THIS JOINT IS JUMPIN': THE HOLLYWOOD MUSEUM’S BLACK HISTORY MONTH EXHIBIT

If I had not been overbooked on the night of this new exhibit’s Opening Night soiree, I would have been able to tell you about it earlier.

Part of the This Joint Is Jumping’ exhibit at the Hollywood Museum. Photo by Karen Salkin, as is the one at the top of this article.

But I’m glad I waited to see The Hollywood Museum’s celebration of Black History Month, an exhibit entitled This Joint is Jumpin': A Celebration of Black Entertainers in Film, TV and Song because I got to see it with two of my best pals, Amanda Hazel and teen Marcus Josselyn, who were visiting from Rhode Island. It’s always fun to share this wonderful place with friends.

And I realized something new as we were moseying through every one of the exhibits there. And that is that I have never gone through the entire museum at a leisurely pace and perused it all! I’ve been there only for either opening night parties or work. (That work was hosting a special about Hollywood for the Travel Channel back in the day, and we started with a tour of the Museum, which was my first time ever in the historic Max Factor building.)

Part of the Hollywood Museum’s lobby exhibit. Photo by Karen Salkin.

So to wander through the three floors this time at our own speed, especially with appreciative friends, was a pleasure. And we all loved everything about it! Even the gift shop, which I never even knew was there. Amanda rushed right over to it when we were done with the exhibits, and we even took our time looking around its wares, as though they were another exhibit!

Even taking the Museum’s famous gigantic elevator, which includes seating(!,) to the third floor was a trip and a half for our threesome, even semi-jaded yours truly.

We were fascinated by all the exhibits, (including the superheroes one, the rooms with old school movie make-up, ones with actual Emmys awards, and the scary one in the basement, of horror films, complete with jail cells, one with Hannibal Lector in it.) But what attracted us to go there to begin with is the Hollywood Museum’s celebration of Black History Month, This Joint is Jumpin’. And what a celebration it is!

The fabulous jewelry in the This Joint Is Jumping’ exhibit at the Hollywood Museum. Photo by Karen Salkin.

There are costumes, jewelry, props—you name it. I fully expected Denzel to walk out of the exhibit any second! And to bring it all to life, (even without an on-site Denzel,) is that along with the significant pieces, there are clips of the famous movies and television shows running on screens on the walls behind the items. The museum curators thought of everything!

There are about three dozen entertainers represented in the exhibit, so everyone is sure to know many of them, and their famous works.

Ret Turner and Cher’s part of a Hollywood Museum exhibit. Photo by Karen Salkin.

But the best part of everything in the museum, for me, was seeing photographs or artifacts of people I’ve known personally or have some other personal connection to. Here are just a few examples—Fayard Nicholas of the dancing Nicholas Brothers was my real friend–I even got to tap dance with him when he guested on my TV show!; I’ve met Eartha Kitt’s daughter, and we bonded over the fact that we both lost our mothers on a Christmas Day, which is so sad and sort-of unusual; I knew adorable Nell Carter because when we did a telethon together, she told me that she was a big fan of my show, and asked for a picture together!!!; I met Cher’s costume designer, Ret Turner, at one of her invitation-only garage sales, and he also told me he was a fan of my show, so he talked Cher into giving me a deal on a dress he had designed for her, which I wound-up wearing for my first appearance on The Tonight Show! So, in addition to admiring all this Hollywood history, it was a wonderful trip down memory lane for me!

And here’s some fun news about This Joint is Jumpin’—even though Black History Month is only February, you have two extra months to see this fabulous exhibit!

A visit to the Hollywood Museum is a must for visitors to our fair city, but it’s always wonderful fun for even the most too-cool-for-school locals among us. There’s always something new to discover there!

This Joint is Jumpin’ exhibit running through April 28, 2024
The Hollywood Museum  1660 Highland Ave.  Hollywood
323-464-7776  www.TheHollywoodMuseum.com