Hollywood Without Make-up

To be of their world and to have been in the right places at the right times, having known the right people in order to have the experiences he did, Ken Murray also was fortunate enough to know actors and film folks more than willing to share with him old footage outside the usual publicity, sometimes from behind the studio or Hollywood camera. I’m not sure you actually see Cary Grant, when caught on camera playing tennis or eating caviar, swimming or yucking it up, outside the persona. I certainly think Norma Jean, when introduced by Murray at the end during a television appearance with him, was outside her Marilyn Munroe persona, but, nonetheless, our host for this series of clips (accompanied by jazzy music you’d often hear when there’s no real sound behind the voices of those being captured on the camera) does offer quite a historical document covering an incredible period of time for the golden age of Hollywood. It isn’t necessarily in order, alternating through nearly 30 years, covering everything from visiting William Randolph Hearst’s Sam Simeon estate and getting candid shots of the news paper tycoon, his entourage, and those involved in the industry that weren’t bothered by him (which included the likes of his love, Marian Davies and Charles Chaplin) to visiting ranches where he could meet the likes of Robert Taylor, “Hoppy” Cassidy, and Tom Mix (morbidly fascinating is a shot capturing Mix in a caddy three weeks before he died in a car accident). Footage of Eddie Albert in Africa or Bob Cummings in Hawaii, footage of a young friend on set with Garbo, Murray’s daughters getting a ride with both Walt Disney and Fred McMurray on the set of Son of Flubber (a particular highlight for me), attending Kirk Douglas’ hand imprints celebrated by dousing Murray’s face with wet concrete, following Dick Powell during different points in his Hollywood life (at the beginning of the doc, which I thought was quite a nice collection of footage), covering events and shindigs featuring any number of performers/film crew known to audiences of the television when their star shined its brightest in the movie industry. I think what I like about all of this was just the time covered in the industry. When these stars were being captured during the prime of their lives, Murray was there, seemingly that lucky historian never realizing the immense value in the images printed to film, film of which he’d spend 12 months sifting through for all the nuggets that might be of interest to those fascinated and in awe of those his camera had vested interest in. On the set of Gunga Din, or Chaplin out of the Tramp persona goofing on a guitar, Powell diving into a pool, Errol Flynn taking the top of a head from its snowman body which eventually spills into a snowball fight, mansions on Cali beaches playing host to stars taking a break from being in front of the cameras, Bob Cummings hanging ten, and Murray commenting on Mae West’s glamorized notoriety. Above all, I think Hollywood Without Make-up is a fond recognition of a past movie industry society long gone but quite remembered as long as the footage finds a fresh set of eyes. You might find this (as I did) in the bowels of Turner Classic Movies’ 4 am, after an import or Underground exploitation film, filling a bit of time before the next day’s lineup offers us the very movies the stars of the footage impart on us their talents, for which we realize what all the fuss is about. I think this might also be on YouTube. Might be of interest particularly to buffs, especially if you are fascinated with Hearst, of whom Murray is most kind. The excuse to name drop obviously is something Murray can enjoy, seeing as the industry didn't necessarily produce him as a star on the screen, he didn't fade into obscurity but had the luxury of following many talents as they were moving around in the industry. Grant's cult should find a bit of this rewarding, but I think how Murray casts his camera on stars across the era where he was actively a presence is just as interesting just because of the vast number of faces he encountered. The silent and talkie era Murray was around is covered at great length. The shots on De Mille's Cleopatra are quite a dandy. I can only imagine this must have been worthwhile for Murray, as his eyes poured over all this footage, and compiling anything within an acceptable length had to have been difficult.