Wednesday, June 22, 2011

Baldwin Theater Prints - Los Angeles

Long before Mr. Magic Johnson got into coffee and movies, there was the Baldwin Theatre at the NW corner of La Brea and Coliseum by the jungle.  Since I lived near a lot of multiplexes (Hawthorne 6, Old Towne Mall..back when they had the pony rides), I only went there once to see the Color Purple in '85 and next thing you knew, it was gone.

Though the new site has a major bank and some of the most addictive Philly sandwiches this side of the West Coast (even their veggie version is good), I hate that theaters in the 'hood appear and disappear like ghosts.  Anyway, I have a work space there and between my disposition and waistline, I have many challenges before me. LOL

Anyway, one day while waiting for the bus (I refuse to drive my bucket down there), I noticed this writing in the ground.  They didn't do the hand/foot thing like at Mann's Chinese in Hollywood but I wanted to capture this before those with evil intentions take them down.
 Pam Grier
 Marvin Gaye
 Billy Dee Williams
Louis Gossett Jr.




For those in the know, I intentionally did not take Marla Gibbs or Madge Sinclair (RIP) because it looked like they'd been attacked already and eight MP can only do so much.



Sunday, June 5, 2011

Double Review and a Shout

First shout goes out to GATEWAY cosmetics DVDs Books.  A few weeks ago, I ordered Cool Breeze (with Roger Thomas' daddy as ex-con looking to do a final con) and Hit Man with Bernie Casey.  Got both immediately and couldn't wait to watch for the long holiday but then when I opened Hit Man, it was empty.  And you what? It happens.  So I didn't trip in my explanation to Amazon and even offered to ship the empty case back to the sender at my expense.


In less than 24 hours, they told me to chill and a replacement copy was on its way.  And at my students' graduation this past weekend, I used these people as an example of how to do business in the long run.  Also in the initial shipment, they included an inventory list because we all know how fun it is to go Amazon and try to figure whether to go local or pay the lowest price. LOL


Anyway, I'm not for spoilers, cerebral explanations or abstract speculations, just talk. 

Cool Breeze is about an ex-con who's looking to make one last score with his homeboys.  Pam(ela) Grier was in it for a minute as an overly chatty pro. I could have done without Mr. Thomas flicking his tongue at young women (okay we get it, you like your cat covered in chocolate). The DVD cover art wasn't great but guess what, the pieces they stole from a Beverly Hills shop did resemble those gaudy sh*ts on the cover -- cover girls not included in this film.

Hit Man (1972) was like 1987's Angel Heart where you really have to pay attention as to what's going on to get the entire film.  One thing that was continuous was tiddays, tiddays, tiddays.  Everyone from Fast Fannie (the deep chocolate sister who tried, with her girls from the bowling alley/topless massage parlor, get to Fred Sanfords' "empire" .  Hey, a house is a house -- especially in L.A. where nothing today is under six figures), some other chicks and of course, Pam(ela) Grier.  Her part was a little more substantial as a small-time porn chick/stoner who gets eaten by a lion. Cold.


Also, in both films was a dude who guest starred on the second season of That's My Mama as a stereotypical relative of Clifton Davis character, who tried to hide him from some pseudo-documentary dude profiling Black folks.  Anyway, he's heavy set, dark, wore a perm/conk and seems to have a range of dialects because he sounds different on everything he does.  

Do you know his name or whether he's still around?