[IMG:L]Sixty years from now, when a four-prong cane or a bedside attendant may be in high demand for some, where exactly will Keira Knightley and Lindsay Lohan be? The answer, quite possibly, is a peculiar retirement home situated in Woodland Hills, California.
The scenic community, which is run by the Motion Picture and Television Fund, opens its doors to all actors, directors, costume designers, make-up artists, gaffers, and soundmen who have grown too old, or infirm, to take care of themselves. This cloistered enclave in the foothills of the Santa Monica Mountains is the last stop for the men and women who once ran Hollywood. Soon or later, this is where the stars of yesteryear end up.
Not too long ago, I traveled to Woodland Hills and paid a visit to the retirement home’s cafeteria. As I walked in the front door, I came upon an engaging elderly couple, Liz and Gerry, who invited me to join them for lunch. The home, itself, felt a bit dreamlike.
The woman, a former actress named Liz [Elizabeth] Fraser, was in her eighties–although there was still a certain youthful vitality in her face that revealed the sparkling ingénue she’d played in Hollywood during the 1940s. The man–who wore Velcro sneakers, two hearing aids, and a Kangol hat–introduced himself as Gerry [Gerald] O’Loughlin, a lifelong character actor. “I’m still working,” he told me. “And I’m eighty-three… No, I am eighty-six… No, I am eighty-two.” We all kept silent for a moment. “Actually, I am eighty-three. Thank God, I got that straight.”
Moments later, Robert Guillaume, the nimble actor who starred in the wildly popular ‘80s TV show Benson, walked past us and headed over to a seat at the far end of the dining hall. “That’s Robert,” remarked Liz casually, once he was out of earshot. “He was a fine actor.”
[IMG:R]“I know,” I replied. “I recognized him immediately.”
Liz and Gerry exchanged a quick glance of frustration, as if perhaps this was not the first time that they had been upstaged by Guillaume .
Eventually, a server took our lunch orders, and while we waited for our food to arrive, Liz told me more about her career in Hollywood, which included major roles in:The Man Who Came to Dinner (1941); All My Sons (1948); Death of a Salesman (1951); Young at Heart (1955); Tunnel of Love (1958); A Patch of Blue (1965) and many others.
“You should have seen her back then,” said Gerry admiringly. “Go have a look–her picture is on the Wall.”
“What wall?” I asked.
“The Wall,” replied Liz. She pointed to the far side of the dining hall, which was covered with roughly forty framed photographs of Gerry, Liz, and all the other residents. Many of these photos were black and white headshots taken in the ‘40s and ‘50s, when the residents were in the height of their careers. They were glamour shots–the sort that stars today still sign and send out to their fans.
“I don’t spend too much time looking at The Wall,” one resident later confided. “It gets frightening when you see yourself back then.” Liz’s photo showed a cute, buxom blonde who might have passed for a young Dolly Parton. Upon returning to the table, I complemented Liz on her photo, and asked her when it was taken.
“In 1864,” said Gerry with a laugh. “Just after the Battle of Bull Run.”
“It was taken in the 1950s,” corrected Liz. “And you should look at it all you want, because I don’t pose for photographs any more.”
Later on, Liz told me why she no longer posed for photos. “I’m ugly,” she said. “Inside, I still think I’m Lana Turner, but I look at pictures of myself today and I think: You’re fat, your face is much too big, and I hate your hair! I’m attractive for 84–but I sure as sh*t ain’t attractive.”
This confession was followed by a long silence.
“Now’s your chance to tell me, I’m not right,” she said with a rather sad smile.
“You’re not right…” I stammered.
“The funny thing is, when I was young, I had no idea that I was pretty,” she said. “Then I got to a certain age and I realized: You had it–you had it all.”
[IMG:L]One has to wonder: as the Lindsays, Fergies, and Cedrics of the world continue to shine brightly, how prepared are they at some point, in the not-so-distant-future, to stare at the face of a reflected image whose star is fading before their very eyes. Maybe a long-term stay at Woodland Hills, among their own kind, will make it all easier–or not.
This was adapted from the new book, Fame Junkies. Read the hot, page-turning exposé that everyone in Hollywood is talking about! Purchase a copy of FAME JUNKIES for a discounted price on Buy.com right now.
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[IMG:L]Meet America’s Youngest Fame Junkies
Why do more people watch the ultimate competition for celebrityhood, American Idol, than watch the nightly news on the three major networks combined? How come the average teenage boy desires fame almost as much as intelligence–while the average teenage girl craves fame more than intelligence? And why do 43.4% of teenage girls say that they want to be a “celebrity personal assistant” when they grow up, while only 13.6% say they’d want to be a U.S. Senator?
Watch this eyebrow-raising, documentary short based on Fame Junkiies, the critically acclaimed book by Jake Halpern.
[IMG:L]Fame Junkies – Volume 2: Beneath the Red Carpet
OK, so merely one month later, the Oscars are already a quickly fading memory. In fact, the entire two-month-long American bacchanal known as “award show season” seems like it was a frantic, distant dream. At long last, Martin Scorsese is sleeping well. The vintage couture ‘borrows’ have been returned. The Hummer stretch-limos are back in their garages. But what about all the red carpets? I mean this quite literally. What happens to all that red carpet? And, on a slightly more philosophical note, why is it that we are so obsessed with the red carpet in the first place?
[IMG:L]Fame Junkies – Volume 3: The Grooming of Baby Idols
American Idol’s controversial, Sanjaya-focused season is quickly building toward its climatic finale; however, for all those dazed contestants who have been brusquely eliminated–yet emotionally crippled by razor-tongued Simon–there is still hope. Look no farther than the International Model and Talent Agency (IMTA), which hosts two annual talent conventions, one of which is quickly approaching this summer.
[IMG:L]Fame Junkies – Volume 4: The Secret Lives of Stylists
Marcel Winter* has made a life for himself by dressing other people–mainly powerhouse celebrities. Their distinguished ranks include the likes of Halle Berry, Jim Carrey, John Travolta, and Nicole Kidman to name just a few. Over the years, Winter has also developed a successful second career as an analyst of celebrity fashion for several television networks, on which he identifies, candidly, the “best” and “worst” dressed attendees at the biggie events like the Oscars and the Golden Globes.
[IMG:L]Fame Junkies – Volume 5: The Devil’s Helper
Anyone wondering just how aggressive paparazzi photographers are these days should look no further than Britney Spears’ Malibu home. Earlier this week, two photographers–who were staking out Britney’s house–got into a heated scuffle as they vied to snap a shot of the recently-rehabbed star. In truth, the paparazzi have good reason to be so aggressive; an exclusive photo of Britney can earn upwards of $250,000 these days. Yet if these two brawling photographers were truly interested in mastering the tricks of their trade, they would put Britney on hold–at least for a few hours–and pay a visit to the home of Russell Turiak.
[IMG:L]Fame Junkies – Volume 6: Celebrity Stalkers, a Special Breed
In case you haven’t heard, just a few days ago, the actor Hugh Grant was arrested for allegedly throwing a container of baked beans at a photographer. No doubt, Grant is pursued around the clock by paparazzi and stalkers from all walks of life. Yet, before he tossed the beans, he should have really considered paying a visit to the offices at the Los Angeles Police Department’s “Threat Management Unit”–informally known as, “The Celebrity Anti-Stalking Unit.”
[IMG:L]Fame Junkies – Volume 7: The Monkey Business of Celebrity
Even those who claim to have no interest whatsoever in “celebrity news” have to admit that this week the headlines have been especially juicy. Paris Hilton, Sylvester Stallone, and Richard Gere have all had brushes with the law. The real question, of course, is not whether Paris will do hard time–though certainly there is, already, a reality TV show in the works–but why we, the public, get so caught up in all of this hoopla. Why do we find these stories so irresistible?
[IMG:L]Fame Junkies – Volume 8: Designing Tabloid Addiction
Do you know, by chance, exactly how many days, hours, and seconds remain before our favorite, lawbreaking heiress–Paris Hilton–heads off to the slammer? That’s a tough one. Can you, instead, perhaps explain why it is that Jessica Simpson keeps getting blonder in recent weeks? Not certain. Take a closer look at the glossy, weekly publication US Weekly magazine.
