Clifton's Cafeteria gets a new operator who promises to revamp gently ... the Mann Bros in LA ... Barry Cutler remembers THE Kevin McCarthy ... Sacred Fools' 14th Season ... Mark Peel on the best table in the house ... CyberFrequencies ... John Cale on Paris 1919 ...
Clifton's Cafeteria, icon from 1930s, gets first new "owner" outside the family
The baton of operating Clifton's Cafeteria in downtown LA has been passed from the Clinton family to Andrew Meieran, who promises to bring back the restaurant's splendor, and gently renovate it to include a bar, a bakery, and a bunch of new jobs.
Listen in to the news conference featuring City Councilman Jose Huizar, Don and Robert Clinton (son and grandson of founder Clifford Clinton), and Andrew Meieran. Off-Ramp host John Rabe also talks with community activist Brady Westwater.
I guess the first thing to say is that Clifton's Brookside Cafeteria, the historic downtown woodland-themed restaurant, has not technically been "sold."
Instead, Andrew Meieran (below, with tray), who owns the downtown bar The Edison, has secured a 40-year lease to run Clifton's. Clifton's founding family, the Clintons, will be Meieran's landlord, and told me this arrangement eases their financial strain considerably. (After decades of leasing the building on South Broadway, for some reason they bought the building at the height of the real estate bubble. Yikes.)
(Andrew Meieran and Clifton's tray. Image: John Rabe)
Meieran, a well-spoken young man who said Clifton's is at once a "quintessential LA business and an antithetical one," says he fell in love with Clifton's in the mid-1990s, when he first visited downtown Los Angeles, and his continued love of the place seems genuine.
Meieran says "I’m still madly in love with the place, and that’s why I worked so hard to purchase the property, and why I’m going to continue to work so hard to actually preserve the property, restore the property, and bring back the property to what it was in the 30s."
In brief, here are the plans he outlined to me today at a news conference with Donald and Robert Clinton (son and grandson of founder Clifford Clinton, City Councilmember Jose Huizar, and Linda Dishman of the LA Conservancy.
-- He'll immediately begin repairing and upgrading the place.
-- There'll be 3-6 months of working with the Conservancy, the ADA, fire safety officials, etc., to develop a plan to change the interior. In short, the downstairs would stay a cafeteria, but with improved food (more like the grand cafeteria food that used to be served at Clifton's) and the 2d floor becomes some sort of bar. This means upgrading code, complying with handicap accessibility, improving fire safety, etc., and making sure the changes don't hurt the historic interior and character. This part of the renovation is targeted to be done in 18 months.
-- The top floor's full-scale commercial bakery goes back into operation, to market Clifton's-brand baked goods. It's been scaled back since business has dropped from 10,000 customers a day, Meieran says, to 1,000 today. This could happen fairly soon.
-- Work with the Midnight Mission to create 100 new jobs for downtown residents, including formerly homeless people. (The Mission has a substantial restaurant school.) Meieran says into the forseeable future, he does not anticipate laying off any of the current Cifton's staffers, who have an average 20 years on the job.
All of this will happen, he says, without closing the cafeteria. (When Clifford began Clifton's in the 1930s, he did not shut down the previous cafeteria as he built Clifton's.) And -- are you sitting down -- Meieran says he eventually hopes to open Clifton's 24 hours a day.
How exactly, will the Conservancy guage whether Meieran's renovations are okay? It's complicated, but Cindy Olnick at the Conservancy laid it out for me in an email:
Standards exist for different types of resources and projects; the ones most often used in cases like Clifton's are the Secretary of the Interior's Standards for Rehabilitation (known as the Secretary's Standards). They guide preservation projects in a way that protects and enhances the authentic character of historic places while allowing for changes to meet contemporary needs. They're broadly written to allow flexibility based on the unique nature of each project. Just the facts, on our site. Much more, on the NPS site.
Brady Westwater, who bills himself as a "curator" of downtown, says Meieran's plan makes sense. In his analysis, you can't make money on cheap food served in a restaurant on Broadway, where rents are high. But a bar, as Meieran plans, can bring in the dough so you can keep the restaurant going. Westwater likes the plan so far, as does the LA Conservancy's Linda Dishman, who was at the news conference today.
So where does this leave us fans of Clifton's? First, the business may have been in trouble, as the Clinton's have discussed, because of their purchase of the building and the subsequent tanking of the economy ... so it was apparently in danger of closing, and the Meieran Plan keeps it open. Second, if you compare Meieran's plans to, say, the CVS'ing of the Golden Gate Theatre, the changes he has in mind are minor. And as LA City Councilman Jose Huizar said at today's news conference, historic preservation can't just be about "pressing pause" and keeping something exactly the way you like it.
Your only choice is clear: Go now. Eat at Clifton's. Have a hearty breakfast or some of those meat-falling-off-the-bone beef shortribs. Soak in the history.
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Sacred Fools comes to the Off-Ramp Pavilion of the Mohn Broadcast Center
Director Kiff Scholl, actor Kimberly Atkinson, writer/director Jaime Robledo, and managing director Padraic Duffy join Off-Ramp host for a romp through the current season of The Sacred Fools Theatre Company, which has done more than 100 productions in its 14 years in Hollywood. Click Through for the company's website and schedule.
-- News release from The Sacred Fools --
WHO: Presented by Sacred Fools Theatre Company
Artistic Directors Jeremy Aldridge, Michael Holmes, & J.J. Mayes
WHERE: Sacred Fools Theater, 660 N. Heliotrope Dr., Hollywood, 90004
WHEN: Fall 2010-Spring 2011
TICKETING: (310) 281-8337 or www.sacredfools.org
ANNOUNCING OUR 14th SEASON!
Sacred Fools has become one of L.A.'s most dynamic and prolific theatre companies, producing an incredible variety of adventurous shows; from off-kilter takes on popular favorites, to an ever-expanding catalog of member-generated content and numerous world premieres. Building on the momentum accumulated over the past few years, our 14th season includes four world premiere pieces and one classic (with the inimitable Sacred Fools charm), and promises to be bold, captivating, and exciting.
DON GIOVANNI TONIGHT, DON CARLO TOMORROW, September. 17th-October 17th, 2010
Backstage at a regional opera house, the chorus awaits their (brief) moment in the spotlight as they preen and pontificate, bicker and brag, and face the unpredictable reality of life in a post 9-11 America. World Premiere! Written by Dennis Miles and directed by company member Kiff Scholl ("Act A Lady," "La Bete").
WATSON, November 5th-December 11th, 2010 World premiere! Written and directed by company member Jaime Robledo ("Neighborhood 3: Requisition of Doom"). A hilarious and theatrically creative take on the story of Sherlock Holmes, developed and supported over the course of the year in our hit late-night show "Serial Killers."
PUZZLER, January 21st - February 19th, 2011 World Premiere "Puzzler" is a gritty film noir tale about East German spies, the reconstruction of memory, and the loyalty of undying love; written and directed by company member Padraic Duffy ("Feet," "Beaverquest The Musical").
Samuel Beckett’s ENDGAME, March 18th -April 23rd, 2011 Helmed by founding company member and veteran director Paul Plunkett ("43 Plays For 43 Presidents," "The Swine Show"), "Endgame" is Samuel Beckett's hilariously disturbing and heartbreaking one-act play about life at the end; a dark, comedic, and touching contemporary classic.
CARNEVIL, May -June , 2011 May 20th - June 25th World Premiere! The Farinelli family has run old carnival Farinelli for generations; when an economic crisis threatens to shut it down, they face their darkest secrets and put their trust in a mysterious stranger to keep the show alive. A nightmarish new horror rock musical developed in "Serial Killers" last season by company members Joe Fria and Michael Teoli, directed by Ken Roht.
Don’t miss the late-night, off-night, and over-night goodies the Fools have to offer:
-Season 6 of "Serial Killers": Don’t like a story? Kill it! This hit late-night mainstay played to sold-out houses all last season; 5 shows enter, 3 shows leave. Saturday nights at 11!
-Jenelle Riley's "Dark Magick" and Jonas Oppenheim's "Free $$$" will be workshopped over the course of the season, and will be performed alongside one of the mainstage shows.
-Sacred Fools classics such as 24 hour theatre extravaganza “Fast & Loose” & eclectic open performance night “Ten Tops” coming up; dates TBA
-PLUS additional exciting programming to be announced throughout the year!
Barry Cutler remembers actor Kevin McCarthy
Off-Ramp commentator and actor Berry Cutler reminisces about Kevin McCarthy, the accomplished stage and screen actor best known for his role in "Invasion of the Body Snatchers," who died September 11 at the age of 96.
CLICK THROUGH for the complete text of Barry's commentary, which editor John Rabe eviscerated for broadcast.
(Barry Cutler, by John Rabe.)
Barry Cutler's appreciation of Kevin McCarthy, with the F-word bleeped out:
I was very sad to learn of the death of Kevin McCarthy. I had the good fortune to work with him, briefly, and then blessed with an ongoing, if distant, (I dare to declare) friendship, for years thereafter.
His passing didn't seem to get a lot of Press. It was but a passing reference compared to the importance of Lindsay Lohan tweeting that she had failed her latest drug test. Not to knock the talent of that young actress - or even her character - but I knew the rich talent and character of Kevin. Still, I suppose I'm just being an old fart. My grandparents may have been just as displeased when the newsy quarrels of Taylor and Burton relegated some great actor of the Yiddish theatre to a back page obit.
I worked with Kevin in a short-lived production of A Christmas Carol. Our Scrooge, Brian Keith, was too unhealthy to remain in that role. For a brief time, I was assigned the role of Ebenezer but the producers would not hear of having a Z-list actor in the starring role, so Kevin was hired. Briefly, in Pasadena, Brian played Marley. For not much longer, in the Detroit area, I played Marley.
It had been a long time since Kevin had worked on stage. So long, in fact, that Actors' Equity Association had allowed some young actor in Brooklyn or the Bronx to take his name. He was told he would have to use a different stage name. Furious but funny, Kevin signed off as "The Kevin McCarthy".
I believe it was opening night in Michigan, when a group of us went for drinks, that Kevin learned he had replaced me as Scrooge. He took a swig of his scotch and said, "well, I guess you have no damned use for me."
Early the next morning, Kevin was being interviewed by a local television station. The host asked him which actors he most admired in the role of Scrooge. First he mentioned the great Alastair Sim. Then he said, "and there's a young actor named Barry Cutler." That sealed the deal for me.
As I said, the production was very short-lived. I stayed in touch with Kevin with an occasional letter or email and I was delighted that he almost always responded. "To my Marley" he would begin and, later, sign off, "Your Scrooge."
Some years later, I was cast as Lee Strasberg in a played entitled Names. The play was being produced by Strasberg's widow and youngest son. It was to be seen by many who knew Strasberg personally. So, I needed to do a lot of research if I wasn't to be humiliated. I knew Kevin had worked closely with Lee and I asked him if he would meet with me to discuss the great acting coach, director, and actor.
Kevin was always a wonderful story teller and he had lots of stories to tell. Stories of one of his best friends, Montgomery Clift. Stories of his beloved sister, the great writer Mary McCarthy. Still, his best stories were of those folks for whom he felt great animosity. Those tales were thick with wit and well-chosen profanity. A drunken actress who vomited back stage before the scene with their big kiss. Gossiping fools he couldn't abide. And Kevin hated Lee Strasberg. Over a long lunch, he told me great, angry, comical tales of the petty nastiness and meanness of Lee. (To defend Strasberg, there were others I met who worshipped and adored him.) Then, shortly before we left, he handed me a tiny picture frame holding an ancient Russian postage stamp featuring Constantin Stanislavski. Kevin had been holding this as a keepsake since the fifties. "Lee gave this to me on opening night of Three Sisters. A disaster." I turned it over. On the back, Strasberg had written "Break a leg! Love, Lee" Grabbing back the frame, Kevin said, "Love! What the f--- did Lee know about love!"
I'm pretty sure Kevin was already passed his ninety year milestone yet he drove himself, from the Sherman Oaks to Hollywood, to see me in that play. And, afterwards, he joined me and most of the cast - eager to meet him - for drinks. "Well," he said, "why don't we talk about my favorite subject? Me." And he did that, that being the favorite subject of all around the table that evening, late into the night.
Not long thereafter, someone put together a book about his most famous film, Invasion of the Body Snatchers. In the book was an interview of Kevin. He asked me to read it and, when I had finished, he said, "not bad, huh? The fellow who interviewed me did a terrible job so I rewrote it myself. I think I may have some have some of my sister's blood running through my veins."
We stayed in touch until, probably, a year or two ago. I was unaware of how he was doing - though, despite fading eyesight, he always seemed to have enormous energy and health - and I failed to really follow-up. So, despite his age, I was shocked and saddened to hear of his death, on the news, despite significant events in the lives of Lindsay, Joaquin, Bristol and JLo. Some people did remember and took note, as I did, of the passing of a talented, funny and good man...The Kevin McCarthy.
Velvet Underground Co-Founder John Cale on Album Paris 1919
John Cale was a founding member of the Velvet Underground, then went on to have a prolific solo career and to produce the debut albums for Patti Smith, Squeeze, and the Stooges.
This Thursday, Sept 30, he's playing one of his most acclaimed solo albums -- Paris 1919 -- in its entirety, with the backing of the UCLA Philharmonia. Off-Ramp's Kevin Ferguson talked with Cale between rehearsals.
(Top photo by Yves Lorson via CC)
LA's Mann Bros - Thomas and Heinrich
Off-Ramp Literary Commentator Marc Haefele tells about two Mann's who lived in LA: the famous Thomas Mann (left), and his better angel and brother, Heinrich.
Mark Peel: The Best Seat in the House
Restaurateur and chef Mark Peel has joined Off-Ramp to talk food and restaurants. This time, the question, "What's the best seat in the house?" brings a little Peelosophy and stories of Spago and Switfy Lazar.
Gov's daughter Katherine Schwarzenegger's smart new book on girls' body issues
It's all relative ... even a girl of Kennedy lineage, with money, looks, and power, has body issues. Or HAD them. Katherine Schwarzenegger is out with a candid new book that she hopes will give girls the confidence to make it through the tough teenage years. She talks with KPCC's John Rabe about "Rock What You've Got."
CLICK THROUGH to see Ms Schwarzenegger in person and learn more about her partnership with Dove, for which she's the Youth Self-Esteem Ambassador.
APPEARANCES:
Thursday 9/23, 7pm: Borders at 3700 Torrance Blvd
Saturday 9/25: Zerominusplus, 500 Broadway, Santa Monica
CyberFrequencies meets the future and it is Ray Kurzweil
This week on CyberFrequencies, futurist Ray Kurzweil who says man-and-machine will merge and our minds will live forever... on computer servers. There's a new documentary about him on the festival circuit.