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Tales Of A Hollywood Tour Guide
by: Stephen Schochet
Author/Narrator Stephen Schochet researched Hollywood and Disney stories and lore for 10 years while giving tours of Hollywood. He had the unique idea the stories could be told anywhere and that's what led him to create the critically acclaimed audiobooks Fascinating Walt Disney and Tales Of Hollywood. Here he shares some stories that happened while he was actually giving tours:
On one tour I pointed out the Fox Plaza, the building that was blown up in the movie Die...
In Hollywood As In Life You Never Reach The Top
by Stephen SchochetWhen Jim Carey was paid $20,000,000 for The Cable Guy, a record breaking salary for a movie star, John Travolta topped him by asking for $20,000,001 for the movie Michael and got it. But there is always someone who makes more than you. John Travolta was invited to Robin William's birthday party in Northern California. He arrived there in his Lear Jet and was greeted by a cigar smoking Steven Spielberg, who had suggested he take the Michael role in the first place, and his...
Kate Hepburn Stories
by Stephen SchochetKatherine Hepburn came to Los Angeles in 1932 and like Calista Flockart, had a theater person's snobbish view towards Hollywood. In person, she impressed no one with her looks and style, and executive David O. Selznick worried about her horse face. She finished her first film, Bill Of Divorcement with John Barrymore and told him, Thank God we're finished. I never want to act with you again. The Great Man replied, My dear girl. I wasn't aware that you had. Many of Miss...
Hollywood Horse Stories
by Stephen SchochetA recent Hollywood rumor was that Tobey Maguire injured his back during the making of Sea Biscuit doing horseback riding scenes, making him unable to star in the sequel to Spider-Man. Although it turned out to be false, he rode a mechanical horse in the film, many actors have had close calls working with horses. One example was Michael Caine, whose first movie Zulu (1964) required him to ride a horse after a hunting expedition, which after several embarrassing takes...
Strange Encounters With Hollywood Legends
by: Stephen Schochet
Meeting famous people is often a surreal experience for both parties. In 1956 when Elvis Presley arrived in Hollywood he and his entourage stayed at the Hollywood Roosevelt Hotel. One day he got into the elevator. What floor? asked the operator. Tenth please. The operator looked at him with disdain. You can't go up to the tenth floor. Elvis is staying there. No one is allowed there. A bemused Presley said, I know. I'm Elvis. The hotel employee stared at him...
Can I Have Your Autograph
?
by: Stephen Schochet
Being a celebrity means dealing with fan demands for autographs, ranging from polite and appropriate to rude and overbearing. One time Katherine Hepburn was performing on Broadway and tried to exit backstage through a crowd of jostling autograph hounds. Bodyguards helped her to her limo and once safely inside the very private star rolled down the window and shouted, Run em down! We'll clean up the blood later! The crowd scattered and the limousine sped away, pausing...
John Wayne Took The Good With The Bad
by Stephen SchochetFor the last twenty years of his life, John Wayne often had a profound effect on people that crossed his path. Meeting him in person for some was like meeting Abraham Lincoln or George Washington. Yet the Duke usually stayed humble and almost always kept his sense of humor. One time he was out with a group of friends who all were all eating and drinking heavily. The Duke excused himself to go to the men's room and when he came back his pants leg was wet. Hey Duke what...
Tales Of Hollywood And Politics
by: Stephen Schochet
Arnold Schwarzenegger's surprise announcement that he was seeking the California Governorship brought to mind the many times Hollywood figures have been involved in politics. Here are some related anecdotes:
When actors first came to Hollywood there were signs put up in front of hotels and apartments that said no dogs or actors allowed, with the performers ruefully complaining about not getting top billing. The insecurity of the profession has come through in...
When Stars Collide
by: Stephen Schochet
During the silent era it was thought a waste of money to make a movie with more than one star. Personalities like Charlie Chaplin, Harold Lloyd and Buster Keaton were considered potent enough box office on their own. But with dwindling attendance during the great depression MGM decided to feature Hollywood's first all star ensemble cast in Grand Hotel (1932) starring the mammoth egos of Joan Crawford, Wallace Beery, John Barrymore and Greta Garbo. The director Edmund...
Who Lives In The Star Wars Galaxy
?
by: Stephen Schochet
It's hard to say where old Hollywood ended and new Hollywood began. People in the industry don't think of themselves as making history, they are just going to work. But the day in 1967 that Jack Warner cleaned out his desk at Warner Bros. studio, George Lucas and Frances Ford Coppola arrived on the lot.
The two young filmmakers were very different in demeanor. Coppola a legend at UCLA film school was 27, a loud boisterous mixture of mogul and marxist, who prided...
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