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Ocean View Hotel, Davenport, Nov. 7, 1950: This grand three-story, 28-room hotel burned down on March 28,1962. It was about where the parking lot for the Davenport Cash Store is now. It was built in 1906 by Coast Land and Dairy Co. for their employees. Later it was owned for many decades by Charlie Bella, who sold it to the Monti family in 1961. According to Margaret Koch's book, the hotel was about 90 percent redwood from the San Vicente Lumber mill up Swanton Road. Bruce Bratton MORE POLITICS. The Progressive Coalition's Santa Cruz City Council Candidates Forum next Monday night (Sept. 9) will be a hot night, regardless of weather. SCAN, The Greens, the PDC, the Demo Central Comm and the SEIU will all be listening to whatever candidates show up. Most of those groups will also make endorsements that night. There's another City Council Candidates night Thursday, Sept. 12, 7pm to 9pm in the new Police Community room. It's sponsored by the "Neighborhood Organization," but I can't find any real organization or names connected with it. DARK PLEASURES. My film notes got all messed up and I never mentioned that Mostly Martha is well worth seeing. So is Jennifer Aniston in The Good Girl. Gwyneth Paltrow is great in Possession, but the film isn't all that good, and besides that it should be at the Del Mar, not the Riverfront. It's too intelligent for the Riverfront. Never mind about Feardotcom--it's a foreign film, too, but it shouldn't be on any screens ever anyplace. Clint Eastwood's Blood Work isn't even up to his lowest standards. Chateau, which is about two Americans who inherit a chateau, lacks heart or plot or something, as did the aforementioned Possession, but never mind about either of them. I read the book, heard the six-hour audio book and saw the documentary The Kid Stays in the Picture, and came to the conclusion that Robert Evans is really disgusting. About all you could possibly get from this film is why you should never get into show business. Just the possibility of ever meeting Robert Evans should be enough to frighten anyone with any sense. TONIGHT'S THE NIGHT. There's probably enough room to squeeze into the John Laird benefit for Mark Leno tonight from 5:30pm to 7:30pm at John's house, which is at 1214 King St. in Santa Cruz. Mark's running for California State Assembly and will be one of the first openly gay men in the Assembly when elected. Call 786.0895 just to make sure it's not sold out. PLEASE SEE THESE FILMS. Elling is the Norwegian comedy that was the Academy Award nominee. It's King of Hearts and the best of screwball humor all in one. It'll only be at the Nick for a day or two. If you still haven't seen Rivers and Tides, please do so. Morton Marcus says the film is as much about nature as art, and he's right. After you see the fences Goldsworthy supervises in this film, try to see any of the fences that the Tongans are still making on Maui, they're more interesting. Once again we have the opportunity to see The Wizard Of Oz this Saturday and Sunday at the family matinees at the Del Mar. This is the newly restored version and you'll see and love it much more than the blurry video version. I was surprised that Joseph Campbell never paid more attention to this early mythic golden grail adventure, but what did he know? GATHERING OF VOICES AND WRITERS. The Museum of Art and History is hosting a big gathering of many of the writers who worked on the new book A Gathering of Voices. This book is a collection of writings on the native peoples of California's Central Coast, and it's the last word on the Ohlone, Salinan, Esselen and Yokuts peoples from around here. Writers such as Sandy Lydon, Geoffrey Dunn, editor Linda Yamane, Gary Breschini, Patrick Orozco and William Shipley will all be there to sign and talk about this excellent publication. What amazed me upon reading this book is that we have records showing folks living in Scotts Valley 12,000 years ago. And we also need to remember that California Indians are very much still here. The stories of the one remaining member of a particular tribe or another vanishing Indian language doesn't mean that there aren't many active local indigenous groups here in the Monterey Bay Area. ERRATA & EFFLUVIUM. Fred Brick used to live in Oxnard, and he sez that it's named after the Oxnard brothers, and not after what I said. The present sock shop on Pacific is opening another sock shop where Jerry's Sport Shop used to be at Cathcart and Pacific. It's no rumor that DeCinzo returns to these pages next week, just in time for Sept. 11. Yes, it's true that you can see Britney Spears and about 100 other stars without makeup at www.deansplanet.com/nonmakeup.html, but I mean who'd want to? On the other hand, it is startling! Try microwaving corn on the cob after washing and wetting it complete with tassels and husks and all for somewhere between 3 and 5 minutes--it is perfect. KAZU NEWS. Mike Eckstrom and Mary Wilson have remained active in their pursuit of righting the wrong that CSUMB allowed to happen to KAZU. Now they've started a website to keep everybody up to date on what's going on. Go to www.kazucommunity.org and you'll see who to write to, who said what and how things stand in general. YOUR BIG BREAK. Jason Jakaitis is casting for parts in a short film titled Frankie Lowfat & The Birth of a Vegan Mafia. They're looking for three parts--one is a Frankie, who's 225 pounds, over six feet and looks Italian. It'll be a simple two-day shoot later this month, call Jen Toner 427.2296. The film company is called Sour Patch Tragedy, and this is serious. Bruce critiques films every other Thursday on KUSP-FM (88.9). Reach Bruce at [email protected]. [ Santa Cruz Week | Metroactive Central | Archives ]