It was still dark in the pre-dawn hours of May 15, 2013, when I stepped out of the elevator into the vast lobby of the Fontainbleau Hotel on Miami Beach.
The lobby was dark, too, save for the eerie pink and blue lights of the bar and a dim incandescent light at the far end of the lobby.
I was on my way out to photograph sunrise on the beach, but I immediately sensed movement in the dark lobby, and heard muffled voices. Suddenly I was nearly blinded by a flood of light, and I saw a shadowy figure scurrying up a curved staircase.
It was the famous "Stairway to Nowhere" created in 1954 by the Fontainbleau architect Morris Lapidus specifically for grand entrances and photo ops . . .
Image courtesy of Library of Congress
. . . from Sports Illustrated swimsuit models . . .
. . . to the Marvelous Mrs. Maisel:
As I quietly moved closer, more lights came on, and I could see that this was a set-up for recording a movie or TV scene.
Over in a dimly lit corner of the lobby I saw a man in a chair attended by a makeup artist, but I didn't recognize him.
When he put on his glasses, though, I realized he was Charles Osgood.
Meanwhile, the crew was setting the lighting on the staircase, using crew members as stand-ins for Osgood.
When everything was ready, Osgood took his position on the stairs.
A few final wardrobe adjustments . . .
. . . and then: "Ready . . . Roll tape and prompter!"
Take 2:
"Cut! It's a wrap!"
I learned later that Osgood was doing a segment for "CBS Sunday Morning" about the now-classic "Miami Modernist" architecture of the 1950s and 60s. The Fontainbleau, with its Stairway to Nowhere, is a prime example.
Still, there's a mystery. Where does the Stairway to Nowhere actually go?
It goes to a small area with a few closed doors marked "Employees Only." But yesterday, for Charles Osgood, it was a Stairway to Heaven.
If you would like to see these images in a larger format, please visit my photography website, Todos Juntos Photography, by clicking here.
I could not get enough of Charles Osgood. What a wise man, and loved to hear his prose, his piano music, and his good will towards all. Glad you got to see him in action. A nice story and tribute to a special man who will be remembered and missed by so many. / Barry
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