Once there was a city spread out idyllically on the slopes of Santa Ynez Canyon with sweeping views of the sea. The streets were lined with houses of many types, from humble cottages to mansions, and the buildings were fashioned after the architecture of many lands. But as ephemeral as Atlantis, this city appeared and then disappeared in 12 short years. This was the creation of American silent film producer/director Thomas Ince, who in 1912 built a city of motion picture sets on several thousand acres of land in and around the hills and plateaus of the canyon, where he was able to shoot many of the outdoor locales needed for his films. It was here at Inceville, now Sunset at Pacific Coast Highway, where in 1913 alone, Ince made over 150 two-reeler movies, mostly Westerns, thereby anchoring the popularity of the genre for decades. It was at Inceville where many of the filmmaker’s innovations were developed, such as the shooting script, which included stage direction, dialogue and scene description for interiors and exteriors. ‘He was really the father of the modern way of writing a script,’ says Marc Wanamaker, founder of the Bison Archive, a research and informational archive on the history of the motion picture industry consultant and author of several books such as ‘MGM, When the Lion Roared,’ ‘Destined for Hollywood,’ and ‘Hollywood’ Then and Now.’ Unlike earlier directors, such as D. W Griffith, who followed his own vision, developing the story as he went along, Ince created a detailed scenario that provided a story outline that could be duplicated and distributed to the entire production staff–costumers, set directors and all those involved in preproduction. By 1915, he was producing feature films that incorporated all the elements that he systematized at Inceville: the fully developed scenario; the ‘star’ system; sharp editing of the final film; authentic sets, costumes, and locations. Ince, who was born in 1882 in Newport, Rhode Island, was raised in the theatrical world. His parents were stage performers, and before reaching puberty he had been featured in a dozen shows and had appeared on Broadway. By 1910, he had entered films as an actor for Carl Laemmle’s Independent Motion Picture Company, but soon he wanted to direct and in a precocious moment of bravado advanced the idea to Laemmle. ‘Wearing a borrowed suit and ‘the best looking diamond ring you’ve got’ from a local jeweler, Ince walked into Laemmle’s offices in New York, determined to make an impression,’ Wanamaker recounts. ‘Representing himself as a director, Ince told Laemmle that he wanted to be independent. Laemmle, impressed with the younger man’s pugnacity, concluded that Ince was just the man to send to Cuba to make films, out of the reach of the Motion Picture Patents Company.’ That company, formed by Thomas Edison, threatened all competitors who challenged his monopolistic grip on motion picture production, from equipment to film. Laemmle also believed that Ince would be just the man to handle Mary Pickford, who left the D.W. Griffith’s Biograph Company in late 1910 to make films for IMP in Cuba. It was in Cuba that Pickford learned much of her style under Ince’s direction. By 1912, Ince had returned to New York and joined the New York Motion Picture Co. which decided to establish a West Coast studio. Ince leased 18,000 acres of land extending from the seashore up Santa Ynez Canyon and into the mountains for 7-1/2 miles. While he was building the frame- structured studio buildings, situated where Gladstone’s Restaurant is today, he also hired Miller’s 101 Ranch Wildwest Show, including many cowboys, animals and a Sioux Indian tribe, who set up their teepees on the property. ‘Ince invested $35,000 in building, stages and sets’a bit of Switzerland, a Puritan settlement, a Japanese village,’ writes Katherine La Hue in ‘Pacific Palisades: Where the Mountains Meet the Sea.’ ‘Beyond the breakers, an ancient brigantine weighed anchor, cutlassed men swarming over the sides of the ship, while on the shore performing cowboys galloped about, twirling their lassos in pursuit of errant cattle. ‘The main herds were kept in the hills, where Ince also raised feed and garden produce. Supplies of every sort were needed to house and feed a veritable army of actors, directors and subordinates.’ The commissary served hundreds of workers their noonday meal. Most of the cowboys, Indians and assorted workmen lived at Inceville, while the actors came from Los Angeles and other communities as needed, taking the red trolley cars to the Long Wharf at Potrero Canyon, where buckboards conveyed them to the set. Ince lived in a house that overlooked Inceville, the location of Marquez Knolls today. Ince’s organization and planning skills were evident in the physical layout. La Hue observes that there were five stages located on the flat area of the canyon, the main one of glass measuring 100 by 300 ft. Two hundred dressing rooms bordering the stages accommodated the actors. At the end of each stage were docks with 500 distinct sets kept in readiness for instant use. Ince was a master at recognizing and developing new talent. William S. Hart was one such actor, who was transformed from Shakespearean stage performer to the highly successful cowboy largely responsible for the success of the Ince Western enterprise. But, at the beginning, Hart was reluctant to agree to Ince’s invitation to make movies with him. Wanamaker speculates that Hart was afraid of horses, and for this reason repeatedly declined Ince’s invitation to star in his films ‘Once while Hart was out in Los Angeles doing a play, Ince invited him out to Inceville, walked him over to the teepee encampment and introduced him to the Indians,’ Wanamaker says. ‘The next thing he knew, Hart was speaking the Sioux language, which he had picked up from his father who was a teacher on an Indian reservation. ‘Ince invited Hart back again and showed him a little horse, ‘Fritz.’ When Hart mounted the little horse he found that his feet were barely a foot from the ground, easing his apprehension. Little by little, Hart became a Western star.’ Known as Two-Gun Hart by his co-workers, he was described as the best-loved man in Inceville. By 1916, Ince was supervising eight directors and releasing one five-reel picture (about 50-minute films) each week at an average cost of $40,000. His film, ‘Civilization,’ which employed over 25,000 extras, was by far his most ambitious endeavor. The set for the mythical city stood alone on the barren hills, where Marquez Elementary School is today. It was built by 60 carpenters over a period of three months at a cost of $80,000 and was used for only 100 feet of film, a segment requiring 105 seconds to view, La Hue writes. Costs continued to rise as moviegoers enjoyed the more expensive feature films, which used five reels or more. Ince retained his optimism and through his alliance with Triangle, a production company founded with D. W. Griffith and Mark Sennett, built a new studio in Culver City to use for indoor movies, while retaining Inceville for outdoor locations and Westerns. Ironically, on January 16, 1916, a few days after the opening of his Culver City studio, a fire broke out at Inceville, the first of many which would eventually destroy all of the dry frame buildings. That same year, Ince gave up on Inceville and sold it to Hart, who renamed it Hartville. Three years later, Hart sold the lot to Robertson-Cole, which continued filming until 1922. La Hue writes that ‘the place was virtually a ghost town when the last remnants of Inceville were burned on the Fourth of July in 1922, leaving only a weatherworn old church, which stood sentinel over the charred ruins.’ In 1918, Ince left Triangle and founded Ince Productions, building new studios in Culver City, just a mile from the Triangle lot. Ince’s young pioneering life came to an abrupt end on November 19, 1924, when he died, officially of a heart attack suffered while celebrating his 42nd birthday with William Randolph Hearst and other prominent guests including Charlie Chaplin, Marion Davies and newspaper columnist Louella Parsons aboard Hearst’s yacht. Years later, several conflicting stories circulated about Ince’s death, some even speculating that Hearst shot him in a jealous rage as he suspected Ince of having an affair with Davies. Wanamaker dismisses the intrigue and sympathizes with Ince’s wife Elinor, who wrote in a letter in Wanamaker’s possession: ‘I wish the world would remember my husband as one of the fathers of the film industry, not for the drama surrounding his death.’ Ince’s legacy lives on in the only two remaining studios in Culver City’Sony and Culver Studios’which were once part of Ince Studios. Ince Boulevard identifies the street running along the east side of the Culver Studios. In 2004, Sony announced that they had sold Culver Studios (while keeping the larger Sony Studios to the west) to a private investment group because they no longer needed as much studio space for television production. It continues to operate as a studio lot.

By DEBBIE ALEXANDER Special to the Palisadian-Post Dean Sussman probably has over 99 bottles of beer brewing in his garage at any given time. He takes them down and passes them around, but only after bottling his homemade brews. Sussman, an attorney who has lived in the Riviera with his family for almost eight years, fell into the world of home brewing quite by accident. “A group of us pitched in and gave my friend, Chris, a home beer brewing system as a gift.” Sussman recollects.’ Chris said to me, why don’t we do it together and keep it at your house. That was five years ago and his system is still in my garage. I ended up with a free birthday present even though it was not my birthday.” Sussman freely admits that Chris hardly ever joins him in this endeavor. “I usually brew alone.” Ironically, it took quite a while for brewing beer at home to become legal in the United States. When Prohibition was repealed with the 21st Amendment to the Constitution, a clerical error omitted the word “beer’. Yet, citizens continued to do it anyway. President Carter officially lifted that federal restriction in 1979, allowing this hobby to flourish. So Sussman is not unusual. Home brewing is quite popular. A Google search turned up over two million entries, while eBay had close to 100 items for sale. On the Internet, there are many home brew forums, recipe exchanges and suppliers. Sussman is almost embarrassed by how simple his system is. “Really, all it takes to home brew is a few large plastic buckets and tubes,” he explains, standing in his garage pointing out the low-tech quality to his set-up.’ Sparkletts home delivery water jugs come in handy and I have also cobbled together a few pots and pans.” High-tech systems do exist, but Sussman is not interested in “techno geeking out.” At the Culver City Home Brewing Supply Co., a starter set is $59.95, while the deluxe checks in at $129.95. Sussman usually buys his ingredients there because “I like to support the local guys.” The basic principle for homemade beer is that sugar gets converted into alcohol and carbon dioxide by yeast through fermentation. “The yeast eats the sugar,” he says. “Then, as it metabolizes, the mixture becomes alcohol and carbon dioxide.” It’s the same process that any big commercial brewery like Budweiser or Coors use as well as imported brands like Heineken and Corona. Essentially, the recipes and the techniques are the main difference between brands of beers. Sussman loves creating beer because he “can fiddle around with all the ingredients. The experimentation is the best part of the hobby. If you make a bad batch, who cares? It is for personal consumption and you might be out about $50 for ingredients.” He has created such signature flavors as Paradise Porter, Annie’s Steam and Chiara’s Cream Ale — named for his wife. However, she prefers his peach flavored beer. “I like to name my beers after my pets and friends,” he says. Sussman feels he moves through five different stages to create a batch of beer. He estimates his active work time is 8 to 9 hours. First, he buys his ingredients. “I find it is good karma to drink beer when I am making beer.” Second, he begins the primary fermentation where he “boils the beer on the stove. I flip on the TV and keep an eye on it,” he says. “It is like making soup.” He then transfers that mixture into a huge plastic bucket. He seals it up so no micro-organisms get in. He places an airlock on that container, which releases the carbon dioxide. It needs to escape, so there is not an explosion in his garage. He lets it cure on average for about a month. After that, he transfers the liquid into the large Sparkletts bottle for more fermentation, again with an airlock. He tends to let his beers go completely flat. Then, comes bottling time, when he adds extra sugar to put the carbon dioxide back into the beer to create the fizz. Some home brewers use a CO2 tank at this step. Sussman is very conscious of the environment and recycles bottles left over from beer club parties, or a competition. He loves to share his beer with friends and acquaintances. “It makes a wonderful hostess gift when we get invited to a party,” he says. Sussman has encyclopedic knowledge of the formulas for different types of beers and ales and is active in Pacific Gravity, the Westside home brewers club that has over 100 members and meets monthly. “We taste beers and talk beer geek stuff like how did you ferment a particular grain,” he shares. Sussman recently hosted his beer club’s annual summer party with more than 40 beers in competition and there was a hard liquor category as well. He estimates that close to 200 people came by that day. Everyone in the club pitches in not only with the libations, but also with the food. “It was great fun,” he remembers. “They are a terrific bunch. My house was pretty trashed, but the next day many members came over and cleaned up. You would never know that I had a party here.”

We’re halfway through the summer and ‘Wicked,’ currently at the Pantages Theatre in Hollywood, is showing no signs of moving on. From the looks of things Sunday night, each one of the The Pantages’ 2,691 seats was occupied by a very enthusiastic theatergoer. Undoubtedly, for a good percentage of ticket holders, this was a very special event. Can’t blame them, for just walking into the Pantages’ stunning Art Deco lobby and elaborate main auditorium gets the heart beating faster. But, apart from the accoutrements, ‘Wicked’ presents an intriguing subversive counter story to the Frank Baum classic ‘The Wizard of Oz.’ Indeed, ‘Wicked’ reveals the real story behind the classic children’s tale and begins long before the little girl from Kansas arrives in Munchkinland. The story centers on Elphaba, the misunderstood green-skinned girl who grows up to become the infamous Wicked Witch of the West. The story is divided into different sections in an attempt to keep the threads of plot from becoming excessively confusing. It’s always fun to learn the prequel to any story, and in this case, what could be more interesting than learning the back story of one of our favorite witches to hate? While a synopsis of this story is not important, it is worthwhile to note that ‘Wicked’ is absolutely wicked in its irresistible comparison to our times and our foibles, including the urge to hate and fear ‘the different,’ the powerful’s temptation to abuse their power, and certainly the uphill battle that truly good people fight. This is a musical with all the magic and mechanical wizardry available to modern sound and set engineers. As we settle in our seats we’re drawn to The Clock of the Time Dragon, which incubates the birth of Elphaba, and when aroused snorts fire from its perch over the proscenium. The stage curtain is decorated with a detailed map of adventure’s territory, including Munchkinland, the Land of Oz and so on. While the story, based on Gregory Maguire’s ‘Wicked: The Life and Times of the Wicked Witch of the West,’ the musical lacks Maguire’s conviction. Furthermore, under Joe Mantello’s direction, it doesn’t feel like a musical, but more like a straight play. The book, under librettist Winnie Holzman, is wooden, and Mantello has been unable to lift it by the sheer power of music. For me, many a lame plot can be salvaged by memorable songs and winning performances. Alas, Stephen Schwartz’s music and lyrics are the biggest disappointment. There is not one memorable song, and Matthew Stocke (standing in for John Rubinstein) as ‘The Wizard,’ (no Joel Grey’a masterful vaudeville man), is absolutely painful to watch in his ‘tour de force’ ‘Wonderful.’ Sunday’s cast had a number of replacements, including Julie Reiber playing Elphaba, Linda Kerns playing Madame Morrible and Adam Lambert playing Fiyero’Elphaba’s love interest. Hats off to Reiber, who held her own against the far more glittery, irresistible Glinda (Megan Hitly). The star of this show has to be Susan Hilferty, who has designed scene after of scene of distinctive whimsical costumes, ‘Wicked’ continues at the Pantages Theatre, 6233 Hollywood Blvd., Tuesday through Friday evenings at 8 p.m., Saturdays at 2 and 8 p.m. and Sundays at 1 p.m. and 6:30 p.m. For tickets, call Ticketmaster at (213)-365-3500.

Peacemaker Productions of New Jersey announces that world renowned entertainer and piano virtuoso Linda Gentille, ‘Princess of the Piano,’ will be returning to her hometown of Pacific Palisades to debut a new concert program on Sunday September 2 at 7 p.m. at the Palisades Presbyterian Church, 15821 Sunset Blvd. The program, ‘Great Hymns of America,’ features traditional spiritual and patriotic favorites such as ‘How Great Thou Art,’ ‘America the Beautiful,’ ‘Amazing Grace,’ ‘Just a Closer Walk with Thee,’ ‘The Battle Hymn of the Republic,’ ‘My Country Tis of Thee’ and ‘Come Thou Fount of Every Blessing.’ Gentille uses her classical piano background to perform traditional hymns in the style of the great classical composers such as Beethoven, Bach and Mozart. Gentille was born in Santa Monica, but grew up in the Palisades. Her father, Maury Gentile, was a prominent attorney and judge in the Santa Monica Superior Court. One of the highlights of her career was her performance in 1985 for President Reagan, her former Palisades neighbor, at the White House Annual Correspondents dinner. She has performed over 100 concerts (a world record) in 66 major cities in China, and proceeds from her concerts often benefit Chinese orphanages. A portion of the proceeds of this concert will benefit the Westside FoodBank. Tickets are $20 for general audiences and $12 for seniors, veterans and children under 12. Tickets can be purchased at the church, by calling (609) 628-4544 or online at www.GreatHymnsofAmerica.com. For one week only August 20 through 26, veterans can receive one free ticket with one regular ($20) purchased ticket.