Otto 101 (Chapter 2)

Exactly thirty-five days after Otto's one hundredth birthday, the City of Burbank celebrated its' centennial on April 10, 2011. Grand Marshalls of previous Burbank parades included the likes of Walt Disney, John Wayne, and Johnny Carson. For the Centennial Parade, that honor went to Otto Jensen and the woman featured in this photograph.

The parade route along Olive Avenue went right by Jensen Studios. For many years past, the city of Burbank commissioned the Jensens to photograph the annual parade.
Otto was happy to oblige them but it would have been impossible if his photography business was a one man operation.

Marie used to call it Easy Sunday because we set up all the photo equipment right outside the door, without having to pack anything in the car. The sidewalk would be jammed with people who wanted their pictures taken. Most of that was done by my wife. We never had anything stolen or lost but the cash register made the loudest and most beautiful noises of the day.

Some of the actors featured in this Jensen film studio photograph may or may not have been featured in past City of Burbank parades.





I last spoke with Otto shortly after March 6, 2012. He made it to one hundred and one!
"I've got my health, my girlfriend, my studio, and my pool stick."
"Are you still going to the Burbank Y?"
"No, I shoot pool every day at the Joslyn Center?"
"You mean right across the street from your house."
"That's the place."
"How convenient."
"Yep. Life sure is good."


I do not know exactly how to segue to the next and last photograph except to say that not too long ago, a legendary photographer was an invisible presence on the internet. Then, upon reaching the age of one hundred, a journalist featured Otto in an online newspaper from Denmark, where Otto was born. After that, Otto was the Grand Marshall of the Burbank Centennial Parade.
Otto Jensen was 101 years old and suddenly there were 10,100,000 websites about him.