“We named him Elvis,” the handler replied.
“The King,” Lorewyn smiled.
Rhianyn held her arm steady as Elvis took his place on the glove. “You’re such a beautiful boy!” she whispered to him.
Elvis actually gave a hoot in reply. The handler was astonished. “You’re a natural!” she exclaimed.
Rhianyn hadn’t done this sort of thing with a common owl before, but she felt a wave of nostalgia come over her and decided to try.
I know you can’t read me the way Pypp could, she said in her mind, reaching out to the creature, but owls have always been very special to me. I’m so glad I could meet you, Elvis, and hold you for a bit.
Elvis blinked once, swiveled his head slightly, then brushed his wing gently against Rhianyn’s face. Rhianyn laughed lightly, taking her other hand and slowly petting him on his feathery head and back.
She looked so happy in that moment… Lorewyn stepped back and took a photo with her cell phone camera.
“Thank you, Yellowfeather,” Rhianyn said, kissing her wife after they left the exhibit and were heading home.
It was about a month later, Labor Day Weekend, when Rhianyn came home from her rotation and handed Lorewyn an extra motorcycle helmet.
“Pack a travel bag,” she said. “You and I are going on a road trip this weekend.”
Lorewyn had rode with Rhianyn on her bike before, but only locally. She had a Yamaha Star Venture, a good bike for two people. Lorewyn was intrigued.
“Any hint as to where we’re going?” she asked.
“Nope,” Rhianyn replied crisply. “Spoilers.”
They set off early that Saturday morning, riding down Hwy 101 through San Francisco, down the peninsula, past San Jose, then through the Salinas Valley. They stopped for a bit of a rest in San Luis Obispo, then continued down the California Central Coast, past Santa Barbara, Ventura, and finally into Los Angeles. It was already late afternoon, but Rhianyn drove them into Hollywood.
“Oh wow!” Lorewyn remarked, looking around as they exited the Hollywood Freeway at North Highland. “It’s really changed a lot!”
“Not the same Hollywood you worked in decades ago, huh?” Rhianyn commented, hanging a left on Hollywood Blvd.
“No, not really.” Lorewyn was still a bit in shock. “Just where are we going, Blackbird? I doubt we need to pay for one of those tours! I still remember my way around, I’m pretty sure.”
“Spoilers,” Rhianyn said again, grinning.
She went a block past Vine, then pulled off toward the corner, near the Station Hollywood Lounge. She parked and hopped off the bike.
“Come on,” she said, removing her helmet. “We’re very close.”
“Close to what?” Lorewyn laughed. “Blackbird, what’s this all about?” She removed her helmet as well as Rhianyn took her hand and led her to a section of sidewalk just outside the lounge. She pointed at the ground.
“The Hollywood Walk of Fame,” Lorewyn stated. “Yes, the celebrity stars. This was here when we left Southern California. We’ve seen some of these stars before… I knew a lot of these people, remember? Is there someone in particular on this corner?” She glanced around, gesturing toward the various stars embedded on the sidewalk under their feet and down the street.
“There is someone in particular,” Rhianyn replied, taking Lorewyn’s arm and directing her a few feet over to a specific star. “Someone very important, very special, who made a real difference to a lot of people in this business, a long time ago.”
Lorewyn looked at where Rhianyn had led her. On the sidewalk in front of her was a star, very much like all the others, the classic film camera design on it indicating the motion pictures category. But it was the name on the star that caused Lorewyn’s mouth to open a bit in astonishment.
Alivia Chambers.
Lorewyn knelt, running her hand over the star as if trying to determine whether or not it was real. She looked up at Rhianyn. “How… When…?”
“Two years ago,” Rhianyn explained, kneeling with her. “I found out online by happenstance a couple weeks back. I figured this was worth a trip… yes?”
Lorewyn was speechless. She was just gazing at the star with her name… her past name, her past identity… on it. It had been so long! She took her wife’s shoulder, just clutching onto it with love and a surge of emotion.
“Here,” Rhianyn offered, taking out her phone and angling it for a photo of them both, with the star in between. “Double selfie!”
Lorewyn chuckled for a moment, about to pose, but then stopped. “Wait, is that a good idea? I mean, digital photos can be shared, go viral… if someone sees me next to this star… the stuntwoman who died in a car crash six decades ago?”
“This is only for us, Yellowfeather,” Rhianyn explained. “I’ve come to the realization that yes, it’s good to be careful, but at the same time we can’t let fear of the unknown and possible discovery prevent us from living our lives, from enjoying these moments, from choosing life and love each day. If this crazy realm has taught me anything these past 1,500 years it’s that our world, our existence here is so unpredictable and constantly changing. Who knows? Aliens could make contact with Earth tomorrow and the world will realize there’s life out there in other places… and they’ll be ready to see us with our real ears! I want a picture of me and my wife, the amazing Hollywood stuntwoman Alivia Chambers in a previous incarnation, next to her well-earned star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame!”
She leaned in and embraced Lorewyn, kissing her right there in the middle of Hollywood Blvd. “There,” she stated. “See how much Hollywood’s changed? Back in the day, we could’ve never gotten away with that… wifey.”
Lorewyn laughed, hugging and kissing Rhianyn in return. “You’re amazing,” she exclaimed, “and I love you, so very much!”
They posed together, and Rhianyn snapped the selfie.
EPILOGUE
They had both received their COVID-19 vaccines (well, placebos, but it had enabled them to get their vaccination cards – like most other Human viruses and infections, they weren’t affected by and couldn’t transmit COVID), and a solid three months had passed since. California had undergone their official “re-opening” from restrictions and so on two weeks earlier. Perfect timing. Neither of them wanted to miss the opportunity. It would require some traveling, and travel had been something they hadn’t been able to do for the past year and a half due to the pandemic.
But it had worked out, and after flying to New York, Lorewyn and Rhianyn now found themselves standing on the shores of Liberty State Park, not far from the Empty Sky Memorial, gazing out at the Statue of Liberty, standing there on her island.
June 29, 2021. Exactly 100 years from the day they had first sailed into the harbor across the Atlantic from Europe… the day they came to America.
And Rhianyn’s birthday, of course.
“She’s still beautiful, isn’t she?” Lorewyn whispered, looking up at Lady Liberty, still admiring her stature and what she stood for.
“Yes, she is,” Rhianyn agreed. “She’s weathered a lot of storms, hasn’t she? That green surface… it was bronze colored once. Time and the Elements… they make their mark. We know something about that, don’t we?”
“Indeed we do,” Lorewyn exclaimed. “And she’s taken a knee more than once too, hasn’t she? But I like to think that when she got to her feet again, she was all the stronger for it. I believe that, at least.”
“Are we talking about the statue?” Rhianyn asked, turning to Lorewyn. “Or someone… some-ones… else?”
Lorewyn didn’t answer, but just smiled and continued gazing up at her. “What do you think, Blackbird? Do you think she’ll still be there in another hundred years… still standing, that torch held high?”
Rhianyn nodded, wrapping her arms around her wife’s shoulders from behind, gazing across the water with her, facing the same direction, looking toward Liberty.
“Yes,” she whispered to her. “Yes, I think
she will. But she won’t be by herself.”
Lorewyn turned, understanding her wife’s meaning, and found her embrace, their lips meeting as a harbor breeze blew past.
They continued to stand there together, in each other’s arms, the Statue of Liberty behind them, as a finch with black and yellow feathers flew overhead at that moment, seeming to pause for just a second to circle, paying homage to the Elven… the American… couple, and to Lady Liberty herself, then speeding on its way once more… flying over the Upper Bay and then making its way up the Hudson River toward Manhattan and far beyond.
PART V: APPENDICES
* * * *
APPENDIX I: THE UNABRIDGED ONLINE BIOGRAPHICAL ENTRY FOR ALIVIA CHAMBERS (STUNTWOMAN)
The following appears in the Celebrity Online Database for the Hollywood Walk of Fame under “Alivia Chambers,” updated in 2018.
***
Alivia Chambers
Stuntwoman
Born April 9, 1907 on a ranch near Gunnison, Colorado, little is known about the “Horsewoman of Hollywood’s Back Lot,” as she would come to be known, until 1932 when she first entered the film industry. Other than a birth certificate providing her date and place of birth, no other records concerning her youth and upbringing seem to exist.
One of Hollywood’s most prolific stuntwomen of the classic motion picture era, Alivia Chambers got her start in the business when working as a studio assistant for RKO. The story, and the reason behind her nickname, goes that she leaped on a runaway horse in motion on one of the back lots when it got spooked and was galloping away. This feat was observed by some people, and Chambers was offered a role doubling for Fay Wray in 1933’s King Kong when Pauline Wagner, the primary double, got sick during a critical time in the picture’s filming schedule.
Chambers was contracted with both Warner Bros. (1934-39) and 20th Century Fox (1941-51) during her career in Hollywood that spanned two decades and over 50 feature films, doubling for actresses such as Olivia de Havilland, Gene Tierney, Jane Russell, and Kim Hunter. A natural blonde, Chambers would wear wigs for many of the films she worked in and gained a reputation for being remarkably flexible in modifying her physical appearance in order to resemble the actresses for whom she was doubling. Chambers was likewise known for being extremely tough and acrobatic, able to accomplish feats that most male stunt doubles at the time either couldn’t or wouldn’t do. Because of this, Chambers was usually called upon to do other stunt work in films besides doubling for the lead actress such as stunts involving male characters when her true gender couldn’t be ascertained on screen. Most of her work was in Westerns, dealing with equestrian action, or Film Noir where suspenseful or fight scenes required the use of a double.
Chambers’ career took a turn in the early 1950’s when her friendship with Kim Hunter, who was blacklisted due to accusations of being a Communist during the McCarthy era, and rumors of her being a lesbian caused her to terminate her contract with 20th Century Fox under duress. She worked briefly as Phyllis Coates’ double in The Adventures of Superman, one season only, until conflicts arose with the producer and she was let go in 1952, the same time Coates left the show to be replaced by Noel Neill. Chambers left Hollywood after that, never to work as a stuntwoman again.
For all her films as a stunt double over a 20-year period, Chambers was not a visibly recognized celebrity to the public. This is understandable, given that her appearances on screen were doubling for someone else. A very attractive woman, she was sometimes mistaken for actresses Lana Turner and Veronica Lake, even though she never doubled for either of them (Turner was with MGM and Lake was with Paramount, studios that Chambers didn’t contract with).
Although sometimes at odds with producers and directors and noted for her feminist stance and advocacy for women in Hollywood, Chambers was a favorite among many celebrities of her day, and actresses such as de Havilland and Hunter praised her for being the best stunt double they ever worked with and a good friend. George Reeves once commented that “losing Alivia Chambers as a stuntwoman was like getting hit with kryptonite,” and Kim Hunter was reported as saying, “she empowered us… women in the business, that is. When you saw Liv do some of the things she did on set, you believed in yourself, like you could do anything, be anything as a woman.”
After Hollywood, Chambers joined the Pasadena Roving Archers, teaching archery for a few years and doing showcases and training seminars, most notably featuring exhibits which demonstrated her skill on horseback. She is still regarded as one of the most accomplished equestrian riders and mounted archers in or out of show business.
Alivia Chambers was never married and had no children. She lived much of her adult life with her cousin Antonia Blackstone, an aviator and former Hughes Aircraft test pilot, likewise unmarried. Although there is no hard evidence to support it, many people believe that Chambers was a closeted lesbian. In addition to her vocal support of women in the entertainment industry, Chambers contributed generously to the March of Dimes in trying to end polio and provided support to the Japanese American Citizens League (JACL) in the aftermath of World War II and the internment of Japanese-Americans as a result of Executive Order 9066. She was a registered Democrat.
Both Chambers and her cousin were involved in a car crash on Sunset Blvd. just east of Rustic Canyon on the night of July 11, 1959. Her vehicle, a 1957 Pontiac Bonneville, was found at the bottom of a ravine, having exploded on impact. The bodies of Chambers and Blackstone were never found, however, and after several days of searching they were both presumed dead. They both have cenotaphs in their honor located at Valhalla Memorial Park Cemetery in Burbank, California.
Chambers was posthumously nominated for a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame by the Stuntwomen’s Association of Motion Pictures in 2017 (the association’s 50th anniversary), even though Chambers was deceased by the time the organization was founded and was never a member herself, as a tribute to her legacy in motion pictures and inspiration to women in the stunt profession. Its location is 6230 Hollywood Blvd.
APPENDIX II: “ROCKIN’ RAVEN” AIRCHECK (from the KBRD 1130AM Radio Archives – June 26, 1967)
The following is the transcript of an aircheck done on KBRD during one of the Rockin’ Raven’s morning shows. This particular aircheck became famous and the broadcast known as “the day women took over radio” on account of a male caller’s misogynistic comment which was made on the air during the recording. Julia Bancroft (aka the Rockin’ Raven) allowed the caller’s remark to remain unedited and used the opportunity to finish the last hour of her show that day inviting women to call in with their feedback on the comment, playing songs exclusively by female artists, and adapting her “Who Gives a Hoot?” game segment for feminist trivia. Although there was some concern regarding criticism from the station management and the community at large, within two weeks the number of women listeners in Southern California tripled, and KBRD was flooded by requests from companies and organizations to advertise products and services which would appeal to a female audience.
***
(the song Snoopy vs. The Red Baron fades and ends)
RAVEN: Ah, Snoopy… earning his wings with that hit from six months ago. The Royal Guardsmen on KBRD the Bird. I was at an airshow a couple of weeks ago out at Fox Field in Lancaster, and they asked me, “hey Raven, you ever flown one of those bi-planes before?” I was like, “bye-plane? I haven’t even said hello to it yet!”
(laughing Woody Woodpecker sound effect)
(1967 Pontiac Firebird commercial)
RAVEN: And you can check out the ’67 Firebird and other great Pontiac models at Ken Clark Pontiac on Crenshaw Blvd. Be sure to mention the Rockin’ Raven and ask about their “Bird Bonanza” special going on through July 4th.
(Station ID Jingle – “You’re flying high… night and day… playing all the hits… for Greater LA… right here on K…BRD! AM 1130, Los Angeles”)
RAVEN: It’s 11:08 Birdtime in the Nest, this is your Rockin’ Raven, and we’re taking
a request from Eagle-wood!
CALLER: Actually, that’s Inglewood.
RAVEN: Is that near “Hawk-thorne” by any chance? (Another Woody Woodpecker laugh) What can I play for you, Caller?
CALLER: Not a request, but I have a question. With you being a female DJ and all, shouldn’t K-Bird be called “K-Broad” now? (snickering male voices can be heard in the background)
RAVEN: (short pause) I like it! Thank you, Caller. Great idea! For the rest of the Rockin’ Raven show today, K-Bird will be known as K-Broad! Oh, we’re gonna have some fun with this! (Cuts Caller off the air before he can say anything else) We didn’t get a song request right then, but that’s okay… Nancy, you ready? Start walking!
(The song These Boots Are Made for Walkin’ by Nancy Sinatra plays)
RAVEN: It’s 11:13 Broad-time here on K-Broad Radio, your femme fatale the Rockin’ Raven with you til noon, and it looks like we’ve got some calls coming through the line, some of our lady listeners wanting to give their thoughts on our previous caller’s statement. (She puts the caller on the air) Caller, what’s your name and where are you calling from?
FEMALE CALLER: Yes, Rockin’ Raven? My name is Donna, and I’m calling from Huntington Beach.
RAVEN: Things rockin’ in Orange County today, Donna?
DONNA: Well, they were until that very rude man called in earlier with that disrespectful comment. I think your show is tops, Raven. I’m an accountant in one of the Beach Cities’ most successful firms, and I’m telling that man who called and everyone else listening that I’m no “broad.” And neither are the other successful women out there! And there are a lot of us. Keep rockin’, Raven… we love you!
RAVEN: (ends call) Aw, thank you, Donna! You keep standing up for us ladies and keep crunching those numbers! Speaking of numbers…
(Chanel Number 5 commercial)
Two Birds, One Feather: The Lives and Times of Lorewyn & Rhianyn in America Page 30