May 7th 09, 06:00 AM
((Vinylsnatch told us this sort of thing would be absolutely,
positively impossible. Hummmmpf. Bret.))
Marilyn Monroe Jumps Right Out At You
Half a century ago, a crafty shooter got dozens of celebrities in his
camera lens -- and few have seen his rare collection, until now.
By RON DONOHO
>>" In 1952, Lani Carlson was face-to-face with Marilyn Monroe during a swanky Los Angeles party.
“I had her all to myself,” says the now-hard-of-hearing, 91-year-old
San Diegan, who speaks loudly and excitedly. “I’d had a couple shots
of bourbon while her helicopter was landing. When she got out, her
press guy said, ‘Stay back!’ But I didn’t. I stepped out and said,
‘Chicago Tribune!’ I have to get this out to AP!’ Man, I’m sure I was
drooling. She looked so good in that pink dress. She wasn’t wearing
any brassiere.”
Carlson did indeed have a press card -- but it wasn’t his. He was a
Hollywood “sound man” who brought his cameras to gigs. He provided
audio for the Academy Awards, Rose Bowl games and celebrity galas in
the 1950s and ’60s. Along the way, he shot Fred Astaire, Ernest
Borgnine, Yul Brenner, Doris Day, Clark Gable, Cary Grant, Sophia
Loren, Gregory Peck, Anthony Quinn, Liz Taylor and nearly any star of
the era. Carlson also has exclusive shots of the Beatles promoting
their “Help” album at Capital Records (George Harrison pleasantly
chatted with Carlson about his equipment).
But until recently, nobody had seen his photos. Since Carlson didn’t
really work for a news service, he had nowhere to put his shots --
except in boxes in the Poway house he shares with his spunky, 93-year-
old wife, Daphne. When the Carlsons showed an acquaintance the Marilyn
photos -- some of which were shot in 3-D -- it set in motion a plan to
sell the collection.
Nobody’s quite sure what Carlson’s photos are worth. An agent and a
lawyer are working in the background to sell or possibly license some
of the images. A single Monroe image used in an advertising campaign
once sold for $150,000, says agent Dale Picolla. Last year, a Monroe
sex tape was sold to a memorabilia collector for $1.5 million.
Carlson’s Monroe pictures are from a party thrown by bandleader Ray
Anthony, celebrating a song about the blonde bombshell, called
“Marilyn.” Mickey Rooney is in one shot, playing drums. Carlson
recalls the fête as if it were last week, not more than half a century
ago. This was months before the movie which thrust Monroe into the
Hollywood stratosphere, “Niagara,” would be released. The starlet wore
the same clingy pink dress to the party that she’d shown off in the
movie.
The three-dimensional photos are especially captivating. Carlson shot
Monroe with a David White Stereo Realist camera. These heavy, dual-
lens cameras create a 3-D effect. Remember View Masters, with those
wheeled photo disks you click around? The Stereo Realist photos, when
seen through a special viewer, jump right out at you. These one-of-a-
kind pictures exude remarkable depth and clarity. It’s like looking
into a museum diorama.
And what serious fan wouldn’t be overwhelmed to own photos of Marilyn
Monroe jumping right out at them? Certainly not Carlson. “You know,”
he says, “I followed her around at the party for half an hour to get a
shot of her rear end.”
http://www.nbcdfw.com/news/entertainment/Marilyn-Monroe-Jumps-Right-Out-At-You.html
positively impossible. Hummmmpf. Bret.))
Marilyn Monroe Jumps Right Out At You
Half a century ago, a crafty shooter got dozens of celebrities in his
camera lens -- and few have seen his rare collection, until now.
By RON DONOHO
>>" In 1952, Lani Carlson was face-to-face with Marilyn Monroe during a swanky Los Angeles party.
“I had her all to myself,” says the now-hard-of-hearing, 91-year-old
San Diegan, who speaks loudly and excitedly. “I’d had a couple shots
of bourbon while her helicopter was landing. When she got out, her
press guy said, ‘Stay back!’ But I didn’t. I stepped out and said,
‘Chicago Tribune!’ I have to get this out to AP!’ Man, I’m sure I was
drooling. She looked so good in that pink dress. She wasn’t wearing
any brassiere.”
Carlson did indeed have a press card -- but it wasn’t his. He was a
Hollywood “sound man” who brought his cameras to gigs. He provided
audio for the Academy Awards, Rose Bowl games and celebrity galas in
the 1950s and ’60s. Along the way, he shot Fred Astaire, Ernest
Borgnine, Yul Brenner, Doris Day, Clark Gable, Cary Grant, Sophia
Loren, Gregory Peck, Anthony Quinn, Liz Taylor and nearly any star of
the era. Carlson also has exclusive shots of the Beatles promoting
their “Help” album at Capital Records (George Harrison pleasantly
chatted with Carlson about his equipment).
But until recently, nobody had seen his photos. Since Carlson didn’t
really work for a news service, he had nowhere to put his shots --
except in boxes in the Poway house he shares with his spunky, 93-year-
old wife, Daphne. When the Carlsons showed an acquaintance the Marilyn
photos -- some of which were shot in 3-D -- it set in motion a plan to
sell the collection.
Nobody’s quite sure what Carlson’s photos are worth. An agent and a
lawyer are working in the background to sell or possibly license some
of the images. A single Monroe image used in an advertising campaign
once sold for $150,000, says agent Dale Picolla. Last year, a Monroe
sex tape was sold to a memorabilia collector for $1.5 million.
Carlson’s Monroe pictures are from a party thrown by bandleader Ray
Anthony, celebrating a song about the blonde bombshell, called
“Marilyn.” Mickey Rooney is in one shot, playing drums. Carlson
recalls the fête as if it were last week, not more than half a century
ago. This was months before the movie which thrust Monroe into the
Hollywood stratosphere, “Niagara,” would be released. The starlet wore
the same clingy pink dress to the party that she’d shown off in the
movie.
The three-dimensional photos are especially captivating. Carlson shot
Monroe with a David White Stereo Realist camera. These heavy, dual-
lens cameras create a 3-D effect. Remember View Masters, with those
wheeled photo disks you click around? The Stereo Realist photos, when
seen through a special viewer, jump right out at you. These one-of-a-
kind pictures exude remarkable depth and clarity. It’s like looking
into a museum diorama.
And what serious fan wouldn’t be overwhelmed to own photos of Marilyn
Monroe jumping right out at them? Certainly not Carlson. “You know,”
he says, “I followed her around at the party for half an hour to get a
shot of her rear end.”
http://www.nbcdfw.com/news/entertainment/Marilyn-Monroe-Jumps-Right-Out-At-You.html