The venue at 1841 N. Cahuenga Boulevard was known as Mary Louise of Hollywood in the 1930s when luncheon was served during noon contract bridge lectures. Noontime tea and biscuits disappeared in the mid thirties when a liquor license was issued to Carl Arnot and his White Horse Tavern featuring dining, dancing, and entertainment. The […]
Continue ReadingFrank Rosolino
Hollywood Record Room – April 27, 1961
The fourth edition of Bobby Troup’s Hollywood Record Room featured guests artists Clarence “Big” Miller, Joanie Miller, and Frank Rosolino.
Continue ReadingHollywood Record Room – February 4, 1961
Bobby Troup hosted a new television series in 1961, Hollywood Record Room, that ran for thirteen weeks on channel 4, KRCA,
Continue ReadingStars of Jazz/A New View-2
Photographer Don Jim’s photos of the series at KABC TV. The challenge facing the Stars of Jazz production team in the spring of 1956 was to transform a small rehearsal studio’s bare stage into a presentable tableau to showcase jazz. The story line for each program used visuals to enhance the narrative. Stage right […]
Continue ReadingZARDI’S – 1955
Zardi’s 1955 Sam Donato and Ben Arkin had been tinkering with the décor of Zardi’s ever since they acquired the club in 1953. The woven raffia ceiling that was framed in bamboo remained but the backdrop below the ceiling behind the musician bandstand changed several times. The strip below the bamboo termination of ceiling […]
Continue ReadingJohnny Mandel – I Want To Live!
The producer of I Want To Live, Walter Wanger, and the featured jazz artist in the film, Gerry Mulligan, shared a common past. They both served jail time at the Sheriff’s Honor Farm in Castaic, forty miles north of Los Angeles. Wanger served three months in the summer of 1952 for shooting and wounding a Hollywood agent that he suspected of having an affair with his wife, actress Joan Bennett. Mulligan served four months in the fall of 1953 on drug charges following his arrest at The Haig earlier that spring while he and Chet Baker were performing at the club.
Continue ReadingThe Haig – Part Four
Newspaper ads for the Haig in 1955 were sparse. It seems that John Bennett relied on the good graces of Down Beat for the occasional mention of who was performing at the club. The twice a month publication of the magazine required considerable lead time before each issue went to press. The “freebies” were noted […]
Continue ReadingJAZZ SCENE USA – VHS & DVD
JAZZ SCENE U.S.A. – CODA Commentary © James A. Harrod, Copyright Protected; All Rights Reserved Steve Allen had hoped to continue his Jazz Scene USA syndication series for a second round of twenty six shows so that the package would contain a year’s worth of programs for potential licensees who wanted to broadcast the series […]
Continue ReadingLIGHTHOUSE AT LAGUNA
Jazz became a permanent fixture at the Lighthouse Cafe in Hermosa Beach when Howard Rumsey convinced the owner, John Levine, that a regular music offering would attract patrons to the bar/cafe who would linger and leave with a lighter wallet. Levine was skeptical at first but agreed to give Rumsey a trial run. The trial […]
Continue ReadingJAZZ SCENE USA #6 – FRANK ROSOLINO
The 6th episode of Steve Allen’s Jazz Scene USA featured Frank Rosolino, trombone; Mike Melvoin, piano; Bob Bertaux, bass and Nick Martinis, drums.
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