NATIONAL CROQUET MUSEUM

While working on a film in 1960, famed Hollywood Director Jean Negulesco and actor Cesare Danova discovered that they shared a common off camera interest, croquet. Cesare invited Negulesco out to his Encino home for a match or two and when Jean arrived armed with his initialed Jaques mallet Cesare realized that his two inch high grass court and "back-yard" set with short rubber headed mallets were not at all what his director had expected. Jean suggested they go over to Beverly Hills and play at Sam Goldwyn's manicured courts and Cesare's life has not been the same since.

The ensuing twenty-eight years have seen Cesare cut his home court lawn to 1/2 inch and start the pioneer Los Angeles Croquet Club and as the USCA's Los Angeles District President founded the Beverly Hills Croquet Club after persuading the town fathers to allocate one of the lawn bowling greens at Roxbury Park for his club's use. After cementing an excellent relationship with the resident Lawn Bowling Club, they jointly succeeded in having the greens and club house completely refurbished resulting in one of America's outstanding lawn sport facilities.

When career commitments permit, Cesare's "have mallet will travel" spirit has led he and wife Patricia to USCA croquet courts from coast to coast. Currently living in Manhattan playing a lead role in ABC-TV's Ryan's Hope serial has made the Danovas active members of the New York Croquet Club where his swashbuckling style (he's often been compared to fellow actor Errol Flynn) can be viewed daily when shooting schedules and weather permit.

We welcome Cesare who joins many of his Hollywood friends in this long overdue role as an inductee to the US Croquet Hall of Fame.

Cesare Danova was inducted into the United States Croquet Hall of Fame in 1988.