John Marshall High School

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Annette Cordona Dies At 63

Posted by ksquaredno15 on November 1, 2011
Posted in: Current Events, Entertainment, Info, Movies. Tagged: , , , , , . Leave a Comment

Annette Cardona currentIf you don’t recognize that name, you may know her better as Annette Charles or ‘Cha Cha’ DiGregorio from the 1978 movie Grease.

Annette was born March 5, 1948 and passed away peacefully on August 3, 2011 from non-smokers lung cancer, she was only 63.

Ms. Cordona was a 1965 graduate of John Marshall High School, which was the school I graduated from several years later.

John Marshall’s athletic field was also used for the carnival scene in the movie Grease (See my previous post on Grease).

Annette-Charlies-Cordona-Cha Cha-Grease

Amid her acting career, she returned to school and received degrees in both theater and psychology and earned a master’s from NYU School of Social Work to become a mental health clinician. She wanted to use her background in the performing arts to reach and motivate culturally diverse at-risk youth. Ms. Cordona was also a professor at the California State University, Northridge, teaching speech and communication in the Chicano studies department.

Annette Cordona is survived by her mother Mary, her husband Rob, her sister and brother-in-law Benita and Corrie and nephew Luke.

Visiting California?

Posted by ksquaredno15 on April 2, 2011
Posted in: Eateries, Entertainment, Foods, Info, Places of Interest, Travel. Tagged: , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , . Leave a Comment

If you’re a visitor to my blog that’s planning a visit to Los Angeles and/or it’s surrounding cities, you may be interested in checking out one or more of locations that I’ve posted on this blog. Even if you’re a Los Angeles/California native, you may find some of these sites worthy of a visit.

For your convenience, I’ve listed all of the locations that I’ve posted about (to date), that are still around (as far as I’m aware). If you want to read the posts connected with these locations, you can easily enter a keyword in the search field or click on the link that I’ve provided.

1. Griffith Observatory – Los Angeles, Ca – Read the post: http://yesteryearremembered.com/?p=28

2. Vacation Village-now called Paradise Point Resort & Spa in San Diego. I haven’t been there since it has changed to Paradise Point, so if you plan a visit, let me know how it is. Read the post: http://yesteryearremembered.com/?p=447

3. NHRA Drag Racing at Pomona Fairplex – Usually has races in February and November. Don’t forget a good pair of earplugs (I would take the over-ear style too). Visit the NHRA Website for schedule: http://nhra.com/

4. Far East Cafe – Little Tokyo in Los Angeles – Read the post: http://yesteryearremembered.com/?p=2207

5. Frank Lloyd Wright’s Ennis House – Los Angeles, Ca – I don’t think you can enter the property, but you can drive by to see the exterior of the house. Read the post for location: http://yesteryearremembered.com/?p=26

6. Marineland of The Pacific – Palos Verdes, Ca – Marineland is no longer there, but you can still visit the property which is now home to the Terranea Resort. You can grab a bite to eat at one of a few different restaurants and look out over the ocean. There is a small self-park lot or a $5 parking lot (the self-park is usually full). http://yesteryearremembered.com/?p=65
Read the post about Terranea Resort reunion: http://yesteryearremembered.com/?p=1674

7. Magic Castle – Los Angeles, Ca – This is an exclusive club, so entry is only allowed if you are a member or have a guest pass from a member. Read the post: http://yesteryearremembered.com/?p=1059

8. Pauley Pavilion on the UCLA Campus – Los Angeles, Ca – http://yesteryearremembered.com/?p=711

9. Farrell’s Ice Cream Parlour – Mission Viejo, Ca – Farrell’s website: http://www.farrellsusa.com/
Read the post: http://yesteryearremembered.com/?p=415

10. Snow Summit at Big Bear Mountain – San Bernardino, Ca – Read the post: http://yesteryearremembered.com/?p=2322 Snow Summit website: http://www.snowsummit.com/ski/

11. Greek Theatre – Los Angeles, Ca – Read the post: http://yesteryearremembered.com/?p=59

12. Original Tommy’s Hamburger – Los Angeles, Ca – Read the post: http://yesteryearremembered.com/?p=37

13. Griffith Park Southern Miniature Railroad – Los Angeles, Ca – Read the post: http://yesteryearremembered.com/?p=61 The Griffith Park Train Rides http://www.griffithparktrainrides.com/

14. Holiday Bowl – Los Angeles, Ca – Read the post: http://yesteryearremembered.com/?p=24

15. Pink’s Hot Dog Stand – Los Angeles, Ca – Read the post: http://yesteryearremembered.com/?p=48

16. Bradbury Building – Downtown Los Angeles, Ca – You are only allowed on the ground floor of the building. Read the post: http://yesteryearremembered.com/?p=19

17. Angel’s Flight – Downtown Los Angeles, Ca – Angel’s Flight was reopened on March 15, 2010. I’ve taken a ride up and down Angel’s Flight since my original post was written. The cost of a one-way ride was 25 cents at that time. Read the post: http://yesteryearremembered.com/?p=4

18. John Marshall High School – Los Angeles, Ca – Read the post: http://yesteryearremembered.com/?p=3306

Leave me a comment if you visit any of these sites during your next visit.

Grease-The Movie

Posted by ksquaredno15 on January 27, 2011
Posted in: Entertainment, Movies, Music, Places of Interest, Television. Tagged: , , , , , , , , . Leave a Comment

Grease-The Movie
Back in the 70′s, my high school was invaded by scores of studio movie trucks and trailers. They pretty much took over our track & field area for what I believe to be a week to 2 weeks. You see, I went to John Marshall High School in the Los Feliz area of Los Angeles, California and they filmed the carnival scene that appeared at the end of the movie at this location.

As a side note, John Marshall High School has been used for other movies, television series and commercials throughout the years, such as, Buffy The Vampire Slayer, Boy Meets World, A Nightmare On Elm Street, Raiders of The Lost Ark, Boston Public and Transformers, to name a few.

john marshall high school

Grease Carnival 1
Grease Carnival 2
Grease Carnival 3
Grease Carnival 4

The grassy area of the field was dotted with carnival rides, a fun house, people and cars.

For those of you who are reading this post who have not heard of the movie Grease, it starred John Travolta & Olivia Newton John and was released in 1978. It was a musical about two lovers in a 1950s high school.

One of the more recognizable songs from the movie (You’re the one that I want) was filmed at the school during the carnival scene and was sung by John Travolta & Olivia Newton John. According to a web source, it took a half a day to film this one sequence.

Olivia Newton John’s black spandex pants are alive and well (thank you very much). She brought them to show Oprah during her interview at the famous Sydney Opera House in Australia. The following link shows those famous pants that Olivia Newton John wore during the carnival scene. http://www.oprah.com/oprahshow/Memorable-Moments-Australia-Adventure-Finale/8

If you’re into movie ‘Goofs’, I’ve listed several here that I got from IMDB.com. If you want to see the whole list or want more movie details about the movie, follow this link: http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0077631/

- Anachronisms: The jukebox in the diner is a 1973 Wurlizter 1050 (which copies the design of the famous 1015), yet movie is set in 1959.

- Continuity: In the diner, Vai turns off the lights with her elbow, despite missing the switch by six inches.

- Boom mic visible: The boom mic is reflected in the jukebox when Danny tells Sandy he has an image to protect. (In the just-released Rydell High edition (10/06), the boom mic has been digitally erased).

- Continuity: When Frenchie is about to pierce Sandy’s ear, the bottle of wine switches between Jan and Sandy in between shots.

- Continuity: Sandy’s “R” streamer on her sweater at the pep rally.

- Revealing mistakes: Marty’s kneepad exposed when sliding at the end of the big dance.

- Continuity: In the closing number, “We Go Together,” Doody and Frenchy switch places between the lines, “When we go out at night/And stars are shining bright.” Also, the blonde guy to the left of them goes from a sitting position to a standing position in the same error.

- Audio/visual unsynchronized: In the final sequence while singing “You’re the One That I Want,” Danny and Sandy spin twice in the amusement park walk through (The Shake Shack). On the second twirl, you can tell that it is not perfectly in sync with the music.

- Continuity: As Rizzo being escorted into the dance hall by the leader of the Scorpions, he removes his sunglasses. In the next shot, we see him remove them again.

- Continuity: During Summer Nights, Rizzo’s shades repeatedly jump between her face and her hand between shots.

For more details, visit wikipedia.com: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/John_Marshall_High_School_(Los_Angeles,_California)

The photos of the carnival scene included in this post were obtained from the following website:
http://www.seeing-stars.com/locations/Grease2.shtml