99 YEARS AND COUNTING

Since 2006, when the week of October 20th rolls around each year I look forward to a very special birthday lunch to celebrate the talented, genuine, funny, full of youth, and beautiful (inside and out) Carla Laemmle. For the past 3 years, she and good friend Rick, who celebrates his Birthday on October 21st and who is just finishing a book on Carla’s life (see below), have met up with me at a well-known and favorite restaurant of Carla’s in LA, that has been around since 1931. This year marked her 99th Birthday, a very young 99 as you can see in the picture of us from our lunch.

Some of you, especially those in the entertainment industry, might be familiar with the last name Laemmle. Carla happens to be the niece of Carl Laemmle, the founder of Universal Pictures. Carla was born Rebekah Isabelle Laemmle in Chicago, IL in 1909, but soon took Carla as her professional name. One of the many things for which she is known is speaking the first line in Carl’s classic 1931 horror film “Dracula,” starring Bela Lugosi. She can still recite that line today…“Among the rugged peaks that frown down upon the Borgo Pass are found crumbling castles of a bygone age.”

She spent her youth living in a bungalow by the New York Street set on the Universal Pictures lot, which was common in those days, and is where she collected a number of fascinating stories about what I refer to as the classy years of Hollywood. I simply love hearing about those times and her accounts of the wonderful memories she holds to this day from that very special time, on which she looks back very fondly. These include stories of Marilyn Monroe, Lon Chaney, the filming of the famous tower scene in 1939’s “The Hunchback of Notre Dame”, being a dancer at the age of 16 in 1925’s “The Phantom of The Opera”, and much, much more.

While Carla’s history is very exciting, it is her friendship I value most. I receive the most touching, kind, heart felt, and lovely cards in the mail from her and truly enjoy our old-fashioned correspondence. I am someone who to this day loves to send cards and letters in the mail, even for no apparent reason, and truly enjoys keeping this classic form of writing alive today. It is something my marvelous mother taught me at a young age, along with the importance of hand-written thank-you notes, and I plan to carry on the tradition as best I can, just as Carla and my mother do.

Carla truly is an inspiration to me, and one can’t help but smile after hearing from her whether in person, on the phone, or through her wonderful words in a card. She exudes warmth, positivity, and classic grace, and never misses a beat with her spot-on mind and memory, which are far sharper than mine…and I am 70 years younger! I can only hope to be a tiny fraction as influential as she is when I get to be her age, if I make it that far! I feel honored to simply know her and be a part of her life, and what a life it is!

In fact, Rick just finished working with Carla on her autobiography, “Among the Rugged Peaks–An Intimate Biography of Carla Laemmle.” I got to see the cover, straight from the publishers, while at our lunch last week and I am looking forward to reading the final product and seeing the many historic photographs. That said, I am sure there will be many more stories and adventures to come in her long, yet “forever young and ageless,” life of 99 years and counting!

“Thank you so much for your lovely card and ever so glowing words – I am totally overwhelmed by your ever so lavish compliments. I found it most difficult not reacting to them like my beautiful Persian cat, Mimi, lapping up a bowl of heavy cream! I did so enjoy meeting you and was truly impressed by your charm and both outer and inner beauty. While it is true I am 97 in earth years, I assure you my inner being is forever young and ageless.” - A few of Carla Laemmle’s always eloquent words in a card to me after we first met in 2006.

With Rick and Carla Laemmle at her 99th Birthday lunch on 10-24-08.