William (“Bill”) Hootkins, an actor who appeared in more than 40 films and recorded such books as “Moby Dick,” died of pancreatic cancer October 23 in Pacific Palisades. He was 57. A native of Dallas, Hootkins was an actor in high school and at Princeton University. He then studied in at the London Academy of Music and Dramatic Arts and enjoyed a multifaceted career. His movies included “Star Wars,” “Raiders of the Lost Ark” and “Colour Me Kubrick,” which is in post-production. His TV credits ranged from “Cagney & Lacey” to “The West Wing.” In the 1990s, Hootkins recorded books that included “White Fang,” “The Old Patagonian Express” and “The Pillars of Hercules.”
CLASSIFIED ADS FROM THE NOVEMBER 17, 2005 ISSUE OF THE PALISADIAN-POST
HOMES FOR SALE 1
RUSTIC CANYON. Rare opportunity. 5 bdrm, 3 ba Ranch home. Corner lot remodel or rebuild later. Asking $2,195,000. PRINCIPALS ONLY PLEASE. Agent, (310) 564-4499 REAL ESTATE FOR SALE. Highlands beautifully remodeled town home. Reduced to $798,000. Leary Estates, (310) 428-7653 PROBATE SALE: House for sale in prime Pacific Palisades. 16910 Bollinger Drive. 6,900 sf lot ready for re-design. No appointment needed to see property. Contact Joyce Flint, (213) 248-2700 or (323) 466-4669 or Bollinger90272@yahoo.comFURNISHED HOMES 2
FURNISHED 6 MONTH lease. $7,500/mo. Exquisite ocean view home in PP. 4 bedroom, 3 bath, private backyard, gourmet kitchen, hardwood floors. Ann Christiansen, (310) 454-1111UNFURNISHED HOMES 2a
$4,300/MO. 2,100 SQ FT, 3+2+den, formal dining room, oak floors, marble bath, oak & granite kitchen, 2-car garage. 16769 Livorno (Marquez Knolls). (310) 309-7714 MALIBU HOME 3 BD, 3 ba plus office/loft. Beautiful/private/views. Master has spa tub, private balcony, walk-ins. Large entertainment deck, 7 seat top line new jacuzzi, ocean-viewing deck, lavish landscape. Sub-zero fridge, washer/dryer. Includes gardener and monthly housekeeping. $5,200/mo. Inquiries call (310) 289-7228 LOVELY OCEAN & MOUNTAIN VIEWS. 3 bdrms, 1.5 ba in Castellammare area. Deck, hardwood floors. $4,500/mo. Debbie Harrington, AM Realty, (310) 454-5519 PALI HIGHLAND BEAUTIFUL guesthouse, 2 bdrm, 1 ba, den, patio, view, refrigerator, microwave, hot plate. Like new. Some furniture. Separate entry. Must see. $1,800/mo. including utilities. (310) 454-9337 PALISADES HOME ON quiet street, blocks from ocean view. Spacious LR, 2 bd, 1 ba, wood floor, fireplace, private yard, gardener included. 1 year lease. $3,000/mo. (310) 454-0697 OCEAN AND POTRERO CANYON view. Private Cape Cod style, 3 bdrms, 2 baths, remodeled kitchen. Wash/dry/stove/micro/dishwasher. $4,600/mo. (626) 282-9631 NEWER HOME in Palisades Village. Available Jan. 1, 2006. 5 bds, 4.5 ba, pool, no pets. Unfurnished $10,000/mo., furnished $12,000/mo. Agent Amy Hollingsworth, (310) 230-2483 MALIBU BEACH HOUSE LEASE! 3 bedroom, 3 bath, hot tub, sauna, large deck. Available now! $8,500/mo. Please contact Katie McCabe, (310) 339-9112 or katie@katiemccabe.com TOWNHOUSE, 17211 Palisades Dr., PP. 3 bd or 2 & den, 234 ba, dining rm, kitchen/breakfast area, built-ins, W/D, refrig, L/R. Common pool/spa/fitness/ tennis. Private 2 car garage, Resort living. Available immediately. $3,900/mo. Saul Berman, Coldwell Banker (310) 497-2720UNFURNISHED APARTMENTS 2c
PALISADES 1 BED, 1 BATH, upper, sunny, views, carpet, stove, refrigerator, laundry, covered parking with storage, NO pets, NON-smoker, 1 year lease. Quiet, clean, $1,220/mo. (310) 477-6767 CHARMING PALI DUPLEX. 2 bed+1 bath. Large private yard. Stove, fridge, microwave, W/D, d/w, Jacuzzi, tub. Walk to village. 853 Haverford Ave. $3,000/mo. (310) 454-4599 CARMEL IN THE PALISADES. 2 bedroom, beautiful lot. Walk to village. $3,495/mo. Agent. Call Nancy, (310) 230-7305 ARE YOU READY to live at Sunset Gardens? Currently available: 1 bd, 1 ba, Unit 11, $1,290/mo. Also available: 3 bd, 2 ba, Unit 12, $1,290/mo. 1 yr min lease. 801 Las Lomas Ave. Between beach and village, located at corner of Sunset & Las Lomas. Contact Robert Kronovec, Poptsis Realty, (310) 261-0690 SPACIOUS CONDO: 2 bd, 2 ba, 2 fireplaces, Built-in appliances, A/C. Patio with private jacuzzi, W/D. Lease available. Immediate occupancy. $2,850/mo. Please call (310) 456-0047WANTED TO RENT 3b
GARAGE STORAGE SPACE wanted in the Palisades for a car. The owner lives on Chautauqua & drives it twice per month. Please call (818) 557-0135 UPSCALE GUESTHOUSE, cottage condo or apartment, furnished or unfurnished. Mature lady, non-smoker, non-drinker. Recent arrival to California. Loves the Palisades. Pleasant, writer, new member of Corpus Christi. (310) 264-1582 FEMALE GERMAN JOURNALIST seeks guesthouse, apartment or room to rent. Can be small. Traveling abroad a lot. Please contact Christa, (310) 709-8272OFFICE, STORE RENTALS 3c
TWO ADJOINING OFFICES for rent in Palisades Village on Sunset. Second floor. (310) 454-0840 or (310) 600-3603 THE ATRIUM BUILDING, 860 Via De La Paz. Two offices available for rent. Short & long term leases. High internet access. On-site management. Valet parking. Call (310) 454-1208 for information.VACATION RENTALS 3e
PRIVATE FURN APARTMENT IN PARIS. Services available. 24-hour hotline. Starting at $75 a night for 2 persons (studios to 4 bedrooms). Privacy, economy, convenience as you live like a Parisian. 5 day minimum. Established in 1985. PSR 90, Ave Champs-Elysees. PSR, Inc. (312) 587-7707. Fax (800) 582-7274. Web address: www.psrparis.com. Email: Reservations@psrparis.comBUSINESS OPPORTUNITIES 5
I’M THE CEO of my life. Are You? Executive Pay Without Executive Stress! (800) 841-8702 FreedomMyWay.com EXECUTIVE LEVEL PAY without executive level stress. www.betterdreams.netLOST & FOUND 6a
FOUND: MEN’S WATCH, Thursday, Nov. 10, on sidewalk by Palisades library going toward Pali Park. To identify call (310) 454-7254BOOKKEEPING/ACCOUNTING 7b
BOOKKEEPER BY THE DAY. Need help with getting your books in order? Help is near! Call Joannie, (310) 486-1055COMPUTER SERVICES 7c
COMPUTER SUPPORT – Home – Business – Desktop & Network Support – Low Rates – One Or One Hundred PCs, We Can Help. WWW.FRANKELCONSULTING.COM. Providing Solutions for 18 Years – (310) 454-3886 MARIE’S MAC & PC OUTCALL. I CAN HELP YOU IN YOUR HOME OR OFFICE WITH: Consultation on best hard/software for your needs – Setting up & configuring your system & applications – Teaching you how to use your Mac or PC – Upgrades: Mac OS & Windows – Internet: DSL, Wireless, E-mail, Remote Access – Key Applications: MS Office, Filemaker, Quicken – Contact Managers, Networking, File Sharing, Data backup – Palm, Visor, Digital Camera, Scanner, CD Burning – FRIENDLY & PROFESSIONAL – BEST RATES – (310) 262-5652 YOUR OWN TECH GURU – Set-up, Tutoring, Repair, Internet. End Run-around. Pop-up Expert! Satisfying Clients since 1992. If I Can’t Help, NO CHARGE! COMPUTER WORKS! Alan Perla, (310) 455-2000 COMPUTER CONSULTANT, MAC SPECIALIST. Very Patient, Friendly and Affordable. Tutoring Beginners to Advanced Users. Wireless DSL internet. MAC/PC SET UP – Repair – Upgrade – OS X. Senior discounts! Home/Office. William Moorefield, (310) 838-2254. macitwork.com QUICKBOOKS-GET ORGANIZED. Set-up, data entry, reporting, tax preparation. Palisades resident. Doris, (310) 913-2753FINANCIAL SERVICES 7e
TIRED OF DEBT? Tired of Banks saying NO? We say yes! Thousands available for: Business, Startup, Homes, Personal Refinancing. Affordable Rates! No Obligations or Upfront Fees. Call Today, 1 (888) 265-0049 EMPIRE FINANCIAL GROUP. We welcome you to live debt free. Apply today, (800) 963-4839. Personal loans, home, business, debt. Consolidation and more. Bad credit, and no credit.GARAGE, ESTATE SALES 7f
PLANNING A GARAGE SALE? a moving sale? a yard sale? a rummage sale? an estate sale? Call it what you like. But call us to do it for you. We do the work. Start to finish. – BARBARA DAWSON – Garage Sale Specialist – (310) 454-0359 – Furniture – Antiques – Collectibles – Junque – Reliable professionals Local ReferencesMISCELLANEOUS 7j
MESSENGER SERVICE/AIR COURIERS. Santa Monica Express, Inc. Since 1984. Guaranteed On-Time! Trucking & Freight Forwarding. Air Courier Door-to-Door Anywhere in the USA. Direct, Non-Stop Service Anywhere in CA. Same-Day Court Filings. Fully Licensed, Bonded & Insured. 24 hours/day, 7 days per week. (310) 458-6000. www.SMEXPRESS.com. PALISADIAN OWNED & MANAGED FED UP WITH CLOTHES THAT DON’T FIT? The Bel Air Bespoke Clothing Company offers an in home tailoring service where we take your measurements, and you just relax and pick the color, fabric & style from our extensive range. Call Philip on (310) 895-8266 or email Bespoke@tmo.blackberry.netDAYCARE CENTERS 8
IMMEDIATE OPENINGS FOR p/t & f/t positions in a pre-K program. Good English skills and experience working with children required. Contact (310) 459-0920NANNIES/BABYSITTERS 8a
GREAT PRE-SCREENED Nannies available. Let us help you with your nanny search. We are a dedicated, professional agency and we will find the right match for you. Whether you are looking for full-time or p/time. L/I or L/O help, we can help you. Call Sunshine Nannies at (310) 801-8309 or (310) 614-5065 OUR WONDERFUL NANNY is looking for a job. References, drives, speaks English. Available Mondays thru Fridays. Call Rosa, (818) 620-7507HOUSEKEEPERS 9a
MY FABULOUS HOUSEKEEPER is available for work Saturdays. She is an excellent cleaner and outstanding with children. Speaks English. Please call Mary at (310) 230-0503 EXPERIENCED HOUSEKEEPER Available Thursday and Friday. Own transportation, will do errands, reliable. Local refs. Call Delmy, (323) 363-9492 HOUSEKEEPER/BABYSITTER. References, available Monday thru Friday, light English, full time. Please call Angeles, (213) 413-5512, (213) 249-1165 HOUSEKEEPER AVAILABLE Thursday, Saturday, Sunday. References, lots of experience, own transportation. Contact Carol, (323) 299-1797 CLEANING BY DAY. Experience and references, own transportation. Call Erika, (213) 385-7922 CLEANING SERVICES. Homes & apartments. Specialize in dusting, vacuuming, laundry and other additional cleaning services needed. References upon request. Ask for Florina Cruz, cell phone (310) 597-9326 or (310) 473-5105ELDER CARE/COMPANIONS 10a
ELDERCARE/COMPANION or housekeeper. Full or part time. Years of experience, Own transportation. Refs, post surgery care. Rehabilitation aide. Please call Maria, (323) 560-3410, (909) 899-5193NURSING CARE 10b
EXPERIENCED CERTIFIED NURSE assistance for elderly companion. CPR with car & insurance. Excellent references, fluent English, reliable. Available M-F. Call Ingrid, (310) 266-7886, (310) 538-8081GARDENING, LANDSCAPING 11
PALISADES GARDENING – Full Gardening Service – Sprinkler Install – Tree Trim – Sodding/Seeding – Sprays, non-toxic – FREE 10″ Flats, Pansies, Snap, Impatiens. (310) 568-0989 MARTINEZ GARDEN SERVICES. Landscape, tree-trimming, sprinkler systems, planting, yard clean-up. Good workers. 19 yrs experience. Call Fortino, cell: (323) 397-6255, or hm: (323) 935-0841 FULL SERVICE YARD & sprinkler systems. 15 years of experience. References available. Call Javier anytime, cell: (310) 634-5059 or pager: (310) 495-0533 C. DARREN BUTLER, horticulturist, arborist, landscape manager, designer & troubleshooter. Expert maintenance; tree care, trimming & removal; lawn care; water systems; much more. Are laborer gardeners damaging your landscape, ignoring instructions or just not meeting your needs? Perplexed by plant/ tree/lawn/sprinkler problems? Suspect you’re overwatering? Want to grow organic vegetables, modify your landscape or add color? My extensive background includes TV appearances as expert landscaper/horticulturist. (818) 271-0963MOVING & HAULING 11b
HONEST MAN SERVICES. 14″ van & dollies. Small jobs to 2 bedrooms. Hauls it all. California/Nevada. Over 12 years. Westside experience. (310) 285-8688HEALING ARTS 12
MARION MAYER, LIFE COACH RN, MS, NP assists busy women in taking better care of themselves and reducing stress while achieving clarity, purpose and passion in their lives. Learn mind-body awareness, practical self-care tools and get the support and motivation you need. Holistic focus on mind, body, and spirit. Call for a FREE 40 minute phone sample session. 16 year resident. (310) 573-0400 NEED A PERSONAL TRAINER for your life? Marion Mayer, Life coach, RN, MS specializes in holistic approach to women’s issues, i.e. health, self-care, work life-balance, and stress management. Call for free sample phone session. Pacific Palisades resident 16 years. (310) 573-0400MASSAGE THERAPY 12b
AWARD WINNING MASSAGE by Natalie. Deep tissue specialist. Call (310) 993-8899. www.massagebynatalie.faithweb.comMISCELLANEOUS 13i
PRESSURE WASHING. Driveways, patios, walk-ways, garages, dirt, oil, rust, paint and moss removal. Concrete, brick, natural stone. Clear and colored-stain sealer. Craig, (310) 459-9000PET SERVICES/PET SITTING 14g
BE HAPPY TO COME HOME! Trusted house/pet care in & around Palisades since 1986. Educated, responsible. (310) 454-8081 PET HEAVEN – TOTAL PET CARE – Training. Walking. Play groups. Does your dog need manners? Call (310) 454-0058 for a happy dog.SCHOOLS, INSTRUCTION 15d
VIOLIN INSTRUCTION. Expert friendly guidance at all levels by highly qualified teacher. Home or studio. Teaching in Palisades 20 years. Laurence Homolka, (310) 459-0500TUTORS 15e
INDIVIDUALIZED INSTRUCTION. EXPERIENCED TUTOR 20+ YEARS. Children & adults, 20+ yrs teaching/tutoring exper. MATH, GRAMMAR, WRITING & STUDY SKILLS. Formerly special ed teacher. Call (310) 313-2530. SCIENCE & MATH TUTOR, All levels (elementary to college). Ph.D., MIT graduate, 30 years experience. Ed Kanegsberg, (310) 459-3614 MS. SCIENCE TUTOR. Ph.D., Experienced, Palisades resident. Tutor All Ages In Your Home. Marie, (310) 888-7145 EXPERIENCED SPANISH TUTOR. All grade levels, conversational & all ages. Local refs, flexible hours. Please call Noelle at (310) 273-3593 READING SPECIALIST – Master of Education, Reading and Learning Disabilities – Special Education Teaching Certificate: K-12 – Regular Education Teaching Certificate: K-9 – Elementary Education Teaching Experience: 12 yrs – Services provided for special & regular education students of all levels – Academic areas taught include reading (phonics and reading comprehension) writing and spelling – Private tutoring includes assessing the student’s needs, developing an individualized education program and implementation of that program. Palisades resident. Call Brandi, (310) 230-9890 PROFESSIONAL TUTOR. Stanford graduate (BA and MA, Class of 2000). Available for all subjects and test prep (SAT & ISEE). In-home tutoring at great rates. Call Jonathan, (310) 560-9134 PROFESSIONAL TUTORING FOR ALL LEVELS. Language arts, application essays, study skills, ESL for business or household, personalized curriculum. Contact J. Browne, jrbrowne2000@yahoo.com or (310) 399-0735 MULTI-SUBJECT CREDENTIALED TUTOR. Elementary, middle & high school subjects. ELL. Local references. Palisades resident. Marit, (310) 454-8520 PROFESSIONAL CHESS COACH. 20 years experience, all levels, all ages. Call Zoran, (310) 670-6693CABINET MAKING 16
CUSTOM CARPENTRY – Entertainment Units – Cabinets – Libraries – Bars – Wall Units – Custom Kitchens – Remodeling – Designed to your Specifications – Free Estimates – CA Lic. #564263 – (310) 823-8523 CUSTOM WOODWORK AND CABINETS. Craftsmanship quality, 20 years experience, local resident. Local references available. General Contractor Calif. License #402923. Ron Dillaway, (310) 455-4462. rondillaway@yahoo.comCONCRETE, MASONRY 16c
MASONRY & CONCRETE CONTRACTOR. 36 YEARS IN PACIFIC PALISADES. Custom masonry & concrete, stamped, driveways, pool, decks, patios, foundations, fireplace, drainage control, custom stone, block & brick, tile. Excellent local references. Lic. #309844. Bonded/insured/ workmen’s comp. Family owned & operated. MIKE HORUSICKY CONSTRUCTION, INC. (310) 454-4385 – www.horusicky.comCONSTRUCTION 16d
CASTLE CONSTRUCTION. New homes, remodeling, additions, fine finish carpentry. Serving the Westside for 20 yrs. Lic. #649995. Call James, (310) 450-6237 PALISADES CONSTRUCTION SERVICES. KEVIN B. NUNNELEY. (310) 454-5029. Local References Avail. Lic. #375858ELECTRICAL 16h
PALISADES ELECTRIC, ELECTRICAL CONTRACTOR. All phases of electrical, new construction to service work. (310) 454-6994. Lic. #468437. Insured. Professional Service ELECTRICIAN HANDYMAN. Local Service Only (Not lic.). Please Call (310) 454-6849 or (818) 317-8286FENCES 16j
THE FENCE MAN. 14 years quality workmanship. Wood fences – Decks – Gates – Chainlink & overhang. Lic. #663238, bonded. (818) 706-1996FLOOR CARE 16l
GREG GARBER’S HARDWOOD FLOORS SINCE 1979. Install, refinish. Fully insured. Local references. (310) 230-4597. Lic. #455608 CENTURY HARDWOOD FLOOR. Refinishing, Installation, Repairs. Lic. #813778. www.centurycustomhardwoodfloorinc.com. centuryfloor@sbcglobal.net – (800) 608-6007 – (310) 276-6407 HART HARDWOOD FLOORING. Best pricing. Senior discounts, quality workmanship. Bamboo, maple, oak and laminate. Installation & refinishing. Call for free quote. Lic. #763767. Ron, (310) 308-4988 WILSON HARDWOOD FLOORS. Complete installation, refinish and re-coat. Fully insured. License #380380. Ask for Kevin Wilson, (310) 478-7988HANDYMAN 16n
HANDYMAN, Since 1975. Call for your free est. Local ref. Lic. #560299. Member, Chamber of Commerce. HOOSHMAN (310) 459-8009, 24 Hr. LABOR OF LOVE carpentry, plumbing, tile, plaster, doors, windows, fencing & those special challenges. Work guaranteed. License #B767950. Ken at (310) 455-0803 LOCAL RESIDENT, LOCAL CLIENTELE. Make a list, call me. I specialize in repairing, replacing all those little nuisances. Not licensed; fully insured; always on time. 1 Call, 1 Guy’Marty, (310) 459-2692 THE HANDY GUY. Any job, big or small. Over 15 years experience. Lic #B-858574. We’re proud to donate our services to Habitat for Humanity. 1 (800) 462-3711HEATING & AIR CONDITIONING 16o
SANTA MONICA HEATING AND AIR CONDITIONING. INSTALLATION: New and old service and repairs. Lic. #324942 (310) 393-5686PAINTING, PAPERHANGING 16q
PAUL HORST – Interior & Exterior – PAINTING – 51 YEARS OF SERVICE – Our reputation is your safeguard. License No. 186825 – (310) 454-4630 – Bonded & Insured TILO MARTIN PAINTING. For A Professional Job Call (310) 230-0202. Ref’s. Lic. #715099 SQUIRE PAINTING CO. Interior and Exterior. License #405049. 25 years. Local Service. (310) 454-8266. www.squirepainting.com SPIROS PAINTING, INTERIOR/EXTERIOR. Painting on the Westside since 1980. Lic. #821009. Fax and phone: (310) 826-6097. NO JOB is too small or too big for Spiro the Greek MASTERPIECE PAINTING & DECOR. Stenciling/Faxu/Plaster effects. License #543487 MFA ’84. Bill Lundby, (310) 459-7362 QUALITY PAINTING. Interior/exterior, drywall, stucco. Pressure wash. Reasonable prices. Good prep work. Full clean up. References. Free estimates. Lic. #743089. Call Horst, (310) 589-5711PLUMBING 16s
ROBERT RAMOS, Plumbing Contractor – Copper repipes – Remodels – New Construction – Service & Repair – Water Heaters – Licensed – Bonded – Insured – St. lic. #605556 – Cell, (310) 704-5353 BOTHAM PLUMBING AND HEATING. Lic. #839118. (310) 827-4040 JLK PLUMBING. Re-pipe and sewer specialist & all plumbing repairs. Mention this ad & receive 10% off. Lic. #722414. Call (310) 678-6634REMODELING 16u
KANAN CONSTRUCTION – References. BONDED – INSURED – St. Lic. #554451 – DANIEL J. KANAN, CONTRACTOR, (310) 451-3540 / (800) 585-4-DAN LABOR OF LOVE HOME REPAIR & REMODEL. Kitchens, bathrooms, cabinetry, tile, doors, windows, decks, etc. Work guar. Ken Bass, General Contractor. Lic. #B767950. (310) 455-0803 BASIX DESIGNS & REMODELING, INC. WE DO IT ALL – Kitchen & Bathroom Remodeling Specialist – Room Additions – Interior/Exterior Paint – Windows/Doors – Custom Carpentry – Plumbing – Electrical – Call For Free Estimate – Toll Free: (877) 422-2749 – Lic. #769443 TOP LINE QUALITY craftmanship. Doors, windows, skylights, kitchens, bath, etc. Local references. Not licensed. (310) 428-3822ROOFING 16v
GOT LEAKS? We seal leaks! Roofs, balcony, windows, gutters, tile, carpentry, painting, drainage, masonry, slope retention, concrete, plaster, landscaping, waterfalls, retaining walls. Got ants? 457-4652HELP WANTED 17
HOUSEKEEPER NEEDED, Tuesday & Friday from 10a.m.-4 p.m. Must speak English. $400/week. (310) 820-9155 x11 SEEKING P/T OR F/T NANNY for 2 children, 21 mos & 6 years. Tuesday-Saturday with experience, references & loving care. Laundry & driving skills required, cooking skills a plus. Some travel. Pay negotiable. (310) 573-1528 F/T HOUSEKEEPER/COOK NEEDED Monday through Friday. Must speak English, must have a car, good experience with references. Will pay $250 per week. Please call (310) 472-5386 WANTED: SATURDAY NANNY/housekeeper. Every Saturday noon until midnight and if possible, Thursday 8:30-5 for two children ages 4 and 1. Please call Laura, (310) 230-4156 THE J. PAUL GETTY MUSEUM at the Getty Villa in Malibu (off PCH at Sunset Blvd) seeks part-time and full-time Museum Store associates. Must be able to work weekends, evening hours, and maintain flexible hours. Require High school education, minimum 2 years experience. For full job description, visit http://www.getty.edu/about/opportunities/museum_opps.html. Hourly rate starts at $10.44. Send cover letter & resume to: jobs@getty.edu indicating “MSA-Palisadian” THE J. PAUL GETTY MUSEUM at the Getty Villa in Malibu (off PCH at Sunset Blvd) seeks a Sr. Museum Store associate. This is a regular, full-time position. Required to work on weekends and evenings, to work overtime, and to maintain flexible hours. Requires High School/GED; minimum 3 years retail experience. For full job description, visit http:// www.getty.edu/about/opportunities/museum_opps. html. Hourly rate starts at $12.35. Send cover letter and resume to: jobs@getty.edu indicating “SMSA-Palisadian” DRIVERS: Regional & Team Opportunities Available! TEAMS MAKE 150K. Excellent benefits and home time. WERNER ENTERPRISES. (800) 346-2818, Ext. 123 WANTED: NANNY. F/T Mon.-Fri., in Santa Monica area. Newborn experience. Good English, car preferred. January start date. Contact Michelle, (310) 899-1172 HOUSEKEEPER/NANNY. Excellent cleaning skills, light cooking and some nannying! Sat., Sun., Mon. Must be legal, paid through payroll. Call Denise, (310) 459-8912AUTOS 18b
CASH FOR YOUR CARS. Foreign or domestic. Running or not. We come to you. We handle all paperwork. Friendly, professional buyer. Please call (310) 995-5898 1997 LINCOLN CONTINENTAL. 100K miles. New brakes, new tires, new battery. Best offer. Call (310) 457-3393 2002 LAND ROVER DISCOVERY, Series II, SE sport utility, 4d, white w/ tan leather interior, tinted windows, dual moonroofs, 6 cd, running boards, 4 wd. Has it all! Good condition, 23,500 miles. $23,500. (310) 230-1445 2004 MERCEDES ML 350. 28K miles, black, sunroof, INSP PKGE, NAV, DVD, RN BDS, leather. $34,500 OBO. (480) 585-4436FURNITURE 18c
BUTCHER BLOCK TABLE, 42 inch round, cast-iron base, the real thing! $350. (310) 459-2928 MAHOGANY QUEEN ANNE headboard for queen size bed. $400 or best offer. Contact (310) 230-6805 BEAUTIFUL BABY BLUE CRIB with white trim by Fun Furniture For Kids. Special non-toxic wood and paint used. Organic mattress also available. Perfect condition. $300. Please e-mail to see pictures to kittystoneburner@mac.com or call (310) 889-9117 INCREDIBLE KIDS’ TRUCK-SHAPED BUNK BED. Custom-made by Fun Furniture For Kids. Only non-toxic and environmentally friendly wood and paint used. Original price $8,000, offered for $2,000. Please e-mail to see pictures at kittystoneburner@mac.com or call (310) 889-9117GARAGE, ESTATE SALES 18d
SCHOOL FUNDRAISER OVERSTOCK! Beautiful Boho purses, belts, skirts, jewelry, cell phone charms, keychains and Christmas gifts at wholesale prices. Garage sale extras of kids toys and furniture. Nov 18-19. Fri, 8 a.m.-11a.m.; Sat, 8 a.m.-1 p.m. 1036 El MedioWANTED TO BUY 19
WANTED: Old tube guitar amplifiers, ’50s, ’60s, etc. Tommy, (310) 306-7746 – profeti2001@yahoo.comResidents Create Illegal ‘Dog Park’
Photo by Rich Schmitt, Staff Photographer
Responding to complaints that local dog owners have turned the playing fields at the Palisades Recreation Center into an off-leash dog park, the Palisadian-Post has confirmed that this illegal activity has indeed been happening every morning. After early-morning voters at the Rec Center noticed the dogs running off-leash and called the Post on November 8, my editor asked me to check out the situation. I own a dog (or, as I call him, “my hairy child”), so I suggested I might not be the best person to do the story. But as a journalist, I realized that I wanted to see if a serious problem actually existed. ”Last Thursday, 7:45 a.m. at the Rec Center, I walked over to the outdoor basketball courts. Next to the entrance to the field is a prominently displayed sign showing a dog on a leash and the words “L.A. Municipal Code 63.44-B,2,C.” Since it had rained the previous day and early that morning, an additional sign with big red letters read “FIELD CLOSED.” I counted 24 dogs off-leash running all over the field and 19 owners. All were breaking the law. ”Friday at 7:30 a.m., the “FIELD CLOSED” sign was still at entrance to the field. Twenty-nine dogs were running the field, and 26 adults and two small children were gathered in the center of the field. A Saint Bernard trotted up to the sign pole and peed on it. As I was leaving the park, five other dogs and their owners were on their way in. None of the dogs was on leash. ”Saturday at 7:33 a.m., I counted 30 owners and 33 dogs, all of them off-leash. A medium-sized black dog defecated; the product wasn’t picked up in the five minutes I observed. I talked with Mike Skinner, the 2004 Citizen of the Year, who led the community-wide campaign to raise more than $1 million to pay for construction and ongoing maintenance of the four new baseball diamonds at the park, now known as the Field of Dreams. Skinner, who has two dogs, said the “FIELD CLOSED” signs are for everybody, including dogs and their owners. “It’s kind of annoying,” he said. “When the fields are wet, they get soft and the dogs tear them up. It almost hurts to have adults standing around on wet, soft grass. Their shoes put holes in the field that can’t be fixed.” Fellow dog owner Bob Benton, who is president of the Palisades Pony Baseball Association (PPBA) and also a member of the Palisades Community Center Committee, which is paying for the maintenance of the fields, said that the situation is particularly bad right now because the Bermuda grass on the field goes dormant this time of year and is easily destroyed by this “dog park” activity. The Community Center Committee pays the maintenance people, who arrive for work about 2 p.m. Monday through Friday. “On Saturday, literally, the dogs leave and then the kids are on the field,” Skinner said. “It’s not a healthy situation, but I don’t know what we can do about it.” Benton added: “It’s becoming a problem for our maintenance group, with repairing the thatch and dealing with all the dog poop residual.” The Rec Center office doesn’t open until 9 a.m. and by then the dogs are usually gone, according to park director David Gadelha. He does see evidence that the dogs have been there because more than once a child playing soccer on the field on Saturday has done a slide tackle and got dog feces on his shorts. “It wrecks it for the little kids; they usually just go home,” he said. Another problem, said Gadelha, are the dogs who run into the park’s sandy play area where the little kids play. “If we see it, we ask the owners to keep their dogs out of there because it isn’t hygienic.” The Field of Dreams is heavily used after school and on the weekends by AYSO soccer practices and games, flag football practices and games, lacrosse, and fall baseball practices and games. In addition, students at nearby Village School, Seven Arrows and Corpus Christi use the fields during school hours for physical education classes and at lunch. Putting dogs and children on the same field is not a good idea, according to the National Center for Infectious Diseases and by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Both call for a prompt collection and disposal for pet feces, especially in areas where children play, to remove ascarid and hookworm infective eggs and larvae and to keep children away from areas that may be contaminated with pet feces. “There needs to be a dog park in the Palisades,” Veterinarian Kathy Litochleb of the Pacific Palisades Veterinary Center said. “This whole situation causes a lot of strife.”
AARP Chapter Celebrates Its 10th Year Here
The Palisades AARP chapter, which has grown from a small founding committee into one of the town’s most successful organizations with nearly 200 paid members, celebrated its 10th anniversary at the Woman’s Club last Wednesday afternoon. All six of the past chapter presidents plus current president Bill Van Vorst spoke at the gathering, including (left to right in the photo) Loretta Mazorra, Van Vorst, Milt Weiner, Arnie Wishnick, Jack Bendar, James Birren and Paul Lorentzen. Van Vorst, a professor emeritus at UCLA, noted that “some chapters in other more populated areas have not survived,” and he credited the ongoing success of the Palisades chapter to several dozen volunteers he named who have contributed their time, energy and ideas to various committees and activities over the years. The chapter’s next decade will begin with the annual holiday luncheon on Wednesday, December 14 at 12:30 p.m. Tickets are $20.
Proposed Building/Parking Plan Could Affect Seven Businesses
The proposal to build new commercial/retail buildings and underground parking on the wedge of land between Sunset and La Cruz will affect seven businesses. Coldwell Banker, Philips French Cleaners and Naturella Beauty Center on Sunset, and Sabrina Nails, the Palisades Garden Caf’, the Palisades Auto Spa and UDO Real Estate on La Cruz, would have to relocate during the project’s excavation and construction. Elliot Zorensky, co-president of UDO Real Estate and the business developer behind the plan, told the Palisadian-Post October 31 that the business owners “are aware that this is contemplated.” He said, “It is my strong desire to work with those tenants to bring them back.” He subsequently announced his plans at last Thursday’s Community Council meeting. This week, the Palisadian-Post talked to some of the owners and managers whose businesses will be affected by the plan. Most of them had learned about the proposal last week and did not yet know where they would relocate in the interim period, starting perhaps a year from now. Josie Benjamin, branch manager at Coldwell Banker, said she did not feel confident commenting on the proposal “until we see the full impact on the Village.” “I have 60-plus quality agents who would have to be relocated, and we have just finished remodeling,” she said. “These agents are not only full-time agents but they also live here, so, should the plans be of benefit [to the community], we would definitely be supportive even though we would have to go through the relocation.” Benjamin could not comment on when Coldwell Banker had learned about the proposal. “It’s been a rumor for years,” said Meera Cho, who owns Philips French Cleaners with her husband, Jeff. “[Zorensky] didn’t tell us yet in a letter.” Last year, the Chos invested in expensive new equipment to provide more “environmentally-correct dry cleaning services,” so they are not in any rush to move. “We have to hear from [Zorensky] first,” Cho said. Naturella Beauty Center manager Nicky Javidnia said Zorensky told them about the plan last week. “I don’t know what’s going to happen or where we’re going to go,” she said. “If [the project] does happen, we will definitely try to find a spot in the Palisades to stay.” Sabrina Nails manager Denise Nguyen also wants to stay in town. “I don’t know where we’re going to go,” said Nguyen, who has owned her nail salon on La Cruz for five years and considers her employees to be her family. “I can’t tell them we have to move,” she said. James Kwon, whose family owns Palisades Garden Caf’, said that they heard about the parking proposal from a customer over the weekend, and met with Zorensky on Monday. “It’s going to hurt us a lot because this is all we have,” said Kwon, whose family purchased the caf’ in June. “We’re not going to have a business.” Pointing to the photograph collages of loyal customers that are hanging on the walls of the small, sweet-smelling shop, he said, “These pictures say it all. This place has been here for 20 years.” He added that a lot of their customers are regulars and “I’m starting to remember names.” The owners of Palisades Auto Spa’Gregg Reneau and Dana Vatanpour’could not be reached for comment before we went to press.
Locals Propose Building/Parking Plan
Two local business property developers have introduced an ambitious plan to transform their property between Sunset and La Cruz into three retail and professional office buildings with three levels of underground parking. The proposed plan by Pacific Palisades residents Elliot Zorensky and Randy Nonberg, co-presidents of UDO Real Estate Ltd., envisions the following changes on UDO’s property, which slopes down from Sunset between the Washington Mutual building and the old post office and Sav-on building: 1. The three businesses on UDO’s Sunset frontage property (Coldwell Banker, Naturella and Philips French Cleaners) would be leveled and replaced by a two-story, 26,690-sq-ft building with retail at street level. 2. The three businesses on UDO’s La Cruz property (Sabrina Nails, Palisades Garden Cafe and UDO’s business office) would be leveled and replaced by a two-story, 17,936-sq-ft building. 3. The existing parking lot adjacent to the Sav-on building, which includes Palisades Auto Spa, would be eliminated and replaced by a a two-story, 8,441-sq-ft building. 4. Three levels of parking with 250 total spaces would be built below ground, with the entrance/exit on La Cruz at the current three-way intersection with Alma Real. Since La Cruz is 10 feet lower than Sunset, the first floor of parking would actually be at grade level off La Cruz and would not require a descent until the second level. 5. There’s room in the initial planning for a 500-sq-ft community room on the first floor between the building on Sunset and the parking lot building. (See rendering, page 3.) In order for the plan to work fully as envisioned, Zorensky told the Palisadian-Post before his appearance at last Thursday’s Community Council meeting, UDO needs to work out an agreement with the City of Los Angeles to buy its outdoor metered parking lot next to the Washington Mutual building. The lot has 23 spaces. “We could have the whole first floor designated as city parking with meters,” Zorensky said, “or preferably we could have a parking attendant and work out a revenue-sharing deal with the city. Having an attendant would discourage riff-raff from coming into the garage from La Cruz and would mean better security.” If the city chooses to retain its own open-air parking lot, Zorensky said, “we will have to build around it,” and people would still be able to enter/exit off Sunset. But either way, the business district would ultimately gain much-needed parking. “This is the most unique piece of property that has ever crossed our desk,” said Palisades architect Susan Oakley, who presented the plan with Zorensky at last Thursday’s Community Council meeting. She’s a partner with Jeffrey M. Kalban & Associates and is a former chairman of the Palisades Design Review Board. When asked if the height of the building proposed for Sunset complies with the town’s 35-ft height limit, Oakley acknowledged that it depends on where the city decides to measure. “If they measure from the lowest point of the property, at La Cruz, then we don’t have a two-story building because La Cruz is 10 feet lower than Sunset. If they measure each building separately, then we’re no higher on Sunset than Washington Mutual.” The council voted unanimously to support Zorensky’s efforts to reach a deal with the city in regards to folding the city’s parking lot property into the project.
‘Morning’s at Seven’ Mines Everybody’s Business
Theater Review
In a small town in Indiana, gossip doesn’t have to travel far. Just a few steps off the porch, and news has reached the neighbors before the screen door bangs shut. And when the neighbors are family, and everyone’s business is everyone else’s business, word travels even faster, and penetrates deeper. Such is the case in the Santa Monica Theatre Guild production of Paul Osborn’s comedy “Morning’s at Seven,” playing at the Morgan-Wixson Theatre in Santa Monica through November 26. The play debuted on Broadway in 1939, and music of the 1920s and 30s’songs like “I Wanna Be Loved by You” (Marilyn Monroe in “Some like It Hot”)’sets the mood in this production, directed by Jennifer Harvey and co-produced by Palisadian Chana Messer and Lewis Stout. The story of a house divided’sisters growing apart and back together, and the ramifications on their seemingly dysfunctional family’is not new, but in “Morning’s at Seven” some well crafted, quirky characters make the show highly entertaining. Set in 1938, the play centers on the tightly knit lives of four sisters who have lived in close vicinity’in the same house, next door to each other, or just down the street’for decades. These senior citizens are, at times, childishly jealous, and know exactly how to push each other’s buttons. They harbor resentments and emotional anxieties, but they are also extremely protective of each other’s secrets and feelings, and deeply devoted in their sisterhood. When the show begins, they are anticipating the arrival of sister Ida’s son Homer (Michael Blackman), who is bringing his fianc’ Myrtle (Andrea Leblanc) to meet the family for the first time. They have been engaged for seven years and dated for some five years before that, but these 35-year-olds act shy and awkward around each other like a new, much younger couple. A mama’s boy, Homer has delayed proposing to Myrtle because he is too comfortable living at home and reluctant to take the next step into manhood, even though his father, Carl (Wayne Baldwin), has offered him a furnished home nearby. Blackman is comical and charming in his boyishness, sitting on the floor and then standing with his chest puffed out, his emotions written all over his face and erupting constantly. As Myrtle, Leblanc is delightfully intriguing and bizarre. Wide-eyed, and slightly hunched over, feet turned in, she successfully captures Myrtle’s private and timid but curious personality. Like Homer, Myrtle is caught between childhood and adulthood. “I guess what a woman really wants is a home of her own,” she says, echoing one of the play’s themes that place defines one’s identity. Another sister, Cora (Mary Ann Link), also wants her own space. She lives next door to Ida and Carl with her husband, Thor (Jack Winnick), and unmarried sister, Arry (Lareen Faye). Jealous tension between the mild Cora and wild Arry explodes when Cora comes up with a plan to change their living situation. Arry, who is insecure about her identity, says, “Marriage gives women dignity.” Cora argues they she feels just as lonely in her marriage. “You can be alone in a lot of different ways,” she tells her sister. And it’s true’most of the characters in this play seem to feel alone despite the fact that they aren’t lacking a shoulder to cry on. This underlying sadness humanizes the characters and allows for some moving, emotional scenes within the comedy. One of these moments is the brief but compassionate scene between the oldest sister Esti (Lois Bostwick) and her domineering, insensitive husband, David (Laurence Braude), who tries to prohibit Esti from interacting with her uneducated family whom he considers “morons.” The chemistry between actors Bostwick and Braude is clear; they create two vulnerable characters struggling in their marriage’a husband whose sharp and mocking comments drive his loving wife away until she decides to play his game and regain the respect she deserves. “I have a good time with my sisters. I don’t care how ignorant they are,” says Esti, the smartest and most likable sister. She is also the only one who seems to be able to pull Carl out of his “spells,” when he is overcome by a sense of failure at not having become a dentist or, as he puts it, having taken the wrong turn at the fork in the road and gotten terribly lost. Ultimately, although the female characters blame themselves too often for family problems (reflective of the 1930s male-dominated culture), they are much stronger and more intelligent in their scheming than the men. The male characters are often oblivious to the planning, talking and decisions being made behind their backs. Actor Winnick comically plays the most rational of the male characters, the bold but lovable Thor who is often caught in the middle between his wife and sister-in-law. And can these actresses scream and run! Some of the small-town Midwestern humor is forced, but the production successfully captures the back-porch culture and mood of the era, with soft lighting by Dan Weingarten and costumes by Suzanne Scott. Set design is by Nadia Morgan and sound design by Badger Coon. Performances run Fridays and Saturdays at 8 p.m. and Sundays at 2 p.m. Tickets are $18; $15 for seniors and students. Contact: 828-7519.
Weddings
Dorothy Dickman and Patrick Klein Exchange Wedding Vows in Malibu Dorothy Cuyson Dickman, daughter of Dr. and Mrs. Joseph Bardales of Portsmouth, Virginia, was married to Patrick Spillane Klein, son of Robert and JoAnn Klein, longtime Palisadians, on June 11 in Malibu. The ceremony was held at Our Lady of Malibu, followed by a garden reception at the Palisades home of the bridegroom’s sister and brother-in-law, Kristin and Adam Keefe. The bride, a pediatrician employed by UCLA Mattel School of Pediatrics, attended Stanford University and the University of Tulane Medical School. The bridegroom, an attorney, attended Corpus Christi, Loyola High, Stanford University and UCLA Law School. The maid of honor was Christy Lacey-Krietz. Aline Neuyen, Lilia Osterloh, Darcie Everett, Kristin Clark, Brooke Klein, and Kristin Keefe were bridesmaids. The best man was Mimmy Klein, brother of the bridegroom. Robert Thomason, Daniel Thomason, Adam Keefe, Brady Hiete and Brian Kirch were ushers. The couple enjoyed a wedding trip to Hawaii and now make their home in Westwood. Rebecca Ebin and Adam Gross Marry at Riviera Country Club Rebecca Saltoun Ebin and Adam Philip Gross were married on August 20 at the Riviera Country Club by Rabbi Lisa Hochberg-Miller of Temple Beth Torah in Ventura. The bride, 24, is the daughter of Synthia Saltoun Siever of Pacific Palisades and Joe Ebin of Brentwood. She attended Kenter Canyon Elementary, Paul Revere Middle School, Palisades High School, and the University of Wisconsin’Madison, where she received her B.A. and M.A. degrees in French. The bridegroom, 27, is the son of Elliot and Laura Gross of Pacific Palisades. He attended Palisades Elementary, Brentwood High School, and UC Berkeley, where he received his bachelor’s degree in business administration. After college, he worked as a software engineer for Vivendi Universal and Idealab for four years. The bride’s brother, Jason Saltoun Ebin, was the best man. Adam’s sister, Sheri Roberts, was the matron of honor, and Rebecca’s cousin, Vanessa Moran, was the maid of honor. The groomsmen included Alan Roberts, Jamie Salka, Benno Ashrafi, Ardy Haghighat, Steve Lackenby and Frank Moran. The bridesmaids included Jessie Salka, Stephanie Krauss, Lauren Cohen, Lauren Weiner, Amanda Moran and Sarah Weiner. The flower girls were Elliana Bogost and Rebekah Blumenfeld, and the ring bearer was Joey Bongar. The newlyweds first met in 1994 when they were both on the tennis team representing Los Angeles at the Maccabiah Games in Cleveland. But it wasn’t until about six years later when they were dating that they soon found out that it was a real love match. The couple is currently residing in Claremont, where Adam is pursing a master’s of bioscience degree at the Keck Graduate Institute of Applied Life Sciences, and Rebecca is teaching French at Claremont High School and working part-time at the Summer Camp Gallery.
‘MAD TV’ Writers Talk to the Post
Playing straight man is never easy, but to be in that position when interviewing three comedy writers is nearly impossible: it’s hard to write while laughing. Palisadians Maiya Williams, Chris Cluess and Dick Blasucci all work on “MAD TV,” a one-hour sketch comedy show which airs Saturday night at 11 on Fox. They sat down at Mort’s Deli one Wednesday morning to discuss the show’well, almost discuss the show, which is in its 11th year. After sausage jokes, caffeine references, flying barbs and witty repartee, the three stopped just long enough so that I could get some facts about them and the show. Blasucci, one of the executive producers, has been with the show for eight years. Cluess and Williams are writing supervisors and have been with the show five years and four years, respectively. All three have extensive writing credits including “Night Court,” “SCTV,” “Charlie & Company,” “Fresh Prince,” “Newhart,” “Tracy Ullman” and “Rock.” Sketches include political satires, commercial spoofs, pop culture set-ups and parodies of film and television. Although not every sketch is a winner, the show is worth watching because the writing is intelligent and has an edge. Some of the humor is scatological, but sketches and jokes are not done for shock value. At times, the variety of topics the show spoofs, the amazing ensemble cast and the inspired moments are pure brilliance. TV Guide named MAD’s parody of “Felicity” one of the 50 funniest moments in TV history. “It’s become an alternative to Saturday Night Live for many baby boomers,” Blasucci said. “We’re starting to gear it so it’s not just for teenagers.” “We write for ourselves,” Cluess said. “If it makes us laugh, it gets on.” Williams explained there’s a large group of writers for the show, with a lot of different backgrounds. “Everyone has his own type of humor,” he said, “which means the sketches reflect those types: political, gross-out, smart.” When I said I had laughed at one of the recent sketches, Cluess was quick to jump in. “What made you laugh?” he asked, and without waiting for my reply he said, “I wrote it.” Turning to Blasucci, he added, “We’ve got to do something on the NBA dress code; it was in the paper this morning.” Although “MAD TV” is compared to “Saturday Night Live,” the resemblance has to do more with the fact that they’re both sketch shows. “We’re not live, which means we can take more chances,” Blasucci said. “We also have time to edit and can take out things that don’t work. We have more time to set up scenes.” “We also don’t have to rely on a guest star,” Williams said. “The sketches aren’t written for stars.” “The shows are two different animals,” Cluess said. “‘SNL” is driven by a guest host; we feature the cast. ‘MAD TV’ has half the number of writers they do and we’re driven by ideas.” Blasucci said that the show’s 15 writers have backgrounds that include the Groundlings, Second City, and some who have sitcom experience. Many writers at “MAD TV” were actors before joining the staff. Every week the writers work on three shows simultaneously. They put the final touches on the show that’s taping that week. They write close to 25 sketches for the following week, of which approximately 10 will be chosen. They pitch new ideas that could potentially be written for sketches the week after that. All three have high praise for the cast, calling it one of the strongest they’ve seen. The actors and writers are collaborative. In a pinch the writers perform on the show. “On sitcom writing, it’s the same characters you write for over and over,” Williams said. “And the situation is realistic. On ‘MAD’ you can write about anything. If you want a scene with a chicken, you put someone in a costume.” “There was a TV show about man vs. beast,” Cluess said, “where a man might race a horse.” “Chris and I wrote a parody of that show with Reba McIntyre playing ping-pong with a toad,” Williams said. “It’s a very inventive form,” Cluess said. “I get to write things you rarely do.” Williams is married to Patric Verrone, the newly-elected president of the Writers Guild, West. They have three children: Patric,10, Marianne, 8, and Teddy, 5. She is also a published author of “The Golden Hour,” a middle grades novel that was published in 2004. Her second novel, “Hour of the Cobra,” will come out next spring. She attended Harvard, where she was editor of the Harvard Lampoon for four years. Cluess is married to Joyce and they have two children: Jessica, a junior at Northwestern University, and Meredith, a senior at Marymount. He attended Fordham University and then served four years in the Navy as a hospital corpsman. He was the editor of the National Lampoon magazine. Blasucci is married to Beth and they have two children: Maria, a sophomore at Loyola Marymount University, and Anthony, who is working on “Family Guy” on Fox. Blasucci graduated from Southern Illinois'”The Harvard of southern Illinois,” he joked. “Many people thought it was as hard as an Ivy League school.” “We all ended up in the same place on ‘MAD TV,'” Williams laughed. “It shows I spent too much money to go to school.”
The Beatnik Artist and His Bunch
By STEPHEN MOTIKA Palisadian-Post Contributor Wallace Berman may be the most important unknown artist in California history. A leader of the postwar avant-garde, he was the founder and editor of “Semina,” a hand-printed, free-form journal that he produced irregularly between 1955 and 1964. He was also an avid photographer, collagist, and installation artist. His Los Angeles residences, first in Beverly Glen and later at the top of Topanga Canyon, were the center of beatnik life in Southern California. Since his death in a car accident on his 50th birthday, in 1976, his life, work, and contribution to cultural history has often been reduced to the annals of cult memory. A new Santa Monica Museum of Art-organized exhibition and catalogue, “Semina Culture: Wallace Berman and His Circle,” brings him and 53 of his fellow artists and poets into the broader history of American life during the second half of the 20th century. Berman was born on Staten Island in 1926, but moved to the Boyle Heights area of Los Angeles in 1936. After his father’s death the following year, the family moved to Hollywood. Although his parents were observant, he was not raised strictly within the Jewish faith or tradition. A lifelong lover of poker, pool, and ping pong, he was expelled from Fairfax High in 1943 for gambling. He entered the Navy after an arrest for possession of marijuana, but stayed in for only six months. Back in Los Angeles, he spent increasing time in the city’s jazz clubs, where he met Charlie Parker and Dizzy Gillespie. During this time Berman supported himself by working for a furniture company while immersing himself in the arts community. He made a passing attempt at art school, but dropped out twice. While waiting in line to see a film by Jean Cocteau, one of his favorite artists, he met Shirley Morand; they married the following year, 1952. With a $5,000 loan from Berman’s mother, the young couple bought a house at 10426 Crater Lane, in Beverly Glen. After Berman purchased a Kelly hand press through the mail, “Semina” sprung to life. The first issue included writing and art by Cameron, Walter Hopps, David Meltzer, Jean Cocteau, and Bob Alexander. Berman produced 150 copies. He published eight more issues, produced in Los Angeles and San Francisco over the next nine years. The work of Herman Hesse, Charles Baudelaire, Charles Bukowski, and William Burroughs, among many others, was included. Only one issue was bound; most consisted of an envelope filled with loose pieces of paper printed with contributors’ art and poetry. Berman mailed out “Semina,” free of charge to his friends and associates. With the exception of a few copies available at City Lights Bookstore in San Francisco, ‘Semina” could not be bought. Michael Duncan, co-curator of the exhibition, in an interview with the Palisadian-Post, spoke of Berman’s commitment to “multiplicity in the arts and multifarious forms of expression.” In Berman’s world, “art is made for other members of the group, not made for just the art or poetry world.” Berman believed art to be a “mysterious force,” in Duncan’s words, and therefore was hesitant about discussing the meaning behind his work. His skepticism of the commercial and academic art world was no doubt confirmed when his first one-man show, on view at the Ferus Galley in 1957, was shut down by the Los Angeles Vice Squad. Charged with obscenity, Berman was fined $150. The Ferus show included a cross, a series of paintings of Hebrew letters, and several other installation pieces, including “Homage to Herman Hesse,” the only piece from the exhibition that survives. It was a line drawing of a couple making love by the artist Cameron’from the first “Semina,” pages of which Berman had scattered throughout the gallery’ that the police arrested him for, not a photograph of a couple in a coital position on the cross, which didn’t register with the police. The show’s shutdown was devastating to Berman, who, disgusted with the whole experience, moved with Shirley and their son Tosh to San Francisco later that year. They did not return to live in Los Angeles until June 1961. Rebecca Solnit, in her book “Secret Exhibition: Six California Artists of the Cold War Era,” writes of Berman: “The Ferus show is the only time he left out irony and distance. He truly exposed himself, though it was another kind of exposure that got him into trouble.” He never tried to explain his work. Kristine McKenna, Berman’s biographer and co-curator of the exhibition, recently said in an interview with the Post: “Berman was very secretive in ways. He never discussed his work, never gave an interview, never kept a journal, and never taught a class. There’s no record of how he felt about his work or life. “Secretiveness was a strategy,” McKenna continued. “Berman was very strict about work, how it was shown.” He never stopped making art; he took thousands of photographs and spent his last years producing his Verifax collages, grids of different images taken from popular culture magazines, each framed by a photo of a hand holding a transistor radio. As Duncan writes in the show’s catalogue: “The structural device is a resonant metaphor for Berman’s broader role as a transmitter of images and ideas that were metaphorically ‘in the air.'” He never incorporated his own photographs into his collages. Yet it was seeing these photographs a few years ago that piqued McKenna’s interest in Berman. “I started looking at the negatives and saw he had connections with all kinds of people’ Jack Smith, Allen Ginsberg. I was surprised that he was a really good photographer. I wanted to show the photos.” At this time, she heard that Michael Duncan was organizing a show about “Semina,” that would, in his words, “do a social history of that time and an examination of the participants.” They decided to join together to curate the Santa Monica Museum of Art exhibition, which includes more than 300 works, approximately 75 of them by Berman. The show illustrates, as McKenna puts it, that “Berman was an important catalyst. He was the vibrating energy field at the center of it all.” It also sheds some light on some of the underground figures who are less well known along with better-known figures like Joan Brown, Bruce Conner, Jay DeFeo, Dennis Hopper, Michael McClure and Henry Miller. Curator Duncan notes that it took real “field work to find objects by some of these people.” One was John Reed, “a casualty of the group, who ended up homeless and with mental problems.” Duncan found two handmade books by Reed in the late curator Walter Hopps’ basement. Some things, even if found, could not be borrowed, such as a 1949 black painting with crucifix by Allen Ginsburg that was too fragile to lend. The artists in the exhibition were photographed by Berman, and those portraits, most of which were printed especially for this show, give the viewer a snapshot of how much Berman respected and nurtured his friends and colleagues. Duncan equates him with Andy Warhol, who shot two films at Berman’s Crater Lane house, and his infamous coterie of artists. Duncan said: “Warhol was more of a vampire; Wallace was more of a solicitor. He was a more lyrical, more sensitive artist. The comparison is interesting, for both had a close-knit group and used pop culture in new ways.” Berman’s untimely death further cemented his position as “a symbol for a whole era,” suggested Duncan. McKenna believes that many young Los Angeles artists think of Berman as an indisputable influence. With the exhibition complete and all of her interviews finished, she must now sit down and write her biography. She has collected so many differing points of view, so many different versions of Wallace Berman that she recently admitted: “I haven’t figured out how to resolve it.” While McKenna works to figure out the Berman she wants to represent in her book, the exhibition will embark on a national tour after closing at the Santa Monica Museum of Art. For now, it will be up to us to decide who he might have been. “Semina Culture: Wallace Berman and His Circle,” curated by Michael Duncan and Kristine McKenna, is on view at the Santa Monica Museum of Art through November 26. Contact: 586-6488 or www.smmoa.org. The exhibition will then travel to Logan, Utah; Wichita, Kansas; Berkeley, California; and New York City. The catalog is published by the Santa Monica Museum of Art and D.A.P.
