Claire Nixon: The Kate Hepburn of Traverse City

Though Claire Nixon could dress up when the occasion decreed, she was at home in summer or winter ski wear. Photo: Elizabeth Conley.

Aug. 23 marks the 5^th year of the passing of Claire Nixon, a great Traverse City character. Whenever I think of that cyclone of energy that was Claire, everything from church to cooking to skiing to socializing comes to mind. No matter what the activity, Claire always went full tilt.

Claire was proud of her French blood
and loved her red wine!

When I first met Claire, I was 30 and she was 65. I moved to beautiful Boughey Hill in Traverse City, MI the summer of 1989 with my partner, Jigger. We were the few young people who lived up there. Up by the Traverse City Golf and Country Club, the neighborhood swiftly grew in the post-war era, but now most of the neighbors were retirees. We lived across the street from Claire and Don Nixon. I joked that having the Nixon family as neighbors was like living On Golden Pond. Claire instantly reminded me of feisty Katharine Hepburn and Don was the quiet, sometimes grumpy Henry Fonda character. Claire was always on the go—to church, the supermarket, wherever—in her pale green station wagon. Don was always puttering in the garage or yard. Claire ruled the house and Don the garage and yard. When whirlwind Claire overstepped her boundaries, neatnik Don would give her an earful, and vice versa! I became very fond of both of them, and when Jigger suddenly died at age 46, Claire and Don were supportive neighbors.

Me with my favorite photo of Claire & Don.

When I made the Katharine Hepburn comparison to Claire, she was flattered. Claire said Kate was her favorite actress and role model as a college student at Marygrove in Detroit. Like Kate, Claire came from an educated family, who also were forward-thinking. Claire graduated in ’46, with a degree in social work, though once married Don, she primarily raised their family and became involved in church and local activities. I once loaned Claire an excellent Hepburn biography. Claire liked the bio so much, that she refused to give it back!

Life next door to Claire & Don was like this!

While Hepburn was fair-skinned, freckled, and auburn-haired, Claire was of French descent on both sides, with dark hair, eyes, and skin that was perpetually tanned. As Claire grew older, like Kate, she let herself age naturally and was aided with strong features that mellowed with time. Funny thing, though Claire had many fine lines from years in the sun, I never thought she looked old. Claire was so energetic, that she seemed eternally youthful to me.

As with Hepburn, who sported a lifetime of slacks, turtlenecks, and clogs, Claire Nixon was most comfortable in her casual uniforms: swimsuits, sandals, shorts, tee shirts in the summer, and turtlenecks and snow pants in the winter. I always think of Claire as a summer person and can’t even remember what kind of indoor pants she wore during winter—just ski pants. Kate and Claire shared the same thrift and more than a few folks who met Hepburn were surprised that her famous style included threads that were frayed or torn. Claire and I both shared the same favorite color, aqua blue. I once complimented Claire on a polo shirt that color that I hadn’t seen her wear before. It was fashionably frayed by today’s standards, but still looked nice, and set off her tan and silver hair. “You like it?” Claire said with a twinkle in her eye. “I bought it when I was pregnant with Nick.” Nick was my age and I was then over 50! 

A gift from Claire's kids to commemorate one of her later birthdays.

Claire wasn't quite as competitive as Kate!

As a mid-century business man’s wife, Claire had nice clothes from at least three different decades—and still trotted them out on occasion. When I hosted “swanky” cocktail parties, Claire never lacked for anything to wear, whether it was fur coat or a ‘60s cocktail dress. Once, when meeting her son’s girl friend, who was wearing leather pants, Claire ran out of the room and came back decked in her leather bell bottoms from the ’70s.

Unlike Katharine Hepburn, who preferred her privacy, Claire never met a stranger. Anyone who met Claire just once knew that she was a talker. She loved an audience, but was genuinely curious about people. Claire was always the life of my parties, wowing guests who were four or five decades younger. I recall one party we attended together, where a guest offered belly dance demonstrations. Need I tell you that Claire was one of the first to get up and gyrate?

Once, at a neighborhood gathering, where Claire was carrying on, a longtime friend and neighbor leaned over to me and said, “Claire always was a ham!” I immediately thought of a Hepburn quote that Kate attributed to her father: “Kathy’s the bride at every wedding and the corpse at every funeral!”

W/Claire at 'Come as your favorite decade' party.
I'm an urbane cowboy! Photo/E. Conley

Claire and her family were athletic—downhill skiing in the winter, waterskiing and swimming in the summer. I always have a mental picture of Claire cooking in the winter, wearing her turtlenecks and ski pants. When Claire was a young housewife, she did her ironing and house cleaning at night, so that she could play outside during the day. And Claire got up on skis, both in the snow and water, until she was into her 80s.

Like Hepburn, Claire was known to bat a tennis ball around. A few times, we went over to the courts at the local junior high school to practice. Even so, Claire was competitive, as always. Before we even began, Claire announced that I had to spot her extra serves “because I’m old!”

Claire & Don Nixon, starting their family.

Claire’s perfectionism was at times directed at those around her. My weight could yo-yo and one time, it creeping up again. When I stopped over at Claire’s, she offered me coffee and some of her homemade pie. As she served it up, Claire leaned over and said in a stage whisper, “You’re gaining weight!” She couldn’t help herself, but I teasingly offered to spit it out. She responded by smacking me on the arm and forbidding me not to waste her pie.

Claire and me at a summer party. Photo/E. Conley.

It was typical to see Claire’s sea green station wagon at Tom’s Super Market down the hill, where she was always on the prowl for bargains. Once, I noticed she was parked at the front of the store’s drive up, motor running—but no Claire. When I walked in, there was Claire, gabbing at someone, drinking Tom’s complimentary coffee. I said hi, and after a couple of minutes of Claire holding forth, I asked if she’d like me to park her car, as she was in a no parking zone. Claire just smiled and said, “Oh, they all know whose car it is!”

Some of Claire’s antics and attitudes make me think of this famous Katharine Hepburn quote: “If you obey all the rules, you miss all the fun!”

Like 'On Golden Pond,' Claire's family celebrated a lot of occasions by the water,
in the Nixon clan's case, it was at lovely Cedar Lake outside Traverse City.

Someday, I want to write more in-depth about my favorite neighbor because, to borrow from Reader’s Digest, Claire Nixon was one of the most unforgettable characters I’ve ever met. The above are just snap shots that come to mind. I think of Claire endlessly cooking, running off to pray or volunteer at Saint Francis Church, packing the station wagon for a day at the slopes or lake. I often think of Claire’s good humor and positive attitude. And despite cancer ultimately taking Claire, she lived long enough to celebrate not only her 89^th birthday with TWO parties, but her 90^th birthday, as well—with another party.

Claire made the “90” club, like her idol Kate Hepburn, who lived to be 96. Like my cocktail parties, not only was Claire the life of the party, but always one of the last to go. Cheers to you, Claire Nixon!

'Mama' Claire with one of her several farewell birthday cakes!

‘A Summer Place’ Still Steamy & Silly 1959

"You can't ever let him think your kisses come cheap!" Troy Donahue & Sandra Dee... *Batteries not included!

A Summer Place was a smash in 1959, due in equal doses of Percy Faith’s pop take on Max Steiner’s music, dream team Sandra Dee and Troy Donahue, and the titillating teen sex story line.

Triple threat director, producer, and screenwriter Delmer Daves moved from western flicks to glossy soaps starting with A Summer Place. This daring melodrama was also his most successful.

The cast of 'A Summer Place,' with appropriate facial expressions: Dee & Donahue as the teen lovers;
Richard Egan & Constance Ford as the Jorgensons; and Arthur Kennedy & Dorothy McGuire as the Hunters.

Adapted from the novel by Sloan Wilson (The Man in the Gray Flannel), the Warner Brothers’ film version of A Summer Place was obviously inspired by 20^th Century Fox’s recent racy novel-to-movie hit, Peyton Place. Like that ’57 sexy soap, there’s the nostalgic New England setting, glossy production values, heart-tugging score, plus a cast comprised of fresh young stars and familiar favorites. And after salivating over the sizzling stuff, audiences get a reassuring moral message by the veteran male star at the finale.

Molly Jorgenson: “Remember that family that lived next door to us back home?”

Ken Jorgenson: “Yeah.”

Molly Jorgenson: “Their son used to look at me.”

Ken Jorgenson: “Without you knowing it?”

Molly Jorgenson: “Well, his bedroom was right across from mine and... one night, I felt naughty and went right on undressing so he could see. Then all of a sudden I... I got terribly ashamed and I ran and pulled the curtains down. I'll never forget... I had hot and cold flashes all over me afterwards. Wasn't that awful?”

Despite the 2 hour and 10 minute running time, A Summer Place squeezes a lifetime into one year. (The novel takes place over 20 years.) The story starts with a splash as lush Bart Hunter (Arthur Kennedy) sets up the stakes in his snide way. Former love rival for his wife, Ken Jorgenson (Richard Egan), is bringing his family back, years later, for a summer visit. They plan to reside at the Hunter family estate, now run as the Pine Island Inn. Bart wants to say no, but wife Sylvia (Dorothy McGuire) protests that they are buried in debt and need to take in these summer guests. Kennedy’s pompous response: “Just because we’re broke doesn’t mean we have to lose our dignity!” Let’s just say more than dignity is lost in A Summer Place.

Charming host Bart Hunter to his guests: “Do you and your husband often swim in the raw, Mrs. Jorgenson?”

Whatever possessed Ken, who went from island summer help to successful chemist, to marry Helen (Constance Ford) is never explained. (In the novel, she’s the daughter of his business partner). Helen is a frigid, pious, pretentious, overbearing, and humorless shrew. In the first scene, she tries to control her family by dressing Ken up like Gilligan’s Island’s Thurston Howell III in a yachting get up, and daughter Molly (Sandra Dee) like Shirley Temple in a sailor dress. Not only that, Helen wants Molly to wear an iron clad bra and girdle that would be more suitable for the ample mama.

Molly Jorgenson: [to Ken] “She says I bounce when I walk. Do I?” 

Helen Jorgenson: "When we arrive at the inn, I want her to look completely modest."

Molly: "She means like a boy. Flat as a pancake!"

There’s a voyeuristic tone to the whole movie. First, the locals are checking out the Jorgenson family as they arrive on their yacht. Then Dee’s Molly and Johnny Hunter (Troy Donahue) are scoping each other out through binoculars. At the end of day one, the smitten teens peer through their bedroom windows at one another good night. Their respective parents, Ken and Sylvia, once teen lovers, are also wistfully doing the same. The handyman is hired to spy on them by suspicious Helen. Once Molly and Johnny fall madly in love, everyone is spying on the teens. Most of all, audiences were eating this all up, along with their popcorn!

“You have to play a man like a fish.” No problem here!

A Summer Place made a star of Troy Donahue. The teen idol possessed striking blue eyes, set off with a mane of blonde hair, with the soft jaw line of George Peppard. Apparently, Donahue wanted to be an actor since he was a kid, with the family background in showbiz. Sadly, it doesn’t show. Donahue is so wooden, there’s absolutely no conviction to his line readings, and in his big scenes, the camera cuts away, and comes back to him in tears. Troy’s voice sounds like a disembodied Tony Curtis—when Tony was trying to sound like he wasn’t from the Bronx! It also doesn’t help credibility that 6’ 3” Donahue towers over the rest of the cast, who treat Troy like a troubled boy, even though he was 23.

Bart Hunter: “Oh, Johnny, stop being a silly sentimentalist. It's stupid! Molly is merely
 a succulent little wench!” Johnny: "She's not a wench! She's everything I've ever dreamed of in a girl."

Sandra Dee on the other hand, has her moments, but whether by her choice or the studio’s, falls back on her perky persona that borders on hyperactive. This was a major debit in the same year’s Imitation of Life; depending on your taste, it’s either endearing or unendurable. I am of the latter camp. Still, Sandra shines in comparison to dull Donahue. They make a pretty, white bread screen team.

Helen (about daughter Molly): “I don't want her stared at.” 

Ken: "So you insist on de-sexing her, as though sex was synonymous with dirt."

The veteran actors save the day in A Summer Place. While Richard Egan’s dialogue is often speechy—though Ken’s papa actually preaches in defense of the teens—he plays it as straight as possible. Some of Ken’s most high-minded speeches sound just like Lloyd Nolan’s Doc Swain in Peyton Place. Physically, Egan’s rugged masculine looks are a pleasing contrast to the elegant Dorothy McGuire. As Sylvia, the long-suffering wife of Bart, McGuire comes off with the most dignity intact. That’s because her dialogue doesn’t contain as many clinkers as the script as a whole contains.

Richard Egan and Dorothy McGuire as the sane parents...they only committed adultery!

However, it’s the two dysfunctional parents who have the most delicious dialogue. Arthur Kennedy, at this point in his career, was adept at playing slime balls, such as Peyton Place and Some Came Running. As Bart, he is never without a drink or dirty quip as the drunken father of Johnny and spouse of Sylvia. Some of the lines are so sleazy, that I wonder how they ever slid the censors. Kennedy is nearly a comic villain, and he has a field day.

Constance Ford as Helen: “No decent girl lets a boy kiss and maul her the very first night they meet! I suppose it's your Swedish blood in her. I've read about how the Swedes bathe together and... and have trial marriages… and free love. I've read all about that. Anything goes.”

The real scene stealer is character actress Constance Ford, as Molly’s monstrous mother and Ken’s witch of a wife. Later, Ford was a favorite on daytime TV for 25 years as Ada, the no- nonsense mother of willful Rachel, on NBC’s Another World. Here, as Helen, she is a bulldozer, burying her husband and daughter alive. With her dour face, dumpy figure, and a whiny voice that rises to caterwauling, she’s like Shelley Winters long-lost sister—but without the humor! Ford makes the most of her moments and over the top dialogue.

The infamous "Look at me, I'm Sandra Dee, got knocked over with the Christmas tree!" 

Constance Ford's sister in cinema Shelley Winters serves up some Mama slaps in "A Patch of Blue!"

Divine ain't gonna go down like Sandra Dee and the Xmas tree!

A Summer Place’s Delmer Daves deserves much credit for not bending to censorship in trying to tell a positive story about teenage love and sex. Though there are consequences, neither Dee nor Donahue’s characters must “suffer” for their sins. No convenient miscarriages. No running away. No car crashes. Audiences can appreciate that message while wallowing in the glossy suds—enjoy!

Molly Jorgenson: “Are you bad, Johnny? Have you been bad with girls?”

Film footnote: Though the Hunters’ home turned inn and Ken and Sylvia’s later modern home are set on the New England coast, the Pine Island Inn exteriors were filmed at an actual home in Pacific Grove and the latter day Frank Lloyd Wright house is in Carmel, both in California.

"Pine Island Inn" house was actually in Pacific Grove, CA.

The Frank Lloyd Wright House is actually in Carmel, CA.

Elvis Presley: Still ‘Loving You’ 1957

Elvis Presley was 22 when he made 'Loving You' in 1957. 20 years later, he was gone.

At age 42, Elvis Presley died Aug. 16, 1977. I remember that day vividly. I was almost 18, babysitting my cousins that day, and it was all over the news—back then, that meant radio and TV. When my aunt came home from work, she quietly and immediately started playing her Elvis albums. Back home, I remember watching the evening news, and how shocked we were, despite the fact that Elvis hadn’t looked well the last few years. Mom was also a huge fan, and she had a DA haircut in high school. When Mom watched the Aloha from Hawaii TV special, her ‘70s kids thought his rhinestone jumpsuits were totally uncool. We’d laugh and roll our eyes when the afternoon movies played his “drive-in” flicks.

Still, when our local station ran some of his early movies, we had to admit the songs from Jailhouse Rock and King Creole, that made Elvis the King of Rock, were still pretty rockin’. When Elvis died, CBS bought the broadcasting rights to 1957’s Loving You. With our bowls of popcorn, my mom, sister, and I watched our first Elvis movie in the evening! Ah, TV’s olden, golden days, with only CBS, ABC, NBC, and PBS to entertain us.

Nearly all of Elvis Presley's pre-Army pictures were his biggest hits.

Loving You is a musical fairy tale, though based on a magazine story, is a riff on Elvis Presley’s own rags to riches story. It may not be the most sophisticated movie, but it’s surprisingly sweet and good-natured, like the star himself. Loving You was Elvis Presley’s second movie, and though he has lots of rough edges, Elvis is filled with innocence, energy, and a joy of performing.

Lizabeth Scott's PR pro gives Elvis' Deke a makeover.

Elvis Presley is introduced as Deke Rivers, a delivery guy dropping off beer at a governor’s campaign rally that PR rep Glenda Markle (Lizabeth Scott) is spinning. The next thing you know, Deke/Elvis is up onstage! Deke is persuaded to just jump up onstage in his work denim and black boots, and wow everybody with the rockabilly “Got a Lot O’ Livin’ to Do.” Naturally, the young people go wild, while the older folks look bewildered, at best.

Elvis delivers more than beer when he's pulled onstage to sing "Let's Have a Party!"

Glenda sees dollar signs, and offers Deke a job with ‘Tex’ Warner (Wendell Corey) and his Rough Ridin’ Ramblers, but he’s reluctant to give up his steady job. Glenda gets him canned on the sly, so that he will show up the next morning to join them. At warp speed, Deke goes from “called up” on stage from the audience, to joining the group, to becoming the big draw. Ordinarily, this would be a farfetched, except Elvis’ own rise to fame was a rocket ride, too.

One fun moment in the montage of Deke hitting all the Texas cow towns is singing “Hot Dog” at a gig in Towanda, which always makes me think of Kathy Bates’ rallying cry in Fried Green Tomatoes. 

Elvis/Deke performing 'Hot Dog!'

Imagine 'Fried Green Tomatoes' Kathy Bates as Elvis' biggest fan!

I always thought it was hilarious that Elvis got dared to sing in many of his early movies. Loving You had the best version of Elvis “taking requests.” Presley’s Deke is sitting in a restaurant, trying to eat his BBQ ribs, when a local “fast girl” goes gaga over seeing heartthrob Rivers in the flesh. Her jealous boyfriend, Wayne, tries to goad Deke to sing. After some trash talk, Deke agrees to Wayne’s strong-arming. FYI, Kenneth Becker played a similar stooge in three other Elvis movies. In a memorable battle of wits, Wayne taunts, “Well, sing, Sideburns!” “Alright, I’ll sing,” Deke mumbles. He goes to the jukebox and picks a song. Luckily, it’s one Deke knows: “Mean Woman Blues.” Even luckier, The Jordanaires are singing back up! In a matter of seconds Deke/Elvis has the place hopping, with his crazy rockabilly singing and sexy moves, which includes not just hip swiveling, but holding his wrists limp (a move Cher later stole) and dragging a leg across the floor like it fell asleep. Kidding aside, Elvis ROCKS! Even in a lip-synched movie musical number, Presley’s energy is electric. After wowing the crowd, Deke asks Wayne what he can do, which leads to a surprisingly rough and tumble movie fight.

Once again, Elvis is goaded to sing!

Luckily, the jukebox has just the right number for Elvis to rock along with!

Deke is basically good-natured, unless someone pries into his background. When Tex teases the young singer that he’s getting so successful that he’ll need to change his name to Tab or Rock—as if Deke isn’t distinctive enough!—he gets irate. About halfway through Loving You, Deke reveals his origins to Glenda. As Jimmy Tompkins, he ran away from an orphanage the night it burned down. He hid in a cemetery, where Jimmy saw a tombstone with an inscription that inspired him, one that belonged to Deke Rivers. At age 11, Jimmy became “Deke Rivers.”

Glenda offers Deke an exclusive contract, which he gladly signs. Tex later finds out her cut is 50 percent, which raised my eyebrows, as it was rumored that Elvis’ infamous Colonel Parker got a similar exorbitant take. In fact, many of Glenda’s PR shenanigans are worthy of the wily Parker.

Elvis/Deke & Lizabeth Scott's Glenda form a mutual admiration society, to the chagrin of her ex, Tex (Wendell Corey)!

Amusingly, Markle refers to Deke’s unhinged fans as “lovely little creatures,” echoing Lady Gaga’s much later dubbing her fans “little monsters.” Glenda comment that it’s hard to believe the screaming girls will be grandmothers someday, made me think of my mom and aunt. One scene that gave me a smile was Elvis reading a Bible in his hotel room. Imagine a pop star today passing the time that way!

The movie mirrors and editorializes on Deke’s scandalous reputation to Elvis’ own image at the time. One town refuses to let Deke perform, which gives Glenda the opportunity for her biggest PR boost yet: a national hook up with locals and Deke’s crew to promote freedom of speech and defend him against the older generation. Deke bolts when he can’t handle all the attention and is further agitated to find out that Glenda and Tex were once married and divorced. Glenda tracks him down, comes clean, and convinces Deke to go back, for his own sake. Just in a nick of time, Deke River performs, is redeemed in the eyes of the public, and the back stage drama is swiftly resolved.

Stars of 'Loving You': Wendell Corey, Elvis Presley, Dolores Hart, and Lizabeth Scott.

While Loving You was Elvis’ second movie, this was essentially Lizabeth Scott’s final film, and Wendell Corey’s last starring role. Also, just five years after her film debut, Dolores Hart gave up movies, and began her journey as a nun. Ironically, Elvis Presley’s last movie was 1970’s Change of Habit, where his co-star is Mary Tyler Moore, as a nun!

Lizabeth Scott as Glenda Markle, in a rare departure from film noir.

Loving You was made at Paramount by producer Hal Wallis, who made stars of Lizabeth Scott and Wendell Corey, and would make a movie star out of Elvis. Scott plays Glenda Markle, a sharpie press agent who’s a little too good at her job. Scott looks timeless in her tailored, stylish Edith Head wardrobe. Also, Scott’s husky voice and sharp delivery makes the dialogue seem snappier than it really is. I noticed that, despite their totally different images, Lizabeth’s voice—not just the huskiness, but her enunciation—is almost identical to June Allyson’s. As for her performance, Scott finds a convincing balance in her character’s questionable ethics, but retaining some redeeming and empathetic qualities.

Wendell Corey's Tex finds out Scott's Glenda has already signed Deke/Elvis.
Can I tell you how much I love Elvis' shirt and jacket combo here?!

Wendell Corey, as Walter ‘Tex’ Warner, is the leader of the country band that Scott’s press agent is strenuously trying to spin to stardom. Corey has a way with a laconic, wry line. This was Scott’s and Corey’s third time together as a team, and they have a realistic rapport that grounds the movie. By this point in their careers, I’m sure Scott and Corey knew that 22-year-old Elvis was the show, but they have their moments and seem to be enjoying themselves.

Aside from Elvis co-star, Dolores Hart was a huge hit in 'Where The Boys Are!'

As kids, we loved the fact that Dolores Hart, a two-time Elvis co-star, later became a nun. My Mom joked that she had to, after working with Elvis! Seriously, Dolores is genuinely fresh-faced and sweet in her first film, looking a bit like a girl-next-door version of Grace Kelly.

Elvis Presley and Lizabeth Scott are all smiles here in 'Loving You.'

As for Elvis Presley, imagine with training and encouragement, what Elvis might have accomplished as an actor? As Deke, Elvis is wobbly in some of the more dramatic moments, but he’s not bad at all in the graveyard scene, confessing to Glenda his true identity. In the rest of Loving You, Elvis’ natural sweetness and sense of humor come through, and need I say that Presley had charisma to spare? If Presley had pushed back against being assigned all the later glorified “B” movies, Elvis could have been one of the great movie star personalities of the ‘60s, I think.

Elvis Presley looks and sounds great in his second film, here performing 'Teddy Bear.'

Elvis Presley’s numbers in Loving You are all simply staged, but all that’s needed is Elvis’ energy, enthusiasm, and magnificent voice. “Lonesome Cowboy” is the most dramatically put on, with Presley all duded up, singing in a solo spotlight. Two of Elvis’ classics are performed: “Teddy Bear” and “Loving You.” The latter is one of my favorite Elvis songs, not just for its simple but beautiful song, but Elvis’ sincere and subtle vocals. The rockabilly songs are a real blast: “Got a Lot O’ Livin’ To Do,” “Let’s Have a Party,” “Mean Woman Blues,” and “Hot Dog.” Presley’s playfulness and 22-year-old high energy is something to see!

Loving You is a legacy as to why fans will always remember Elvis.

Elvis Presley stops peddling a moment to share a hug with Lizabeth Scott.

FYI: I put all the movie overflow on my public FB  movie page. 

Check it out & join!  https://www.facebook.com/groups/178488909366865/