DEAD IN HOLLYWOOD: BEHIND THE SIGN (ISSUE 20)
20 Tinseltown Tinglers coming soonβ¦
THIS IS WHERE I DIE: NATALIE WOOD
DEAD IN HOLLYWOOD THIS IS WHERE I DIE (Issue #22) will focus on the photos I have taken in and around Los Angeles over the past 20 years. This issue will feature never before seen photos of where stars like Natalie Wood, James Dean, and Dorothy Dandridge met their untimely fates.
Eight-Inches (Jayne Mansfield)
π²ππππ πππ πππ πππππ ππππππ ππ π³πππ ππ π·ππππ’π πππ: πΉππ’ππ πΌππππππππ & πππ π±πππππ π±ππππππππ. πΈππππ π·πΏ. ππππ. ππππ’ πππππ πππ ππππ’ ππ ππ’.
DEATHIVERSARY: MABEL NORMAND (February 23, 1930)
π΅ππ πππ’ ππππ πππππ ππ ππππππ ππππππ ππππ πΌππππ π½ππππππ π ππ π ππ ππππππ ππ πππππππ π πππππ’ ππππππππ£ππ ππππππππ ππππππππππ πππ π·πΏπΈπΆπ. π½ππππππ ππππππππ ππ π·πΈ πππππ π πππ π²ππππππ π²ππππππ πππ π·π½ π πππ π΅ππππ’ π°πππππππ. πππ π ππππ πππ ππππ ππππππππ ππππ ππ πππππ πππππ. π½ππππππ'π ππ-ππππ, π°πππππππ, π ππ πππ πππππππππ ππ πππππ π πππππ’ ππππππππ£ππ ππππππ πππ ππππππππππππ. π°πππππππ ππ π ππ πππππππππ, πππ πππππππ πππππππ’ππ πππ ππππππ, πππ πππ πππππ π πππ ππππππ. π½ππππππ πππ ππππ ππ πππ ππππ π πππ π πππ πππ, ππ ππππ ππ πππ ππππππ π ππ ππππππ ππ ππ’. π° π’πππ πππππ, ππ π·πΏπΈπΈ, π½ππππππ ππ πππ ππππ ππππππ ππ πππ πππ ππππππ πππ πππππ ππππππππ, πππππππ π³ππππππ πππ’πππ, πππππ. ππππππ ππ πππππ ππππ ππππ πππππππ πππ ππππππ πππ’πππ πππππππ π½ππππππ πππ πππππ πππ ππππππππ'π ππππ ππ πππππππ πππ ππππππππ πππππππ πππππ. πππ’πππ ππππππππππ’ πππππ π πππ πππππππ πππππππππππ πππππππ’ ππππππ πππ πππππ. πΈπ π·πΏπΈπΊ, π½πππππ'π ππππππππ πΉππ πΊππππ’ ππππ πππ π ππππππ πππππππππππ πππ ππππππ π²ππππππππ π. π³ππππ π πππ π½ππππππ'π ππππππ. π½ππππππ ππππ ππππ ππππππππππππ ππ π΅πππππππ’ πΈπΉ, π·πΏπΉπΆ.
DEATHIVERSARY: RIVER PHOENIX (OCT. 31, 1993)
π'π π·πππππ πππ π΄ππ π·πΏπΏπΉ, πππ πππππ πΏππππππ‘ ππ πππ ππ πππππππ π πππ πππ πππππ ππππππ, π΅πππ ππππ πππ πππ π·ππ π²ππππ πΏππππππ ππ πππ ππππππ πππππ ππππ, π ππππ ππππ (πΎπΎπ»πΈ ππππππ π±πππ.) - ππππ ππ πππ ππ’ πΉπππππ’ π³πππ. π°πππππ π· ππ ππ π·πππππ πππ, πΏππππππ‘ ππππ ππππ πππ ππππππππ π ππππ πππ ππ πππ ππππ-πππππππ πππππππ ππππππ πππ π πππ ππ ππππππ. π°ππππ ππππππππ ππ, πΏππππππ‘ ππππππ πππππππ πππππππππ’. π·π πππππ ππ π ππππππ πππ ππππππ. π·ππ ππππππ πππππππ ππ'π π ππππ ππππ ππ ππππ πππ ππππππ ππ ππππ πππ πππ π. πΎπ πΎππππππ πΉπ·, π·πΏπΏπΉ, πππππ πΏππππππ‘ ππ ππππππππππ ππππ ππ π·:π»π· ππ πππππ ππππππππ ππππππππ ππ πππππππππππ πππ πππππ ππππππ.
Pick up a copy of the fanzine DEAD IN HOLLYWOOD: RIVER PHOENIX (Issue 4) HERE!
Karen Carpenter: The White Bread Queen
Karen Carpenter was born on this day in 1950.
A Tale of Two Harbors
Itβs never too early to start planning for Thanksgiving and with Natalie Woodβs latest movie, βBrainscanβ with Christopher Walken winding down, Wood has the long holiday weekend to unwind before heading into rehearsals for her next movie, βAnastasia.β Her secretary and good friend, Peggy Griffin, usually comes over on Thanksgiving around 6PM for dessert, but canβt this year due to a friendβs hospitalization. Peggy later says, βEverything about this whole sad time to me was so ironicβ¦ My whole Thanksgiving got kind of turned around.β Natalie and her husband, actor Robert Wagner, decide to spend the holiday weekend moored off the coast of Catalina Island. Woodβs co-star, Christopher Walken, joins themβ¦
Deathiversary: Steam McQueen
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πππ ππππ π’πππ πππππππ ππππ π’πππ πππππ... π’ππ ππππ π’πππ πππππππ ππππ π’πππ ππππ... π πππ πΈ ππππ πππππ ππ πππ πππππ... π’ππ ππππ πππ π ππ’ ππππ...
Deathiversary: Rock Hudson
Rock Hudson died on this day in 1985. While Hudsonβs career developed, Hudson and his agent Henry Willson kept the actor's personal life out of the headlines. In 1955, Confidential magazine threatened to publish an exposΓ© about Hudson's secret homosexuality. Willson stalled this by disclosing information about two of his other clients. Willson provided information about Rory Calhoun's years in prison and the arrest of Tab Hunter at a party in 1950. Hudson's homosexuality was well known in Hollywood throughout his career, and former co-stars Elizabeth Taylor and Susan Saint James claimed that they knew of his homosexuality, as did Carol Burnett
David Rappaport (November 23, 1951 β May 2, 1990)
βDavid Rappaport was as determined to die as he had been to live.β -L.A. Times, March 9, 1990
English actor, David Rappaport, is the first dwarf to star in his own television series,"The Wizard.β His first bit of success is in the 1979 childrenβs BBC show βJigsawβ - alongside Sylvester McCoy who is best known for playing the 7th incarnation of the Doctor in the long-running science fiction television series "Doctor Who" from 1987 to 1989. Rappaport also appears alongside McCoy in the "Secret Policeman's Ball" where McCoy introduces him as: βNot the smallest man in the world, but fucking close.β Rappaport's most popular role is as Randall, the leader of the gang of dwarves in the Terry Gilliam film βTime Banditsβ in 1981.
Rappaport struggles with depression. Just before his death, he is cast and begins filming for the darkly comic role of Zibalian trader Kivas Fajo on "Star Trek: The Next Generation" episode βThe Most Toys.β During filming, Rappaport attempts suicide, and the scenes he completed are discarded when actor Saul Rubinek is hurriedly brought in by producers to replace him - Rappaportβs scenes are eventually included on the Season 3 DVD release of "Star Trek: The Next Generation." This isnβt the first time he tries to commit suicide. He tries two weeks before his wedding day in March 1989 - he parked his car on a hidden stretch of road and ran a garden hose from the exhaust pipe to the interior. He passed out, but somebody finds him.
According to the L.A. Times article, "A Life and Death in Hollywood : Acting: David Rappaport was Trapped by his Mind," on May 2, 1990, the day of his sonβs 14th birthday, Rappaport slips out of the house and drives to Laurel Canyon Park - a favorite spot of his in the San Fernando Valley. He says hello to people on the path and passes the man and his dog who will later find his body. Deep in the park, Rappaport chooses a bramble-covered spot on the hillside, lays down on his back and stares up at the tree tops. He pulls out a pistol, points it downward at his chest, and shoots himself through the heart.
His cousin considered, then rejected, theory after theory: "Perhaps his thoughts were telling him--falsely--that the woman he was about to marry might one day leave, unable to love a dwarf who might not always be the toast of Hollywood. Perhaps they told him that despite enormous success, he was still trapped--as trapped as the dwarf he had seen years earlier, caged in an English asylum for mentally retarded children. Or possibly, in the way that mind-records have, they exaggerated recent stops and starts in his career until it seemed that all he had worked for, all he had done to escape invisibility, was gone or going.β
