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Googies, Coffee Shop to the Stars Vol. 1 | 
 enlarge | Author: Steve Hayes
Publisher: BearManor Media
Category: Book
List Price: $24.95
Buy New: $23.52
You Save: $1.43 (6%)
New (12) Used (3) from $23.52
Avg. Customer Rating:  2 reviews
Sales Rank: 1026731
Media: Paperback
Number Of Items: 1
Pages: 296
Shipping Weight (lbs): 0.9
Dimensions (in): 8.8 x 6 x 0.7
ISBN: 1593933061
EAN: 9781593933067
ASIN: 1593933061
Publication Date: August 12, 2008
Availability: Usually ships in 1-2 business days
Shipping: Expedited shipping available
Shipping: International shipping available
Condition: Brand new Book, ALL days Low Price !
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Product Description
Ever wonder what it was like back in the forties and fifties, mingling with famous movie stars on the Sunset Strip; to ride beside James Dean in his Porsche Speedster, zipping around the curves of Mulholland Drive; to stay at Errol Flynn's house and sleep in the bedroom with the infamous hole in the mirrored ceiling; share a secret with Marilyn Monroe; act in a movie with Alan Ladd or Lana Turner; race motorcycles with Clark Gable on Ventura Boulevard; paint Rita Hayworth's house; be invited to tea by James Mason; go to the Hollywood Bowl with Jayne Mansfield and Louella Parsons; hang out with Flynn and countless other stars at the sordid Garden of Allah? Well, I did all those things and more, much more. As a fledgling actor, part-time house painter, parking attendant, "snoop" for the Fred Otash Detective Agency, and manager of Googie's, a celebrated coffee shop next to Schwab's drug store, I was in the catbird seat, privy to all the gossip, brawls and excitement that nightly took place at the Mocambo, Ciro's, The Players, Crescendo, Villa Nova and other glamorous night spots along the Strip. Known as the "playground of the stars," never a night went by on the Sunset Strip that one didn't rub elbows with the likes of Frank Sinatra, Ava Gardner, Duke Wayne, Lana Turner, Rita Hayworth and numerous other high profile celebrities. It's a fascinating era that has disappeared forever. And I was there in the thick of it. And now you can be, too. Because I've written it all down, exactly as it was...
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| Customer Reviews:
A great book about Googies Coffee Shop on Sunset Blvd. October 19, 2008
This is a great book about Googies Coffee Shop that was on Sunset Blvd. and the south/east corner of Crescent Heights Blvd., and about the Hollywood movie stars that used to go there. Part of Googies Coffee Shop was a bar next door called Sherry's. These are great books. There are two books, volume 1, and also volume 2, make sure to read both books as volume 2, is a continueation of volumne 1.
Excellent! A refreshing and touching book! September 14, 2008
1 out of 1 found this review helpful
Steve Hayes serves up a deluxe memoir in two volumes with "Googies: Coffeeshop to the Stars" (Bear Manor Media, $24.95). Arriving in Hollywood in 1949 with dreams of becoming a movie star, young Ivan Hayes embarked upon an odyssey of self discovery and adventure that no screenwriter could have dreamed up.
This remarkable memoir is loaded with anecdotes, none of which I'll repeat here because I hope you'll support this author and purchase both volumes. Suffice it to say, in these pages you'll encounter Errol Flynn, Tyrone Power, Clark Gable, Marilyn Monroe, Alan Ladd, Lana Turner, Ernest Hemingway and even Aldous Huxley among many others.
For a decade Steve supported himself as an actor, manager of the Googies coffeeshop adjacent to Schwab's Pharmacy, and by taking jobs as they were offered. Along the way he met and often befriended many of Hollywood's popular stars. His insight into these personalities goes against the grain of what you'll normally encounter in books where the allure relates directly to the geek fan base salivating for more celebrity gossip. What Steve Hayes has accomplished is the creation of a memoir lacking in egotism and animosity. What I appreciate is this man's honesty when talking about his successes and failures, and his unabashed look back at an era he knew was ending even as he experienced it. There is an underlying tone of sadness, but without being maudlin. I was particularly taken by his sensitivity when talking about his marriages, girlfriends and friendship with the stars he encountered. For example, his view on Clark Gable is right on, and ultimately heartbreaking. Ditto with Flynn, Ladd and others.
He devotes ample space to Errol Flynn, a man that Hayes admits remains his idol, but he avoids the idolatry as well as the gossip. No truer portrait of Flynn has hitherto been published. Here is Flynn the writer, the caring father, the raging alcoholic, the talented actor, the man's man who took care of his friends while sometimes also letting them down. First hand accurate accounts have always been scarce and that's what makes "Googies: Coffeeshop to the Stars" such a valuable resource for fans and scholars alike. Steve Hayes wrote it down the way it happened and the result is a smorgasbord of insight, layered with a generous portion of compassion. That's a rare and delectable combination.
Steve Hayes has a big heart that complements his talent - he's a successful novelist and screenwriter - and forgive the cliché, but I couldn't put his book down. He was there at the tail end of a Golden Era, sparkling with talent, sex appeal, hard work, humorous escapades, tragic loss and epic voyages, but it's no mistake that section three of volume two is titled "The Decline of Camelot."
The book is prefaced by a short but fascinating piece titled "I Remember Googies" by John Saxon. "Googies: Coffeeshop to the Stars" offers an authentic look back at a bygone era and we can be thankful the author is such a splendid raconteur. Kudos to Steve Hayes for taking the time to pen such a heartfelt and fascinating memoir.
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