July 20, 1967: No kids? No problem.

Diary entry for July 20, 1967:

David went to work this morning. DW and I walked Sunset Blvd. We are not going to have to spend money for entertainment - just watch people. I had my hair cut. DW and I watched the people shooting a scene from movie. Andy Williams' wife was in it. David came home about 3 o'clock and we went out to look for apartment. We had a terrible time finding one that would allow children. About 6:30 we found one on Normandie Street. I really like it. Spent the night at motel for the last time.

Let's hope when we walked Sunset Boulevard I was a bit more restrained about yelling "Hippies!" when I spotted them than I was when we drove it. That movie we saw being filmed must have been The Party, released in 1968. It was directed by Blake Edwards and starred Claudine Longet (Andy Williams' wife) and Peter Sellers.  Here's the plot synopsis from IMDB: "A clerical mistake results in a bumbling Indian film star being invited to an exclusive Hollywood party instead of being fired." ["Hilarity ensues" must have been accidentally deleted from the end.] Claudine Longet divorced Andy Williams in 1975, and then was convicted of negligent homicide after fatally shooting her boyfriend (an Olympic skier) in 1976. (But she just paid a fine and had to serve 30 days. At her convenience.) I think Peter Sellers was in some other films in addition to this one. I'm going to declare this diary entry the first one of historical significance, because that movie was the only Blake Edwards - Peter Sellers collaboration that was not a Pink Panther movie. A landlord that won't rent to families with children? Hey, there ought to be a law against that. Oh wait, there is. The Fair Housing Act of 1968 made that illegal. Familial status became a protected class along with national origin, race, religion, disability, gender, or handicap. Since this was 1967, refusing to rent to families with children under 18 was still legal, causing a bit of grief for some families as you can see here. (I knew there would be some history lessons along the way. You're welcome.)