Mad Hatter on the Tilt-O-Whirl

There is something inherently wacky about taking a bundle of tulle or veiling, horse hair, ribbons, flowers, buckram, wire, and other assorted miscellany and smacking them down to perch like a deranged bird's nest on the front of one's head.  Perhaps that is the very reason why wacky tacky so fully embraces the tilt and "doll" hats of the 1930's and 1940's.  Straddling the line between chic and totally insane, they are incredibly stunning and make a bold statement about the lady underneath the hat.

Rosalind Russell in The Women (1939)

Available at unionmadebride on etsy.

Eve Arden in Cover Girl (1944)

photo from: lulusvintage.com

She knew how to wear a hat!!!!

Available at RoadLessTravelled2 on etsy

Some of the very best hats that film has to offer are found in these movies:

Cover Girl (1944)

The Women (1939)

DuBarry was a Lady (1943)

Inspired by the hats in these and other films, I have tried my hand at homemade millinery.  The results are marginal, but I think I am improving with each attempt.  Some of these photos have been posted before, but they reflect the hats that I have made that have actually been worn outside!  I have looked around for millinery classes and they are either non-existent or strange and far away.  Does anybody know of good millinery instruction in Southern Callifornia?

A pint-sized witch's hat for Halloween
with black tulle and rhinestone spider adornment.

A smart, little topper made with vintage, green veiling
and antiqued, silk magnolia blossoms.

Matching marabou hat and muff in black.
Tell me she doesn't look like a Russian spy.

The Lily Pad hat in navy.

The Victory Garden hat of
miniature roses in patriotic hues.
I know, I know, victory gardens were not for roses.
Photo by Nicole at Paper Moon Vintage

I'm thinking about adding a few of the Lily Pad style to my etsy.  What do you think?  Are they too weird?  Probably.  Don't tell me.  They're weird, right?  Tell me, tell me.  No don't.  Okay, tell me...

California Millinery is a great (and probably the only) millinery supply resource in Southern California.  One could spend hours foraging through dead-stock supplies and vintage velvet ribbons.  Plus, the people who work there are very nice.  I have also heard about a shop in Morro Bay, CA that sells millinery supplies but I can't recall the name and the shop was closed the one time that we were in the area.  Please let me know if you are familiar with that store as I will want to stop again the next time we are on the central coast.

My next adventure in hatmaking comes courtesy of Lauren at Wearing History.  Wearing History is the source for amazing, reproduction vintage patterns in an easy-to-understand format with clear instructions.  These two hat patterns are so cool and I can't wait to dive in - pictures to follow!!!

My very favorite is the Peter Pan style with the lacing up the crown

California Millinery
721 South Spring St.
LA, CA
(213)622-8746
californiamillinery.net

Cheers!

Mr. Tiny

I'm an Oom-Pah-Pah Papa!!!

Is it ever too soon for second helpings of schnitzel?  I think nicht.  Not so very long ago we explored the wacky tacky wunderbar-ness of Old World Village in Huntington Beach.  We determined that it was high time to discuss her older sister - Alpine Village in Torrance.

This is about as artsy as I get...
you can see my reflection in the automatic doors.

As with Old World Village, Alpine Village was started by German immigrants looking to bring a bit of Bavaria to the California coast.  Opened in 1968, the history on this place is difficult to determine as none is provided on the website and my research abilities are weak.  Much like Old World, Alpine Village is host to a market, restaurants, a chapel, and various businesses and shops.  There are, however, several differences between the two locations.  Alike in spirit, the villages actually have no connection beyond being havens to all things German.  Because Alpine Village is home to a daily swap meet, it is much more populated and therefore possesses none of the creepy-cool factor that is so prevalent at Old World.  In fact, every storefront that we passed was open for business and beckoning for us to enter with their air conditioning (yep, no joke, it was April 1st and the temperature was 90 degrees!!)

The market is much more expansive than its Huntington Beach counterpart and the aisles were filled with hungry shoppers.

The signs were very cool.

The bakery looks impressive but really, bleh...

The fleische counter puts Old World's to shame just by sheer volume.

I thought McDonald's invented the fish/cheese combo with the Filet-O-Fish.
Boy, was I wrong!

Just horsin' around.

Alpine Village's chapel doesn't hold a prayer candle
to the chapel at Old World, but it is quaint.

A few of the store shingles

The Alpine Inn is home to a weekly dance that we have yet to attend.
Sounds fun!

Mary found a pebble-mosaic art piece at the swap of which she was very proud.
Actually, we have found some killer deals there in the past.

Overall, Alpine Village is a must-see but it is much more engaged in reality than Old World and is therefore, not as much fun.  Because we didn't find as much mystery or excitement as we had hoped for at Alpine Village, we needed to get our adventure fix elsewhere.  I had heard tales of a "sunken city" in San Pedro and determined that it had to be our next destination.  Truthfully, Mary had been there before and made it sound so exciting that I just wanted to be "in the know."  I was expecting a Goonies-level adventure - ORV's, Baby Ruths, Truffle Shuffle, the whole bit.

The "No Trespassing" sign quickened my pulse and
kept me on the lookout for Data, Sloth and One-Eyed Willy.

To reach the "sunken city," one must climb over a short wall and wriggle underneath a fence.  Unfortunately, I forgot to snap a picture of said fence.  Needless to say, Mary was wrong and I could fit under the fence!

Truth be told, the "sunken city" (I continue to use quotation marks advisedly), is really just a small number of homes that once stood on the cliffs above the ocean but could no longer be supported by the terrain.  All that is left of the homes is cracked foundations.  The area is really a beautiful place and provides lovely views of the ocean and Catalina Island.

Remnants of the homes

No treasure, no pirates, nothin'...

The large, flat slabs of concrete are an obvious canvas for graffiti artists

The foundations also provide a great place to climb and play.

We were about to leave San Pedro when we noticed a trolley car and without a second thought, we hopped aboard.  The beautiful trolleys are careful replicas of the original 1909 Pacific Electric railcars that once covered a vast area of Los Angeles County.  We were thrilled to be riding a "Red Car" but soon found out that the trolley was really just a leisurely ride to nowhere.

Cool sign of the day!

Alpine Village

833 West Torrance Blvd.

Torrance, CA

(310)323-6520

alpinevillagecenter.com

The Port of Los Angeles Waterfront Red Car Line
Harbor Blvd. @ The Port of Los Angeles
San Pedro, CA
sanpedro.com/spcom/redcar
Operates Friday-Sunday 12-9:30 p.m.

Cheers!

Mr. Tiny

Silly Cinema: Lady of Burlesque

When one is faced with a particularly-problematic dilemma, it is wise for one to remain calm, think about the situation objectively and make a prudent decision based on  the facts and a proper evaluation of the associated pros and cons.  I am anything but wise or prudent - especially when it comes to old movies.  That is why, when standing in the check-out line of the local grocery store, I bought Lady of Burlesque, starring Barbara Stanwyck.  As a rule, aside from the occasional pack of gum or mints, I generally refrain from impulse purchases at the register.  Since when are DVD's an impulse buy at Stater Bros. Supermarket?  Even though the DVD cover art appeared to be a child's crude, first attempt at Photoshop, I couldn't help myself.  As an rabid avid fan of old Hollywood, I have amassed a collection of close to 800 films.  Just when I thought I had seen everything, I hadn't.  In fact, there are so many movies that I haven't seen that my love affair with movies is sure to continue for a long time to come.

Barbara Stanwyck has never been one of my favorite stars - a little too pointy or something.  I enjoy some of her films - Ball of Fire, Double Indemnity, The Lady Eve - but I have never developed a connection to her as I have with other stars of Hollywood's Golden Era.  Maybe that is why I get some sort of subversive pleasure at the end of Sorry, Wrong Number.  Really, she kind of had it coming.  Am I right?  My favorite actresses tend to be wholesome stars like Deanna Durbin and Doris Day.  As I write, I realize that maybe my affinity for those particular female leads may have something to do with chubby cheeks and alliterative, "D" names.

Lady of Burlesque is based on The G-String Murders: 

The Story of a Burlesque Girl by Gypsy Rose Lee.

(I just bought a used copy on etsy!!!)

Lady of Burlesque is part murder mystery and part girly show.  Don't worry prudes, all the other good parts remain covered throughout the duration of the film!  Stanwyck plays Dixie Daisy, the most popular performer at The Old Opera House run by S.B. Foss.  She is the peace keeper with the Chinese restaurant next door, a rival of a couple of the "peelers" and mother hen to the rest, and the love interest of Michael O'Shea, a baggy-pants, burlesque comic.  "Everything's coming up roses" in Gypsy's ode to backstage burlesque until someone starts murdering the performers.  Everyone is a suspect and Dixie must play novice sleuth in order to save her own neck!  The proceedings are enjoyable and my admiration for Stanwyck actually grew as it is apparent that she sings all of her own songs and dances like a wiz!  That is why I love old Hollywood; the actors had to do more than look good.  Even straight, dramatic stars kept singing and hoofing in their proverbial "back pockets."

This clip shows the reprise of "Take it off the E-String."  Stanwyck, engaged in a "scene," and her fellow performers break into song to cover the backstage screams of another girl getting smacked around by her street-tough boyfriend.

Stanwyck as Dixie Daisy

Overall, Lady of Burlesque (1943) is the perfect movie for a rainy afternoon.  It incorporates wacky tacky elements like slapstick, great clothing (Dixie's costumes were designed by Edith Head) and strippin'.  It is a great, broad comedy and is a great comedy with broads!!!  It is reminiscent of Lady on a Train, another (and superior) movie from the same era that includes murder, mystery, comedy, amazing costumes and music.  Lady on a Train, stars who else, Deanna Durbin, and is one of my favorite movies of all time.  Both films employ some of Hollywood's finest character actors too.  If you like Lady of Burlesque, you are sure to like Lady on a Train, but don't take my word for it! 

Cheers!

Mr. Tiny

All Aboard: Tiny Train Takeover!

From picnics, to musical events, to stargazing at the observatory, we have spent our fair share of time in Griffith Park.  Our intention has always been to visit the park's miniature trains.  After hearing from a friend who gave the train a review of the most glowing sort, we decided that the time had come and we set out on the first leg of our miniature railway journey.  We made our way up to Griffith Park and after many diversions and forks in the road we found just what we were looking for - the Los Feliz Passenger Station.  We bought our tickets, waited in line, took pictures, talked to the engineer and left parents in line wondering why were there (and why we were more excited than most of the kids).  In short, we thoroughly enjoyed our excursion.

Los Feliz Passenger Station, est. 1947

Our Engineer prepping for the round trip

The water tower and woodland birdbath

Snow White & The SIX Dwarves??
Sneezy called in sick.

Comin' round the bend

One of the many model buildings we passed on our excursion.
This one appears to be on the wrong side of the tracks.

Taking the curve nice and easy.

The Trestle Bridge

Wooo Woooo!

Entering the Tunnel

Trains & Tunnels!!

Griffith Gulch - gimme a break, the train was moving!

The natives were friendly

Boot Hill
There's always room for one more!

Mr. Tiny and The Engineer
Sounds like a great idea for a series - like a modern take on
Jake and the Fat Man with me, of course, playing Jake.

Somehow,  while still basking in the thrill of our railway ride, we discovered that this miniature train was the "wrong" miniature train.  Who knew that Griffith Park was home to more than one miniature train ride?  Our train was made up of individual cars similar to the ones used in Disneyland rides.  Apparently, the correct, and more interesting miniature train, is steam-operated, has cars that one must straddle and only operates on Sunday.  While somewhat disappointed that we didn't ride the trains that inspired Walt Disney and his gang, I am looking forward a follow up train trip.  Choo choo!!

The next station stop on our scenic railway journey was Goathill Junction in Costa Mesa.  This miniature, steam train is run by the Orange County Model Engineers, model train enthusiasts who convinced the City of Costa Mesa to allow them use of public parklands in exchange for free rides to anyone who wanted a trip.  Because the tracks run through the unguarded park, there are no model towns or miniatures along the way and, in turn, the atmosphere is a little less inspired than the trains in Griffith Park.  The beauty of nature had to suffice!  Our friend Paul of Liberty Motor Wear joined on us on this trip; next time, with a little more planning, we will live Paul's dream of using cap pistols to rob the train while riding Shetland ponies.

Steam engines

The reluctant engineer

There were more adults on our train than
kids which left us terrified of imminent derailment.

Under the bridge

Over the bridge

Round the bend

The lone building along the tracks

A scenic vista of Costa Mesa

Interestingly, Costa Mesa built a trestle bridge
that connects two areas of  the park across a major thoroughfare.
Frustratingly, the train does not cross that bridge!

DEAD END!!!

The OCME sponsors a gift shop and proceeds are
used to support the continued operation of the trains.
I bought a wooden train whistle - we all have to do our part!

My interest in trains and love of miniatures was definitely inspired by this cartoon.

Griffith Park & Southern Railroad

4400 Crystal Springs Dr.

Los Angeles, CA

(323)664-6903

www.griffithparktrainrides.com

Hours: Daily from 10 a.m. - 4:30 p.m.

Admission: $2.50

Goathill Junction Railroad at Fairview Park

Placentia Ave.

Costa Mesa, CA

(949)548-7246

Hours:  The third weekend of every month from 10 a.m. - 3 p.m.

Admission: FREE!!!!

Cheers!

Mr. Tiny