Hollywood Professional School

Last updated

Hollywood Professional School was a private school in Hollywood, California. Initially established as a music conservatory by pianist Gladys T. Littell in 1921 under the name Hollywood Conservatory of Music and Arts, [1] the school quickly expanded its offerings into theater and dance as well as music. In 1929 the Hollywood Professional School (HPS) was established by Viola Foss Lawler as a companion private school to the conservatory, with both schools operating legally as a single institution under the Hollywood Conservatory of Music and Arts name. In 1944 the school was purchased by Bertha Keller Mann and it ceased teaching the arts and became solely a private school teaching traditional academic subjects in grades K-12 to mostly children working in the entertainment business or competitive athletics in Los Angeles.

Contents

History

Hollywood Conservatory of Music and Arts

The Hollywood Professional School (HPS) was established in 1921 by pianist Gladys T. Littell under the name the Hollywood Conservatory of Music and Arts (HCMA). [1] The HCMA taught both children in a pre-professional program and young adults on a pre-professional conservatory track of development. [1] Originally the school only offered instruction in string instruments, piano, and vocal music, with instruction in singing initially being led by Louis Graveure, and Frances Kendig teaching piano and music theory, and string instruction by Zoellner. [1] For the Fall of 1924, bandmaster, clarinetist, and composer Albert Perfect joined the faculty of the school when it expanded its offering to include woodwinds and brass instruments. [1] At the same time Modest Altschuler was a visiting lecturer at the institution, and Russian pianist Alexander Kosloff joined the piano faculty. [2] Soon after, Bruno David Ussher was hired to teach music history for the school, Arthur Kachel was hired to teach acting in the tradition of Leland T. Powers, Roy Harris was hired as an instructor in ear training, and Jean Galeron taught French and diction for singers. [3]

Several important appointments were made in December 1924 for the beginning of the Spring 1925 academic semester, including the appointment of the HCMA's first official administrative director, its founder Gladys T. Littell. [3] Hugo Kirchhofer was appointed as the head of the vocal music department, and Lizeta Kalova taking over the strings department. [3] In 1925 the HCMA moved into new premises at 5400 Hollywood Boulevard at Serrano Avenue with a recital on November 17, 1925. [4] Opera singer Alma Stetzler taught singing at the school in the late 1920s. [5] German concert pianist and composer Georg Liebling was a member of the piano faculty in the early 1930s. [6] The school presented numerous student recitals and productions during the 1920s and early 1930s, as well as hosting concerts given by established professionals. During the late 1930s and early 1940s the conservatory portion of school reduced steadily. The HPS continued to operate at the HCMA under Littell.

In 1944 Littell sold the HCMA to Bertha Keller Mann and it ceased teaching the arts. The HPS private school became the sole focus of the institution. In 1948 the school was enrolling students K-12 and operating under the name the Hollywood Professional School while legally still existing under its former name, the Hollywood Conservatory of Music and Arts, on paper. [7] Many of the pupils who attended the school were children working in show business, operating mornings only so that the children could work in the afternoon. [8] It closed down in June 1985 due to insufficient enrollment and the death of the owner that same year. The school's building and many of its assets were auctioned in August 1985. [9]

Hollywood Professional School

In 1929 Viola Foss Lawler established the Hollywood Professional School (HPS) at 5402 Hollywood Boulevard as a private school addition to the HCMA. [10] This allowed students at the conservatory to attend grammar school and secondary school classes while studying subjects like music and drama. Lawler's school focused on catering to children in the entertainment business, following a similar model pioneered by the Professional Children's School in New York City. By 1930 there were close to 300 students enrolled in the first through 12th grades at HPS. [10]

Lawler parted ways with the HCMA in 1937 to establish her own independent school, the Lawler Professional School which was later known as the Mar-Ken Professional School. [11] [12] [13] [14] [15] Martha O'Driscoll 's mother was a financial partner in the Mar-Ken Professional Children's School.

Notable alumni

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Peggy Lee</span> American singer, songwriter and actress (1920–2002)

Norma Deloris Egstrom, known professionally as Peggy Lee, was an American jazz and popular music singer, songwriter, composer, and actress whose career spanned seven decades. From her beginning as a vocalist on local radio to singing with Benny Goodman's big band, Lee created a sophisticated persona, writing music for films, acting, and recording conceptual record albums combining poetry and music. Called the "Queen of American pop music," Lee recorded over 1,100 masters and composed over 270 songs.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Jack Albertson</span> American actor (1907–1981)

Harold "Jack" Albertson was an American actor, comedian, dancer and singer who also performed in vaudeville. Albertson was a Tony, Oscar, and Emmy winning actor, which ranks him among a rare stature of 24 actors who have been awarded the "Triple Crown of Acting".’

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Studio City, Los Angeles</span> Neighborhood of Los Angeles in California, United States

Studio City is a neighborhood in the city of Los Angeles, California, in the southeast San Fernando Valley, just west of the Cahuenga Pass. It is named after the studio lot that was established in the area by film producer Mack Sennett in 1927, now known as Radford Studio Center.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Harriet Nelson</span> American actress (1909-1994)

Harriet Nelson was an American actress. Nelson is best known for her role on the sitcom The Adventures of Ozzie and Harriet.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Hollywood Hills</span> Neighborhood in Los Angeles, California, United States

The Hollywood Hills is a residential neighborhood in the central region of Los Angeles, California. It borders Studio City, Universal City and Burbank on the north, Griffith Park on the north and east, Los Feliz on the southeast, Hollywood on the south and Hollywood Hills West on the west. It includes Forest Lawn Memorial Park, Mount Sinai Memorial Park Cemetery, the Hollywood Reservoir, the Hollywood Sign, the Hollywood Bowl and the John Anson Ford Theater.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Julie London</span> American actress and singer (1926–2000)

Julie London was an American singer and actress whose career spanned more than 40 years. A torch singer noted for her contralto voice, London recorded over thirty albums of pop and jazz standards between 1955 and 1969. Her recording of "Cry Me a River", a song she introduced on her debut album Julie Is Her Name, was inducted into the Grammy Hall of Fame in 2001. In addition to her musical notice, London was nominated for a Golden Globe Award in 1974 for her portrayal of Nurse Dixie McCall in the television series Emergency!

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Albert Dekker</span> American actor and politician (1905–1968)

Thomas Albert Ecke Van Dekker was an American actor and politician known for his roles in Dr. Cyclops, The Killers (1946), Kiss Me Deadly, and The Wild Bunch.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">William Howard Taft Charter High School</span> Public school in Woodland Hills, Los Angeles, California, United States

William Howard Taft Charter High School is a public school located on the corner of Ventura Boulevard and Winnetka Avenue in the Woodland Hills district of the San Fernando Valley in Los Angeles, California, within the Los Angeles Unified School District. The school gained affiliated charter status beginning with the 2013–2014 school year.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Peggie Castle</span> American actress (1927–1973)

Peggie Castle was an American actress who specialized in playing the "other woman" in B-movies. Castle was Miss Cheesecake in 1949.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Maureen McCormick</span> American actress (born 1956)

Maureen Denise McCormick is an American actress. She portrayed Marcia Brady on the ABC television sitcom The Brady Bunch, which ran from 1969 to 1974, and reprised the role in several of the numerous Brady Bunch spin-offs and films, including The Brady Kids, The Brady Bunch Hour, The Brady Brides and A Very Brady Christmas (1988). McCormick has appeared in The Amanda Show as Moody's mom in the Moody's Point segment. McCormick also appeared in The Idolmaker (1980) as well as a wide range of other supporting film roles. In the 1980s and 1990s, she ventured into stage acting, appearing in a variety of different roles and productions such as Wendy Darling in Peter Pan and Betty Rizzo in Grease.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Ann B. Davis</span> American actress (1926–2014)

Ann Bradford Davis was an American actress. She achieved prominence for her role in the NBC situation comedy The Bob Cummings Show (1955–1959), for which she twice won the Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Supporting Actress in a Comedy Series, but she was best known for playing the part of Alice Nelson, the housekeeper in ABC's The Brady Bunch (1969–1974).

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Mike Lookinland</span> American former actor (born 1960)

Michael Paul Lookinland is an American actor and cameraman. He is best known for his role as the youngest brother, Bobby Brady, on the ABC sitcom The Brady Bunch from 1969 to 1974, and all of its sequels and spinoffs.

Los Angeles County High School for the Arts is a visual and performing arts high school located on the campus of California State University, Los Angeles in Los Angeles, California, United States.

<i>MTV Rock N Jock</i> Television series

MTV Rock N' Jock is a television series on MTV featuring actors, musicians, and other entertainers playing sports with professional athletes. The original episode was called The MTV Rock N' Jock Diamond Derby, and was changed to MTV's Rock N' Jock Softball Challenge, in year 2. The concept expanded to include basketball in 1991, football in 1997 and bowling in 1999 The game was an annual feature for many years on MTV.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Florine McKinney</span> American actress

Florine McKinney was an American actress.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Peggy Conklin</span> American film, television and theatre actress

Margaret Eleanor Conklin was an American film, television and theatre actress.

Events in 1916 in animation.

References

  1. 1 2 3 4 5 "WIND INSTRUMENTS HIS SPECIALTY". Los Angeles Times : B28. August 17, 1924.
  2. ↑ "Russian Piano Concertos Are Well Received". Los Angeles Times : A11. October 28, 1924.
  3. 1 2 3 "Hollywood Conservatory". Los Angeles Times : C39. December 21, 1924.
  4. ↑ "Recital Opens New Hollywood Music School". Los Angeles Times : A11. November 17, 1925.
  5. ↑ "DEATHS in the PROFESSION: Alma Stetzler". Billboard . Vol. 41, no. 39. September 28, 1929. p. 92.
  6. ↑ "Liebling Pupils". Los Angeles Times : 22. September 25, 1932.
  7. ↑ "Hollywood Professional School". The California Monthly: 6.
  8. ↑ American Film Institute, Arthur M. Sackler Foundation (1977). ""Hollywood Professional School"". American Film. BPI Communications: 59.
  9. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 "Hollywood Pro School to Be Auctioned". Los Angeles Times . August 11, 1985.
  10. 1 2 Rockwell Dennis Hunt (1930). "Mrs. Viola Foss Lawler". California and Californians. 4. Lewis Publishing Company: 162.
  11. ↑ "Mar Ken High School - Yearbook (Hollywood, CA), Class of 1942, Pages 1 - 17". e-yearbook.com. Retrieved 6 June 2023.
  12. ↑ "Mar-Ken History". www.mar-ken.org. Archived from the original on 2004-08-25. Retrieved 2017-08-29.
  13. ↑ "MAR-KEN SCHOOL in California". bizapedia.com. Retrieved 6 June 2023.
  14. ↑ "historic resources survey hollywood redevelopment project area" (PDF). planning.lacity.org/eir. Retrieved 6 June 2023.
  15. ↑ "Brian Sisters at School". The Brian Sisters. Retrieved 6 June 2023.
  16. ↑ Paul G. Roberts (2 October 2014). Style Icons Vol 1 Golden Boys. Rowman & Littlefield. p. 81. ISBN   9781627760324.
  17. ↑ "Addrisi, Don". McGill University Archives.
  18. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 25 26 27 28 29 30 31 Sylvia Stoddard (2019). "Hollywood Professional School history". Square One.
  19. ↑ Thomas R. Whissen (1998). Guide to American cinema, 1930-1965. Greenwood Press. p. 128.
  20. 1 2 3 4 Matthew Ward (2010). My Second Chapter The Matthew Ward Story. Crown Publishing Group. p. 63-67. ISBN   9780307550569.
  21. ↑ Sheree Homer (2010). Catch That Rockabilly Fever. McFarland & Company. p. 132. ISBN   9780786458110.
  22. ↑ Valerie Bertinelli (2008). Losing It: And Gaining My Life Back One Pound at a Time. Atria Books. p. 67.
  23. ↑ "Short and Simple Ads Best, Boys Tell Club". Hollywood Citizen-News. May 4, 1948. p. 12. Retrieved April 26, 2024.
  24. ↑ Tom Lisanti, Louis Paul (2002). Film Fatales: Women in Espionage Films and Television, 1962-1973. McFarland & Company. p. 80. ISBN   9780786411948.
  25. ↑ "Boyd Becomes Showbiz Gift Via Col Disk". Billboard . December 20, 1952. p. 19.
  26. 1 2 3 4 John Hope Bryant (2010). Love Leadership: The New Way to Lead in a Fear-Based World. Wiley. p. 26-27.
  27. ↑ Paul Willistein. "PROUD LADY' COULD REFOCUS SPOTLIGHT ON THE LETTERMEN". The Morning Call .
  28. ↑ "Obituary: Charles Lincoln Campbell". Los Angeles Times . August 11, 2013.
  29. ↑ Nikki Nichols (2008). Frozen in Time: The Enduring Legacy of the 1961 U.S. Figure Skating Team. AdventureKEEN. p. 231. ISBN   9781578603343.
  30. ↑ "Cowboy Rex Allen, Jo Ann Castle At SA Stock Show". Shiner Gazette : 2. November 16, 1967.
  31. ↑ John Willis, ed. (1969). Screen World. Vol. 20. Crown Publishers. p. 221. ISBN   9780819603104.
  32. ↑ Erika Burch (April 5, 2021). "Traveling Through Time With Disney's Mouseketeers". Herald Weekly.
  33. 1 2 3 Brenda Lee, Robert K. Oermann, Julie Clay (2002). Little Miss Dynamite: The Life and Times of Brenda Lee. Hachette Books. p. 117.{{cite book}}: CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (link)
  34. 1 2 3 4 Jo Ann Schneider Farris (2016). My Skating Life: Fifty Plus Years of Skating. Lulu. ISBN   9781312754782.
  35. ↑ RetroFan #8. TwoMorrows Publishing. April 2020. p. 13.
  36. ↑ Martha Crawford Cantarini, Chrystopher J. Spicer (2010). Fall Girl: My Life as a Western Stunt Double. McFarland & Company. p. 31.
  37. ↑ Leonard Maltin (2018). Hooked on Hollywood: Discoveries from a Lifetime of Film Fandom. Paladin Communications. ISBN   9781732273504.
  38. ↑ Michael Duncan, Kristine McKenna, Wallace Berman (2005). Semina Culture: Wallace Berman & His Circle. Distributed Art Publishers. p. 324.{{cite book}}: CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (link)
  39. ↑ Dick Moore (1984). Twinkle, Twinkle, Little Star: But Don't Have Sex Or Take the Car. Harper & Row. p. 136.
  40. ↑ Sidney Blumenthal (1990). Our Long National Daydream: A Political Pageant of the Reagan Era. HarperCollins. p. 204.
  41. 1 2 3 4 James Gavin (2015). Is That All There Is?: The Strange Life of Peggy Lee. Atria Books. p. 187. ISBN   9781451641790.
  42. 1 2 3 4 Jon Provost, Laurie Jacobson (2007). Timmy's in the Well: The Jon Provost Story. Cumberland House. p. 62. ISBN   9781581826197.
  43. ↑ Leif Garrett, Chris Epting (2019). Idol Truth: A Memoir. Post Hill Press. ISBN   9781642932379.
  44. ↑ Laurie E. Jasinski, ed. (2012). Handbook of Texas Music. Texas A&M University Press. ISBN   9780876112977.
  45. ↑ "Obituary: Lisa Gaye, dancer and actress in TV Westerns". The Scotsman . August 5, 2016.
  46. 1 2 Wally George (1999). Wally George: The Father of Combat TV. Clarendon House. p. 31.
  47. ↑ Careers in Photography. Pennsylvania State University Press. 1992. p. 149.
  48. ↑ John Willis, ed. (June 1983). Screen World. Biblo & Tannen. p. 220. ISBN   9780819603098.
  49. ↑ American School Band Directors Association, Phi Beta Mu (Newark, Ohio) (1970). The School Musician Director and Teacher. Ammark Publishing Company. p. 56.{{cite book}}: CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (link)
  50. ↑ James Monaco, James Pallot (1992). "Griffith, Melanie". The Encyclopedia of Film. Virgin Books. p. 237. ISBN   9781852273842.
  51. ↑ American Society of Composers, Authors and Publishers (1968). "Arthur Hamilton". ASCAP Today. 2–5. University of Virginia Press: 3.
  52. 1 2 3 4 John Einarson (December 4, 2016). "Winnipeg's Steiner Brothers didn't seek celebrity but made it big". Winnipeg Free Press .
  53. ↑ "Larry Kert; 'West Side Story' Star". Los Angeles Times . June 7, 1991.
  54. ↑ "Val Kilmer Biography: Film Actor (1959–)". Biography.com (FYI / A&E Networks). Archived from the original on May 5, 2016. Retrieved October 31, 2016.
  55. ↑ Torchy Smith (2018). Shooting the Breeze with Baby Boomer Stars!: Surprising Celebrity Conversations for the Retro Generation. Archway Publishing.
  56. ↑ Tom Lisanti (2003). Drive-in Dream Girls: A Galaxy of B-movie Starlets of the Sixties. McFarland & Company. p. 271. ISBN   9780786493425.
  57. ↑ Dennis, Ken (4 December 2008). "Mickey Kuhn: Boy Actor of the Golden Age". Muscatine Journal. Retrieved 6 June 2023.
  58. ↑ "Script Changes". Chicago Tribune . October 18, 1992.
  59. ↑ Eric Meeks, Roberta Linn (2005). Not Now, Lord, I've Got Too Much to Do. iUniverse. p. 10. ISBN   9780595354344.
  60. ↑ Peggy Lipton, David Dalton, Coco Dalton (2007). Breathing Out: A Memoir. St. Martin's Press. pp. 43–44. ISBN   9781429906616.{{cite book}}: CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (link)
  61. ↑ "The Smoke". The Mojo Collection: 4th Edition. Canongate Books: 148. 2007. ISBN   9781847676436.
  62. ↑ "Mike Lookinland". Detroit Free Press : 40. February 17, 1974.
  63. ↑ TV News Desk (September 23, 2014). "TV Host and Comic Skip E. Lowe Dies at 85". BroadwayWorld .
  64. ↑ "Hollywood Professional Honors Trio". Independent Star-News : 62. August 10, 1958.
  65. ↑ Steven Gaines (1995). Heroes And Villains: The True Story Of The Beach Boys. Hachette Books. p. 98. ISBN   9780306806476.
  66. ↑ Hevesi, Dennis (25 October 2007). "Bobby Mauch, Actor Who Played Opposite Twin, Dies at 86". The New York Times. Retrieved 6 June 2023.
  67. ↑ "Eddy Medora, Guitarist with the Sunrays". The Independent . November 16, 2006.
  68. ↑ Peter Shelley (2020). Ann Miller: Her Life and Career. McFarland & Company. pp. 10–11. ISBN   9781476679259.
  69. ↑ Tom Goldrup, Jim Goldrup (2015). Growing Up on the Set: Interviews with 39 Former Child Actors of Classic Film and Television. McFarland & Company. p. 206.
  70. ↑ "Susan Olsen: Brady Bunch star opens up about drugs, feuds and pashing Bobby". News.com.au . June 12, 2015.
  71. ↑ American Film Institute, Arthur M. Sackler Foundation (1977). American Film. BPI Communications. p. 59.
  72. ↑ Boyd Magers, Michael G. Fitzgerald (2004). Westerns Women Interviews with 50 Leading Ladies of Movie and Television Westerns from the 1930s to the 1960s. McFarland & Company. p. 176. ISBN   9780786420285.
  73. ↑ "From Ballplayer To Actor, Ten-year-old Butch Patrick". Zanesville Times Recorder: 21. December 28, 1964.
  74. ↑ Tom Lisanti (2003). Drive-in Dream Girls: A Galaxy of B-movie Starlets of the Sixties. McFarland & Company. p. 140-141. ISBN   9780786415755.
  75. ↑ Mikel Kelly (January 14, 2011). "You don't look like an angel!". Pamplin Media Group .
  76. ↑ Frank Cullen, Florence Hackman, Donald McNeilly (2007). Vaudeville old & new: an encyclopedia of variety performances in America. Psychology Press. p. 983. ISBN   9780415938532.{{cite book}}: CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (link)
  77. ↑ Ann Higginbotham, ed. (December 1954). "Riley's Daughter" (PDF). TV Radio Mirror . 43 (1): 8.
  78. ↑ "Jill St. John". Show: The Magazine of the Arts. 3. Hartford Publications. October 1963.
  79. ↑ Everett Aaker (2017). "Sharpe, Karen". Television Western Players, 1960-1975 A Biographical Dictionary. McFarland & Company. p. 379. ISBN   9781476628561.
  80. ↑ Richardson, Andrew; Padgett, Esra Soraya. "Mark Spiegler Patron of the Tarts". Richardson Magazine (A11 The Agency Issue): 73. I grew up in Hollywood and went to a school called Hollywood Professional School
  81. ↑ John Willis, ed. (June 1983). Screen World. Biblo & Tannen. p. 226. ISBN   9780819603098.
  82. ↑ "Contemporary Musicians". Tone Loc. Gale Research Inc. 1989. p. 234. ISBN   9780810322134.
  83. ↑ John Willis, ed. (June 1983). Screen World. Biblo & Tannen. p. 227. ISBN   9780819603098.
  84. ↑ Thomas S. Hischak (2008). "Weidler, Virginia". The Oxford Companion to the American Musical. Oxford University Press. p. 785. ISBN   9780195335330.
  85. ↑ David Wallace (2003). Hollywoodland. Thorndike Press. p. 264.
  86. ↑ Linda G. Mcveigh (November 30, 1965). "Surf's Out for the Beach Boys". The Harvard Crimson .

34°06′07″N118°18′26″W / 34.101807°N 118.307143°W / 34.101807; -118.307143

This page is based on this Wikipedia article
Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply.
Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.