“Forgotten Hollywood”- The Passing of George Whitman…

Posted on December 16, 2011 by raideoman1 | No Comments

Manny P. here…

   As a member of the Screen Actors Guild, my job over the next 45 days (or so) is to watch nominated motion pictures in various categories for the 2011 SAG Awards to make an informed decision when I fill out my ballot. Tonight, I enjoyed the Woody Allen-directed film, Midnight in Paris. It’s an enjoyable comedy starring Owen Wilson, Rachel McAdams, Adrien Brody, Marion Cotillard, and Kathy Bates.

   In many ways, the star of the film is the City of Lights. Selected locales are vividly photographed, and they help  provide the narrative about an author who longs for a nostalgic view of the Paris. One landmark featured is the Shakespeare and Company Bookstore. The store is located at 37 rue de la Bûcherie, just a few steps away from the Seine and the Notre Dame Cathedral, and was opened in 1951 by George Whitman. Originally called Le Mistral, it was later renamed in 1964.

   Coincidentally, and to my chagrin, George Whitman died on Wednesday, December 14th, at his apartment above Shakespeare and Company. Whitman will be buried at the Père Lachaise cemetery in Paris in good company of other icons, such as Colette, Oscar Wilde, and Balzac. His daughter currently handles the day-to-day operations of  his shop.  GEORGE WHITMAN ->

   Midnight in Paris is a great date-movie, and a stirring tribute to folks who were part of the artist-elite of the 20th century, who spent time in this influential city including Gertrude Stein, Salvador Dali, F. Scott Fitzgerald, Pablo Picasso, Josephine Baker, Ernest Hemingway and Cole Porter.

   George Whitman had turned 98 just two days ago.

Until next time>                               “never forget”

This entry was posted on Friday, December 16th, 2011 at 12:20 am and is filed under Blog by Manny Pacheco. You can follow any comments to this post through the RSS 2.0 feed. Responses are currently closed, but you can trackback from your own site.


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