You've Got A Lovely Week For It!

Dateline:  Los Angeles, Thanksgiving Week

I just checked the weather.  Mid 70s to low 80s all week and through the weekend.

Are you visiting here?  Do you live here and have friends or relatives in for the holiday?  Or are you having a life-as-usual week and looking for a little something to brighten it up?  Well then this is probably the ideal week to find out exactly what "The Best Hollywood Walking Tour" is all about!

It's brainy, it's funny, it's fascinating and there's not a cheesy tourist-trap on the whole darn thing.  I will be closed on Thanksgiving day because even a researcher likes a little cranberry sauce but, other than that - tours, tours, tours!

So why not join Fred, Rita, Van, Me and all the other spirits that we'll awaken from the legendary days of Film, Radio, TV and Records for a walk.  You could use a walk in the fresh air with all you'll be eating this week anyhow.

Click here for all the info!

Selling Fanny

Everybody Freeze - It's A Raid!!!

In 1947-48 CBS honcho Bill Paley performed a major talent raid in Hollywood at the NBC studios 2 blocks away.  In addition to Benny, the other defectors included Amos and Andy (proudly cited in the above ad)  The Edgar Bergen and Charlie McCarthy Show, Red Skelton and The Burns and Allen Show!  This little maneuver would, for the first time, land CBS at the top of the ratings battle.

How'd he do it?  Does the phrase, "You'd sell your own name!" ring a bell?  CBS would buy the stars' names as a property, in exchange for a huge lump sum and a smaller salary.  Since the tax structure on capital gains (the name sale) was a much lower rate than on income (the smaller salary portion of the deal) the talent benefited by double. And there was no concern about NBC doing a reverse raid because now CBS owned these peoples' names! 

**The above image was supplied by my new pal Raul Moreno who has a fantastic page for CBS Columbia Square Alumni.