Tribute: Dominick Dunne

Posted on August 27, 2009 at 12:57 pm

Fallen Hollywood luminary, name-dropper, world-class party-goer, best-selling author, and force for justice Dominick Dunne died of cancer yesterday at age 83. He was the brother of screenwriter John Gregory Dunne (the subject of The Year of Magical Thinking by his widow, Joan Didion). He was the father of actor/writer/director Griffin Dunne and Alex Dunne. And he was the father of Dominique Dunne, who played the oldest daughter in Poltergeist. She was murdered in 1982 by an ex-boyfriend whose inadequate sentence caused Dunne to devote the rest of his life to pursuing justice as a writer and activist.

Dunne was the best-selling author of novels based on real-life incidents of society scandal that were often adapted for glossy made-for-television productions like An Inconvenient Woman and The Two Mrs. Grenvilles. And he wrote non-fiction accounts of real-life scandal for Vanity Fair.

None of it was as entertaining as his own story, which he told in the books Fatal Charms and Other Tales of Today and The Mansions of Limbo and in a documentary called Dominick Dunne: After the Party.

I heard him speak once and he was filled with bubbly and sometimes wicked anecdotes about the rich and famous. But he was also an enormously appealing presence, completely sincere in his essential decency. That comes through in a wonderful story he told for The Moth called “My Bunkmate Was In For Murder.” It is the tale of his arrest for possession of marijuana, which, since it was found on him at the airport coming back from another country made it a very serious offence. His rescue by from a most unexpected friend for a most unexpected reason makes it a perfect way to remember him.

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Tribute

Buy A Wax Celebrity!

Posted on April 10, 2009 at 2:00 pm

Have you ever wanted to have your very own life-size wax model of Elizabeth Taylor, James Dean, Muhammad Ali, Abraham Lincoln, Princess Diana, or Charlton Heston as Moses? Now’s your chance! Profiles in History is going to auction off over 200 hand-sculpted wax figures and original movie and television costumes from the Hollywood Wax Museum and Hollywood Guinness World Records Museum.
For the first time in its 44-year history, the Hollywood Wax Museum is offering some of its hand-sculpted wax figures and original costumes for auction. Over 200 figures, including top stars, musicians, athletes, and historical individuals that have been seen by millions of visitors in Hollywood, CA and Branson, MO from the 1970s to present will be sold by Profiles in History, the world’s leading Hollywood memorabilia dealer, on Friday, May 1, 2009. Bids can be placed either in person, via mail, phone, fax or online at LiveAuctioneers.com. Charlton Heston-The Ten Commandments.jpg
Authentic costumes will also be auctioned, including Robert Englund’s “Freddy Krueger” costume; Jason Voorhees’ costume from Freddy vs. Jason; Irene Ryan’s “Granny” hat from The Beverly Hillbillies and an original Cats costume on a life-size display figure. A catalog will be available from Profiles in History.
Film / TV Stars:
Humphrey Bogart, Marilyn Monroe, James Dean, Elizabeth Taylor, Tom Cruise, Barbra Streisand, Charlie Chaplin, Clint Eastwood, Will Smith, Arnold Schwarzenegger, The Wizard of Oz cast, Johnny Carson, Jay Leno, Henry Winkler, Seinfeld cast, MASH cast, Lucille Ball, The Three Stooges, Don Johnson, Star Trek cast
Musicians:
The Beatles, Cher, Elton John, Sammy Davis, Jr., Stevie Wonder, Dolly Parton, Johnny Cash
Athletes:
Muhammad Ali, Tiger Woods, Michael Jordan, Joe Montana, Mike Tyson, Mark McGwire, Hulk Hogan
Historical Figures:
Presidents Washington, Lincoln, Kennedy, Nixon, Ford, Reagan and Clinton; Princess Diana; The Last Supper / 12 Apostles

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Hollywood Veterans

Posted on November 11, 2008 at 7:00 am

A salute to three of Hollywood’s distinguished vets:
1. James Doohan of Star Trek landed in Normandy with the U.S. Army on D-Day.
2. George C. Scott of Patton was a decorated U.S. Marine.
3. James Stewart of “Strategic Air Command” entered the Army Air Force as a private and became a highly decorated Colonel. As a member of the reserves, he retired as a Brigadier General. He also appears in WWII: A Filmed History.
Thanks to Free Republic for the service record information. We honor all veterans for their sacrifice and commitment to protecting our freedom.

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