. >> hello, gladys. was glad to hear from you and not going to return. will write in a few days. >> that is a bath and the house behind. >> you can see the chimney heating that area. >> a pool opened in the 1920's. they talked about how they were going to keep it, but they never did. -- to heat it, but they never did. >> this is a publicity shot. this was the world's largest public pool. they had lifeguards in boats. this was a beautiful building. it is boarded up and full of rats and homeless folks. this is a parking lot now. $8 and you can park there. the beach was a big pleasure place. they would go for sunday picnics and stay all day. an amusement park developed to cater to these people. >> i think we have a shot of the fun house. >> she was not in the fun house. she was in a glass thing at the fun house. it was an animatronics robot who went "ha ha ha ha" all day and scared generations of san franciscans out of their wits. it has a month-to-month lease at fisherman's wharf. >> they moved it to this temporary location at fisherman's wharf. they left

. >> reporter: among them, the summer house 94-year-old gladys bought with her husband 60 years ago. >> i hope i can see something. >> reporter: from her car, she watched her daughter and granddaughter look for mementos of a happier time. >> your memories are in your head and your heart, not necessarily in your home, so we're going to rebuild. >> reporter: kay shook at the sight of her home in ruins. >> this is a piece of paradise. >> reporter: ken davis is a year-round resident. >> i've never seen anything like this. >> reporter: today irene made even the simple task hard. inside ken sees floors covered with sand, furniture ruined, and then finds something more valuable. >> my son's wedding pictures. >> reporter: irene got them too. >> that bothers me more than the chair. >> reporter: the stories are just heart wrenching. now, to help police establish law and order, 1,600 national guardsmen are on hand. so some communities have lifted curfews they imposed during the storm. brian? >> at least 600,000 homes still out in just connecticut, they're telling us tonight. anne thompson from

gladys lewis is a lab technician out of work for three years. >> i can't pay my bills.ome. i have no welfare. to get food stamps for the first time in my life. >> lewis is here joining thousands of others unemployed workers looking for a job. >> i'm unemployed and i'm here. i want to take advantage of it. >> i have been looking for a job for over a year now. that's crazy. >> jobs fairs like this one are part of a push by the congressional black caucus trying to tackle the unemployment problem facing african-america african-americans. 15.9% out of work compared to 9.1% for the nation. >> they were inviting us and we were going to work to connect employers with the unemployed. >> while lawmakers like congresswoman maxine waters focused on the black community, president obama wrapped up a bus tour reaching out to white communities in the midwest. >> so many things we have control over right now. we could be doing to put people back to work. >> a stark reminder of the growing frustration among the black community that the first african-american president is not doing enough

. ♪ another tear >> jean mcdaniels also wrote for aretha franklin, gladys knight and the pips, johnnyathis and ray charles. he was 76 years old. >>> lost foot and from the first film alfred hitchcock ever worked on was uncovered in new desouthland. he was 24 years old when worked on this film in 1923. it was sent to a film archive of the family of a new zealand projectionist. it will be restored and shown in september in beverly hills. >>> when abc 7 news at 9:00 continues tonight, caged in court. former strong man and former egyptian president hosni mubarak is wheeled into court. now, his sentence could be death. >>> mormons on a mission with two high profile contenders how the church is fighting back against people who ridicule their faith. >>> and if one drug company has its way you could be able to buy a cholesterol drug the same way you bias principle. >>> plus, does eating chocolate help build muscle?Ñ >>> good evening, once again. look at the headlines we are following tonight. victims rights groups and state lawmakers are uniting to prevent sexual predators from being freed f

. >> reporter: abc news sat down with armstrong's stepmother gladys who believes the show painted himvillain and ultimately pushed him over the edge. >> i know the show ruined his life. deep in my heart i know that because russell was not what he was made out to be. >> reporter: his famous widow taylor armstrong is in the middle of shooting a second season of "the real housewives of beverly hills" and much of her story line is centered around their turbulent relationship. >> i feel like i'm breaking. >> reporter: his family believes taylor's extravagant beverly hills lifestyle seemed to be too much for russell. >> i'm just writing the checks. >> i think that taylor was a little bit responsible. he just was pushed to the limit with her and trying to keep up with the joneses. >> reporter: taylor had filed for divorce in july citing physical abuse. russell armstrong's attorney claims his client blamed the show for his strained marriage and the pressure to one-up the fellow real housewives for sending him deep into debt. >> at first they probably thought the fame was great then he realize