Pee Wee Ellis, the great saxophonist and arranger for James Brown and Van Morrison passed away this week at the age of 80. He was a fixture in Marin County in the seventies and eighties when he played with Van the Man. His musical accomplishments are awesome and historical. Pee Wee shared credit with Brown for writing 26 songs, including “Cold Sweat” and “Say It Loud — I’m Black and I’m Proud.” He will be missed.....read Obituary.
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Memorial and tributes at the Throckmorton Theater in Mill Valley, Marin County, California where Robin Williams would frequently perform on comedy night. Shot with low res cell phone. I only met him once; we bumped into each other (literally) backstage at a Crosby Stills & Nash concert in Berkeley in 1982. A very sweet man....RIP Robin.
The Sun Valley neighborhood of San Rafael, Ca. was the location of the California Motion Picture Company (CMPC), a pioneer of feature-length films specializing in films about the early history of California. The studio complex was built in 1912 by George E. Middleton, a prominent San Francisco automobile dealer for the purpose of shooting promotional footage of the automobiles he was selling. He determined that his pretty wife, actress/singer Beatriz Michelena could star in movies made by his company and Middleton starred Michelena in 11 features for the San Rafael studio between 1914 and 1917. Michelena was talented but her demands for star treatment brought heavy expense to productions that continued to lose money and in 1916 CMPC filed for bankruptcy. Middleton and Michelena bought out the company in 1917 and renamed it Michelena Studios, finally closing for good around 1920 due to lack of profits and the rise of Hollywood. Today, almost 100 years later, the studio site where there once were cowboys and stagecoaches is now a quiet residential neighborhood with houses and trees. This is the restored 1969 Porsche 917K (chassis no. 917-015) that won the 1970 24 hrs of Daytona. Driven by Pedro Rodriguez of Mexico, Leo Kinnunen of Finland and Englishman Brian Redman, the No. 2 John Wyer Gulf Porsche 917 dominated the 1970 Rolex 24 at Daytona winning by 45 laps over its sister car, the No. 1 Gulf Porsche 917. Powered by a 5.0 liter, 12 cylinder DOHC engine, 630 horsepower @ 8400rpm, wt.1750 lbs., top speed 220 mph. The 917 is one of the most iconic race cars of all time, and was immortalized by Steve McQueen in his 1971 film Le Mans. Photographed at the Tiburon, Ca. Classic Car Show, June 2012.
1939 Delahaye Type 165 Cabriolet, winner of Best in Show Concours d' Elegance at the 2012 Marin-Sonoma Concours d' Elegance. This car features a 4.5-liter, triple overhead cam, aluminum, 12-cylinder engine with three downdraft Solex carburetors and coachwork by Figoni & Falaschi, One of only two built, this car was chosen by the French Government to represent France at the 1939 New York World's Fair, where it caused a sensation. 1938 Talbot-Lago 'Special' T150 C SS "Goutte d'Eau" Coupe photographed at the 2012 Marin-Sonoma Concours d' Elegance. Goutte d'Eau means "teardrop" in French. Handbuilt by the Paris Coachbuilding Firm, Figoni & Falaschi (Italian designers). One of the most expensive cars of it's era; only 16 were made in the teardrop coupe style. These cars could reach 140 mph and some were raced at LeMans. The "C" stands for "course" or "competition" (i.e. racecar). A true masterpiece of aerodynamic design and craftsmanship. These rare cars sell at auction for well over 3 million dollars. Hear what it sounds like...video.
Blood Alley (1955) tells the story of Captain Tom Wilder (John Wayne) whom locals rescue from the Chinese Communists. He ends up attempting to take the people of the village to Hong Kong in a small, rotten paddle steamer.Most of the location filming was done at historic China Camp in Marin County, Ca. Artificial sets and buildings were added to create a small Chinese village. |
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September 2021
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