Hopper's Studio

A photo of Hopper by Berenice Abbott hangs above the fireplace.

From 1913 until his death in 1967, Edward Hopper and his wife, Josephine, lived and worked at 3 Washington Square North in a fourth-floor walk-up studio. During last weekend’s Open House New York, I was able to take a peek inside.

Housed in one of the famed Greek Revival townhouses on the north side of Washington Square Park (now the NYU Silver School of Social Work), the studio is small and sparse but with wonderful light and a lovely view of the park below. Here Hopper created some of his most iconic works including “Nighthawks,” “Early Sunday Morning, and “New York Movie.” The large easel set up in the middle of the room made it easy to imagine those canvases resting there, the artist standing by its side.

There was a wait to get in but I didn't mind. It was surprising to see how plain the place was yet easy to imagine that the solitude under the eaves probably suited the quiet artist.

Back outside, the park was buzzing with people enjoying a warm Sunday and the local squirrels were up to their usual business of begging for food, one even going so far as to jump on a man’s lap for some trail mix. Right before I left, a rainbow appeared in front of the arch. The perfect ending to a great day.

Photos by Michele.

New York Marble Cemetery

Hidden away in the busy East Village is what appears at first to be a large garden or private park. But a closer inspection of the surrounding stonewalls reveal marble plaques bearing familiar names: Auchincloss, Ogilvie, Scribner, Comstock, Olmsted. These are just some of the roughly 2,100 people who call the New York Marble Cemetery their final home.

Founded in 1830, the cemetery was popular with prominent 19th-century families, so much so that shortly after developer Perkins Nichols built the New York City Marble Cemetery, which I visited a few years ago (read more here), down the street.

Instead of graves with tombstones, the bodies lie in their caskets ten feet below in a series of marble vaults (156 in total) that can be accessed via hidden access shafts. The plaques seen above indicate the exact location of each family’s vault. Sadly, more than half of those first interred in them in the early days of the cemetery were children, a grim reminder of the high morality rates of the time. Today, descendants of the original vault owners may use them if they wish although the last person to rest here was Charles Janeway VanZandt in 1937.

While there may be no sculptures or memorials to the dead, the cemetery is filled with flowers and trees as well as benches on which to rest, reflect, and enjoy a tiny bit of quiet while surrounded by  in the middle of a bustling city.

The New York Marble Cemetery is not open to the public on a regular basis. I was fortunate to visit on a day that it was during Open House New York. For more information, visit here.

And speaking of cemeteries, readers of this blog are familiar with my fondness for visiting the dead. Some of the other cemeteries I’ve posted about are Woodlawn Cemetery (here), Trinity Church Cemetery (here and here), the Third Cemetery of the Spanish and Portuguese Synagogue (here), the Granary Burial Ground in Boston (here), and the San Francisco National Cemetery at the Presidio (here). All Photos by Michele.

Open House

Don’t have any plans this weekend? If you’re in New York consider attending “Open House New York,” a once a year event that celebrates architecture and design throughout the five boroughs. Hundreds of sites normally closed to the public will open their doors and other locations will host special tours, talks, and performances. There's lots to chose from. Climb to the top of the tower at the Jefferson Market Library; visit the Little Red Lighthouse; explore the Old Stone House, built in 1699; inspect the Unger Hansen Residence, an energy-efficient townhouse; wander through the Noguchi Museum, a former photoengraving plant; and more. For a full list of events visit here.

I plan on checking out the New York Marble Cemetery, Edward Hopper’s studio, and the Morris-Jumel Mansion. Can’t wait. Have a great weekend, everyone!

Image from here.

Visiting Ollie

Olive Thomas circa 1915.

On September 29, 1920 the funeral of silent screen star Olive Thomas was held at St. Thomas Episcopal Church on Fifth Avenue in New York where hundreds of mourners crowded the church and street. The young actress had died on September 10, 1920 in Paris after accidentally ingesting poison and the news of her passing filled the newspapers. Last month, on the anniversary of the funeral, my friend Allison and I, after a quick stop at St. Thomas, travelled out to Woodlawn Cemetery in the Bronx to pay our respect to our darling Ollie.

Photos by Michele.

I had been to out to Woodlawn to see Ollie’s final resting place a few years before on the anniversary of her birthday (read about that visit here) but my friend, who lives in LA, had never been so it made the visit even more special.

After a bit of a hunt for her mausoleum we found it, looking as tiny and downtrodden as I remembered, adorned with the single word Pickford (the mausoleum was built for two but Ollie remains alone as her husband, Jack Pickford, was buried with the rest of the Pickford clan in California). Hanging from the door was a single dried rose and a glow-stick (left over from a Halloween tour last year, we later found out). We both brought flowers for Ollie and just coincidentally chose pink and white (great minds); I had looked in vain for lilac-coloured flowers but no luck (Ollie's coffin had been covered with purple orchids). After the requisite photo taking (including having our driver take some photos of us), we sat on the step of the mausoleum and talked about Ollie and Jack before being surprised by the arrival of a tour group, which turned into an Annie Hall moment with us correcting the guide. Still, a wonderful day spent with lovely company.

For more about Ollie and why I'm such a fan, read my prior post here.

On the Screen

"3-D Movie Viewers" J.R. Eyerman (1952)

Someone recently asked me, are you ever going to blog about a movie that was made after 1940? The answer is, I have just not very often. I am aware that my posts tend to focus more on the glory days of Hollywood than with current cinema and while it may appear that I only watch films in black and white, I love film in general and will sit through just about anything. I also go to the movies on a regular basis so as I've done with books I've read, I thought I'd say a few words about some recent screenings.

Jake Gyllenhaal and Hugh Jackman in Prisoners

First up is Denis Villeneuve’s Prisoners, which I saw opening weekend on a whim after gallery hopping. The story of the disappearance of two little girls on Thanksgiving Day and the lengths at which one of the parents is willing to go to find them is a very satisfying thriller. Both tense and creepy, it is well done from the twists and false leads in the plot to the grey look of the picture to the strong acting by the cast. Hugh Jackman (sans Wolverine claws) is good as are the always stellar Viola Davis and Melissa Leo but the big surprise is Jake Gyllenhaal. I’ve never had an opinion one way or the other about the actor but was very impressed with his performance as the twitchy, sleep-deprived detective trying desperately to solve the case. The film is long but well worth it.

Tom Hanks is Captain Phillips

Next was a Producer’s Guild (PGA) special screening of Paul Greengrass’ Captain Phillips. Based on a true-life drama (confession: I was ignorantly unaware of this event), it's the story of the hijacking of the cargo ship the MV Maersk Alabama by Somali pirates and of its captain, Richard Phillips,and his ordeal as their hostage. This is the type of film I would usually wait to watch on HBO but I found myself thoroughly engaged with the story. I liked Tom Hanks' portrayal (although he should have avoided doing a Massachusetts accent) and got caught up in the rescue attempt, especially after the arrival of the Navy Seals (played by real Navy Seals no less). After the screening there was a Q&A with the producers, Dana Brunetti and Michael De Luca, who disclosed that the pirates in the film were all played by non-actors, which surprised me to no end, as they were so good.

Sandra Bullock in Gravity

But the best of the bunch was Alfonso Cuarón’s Gravity, which I saw at another packed PGA special screening. Simply put, Gravity is a beautiful film. Sandra Bullock and George Clooney play astronauts making repairs to the Hubble Space Telescope when garbage from an exploded satellite comes hurtling into their path. It was honestly one of the most nerve-racking experiences I’ve ever had at the movies. For 90 minutes you are stressed out as one problem (read: disaster) after another occurs. And yet with all the nail-biting moments, the film has the most amazing Zen moments like when Bullock, having reached a station, removes her space suit and simply floats around and around in a fetal position. A friend of mine said the scenes where the astronauts float are like dance, and I agree. Speaking of Bullock, she is great as is Clooney who I think I would watch read the telephone book, to borrow a tired phrase. And a big cheer for casting Ed Harris as the voice of Houston. There’s something so reassuring about that man and besides, how could you make a space film without him? 

Alfonso Cuarón and producer David Heyman joined in a Q&A afterwards and discussed the filmmaking process (a Light Box filled with LED bulbs was used to achieve the appearance of zero gravity) and challenges. If Cuarón doesn’t win an Oscar next year, I would be highly surprised.

Thought For the Day

I couldn't resist posting; it just says it all. Now if you'll excuse me, I've got some stuff to do. Back soon.

Pickford Found

Mary Pickford in a scene from Their First Misunderstanding (1911)

It’s believed that ninety percent of all silent films are lost, a fact that breaks my heart to think about. So you can imagine how elated this silent film fan was to hear of the discovery of a missing Mary Pickford film.

Their First Misunderstanding, a ten-minute film produced by Carl Laemmle’s Independent Moving Picture Company (IMP) in 1911 and starring Mary Pickford, was found seven years ago in a barn in Nelson, New Hampshire. Contractor Peter Massie, who had been hired to tear down the barn, made the discovery— seven reels of nitrate film in total along with an old projector. He turned the items over to film professor Larry Benaquist at Keene State College who helped get the film identified.

Just 18 at the time she wrote and starred in the short comedy, Pickford along with her then husband, Owen Moore, play a married couple who have their first argument. Thomas Ince, the films director, and Ben Turpin also have minor roles. Pickford, who had already made more than 100 shorts by this point, runs through a gamut of emotions in one scene, which you can watch here.

Not only was this Pickford's first film for IMP (she had been with Biograph previously) but it also marked the first time that Pickford received screen billing (most studio heads thought that acknowledging the actors would cause them to demand higher salaries; they weren't wrong). Prior to this film Pickford was known as the “girl with the curls.” Mary Pickford would go to become a huge star and for a while, the most famous person in the world.

The film’s restoration was funded by the Library of Congress, which houses not only the largest collection of Pickford films but her personal collection as well. On October 11, the film will see its second “premiere” at a special screening at Keene State College. For more information about the event, visit here.