Aerial photographer Robert Cameron dies Nov 13, 2009
His big break came in 1964, when he created and published "The Drinking Man's Diet," a concept that Chronicle columnist Herb Caen could embrace. "Herb Caen launched it, and it caused a lot of excitement and sold 2,400,000 copies at a dollar apiece," Mr. Cameron said in a Chronicle interview in 2005 ... Later editions added text by Alistair Cooke, Herb Caen and Chronicle columnist Art Hoppe. (San Francisco Chronicle)
From hotel to hospital - farewell to S.F. era Nov 1, 2009
Herb Caen, who jabbed at the pink and turquoise color scheme as often as he used an ellipsis, referred to another modern hotel built off Union Square as "the San Francisco Hilton, the box the Jack Tar Hotel came in.". And as late as 1983, a year after the Jack Tar had changed ownership and been drastically remodeled and repainted a sedate beige, a national wire service story about a fatal fire on the property noted, "A woman's body was found in the mezzanine ballroom of the 400-room, 12-story... (San Francisco Chronicle -- Sports)
Where we have come since 1961 Aug 2, 2009
The first category is the world of "restaurateur" Joe Paoli and "polo-playing" Charlie Low, the world of "doughty" Herb Caen and "perennial baseballer" Frank "Lefty" O'Doul. This is the world of tradition and wealth and rightness. (San Francisco Chronicle -- Opinion)
Holiday magazine: A majestic trip to 1961 S.F. Aug 2, 2009
One revealing spread, shot on a Powell and Mason cable car atop Nob Hill, is peopled by local legends: downtown restaurateur Joe Paoli; baseball luminary Frank "Lefty" O'Doul; author, nightclub owner and bullfight aficionado Barnaby Conrad; uber press agent Don Steele; advertising titan Howard Gossage; and Chronicle columnist Herb Caen. Caen, not even midway through his long and fabled career, could then justly claim - even if modesty prevented him from doing so - that San Francisco circa 1961... (San Francisco Chronicle -- Opinion)
Beat Museum a 'Howl' of a time Jul 23, 2009
The Chronicle's own Herb Caen (1916-1997) gets credit here more than once for coining the term beatnik. (The Beat Museum has no fear of redundancy, or no confidence in the viewer's short-term memory. (San Francisco Chronicle)
Walter Cronkite, from Bay Area point of view Jul 19, 2009
" Ed Moose, a journalist before he was a restaurateur, met Cronkite when "Herb Caen introduced me to him, before the convention in 1980 ... " Former Dean of the UC Berkeley Graduate School of Journalism Orville Schell met Cronkite in preparation for Cronkite's delivering the first Herb Caen/San Francisco Chronicle lecture. Caen and Cronkite were great friends. "He was tremendously old-school, despite his titanic reputation ... " Ann Caen met Cronkite through Herb Caen, in 1986 or so. "He was... (San Francisco Chronicle)
San Francisco's famous fog Jul 7, 2009
In his 1949 book, "Baghdad-by-the-Bay," Chronicle columnist Herb Caen wrote in the "This is San Francisco" chapter: "Newly formed whitish fog filtering through the harp strings of the Golden Gate Bridge and then puffing out its chest as though pleased with its dramatic entrance; but the only applause is the quiet lapping of the waves as they disappear under the silent mass.". Perhaps no place on earth is more associated with fog than this city, where the sometimes modest, sometimes overpowering... (San Francisco Chronicle)
A Tale of Two Buckleys Jul 7, 2009
This was picked up by Herb Caen of the San Francisco Chronicle and other papers in Los Angeles and New York. Buckley did not take kindly to being teased and wrote furious letters to Caen, to Mark Amory (editor of Evelyn Waugh s letters), and to my father. (The American Conservative)
Benny Goodman's music still swings May 27, 2009
"From the first note, the place was in an uproar," wrote Herb Caen, the late Chronicle columnist who was close with Goodman. The band apparently caused mayhem when it opened at the Palomar Ballroom in Los Angeles on Aug. 21, 1935, often called the night the Swing Era was born. (San Francisco Chronicle)
Caen's son making his mark at S.F. ad agency May 22, 2009
When you step off the elevator at Citizen Group ad agency in the Financial District, the person closest to the door is Citizen Caen - Christopher Herb Caen, 44, only child of the late Chronicle columnist ... What else would you expect at the foot of Herb Caen Way. (San Francisco Chronicle -- Entertainment)
Stories from behind the bar May 10, 2009
The combination of the two men s names was enough for Ripley s Believe It or Not to notice and for Herb Caen, a long-time columnist for the San Francisco Chronicle, to mention in his stories. In Shepherd Hall at the Santa Maria Library Saturday morning, Bourbon had the crowd laughing as he told a story about the well-known ghost at the inn. (Santa Maria Times)
Maybe paper's woes do stem from comics Apr 12, 2009
And I suddenly remembered: I started reading the colorful Sunday comics as a child in the late '70s, moved up to the daily comics, then added the Sporting (actually) Green, graduated to Herb Caen, etc. finally enjoying the entire paper. (San Francisco Chronicle -- Opinion)
Say no to Muni fare increase Apr 7, 2009
Re-reading Herb Caen makes me wonder why the Chronicle doesn't find and publish contemporary writers who can tell the stories of our Bay Area lives today, with equal grace and wit ... Once a luminary like Herb Caen passes on, his influence on San Franciso is viewed in perspective and not always favorably ... If you want to slow down what may be your inevitable demise, stop using all that expensive ink on Herb Caen articles. (San Francisco Chronicle -- Opinion)
The legman on the iron man Apr 6, 2009
For six of those years, I was Herb Caen's legman - a vanishing newspaper term of the type beloved by nostalgic Uncle Herb - and watched the master in action as he shaped the column that defined San Francisco and consumed his life. Remembering Herb Caen ... For six of those years, I was Herb Caen's legman - a vanishing. (San Francisco Chronicle)
Herb Caen, Nov. 1, 1987: Bumping elbows with the Bright Young Things Apr 5, 2009
Article:Herb Caen, Nov. 1, 1987: Bumping elbows with the Bright:/c/a/2009/04/03/DD61167T8H.DTL Article:Herb Caen, Nov. 1, 1987: Bumping elbows with the Bright:/c/a/2009/04/03/DD61167T8H.DTL ... In later years, Herb Caen was quick to criticize aspects of the new San Francisco ... A timeline of Herb Caen's life. (San Francisco Chronicle)
Too many deaths, new reverence for life Apr 4, 2009
A four-page tribute to Herb Caen. This article appeared on page F - 1 of the San Francisco Chronicle. (San Francisco Chronicle)
Herb Caen: Feb. 5, 1967, Trippin' with Caen and Kesey Apr 3, 2009
Herb Caen turned 50 in 1966, as the social tumult of the 1960s hit high gear. Instead of staying safely on his side of the Generation Gap, Caen was intrigued - even joining countercultural icon Ken Kesey on a non-psychedelic trip for the column of Feb. 5, 1967. (San Francisco Chronicle)
A tip of the hat to Herb Caen Apr 1, 2009
Long before there were tweets or blogs, Herb Caen understood the potent allure of gossip and news, local and fresh, nonstop and succinct ... But the truly unique honor came in June 1996: A crowd estimated at 75,000 gathered in front of the Ferry Building to celebrate as the promenade along the Embarcadero was christened Herb Caen Way ... Dipping into early Herb Caen columns is disorienting - not only is the cast of characters obscure, he hadn't yet found his voice. (San Francisco Chronicle)
Herb Caen, April 21, 1957: A day with Frank and Rita Apr 1, 2009
When he returned to San Francisco after serving in World War II, Herb Caen became a local celebrity whose columns were collected into best-selling books ... Remembering Herb Caen. (San Francisco Chronicle)
KCBS takes over top spot from KGO Mar 22, 2009
Barbieri is an unlikely radio personality, given his raspy voice, which he issues in a querulous whine, and which earned him the nickname "the Razor," from none other than Herb Caen. For his passion as a sports fan and talker, he gets a large and loyal following. (San Francisco Chronicle -- Entertainment)
More than a morning companion Mar 8, 2009
Surely, Herb Caen and Art Hoppe are rolling over in their graves. What's next, the cable cars. (San Francisco Chronicle -- Opinion)
Return of a classic Feb 23, 2009
" Cab drivers and Herb Caen called it the Washbag, and so did tourists pretending to be hip. Purists called it the Square. But whatever they called it, the joint was a hit. It was full of smoke and music every night. It was full of celebrities: 49er quarterbacks, Giants stars, politicians, mayors, senators, musicians. Ordinary patrons were three deep at the bar. It was so crowded one night that Moose couldn't get in. It was so busy that a rival joint opened across the street to accommodate the... (San Francisco Chronicle)
Cocktails Of The City Feb 19, 2009
I thought that I might call the drink the Herb Caen Cocktail, in tribute to the man who was probably The Chron's most colorful columnist, a guy who liked his vodka martinis - made with what Caen referred to as vitamin V. But turns out that Mister San Francisco already has a drink named for him - made with "herbs" (basil and mint leaves) and cachaca, a Brazilian spirit made from sugar "cane." Geddit. I'm not sure that Mr. Caen would approve, but the deed has been done. (San Francisco Chronicle -- Crime)
How irony loses its irony Feb 19, 2009
The word beatnik was coined by Herb Caen, a columnist for the San Francisco Chronicle, in 1958, to refer humorously to the pretensions of the bohemians who called themselves beat, from beaten down, fatigued or downtrodden. (Contrary to popular belief, beat didn't refer to music. (Globe and Mail)
- Life Out Here: Column decides to come clean 0 Feb 11, 2009
This column added that it was its ambition to reach the pantheon of the all-time great columns such as those by Carl Hiaasen, Herb Caen, H.L. Mencken, Dave Barry and Andy Coulter (this column preferred his work pre-op) that led it to take the performance-enhancing drugs, an action it now said it deeply regrets. Asked what specific drugs this column ingested when it tested positive twice in 2003, this column responded that it was a loosy-goosy, cutey little masseuse-y time back then and many... (El Centro Imperial Valley Press, CA)
