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The Story of the Code Through Classical Song At Hollywood and Western

The Hollywood and Western Building
Hollywood, CA

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The Story of the Code Through Classical Song At Hollywood and Western

Tiffany and Rebekah Brannan are the L. A. (Lost Art) Soprani Sisters. They are lifting their voices in classical song to help the sun rise on a new day of pure entertainment. At sixteen and thirteen, they have been training to be opera singers for nine years. They dreamed of singing in classic operas on the stage someday. Initially, they were so young that they found few performing opportunities, facing discrimination against their youth. People were unwilling to believe that young singers could be as talented as prodigious instrumentalists, insisting that the voice is different. Eventually, they realized that they are facing another problem, which time will not cure. When they are ready for opera, it will not be ready for them. In recent years, modernization has flooded professional opera throughout the world. It is almost impossible to find a traditional production anywhere in the United States of America today.

They started the Pure Entertainment Preservation Society (PEPS) (https://pureentertainmentpreservationsociety.wordpress.com) in 2016 to bring back traditional, decent entertainment. When they learned about the Motion Picture Production Code in the summer of 2016, it changed their whole outlook toward the arts and the timeline of the 20th century, giving them hope for the 21st century. They realized that films, other art forms, and American society in general have been declining since Joseph I. Breen retired from his twenty-year post as the head of the Production Code Administration in 1954. The Codes replacement with the rating system in 1968 led to the state of moral corruption which characterizes society today. They decided that the Code is the only thing which can revive decency, since Hollywood influences everything. Opera, as well as ballet and the theatre, imitates and models itself after Hollywood. Thus, Hollywood is the root of the problem with opera and the other arts, but it also the solution to it.

PEPS aims to bring the Code back to Hollywood. It also wants to encourage opera and ballet to adopt shorter, simpler production codes. PEPS has existed for a year and a half. During that time, the Brannan sisters have written 126 articles about classic Hollywood, the Code, and pure entertainment. However, it is time for them to do more than just write.

Now they want to sing to tell the story about the Code, Hollywood's past, and society's future. As the L. A. Soprani Sisters, they are going to perform throughout Southern California to share their love of music and spread the word about their unique cause. Their concert programs feature classical songs that represent different themes, time periods, and specific movies from the Golden Age of Hollywood. They pair these with classical songs and operetta pieces which were actually performed in classic movies to create well-rounded concerts that both entertain and educate about Old Hollywood history. Tiffany's brief speaking between songs creates the thread which ties the programs together. Vintage-styles clothes, movie-inspired costumes, and accompanying hats and headpieces are the final panache on their performances.

At 3 PM on July 15, the Code is returning to its first home, 5504 Hollywood Boulevard! This address is the location of the Hollywood and Western Building, which was constructed in 1928 by Louis B. Mayer for the Motion Picture Producers and Distributors of America (MPPDA). On July 15, 1934, an amendment was put in place which made a Seal of Approval from the Production Code Administration (PCA) necessary for the release of every American movie. That Sunday was the beginning of the Code era, the Golden Era of Hollywood. The PCA was located on the fourth floor of the Hollywood and Western Building. In that beautiful art deco building, seven men toiled tirelessly to make sure that all movies were "reasonably acceptable to reasonable people."

The corner room overlooking Western Avenue was the office of the head Production Code administrator, Joseph I. Breen, the very spirit of the Code and its only real champion. This room was the heart of the Code's enforcement until 1950, when the PCA moved to new offices. However, the Code's finest days were in the Hollywood and Western Building.

On July 15, the L. A. Soprani Sisters are celebrating the 84th anniversary of the beginning of the Code era with a concert in Joseph Breen's office! As it was in 1934, July 15 is going to be on Sunday this year. At this concert, they are going to perform their essential program, "The Story of the Code Through Classical Song. Twenty carefully-chosen classical songs will tell the story of the Code from the transition to talking pictures in 1927 to the adoption of the rating system in 1968 and its subsequent effect on art and society during the last fifty years. The sisters will take turns singing songs which propel the story through every exciting chapter. Tiffany will speak before every song to create a thread that ties the whole program together. The music includes four songs from classic movies, two opera arias, two operetta songs, and many art songs. The largely-English program is supplemented by one Portuguese song, two Italian songs, two French songs, and one Latin song. This program is comprehensive enough to make the whole clear to someone who had never even heard of the Code before attending the concert.

This exclusive, intimate concert will be the launching point of the L. A. Soprani Sisters performing. The concert begins at 3 PM and will be a little over an hour long with singing, speaking, and accompanying slides. Afterwards, there will be a small reception with some refreshments. There are only fifty seats available, so be sure to buy a ticket today!

You may park behind the building in the parking lot, which is accessible via Western Avenue. Take the elevator to the fourth floor, where you will be greeted and directed to the room where the concert is taking place.

If you want to learn more about the L. A. Soprani Sisters, you can visit their website (https://www.lasopranisisters.com). If you are having trouble purchasing tickets online, call Brown Paper Tickets at 1-800-838-3006.

Location

The Hollywood and Western Building (View)
5504 Hollywood Boulevard
Hollywood, CA 90028
United States

Contact

Email:
support@brownpapertickets.com

Attendees

Mark E.

Murrieta , CA United States

Jul 14, 2018 8:50 AM

Tiffany E.

Murrieta , CA United States

Jul 14, 2018 8:50 AM

Don F.

Orange, CA United States

Jul 11, 2018 9:57 PM

Guest 3 W.

Sacramento, CA United States

Jul 08, 2018 2:08 PM

Guest 2 W.