Hi Friends and lovers of Hollywood,
Maybe I should make that old Hollywood;
that’s what I love. Gable, Harlow, Valentino, Clara Bow…don’t
get me started; it’s a long list. These are the people
and the times that drew me there. I moved to LA in the mid-seventies,
thinking I’d missed it all…but the tracks of those
who’d come before were still warm. And the town was still
full of a generation of waitresses, maitre ‘Ds, studio
guards and hotel clerks with long memories. Back in the day,
these folks held their jobs a lifetime. Take Estella Collier.
I searched for her for DISHING
HOLLYWOOD, never dreaming I’d find her. She was Sharon
Tate’s favorite waitress at El Coyote and with Sharon
her last night on earth. Estella worked at El Coyote for 50
years! The people she saw: Loretta Young, Kim Novak, Prince
Ranier. So when I ordered breakfast at Schwab’s Drugstore,
or had cocktails in Hemmingway’s and Fitzgerald’s
shadows at Musso & Frank’s, I started asking questions.
And I got a lot of information. A verbal social history was
passed down to me. Most of those people are gone now, but some
of their stories live on.
Like once, around1977, I’m on my way to a movie with a
friend and he points to a run-down hotel. “Janis Joplin
died there,” he tells me. So I can’t stop looking
at the place after that. Every time I drive by, I stare and
wonder until one day, I pull over and go inside. They deny the
fact at the front desk – the days before it was cool for
a celebrity to die on your premises – but they let me
wander around. A guy comes out of his apartment and asks who
I’m looking for. Sheepishly, I mumble something about
Janis and he says, “Oh, sure, I lived here then and I
helped break down the door to her room. Come on, I’ll
show you where it was.” I cannot believe my luck! He tells
me the whole story. Today, I consider it my first interview.
My natural curiosity led me down this path. The more I heard,
the more I learned who and what to believe…and where to
look. I found “runners” for lawyers and studio execs,
who delivered brown paper sacks full of cash to get celebrities
out of big trouble. I learned that in most of Hollywood’s
unsolved deaths, somebody was “influenced” not to
solve it. I know some things I have no right to know. I have
delved into some people’s lives so deeply I have felt
them in the room with me. And, according to psychics and parapsychologists
I worked with for HOLLYWOOD
HAUNTED, someone HAS been in the room with us from time
to time.
I have written three books and contributed to several others.
I have written and produced television documentaries, series
and specials. Sometimes my pockets are empty. Sometimes they’re
full. It’s not about the money. I love this town. I’ve
loved it since I discovered they have pink houses on my first
visit as a little girl from St. Louis. I love its history and
I love the people who made the history. It calls to me; it always
has. I’ve collected some great stories. If you’re
looking for a guest speaker, call
me.
I’ve met some great people and continue to do so. Recently,
I married my own little piece of Hollywood history. My husband, Jon Provost was Timmy
on “Lassie”; yes, girls, I got Timmy. We live in
the wine country of Northern California. Life is good. And now
you’re here. Even better. Sign the guest book and let
me know you stopped by.
I’ll let you know when I’m going to be in your area.
Thanks,
Laurie
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