The Palisades-Malibu YMCA pool in Temescal Gateway Park remains closed because of the Y’s latest concern: liability for the hillside above the pool. Executive Director Carol Pfannkuche said Tuesday that her organization is worried about the hillside’s stability and the Y’s liability should a house come sliding down. After the pool was closed February 9 because of a water recirculation leak, the Y was given a quote of $350,000 to repair the aging pipes, but was also given a $25,000 estimate that could possibly work as a ‘Band-aid’ to fix the leak. On Tuesday, Pfannkuche showed the Palisadian-Post a six-inch plastic pipe that extends from a backyard on Rimmer Road down the hill to about 10 feet above the pool. Water was still in the pipe, and the ground around the pipe, about 50 sq. ft., was saturated. The area is near the site of a 1998 slide that closed the pool for several weeks. ‘We can’t make a decision on a contract until we know if the facility is safe to operate,’ Pfannkuche said. ‘It’s not clear who would take the responsibility.’ She referred to a renewed five-year lease with the Santa Monica Mountains Conservancy, which has not yet been signed. ‘This is a distraction being put forward by the Y so they don’t have to deal with all the swimmers who are saying ‘fix this pool,” the Conservancy’s Executive Director Joe Edmiston told the Post. ‘We’re not going to take the blame. ‘I’ve gotten calls from swimmers who say that I’m endangering their mental health because I’m not allowing the Y to fix the pool,’ Edmiston said. ‘The Conservancy isn’t in the swimming-pool business.’ The pool is on land previously owned by the Presbyterian Synod before it was purchased by the Conservancy. ‘We’re happy to have the pool, but we’re just not in that business,’ said Edmiston, who reiterated that the Conservancy has a deal under which the Y pays one dollar a year. In exchange the Y is responsible for the operations, maintenance and repairs at the pool, and is then allowed leeway to charge whatever fees it wants. As part of the agreement, the Conservancy is given two hours of pool use a day for their youth camps. ‘The taxpayers will not assume a scintilla of responsibility for the pool’s liability,’ Edmiston emphasized. The past two months have been frustrating for the hundreds of people who love the Y pool’master swimmers, lap and water exercisers, high school and Y swim teams and their families, as they wait for repairs to begin. Legal counsel for the Conservancy, Laurie Collins said that there’s no evidence of any hillside damage and she doesn’t understand the delay, either. ‘I drafted a lease almost three weeks ago [March 11] and have not received any comments back,’ Collins said. ‘It’s the same boilerplate lease that we used for the two preschools [Little Dolphins and Jewish Early Childhood Center].’ The existing lease in the 1994 option agreement for the Y’s purchase plan for the corner of Sunset and Temescal states: ‘Lease. Conservancy will honor the existing pool lease between the Synod and the YMCA for the term of that lease, and will continue the lease on the same terms thereafter for the existing useful life of the existing pool. The parties agree that on the expiration of said existing life, the parties will enter into negotiations for the possible replacement of said pool on such reasonable conditions as can be agreed to at such time for the continued use and/or management of the facility by the YMCA.’ Although the Conservancy’s new lease document is 14 pages, Collins said that the liability issues for the pool are exactly the same as the shorter document; the only difference is that the Conservancy lists them. Pfannkucke acknowledged that the Y has received the new draft, but felt the Y could not move forward until its board of directors and lawyers believe the facility is safe. A task force of seven people, some of whom are Y members and some of whom are swimmers, has been organized. Pfannkuche said people could write their concerns and send them to the task force at the YMCA, 821 Via de la Paz. Edmiston reiterated that under the current lease, the Y is responsible for all liability regarding the pool.
Since launching a fundraising campaign more than a year ago to build a state-of-the-art aquatic center on campus, Palisades Charter High School has raised $1.5 million of the $3.5 million needed. Rose Gilbert, the 89-year-old English teacher who has been the impetus behind constructing the two pools, has donated $1.1 million. The center will be named after her late daughter and swimmer, Maggie Gilbert. Jeanne Goldsmith, whose consulting group was hired to fundraise, told Pali’s board of trustees on March 25 that she had hoped to raise more money by now. ‘I think the writers’ strike and the concerns about the economy slowed the fundraising for us initially, but there is a clear need for this facility in our community, and it has been great to see local families whose kids do not go to Pali support the project,’ Goldsmith said in an e-mail to the Palisadian-Post after the meeting. ‘We have seen significant interest in the new aquatic center because of the YMCA pool temporarily closing and needing repairs and expect that excitement will grow when we break ground for construction.’ The Palisades-Malibu YMCA pool in Temescal Canyon closed in early February because of a recirculation leak. Since the aging pool needs significant repairs, PaliHi swim coach Maggie Nance said she thinks the high school will have the next community pool. School officials hope to break ground in August, but first, they need to raise 75 percent of the funds or $1 million more. Goldsmith believes it’s possible. She has submitted nine grant proposals and, so far, three local foundations have donated or pledged money totaling $36,000. Goldsmith is waiting for a response from the others. In addition, Palisades Optimist Club has given $10,000 and the Palisades Junior Women’s Club donated $5,000. The school hosted a casino-night fundraiser for Pali swim-team parents on March 7, which brought in $10,000 plus additional pledges. Palisadians Bill and Cindy Simon will host an invitation-only swimming pool party on May 1, and the public and Pali alumni will be invited to a bingo night in June. ‘We have a good game plan,’ Goldsmith said, ‘I think we will see some action in the next few months.’ School officials have already spent about $132,000 to hire Aquatic Design Group, an architectural firm that specializes in pools, and Goldsmith Consulting. As soon as the LAUSD and the Division of State Architects approve the design, school officials will ask pool-construction companies to bid on the project, said Executive Director Amy Dresser-Held. The aquatic center will be built at the corner of Temescal Canyon Road and Bowdoin Street, replacing the outdoor handball and basketball courts. The main 10-lane pool and an adjoining two-lane pool will be available for water polo games, water aerobics, synchronized swimming, diving, swimming lessons, water-safety training and swimming meets. Swimming coach Nance and Chief Business Officer Gregory Wood estimate that the aquatic center will cost about $370,000 to operate annually. However, by renting the facility to swim teams and aquatic groups outside school hours, the pool should generate about $540,000 in revenue, based on information provided by other aquatic centers, Nance said. ‘We have user groups who are ready to purchase [time] right now,’ Nance said. ‘Pools are in short supply on the Westside. I am confident that once it’s built, it will be self-sustaining.’
The Pacific Palisades Community Council voted unanimously last Thursday to oppose Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger’s proposal to close 48 state parks and reduce lifeguard staffing at 16 state beaches. Schwarzenegger has asked California State Parks to reduce its budget by 10 percent as part of his attempt to reduce the $14.5-billion budget deficit for 2008-09. Will Rogers State Historical Park and Topanga State Park are among the parks that could be closed. ‘These parks are dear to us,’ said council member Gil Dembo. ‘Years from now, where will our families have recreation?’ Adults and children from all over Los Angeles, not just nearby residents, hike and bike at Will Rogers and Topanga, added Treasurer Ted Mackie. The Community Council’s resolution will be submitted to the governor and the state Legislature. California State Parks decided to close 48 parks because salaries are the largest part of its budget and the closure would allow the department to eliminate 136 positions, said Roy Stearns, communications deputy director for California State Parks. ‘This latest 10-percent reduction, on top of the years and years of previous reductions, finally brought us to the point where all efficiencies were gone and we had no choice but to close parks,’ Stearns told the Palisadian-Post on Friday. Under the proposal, the department will keep 230 parks open. Although Topanga and Will Rogers have more visitors than some of the other state parks that will stay open, the department wanted to close parks evenly across the state, Stearns said. In 2006, Will Rogers had 203,807 visitors and generated $346,713 in revenue, while Topanga had 202,793 visitors and brought in $67,313. Will Rogers charges a $7 day-use parking fee and Topanga’s fee is $5 or $6, depending on the season. If Will Rogers and Topanga are closed, rangers and maintenance workers from nearby parks will periodically check on the facilities for any safety issues and to prevent vandalism, Stearns said. ‘Our goal would be to preserve and protect and, when the budget situation improves, reopen the parks.’ Stearns anticipates that people will continue to use the parks by walking around barricades. ‘We would ask them to honor the closures to ensure safety, but we just might not be able to make contact with every person who decides to take a walk.’ Los Angeles City Councilmen Bill Rosendahl and Ed Reyes wrote a resolution against closing state parks and reducing lifeguard staffing that was presented at yesterday’s Los Angeles City Council meeting. ‘It’s not too early to speak out as individuals,’ said Lucinda Mittleman, who helped start the ‘Save Topanga State Park’ campaign, at last Thursday’s Community Council meeting. The campaign is part of the ‘Save Our State Parks Campaign’ that advocates for all 48 endangered parks. Will Rogers’ great-granddaughter Jennifer Rogers Etcheverry and the Will Rogers Ranch Foundation are hosting the ‘Will Rogers Never Met a State Park He Never Liked’ event this Friday and Saturday from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. Community members are invited to help spruce up the park as a way of showing their support for state parks. On Saturday, volunteers will restore the hitching rail that Will Rogers used to tie his horse in front of his house in the early 1930s. There will be a ribbon-cutting ceremony at 2 p.m. to honor the restoration. To learn more about the campaigns to save state parks, visit www.savetopangastatepark.org and www.savestateparks.org. —————————————————— RESOLUTION OPPOSING STATE PARK CLOSURE WHEREAS The Governor’s 2008-09 State Budget may result in an unprecedented closing of Will Rogers State Historical Park, Topanga State Park, and other state parks, as well as drastic lifeguard reductions on 16 popular state beaches; WHEREAS Will Rogers State Historic Park is an historic landmark that was recently renovated to enhance its unique recreational and educational uses and will, by the terms under which it was granted to the State of California, revert to the Will Rogers family if the State does not continue to operate the site as intended, WHEREAS Topanga State Park is located in the heart of the Santa Monica Mountains National Recreation Area and features spectacular geological formations, 36 miles of trails through open grassland, live oaks, and spectacular views of the Pacific Ocean, WHEREAS Will Rogers State Historic Park and Topanga State Park are our nearest state parks and their closure would directly affect our businesses and families, WHEREAS Will Rogers State Historic Park and Topanga State Park are two of the few natural, public recreational and educational sites in proximity to urban Los Angeles County, a region that is experiencing rapid growth and increasing density, congestion, pollution and loss of open space, and WHEREAS the extensive trail system in these parks is accessible to communities throughout the San Fernando Valley, Malibu and other parts of Los Angeles County and provides hiking, biking, ocean views, breezes and wildlife sighting opportunities that are not available anywhere else, and WHEREAS school districts throughout Los Angeles County use these parks for educational programs in science and environmental studies, offering urban children a rare opportunity to experience nature firsthand, WHEREAS lifeguard staffing reductions will endanger public health and safety on California’s state beaches; THEREFORE BE IT RESOLVED, that the Pacific Palisades Community Council hereby (1) supports the Save Our State Parks Campaign; (2) opposes any state budget proposal that would result in the closure of, or the sale of any property located in, Will Rogers State Historic Park, Topanga State park or other state parks; and (3) opposes any budget proposal that would result in the reduction of lifeguard staffing on state beaches. IN WITNESS WHEREOF, the PACIFC PALISADES COMMUNITY COUNCIL does hereby unanimously adopt this resolution on this the 27th day of March 2008. Copies of this resolution will be transmitted to the Save Our State Parks Campaign, the Governor, and the state Legislature. Richard G. Cohen Vice-Chair/Acting Chair
The second in the series of Palisades Environmental Evenings will be held on Wednesday, April 9 at 7 p.m. in the Fireside Room at Calvary Christian School, 701 Palisades Dr., in the Highlands. The evening is designed for all gardeners who want to create an environmentally friendly landscape. Attendees will learn how to beautify a yard with natives and Mediterranean plants, edibles, permeable hardscapes and nontoxic fertilizers. Tips on water-conservation measures ‘will show how it is possible to have a water-wise garden that is beautiful to behold,’ said event organizer Marie Steckmest. Speakers will include: 1. Stephanie Blanc, a local landscape designer who specializes in California native plants and Mediterraneans. She designed Rene Russo’s garden and John Zinner’s garden (Sunset magazine, October 2007). 2. David King, gardenmaster at The Learning Garden at Venice High–one of the largest school gardens in the country. He teaches classes on sustainable gardening and soils and fertilizers. 3. Rick Silva from the L.A. DWP will discuss water conservation measures, including types of sprinkler heads and irrigation controllers. This free event is sponsored by Palisades Cares. To RSVP, visit info@palisadescares.org or call (310) 459-1614. Gelson’s has donated reusable bags for this event.
Ann Montag, who had lived in Pacific Palisades since 1951, passed away at home on March 19. She died as the sun set and shone brightly on her face with her family by her side. Born in Minneapolis, Minnesota, on January 31, 1923, Ann was the adored only child of Leticia and Warren Kugler. She loved growing up in Minnesota, where she enjoyed sleigh rides in the snow and lazy summers at the lake. She graduated from Washburn High School in 1941 and went on to the University of Minnesota, where she also found time to join the Civil Air Patrol. She then attended the Art Students League in New York, where she became an accomplished artist and further developed her love and passion for the arts. After moving to California, Ann quickly met and fell in love with the man who would be her husband of 56 years, Leonard Montag, M.D., a pediatrician, and later an allergist and immunologist, who practiced in Santa Monica for more than 40 years. She was active in the many organizations that supported his career, including auxiliaries at St. John’s and Santa Monica hospitals and the many medical associations that they both enjoyed. Ann was also actively involved in her children’s schools, particularly Westlake School and St. Matthew’s, where she also volunteered at the church thrift shop once a week for more than 30 years. She found ways to contribute to her love of the arts through volunteering as a docent at the Getty for many years, being a member of the group that supports Otis-Parsons, and sponsoring individual artists. Ann was renowned as a gourmet cook and gracious hostess, and always nurtured a beautiful garden. But Ann will be remembered most for her kindness, grace and warmth to those who were lucky enough to be her friend, and to those whom in need she quietly helped along the way. To her last day, wherever she was, whoever she was with felt blessed by the warmth of her smile, the sincerity of her friendship, her amazing strength and positive spirit. More than anything, Ann loved her family. She so enjoyed every aspect of being a wife, mother and grandmother, lovingly tending to those around her. She was predeceased by her beloved husband last November. She is survived by her son, Warren Montag (wife Dolores Trevizo) of San Marino; daughters Martha Montag Brown (husband Michael) of La Canada Flintridge and Alison Woods (husband Woodson) of Kamuela, Hawaii; seven grandchildren: Elisa and Jacob Montag, Brendan, Matthew and Morgan Brown, and Tyler and Emily Youngblood; and her stepson Kenneth Montag of Stockholm, Sweden, his wife Outi and their two sons David and Michael. In lieu of flowers, donations can be made to: The Angeles Clinic Foundation, The Ann & Leonard Montag Memorial Fund, 2001 Santa Monica Blvd., Suite 560W, Santa Monica, California 90404, phone: 310-582-7976.
Dorothy Durrell Laupa, a Pacific Palisades resident for 49 years, died on March 26 after a lengthy illness. She was 88 years old. Born February 11, 1920 in Ames, Iowa, Dorothy was raised in Fort Collins, Colorado, and attended Colorado State University, where she was a member of the Kappa Alpha Theta sorority. She received her M.A. degree in fine arts at UC Berkeley and then taught textiles at the University of Illinois, Champaign-Urbana, where she met her future husband, Armas Laupa. They married in August 1953 in Urbana, and moved to the Palisades in 1959, where they raised their three children. Dorothy was a board member of the Friends of the Pacific Palisades Library and volunteered at the Los Angeles County Museum of Art and the UCLA Natural History Museum. She also was active in the Kappa Alpha Theta’s Los Angeles alumnae chapter. Dorothy was kinder than most people who were as smart as she was. She found humor, as well as fascination, in all kinds of things…and she found time to be an expert on some of them, like fabrics and products made of grasses from all over the world. People were important to Dorothy. She loved her family and had many friends, all of whom will miss her very much. In addition to her husband of 53 years, Armas Laupa, Dorothy is survived by her son Thomas (wife Cindy) of Fort Collins; her daughter, Dr. Marta Laupa of Providence, Rhode Island; and her daughter, Dr. Marya Laupa-Scott (husband John) of Houston, Texas; her sister Mary Kaiser (husband Dale) of Stanford; and six grandchildren, Gavin and Ian Laupa and Emily, Olivia, John and Michael Scott. No services will be held. Memorial donations in Dorothy’s honor may be made to one’s favorite charity.
Fun-loving teacher and mentor Patricia ‘Pat’ (Gleixner) Curtis died peacefully on March 31, at St. John’s Hospital of an incurable illness. She was 81. The only child of Anna Mae and Tony Gleixner, Pat was born on May 20, 1926 in Chicago. She attended Chicago’s Immaculata High School and went on to Northwestern, where she joined Chi Omega sorority. After graduation, she moved to Albuquerque, where she enrolled in the University of New Mexico graduate program and met her future husband, Luke Curtis. Following World War II, the newlyweds traveled to Europe to continue graduate study at the University of Geneva. After their daughter Karen was born, they moved back to the U.S. and settled in Arcadia. A natural mentor, Pat pursued her teaching and counseling credential, and went on to teach at Alverno Heights Academy in Sierra Madre. Later she became a career counselor with the Los Angeles Unified School District. Some of her fondest memories were of her time as a counselor at El Sereno Junior High School in East L.A., and South Gate High School. She touched many; always the passionate professional, she preached her motto, ‘Do what you love.’ Pat moved to Pacific Palisades in 1990 to be closer to family. Upon retirement, she became actively involved in the Corpus Christi Parish Seniors Group, the Palisades Library Association, the League of Women Voters, and the Newcomers group. Forever seeking new adventures, she traveled abroad frequently with her travel group, Les Girls. ‘Patty Play-pal’ will be remembered for her ability to befriend all, her fun-loving nature, her inspiring determination, and her endless love and support of family and friends. She is survived by her daughter, Karen Davis (husband Robert) formerly of Pacific Palisades, now of Coto de Caza; granddaughters Michelle and Danielle; and grandson Bryan. A memorial Mass will be held on Friday, April 4, at 11 a.m. at Corpus Christi Church. In lieu of flowers, a donation may be sent to the California Province of the Society of Jesus: (408) 884-1644 and www.jesuitscalifornia.org.
Longtime Pacific Palisades resident and Santa Monica dentist Dr. Paul E. Trinkkeller passed away peacefully on March 26 in the patio of his home. Trinkkeller was born in Bakersfield on April 18, 1920, to Edward Paul Trinkkeller and Marie Augustine Paul. In 1938, he enrolled at UCLA for his pre-dental classes and lived with his grandparents, who had come to Los Angeles from Germany in the 1880s. While at UCLA, he met his future wife, Jane. He was a member of Kappa Alpha fraternity and Cal Men. Paul and Jane were married in Los Angeles on February 12, 1943, while Paul was in the USC School of Dentistry in the V-12 program. After graduation, as a lieutenant, he was stationed at the Naval Training Center in San Diego, where he moved with his wife and infant son. Later, after Paul opened his first practice in Santa Monica, he was recalled into the service during the Korean War and spent two more years in Georgia with his family before returning to California. They moved to Marquez Knolls in Pacific Palisades in 1957. Paul retired in 1980, and his son, Paul, Jr., succeeded him. During his working years, Paul was active in the Santa Monica Junior Chamber of Commerce and the Santa Monica Optimist Club and was a lieutenant in the Santa Monica Mounted Police, with whom he participated in many area parades with his horse, Skeeter. Paul and his family loved sports, especially UCLA sports, and he enjoyed participating in waterskiing, dirt biking, tennis and golf. He is survived by his wife of 65 years, Jane; sons Paul, Jr. (wife Mercy) of Soledad Canyon and Bob (wife Inessa) of Culver City. He was predeceased by sons Tom (1991) and Jim (1994), as well as his brother, Eugene. He enjoyed his grandchildren James, Damien, Paul III, Tori, Janie and Tommy, and two great-grandchildren, Taylor and Aubrey. Entombment will be at Woodlawn Cemetery in Santa Monica. A memorial service will be held at 2 p.m. on Saturday, April 12, at the Palisades Lutheran Church, 15905 Sunset. A reception will follow at the church. Donations may be made in lieu of flowers to a philanthropy of one’s choice.
As a teen, filmmaker Stacy Peralta helped pioneer skateboarding’s evolution…in OUR empty swimming pools!
Filmmaker Stacy Peralta at Wilshire and 23rd – the neutral location in Santa Monica where rival gang members gathered to share their stories in his latest documentary, “Made in America.” Photo by Rich Schmitt, Staff Photographer
‘Pacific Palisades helped midwife the birth of skateboarding.’ ‘ Filmmaker and former professional skateboarder Stacy Peralta —————————————————— ‘We were a rowdy bunch, smoking pot, hopping fences. Peter Graves was constantly calling the police on us. Graves must’ve thought, ‘Where is this element coming from?” It’s amusing to picture the alabaster-haired ‘Mission: Impossible’ star trying to bust the skateboard legends Zephyr Boys from his Santa Monica Canyon home as they trespassed onto the neighboring Leo Carrillo estate to pioneer their sport in an empty swimming pool. And yet, in 1975, that’s what went down around Pacific Palisades, according to former Z-Boy Stacy Peralta, who has since created the critically acclaimed documentaries ‘Dogtown and Z-Boys’ and ‘Riding Giants.’ Peralta spoke with the Palisadian-Post right after taking his latest film, the upcoming meditation on L.A. gangs ‘Made in America,’ to the Sundance Film Festival. So forgive Peralta if he’s coughing his way through our interview, as he caught a bug while in Park City, where by his own account his lungs were not used to the bitter weather (that’s why the guy lives in Southern California, folks). You don’t need to be interested in skateboarding or big-wave surfing going into Peralta’s revered 2001 film ‘Z-Boys,’ and its spiritual sequel, 2004’s ‘Giants,’ respectively, to become absorbed in these documentaries. Peralta’s style”a post-MTV marriage of fast-moving visuals and hip music”is hard to resist. Although Peralta, 50, did not grow up in Pacific Palisades, our neighborhood figured prominently in his history and, by extension, the history of professional skateboarding. As he documented in “Z-Boys,” Peralta”along with Tony Alva, Jay Adams, Steve Cabellero, Peggy Oki and other Angelenos” was an early 1970’s teen prodigy, backed by the Dogtown (slang for ‘Venice’) skate shop Zephyr (hence, ‘Z-Boys’) which helped pioneer extreme skateboarding. The Z-Boys’ innovation of vert (vertical) skating became significantly advanced by the skateboard manufacturers’ switch from clay to polyurethane wheels that allowed the Z-Boys to develop all those ollies, kick flips and half-pipe techniques. Mar Vista native Peralta knew this town like the back of his skateboard. In fact, the Palisades was a de facto skate park for Dogtown’s best”before skate parks ever existed. ‘Two schools figured greatly in our development,’ Peralta tells the Post. ‘Paul Revere [Junior High] and Kenter Canyon [Charter Elementary]. Between the ages of 12 and 19, we’d be there after school, on weekends. We figured out what days the janitors were there and weren’t there.’ Peralta explains the external circumstances that made the Palisades a ground-zero point of origin in the evolution of his sport. ‘In the ’70s, there was a drought,’ he says. ‘So we were skating the empty pools. We probably knew those neighborhoods better than the residents who lived there. Palisades is built on hillsides. There were a lot of vantage points where you could see into backyards and find the empty pools. The first pool we found was on an estate. We called it ‘The Birdbath.’ It was a pool made in the ’40s, so it was not quite vertical. It was steeply banked and didn’t have that coping along the rim.’ Peralta sums things up this way: ‘Pacific Palisades helped midwife the birth of skateboarding.’ What makes ‘Z-Boys’ such an exhilarating film is that, in illuminating the birth of extreme skateboarding, Peralta’s narrative is as much an American story as it is a California one. Stereotypical blond, blue-eyed skaters come to mind, but the real back story of professional skateboarding is multicultural, with Asian- and Mexican-Americans having as much a role in the birth of vert skating as the blond Anglo variety. Call it ‘Underdog-town and Z-Boys.’ Half the fun of Peralta’s film is seeing footage of this ragtag crew storming competitions and stealing trophies”something akin to the Bad News Bears on wheels. Tracing the California-born, Hawaiian-bred world of professional surfing, ‘Giants’ spins great surf lore, even if it comes up a few chromosomes short of Peralta’s predecessor (as the moviemaker was not a direct part of this sport’s history). Nevertheless, ‘Giants’ combines rich oral history, on aquatic legends such as Buzzy Kerbox and Laird Hamilton, with fluid visuals. For ‘Made in America,’ Peralta returned to his personal history when he shot footage at his alma mater. Even at the time Peralta attended Venice High School (Class of 1975), ‘we had gang problems. A kid was killed on the first day we started shooting [‘Made’]. ‘All of the different neighborhoods are literally like independent states,’ he continues. ‘There’s an incredible sense of identity. Imagine each one of those being held down by a group of people like surfers and none of them mix. That’s the way it is in South L.A. Every area has its mythological figures, its folklore. We tried to get into this in as many neighborhoods as possible. We didn’t want to make this film Crip-centric or Bloods-centric.’ Peralta relishes his role as an American documentarian. ‘It’s an enriching experience. People will say, ‘My God, you connected so many dots that we never knew existed.’ What I like about this is, as a documentarian, I get paid to learn.’ Here’s what he learned about gang members while making his film: ‘They don’t grow up in the same America as we do, and yet they’re expected to behave as we have. And it just doesn’t work that way. There are generations of families that have people in penitentiaries and people killed by gangs. There are so few role models for people who are born into this. These kids are the canaries in a coal mine. We have to figure out what’s happening and why this is happening because, at some point, it’s going to come to a neighborhood near us.’ So, given the subject matter, was ‘Made’ a more stressful, dangerous shoot? ‘Without a doubt,’ Peralta says. ‘It was never depressing. It was actually very inspiring to talk to former gang members and see how they’ve turned their lives around. But there were some really unnerving moments where I thought to myself, ‘I’ve made a huge mistake!’ Thank goodness, I was na’ve enough to do it.’ As with ‘Giants,’ ‘Made’ had its genesis while Peralta made his first film. He thought about L.A.’s infamous riots in 1965 and 1992. ‘Two civil rebellions ‘ 20 years apart, 7 miles apart ‘ same half-century,’ Peralta observes. ‘A person we interviewed said, ‘Nobody could believe it would happen here”palm trees and movie stars.” When ‘Made’ is released in theaters later this year, it will prove to his detractors what Peralta has known all along”that he has something to say beyond beach culture. Peralta knew that following up a skateboarding documentary with a surfing doc would pigeonhole him, but he rode that wave anyway. ‘I needed to get [‘Giants’] out of my system,’ he says. ‘These are films that I wanted to see.’ The Zephyr team was not the only underdog in ‘Z-Boys”’so was the movie itself. ‘It started at the lowest point of my life,’ Peralta says. ‘I was in the middle of a divorce. My finances were being set to zero. I had spent seven years in television. I thought, ‘I can’t take any more disappointment.” Adding to his gloom: Hollywood was developing ‘Lords of Dogtown,’ a feature version of the Z-Boys story, thanks to a 1999 SPIN article under option. ‘We did not think our film would see the light of day,’ Peralta says. Cosmic things began happening. Peralta’s original photographer, Glenn Friedman, connected him with Sean Penn, whose Point Dume childhood as a surfer/skater had informed his breakthrough performance as Jeff Spicoli in ‘Fast Times at Ridgemont High.’ The actor signed on as narrator, and Vans Shoes backed ‘Z-Boys’ with nary a product placement. ‘They let us make the film we wanted to make,’ Peralta says. ‘We just wanted to try to beat the [‘Lords of Dogtown’] feature and say our piece.’ Ironically, he beat the feature and ‘the documentary helped get the film greenlighted and financed,’ with Peralta as screenwriter. But the 2005 ‘Lords of Dogtown’ theatrical film bombed. If you presupposed it tedious to write the ‘Lords’ screenplay after exhaustively exploring the same subject matter with ‘Z-Boys,’ you’d be correct. ‘But I wanted to try to see it get done properly,’ Peralta says. Even though he has written five other screenplays, the prospect of making features leaves Peralta cold. He feels most in control when crafting a documentary: ‘They’re privately financed, they’re not tested, studios are not breathing down my back. I can call my hours. But the drawback is, there’s a [budgetary] financial limit, unless you get into the rarefied air of where Michael Moore is.’ Which may happen soon for the filmmaker, for quality seems assured when a documentary arrives stamped ‘Made by Peralta.’ Not bad for the kid who used to grind at Paul Revere and half-pipe our empty pools. Thankfully, Mr. Graves didn’t dial the cops fast enough.
Director Michael Hackett and Olivier Award-winning British actor Henry Goodman collaborate to bring ‘Philoktetes’–Sophocles’ great meditation on war, honor, and the nature of truth–to the Getty Villa’s Theater Lab Series from April 11 through April 13. The Sophocles classic poses the question of whether it is ever justifiable to act against ethical codes in order to achieve a higher good. Performed in the 22nd year of the Peloponnesian War, ‘Philoktetes’ won first prize at the Festival of Dionysius way back in 409 B.C. In ‘Philoktetes,’ our story starts during the tenth year of the Trojan War. The Greeks are at standstill as the war drags on endlessly. Via a prophecy, they learn that, in order to win, they must have Philoktetes’ magical bow and arrows. However, nine years earlier, the Greeks had abandoned Philoktetes, leaving him wounded and stranded on a deserted island. Returning to the island, Odysseus sets out to trick Philoktetes with the assistance of idealistic soldier Neoptolemus, young son of the dead Achilles. The Theater Lab Series fosters new and experimental approaches to ancient drama and literature, serving as an incubator for the development of new works in the classical canon. Selected directors or companies are invited to present four public presentations of their adaptations of a classic work inside the Villa’s auditorium. Each director is given two weeks of preparation, which gives talent and crew time to freely incorporate staging, music, and sound elements, unlike the traditional play-reading format. Hackett, a Palisades resident, is a professor of theater in the School of Theater, Film and Television at UCLA. He has directed for the Royal Opera, Covent Garden; the Royal Theatre at the Hague; the Centrum Sztuki Studio and Dramatyczny Theatre in Warsaw; and the Los Angeles Philharmonic at the Hollywood Bowl. Hackett was the artistic producer for Robert Wilson’s ‘King Lear’ and recently directed and composed ‘fragments’ from ‘Elektra’ by Euripides for the Eugene O’Neill Theater Center in Connecticut. Held at the Villa’s auditorium, the play runs Friday, April 11 at 8 p.m.; Saturday, April 12 at 3 and 8 p.m. and Sunday, April 13 at 3 p.m. Tickets ($7) are available online at www.getty.edu or by phone at (310) 440-7300.
By continuing to use our site, you understand that we use cookies to improve your experience and collect analytics data. To find out more, read our privacy policy here.
