The Last Living Movie Star

I normally write about all things San Francisco, the hospitality industry, and tourism. But this is Oscar season, and there will be one important name on the 'In Memoriam' reel, representing those Academy members who passed away last year. And this particular luminary deserves one last shout-out.

You may not know the name of the actress Marsha Hunt, but she was the last movie star of the golden era of Hollywood, and my friend.

Marsha Hunt's star on the Hollywood Walk-of-Fame

She passed away in September of 2022 at the age of 104. She was at the top of her field when she was blacklisted in the 1950s. And from that, dedicated her life to helping others, while still being a working actress. She was a big supporter of the UN, and was president of the United Nations Association San Fernando Valley chapter, where my mother had volunteered her time. It was at the UNA my mother and Marsha became friends.

But that's not how I knew her. The San Francisco Film Noir Festival welcomed her for three years in a row, where she was a guest speaker and honoree. Each year the festival put her up in the Hotel where I was the chief concierge for many years. And it was there where I first met her, and our friendship developed. Once I introduced myself, and informed her who my mother was, we hit it off right away. She lived in the San Fernando Valley since 1946 (in the same home she died in, I might add), and near where I grew up. She was blacklisted, as was my father. I have a BA in Film Production, and briefly worked in the film business as a location manager, she was the film business. She was a true political activist, and we shared the same political beliefs. I remember sitting with her and the Noir Festival director in the lounge by my concierge desk, discussing many topics. We were so in-tune with each other that the festival director had trouble keeping up and getting a word in edgewise.

My mother, Dorothy Nasatir, Marsha Hunt, and me In the intervening years, I would go home to visit Los Angeles and make a lunch date with her and my parents. As she got closer to her 100th year, her memory began to fade, and when I would call her, I would have to identify myself as her concierge friend from San Francisco. With that, she had total recall of our friendship and we would have long conversations about many things. So long in fact, that her caretakers often would have to interrupt and remind her to take her pills or eat a meal. She wasn't just some actress, but was a witness to some of the great events of our time. She was on the ill-fated flight of Hollywood notables who flew to Washington DC to support the Hollywood Ten, blacklisted artists who had to appear in front of the HUAC - The House Un-American Activities Committee. She herself got blacklisted, and decided to turn her attention to helping humanity. You think MAGA Republicans are dangerous? Her house was targeted for bombing by right wing terrorists in 1962, and through dumb luck her house was spared. But the homes of two other progressive activists on the same list were the bombed. I am a film nerd, and talking to Marsha about the business in its golden era, was like having a conversation with the heads on Mt. Rushmore about American history. In one of her many colorful stories, and in a tertiary, off-the-cuff manner she just happened to mention how the director Howard Hawks asked her to work with a young model from New York, who was to appear opposite Humphrey Bogart. Because of the 20+ year age difference, this young model had to appear more mature and Marsha worked with her to lower the register of her voice. That young model was named Lauren Bacall. Yes, Marsha Hunt guided her, developing the smokey voice she was later known for. Her first agent was Zeppo Marx, one of the Marx Brothers. She was friends with an acting/producing couple who were going through a divorce in the 1950s and would only communicate with each other through her, and they collectively ran a production company. That couple's name was Lucille Ball and Desi Arnaz, and the company was Desilu Productions. She once said, "I loved Orson's parties. They, and him, were always full of whimsy." I asked, "Do you mean Orson Welles?" The answer was yes. She told me how Edward G. Robinson, whom she affectionately called Eddie, had a marvelous art collection. Oh, did I mention she was also a model, a fashion icon, and some of the top photographers of the 20th century captured her image. The way we wore : styles of the 1930s and '40s and our world since then : Hunt, Marsha, 1917- : Free Download, Borrow, and Streaming : Internet Archive [nam12.safelinks.protection.outlook.com] [nam12.safelinks.protection.outlook.com]The way we wore : styles of the 1930s and '40s and our world since then : Hunt, Marsha, 1917- : Free Download, Borrow, and Streaming : Internet Archive [nam12.safelinks.protection.outlook.com] iv, 438 pages : 32 cm archive.org I once showed her book to a friend of mine who happened to be a fashion designer, and although she had never heard of Marsha Hunt, she recognized the style and accouterments immediately. It was another effect on society at large Marsh had. I spoke to her niece and she informed me that Marsha went quietly in her sleep. She was in no pain and did not suffer, and I suppose that brings me some comfort. Classy and elegant, and a true beauty until the end. She was a real Hollywood movie star, a political activist, a fashion icon, my friend, and I will miss her. https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/movies/movie-news/marsha-hunt-dead-blacklisted-actress-1235216286/ [nam12.safelinks.protection.outlook.com][nam12.safelinks.protection.outlook.com]Marsha Hunt, Actress Blacklisted in Hollywood, Dies at 104 [nam12.safelinks.protection.outlook.com] Marsha Hunt, the bright-eyed starlet who stood out in 'These Glamour Girls,' 'Pride and Prejudice' and 'Raw Deal' before her career came unraveled by Hollywood blacklist, has died. She was 104. www.hollywoodreporter.com [hollywoodreporter.com]