Hollywood Story

A deserted motion picture studio,

a shot, and a corpse,

the year 1929.

Little did I realize 21 years later,

this unsolved murder

would become part of my life.

Oh, oh, before I forget, that's me Mitch Davis.

I'm an agent and that's my son.

Everything was progressing normally that morning

and I was happy as a lark as I drove to the airport

to pick Larry O'Brien.

This was his first trip to California

after a very successful picture making career

in New York.

Larry and I went to school together

and after graduation we went our separate ways,

but eventually we both wound up in the picture business,

Larry as a producer

and me an agent

for movie talent.

As I waited for Larry, I couldn't help but think

how successful a producer he had become.

But that was no surprise to me.

Lawrence O'Brien was already a success

at the age of 17,

when we did Romeo and Juliet together

as Civil War play in high school.

He played Romeo

and I married Juliet.

Larry, my boy,

nice to see you, how are you?

Fine, Mitch. How are you?

Look at that tan, how do you do it?

Sunlamp.

How's my Juliet and your children?

Oh, great, great, Larry.

California is a great place for kids.

What made you decide to finally come?

Sam Collyer wants me to make a picture out here.

Yeah, well I, kind of, thought so.

Sam financing your pictures,

Sam likes it out here in California,

you make pictures in California.

Everybody's happy including me.

I'm glad we're together, Mitch, just like old times.

Oh, it's a pleasure.

I got everything all set up.

I got you a house,

I got you a small motion picture studio,

now what do you want to see first?

First, where I work, then where I live.

Let's see the studio.

The place I had in mind for Larry

was an old motion picture studio over on La Brea,

which had been closed for years.

In the old days, they had made some

of the real big pictures there.

They only made silent pictures here.

The first ones and the best ones,

ever since 1915, Mr. O'Brien,

Weather Street has been everything,

from Klondike Ghost to the Canal in Venice,

it's been China Town, Park Avenue,

and the Barbary Coast.

Do you see that corner there?

Well, that's where Lee surrendered to Grant,

Custer made his last stand

right in the middle of that square.

Now if you follow me right through here.

What's this, Mr. Miller?

Oh, that was the great silent picture director,

Franklin Ferrara.

You remember, he was murdered.

I think I do.

He was killed right on this lot,

down there in that bungalow.

Would you like to see it?

- Some other time, Mr. Miller. - Oh, why don't we--

let's take a look at it.

Used to be the time I take a hundred--

maybe a hundred and fifty people

through this bungalow every day.

All of them waiting to see the place

where Mr. Ferrara was killed,

all of them asking the same question,

who did it?

Probably a burned-out bulb,

it might not even be connected up.

I don't think anyone's been here for years.

This is where they found the body,

January 5th, 1929.

1929, that's the year

we started in high school.

Yeah, that's the year my father

finished from Wall Street.

Mr. Miller, they never found out

who killed Ferrara, huh?

No, too many people involved,

they tried to pin it on all of them.

To this day, no one knows

who really did it.

Someone knows.

Yeah, who?

Whoever did it.

Hey, Mitch, look at this, an old player piano,

just like a nickelodeon.

I haven't seen one in years.

Put another nickel in.

Mitch, do you remember the old Atlantic Movie Theater

on 116th Street,

they have one of these.

Man, you're really going back.

Hey, do you remember Tom Mix in Texas Badman?

Sure, I remember, and I remember this music.

They played it with a picture called,

something about the Sahara Desert,

there were tents and sheiks

and beautiful girls, wild horses.

I'll bet that was Sands of Sahara.

- That's right. - Directed by Franklin Ferrara.

You don't see pictures, like, that anymore.

Yes, you do, pop, every night on television.

That was Thea Brent,

one of the original vamps.

She was in the Songs of Gods,

one of Ferrara's greatest.

Hey, here's a picture of Valentino.

Oh yes,

he was a great friend of Ferrara's.

Who's this heartthrob,

haven't I seen him around?

That's Roland Paul,

he drove the flappers wild.

You may have seen him around,

he's doing small parts now.

Handsome man.

Yeah.

He was involved in the Ferrara case too,

it's a pity,

a scandal ruined him.

Some people thought he did it,

some people still think so.

Do people still remember it?

Oh I guess not,

except maybe a few old timers

like myself.

Beautiful.

That was Amanda Rousseau

in 1925.

I'll sign her up right now, in 1950.

She's not around anymore.

She was involved in the case too.

Ferrara was quite a guy, huh?

The best, he could do anything.

He'd lived hard and worked hard.

Mr. O'Brien,

I could talk about him for hours.

You know, Mitch, there's a good story here.

I agree with you, Larry, and that's where

we should leave it, right here.

But he didn't leave it there,

he had walked in in an old hunk

of Hollywood history and already,

you could almost hear the cameras grinding

in his head.

That evening we had dinner at my house

but part of him was still back there

in that old bungalow.

After dinner, he wooed his old high school Juliet

for the benefit of the kids and me,

they were still doing Shakespeare

in the Civil War, oh brother.

Hey, bravo.

That was great. Bravo, bravo,

bravo, bravo.

Encore, encore.

Now children,

up to bed both of you.

You were really very good, Mr. O'Brien.

I bet you said that to all your daddy's clients.

Yes I do, how did you know?

I know your daddy.

- Come on, dear. - Do you make

a lot of money, Mr. O'Brian?

Jimmy, come on.

You know something, Larry,

I don't know what's with that kid.

Right now he's got more money in the bank that I have.

You're a pretty lucky boy, Mitch,

they are wonderful kids.

Juliet gets prettier every day,

and what was her name before the school play?

You know something, I don't remember.

I've never called her anything but Juliet.

Oh, let me get you a brandy, Larry.

Sure, Mitch.

You know, it was wonderful to talk to that old man

- this morning. - Yeah.

What's the decision on the studio?

I like it. I'm gonna take a lease on it.