories of Cy Twombly {The Coronation of Sesostris at the Palazzo Grassi}

07/07/2011 § Leave a comment

Cy Twombly, taken in 1958 by David Lees. Image via Time Life.

American artist Cy Twombly passed away Tuesday, July 5 in Rome at the age of 83. For me, his art has always had an irresistible magnetism. Primal and chaotic, symbolic and mysterious, there is something about Twombly’s body of work that immediately exhilarates me but simultaneously knocks me off-kilter. I love it. Currently there is an outpouring of remembrances and many obituaries have been written, so I don’t feel the need to launch into a report on his life. I will leave that to others. What I did want to share was my most memorable Twombly experience, viewing his Coronation of Sesostris (2000) at the Palazzo Grassi in Venice.

Image via Palazzo Grassi.

The stately Palazzo, completed during the second half of the eighteenth century, is located on the Grand Canal and currently houses the personal art collection of François Pinault (aka #77 on the Forbes List of World Billionaires, luxury goods tycoon robber-baron, and father to Francois-Henri who is a rather effective impregnator of fabulous ladies). It is truly an amazing setting to view Pinault’s excellent and growing collection of contemporary (post-war) art. I especially appreciate Koons’ Balloon Dog floating in the canal.

Twombly’s Coronation of Sesostris (2000) is an epic, ten part, mixed media work that was installed at the Palazzo in 2006. The panels chart the coronation procession of Sesotris, “one of the cruellest of Egypt’s pharaohs, the conqueror of Nubia and architect of the unification of the lands of Egypt into a single kingdom” (via PG) Thought by many to be his strongest work in years at the time it was produced, Twombly’s Coronation panels are

“…magnificently colored, flirt with ethereal degrees of unfinishedness, and are at once luxurious and rotting, full of life and funereal. Coronation of Sesostris echoes some of the erotic tenor and violence of the early work, though in the mournful minor keys of yearning and homesickness. Bursts of scarlet that once read as hands thrown up in rapture, or bloodstains, now feel like flowers or heartbeats; convulsive, surging rhythm has turned beautifully, excruciatingly protracted; love, loss, melancholy and memory have taken the place of real sex.” – Jerry Saltz (full article available via Artnet)

In the Palazzo, the large panels are positioned in a single room for maximum impact. Wandering among them, I was amazed by how vividly I saw the arc of this storyline of a single blazing day in Egypt and how viscerally I responded to the colors and the words Twombly utilized. It was easily my favorite work within the entire museum. I have included the panels below so that you might glean a sense of them, but I absolutely urge you to take the time if you are in Venice to see them in person at the Palazzo. While I am sad that Twombly has passed, I was pleased to reacquaint myself with an amazing work of art and of my treasured memories of Venice.

Coronation of Sesostris (2000) by Cy Twombly
All images below via Cy Twombly

Cy Twombly: April 25, 1928 – July 5, 2011

LIFE Archives: Bogart & Boats

06/07/2011 § 1 Comment

The iconic actor Humphrey Bogart is known by a number of his trademarks: the scar, the lisp, the trench coat, chain smoking, his love affair with Lauren Bacall. He also had a love affair with the sea, and some of my favorite films and pictures of Bogart involve boats — have you seen Key Largo? The African Queen? You must.

In California in 1945, Bogart bought a 55-foot (17 m) sailing yacht, the Santana, from actor Dick Powell. The sea was his sanctuary and he loved to sail around Catalina Island. He was a serious sailor, respected by other sailors who had seen too many Hollywood actors and their boats. About 30 weekends a year, he went out on his boat. He once said, “An actor needs something to stabilize his personality, something to nail down what he really is, not what he is currently pretending to be”.

Aboard his yacht the Albatross for the races at the Newport (CA) Yacht Club. Taken 1943 by John Florea.

Holy moly. The hat! The shirt! “Sluggy” was Bogart’s nickname for his third wife Mayo Methot and he also owned a motorboat with the same name.

Newport (CA) Yacht Club

Boss. With cigarette intact, natch.

Aboard his yacht Santana as he gets set to participate in the Newport (RI) Harbor to Ensenada Intl. Yacht Race. Taken 1945 by Peter Stackpole.

Aboard the African Queen in the Congo. Taken in 1950 by Eliot Elisofon.

Talk about Awesome People Hanging Out Together… Actor Humphrey Bogart, director John Huston and Bogart’s wife Lauren Bacall on the set of the film “The African Queen.” Can we talk about how adorable Bacall is here? And the gun Huston just happens to be holding?

All images via LIFE.

Fotos: Scenes from a New York Staycation {aka 4th of July weekend}

05/07/2011 § 4 Comments

Brooklyn Bridge.

First off, apologies to those of you that already follow me on Instagram, because these shots will be a bit repetitive. I had a guest from LA visit me for a few days and I took some time off this week to wander around the city and be a tourist too. I also managed to get some beach time, heading out on my first trip to Fort Tilden. Also caught Woody Allen’s latest and greatest. All in all, a welcome and much-needed minibreak.

Father Demo Square

Babycakes Vegan Bakery

Trinity Church

Bubby’s Pie Co

Stone Street

Washington Square Park

Petrossian restaurant in the Alwyn Court Building

The Chrysler Building

East River Bridges

Getting to Fort Tilden was quite easy. Catch a ferry from Pier 11, enjoy a few drinks on hourlong boat ride (which passes underneath the Verrazano and goes past Coney Island), and get dropped off a block away from the beach. While it’s not the most family-friendly set up (not a lot of bathrooms or concession stands and no lifeguards at all) the beach is beautiful and usually rather deserted. If you’re so inclined, clothing-optional sunbathing is fine. I kept it continental, but I did see a few fully nude gents and ladies — so if that’s not your thing, consider yourself forewarned.

Verrazano Bridge

“The observatory deck on top of Battery Harris East, a historic gun site, offers dramatic views of Jamaica Bay and New York Harbor, and is a great vantage point to spot migrating birds.”

Saturday’s summer storm in SoHo.

On Saturday I popped by the Angelika Theatre to see Midnight in Paris (a must see!) with Marisa, and then did a lovely bit of wandering, culminating with us solidly parking ourselves in the window seat of Mud Coffee in the East Village for a few hours.

Battery Park Marina

Evidently there are tango dancers in Union Square every Sunday…

Picnicking in Central Park

One World Trade Center.

Illustrated Independence

04/07/2011 § 1 Comment

Happy Fourth of July!
In honor of America’s birthday, a few illustrations.
If you’d like to see photographs, do head over to my Tumblr.

Sheet music, 1861.

Tammany Hall decorated for the Nat’l Convention, July 4th, 1868

Union Square, New York, July 4th 1876

Market St., Portsmouth, New Hampshire, July 4th, 1853

“Peace,” July 4th, 1865

“The 4th of July,” 1872.

“Fourth of July on the Hudson,” 1854.

I’m hoping to run into Messrs. Augustus and Frank Puffin (aka the “Rather Fast Youths”) along the Hudson this evening. Cigars, brandy cocktails, mint juleps, resplendent pants? Check, check, check, check…

“Fourth of July” 1894, by Charles Dana Gibson