Hollywood Studio Magazine (April 1967)

INSIDE THE INDUSTRY Motion Picture Home BABE LONDON, ARTIST By Marjorie Sells T he Motion Picture Country House and Hospital Guild is one year old! Our president, Mrs. William Mar- gulies, is very proud of the mem¬ bers. One year ago, our first venture was to assist at a barbecue for the hos¬ pital, pavilion and rest home patients. We felt somewhat inept at handling the situation, but the outcome was an overwhelming suc¬ cess. On Feb. 24th the second barbecue was held in which the Guild assisted with the patients. The “Ladies in Blue” were real pros, helping those who could walk, wheeling others and serving. A tiny little lady, Eleanor Edwards, known for her tiny appetite, returned for seconds, as did many others. There seems to be a strong rapport between the patients, guests and Guild members. We now feel a definite goal has been reached to be a service to the Hos¬ pital and Country House. Babe London, who is a guest at the Motion Picture Country House, is a multi-talented lady and yet she hopes to start on a new hobby. Babe started as a stock player at Vita- graph, became a featured comedienne for Christie Comedies and on to the top as leading lady for Laurel and Hardy. Sometime later she enrolled in an Adult Education Art Class and within a year, has had enthusiastic acclaim for her paint¬ ings. Her latest venture is for a snydicated column, with the Senior Citizen, or as she prefers, Senior American, as her topic. Quoting Babe, “I’ll explore their hobbies, accomplishments, problems, their philosophy and entire way of life in what I like to call their ‘Golden Harvest Years.’ ” Jerry Colonna seems to be pro¬ gressing nicely. He complimented our Volunteers on a recent K.HF- TV broadcast premiered in April called “On The Scene.” Please watch - it’s in color and it might give a whole new insight on what a lovely place we have. The California Association for Health and Welfare held a State Conference on health, welfare and recreation, at the Statler-Hilton Hotel in Los Angeles on March 13th, 14th and 15th. The Motion Picture Relief Fund had a booth, manned by our Volunteers, dispensing litera¬ ture and answering questions about the Fund. Johnny Morris, small in stature but at least ten feet tall in heart, put on his Spring Variety Show March 19th at the Motion Picture Country House for the guests and patients. Johnny has been putting these shows on for the past 21 years ...three times a year. Thank you, Johnny. As usual, your show was great and your efforts are greatly appreciated. One of our Volunteers, Marjane Bellamy, husband Director Earl Bellamy and little Karen are on a combination vacation and location assignment in Europe. They plan to visit Chicago, New York, London, Berlin, Rome, Venice, Athens, the Greek Isles, Casablanca and Pompeii. Mr. Bellamy is directing the “I Spy” series in Rome. A check to the Motion Picture Relief Fund for $1,064,915.80 was presented last month to George L. Bagnall, Fund president, by builder- developer Gerald J. Chazan. Check was for the purchase of 12.1 acres of property owned by the MPRF and fronting on Mulholland Drive op¬ posite the Motion Picture Country House and Hospital in Woodland Hills. The money, according to Mr. Bag¬ nall, will be earmarked for the Fund’s current $40 million Endow¬ ment and Building Campaign, headed by Gregory Peck, and used specifically for construction of addi¬ tional housing, medical and recrea¬ tional facilities on the 41-acre grounds. Coldwell, Banker & Company handled the sale of the property and will also act as leasing agency for Chazan. Construction of a $3 million com¬ plex to be known as the Calabasas Shopping Center will begin April 1. The Center will cater to the 17,000 residents who live within a mile radius of the proposed complex and will be easily accessible to guests and employees at the Country House and Hospital. Plans call for a movie Continued on Page 22