The mailbag rings news that Jim Turriello’s book The Quest for the Oscar is now out in Hardback. And, he notes, his idea for a museum dedicated to Oscar films and related material such as costumes and props is basically being built now dedicted to all films produced by Hollywood. His main concern was, is, and always will be their policy about awarding deceased actors Oscar recognition. The Academy said it would be immposdible to fund such a Museum. Jim’s idea was to award actor an honorary Oscar on the tv show and display it the next day in the Museum avoiding their concern that the family might sell off the Oscar to a collector. He was surprised to hear actress Laura Dern announce the construction of a big new movie museum!
— David DeWitt
Jack Marino
February 26, 2019 at 12:45 am
Apprently, the Academy has bought the old MACY’s building on Wilshire across from the Peterson Automotive museum. It looks like they are enlarging the building to house a lot of memorbilia which is about 50 years to late. This should have been done by the old studio moguls. Better late then never, Debbie Reynolds spent her life trying to set up a Hollywood musuem since she collected with Roddy McDowell tons of memerobila. Hopefully all their collection will go into this new museum. All I can say it’s about damn time
Gentleman Tim
February 26, 2019 at 9:51 pm
Very cool, Jack! On Museum Row at Miracle Mile!
Here are photos from 1947 and 2013, plus a rendering of how it is proposed to look upon completion, this year or next.
Looks like Johnnie’s Coffee Shop – obviously modelled to look like Googies – is a goner.
[img]https://miraclemilela.files.wordpress.com/2013/11/may-co-then-now-2013.jpg?w=256&h=&zoom=2[/img]
[img]https://www.discoverlosangeles.com/sites/default/files/styles/hero/public/images/2019-02/academy-museum-rendering2_0.jpg?h=44b3b5f3&itok=nCzv0EDS[/img]
shangheinz
February 28, 2019 at 4:28 pm
[img]http://www.theerrolflynnblog.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/02/Roddy-McDowall3.jpg[/img]
That`s whining for sour apes, Captain Jack. The Debbie Fisher collection has been auctioned off on Feb. 10th: www.fanthatracks.com…
And as far as any stuff (including Errol`s personal movie reels) out of Roddy McDowall`s closet goes, we all know it`s been sealed off until McDoomsday.
Gentleman Tim
February 26, 2019 at 7:17 pm
Thanks for all your work on this, Jim! The Academy has really screwed up over many years, incessantly failing to honor deserving film immortals, including, most notably, Errol Flynn.
If the Academy would only issue posthumous tributes to the greatest they have wrongly or ignored, either deliberately or inadvertantly, they could overcome their outrageously disparate record and reputation. This last ceremony again showed how extremely flawed their process is, as does most every year’s ceremony.
Three questions for you, Jim:
1. Is there any photo or written record of Errol attending an Academy Award ceremony?
2. Is there any record of the Academy issuing him any kind of tribute at all?
3. Is there any OFFICIAL record that Errol received a (later rescinded) nomination for The Sun Also Rises?
shangheinz
February 28, 2019 at 4:31 pm
Jim cannot know, Triviaman Tim. Not a trace last time I checked with the Academy archivists.
David DeWitt
March 12, 2019 at 1:55 am
I saw him on What’s my Line? and the panelists reported the nomination in the newspapers but who knows?
twinarchers
February 26, 2019 at 9:21 pm
Debbie had to see her collection or most of it off a few years before she died. It is so much better to have this stuff in one place for people to come and enjoy it instead of it it scattered all over the planet in homes.