Well, dear readers, Detective BK is here to solve the mystery. Yes, I, Detective BK, received another Hollywood photo and its location, from the woman who works at the library downtown and who is trying to ID all the locations. I have solved many mystery locations, and some have eluded me. This photo eluded me for many hours.
CLICK HEREThat is Jean-Paul Belmondo somewhere in Los Angeles in 1967. She thought the building on the left might be the Bekins building on Highland just south of Santa Monica Blvd., but that is a very tall building that looks nothing like the building in the photo from ANY angle. I looked carefully at the lettering on the side of the building, very out of focus but could have had the “ins” of Bekins, although what was below it wasn’t the word “storage.” But I also checked the other Bekins buildings in LA – nada, all tall buildings. I also felt instantly that this was not a major street like Santa Monica Blvd or Sunset or Hollywood or Melrose, although Melrose does have a few stretches where it’s one lane. It wasn’t until I finally got my eyes off the damn building and looked over on the right at the parking lots. Despite the fuzziness of the photo, that turned out to be the key to unlocking the mystery. Note on two of the signs it says, “Theatre Parking.” So, it had to be near a theater, either legit or movie. I couldn’t find anything at the time about Belmondo being in LA that year. I checked many movie theaters and some legit theaters, but nothing. Then last night, I realized I hadn’t checked the Las Palmas Theater on Las Palmas, south of Hollywood Blvd. A real longshot, that one, but I did a street view search because frankly the street itself looked like a typical side street in Hollywood or LA. And – voila – there it was, plain as day – the building on the left, still there and a landmark called the Redwine building. Note the power pole behind Belmondo’s head is still there and may well be the same one.
CLICK HEREAnd across the street parking stuff – it’s now one big lot for parking for the Egyptian theater and all other businesses. And then because we knew the photo was dated February 1967, I searched Belmondo again and voila – he spent three months in Hollywood in 1967, taking a break from acting. He may have been doing a little Oscar-nomination publicity for Is Paris Burning and they were having a Godard festival at the Los Feliz – who knows if he attended any of that. My guess is that this photo was taken either before or after dining at Miceli’s, a very popular show biz spot back then, or maybe even Musso and Frank – Miceli’s being just to the left of where this photo was taken and Musso being on the boulevard and just a minute walk. I sent her all the information and asked what my PRIZE is. I really thought I wouldn’t solve this but I really don’t like to give up on these things. Pretty good, huh?
Yesterday was a day of pretty much nothing. I did get eight and a half hours of sleep, got up, was very groggy, ordered orange chicken from the good jernt, answered e-mails, sent the little changes were putting in on Friday for the play, ate food when it arrived – very good, but I swear the portions get smaller and smaller – then I was zonked again, so I sat on my couch like so much fish at two o’clock and the next thing I knew it was six o’clock. Yikes. Yikes and a half. Then I had a really long and fun conversation with Barry Gordon, the wonderful actor who starred with Jason Robards on Broadway and in the film of A Thousand Clowns. We’ve spoken over the years and he’s such a down-to-earth sweet person. And, of course, our very own Barry Pearl understudied him in A Thousand Clowns. Anyway, we’re gonna meet up for a meal soon and talk about a few interesting things. Then Detective BK went to work and solved the mystery in about fifteen minutes after the initial hours of failing to do so. And here we are. And it’s raining out. I never left because the shipping tube that came wasn’t wide enough so I had to order the next larger circumference, which will be here Thursday. So, that’s when I’ll do all my stuff that I didn’t do, including vaccination and Claritin-D.
Today, I’ll be up when I’m up, I’ll do whatever needs doing, which hopefully won’t be much, I’ll eat, I’ll hopefully get a progress report on the site’s issues, and I really will try to watch, listen, and relax.
Tomorrow, I’ll ship a package, return the incorrect Amazon tube, get Claritin-D and a vaccination, put gas in the motor car, and I’m hoping to get proofer two’s fixes in the evening. Proofer two wrote me a lovely note – up to chapter ten and he’s really liking the book and its story/plot and characters.
Well, dear readers, I must take the day, I must do the things I do, I must, for example, be up when I’m up, do whatever needs doing, eat, get a progress report, and then watch, listen, and relax. Today’s topic of discussion: It’s Ask BK Day, the day in which you get to ask me or any dear reader any old question you like and we get to give any old answer we like. So, let’s have loads of lovely questions and loads of lovely answers and loads of lovely postings, shall we, whilst I hit the road to dreamland where I shall rest on my laurels for Detective BK solving the case.