Monday, April 30, 2012

Bird Watching...

Yesterday afternoon, while enjoying the beautiful weather and a refreshing glass of sauvignon blanc, I watched from my apartment, one of the red-tail hawks that live in our immediate neighborhood. The hawk gracefully rode the wind down from high on its perch across the street and landed on one of the light poles for the great lawn at the RFK Community Schools campus. As the hawk sat there, a catbird obviously feeling its nest threatened, tried valiantly and persistently to shoo the hawk away by flitting at it non-stop. The hawk looked to care less about the catbird and continued to sit there, probably with its sights on some far tastier dinner treat. Like a rodent! This went on for approximately 20 minutes, until the hawk, reasonably fed up, flew over to one of the other light posts to continue its watch. Only to have that catbird follow him. All during this faux battle between the hawk & catbird, I had a sweet hummingbird come and pay me a visit to feast on my flowering plants.

It seems that more & more hummingbird feeders are making their way outside the units on the backside (north & west) of the Gaylord. Soon, the Gaylord will be attracting innumerable hummingbirds that one large, buzzing shadow will surround our beloved home and will bring us the joy that these colorful, little birds of flight put forth.

Thursday, April 26, 2012

Notes on April 1926 'Gaylord Glimpses'...

On page 4, a story on the vision for the Gaylord by the original owners/builders, Mr. J.B. Lilly and Mr. P.B. Fletcher.
On page 7, a picture of one of the original lobby chairs. All hand embroidered and wood carved.
On page 10, Gaylord resident & film actress, Greta Nissen is pictured in the top left corner. Greta was originally a dancer from Oslo, Norway. She starred in 32 film titles from 1923 up to her last film in 1937, 'Danger in Paris.' When the 'talkies' came about she was not hired much for film due to her thick accent. In the year of this issue she starred with Lionel Barrymore in 'The Lucky Lady.'
On page 12 & 13, 'Why the Gaylord Appeals to Discriminating People' An article on the furnishings and offerings at the Gaylord.
On page 12, a photo of the original Gaylord Lounge, which is where the EyeMax optical store is located currently.
On page 13, photos of the dining/kitchen area and living room in an #02 unit.
On page 17, a photo of Oscar B. Bach, the designer of all the metal work inside the Gaylord. Mr. Bach's work can also be seen on the Chrysler Building, Rockefeller Center and the Empire State Building, all in New York. In 1924, his work was also exhibited at the Metropolitan Museum of Art.

April 1926, 'Gaylord Glimpses'...


Tuesday, April 24, 2012

'Hey Judy,' 'Yes Mickey?' 'Let's put on a Show!'...

It is time to let your fellow Gaylord neighbors and friends know what you are all about. No wallflowers will do. It's all about blossoming bouquets!

Dance...

Gaylord resident, Sunny, will be participating with the LA Unbound dance troupe at El Portal Theatre in North Hollywood on Saturday, May 5th with performances at 4 & 8pm. You may want to check this group of lively dancers out. For more info go to,

Monday, April 23, 2012

Notes for April 1928 'Gaylord Glimpses'...

-On page 5, Mrs. Frank Roger Seaver gave a dinner party 'complimenting' John McCormack and Mr. & Mrs. Edward L. Doheny, Sr. John McCormack was the original Irish tenor and he owned the Runyon Canyon Estate. He starred with Maureen O'Sullivan in 1930's 'Song O' My Heart' and had an uncredited singing role in Orson Welles' 1941 'Citizen Kane.' Edward L. Doheny, Sr. is 'that' Doheny, the L.A. oil tycoon that the main character played by Daniel Day Lewis in P.T. Anderson's (who last year filmed at the Gaylord) 'There Will Be Blood' is based on. Also attending this dinner party was Dolores del Rio, award winning Mexican actress who had a romance with Orson Welles at one time. Dolores starred in over 60 film & television titles. In this year, 1928, Dolores appeared, with another guest at this dinner, in the film "Revenge.' He was Spanish actor, Jose Crespo, who was featured in 35 film & television roles and was friends with Charlie Chaplin. The hostess' husband, Frank Roger Seaver, had a distinguished Navy career, became an attorney, a L.A. County Supervisor early on, worked for Doheny and was a generous philanthropist to Pomona College & Pepperdine University.
-On page 5, Film director, writer, producer & actor, Lothar Mendes and his wife, actress, Dorothy Mackaill threw a dinner party for guests, film writers, Adela Rogers St. John & Dick Hyland who married in this year. Lothar worked on 30 films with such notable actors as Clara Bow and Adolphe Menjou. Dorothy Mackaill was featured in over 60 film & television titles. She had top billing over Humphrey Bogart in 1932's 'Love Affair' and her last role was on the original 'Hawaii Five-O' in 1980.
-On page 13, Notice of Gaylord residents, editor of 'Photoplay' magazine, James Quirk (as best man) and his actress wife (as maid of honor) , May Allison, attending the wedding of film writers Adela Rogers St. John and Dick Hyland, up in Santa Barbara. May was featured in nearly 60 films between 1915-1927.
-On page 13, Notice of our very own 'Talmadge' sister, silent film actress Constance Talmadge, leaving for New York with her actress sister, Natalie and brother-in-law, Buster Keaton, where Buster was shooting some 'on location' scenes. Constance was in over 80  films between 1914-1929 as one of the most popular silent film romantic comedy leading ladies.
-On page 16, The esteemed Gaylord guest, George S. Dougherty, former Police Commissioner for New York City expressing his reasons as to why people commit crime (quite hilarious).

The 'Gaylord Glimpses,' April 1928...