Tony Bennett (2012)

February 14, 2012 was proclaimed "Tony Bennett's Valentine Day" by San Francisco's Mayor, Ed Lee. More than a thousand people filled City Hall for a celebration of the man responsible for popularizing "I Left My Heart In San Francisco."


The song was premiered by Bennett in San Francisco on stage at The Venetian Room inside The Fairmont Hotel, high atop Nob Hill during an extended engagement there in December 1961. His pianist, Ralph Sharon, was responsible for getting the song in the band book. The New York songwriters, George Cory and Douglass Cross, were friends of Sharon's and had given him the song some time in 1960. Knowing San Francisco was on the tour itinerary, Sharon took it along with him and the rest is pretty much history. 


Almost needless to say, the song hit big with crowds in San Francisco. Upon returning to New York in 1962, Bennett cut a version of the tune on January 23rd at the legendary 30th Street Studios for Columbia Records. While it initially only appeared as the B-side of his "One Upon a Time" single, released on February 2, 1962, its immediate popularity and success resulted in it being chosen as the title track of Bennett's next LP released in the Summer of 1962. Bennett later claimed that he first performed the song on television on The Tonight Show hosted by Johnny Carson. Bennett was a guest on Carson's first show as host, broadcast on October 1, 1962, but it is unclear if this is the appearance Tony referred to. 


Bennett has returned to The Venetian Room a few times over the years to celebrate the song. February 14, 2012 was one such occasion. Tickets were $5,000 to benefit the University of San Francisco's Department of Cardiology. I was not in attendance.


Enjoy the clip at the top of this post, as the 85-year old vocalist leads his band through a soundcheck performance of the classic. One can't help but think this will be the last time the walls of the Venetian Room will see something quite like this...

Merry Christmas, Baby (1947)

The original. Recorded in Los Angeles, California and released by local, indie (yes, they were called "indies" back then as well) label Exclusive Records near the end of 1947. It was both a local and national hit, reaching the number 3 spot on Billboard's "Most Played Juke Box Records" chart. Guitarist and bandleader Johnny Moore was the brother of fellow guitarist Oscar Moore, the latter of whom was peaking in popularity with The King Cole Trio at this time. Johnny's similarly styled cocktail combo, The Three Blazers, had a distinctively more dominant blues edge due in no small part to vocalist/pianist Charles Brown. The Moores and Brown all originally hailed from Texas and eventually all settled in the Los Angeles area. In fact, Moore's trio (rounded out by Eddie Williams on bass) arrived on the West Coast intact and took the place of The King Cole Trio on the Atlas Records roster when Cole and Co. jumped shipped for Capitol Records. The Three Blazers were tremendously popular on the West Coast, particularly on Central Avenue in Los Angeles. Black-owned Exclusive Records picked them up  and shared in their success after the trio's few discs with Atlas went nowhere. Brown, frustrated by Moore's headstrong manner of running the combo, left for a solo career in 1948 and The Three Blazers never really recovered in spite of a string of excellent piano men and singers - as well as Oscar Moore joining the group as a second guitarist after he had been eased out of the King Cole Trio. 

Merry Christmas, Everyone.

Executive Suite (1954)

"Eventually, everything connects." - Charles Eames

The missus and I spent Sunday afternoon at the beautiful Rafael Theater in downtown San Rafael. The occasion? A screening of the new documentary on Charles & Ray Eames. 

The theater was originally built in 1920 as The Orpheus. A fire in 1937 forced a temporary closure, but the subsequent renovations resulted in the art deco beauty that the current theater still retains. The Rafael originally operated from 1938 until the 1989 earthquake, at which time it again closed. 11 years later it re--opened and currently is operated as a non-profit by the California Film Institute.

The documentary, EAMES: The Architect and The Painter, by Jason Cohn and Bill Jersey has been in production for the past 6 years or so and premiered earlier this year at The Mill Valley Film Festival. It very much exceeded my expectations and I happily recommend it. It currently has a limited run, is scheduled to be shown on public television later this month and will be out on DVD shortly thereafter.

The quote from the film that has stayed with me is the one that provided an introduction to today's weblog. Eventually, everything DOES connect. This is something I have experienced time and time again in both life (in general) and over the course of writing this blog (to be more specific). Case in point: the 1954 film Executive Suite.

Executive Suite was referenced in passing by the Eames documentary as an early illustration of the cultural notoriety of Charles Eames. It clearly shows that Hollywood, if not mainstream America, did have some sense of postwar modernism if even at its most basic level. Focusing on what happens to a Pennsylvania furniture manufacturer when it's CEO passes away without leaving a successor, it is an interesting film that obvious had a major influence on the Coen Brothers The Hudsucker Proxy (perhaps my favorite film of theirs). Interestingly, the DVD commentary is by Oliver Stone who professes the influence the film had on his own Wall Street.

There are interesting aspects and Easter eggs galore in this film. Edward R. Murrow provides the opening narration. Second unit was shot on location in New York City. It's one of the only major studio films ever shot that lacks a musical score. Producer John Houseman (yes, THAT John Houseman of Mercury Theater and Smith-Barney fame). Shelly Winters. But (and this is where it gets interesting) there are also several other connections to a few of the topics that I have covered before on this weblog.

William Holden and Barbara Stanwyck on the set of Executive Suite, 1954

William Holden, of course, has been mentioned here at A Modernist before. While he was shooting Sabrina with Audrey Hepburn in the Spring of 1954, Executive Suite opened in theaters in April. In my previous post, I focused on Holden's wardrobe in Sabrina - more specifically the Ivy League look of his "playboy" character. Here again in Executive Suite,  Holden spends much of this film in 3/2 sack suits and button-down shirts. Hardly a playboy, this character is a creative innovator - an artist working in a commercial context. He spends his time sketching ideas. He has a home studio with is very obviously based on someone's visit to the Eames studio in Santa Monica. He gives a rousing speech at the film's end that (rather succinctly, I should add) makes the case for modernism. If you don't mind spoilers, you can watch the scene in question here. It really does give some historical context to what people like Eames, Eero Saarinen, and (perhaps to a lesser extent) George Nelson where striving for. 

June Allyson and William Holden, Executive Suite, 1954

And of course, the connections don't stop there. Executive Suite was directed by Robert Wise. Wise, of course, later went on to direct I Want To Live! in 1958 (featuring a musical cameo by Gerry Mulligan) and perhaps one of the best late period-Noir films Odds Against Tomorrow which starred Harry Belafonte as a jazz musician caught up in one really bad situation. But more to the point Wise co-directed the film of West Side Story in 1961 with Jerome Robbins. And how I managed to make it through my last post without mentioning either is beyond me. But, eventually, everything connects!

Directors Robbins and Wise on the set of West Side Story, 1961

Postscript: Although it took me years to realize it, I've known the films (which the new documentary gives ample time to) of Charles & Ray Eames for years. Like many of my generation, I grew up seeing 1977's Powers of Ten in school in both Middle and High School. It still fascinates me.

West Side Story film trailer (1961)

West Side Story (1961)

Animated "teaser" trailer by Eyvind Earle, supervised by Saul Bass

When I was a child, I used to love spending time flipping through my parents modest LP collection. I was fascinated by the format: the photos or illustrations on the front, the long text on back, the titles on the spines, and the smell. Yes, the smell. They just intrigued me. I seldom listened to them (I don't think I was allowed to, but I don't necessarily recall that being a negative thing.). I was content to just flip through and looked.

One of these LPs was the original film soundtrack recording of West Side Story. It was probably my mother's. The bold stark red and black cover is fairly well burned in my brain. Oddly enough, I don't recall hearing it played around the house. Chicago? Sure. Steely Dan? Of course. But no West Side Story. Perhaps this added to its mystique.

Columbia LP OL 5670, released October 1961

Years later I finally saw the film in its entirety, but I never really went back and connected the LP with the film. I think this is largely due to the graphics of the film. Wonderful as they are, they don't have a direct connection with the LP jacket art - something of an anomoly in the second half of the 20th Century.

Opening Title

Sequence Details Here

Closing Title
Full Sequence Here

The titles in the movie were credited to the great Saul Bass. And, of course, you know Saul Bass. He did it all and more. Interestingly he was also credited with "visual consultation" on West Side Story. My mind can't help but wondering if he had any input on the color palate of the film. With all of the talent tied up in the production of this movie I would expect not, but with little to work with it does raise questions. I am also curious about the "photographic effects" credited to Linwood Dunn. This could very well relate to the opening sequence, but again I don't have much information to go on. If anyone has some good links on this, I would love to hear from you.

Fast forward to last week when I heard a recording from the original Broadway cast recording of the musical. It was a random occurrence on a JetBlue flight from JFK back home to San Francisco. I was knocked out by the performance and hit YouTube for more (and, yes, eventually ordered a copy of the disc so that I may listen to it properly). Over the course of YouTubin' I stumbled upon the clip at the top of this post. It's very early example of a teaser trailer that was produced by Eyvind Earle in anticipation of the film's Autumn 1961 release. The original 1957 Broadway production had a very successful run of 732 performances and production of the film did garner some press at the time, so there was some expectation in advance of the movie hitting the theaters.

Earle (1916-2000) was an interesting character whose design career spanned both Coasts and several disciplines. His chronology reads like a modernist's dream: film, advertising, commercial design, and the fine arts. He even did a stint with Walt Disney during one of the latter's most interesting periods. I'll leave it up to you to follow the links to go into deeper detail, but highlight two of personal interest to me. First of all he created the Welch's Grape Juice stand mural in Fantasyland. Another childhood memory of mine is making sure we always went here for grape juice. Why? First, I loved grape juice. Second, I was fascinated by the mural behind the counter! Obviously inspired by the Beethoven segment of 1940's Fantasia, it featured figures from Greek mythology - another childhood interest of mind. This was a Disneyland visit ritual for me and my family (along with going on The Pirates of The Caribbean first) until Fantasyland was remodeled in 1983.

Welch's Grape Juice mural by Eyvind Earle, Disneyland, 1955

Behind the scenes, it turns out Earle did not get along terribly well with his Disney cohorts. More to the point they resented the carte blanche Walt gave him on Sleeping Beauty. Produced from 1951 until 1958 and finally released in January of 1959, it was a tremendous visual departure from anything that had come before it (or has come since). And once one dig's into Earle's visual style, one will easily see how much he was responsible for the final look of the film in spite of "only" being the film's Color Stylist and Background Director (long-time Disney-man Ken Anderson was ostensibly the film's Art Director). Again, it is animated film that has long stood out from the Disney canon for me, mostly as it was so odd. I think it may be high time for a repeat viewing. 


Side note: the score to Sleeping Beauty was mostly based on Tchaikovsky's ballet of the same name, again hearkening back to Fantasia.

Early concept painting for Sleeping Beauty background by Eyvind Earle, early-1950s

By the time Sleeping Beauty was released, Earle had been eased out of Disney and begin freelancing around Los Angeles. He re-kindled his relationship with United Artists (going back to 1934) and ended up working on the film trailer for West Side Story for them. And therein is the illusive LP graphic! If I had to hazard a guess Bass provided some of the basic imagery, perhaps including the main title block, while much of the remainder is the work of Earle's. To back this up and as a comparison, here is a 1961 television commercial for Chevrolet by Earle that strongly parallels the trailer.

Chevrolet television commerical by by Eyvind Earle (1961)

Although I have yet to read it, Earle wrote an autobiography. Coincidentally, the first ever book on Saul Bass was just published earlier this month. Again, I have yet to see/read it, but it certainly looks enticing. Sleeping Beauty was restored and re-released in 2008 and is available on most popular formats. West Side Story is enjoying a resurgence in popularity due to its revival on Broadway and beyond, but the originals are still pretty much untouchable. 

Detour (1945)

Directed by Edgar G. Ulmer

Written by Martin Goldsmith and Martin Mooney

Cinematography by Benjamin H. Kline

Music by Leo Erdody

Full details here and here.

First a commercial. If you have a good, local video rental shop - such as mine, Lost Weekend Video - get out there and see if you can rent a copy of this movie (or any movie for that matter). They need your patronage, your legs need the exercise, and the film is going to be more enjoyable on something other than a computer. Now on to today's feature...

Some time ago, local film critic Mick LaSalle, published his short-list of essential Film Noir titles. More recently, I have been dutifully working my way through the movies I have yet to see. Detour is on that list. Seeing that it was not available at my local and that I didn't want to shill out the cash/waste resources for a copy on the 'Bay (nor has it been featured recently in San Francisco's EXCELLENT Noir City Film Festival), I hit the 'net looking for some options. 

Much to my surprise, the entire film (and a decent print at that) is available for viewing on YouTube. Yes, YouTube home to a million low-res time wasters. I feel as if some corner has been turned. 

All that aside, sit back and get comfortable. Released by PRC in November of 1945, you can enjoy the film right here or click over to the 'Tube if you want a little more control over your screen.

Milton Resnick, David Amram, & Friends (1956)

A few weeks ago, I came across the photo above on someone's Tumblr or Flickr or Friendster page. OK, it wasn't Friendster. After a little research I was able to confirm that it was photographed by James Burke for Life magazine some time in 1956. I say "some time" as I have found that the dates are not always accurate in the Life archives, so although it claims December of that year, let's not etch that in marble. OK? At first glance, there is SO much to just plain dig going on here: jazz musicians, abstract expressionist art, loafers, desert boots, and people just having a good time. I posted this shot on my Facebook wall which illicited some positive comments from like-minded souls the world over. It's just a neat encapsulation of why so many of us continue to dig deep into the past for inspiration. So let's dig a little deeper.

Untitled, Milton Resnick, 1959

The main subject of the photo (at least in terms of the assignment Burke was on for Life) was artist Milton Resnick who can be seen dancing with the brunette in fur and heels to the far right of the photo. Resnick has a fascinating biography and in art historian circles is considered one of the major figures of Abstract Expressionism. Curiously, his posthumous popularity has sagged in recent years and he is seldom mentioned in the same breath as Pollock, de Kooning, or even (my personal favorite) Kline. But he was a big part of the 10th Street scene of the 1950s and 1960s.

E 10th Street by James Burke, 1956

The 10th Street thing was a loose collaborative of artists and galleries located on the Lower East Side on and around East 10th Street in Manhattan. Some, like the Phoenix Gallery, still exist but for the most part they thrived from roughly 1952 to 1962. Live/work space was plentiful and rent was cheap, so many of the more progressive artists of the day gravitated to the locale and provided a significant alternative to the upmarket Midtown galleries. Long before SOMA. Long before Chelsea. Note: I wish I could identify more of the artists in the photo above. In addition to Resnick , the only one I am fairly sure of is Franz Kline (black hair and 'stache). If you recognize others, please leave a comment below!

David Amram, Five Spot Cafe, 1957 by Burt Glinn

Back to the main photo. I am fairly confident that the man blowing the French horn is David Amram. Cast your peepers on the photo above shot a year later at the Five Spot Cafe (which is located just a few blocks South of E 10th in the Bowrey at 5 Cooper Square). Same guy, right? If you ain't hip to Amram, get hip. Not only did he have some serious Beat Generation ties back in the day, but he is still going strong in 2011 performing monthly at the Cornelia Street Cafe in Greenwich Village; a living link to the past. I'm only slightly going out on a limb when I say the remainder of the group performing at Resnick's house party is the Amram-Barrow Quartet. Tenor sax man George Barrow hooked up with Amram in 1955 by way of Charles Mingus. The group was rounded out by Arthur Phipps on bass and Al Harewood on drums. They were regulars at The Five Spot and recorded for Decca Records in 1956 or 1957. Of course, this all makes sense as The Five Spot was a favorite of the 10th Street crowd.

Jazz Studio No. 6, The Eastern Scene, Amram-Barrow Quartet, 1957

One final note of admiration regarding the photo. As I mentioned before, be sure to check out the clothes. It's such a cool mix of Bohemian, Ivy League, and contemporary fashion styles of the time. It's always eye-opening to see real candids from this time period (as opposed to movies or magazine ads, that is) to see how folks really dressed. Only Gerry Mulligan made wearing desert boots while blowing a horn look cooler!

J.Press Polished Cotton Ivy League Trousers (2011)

Legendary Ivy League haberdasher J.Press (started in 1902 on the Yale University campus - a fuller account of which can be found here) are currently stocking their contemporary equivalent of an obscure but iconic piece of clothing: the Ivy League trouser. It's available in both tan cotton twill and charcoal super 110 worsted wool. How do they shape up? We'll get to that in a moment, but first what the hell is an "Ivy League trouser"?

The notion of putting a cinch or buckle on the back of men's trousers just below the waist was not an Ivy League invention. In fact it goes back at least to the late-1800s as partly evidenced by Levi's Vintage Clothing's recent 1878 reissue (above). It is a detail that crops up every few years in the early 20th Century, but by the end of the Second World War it was a trend that had not been revisited since perhaps the 1930s.

Sometime in the early-1950s, clothes-makers re-introduced the detail as part of the emerging post-war "Ivy League" trend. The above ad is from a 1954 issue of Gentry and is the earliest reference to this detail in the Ivy context I have seen so far (source: Ivy Style blog). Most photographic evidence of the back buckle from this era shows its presence on chinos, so it is especially interesting to see this ad mention both worsteds and flannels.

The back buckle (often referred to these days as a "buckle-back") became so synonymous with Ivy style that "Ivy League trousers" became the generic term for any flat-front, straight-leg trouser with this detail - although it did most often refer to chinos or polished cotton twills. The trend itself lasted almost 10 years. By the early 1960s the trend seems to have gone to the wayside, yet again. If you are interested in a good discussion of the matter, follow this link. Historic side-note: I just recently learned that chinos were also known as "suntans" early on - particularly by WWII and Korean War vets - obviously the moniker did not stick (see the below 1956 illustration for a reference).

But let us return to the present. Back in June 2009, the Ivy Style blog carried this piece on the back buckle. And although it took a couple of years, retailers did pick up on the detail. There are a couple of options out there. NYC's Thoroughstitch has produced a very handsome pair of chinos - unfortunately the initial run is sold out and they've been unable to give me an indication of when it will be re-run. Somewhat surprisingly, Levis brand Dockers is doing a version - although the rise is (not surprisingly) geared towards a more contemporary crowd that doesn't quite seem to know where a man's waist is located. Regardless for the right body shape and weight, this US-made garment could be a good, affordable option.

Which brings us back to the J.Press trousers. They too, are made in the USA - by Martin Greenfield, no less, for Press. Good news indeed. The polished cotton twill is a step-up from the military-style Cramerton cloth chinos of which there are so many good options to choose from these days. Nearly perfect for dressing up without looking like you are adhering to casual Friday conventions. They sit at the true waist - perhaps a little high for some (at first) and with no concession to current mainstream trends, but they look good (and, dare I say right) when paired with a button-down and odd jacket. There are some nice details. The slanted pockets drop about half-an-inch from the 1.5" waist-band, which is a detail typically only seen on some vintage items. The straight-leg width measures 10" at the knee and just over 9" at the cuff, which certainly puts them in the provenance of "classic" if you read books such as these.

Postscript: if you have read this far, might I recommend this link for a little more on the origin of the buckle on khaki chinos.