At the beginning of this year I got a human spirit ring of Elizabeth Short from CH. Liz made a deal with me not to discuss the murder for a while for 2 obvious reasons:
1. It was hideous
2. She wants someone to deal with her as a very brilliant and talented person, not a "dumb skank" (her words) as she has been typified for many years.

Several years earlier, (early 2000s)I had purchased several items which came from the shooting sets and costumes of the movie Casablanca, which included a weird looking pitcher, one of a number of rings made up for the cast and crew, Bogart's drink glass, and a necklace tagged as "E. Short, crowd, Ric's".

Several years earlier than that (late 1990s), I was watching an old obscure (but GREAT!) film noir entitled Dark Corner starring MArk Stevens, Lucille Ball, William Bendix, and Clifton Webb. It was released sometime in 1946. Towards the end of the film, there is ashort scene in which Mark Stevens is talking to Luciile Ball in from of a movie theatre, and the girl in the ouside glass ticket booth, definitely is Elizabeth Short (unmentioned in credits) - AND she looks like she is truly, truly, TRULY, frightened.....

Several years earlier than that (early 1970s) I had had coversations with an American artist-painter, Leni Fonteyn, who lived in New Hope PA and died in 1987 in St Johnsbury VT, and she told me stories about how wild and dangerous the 1940s Los Angeles scene was. She knew Man Ray, and many others, also at that time she was married to a shadowy criminal named Napoleon (Nappy" ) Fontaine and talked about him in vague terms, coming home covered with blood, dropped off at the door by Man Ray, "Nappy" pointing an automatic (she didn't know what kind) and telling her not to mention this to anyone, and he left a week later and totally disappeared.

So I told her that I had met "Nappy" FOntaine in Rittenhouse Square, Philadelphia PA in the summer of 1962, and he was talking to a couple of friends of mine, so I joined in. Very quickly I realized this man was very dangerous, and he eliptically referred to many things, as though his life consisted of breaking the law, and he wanted to brag about it in a way that would not incriminate him. HE was wearing a red kerchief with a "kerchief 'ring'" on it. It really looked unsettling. He caught me staring at it and said: "That's human skin, I cut it off the body of a dead woman. There was a very small tatooed "line drawing" of a flower."

The 3 of us who had been talking to him, knew it was time to be anywhere else at all. We said goodbye and left. None of us ever saw him again. I desacribed him to Leni, and she said yes it was he. I described the neckerchief holder, and she ran to the bathroom for a few moments.

The pix that follow are of the Casblanca necklace.

Liz in-spirit has confirmed the easy assumptions that can be made on all points mentioned her. One thing she added was that she and Leni had an affair that lasted a week, but she didn't like Leni very much and stopped seeing her. Now Liz can move on and she's a great and fascinating and very talkative to have around.

Just another story from "The Big Nowhere" within The City of Angels.

Caiyros

Fantastic design so unusual!
Rob

Caiyros, what a bone-chilling account. I am so glad that you have been working with her, she feels safe with you and for good reason. I have long had a fascination with her because I felt that she was one of those brilliant stars to soon extinguished and no matter how many times I read about her life, her family, her father... I just always had this cloud about what were considered "facts". What has she said, if anything, about her father to you? Any time I tried to push for a little information she just always gave a bland answer and changed the topic. I don't know if it is because she felt abandoned and really hoped for that fantastic reunion that turned out to be more of a dud... or if she felt he was too neutral about her presence in California.

I will talk with her and post more, soon.

For now, I will say that there is one object that most likely exists within the greater Boston Area that she says will give a great deal of information, but since it is an object that might unknowingly be put up for sale on eBay for $15-$45 - I'm not going to broacast it.

I have been in her neighborhoods, Hyde Park & Medford MA and actually found the remains of the local movie theatre where she worked as an usher...(remember usher's with the little glowing flashlights that would guide you to a comfortable crushed dark blue or burgundyvelvet seat - ah elegance wherefor art thou? And they had these cool Dixie Dugan style uniforms...!)

"Nappy Fontaine" was born and raised in New Orleans and later moved to New York City and then to L.A. From the way he talked, I guessed he had been in prison a number of times, and thus had a record. He was born between 1911 and 1918 as far as his ex-wife knew. I always thought that it was odd that she changed the spelling of her married name to him, instead of changing the name itself.....

Caiyros

Magnolia, I have been intersted in the solving of several famous crimes for years (believe I have too!). I've just felt the victims should have "their day in court" - even if it is only the "court of public knowledge". You deserve great thanks for "bringing out" into this current time "the voice of Elizabeth Short" after it had been totally lost in "buried" within the hurly-burly of this terrible crime.

Yeah, later on Li is a-gonna do some talkin' - Thanks to you.

Caiyros

Thank you for posting the photo of that necklace- it is stunningly beautful.

Poor Elizabeth. She is/was a lovely girl who didn't deserve to be known for that brutal horrible crime.

missbarky wrote:Thank you for posting the photo of that necklace- it is stunningly beautful.

Poor Elizabeth. She is/was a lovely girl who didn't deserve to be known for that brutal horrible crime.

Liz's spirit says that posts like yours and other things as well are bringing happiness to her now, so she says "Thanks a bunch!"

Caiyros

Leni Fonteyn died on June 1, 1989 in St. Johnsbury hospital. She was 63 years old when she succumbed to cancer. It's heartening for me to know that somebody remembers my mother. Funny, her second husband also ran into Nappy (A.K.A. Emile Valentine Fontaine), and I believe it also occured in Philadelphia.

Such a small world.

Wow! Yes, talk about a small world!

Caiyros, re-reading this thread has brough the urge to watch the movie Dark Corner. Talking about Ball film noirs what is the name of the movie she stars in about a plane crash & cannibals? That movie was so good too... it was something like "Some Came Back" or something along those lines.