Baldwin Hills Dam - FLOOD DISASTER - KTLA

"Remarkable pictures made from a KTLA helicopter as the Baldwin Hills dam in Los Angeles gives way and sends 300,000,000 gallons of water roaring down the valley. Thousands of homes are ruined beyond repair or severely damaged. Authorities had several hours to warn the residents and only three lives were lost. What caused the break? There are several theories, but it will be up to the courts to decide who pays the damage - if anyone."

Baldwin Hills Dam Disaster and Flood - You Tube Video

On December 14, 1963 in the hills about Los Angeles,

the Baldwin Hills Reservoir suddenly cracked

and eventually failed,

flooding the neighborhood below.

William Bendix and James Cagney THE TIME OF YOUR LIFE (1948)

William Bendix and James Cagney

THE TIME OF YOUR LIFE (1948)

The Time of Your Life is a 1948 film starring James Cagney adapted from the 1939 William Saroyan play of the same title. The movie was adapted by Nathaniel Curtis, directed by H. C. Potter, and featured William Bendix as Nick, Wayne Morris as Tom, Broderick Crawford as Krupp, and Ward Bond as McCarthy. A Cagney Production, The Time of Your Life was produced by Cagney's brother William and co-starred their sister Jeanne as Kitty Duval.

Mostly filmed on one set, the film takes place in Nick's (William Bendix) Bar in San Francisco where a sign outside tells people to come in as they are. The film follows the adventures of a group of regulars at Nick's including Joe (James Cagney), a wealthy man who has given up working in order to hold court at the bar and have fun. Joe has a stooge named Tom (Wayne Morris) who runs his eccentric errands until a woman with a past named Kitty comes in and Tom falls in love with her.

The drama flopped miserably at the box office but is remembered as one of the best screen versions of the play. Jackie Gleason played Cagney's role in a critically acclaimed television version for Playhouse 90 ten years later (which also featured James Barton as Kit Carson); the Playhouse 90 production featured Jack Klugman as Nick the bartender, Dick York as Tom, and Betsy Palmer as Kitty Duval.

The Production Code of Administration made the producers change Blick's character from a police detective into an informer and a blackmailer. Originally the film used Saroyan's original ending where Kit shot and killed Blick but preview audiences acted negatively that led the producers to film an alternate ending.

William Bendix in "The Blue Dahlia" (1946)

William Bendix in "The Blue Dahlia" (1946)

Starring Alan Ladd

Matt McHugh is the Bartender at Gus's

Anthony Caruso is the Marine Corporal Playing Jukebox

William Bendix on "What's My Line?"

William Bendix was the mystery guest
on the September 16, 1956 edition of WML.

Lupe Vélez & Douglas Fairbanks - "The Gaucho" (1927)

Lupe Vélez and Douglas Fairbanks - "The Gaucho" (1927)

Lupe Velez SINGS "Oh, Me! Oh, My!" (1934)

Lupe Vélez sings "Oh, Me! Oh, My!"

from the film "Strictly Dynamite" (1934).

Her accompanist is

the composer of the song,

Burton Lane.

Lyrics are by Harold Adamson.

John Farr ON Director Robert Aldrich

John Farr selects three great pictures from the oft-overlooked Robert Aldrich.

Actor Lee Marvin ON Director Robert Aldrich

Actor Lee Marvin ON Director Robert Aldrich