Tippi Hedren, the Roar Foundation and the Shambala Preserve
February 08, 2009
The Danger Dogs met the wonderful Alfred Hitchcock protege and charming raconteur, Tippi Hedren, yesterday at the Woman's Club of Hollywood.
The Woman's Club of Hollywood is a 106-year-old institution just north of Hollywood Blvd. on N. La Brea, situated in an ex-girl's school that counts Jean Harlow and Carole Lombard among it's alumnae. They graciously permitted me to exhibit the Danger Dogs during a luncheon featuring Tippi Hedren and her worthy cause -- The Roar Foundation and the Shambala Preserve. 
After lunch,Tippi told stories from her acting career. And she didn't leave out all the juicy bits! Such an exciting life. Hitch must have been something. Harrowing... Her story of how, in "The Birds," the birds were actually tied to her body with rubber bands, where they could only flail against her yet not escape. She had been told that mechanical birds would be used, and only found out they were using real birds after the Assistant Director couldn't look her in the eye. Turns out there never were any mechanical birds. And Hitchcock shot that scene for 5 days straight!
I can see why she doesn't have a peacock preserve!
If you ever get a chance to hear her speak...go. She is riveting. 
But the best part was when she talked about her love of animals -- especially the big cats. She had a slide show of magnificent photos of her ranch and the Shambala Foundation with over 70 big cats. She's very sensible, too. Her management and skill of handling these cats comes from years of thought and experience. She believes that these animals should be free. Her ideal scenario being that her foundation become unnecessary because the cats are in the wild where they belong. Legislation to stop breeding and sales of these American-bred cats is her current focus and next fight.
Mother to Melanie Griffith (and Joel Griffith -- a friend of mine), mother-in-law to Antonio Banderas, her joie de vivre and passion are fun to listen to as she shows slides from her long, satisfying life.
By the way, she really did look great. Elegant and lithe, she still exudes the 'class with warmth' that made many compare her to a young Grace Kelly.
"The Birds" was her first movie -- after being discovered by Hitchcock on a Collier's magazine cover -- and she won a Golden Globe for her efforts. Sorry for the out of focus picture. Didn't want to get too close. I'm shy about being a papparazzi! Though she did look like she loved the attention! 
All the Danger Dogs (and Cats) in this post are available! Please contact me at ampage1@gmail.com. And thanks, as always, for supporting the Nepali artist and their Danger Dogs. Find out more at www.NepalDog.com.
Go to www.Shambala.org for more info and to help these lovely cats.
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Want to know more about actress Tippi Hedren's career, her thoughts about Alfred Hitchcock and her tireless work with The Shambala Preserve to save lions, tigers and more big cats? Check out the interview she did with Mr. Media: http://www.mrmedia.com/2012/08/tippi-hedren-takes-on-alfred-hitchcock-via-the-small-screen-2012-audio-interview/
Posted by: Rachel | September 02, 2012 at 06:33 AM