Foundations of Support For Hollywood Heritage

Several prominent foundations have provided funds for general or specific use over the past few months. The past two years have seen the support of the Hollywood Historic Trust (for museum air conditioning) and the Getty Trust (for Wattles Mansion and Gardens survey and historical studies) as previously reported in our newsletter.

Since April, The Rigler-Deutsch Foundation, The Art LaBoe Foundation, The Walter Lantz Foundation, The Robert Gore Rifkind Foundation, and the Muller Family Foundation have provided additional funds. What is particularly gratifying is that these foundations represent major ties to Hollywood’s history and the cultural development of Los Angeles with influence worldwide.

The Rigler-Deutsch Foundation is in Hollywood and has championed several arts projects here, including the Los Angeles Music Center, The Los Angeles Philharmonic, The Los Angeles Opera, The American Cinematheque (hence the Lloyd Rigler Theater at the Egyptian) and much more. This includes the Cable Arts Network, a 24-hour cable show beamed free to television stations throughout North and South America, broadcasting arts related programming from exhibit and film previews to complete classical concerts, from the 1950s to today. The foundation has also given funding for programs to bring school children to arts projects, concerts, and museums throughout Los Angeles.

The Walter Lantz Foundation is named after one of the pioneers of animation who came with Walt Disney to Los Angeles in 1923 from Kansas City. Lantz would become an independent cartoon director and eventually operate the Universal Studios animation division that included such Lantz creations as Chilly Willy, Andy Panda, and the immortal Woody Woodpecker. Mr. Lantz’s last public speaking engagement was at the Hollywood Heritage (then Studio) Museum. His foundation provided key support for a recent screening of Erich Von Stroheim’s The Wedding March at the Lloyd Rigler Theater at the Egyptian. His foundation continues on today as a strong supporter of the arts.

Art Laboe is a legend in the music industry. Still going strong with his syndicated radio show at the age of 75, rock and roll owes much to Art. He coined the phrase “Oldies But Goodies” in 1960 for his concert series’ (including concerts at the Hollywood Bowl) that included rock greats from the ’50s, especially recognizing the great Doo-Wop singers. His record/tape/CD series of Oldies But Goodies includes several volumes and is a treasure trove of musical history that still sounds great today (sometimes even greater today than when it came out). His live radio broadcasts from the corner of Sunset and Cahuenga at Scribner’s Restaurant helped popularize the request form of radio, which he still does today from his studio at Sunset and LaBrea.

Hollywood Heritage is planning a special program with Art in the near future so that the public can meet him and listen to the great stories of one of the legends of modern music promotion and broadcasting (remembering KRLA and its eclectic, but very successful mix of disco and ’50s oldies during the late ’70s and early ’80s, hosted and operated by Art Laboe).

Another major patron of the arts in Los Angeles is Robert Gore Rifkind. His family goes back several generations here, including his grandfather who helped to pay for the Hollywood Bowl during the 1920s. Mr. Rifkind also sponsors classical music programs at the Doheny Mansion in Beverly Hills and is one of the key contributors to the Los Angeles County Museum of Art.

His donations of funding and a spectacular collection of Expressionistic art and graphics (over 2,000 pieces!) have turned LACMA into one of the top museums in the world in this field. The Robert Gore Rifkind Center for the Study of Expressionistic Art makes it possible for people to not only see his contributions, but to study and learn about this important cultural period in 20th century history. His other contributions to museums elsewhere have continually demonstrated his support of the educational opportunities that museums must continually provide.

The Muller Family Foundation recently gave a significant contrib.ution toward renovations at Wattles Mansion. This generous donation will make several projects possible this fall and winter (see separate article on work at the mansion).

The Muller family is one of Hollywood’s pioneers. Jacob Muller came to Hollywood in 1893, establishing the first meat market in Hollywood, across from the present Cinerama Dome on Sunset Boulevard. He sold the market in 1907 and established the first ice company in Hollywood, selling that business in 1913. The family’s original house was built Sunset Boulevard at Ivar. This site later became the location of  the RCA Building, built by the Muller Family in 1963. (currently the Los Angeles Film School Building).

Across Sunset Boulevard on 4 acres, where the Cinerama Dome Theater and a  new retail center is under construction, was Muller Brothers Service Station. Opened in 1920 by Jacob’s sons, Walter and Frank, this became the largest service station in the world (including a large automobile supply center), employing 120 people by 1937. Celebrities, from Rudolph Valentino to Clark Gable, came by regularly to get gas or just work on their cars. In 1963 the site was sold for the Cinerama Dome Theater, and, at that time, an eventual hotel.

In E.O. Palmer’s History of Hollywood, he writes of the Muller Family in 1937; “Both Walter and Frank have been very civic-minded citizens of Hollywood and have always been ready to give of their time and means to every worthy cause for the upbuilding of the community.” It is exciting for Hollywood Heritage to be receiving that same support from their, equally civic-minded descendent, Sheila Muller, 64 years later.