In memory of Richard Zanuck who died today at 77. Here is his father, Darryl, shown as a young filmmaker being interviewed by my grandmother Mitzi Cummings, who in this instance was writing for Photoplay Magazine. As a niece of Louis B Mayer she was no doubt aware of interviewing the "competition" but she was … Continue reading In Memory of Richard Zanuck
Tag: Mitzi Cummings
Now Showing! The Mitochondrial Candidate
As I think about these descendants of mine - far into the unknown future - I can almost feel myself fade and flicker like a faulty hologram. Why is it that so few of us know anything about our families past two or three generations? I am lucky enough to have a fairly well documented … Continue reading Now Showing! The Mitochondrial Candidate
Jean “Baby” Harlow. Dead at 26.
"It doesn't matter what degree of talent she possesses ... nobody ever starved possessing what she's got." Variety Magazine's review of Jean Harlow in the 1930's Howard Hughes' film Hell's Angels. This is a tough one because the more I stared at this photo and then researched it, the more convinced I became that it … Continue reading Jean “Baby” Harlow. Dead at 26.
What I Will Look Like in 40 Years
"She was driven, passionate and unstoppable. It is uncanny to me how alike she and LB were in sheer determination..." It dawned on me recently as I looked at photos of my grandmother Mitzi and my great-grandmother Ida Mayer Cummings that I was looking at me in a few decades. The resemblances are uncanny in … Continue reading What I Will Look Like in 40 Years
Mitzi Transformed by Wizard of Oz Make-up Artist Jack Dawn
I am fascinated by amber that contains a trapped primordial insect inside. One moment it is minding its own business on a tree, the next, it is captured in a rolling drop of sticky sap. A millenia later we can hold this same moment in time as fossilized amber in our hands. For me, my … Continue reading Mitzi Transformed by Wizard of Oz Make-up Artist Jack Dawn
Mitzi Joins the MGM Star Factory
Oh, that smile... My grandmother Mitzi is probably in her early 20s in this photo and appears to be signing in at MGM's employee entrance. From the smile, and with a photo to document the occasion, she may very well be doing this for the first time. There's naturally a fine line between nepotism and … Continue reading Mitzi Joins the MGM Star Factory
The Power of the Ladies – the Ladies Auxiliary
Bob Hope once said about my great-grandmother, Ida Mayer Cummings, that she was the only woman he knew who could reach down the phone and grab a man by the lapels. Where her brother Louis B Mayer was a force in filmmaking, Ida was a force in fundraising for the Jewish Home for the Aged in Los Angeles. Ironically, my grandmother and grandfather spent their last days there. But I look at this photo and see the fun, laughter and scheming to ensure money flowed from Hollywood and beyond to ensure comfort for the elderly.
The Film Colony ♛ 
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