LA should be about opportunity - MUST READ

We went on "crime bus" tour of Black Dahlia related sites today. There was lots of good information, some of which was definitely more accessible if one had read up on the subject. There were also video screens with images of the various suspects, documentary evidence, etc. The guides were extremely knowledgeable on their subject, although there was a lot of time on the bus, and a few of their jokes fell flat. Navigating a big bus through the Hollywood streets is a time-consuming effort. However, I spoke to one of the guides at the reception afterwards for some time and got a lot more additional information, and much fewer jokes.

Here's the moral of the story for this year's class. I listened to every word the guides said. I didn't talk when they were talking. I watched the monitor. I did the readings. I was respectful of the fact that most of the people on the bus had paid a good sum of money to do this tour and that they were there to learn.

Here's what I got from doing all of those things:


I got a question. Has anyone ever seriously looked at how the "less respectable" LA papers' crime coverage photos may have either been influenced by, or been an influence on, film noir of the 40s? Especially in terms of camera angles, staging and lighting. I was struck by how so many of those photos appeared "cinematic" in nature.
Look at this newspaper picture of "Red" Manley, a one-time suspect.

It's almost midnight (We went to dinner and then to see The Queen -- definitely a hi-low culture day for us)and I'm not going to look into answering whether or not this is a useful question tonight. The point is that I got the question. If it is a useful one, maybe I have a conference paper -- maybe I have a book -- maybe my question leads to other questions and a more informed way of looking at classic noir.

OR maybe not. But it's worth asking.

But it does lead to another question -- one that I want my students to ask themselves. Did you leave the tour with anything as wonderful as a new question. Or maybe a new idea for a screenplay, or some further understanding of a real crime subculture, etc. Did you do anything active to get such precious gifts, i.e. talk to the guides, or other participants during or after the tour? Take notes, literally or mentally, of anything that was said? Overlook any negatives of the tour and focus on what you might come away with?

Be honest in answering this questions of yourself. If your answer is no, stop right there -- don't add a BUT I didn't care about ..., BUT the guide was obnoxious, BUT it lasted too long, etc. The BUTs won't help you. What will help is to think about this a lot before the next field trip and next time be able to answer yes to my question.

I'm going to give some specific examples. Aaina, we heard that Short liked to wear double taps on her shoes? What do you know of fashion during this period? Did many women wear taps on their shoes? How high were women's heels at the time. We saw tons of photos of men and women during the tour? Did any fashion questions occur to you? Did you ask them?

Keith, we heard a lot about her going to clubs -- what kind of music was being played. What did people like Short listen to? Who was playing the music? Did you ask Sam about his assignment, listening to the jazz record inspired by the murder?

Janet, did you ask where James Elroy's mother was killed or if the guides knew anything about that murder? What about that woman crime reporter they talked about? Was that common? Are there other books just about her?

Ben, you're interested in acting, and you were in a room tonight with the woman who's going to win an oscar this year. You knew this in advance. Did you research her career. Did you think about good solid, memorable questions to ask? Did you raise your hand to ask that question?

I'm not picking on the above people. They may have thought of all of the above, or even better things -- I'm just offering hypotheticals. I have no idea whether Ben tried to ask Mirren a question. My point is for all of you. These field trips should be fun. Duke in LA should be fun. Your internship should be fun. But this is serious business out here, i.e. thinking about ever working in the entertainment business, and while having that fun, you should be getting Something out of Everything. Change that -- you should be getting Everything possible out of Everything. Otherwise it's just a missed opportunity. If I have a Duke alumni who has a job in the industry along with us on a field trip, and you don't make a point of having a substantive conversation with him or her, then you've missed an opportunity. Any of you that at the end of the tour didn't go up to Michael Cunjak, remind him again of your name, thank him for joining us today, and say that you hope to see him at other activities -- you missed an opportunity. Lots of very hungry people are out here in these industries who never ever miss an opportunity. The ones, like Michael, who are surviving here -- they learned quickly. You don't have a chance competing, no matter how cool, smart, talented, etc. you are, if you think that alone will do it.

Next week we have a field trip that includes the Hollywood History Museum in the old max Factor building. Not to sound cliche here, but bring your best game with you that day -- not for me, but for you. To quote Stan Lee -- "Nuff Said.