Hollywood Tour Operator Philip Mershon: "David Bowie Stole My Earring"

Show Notes

Dennis visits the Hollywood home of Philip Mershon, the man behind the Felix in Hollywood tour company. Philip guides a 2-hour-ish walking tour of a half-mile stretch of Sunset Boulevard where so much of early Hollywood took place. Philip talks about the big studio opportunity that fell through but ultimately led him to start the tour on his own, his addiction to Hollywood history and research, why he loves the Golden Age character actor Franklin Pangborn, how he deal with sirens and heat and people heckling him on the street and how he came to name is company Felix in Hollywood. He also talks about being a military brat growing up and how the classic movies he would see on TV were the one constant friend that he had. He talks about his career in wardrobe for TV and film, his first job on a roller derby show and touring the world as one of the wardrobe staff on Madonna's "The Girlie Show" in the early 1990's. Other topics include: the one person who made Madonna nervous, the two items he bought at Zsa Zsa Gabor's yard sale, that type he got caught shoplifting, working as a modeling coach in a mall, the lunch box that made him furious, the song that makes him cry and the 70's teen idol who left him a voicemail one time. http://felixinhollywoodtours.com/