Linda Blair Is July 4 Grand Marshal
Pacific Palisades residents might want to rent ‘The Exorcist’ before July 4. Linda Blair, child star of the classic 1973 horror film, will be riding as grand marshal in this year’s parade. Though many people may not recognize the actress who so believably played the little girl possessed by the devil, Blair will still have heads turning on the parade route. She is now a radiant and energetic humanitarian, driven more by her animal welfare work than her acting career. ‘Linda sounded like a wonderful person,’ said Arnie Wishnick, executive director of the Palisades Chamber of Commerce, who thought of asking Blair to be grand marshal after hearing that she was going to appear on Palisadian Jill Kessler’s radio show, ‘The Dog Dish.’ ‘She loves animals, especially dogs, so I thought she would be perfect,’ said Wishnick, whose yearly assignments for the parade organizing committee include finding a grand marshal. Kessler called to ask Blair, who accepted the offer and asked that Kessler ride with her. Blair will also have a booth set up along the route, representing her animal and human welfare organization, Linda Blair Worldheart Foundation (lindablairworldheart.com). ‘I look forward to greeting people at my booth and riding in the parade,’ Blair told the Palisadian-Post in a telephone interview. Her two-year-old grassroots public charitable organization campaigns to educate people about animals and helps rescue, feed, care and provide veterinary treatment for dogs and cats. ‘I was very disturbed at the number of animals that were being turned into animal rescues on a daily basis for what I felt were very poor reasons,’ said Blair, formerly the president of Pacific Coast Dog Rescue in Burbank. Some of the reasons people gave included ‘We’re moving,’ ‘I can’t be responsible,’ ‘It doesn’t fit with my lifestyle’ or ‘We don’t want it.’ Pacific Coast Dog Rescue would, in turn, offer those people training and advice. Blair’s work in animal welfare actually began in the early 1980s, when someone stole her Jack Russell terrier from her yard in Hollywood. ‘It broke my heart forever,’ she says. ‘It was the worst day of my life.’ Through that traumatic experience, she was introduced to Last Chance for Animals, which was doing a campaign on pet theft’why people’s animals are stolen and where they end up. ‘As years went on, I kept learning more difficult information on behalf of the plight of animals and I would always bring it to the public when I felt they needed to know,’ said Blair, who appeared on the live ‘330’ show with Steve Edwards and made a plea to have her dog returned, but to no avail. In 1994, Blair lost her mother to cancer and on July 4 of that year, her two canine companions died’one from a double stroke and another from autoimmune disease. ‘It was a life-changing time and I was in a deep state of depression,’ Blair said. ‘I decided to foster animals.’ After working with Pacific Coast Dog Rescue for several years, Blair decided to start her own foundation. ‘I needed to go nationwide.’ Her business partner is Heidi Huebner of Kids ‘n’ Pets, who works with children in schools to educate them about animals, while Blair runs the rescue end of Worldheart. Currently, the foundation has about 15 animals who need homes. Blair is also trying to secure a location to house her rescued animals. ‘Because of the building growth in L.A., it’s difficult to find kennel space,’ she said. ‘I’ve recently found a small property in the city that would allow people to come [see the animals] and school children to be educated on how to reduce pet overpopulation, spay and neuter, and reasons to rescue and adopt. ‘When I get a property, I will be able to also rescue felines along with dogs, but currently I rely on my own home and the compassion of foster homes to help me. I end up keeping the [animals] that no one else wants.’ This explains the barking sounds that came from her end of the phone line during the interview. Blair took a moment to talk to her dogs before coming back to the conversation. ‘I cannot tell people enough what a gift an animal is’if treated correctly,’ she said. Blair has three dogs of her own’a Staffordshire mix called Sunny (named for a ‘sunny personality’), Riley, a pit bull, and Itsy Bitsy, whom Blair described as ‘a mix with a curly tail who’s not itty bitty anymore!’ She actually grew up with cats and horses in Westport, Connecticut. ‘It was a wonderful rural community an hour from New York City, which is where I started my modeling career at 5 years of age,’ Blair said. ‘I had always planned to be a vet, and my mother taught me to save money so that I could go to school.’ However, by the time she turned 12, Blair had made over 75 commercials. ‘I still went to public school and practiced gymnastics, sailing, riding [horses] and piano’everything a little girl is lucky enough to do. Acting was just a job; I left it when I left New York.’ But the busy acting life was too much for Blair, who said she told her mother that she needed to focus on her school work. A week later, the interview for ‘The Exorcist’ came along. ‘It was a big to-do,’ she said, referring to the fact that the film was based on a popular novel of the time. ‘Pretend that ‘Star Wars’ was a novel first. This was it’the world based around this book.’ In the movie, Blair’s character, 12-year-old Regan, has to have the devil exorcised from her body. Blair said her family ‘never thought about the religious factor because I wasn’t raised Catholic. It was never a true story and still is not a true story.’ Proud of the film for its mark as a horror icon in film history (No. 3 on the American Film Institute’s list of the 100 most thrilling American films), Blair also said ‘it was the hardest job. ‘Think of a child going through the make-up [hours of preparation] and 17-below temps. No child wants to play a monster; you want to play a princess. I wanted to ride my horses.’ After earning an Oscar nomination for ‘The Exorcist,’ Blair appeared as a runaway sent to a detention center for girls in the made-for-television movie ‘Born Innocent’ and as the original dying girl in ‘Airport 1975’. She leaned towards television, appearing in ‘Sweet Hostage’ opposite Martin Sheen, followed by a major role as a young Israeli hostage in ‘Victory at Entebbe’. Blair also starred in ‘Grease’ on Broadway when she was 14. She appeared in a series of horror films in the 1980s but in recent years has focused on comedy, appearing in ‘The Blair Bitch Project’ in 1999 and the Fox Family TV series ‘S Club 7,’ as Joni (kids may recognize her from this latter role). However, she is also known for hosting the 2001 TV series ‘The Scariest Places on Earth.’ ‘I love to entertain,’ said Blair, who most recently appeared in the comedy ‘Hitter’s Anonymous’ at the 2004 Palm Beach International Film Festival. ‘I’ve been developing film projects and working towards producing for a long time, but the humanitarian side takes over and you have to make a choice.’ Blair’s choice has been to focus on her animal and human welfare work. On Tuesday, she appeared on the ‘O’Reilly Factor’ to speak against the recent ban on pit bulls in Colorado. She calls herself a ‘pit bull lover,’ who adopted her own pit bull, Riley, when he followed her home after she saw him jogging down the 405 freeway. ‘He’s a dog that would’ve been bred to fight,’ Blair said. ‘Instead, he yodels and leaps and jumps.’ Her dogs will not be riding in the Palisades Fourth of July parade with her because they’re afraid of fireworks, like many dogs. ‘Fireworks in the neighborhood are very frightening,’ said Blair, whose advice for dog owners July 4 is to ‘please make sure your dogs are registered’with two ID tags in case one falls off.’ She recommends microchipping. ‘I beg everyone to remember their animal companions on the Fourth. I’m going to go directly home after the parade and watch fireworks on television and remind my dogs that everything’s okay.’ For Palisadians who plan to rent a movie instead of watching fireworks, Blair suggests renting ‘Repossessed,’ the 1990 Bob Logan comedy she appeared in, parodying ‘The Exorcist.’
Holyoke Residents Continue Cingular Cell Site Battle
Mt. Holyoke neighbors brightened for a moment last week when they learned that Cingular Wireless has halted the cell tower installation on their street until June 13 as the company investigates moving the apparatus elsewhere. But they were discouraged when they discovered Verizon workmen (who installed the T1 cable) finishing the work Saturday afternoon. ‘We thought that we were in the clear, but saw the Verizon utility truck out in front of the tower, with the intention of pushing ahead,’ said Mt. Holyoke neighbor Karen Dawn. The Cingular equipment, consisting of four 5-ft. cellular antennas, transporters and three vertical antennas attached to an outrigger high above, was installed on an existing telephone pole in the 300 block of Mt. Holyoke two weeks ago. In a Joint Pole Agreement, cellular companies can piggyback onto an existing telephone pole in an administrative procedure that requires no regulatory restraints, nor public meetings. Mt. Holyoke neighbors are fighting the company’s placement of the equipment, which they consider an ‘aesthetic and emotional encroachment,’ as reported in the June 2 Palisadian-Post. ‘We had hoped we might have Verizon’s support in requesting a break from the work just until the issue is sorted out,’ Dawn said Wednesday. Earlier this week, Mt. Holyoke resident James Holcomb said that he had spoken to Kathleen Lee from Cingular, who said she was trying to get the site moved but was waiting for approval from her higher-ups and ‘that she thinks she has a solution that will make the neighbors happy.’ While the neighbors value and support the need for improved communication via cell phone coverage in the bluffs area, they question the positioning of the tower. ‘I hope Palisadians realize that the selection of this site is clearly for everybody making their way up and down PCH,’ Dawn said. ‘The Verizon installer said he had never seen a tower this high and guessed that it would provide service all the way up to Malibu.’
PaliHi’s ‘Pajama Game’ Hits High Note in School’s Musical History
Theater Review
There are a number of Broadway musicals whose memorable opening scenes have added pages to musical theater lore; scenes that transform the darkened space surrounding the audience immediately, magically to the reality behind the proscenium. Recall the opening sequence of ‘The Lion King,’ when the animals serpentine their way right through the audience on their journey to Pride Rock. Or in ‘Cats,’ where the audience meets the feline stars prowling through the magnificent junkyard as the curtain opens. The opening scene of Palisades High School’s production of ‘The Pajama Game’ envelops the audience in the marvel of theater as the Sleep-Tite Pajama Factory set assembles itself as if with a rub of a magic lantern. Factory machines, stitchers, sewers, office workers and shop stewards set up one of the happiest and richly comical Broadway musicals right before our eyes. A gamble and a homage, this production pays attention to the special significance ‘The Pajama Game’ has in the Palisades, the home of John Raitt, who immortalized the leading role on Broadway and film with his signature baritone songs such as ‘Hey There’ and ‘A New Town Is A Blue Town.’ A gamble certainly worth taking, as the Palisades cast, crew and orchestra make a credible, accomplished and enjoyable evening out of it. The orchestra’s exuberance and confidence in the overture opening night was matched with skill as they mastered the score that traverses American-style from waltz to syncopated rhythm. This year, the orchestra has grown in size and more importantly in breath, which can only help to build a topnotch music program season after season. That the theme, a labor dispute, could provide the fuel for this musical without resulting in a leaden 1930’s social treatise, is a salute to writers George Abbot and Richard Bissel, who worked with lyricists Richard Adler and Jerry Ross to create a richly comical musical packed with hit tunes. ‘The Pajama Game’s’ premiere on Broadway in 1954 was a labor of love, akin to a high school production. The show’s producers had to take on roles of the stage managers to save on the production’s costs and help with their own struggling financial needs. Director Monica Iannesa, choreographer Monique Smith, musical director Terry Henderson and vocal director Dwight Stone provide the skeleton of the PaliHi production, but the flesh belongs to the student actors, who fill the stage with three-dimensional men and women. The romantic leads, played so aptly by Eric Rosenstein (Sid Stroking) and Gilli Messer (Babe Williams) deliver memorable tunes into the night. Messer, a modern-mezzo leading lady, never fails when singing ‘I’m Not At All In Love,’ or when she joins forces with Rosenstein in ‘Small Talk’ and ‘There Once Was A Man.’ For the first time, I realized how rich the smaller parts are, as portrayed with all they’ve got by Taylor Fisher (Gladys) and Adam McCrory (Hines). Fisher, who has really come into her own as a singer and dancer, not only mastered the black tights and bowler of ‘Steam Heat’ (choreographed by a very young Bob Fosse), but the sexy, seductive vamp in ‘Hernando’ Hideaway.’ In the comedy role of Hines, McCrory lights up the stage, whether with his slapstick pratfalls or when delivering the unforgettable ‘Think Of The Time I Save’ and ‘I Would Trust Her (I’ll Never Be Jealous Again’). Also, the roles of Prez (Jeremy Ungar), Mable (Tia Lebherz) and Hasler (Jake Weingarten) show off these actors’ broad comedic range. This production, this cast, this orchestra have surpassed the high school norm and extends an invitation to the community at large. My only regret is that the acoustics and audience comfort in Mercer Hall don’t come close to meeting the challenge. We need a new theater on the level of that at Hamilton High School that could not only match the sophistication of the Palisades High drama department, but also that of the Palisades community at large. In the meantime, ‘The Pajama Game’ continues for one more weekend, June 2, 3 and 4, 7:30 p.m. in Mercer Hall at PaliHi, 15777 Bowdoin. General admission is $10, luxury seating, $20. Tickets are available at the door or by calling 454-0611.
Lowe Steers Drive to Provide Free Preschool for All in L.A.
Pushing for universal preschool in L.A. and beyond is the latest directive in Beth Lowe’s crusade as a children’s rights advocate. Just as education builds upon itself’ideally beginning with preschool’Lowe’s role as a champion for children has similarly evolved, with one appointment leading to the next throughout her more than 30 years of volunteerism. Lowe, a longtime resident of Rustic Canyon, was recently presented with the Golden Eve award by the Assistance League of Southern California for her continued philanthropic work. As chairwoman of the Los Angeles Universal Preschool board of directors, Lowe was present in March at an Eastside children’s center to hand over the organization’s first check. This gesture represented the official launch of an ambitious $600 million countywide program that over the next decade will hope to enroll 100,000 pre-kindergarten children in preschools regardless of family income. Universal preschool’insuring access to preschool for all L.A. County four-year-olds’is the most prominent initiative to grow out of First Five L.A.. This is the commission responsible for allocating the county’s share of the state tobacco tax revenue to fund programs targeted for children ages 0 to 5 years. California voters approved Proposition 10, raising the cigarette tax by 50 cents a pack, in 1998. ‘You’re here because we want you to be able to realize your dreams,’ Lowe recalls telling the children at the opening of the new facility. She was joined by filmmaker Rob Reiner, the ‘grandfather’ of Proposition 10, who is expected to propose a statewide universal preschool ballot measure in June 2006. ‘With kids, you really have a chance, particularly in the early years,’ says Lowe about the critical stage preschool represents in a child’s development, particularly for those who are at risk. ‘So many studies show if they’re behind by the time they are in kindergarten, they never catch up.’ Lowe first came to the aid of children when she and her husband Robert moved to Los Angeles in 1968. A young mother at the time (Lowe’s two sons are now married and live in the Palisades), Lowe volunteered in the pediatric wing at USC County General Hospital. She remembers being overwhelmed by the experience. ‘Some of the children, because of the severity of their illness and with parents unable to cope, would just be abandoned at the hospital,’ she recalls. ‘I would want to bring them all home with me. I finally had to give it up. It was just too hard.’ The emotional toll of this experience was channeled into activism, with a determined Lowe vowing to become a vigilant voice for the needs of children. Involvement with social service projects in the L.A. Junior League paved the way for serving on the Los Angeles County Commission for Children and Families, twice as chair, from 1984 to 1999. During her tenure, she advocated intensively in Sacramento and Washington, D.C. to ensure a safety net for children in the wake of welfare reform. The success of these efforts earned her the 1998 commissioner’s award for the state of California. ‘A lot of people think it’s difficult, but it’s not,’ Lowe says of advocacy. ‘To me, these are dollars that belong to us, so why not go out and ask for them to be allocated where you see the need.’ Childrens Hospital of Los Angeles, where 75 percent of funding comes from the government, recruited Lowe to serve on the board, tapping into her expertise working with state and national legislators. Since 2000, she has chaired the hospital’s government relations committee. Lowe, grandmother to three, has a gracious manner underscored by tenacity. ‘If you take too global of an approach, you get overwhelmed and feel it’s futile,’ she says. ‘But if you think ‘What can I do for this particular group right now?’ and stay focused, you will have an impact.’
Dynastic Dolphins Triumph Again
Boys Fitted with City Crown for Fourth Consecutive Year; Girls Finish Second
Photo by Rich Schmitt, Staff Photographer
Winning the City Section title is something members of the Palisades High boys varsity swim team expected to do when the season began. And that lofty goal was achieved barely halfway into last Wednesday afternoon’s City Finals meet at the Los Angeles Memorial pool. From then on, the Dolphins were merely out to show just how superior they were to the rest of the competing teams. In winning their fourth consecutive team title and 11th overall, Palisades’ boys established themselves as one of the best squads in section history and served notice that they aren’t done yet. “What I’m proud of the most with this team is how hard we worked and the humility we showed all year even though we knew we were good,” said the Dolphins’ senior captain David Nonberg. “And even though we were winning easily all the way today, we still gave it our all in every event. We were so prepared–we tapered really well for this meet.” Palisades accumulated a whopping 262 points, almost lapping second-place Cleveland (193) and third-place Birmingham (182). By intermission the Dolphins had already built an insurmountable 53-point lead, thanks in part to the 200 medley relay team of Brian Johnson, Evan Guze, Peter Fishler and Paris Hays, which won in 1:43.55 to earn Pali 32 points. Fishler and Eric Hamer finished second and fourth, respectively, in the 200 freestyle before Johnson won the 200 individual medley and Hays and Nonberg finished 1-2 in the 50 freestyle. Fishler opened the second half of the meet with a third place swim in the 100 butterfly, Hays followed by winning the 100 freestyle and the 200 freestyle relay foursome of Nonberg, Hamer, Andrew Le and Hays won in 1:32.50. Johnson won the 100 Backstroke to earn Palisades an additional 16 points and the 400 freestyle relay of Fishler, Johnson, Hamer and Nonberg closed the meet in style, winning by almost four seconds. “I raced the same guy (Michael Chiu of Cleveland) in four events and his best 100 Back time was better than mine going into today’s meet, so I wasn’t taking anything for granted,” Johnson said. “The key was that we all swam better than we did at the prelims last week. Our only concern on that final relay was not to get disqualified. It’s better to lose six points and finish second than lose 32 on a DQ. So we played it real safe.” It was a disqualification in the 200 freestyle relay at the prelims that came back to haunt the Dolphins’ girls team. For while the boys were continuing their dynasty in a romp, the girls were locked in a tight points race with defending champion Cleveland. Trying to make it a “Dolphin Double,” the girls fell just short, finishing second with 223 points, only 18 behind the frontrunning Cavaliers. For a team as young as Palisades, which consisted almost entirely of freshman and sophomores, just being in contention for the City title was a noteworthy accomplishment. “I told the girls they have nothing to be ashamed of,” Pali Head Coach Maggie Nance said. “Second place is awesome. We didn’t lose, we got second place. I mean, I’ve got seven freshmen swimming at City finals. I couldn’t have asked for more than they gave.” The Dolphins’ 400 freestyle relay, consisting of Julie Wynn, Alexandra Ehrgott, Patrice Dodd and Chelsea Davidoff, won by over two seconds in the final event. At the halfway point, Pali led Cleveland, 80-67, but the previous week’s disqualification coupled with 27 points the Cavaliers picked up in diving, proved too much in the end. A key race was the 200 medley relay, where Palisades’ foursome of Kristen Fujii, Davidoff, Cayley Cline and Wynn, finished second to El Camino Real by 19 hundreths of a second. “That one race was not the deciding factor, it only would’ve made the final score a little closer,” Nance said. “The bottom line is that we just didn’t have a lot of places where we could move up a few spots from our prelim positions whereas Cleveland did. You have to give them credit. They performed well enough to win.” Fujii was third in the 200 freestyle, Kathryn Cullen was sixth in the 200 individual medley and Wynn was third in the 100 freestyle and fourth in the 50 freestyle. Hanna Kim was runner-up in the 100 backstroke, Ehrgott and Davidoff were third and fourth, respectively, in the 100 breaststroke, Cline won the consolation finals of the 100 butterfly and Davidoff placed third in the 500 freestyle. Winners of 15 City titles, the Dolphin girls could arrive at next season’s City Finals as the team to beat right along with the boys. “It wouldn’t surprise me if that were the case,” Nance said. “For the boys, there’s no end in sight because we have a lot of talent and a lot of depth. And the girls came so close this year and will only get better. So the future of the program looks good.” Sophomore Ashley Baele earned four points for the girls in diving while senior Sean Donohue scored three points to the boys’ total. Highlights from the frosh/soph meet included freshman Carl Kaplan winning the boys’ 100 freestyle and finishing third in the 50 freestyle, sophomore Vlad Ufimtsev winning the 200 freestyle and taking fifth in the 50 butterfly and the girls’ 200 medley relay team of Breanna Thompson, Alysa Gluckman, Lisa Kil and Kathryn Smith swimming fourth.
Palisades Duo In City Finals
Two weeks after winning the City team championship, the Palisades High boys’ varsity tennis team will have a chance to add to this season’s hardware this afternoon at Balboa Sports Center. The Dolphins’ No. 2 team of junior Stephen Surjue and sophomore Sepehr Safii advanced to the All-City individual doubles finals with a dominating 6-1, 6-2 victory over Josh Dver and Chris Oh of Chatsworth. There, the Dolphins’ duo will face Granada Hills seniors Jared Novak and Jeremy Choo, who upset top-seeded Darya Bakhtiar and Seth Mandelkern, Pali’s No. 1 pair, 6-3, 7-5, in the semifinals. Bakhtiar and Mandelkern will meet Dver and Oh in the third place match. The doubles final is a rematch of last year’s third-place match, when Surjue and Safii beat the Highlanders’ tandem. In singles, the Dolphins’ No. 1 player, Adam Deloge, advanced to the quarterfinals before losing by injury default to the top seed and defending champion Bobby Tam of Belmont. Deloge retired after three games. In the third round, Deloge defeated Taft’s Adam Sagal, 6-2, 6-4. ‘STEVE GALLUZZO
Hickok Runs 4th in Mile
Sophomore Kristabel Doebel-Hickok has been the anchor of the Palisades High girls’ track team all season. By far the Dolphins’ most consistent performer, she had won every race she ran in Western League competition and qualified third at the City Section preliminaries. All signs pointed to a top three finish and a possible trip to the state meet. But in the City Section track and field finals last Thursday at Birmingham High, Doebel-Hickok learned that experience and strategy can be as important as speed and endurance in big races. Against a strong field, Doebel-Hickok ran a strong race and finished fourth in 5:23.42. ‘Kristabel ran a very good, smart race and I’m proud of her,’ Palisades High coach Ron Brumel said. ‘She was just up against older and more seasoned runners. This is the first time she didn’t run her final lap as fast or faster than her first one.’ Defending champion Emmaline Hartel of Birmingham took the lead early in the 1,600-meter race and held off several game challengers on the final lap to repeat as champion in 5:10.62. Hartel also won the two-mile (3,200 meters) event. Doebel-Hickok ran in the middle of the first half of the race, then stepped up her pace in the third lap to move within striking distance of the leaders. She was unable to make a serious threat at Hartel, but finished fourth by a comfortable margin. ‘This was a great learning experience for Kristabel,’ Brumel said. ‘She’ll have an even better shot at winning next year.’ In the field events, sophomore Angela Liberatore cleared 8-0 to finish fifth overall in the pole vault. She cleared the same height to finish first at the Western League finals two weeks ago.
Palisadians Power Loyola Volleyball
Led by Palisadian starters C.J. Schellenberg, Jake Rosetti, Jason Holdych and James Scillacci, Loyola High won its third consecutive CIF Division I Southern Section boys volleyball championship last Saturday night at Cypress College. The second-seeded Cubs upset top-seeded Mira Costa, 15-25, 25-19, 25-21, 25-22, to win their ninth CIF title, and the four locals all played together at Corpus Christi School. Schellenberg, a 6-8 senior hitter headed for USC, had 17 kills and 10 digs for the Cubs (29-5), who avenged a nonleague loss to the Mustangs in April. Other Palisadians contributing to Loyola’s victory were Brian Scilacci, Michael Lennon, Bryan Stennett and Chris Kayes.
Actor Eddie Albert Dies Here at 99
Actor Eddie Albert, an engaged resident of Pacific Palisades who served as the town’s 22nd honorary mayor from 1996 to 1998, passed away on May 27 after a long battle with Alzheimer’s disease. He was 99. Albert, who had an entertainment career that spanned radio, stage, movies and television, was an icon of the Palisades, having lived for over 60 years in a home on Amalfi Drive that he purchased from silent film star Billie Dove. He is perhaps best known for his starring role in television’s ‘Green Acres’ and for his Academy Award nominations for Best Supporting Actor in ‘Roman Holiday’ and ‘The Heartbreak Kid.’ Eddie Albert was born Eddie Albert Heimberger in Rock Island, Illinois on April 22, 1906. His father was involved in real estate business, causing the family to move to Minneapolis. Albert attended the University of Minnesota until his junior year, when he decided to get a full-time job managing movie theaters, in which he performed magic tricks before each show. He continued to work in entertainment, forming a singing trio that found success performing on the radio. The group played at stations in St. Louis, Cincinnati, Chicago and New York, until finally breaking up. After the breakup, Albert moved to New York and sang in clubs around New York City for $3 a night, while living above a speakeasy on 48th St. He and Grace Bradt then formed a singing duet and went on NBC Radio for a year as ‘The Honeymooners’Grace and Eddie.’ Acting scouts discovered Albert soon after, and signed him for a Broadway show, ‘Room Service,’ and the movie version of ‘Brother Rat,’ and then the Rodgers and Hart musical ‘The Boys of Syracuse.’ When World War II broke out, Albert joined the U.S. Navy as a lieutenant, junior grade, and fought in the Pacific at Tarawa and other islands. In 1994 he was awarded the Navy’s Distinguished Public Service Award for dedication and heroic efforts on board the U.S.S. Sheridan during the battle of Tarawa in 1943. Albert married Margo ne’ Maria Margarita Guadelupe Teresa Estella Bolado Castilla y O’Donnell in St. Patrick’s Cathedral in New York in 1945. They had two children. His son Edward Albert, born in 1951, became an actor, married and has a daughter, Thais. His daughter Maria, born in 1954, is also married and has a daughter, Mia. Margo passed away in 1985. Eddie Albert served in a number of noble endeavors in his lifetime. In 1972, he was invited to act as a consultant to Maurice Strong, the Secretary General of the U.S. Conference on Environment, which was held in Stockholm, Sweden. He also met with national and local officials in an effort to reduce pollution to the environment, and went on NBC Television speaking out against the pesticide DDT. Although he was attacked for his stance on DDT, he stood firm, and was recognized as being correct when scientific studies confirmed that DDT was in fact highly dangerous to the environment. In the 1970’s, Albert spoke at more than 50 universities, businesses, industrial groups and citizen gatherings in which he raised awareness about the pollution of the world’s ecology and steps that could be taken to reduce it. On Earth Day in 1970, he was one of the keynote speakers at a major environmental rally at Stanford University. Albert was also very involved in organic farming and gardening, as evidenced by the crops that could be found at his Amalfi home in the front and back yards. Depending on the season, he grew tomatoes, radishes, beets, carrots, chives, rosemary, and even tall rows of corn. Albert took his farming skills to the inner-city in the 1970’s, establishing City Children’s Farms in New York, Philadelphia, Boston, Chicago, Los Angeles and many other cities. Eddie Albert once said of growing older that ‘The problem with the men is you have to defrost them from believing that at age 65 you’re finished.’ Indeed, Albert kept going in his later years, working in his garden, and serving the town that had been his home for so long. Whether through his films and television shows, his garden and environmental work, or his years of service, the Palisades will always remember Eddie Albert as one of the pillars of the town, and as a friend to the community. ‘I’m absolutely in love with the Palisades,’ he said in 1999 at a birthday party for all residents 90 years and older. ‘It’s so pleasant here’the flowers, the people. I’ve been in a lot of places in the world and I’ve never been in one where the people are so warm and so comfortable with themselves. It’s wonderful that you can come together like this, and I’m honored to be part of it.’ Albert, who was 93 at the time, added: ‘I’m still trying to do my part to help people. So use the telephone, if you have time, and come and have a sandwich.’
