Miscellaneous

Lions & tigers & birds, oh my!

Tippi Hedren on her wild cat preserve, gay appeal and the pros and cons of working for Hitchcock

Published

14 years ago

June 30, 2011

Tippi Hedren, seen here in a 1963 publicity still for ‘The Birds,’ is in Washington this weekend to collect an award for her activism for displaced Vietnamese-Americans. (Photo courtesy of Universal/MCA)

There’s an ironic bit of life imitating art — though it would take years to come to fruition — anticipated in “Marnie.”

In an early scene of the Alfred Hitchcock classic that stars Tippi Hedren as a frigid kleptomaniac scared of red and storms, Marnie (Hedren) asks Mark (Sean Connery) about a photo in his office of a large cat. It’s Sophie, a jaguarundi whom he trained to trust him.

“Is that all?,” Marnie asks.

“Well that’s a great deal — for a jaguarundi,” Mark says.

Even Hedren had no idea at the time the degree to which lions, tigers and other large cats would dominate her life in the coming years. For those who know her only as the last of the Hitchcock blondes or Melanie Griffith’s mother, Hedren is full of surprises.

After Hitchcock — more on him in a bit — Hedren made two movies in Africa in the late ‘60s, “Satan’s Harvest” and “Mr. Kingstreet’s War.” Neither are widely remembered today to the degree that the two she made with Hitchcock (“The Birds” and “Marnie”) are, but “Harvest,” especially, started a chain of events that eventually led to her self-financing a movie (“Roar”) with her then-husband, the late Noel Marshall.

It incited in Hedren a fierce passion for wild cats in captivity in the U.S. Though initially naïve about the dangers of keeping lions in the house — photos in her memoirs show teen daughter Melanie in bed with their first lion, the monstrously large Neil — Hedren has become a safety advocate. After decades of providing refuge for large cats impulsive animal lovers buy then quickly become overwhelmed (or in some cases even killed) by, Hedren is lobbying for a “Federal Ban on Breeding Exotic Cats for Personal Possession Act,” a tougher law than the 2003 “Captive Wildlife Safety Act,” which Hedren co-authored and Congress passed unanimously. Circuses, like Ringling Bros., oppose it.

But that’s not all — Hedren is in Washington this weekend to accept the Vietnamese-American Patron Saint Award from the Boat People SOS, a Falls Church-based organization for Vietnamese-Americans. Turns out — who knew? — in all her free time in the late ‘60s and early ‘70s, Hedren volunteered widely with natural disaster relief organizations after two trips (in ’66 and ’68) to Vietnam.

In 1975, she volunteered at the “Hope Village” facility near Sacramento, which Food for the Hungry had established to aid in the integration of refugees. Hedren became acquainted with a group of Vietnamese women who’d sought refuge in California. They were fascinated by her nails, so Hedren had her manicurist train them and in the coming years a boom in Vietnamise-owned U.S. nail shops ensued. They’ve never forgotten that Hedren got the ball rolling.

“Through her volunteer work, which helped resettle many Vietnamese refugees arriving in America at the end of the Vietnam war, Tippi Hedren may not realize how many lives she has touched and changed,” says Trang-Khanh Tran, director of field operations for the BPSOS. “She has contributed tremendously to the survival and growth of the Vietnamese-American community. Her helping the refugee families set up nail salons blazed the trail for tens of thousands more.” (Tickets may still be available for the BPSOS award dinner, part of its 30-year anniversary gala Saturday at the Capital Hilton in Washington. Visit vasummit2011.org for details.)

Hedren — perhaps more than the other Hitchcock blondes — has also managed to exude a paradoxically strong queer appeal, memorably immortalized by lesbian cultural scholar Camille Paglia in a 1998 essay.

Paglia, hearing Hedren was being honored, leapt at the chance to weigh in.

“I was shocked that in all the scholarly writing on Hitchcock’s movies, there wasn’t one positive thing about Tippi,” she says. “They say she’s wooden, she’s this, she’s that, he wanted Grace Kelly … there was no appreciation for how brilliant she is in (“The Birds”). Gays have always had a special affection for the dismissed. For years, gay men were the only ones who took Carmen Miranda … seriously. Now she’s been rediscovered. Tippi had this tremendous sense of artifice of planning her move for the camera. Gay men, not lesbians, but gay men, have that too, that sense of persona, of composing the self. Tippi is so sophisticated, but also warm. … You just cannot teach what she has.”

Hedren says she became aware of the idolization as soon as “The Birds” became a hit. She knew early on her character, Melanie, with her trademark torn green suit, bloodied face and disheveled hair, had become a popular Halloween costume, especially for gay men in drag. She says she’s always been pleasantly amused by it.

“As soon as it started, people were doing this,” she says. “I think it’s wonderful.”

Now 81, Hedren indulges dozens of questions about all facets of her life during a nearly hour-long phone interview from her home on the Shambala Preserve on the edge of the Mojave Desert in Acton, Calif., about 40 miles outside Los Angeles.

She’s in great health, she says. The only thing that dogs her are “chronic” headaches. Not migraines, but trying nonetheless. She’s the same size she was when Hitchcock signed her in 1961. She modeled one of the Edith Head gowns Hitchcock ordered for her about 10 years ago for People magazine.

“I just like being thin,” she says. “I don’t overeat. I never really had to diet. If I have to lie down on the bed to zip up my jeans, I don’t eat that day. That’s my diet.”

Though her work for Hitchcock is by far her most well remembered, Hedren has continued acting nearly all along. Most recently she’s been on TV as Lily on USA’s “The 4400,” Doris on “Fashion House” and had a 2008 guest spot on “CSI.” “Cousin Sarah,” a thriller with Linda Blair, is slated for a Halloween release. She’s also involved in an upcoming film with Billy Bob Thornton.

She says her film work has been out of necessity. She doesn’t draw a salary for her work at Shambala and says she wouldn’t dream of taking any donated money away from care for Preserve’s current crop of about 60 rescued lions, tigers, leopards, bobcats and more. Two of its latest inhabitants are tigers Michael Jackson formerly had at Neverland, Thriller and Sabu. Keeping Shambala open, Hedren says, costs about $75,000 per month and securing money has become increasingly hard.

“People ask me all the time how I do it and I don’t’ know, I just do,” Hedren says. “We’re just sort of living by the skin of our pants. It’s really, really difficult.” (shambala.org)

Hitchcock saw Hedren, a successful model, on a “Today” show commercial for a diet drink called Sego in the fall of 1961, the year after he made “Psycho.” At the height of his popularity, the director had his agents at MCA track her down and within weeks had signed her to a seven year exclusive contract. This being the “Mad Men” era and Hitchcock being one of the most famous directors in Hollywood, things eventually soured between the two as he became more controlling. After “Marnie” he sabatoged her career by keeping her under contract but refusing to give her work or loan her out. She finally got out with a supporting role in Charlie Chaplin’s last film, “A Countess from Hong Kong” (1967) with Marlon Brando and Sophia Loren.

Hedren, however, has forgiven, if not exactly forgotten. She’s a regular at Hitchcock tributes and eagerly participates in festivals at which “The Birds” is shown. Even during Hitchcock’s lifetime, she paid tribute to him at a star-studded tribute the American Film Institute threw in 1979, the year before he died. Yes, he was responsible for her acting career and starred her in two of his most well-remembered films, but after declining his advances, he worked just as hard to keep her down.

“Early on I just made peace with it and that’s what I literally had to do,” she says. “I think bitterness and hatred and negative feelings can really destroy your life. There was still too much for me to do. I never saw that kind of reaction in my parents and they instilled a really, really good background in me.”

For all the mythic iconography of the archetypical “Hitchcock blonde” over the decades, Hedren only had limited interaction with others in his stable. They never appeared, of course, in any one film. Hedren never met Grace Kelly, who was already married and living as Princess Grace by the time Hedren started making movies. Before Janet Leigh (Marion in “Psycho”) died in 2004, she and Hedren had been photographed together at various Hitchcock events.

Did they get to know each other?

“A little,” Hedren says. “I mean we didn’t become BFFs or anything.”

And what about Kim Novak’s (Madeline in “Vertigo”) noticeable absence at such gatherings? Hedren says Novak always declines.

“She doesn’t come to anything,” Hedren says. “It’s not that she’s not invited. She just never wants to do it.”

Tippi Hedren with two of her tigers, Mona and Zoe, at Shambala near California’s Soledad Canyon. (Photo by Bill Dow; courtesy of Miss Hedren)

For all the unpleasant Hitchcock memories — shooting the final attack scene was notoriously arduous and took, like the shower scene in “Psycho,” a full week to shoot — Hedren has fond memories. Before her scene in which she brings tea to a distressed Jessica Tandy in “The Birds,” Hitchcock told her to play it “kind of bitchy,” Hedren says. At Tandy’s request after watching the dailies, Hitchcock re-shot it so Hedren could play it more compassionately.

“I loved Jessica Tandy,” Hedren says. “All the actors were really wonderful to me on that, absolutely wonderful.”

Hedren says she’d long been a Hitchcock fan and “Spellbound,” “Rebecca” and “The Trouble With Harry” are her favorites aside from her two.

She remembers a story meeting in which the famously ambiguous “Birds” ending was discussed. Her favorite proposal was shots of famous monuments around the world, all covered in birds. Hitchcock historians have said this was too expensive to pull off.

“I think he just liked to leave people wondering what happened to them as they drove off,” Hedren says.

Had things not deteriorated on “Marnie,” Hedren says “Mary Rose,” a ghost story about a woman who disappears for 30 years and comes back with no memory of being gone, would have been their next collaboration.

“He gave me the play to read,” Hedren recalls. “Oh, I loved it. My daughter owned it for awhile. What’s difficult was how do you show a woman as a ghost? How do you do that visually? That became the reason it wasn’t done with or without me. Now, of course, they could do it very easily.”

Some of the thorny Hitchcock/Hedren legend has gotten misconstrued, the actress says. An oft-told story that the director sent Hedren’s daughter Melanie, then a child, a doll of her mother in a coffin, has been wildly exaggerated. Yes, there was a doll and yes, it was sent in a pine box, but it was merely a container in which to ship it. A makeup man on “Marnie” had made the doll and Hedren says she’s sure Hitch had no intent of upsetting the child.

“I’m not sure whatever happened to that doll,” Hedren says.

Though she no longer interacts personally with lions and tigers, she did for years. Both she and Melanie were injured making “Roar” and she admits “our thinking was very different then.”

“There isn’t one good thing about owning an animal like this,” Hedren says. “It’s hideously expensive and hideously dangerous. They’re apex predators at the top of the food chain. Having them around is like having a loaded gun on the coffee table. Would anybody do that? Not in their right mind.”

Hedren says she’s never surprised when she hears of attacks. Even entertainers with long relationships with big cats, like gay former Las Vegas headliner Roy Horn (Sigfried & Roy).

“I can’t tell you how many lions and tigers I bottle raised, they slept with me, they can be as caring and loving as a dog so you come to trust the dog, but you try that with a lion or a tiger and they’ll turn on you in a split second. They just have that instinct and it will always be there.”

Famously discarded by Hitchcock, Hedren, in some ways, has had the last laugh. This weekend’s BPSOS award is just the latest of several recent accolades. She was honored by the Hollywood Chamber of Commerce in May, at a tribute to leading ladies at the Smithsonian and, also this weekend, was slated to receive the Women Together Award from the United Nations.

Of the BPSOS award, Hedren says she’s deeply honored.

“This is something that I am so surprised about,” she says. “Not just the award, but so surprised at this enormous enterprise that has happened. I just wanted to help 20 women I loved very much. It just became so much more than that.”

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Miscellaneous

Stephen Miller’s legal group sues Fairfax County schools

Lawsuit challenges policies for transgender, nonbinary students

Published

1 year ago

March 7, 2024

Staff reports

(Bigstock photo)

Former Trump administration official Stephen Miller’s legal group on Tuesday filed a lawsuit against the Fairfax County School District over its policies for transgender and nonbinary students.

America First Legal in a press release notes it filed the lawsuit against the school district on behalf of a female, “practicing Roman Catholic” student “for allowing teenage boys to use the female restrooms and for forcing a radical, government-sponsored gender indoctrination and approved-speech scheme that discriminates against students on the basis of sex and religion and violates their free speech rights under the Virginia Constitution.”

The lawsuit was filed in Fairfax County Circuit Court.

The Virginia Department of Education last July announced new guidelines for trans and nonbinary students for which Republican Gov. Glenn Youngkin asked. Equality Virginia and other advocacy groups claim they, among other things, would forcibly out trans and nonbinary students.

Fairfax County schools are among the school districts that have refused to implement the guidelines.

“Fairfax County Public Schools appears to believe that its policies and regulations can override the Virginia Constitution’s protections for religious beliefs, speech and from government discrimination on the basis of sex and religious beliefs,” said America First legal Senior Advisor Ian Prior in a press release. “It is well past time for FCPS to stop sacrificing the constitutional rights of its students so that it can implement a state-sanctioned ideology that demands compliance in speech, beliefs and conduct.”

FCPS Pride, a group that represents the Fairfax County School District’s LGBTQ employees, described the lawsuit as “abhorrent.”

“We are confident that the school board and the superintendent will strongly and firmly oppose this specious suit and continue to support all students, including transgender and gender expansive students,” said the group in a press list.

Miscellaneous

More than a dozen LGBTQ candidates on the ballot in Va.

Control of the state Senate hangs in the balance

Published

1 year ago

November 2, 2023

Michael K. Lavers

Virginia state Del. Danica Roem (D-Manassas) speaks at the LGBTQ+ Victory Fund National Champagne Brunch in D.C. on April 23, 2023. (Washington Blade photo by Michael Key)

More than a dozen openly LGBTQ candidates are on the ballot in Virginia on Nov. 7.

State Del. Danica Roem (D-Manassas) is running against Republican Bill Woolf in the newly redistricted Senate District 30 that includes western Prince William County and the cities of Manassas and Manassas Park.

Roem in 2018 became the first openly transgender person seated in a state legislature in the U.S. after she defeated then-state Del. Bob Marshall, a prominent LGBTQ rights opponent who co-wrote Virginia’s constitutional amendment defining marriage as between a man and a woman. Roem would become Virginia’s first out trans state senator if she defeats Woolf.

Woolf supports a bill that would require school personnel to out trans students to their parents. The Republican Party of Virginia has highlighted this position in ads in support of Woolf.

“Thank you for reminding me why I won three elections in this district in Prince William County, which is the most diverse county in all of Virginia and the 10th most nationally where we welcome everyone because of who they are, not despite it, no matter what you look like, where you come from, how you worship, if you do, or who you love because you should be able to thrive here because of who you are, never despite it,” said Roem on Sept. 28 in response to a woman who heckled her during a debate with Woolf that took place at Metz Middle School in Manassas.

Gay state Sen. Adam Ebbin (D-Alexandria) is running for re-election in Senate District 39. State Del. Mark Sickles (D-Fairfax County), who is also gay, is running for re-election in House District 43.

Former state Del. Joshua Cole, who identifies as bisexual, is running against Republican Lee Peters in House District 65. State Del. Kelly Convirs-Fowler (D-Virginia Beach), who came out as bisexual last year at Hampton Roads Pride, will face Republican Mike Karslake and independent Nicholas Olenik.

State Del. Marcia “Cia” Price (D-Newport News), a Black woman who identifies as pansexual, is running for re-election in House District 85.

Adele McClure, a queer Democrat, is running to represent House District 2 that includes portions of Arlington County. Laura Jane Cohen, a bisexual woman who is a member of the Fairfax County School Board, is a House of Delegates candidate in House District 15.

Rozia Henson, a gay federal contractor who works for the Department of Homeland Security, is running in House District 19. Zach Coltrain, a gay Gen Zer, is running against state Del. Barry Knight (R-Virginia Beach) in House District 98.

LPAC has endorsed Jade Harris, a Rockbridge County Democrat who is running to represent Senate District 3. Harris’ website notes trans rights are part of their platform.

“Protecting trans rights, repealing right to work, strengthening unions and supporting our farmers are just a few of my legislative priorities,” reads the website. “I am dedicated to addressing the revitalization of our state’s infrastructure, fostering a favorable environment for job creation, and supporting our public education system.”

Republicans currently control the House by a 51-46 margin, while Democrats have a 21-19 majority in the state Senate.

Senate Democrats have successfully blocked anti-LGBTQ bills that Republicans have introduced since Republican Gov. Glenn Youngkin took office in January 2022.

The Virginia Department of Education in July released new guidelines for trans and nonbinary students that activists and their supporters have sharply criticized. They fear that Republicans will curtail LGBTQ rights in the state if they regain control of both houses of the General Assembly on Nov. 7.

“Time and time again, anti-equality lawmakers and the Youngkin administration have made it clear that they will continue to disrespect and disregard the lives and lived experience of LGBTQ+ people within Virginia,” said Equality Virginia PAC Executive Director Narissa Rahaman in August when her organization and the Human Rights Campaign endorsed Roem, Ebbin and other “pro-equality champions.”

“We must elect pro-equality champions who will secure and strengthen our freedoms,” added Rahaman. “We have that chance as the eyes of the nation are on us this November.”

The LGBTQ+ Victory Fund has endorsed Fairfax County School Board Vice Chair Karl Frisch and Fairfax County School Board candidates Robyn Lady and Kyle McDaniel, who identify as lesbian and bisexual respectively.

Michael Pruitt would become the first openly bisexual man elected to the Albemarle County Board of Supervisors if he were to win on Nov. 7. Blacksburg Town Councilman Michael Sutphin and Big Stone Gay Town Councilman Tyler Hughes, who are both gay, are running for re-election.

“Tyler will be a critical voice for equality as the only out LGBTQ+ person on the Big Stone Gap Town Council,” says the Victory Fund on its website.

Cal Benn contributed to this article.

Miscellaneous

What it means to be an active ally to your LGBTQ+ co-workers TEST

Five easy tips to help you avoid common risks

Published

1 year ago

November 1, 2023

Brad Baumoel

Be sure to install baby gates if you have stairs in your home with young children. (Photo by Kasia Bialasiewicz/Bigstock)

Your home is more than just a place to eat and sleep; it’s your safe haven. As much as you might cherish your home, you should probably also recognize the potential hazards within its familiar walls. Accidents can happen in an instant, yet with a little foresight and some simple adjustments, you can transform your house into a safer haven.

Accidents can happen anywhere, and with a few simple tweaks, you can lower risks in your space. Below you’ll find five tips for each room in your home to help prevent injuries, falls, and other mishaps. In short, home safety.

This article was inspired by a shower in a rental we managed that began leaking through the kitchen ceiling below. If only the landlord had installed grab bars, right!? Below, we’ll guide you through the steps to fortify your bathroom, making it a place of relaxation without the fear of slips and falls. Then, we’ll venture into the room where the magic happens, where proper planning can ensure great nights and peaceful mornings. We’ll show you how to prevent accidents while you experiment becoming the next Gordon Ramsey. And we’ll include a few surprising solutions for those other rooms that hold their own unique hazards, offering solutions to safeguard against unexpected mishaps.

Bathroom Safety

Install Grab Bars: Adding grab bars near the shower and toilet can provide essential support for family members of all ages. Not only can they help with getting in and out, but they can help provide stability when washing. Make sure they are securely anchored to the wall.

Non-Slip Mats: Place non-slip mats inside the shower and bathtub to prevent slips. They’re a small investment that can save you from falls and head injuries.

Adjust Water Temperature: Ensure your hot water is set to a safe temperature to avoid scalding. The hot water heater should be set to around 120°F (49°C)l, the middle setting on many water heater settings.

Medicine Cabinet Locks: If you have young children, use childproof locks on your medicine cabinet to keep harmful substances out of reach.

Proper Lighting: Ensure there’s adequate lighting in the bathroom to avoid trips and falls during nighttime visits. Nightlights can be a simple and effective solution.

Bedroom Safety

Clear Pathways: Keep pathways in the bedroom clutter free to prevent tripping. Ensure there’s enough space to move around comfortably, particularly getting around the bed. Be aware where all furniture is when walking around to avoid stubbed toes, particularly at night.

Secure Rugs: If you have throw rugs, use rug grippers or double-sided tape to keep them from slipping. Loose rugs are a common trip hazard.

Bed Rails: For anyone at risk of falling out of bed, consider installing bed rails to provide extra support and prevent falls.

Nightstands with Drawers: Opt for nightstands with drawers to keep essential items. This reduces the need to get out of bed at night, minimizing the risk of falls, as you race to grab what you need and not lose a moment’s rest.

Fire Safety: Install battery-operated smoke detectors in the bedrooms if there are none. Make sure to install them 36 inches away from an air vent or the edge of a ceiling fan. Also six inches away from the joint between the wall and ceiling. And test smoke detectors regularly.

Kitchen Safety

Non-Slip Flooring: Choose slip-resistant rugs in the kitchen, especially in areas where spills are common. Mats near the sink and stove can also help and you can often buy them fairly cheaply at Costco.

Childproof Cabinets: If you have little ones, use childproof latches on cabinets and drawers to prevent them from accessing potentially hazardous items.

Anti-tip brackets: Install an anti-tip bracket behind the range. These are often used when children are in the home. Although they are less likely to open the oven door and use it as a step stool to get to the stove-top, adults can also benefit from installing these.

Adequate Lighting: Proper lighting is crucial in the kitchen to avoid accidents. Under-cabinet lighting can illuminate work areas effectively.

Secure Heavy Items: Ensure heavy pots and pans are stored at waist level to prevent straining or dropping them from high shelves.

Sharp Object Storage: Keep knives and other sharp objects in a secure drawer or block. And handle all sharp items with extreme care, even when washing and drying. These steps reduce the risk of accidental cuts.

Other Safety Tips

Furniture Anchors: Secure heavy furniture, like bookshelves and dressers, to the wall to prevent tip-overs, especially if you have young children.

Adequate Outlets: Check for damaged outlets and replace them promptly. Avoid overloading circuits with too many devices. Install placeholder plugs in outlets to prevent young curious fingers (or tongues?) from going inside an electrical outlet.

Stair Gates: If your home has stairs, install safety gates at the top and bottom to prevent falls, especially if you have toddlers or pets to keep them off of the stairs when you cannot monitor them.

Emergency Escape Plan: Develop and practice an emergency escape plan with your family, including a designated meeting place outside.

Carbon Monoxide Detector: If your home burns any fossil fuels for heating or appliances, install carbon monoxide detectors in common areas of your home to detect this odorless gas. The D.C. building codes require this if you use a fireplace or if you have an attached garage. In essence, if there is any potential source of carbon monoxide in the home, be sure to install these detectors.

Remember, a safer home not only prevents accidents but also provides peace of mind for you and your family. Implement these simple tips to create a secure environment in every room of your house.

With these practical tips and a few adjustments, you can significantly reduce the risk of injuries and falls in your home. Enjoy peace of mind in your now much safer haven.

Scott Bloom is owner and senior property manager of Columbia Property Management.