Back in London from sunny Liguria, I went to a ‘Movie Memorabilia Bazaar’ at The Cinema Museum in Lambeth. I cannot recommend enough to visit such museum.
Based in a Victorian workhouse where a young Charlie Chaplin lived for a while, it contains an impressive collection of vintage posters and artwork, projectors, usher and usherette uniforms and so much more, all rescued from the time cinemas were closing down one after another. In order to secure funds to purchase the building that they currently rent, The Cinema Museum organises a wide range of interesting screenings and events.
I went to the Movie Memorabilia Bazaar with no specific idea in mind, as you do, just to enjoy a nice afternoon. While going through the boxes of old cinema magazines, lobby cards and pictures of the stars, I started thinking, ‘What if…’
Rather than to remain in doubt, I did ask a stallholder if, by any chance and well aware that I was looking for a needle in a haystack, he happened to have anything with Rock Hudson and Gina Lollobrigida. ‘I may have a couple’ he replied before disappearing under his stall and going through more boxes.
When he eventually reappeared, he did show me the two items he had. First time lucky I may have been but here they were: Rock and Gina on their Lambretta on the front cover of French magazine Cinémonde, September 1961 for the release of…Come September!
Cinémonde, Sept. 1961
The Cinema Museum may be a 2-hour flight from the Italian Riviera, but unknowingly it had kick-started this project.
The Cinema Museum : www.cinemamuseum.org.uk
Hollywood on the Italian Riviera 