Alla Nazimova Society

03/09/2025

We love it when Alla Nazimova still makes it onto lists like this one titled "International Woman's Day: 12 incredible LGBTQ+ women from history who completely rewrote the rules"

This International Women's Day, we celebrate the LGBTQ+ women from history who "Accelerated Action" and helped pave the way for equality

08/29/2024

Youth - or at least the appearance of it - was always a goal in Hollywood. If this August 1932 print ad from "The New Movie Magazine" is to believed, readers could use Lux Toilet Soap to retain their "youthful charm." And at only 10 cents per bar! So they featured Jean Harlow (21yo), Viola Dana (35yo), and Alla Nazimova (53yo) to prove their point. Actually, I'm surprised they used Nazimova whose movie career was 7 years in the rearview mirror. Maybe she was the only actress in Hollywood willing to admit she was "over 40"! (Our thanks to Darrell Rooney for this gem.)

07/14/2024

I've been reading about, researching, and writing about the Garden of Allah for over 15 years, and I have to say that this is one of the more accurate stories posted about the hotel. (And I'm not just saying that I pop up in it a couple of times!)

In the golden age of Hollywood, the hills were alive with more than just the sound of music—they were dotted with the palatial homes of the silver screen’s b...

03/23/2024

Last night, I went to the Academy Museum Theater for the first time. As part of their current program featuring q***r women in early cinema, they ran Alla Nazimova's "SALOMÉ" (1923) with music performed live. It was great to see Nazzy up on the big screen (another first for me) and also to see that she could still attract a sizeable crowd (I'm guessing around 250.) The theater really is that red - in my mind it's called Red Carpet Red. And check out that marvelous poster for Garbo's "Queen Christina" which also features in the program. They were lucky I didn't sneak off with it.

03/18/2024

This Friday, March 22nd, the Academy Museum is showing Alla Nazimova's "Salomé" (1923) with a new score by Sarah Davachi performed live! Tickets are inexpensive and available via the link below. I'll be there so if you see me, come up and say hi!

https://www.academymuseum.org/en/programs/detail/salome-018cf5d6-906f-202e-5d21-9afd9c5447a0

02/28/2024

For those of you who would like to know more about the life of Alla Nazimova - the actress who established the Garden of Allah Hotel, "Spilling History" has posted a 30-minute recap of Alla's adventure-filled life.

In this video, we'll explore the fascinating life of Alla Nazimova, a theatre, silent film, and golden-age of Hollywood star. The video will help uncover why...

07/13/2023

On Sunday I attended a performance of Romy Nordlinger's one-woman show, "Garden of Alla" about silent screen star Alla Nazimova at Theatre West here in LA. Afterwards, the producers Benjamin Scuglia (in black) and Anne Leyden (in white) invited me up on stage for a Q&A with Romy and the lively audience. The whole afternoon was wonderful! For those of you who couldn't make it, the talkback was recorded and will be up on YouTube soon. Meanwhile here are some photos. The woman in the wide-brimmed hat is Georgeanne Aldrich Heller and the guy in the green-checked shirt is Lloyd Schwartz whose father, Sherwood, produced "The Brady Bunch" and "Gilligan's Island." The show still has a couple more weekends to run and you can buy tickets here:
https://theatrewest.org/on-stage/2023/garden-of-alla-the-alla-nazimova-story

07/12/2023

Great review by Laura Foti Cohen at Larchmont Buzz. Congratulations Romy Nordlinger!

Garden of Alla's sights, sounds, and controlled acting transport us a century back in time to the 1920s Hollywood of stage and screen legend Alla Nazimova.

06/29/2023

During the Roaring 1920s until its closing on July 27, 1959, West Hollywood’s landmark Garden of Allah Hotel on Sunset Blvd. hosted the Hollywood elite looking to have a great time socializing and mingling without the prying eyes of the media or autograph seekers in their faces, or their beds for ...

06/29/2023

Tickets are going fast!

GARDEN OF ALLA: THE ALLA NAZIMOVA STORY July 7 – 23, 2023 Fridays-Saturdays at 8pm, Sundays at 2pm   THEATRE WEST 3333 Cahuenga Blvd West Los Angeles, CA 90068 323-851-4839   The 1920s was the time of flappers, flamboyance, and the face of Alla Nazimova. Garden Of Alla, the critically acclaimed ...

06/10/2023

A few days ago we posted about the upcoming run of the one-woman show about Alla Nazimova starring Romy Nordlinger at Theatre West near Universal Studios. They approached me (Martin Turnbull) with the idea of holding a Q&A talkback after the 2pm matinee on Sunday July 9th, so of course I said yes. Please join us, and say hello!
More about the show at: https://www.lucypr.com/theater/garden-of-alla/
Tickets at: https://ci.ovationtix.com/35048/production/1158846

06/03/2023

Our thanks to The WOW Report for remembering Alla Nazimova's (144th) birthday with this tribute by Stephen Rutledge.

https://worldofwonder.net/remembering-fabulous-silent-film-star-alla-nazimova-2/

Alla Nazimova (1879 - 1945) "Acting is sometimes considered impulsive and spontaneous, and the more it partakes of these qualities, the more it is real acting; but an effect seemingly natural is oftentimes the result of long and careful thought, and even then it might seem wrong or uncompleted if we...