In no time at all, my shy father realized that part of becoming a successful actor entailed creating and maintaining a high and glamorous profile. So, Dad became a player. . and there were no other places in Hollywood, with higher profiles for actors, than The Brown Derby on Vine St., Musso & Frank on Hollywood Bl. and the infamous Schwabs' Pharmacy, located on Sunset Blvd. near Crescent Heights. These were the happening places, close to studios. These were the places to do deals and be seen. My father, at any given time of day, could be found hobnobbing at these landmarks with his cronies. It was also where he started his drinking habit.
His favorite and least expensive haunt was Schwab's, as that was where one could really get discovered, it seemed, if the Lana Turner story was true. Schwab's sold medicines and had a counter serving ice cream dishes and light meals. The drugstore’s pharmacy, in the back, was where my blond bombshell of a mother, Paula Servetti, happened to work. She was very close with Jack Schwab, who hired her and took her under his wing, like a father. He babied her and bought her various necessities, clothes, and even a set of tires for her car, which were very hard to get in those days. One afternoon, she decided to sit at the lunch counter, instead of brown bagging it, which she usually did, for lack of finances. When my father spotted her, it was pretty much, all over for him. He wooed her, wrapped her up and ended his playboy days. Though Dad said she was "hard to get," they fell madly in love and in a very short time decided to elope. It seemed the most prudent thing to do, since the Goetten-Marlowe family did not approve of my mother, she being an Italian and from the poor side of town. A German woman of wealth was what they wanted for their son ~ of which my mother was neither.
Needless to say, that my when my father’s family, learned of the union, they became enraged beyond discription. Young and undaunted by the lack of their blessings, my stunning parents settled into the razzle-dazzle of Hollywood life. They were quite the couple about town. Dad was getting quite few acting parts and things were looking very good, indeed. After a few years of play, Mom gave birth to my sister Geraldine Naning, in February of 1944. My parent’s high times, however, came to a screeching halt when Uncle Sam pointed his crooked finger to my father and said, "We Want You!" Dad, an extreme pacifist, felt shaken to his core by the mere thought of entering the army. Having no recourse, he came to terms with the situation. He said that, "If I must kill the "Japs" for our country, then I surely will." In 1945 he entered the army and became a sergeant.
However, simultaneously, there was a monster loose in his beloved country of Germany, by the name of Adolf Hitler. Surely, they would not station him there! Fighting against his fellow men was unthinkable to him. My father's family stood firmly behind Hitler politically, in that they felt Hitler was a brilliant man, who was only building a stronger Germany, by restructuring the economy and expanding the territory. Like most every other German American, they were in denial of the atrocities that underlined the "Reich's" evil and maligning movement.
Though my father never went over seas, the effects of the war left him a despondent man.His spirit sunk even further when he returned home. He found that his movie career was shot. Fickle, Hollywood had passed him by. Now what was he going to do? Feeling deceived and downtrodden, he started drinking heavily and subsequently, wouldn’t or couldn't keep a job for very long. Being of an artistic and sensitive nature, he wasn't adept at bringing home a weekly paycheck from a boring job. He felt it was beneath him.
Thanx for serving to remind me about a day which I shall never forget, it seems--I sat at Schwabs counter in Summer of '67 one day when I was a little a run, run, run runaway from home, teenage runaway. I'm glad I did, it was surreal. The energy there was strong. Although, everywhere else in Hollywood in the mid-60's was shakin' and a quakin' everyday too, especially that Summer, that spot had to be at least a 7-pointer on the Richter. One had a sense of it there. As I recall, I was having a conversation with a customer about who I actually looked like the most. He said, I did not look as much like the "Shrimp", with reference to a magazine rack next to the counter/soda fountain, bearing a print of Jean Shrimpton on one of the magazine covers, that must have started it off, but rather more like Marianne, (the waif look). I didn't remember that Laurel Canyon intersects Sunset right there!/huh...interesting 2 no. (b sure and fix yer "oops" in the 3rd paragraph!) ha!(sorry).
You are right there. I always called upper Crescent Heights, Laurel. When in fact, it wasn't as for the "OOPS". . . that is how my father and others talked back then.
It was dark and rainy in Los Angeles on December 21, 1947, the day that I was born.Dr. Jones, in a festive spirit exclaimed, "Her skin is the fairest I've ever seen! You should name her Mary." My mother pondered upon his suggestion until my father arrived. She was still drowsy from the delivery, but managed to prop herself up in bed.
"Her hair is sure red." My dad said.
"What do you think about the name of Mary?" Mom asked.
"Since, when?"
Upon hearing about the doctor's sentiments and with due respect, my father replied, "No, we'll name her Paula, just like we planned." And, so it was . . . Paula Louise Ann Goetten.
I was born into a family, of Italians and Austrians. My parents were both first generation Americans. My father's family had immigrated from Vienna, Austria and settled in St. Cloud, Minnesota, in 1904. Hedwig Himsel, my paternal grandmother, spent her youth in the 200 room, Castle von Altendorf, her ancestral home until she married my grandfather, Peter Goetten.Being young and adventurous, they decided to move to the United States, where my grandfather opened a meat market business on St. Cloud's Fifth Ave. near First Street. Later, with their five children, they moved out west to Hollywood ~ where they became steeped in the film business and adopted the show biz name of Marlowe.
The move was mainly to accommodate their eldest daughter's acting career, which was far surpassing the meat market in dividends. Born, Gisela Valeria, my aunt took the name of June Marlowe. She was lovely and kind young lady. A director spotted her in 1923, and she made her first on screen appearances that year. The director cast her in some short films to see how she would photograph. In no time at all she began landing large parts at Warner Brothers and Universal Studio's. She was most famous for her role of "Miss Crabtree," the charming schoolteacher, in the Our Gang and Little Rascals series. However before that, she appeared in the original Rin Tin Tin movies and also appeared in many silent films, working with actors such as the renown John Barrymore, the greats, Stan Laurel and Oliver Hardy and many others.
The second oldest daughter, Ilona, became very wealthy. Her husband Ross Cortesse, an innovative real estate developer came into his own. He first built the Rossmore Tract Homes, during the war and later, the famous, "Leisure World" retirement city, in Laguna Beach. The next oldest child, Uncle Armor, was prop man for such TV Highlights as, The Beverly Hillbillies, Barnaby Jones and The Loretta Young Show. Louis, was a director from 1935 to 1971 with Warner Bros. and Metro-Goldwyn Mayer. The youngest child, was my father, the handsome and gentle, Gerald Peter. Stellar in academics, he graduated from UCLA with honors. While seriously considering the Jesuit priesthood, he stumbled into a contract with Universal Studio's as an actor. He was also to become his family’s black sheep.
Thanks, Witchie Poo: Interesting, is not the word, more like difficult to contend with. Anyone born to a black sheep, carries the sting for their entire life. Sort of "Sins of the Father."
Well it really only matters if you give 2 shits what people think. Otherwise the black sheep turns out to be the most colorful. Some families are boring, & some families you will have trouble picking out just which one is the black sheep.
That was an interesting read mummsy. When shall we all go back and retire to the castle? I had no idea my Middle name Ann was also yours. I always thought it was simply Louise! Two things, one being that I wish the family never migrated and I was born in europe and second thing being I wish you would post some more! I am really interested in all the family history stuff! Bravo for another very interesting and beautifully written tidbit! Love ya!
I know, I have all sorts of things that you kids don't know. Maybe when I'm old (don't say it) we can all sit around a campfire on the coast and pass the pipe and tell tales of days of yore. And my dear, this is crazy, as, I thought you knew. My first name is Paula Louise,(after Nana and Uncle Louie.) Ann is my middle name after Aunti Annie. And if that is not bad enough, Antoinette was my confirmation name. And my grandmother Hedwig, who died when I was very young but I have a photo of me sitting on her lap with Aunt Geri and my cousin Lisa. My cousin, Hedy, (now Heidi.) was named after, Grandmother Hedwid, who lived in the castle. Whew! P.S. Had they not immigrated, and Austria/Germany relationship etc, and being Catholic and Hitler and the wars, who knows . . . So consider yourself fortunate.
Oh yah, Hitler. Hmmmm. I forgot about him. Maybe I should stop saying I wish my family never migrated. That is my answer to health care, a time machine. I suppose we may not have been here at all had they not came to America.
EASY TO BE HARD
Often, there was the question of how, when or where. What matters most is why...
They say there is but five degrees of separation between all of us.
This is my story and observations about growing up under the infamous Hollywood Sign, in the 50's 60' and 70's. This is also a story of my entering the fast lane, and finding that if I wanted to survive, I had to get off it, but... it wasn't that easy.
artistic 
