You'd think that since I'm no longer traditionally employed, I'd have plenty of time to blog more than I have in the past two months, right? Which is to say that I haven't blogged at all. The reason being: I've had the good fortune to freelance for the Sun Community Newspapers (the Studio City, Sherman Oaks Sun, and Encino Sun). Their motto? "The Fiercely Local Voice of the San Fernando Valley."
Ever since I pitched the managing editor about a vacant property at the end of Hartsook Street back in September when I was first liberated from the New York Times, she's kept me busy. My most recent piece - a major cover story for the special 5th Anniversary Edition of the Studio City Sun - is still available online.
My wonderfully encouraging editor Karen Young allowed me to include two personal references, including one about how my grandfather, the policeman Phil Hargreaves, saved lives and pulled bodies from the river during the great flood of 1938 in the San Fernando Valley. Here's the link if you want to check it out. I've also attached it on the right side of my blog.
http://www.suncommunitynewspapers.com/index.php?mact=News,cntnt01,detail,0&cntnt01articleid=370&cntnt01returnid=59
My favorite part is the ghost of Vera Ralston who allegedly haunts one of the stages on the CBS lot. She competed against figure skater and gold medalist Sonja Henie in the 1936 Winter Olympics in Berlin, where she claims she personally met Adolf Hitler and insulted him to his face. He asked if she wanted to skate for the swastika, and she replied that she would rather skate ON it. As to why she would now haunt the CBS lot is anyone's guess, but perhaps her spirit is nostalgic for her halcyon days as mistress and wife of studio head Herbert Yates. Apparently he gave her such preferential treatment that it lead to a lawsuit from studio shareholders. There wasn't enough room to run that bit, though. I mean you can't say everything in 2,300 words.
Cheers.
Subscribe to:
Post Comments (Atom)
No comments:
Post a Comment