Hollywood History: William Travilla
While the subject of the monthly Hollywood History lesson on My Little Boudoir is typically an actress, this month the lesson will be much different (but not too far away from the roots of My Little Boudoir). Meet William Travilla. He is responsible for this… Born on Catalina Island, just off the California coast, William Travilla had a passion for art from a very young age. He attended the prestigious Chouinard School of Art in Los Angeles, where he was advanced to adult classes at the age of eight. As a teenager, the burlesque clubs that he passed on his way to school began to pique his interest. Before long…
Hollywood History: Nina Mae McKinney
In a society that often defines old Hollywood beauty and talent as Jean Harlow, Marilyn Monroe and Betty Grable, it is important to remember that there were many many beautiful and talented women in old Hollywood that simply didn’t get the exposure they deserved then, and still today, aren’t publicly recognized as the legends that they truly are. One of these women is Nina Mae McKinney. She is the topic of this month’s Hollywood History lesson. Born June 13, 1913* in Lancaster, South Carolina as Nannie Mayme McKinney, to Hal and Georgia McKinney, she was left behind with her Aunt, Carrie Sanders, when her parents moved to New York. During…
Hollywood History: Madeleine Carroll
I often say that if I had one wish (besides the obvious wishes that would take first priority, like saving the world and good health and wealth for all) I would wish for the chance to go back in time. It would be difficult for me to pinpoint one specific era, but I tend to be most attracted to the 1930’s through the 1960’s, as well as the Civil War era. Until the day that Marty McFly and Doc (from Back to the Future) roll up in my driveway in the DeLorean to act as my personal chauffeurs, I don’t think this wish is likely to come true in this…
