Posts Tagged ‘Freddy Duke’
Friday, August 10th, 2012
me looking out at the lights of Las Vegas, age 16
Today I had lunch with my childhood BFF Susie. Her birthday was last week, a day ingrained in my mind for life. We often check in with each other at birthday times. October will be the next time we might see each other, my birthday.
Her parents have both now died and just last week on the actual day of her birthday, like a gift, escrow closed on her parents’ house. Susie told me she had a box of memories saved for me. She brought them to lunch. There were pictures and letters and other souvenirs. She claims she has no use for any of this memorabilia. No kids to hand it down to. I’m family, it now belongs to me. With these photos I can create all new blogs. With other photos, I can fill in for blogs I didn’t have just the right photo for. But, it is this one small eighth grade class photo of me, I had given to her– that was just stunning. I wrote these words on the back (look below)
And here we are all these years later, doing just that, talking about our memories. Not to mention, that is the whole purpose of my blog — now celebrating it’s third anniversary — memories.
the 8th grade pic with my note written to Susie you read above
Here is a story about Susie and me at age 16, at least I was 16, and she had turned 17. It was the same time of year as our recent lunch. We were tripping. Kidding. We took a trip. First to Vegas. My brother was working that summer for a man named Morrie Stevens at his TV station in Henderson, Nevada — KHBV. (more…)
Tags: Beverly Hills High School in the early 70s, early Maxfield store memory, fredde duke, Freddie Duke, Freddy Duke, Greek Restaurants, hippies in the summer of love, Jack Melcher (Yonkle), Lesvos Greek Restaurant in Montreal and St-Sauveur, Papa Cristo's catering and Greek Taverna, Sunset Strip in late 60s, Susie Lohn, Susie Lohn Dilamarter, Taverna Tony Malibu, the musical "Hair", trips to Las Vegas, trips to San Francisco
Posted in Reviews | 27 Comments »
Monday, July 30th, 2012
I remembered her face immediately. Lisa walked into our high school and our lives after having disappeared many years before. She had made a brief appearance in grammar school. Just a few years at Beverly Vista, then vanished.
We looked at each other as our nearly grown-up selves, knowing instantly we had once been close. And we started up again.
I introduced her around. She was now a beautiful flower child and stepped into life at our school so easily. Lisa Saunders wore white peasant shirts and the oh so ubiquitous bell-bottoms of our time. Chris Head, a wild musician type, became her boyfriend. And now Lisa adopted a new name and we were all on board to call her by her new moniker, Gypsy. In fact, coming and going as she had, in and out of our lives, she was a gypsy. I usually hate when people change their names, but this one suited her. (more…)
Tags: Bearnaise Sauce, fredde duke, Freddie Duke, Freddy Duke, grandma raising teen girl, Gypsy, Lisa Saunders, old hippie friends, Pandora's Box, Scandia Restaurant Pyttipanna dish with bernaise sauce, Sunset Strip for teen runaways, the strip in the 60's
Posted in Recipes | 14 Comments »
Sunday, July 8th, 2012
I wish I could tell you exactly how many yards it was for me to get to Roxbury Park to give you the visual. A hop. Not even a skip and a jump. I walked two houses up, crossed Olympic and I was there.
That is where I spent my summers. Basically, doing absolutely nothing. Kind of like a Seinfeld episode. No sunblock. No checking in with my mother. I didn’t excel at anything in Roxbury Park. Not at caroms. Not the monkey bars. And certainly not the rings.
At the rings, I watched other kids adept at swinging quickly back and forth from one to the next. I stood high up one day, grabbed ahold and leapt off, but unable to catch the next ring, which seemed to move further and further away, I landed back where I started. I spent long days trying to push myself further until I did finally grab onto that second one, which was such a victory. Then I kept swinging back and forth, trying to gain the momentum I would need to get to the next, but failed and dropped to the ground. Again I tried, over and over, all summer until I was finally able to go back and forth, leaving the other kids waiting in line, drumming their fingers. And like a monkey, I would copy what the other ring junkies would do just before taking over the set for their performance. They would dig their hands into the sand and rub some of it between their palms for better friction. Or use chalk. It never seemed to work for me, but I did it to look cool, like them. Inevitably all us monkeys ended up with blisters. (more…)
Tags: best tuna sandwiches in the world, Beverly Hills Hotel tuna sandwiches, coffe shop at Beverly Hills hotel, Erik Gibson, fredde duke, Freddie Duke, Freddy Duke, rings to swing on, Roxbury Park, Roxbury Park in the 60's, talent shows
Posted in Reviews | 21 Comments »
Friday, June 22nd, 2012
Let me start by saying that when my dad liked something you did, he would say, “I give you an A!!!” So, I never got real A’s, I got verbal ones.
One year, when Oliver was in school at SMC, I decided to join him and audit a cinema course. Stupidly, I walked up to the teacher after the first class to make sure it was okay that I would be auditing. This woman looked back into my eyes, real serious, sort of stern, and said no, she could not let anyone audit. I was a little thrown. I was sorry I walked up to her. I should have just quietly done it. Then she said, “Just sign up and take the class.” Panic set in. I looked back at her and said, “No, I don’t want to have to take tests or study.” She said her one test isn’t very difficult and that there would be only one essay. She acted like it would be easy-breezy. Still panicking, I said in hushed tones, “I have brain damage.” I said that to her. I couldn’t think of anything else. But, to be perfectly honest, I was suffering from terrible brain fog from toxic mold in my bloodstream. That’s another story. Trust me, I was not my normal, sort of sharp, but not-sharp-enough-to-take-a-test self. The teacher assured me this class would be no pressure. (more…)
Tags: best Mexican restaurant in L.A., film class at SMC, fredde duke, Freddie Duke, Freddy Duke, Gardens of Taxco Mexican Restaurant, getting an A for no apparent reason, homemade tortilla's, old now closed Mexican restaurants like Tia Juana, serenading in spanish
Posted in Reviews | 11 Comments »
Friday, June 15th, 2012
Finally a story about another man in my life other than my dad. Are you relieved?
I’d like you meet my husband. Here he is.
And these are just some of the reasons that I love the man. I also like him because he is smart and funny. And handsome. But, it’s his generous spirit that has always blown me away.
Quickly, some back-story you might need to know.
Michael is only a few years older than me, yet seems like he’s from another generation. When we drive in his car, he listens exclusively to jazz. He just loves that whole Sinatra era, rat pack thing.
Some years ago when I knew my friend Ricci Martin had written a book about his dad Dean, (yes, that Dean) I called him up for a signed copy as a gift for my husband. I didn’t know if my Michael would even read it. He did. Then he got to work on a secret gift. Secret to me at least. Let me clarify something. I’m not all that close with Ricci. We have a lot of the same friends, so sure, I can make that call to get the signed book, but we don’t really stay in touch. I knew nothing of my husband’s plan. But, he had read that Dean’s favorite scent was Woodhue, a cologne made by Fabrege. Ricci’s father had been gone quite awhile and Michael thought it would make a great gift if he could find a bottle of the now discontinued scent. First he made a call to a few relatives. My husband’s uncle George had been the CEO of Faberge. No luck. It hadn’t been made in years. Then he started a search on the internet and it led him to eBay and he found a never used bottle. He purchased it and then asked me for Ricci’s address. I asked why. And, he told me this story. That after reading the book, he went on a hunt to find Dean’s son Ricci a bottle of Woodhue. I think Michael doing that touched me even more than it did Ricci. (more…)
Tags: Emmy nominated writer Michael Barrie, fredde duke, Freddy Duke, great coats as gifts, great scripts, michael barrie, sardine and pasta recipe, song plenty of money and you, writer
Posted in Recipes | 24 Comments »
Friday, June 1st, 2012
Disclaimer: As a society, we put way too much emphasis on the size of a woman’s breasts when it’s the size of her brain and heart that matters. End of disclaimer. You’re now going to read a tale of Big Tits.
I grew up in a near circus environment of comics, entertainers, bohemians and one stunning Playboy Playmate. She was also an alluring actress on the big screen — she had co-starred with Louis Prima in my father’s 1961 movie “Twist All Night” –- and she was gorgeous beyond belief — and to add insult to injury—NICE. I loved everything about her, especially the big breasts and British accent. I’m kidding, the accent was fine, but it was those tits that I looked up to! Literally. I looked up to them. My dad talked about them so frequently and openly that I started to think of them as not an appendage but as another whole personality. “Her tits have got tits,” he would say. My own mother didn’t have tits that had tits. She barely had them at all. And, unfortunately, I would never end up that endowed myself, but dream on as a child I would. (Again, not important. See disclaimer above.) People would ask, “What do you want to be when you grow up, Fredde?” And I would answer proudly (as if this were a normal, Leave-it-to-Beaver fantasy): “I want to be a Playboy bunny, just like June (not Cleaver)!!!”
My idol, June lying by my father’s pool, 60’s
(more…)
Tags: breast cancer site, breasts, fredde duke, Freddy Duke, Hugh Hefner, idol's, June Wilkenson, June Wilkinson, large breasts, Maurice Duke, Smoky Martini recipe
Posted in Recipes | 19 Comments »
Tuesday, May 15th, 2012
I wonder how I can write any story about this time without the sex and drugs, but let me try. I first moved into an apartment on Old Malibu Road with my boyfriend. When we split, I moved girlfriend roommates (Wendy, Diana) in and out so I could stay on the beach, but still be able to afford the pad. We partied a lot. But in our own homes. You see, several of us that were friends were scattered across the beach in different places. And we would float from one house to another. A lot.
Friends that would come visit me would wander to one of the boys’ homes and then might not come back until the following day. I’m not saying who or with whom. And I won’t implicate myself except to say– the name Heidi Fleiss comes to mind. Don’t get the wrong idea, I was never paid for my “matchmaking.”
The other friends who had apartments on the same beach I will name. At least, I will give you first names. Billy, Ricci and John. (more…)
Tags: Beecher's Cafe, Beecher's Cafe at Cross Creek, fredde duke, Freddy Duke, fun times before aids, John's Garden, John's Garden at Cross Creek Malibu, Old Malibu Road, Old Malibu Road in the 70's, pecan pie recipe, sex and drugs and rock and roll
Posted in Recipes, Reviews | 11 Comments »
Saturday, May 12th, 2012
I once went to the most spectacular Hollywood funeral ever. And the love that poured out was well deserved. We knew her by one name, kind of like Cher or Madonna. Kaye. Do you all know whom I’m talking about? You do if you were lucky enough to grow up in Beverly Hills at that time. It’s Kaye Coleman, beloved Nate n’ Al’s waitress and star of our collective childhoods.
Although Kaye had her own daughter and son (and grandchildren), she was the unofficial surrogate mother to some of the biggest mothers in Hollywood. And her “sons” looked after her well. I’d run into Kaye at the priciest restaurants, dining with her posse of waitress friends, the tab picked up by Lew Wasserman or Bernie Brillstein. Those two moguls would also send her on European vacations and ocean cruises. At times, Kaye lived a fancier life than many of her Beverly Hills customers.
Larry King was the emcee of Kaye’s funeral, the only funeral I can think of that had one. His two Nate n’ Al’s buddies, the ones he eats with everyday, Sid and Bob, gave their own hilarious eulogies. So funny, that I overheard Suzanne Pleshette — with that happy newlywed look on her face after her surprise marriage to Tom Poston — leaving the funeral saying, “Who knew? Guess we have to get those two to speak at my funeral.” Sadly, that day would come too soon (not fair). (more…)
Tags: Beverly Hills, deli's, fredde duke, Freddy Duke, great waitresses, Maurice Duke, Nate's
Posted in Uncategorized | 5 Comments »
Wednesday, April 11th, 2012
From left: Billy Vera, Alan and Kris Duke, Rita Coolidge
I cannot trace the exact moment, but somehow we started off on the wrong foot. And like a big wave, our discontent swelled over time, neither of us knowing the origin of it. We had both dug our heels in the sand.
When my sister-in-law, Kris, turned the big 4-0, my brother threw her a party. A really big one. Kris had always been a fan of Rita Coolidge, so naturally, Alan booked Rita for a private concert to honor his wife. He went all out.
As the big day approached, my one-day-to-be-husband urged, “You should really get along with Kris.” I agreed. I thought it was time to bury the hatchet.
So I did.
I went to a hardware store and bought a hatchet. I also purchased a beautiful gift bag that I filled with sand. Actually, cat litter. Where else can you get sand? And I buried that hatchet. (more…)
Tags: 40'th birthday parties, Alan Duke, Billy Vera, cats that we love, fredde duke, Freddie Duke, Freddy Duke, Kris Duke, Maurice and Evelyn Duke, Michael and Erica Duke, Pumpkin Bread Recipe, Rita Coolidge
Posted in Recipes | 15 Comments »
Tuesday, April 10th, 2012
When I first met my husband, I told him that I’m part Native American. I’m also half Jewish. This is when he said to me “ You don’t live on a reservation…you make them”.
I’m sorry, you will not be able to make a reservation at Wolf in Sheeps Clothing, a new pop up restaurant on Abbott Kinney. Well, I mean you can if you are a party of 6 or more. Since I am a huge micro-manager, my suggestion is to go, leave your name if there is a wait and walk around going in and out of the great stores. They will even call you when your table is ready.
Sign on for Wolf in Sheep's Clothing
It’s rare that I’m blown away by a restaurant. And I have become the town crier about this one. Which is funny because the woman who once coined me the town crier since I just like to share all my finds– is the one that called me late one night, sated, having to tell me every detail of her experience. She mentioned that they only serve beer, wine and water and I chose to ignore hearing this. So, the very next evening when I dragged my husband to an early dinner there, I tried, but failed in ordering my iced tea. The waitress informed us that once they get their permanent location, they will serve tea and coffee. I asked if anyone would object to me running out to fetch a drink. I came back quickly with my iced tea. I was already in love with the whole casual atmosphere and attitude of the place and of the staff. Nothing like the snooty wait staff at some of the other restaurants on the block. No, I’m not naming which one (you know who you are). (more…)
Tags: best kale salad in Los Angeles, best sand dabs in Los Angeles, fredde duke, Freddie Duke, Freddy Duke, new great pop up restaurant on Abbott Kinney, Wolf in Sheep's Clothing Restaurant
Posted in Reviews | 1 Comment »
