“SANTA MONICA DOES NOT PRESENT A good setting for a motion-picture story. Those who attend film screenings enjoy a happy ending. They enjoy seeing Roy Rogers kiss Trigger and ride off into the sunset singing: “Happy Trails to You.” Santa Monica has beautiful sunsets, but no happy trails. Santa Monica is awash with greed, traffic congestion and argumentative discontent on every level. The only stars are those who occasionally wander into Pavilions market on Montana Avenue. Still, if there was a documentary film made regarding Santa Monica, I would enjoy having Andy Rooney of “60 Minutes” as narrator. Andy has a way with words and lends humorous slang to dreary situations.”
Originally published in the Santa Monica Daily Press print edition on July 28, 2007. Read the original PDF.