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NOTE: This is an old issue of the Brushwood Gulch Gazette, which has been archived for reference purposes. Although some links have been updated, the text of this archived newsletter remains unchanged. Please keep in mind that these articles have NOT been updated to reflect changes that may have occurred since they were originally printed. Return to the index of archived issues. |
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There is some good news and some bad news. The good news is that the Way Out West Tent banquet will take place on October 16, 1999. The bad news is that we only have a few seats left. This will be the last notice for this year's big event so if you want to be one of those lucky people, get your reservations in NOW. The first ones to return their reservation forms will be accepted, based on the postmarked date. If you don't sign up in time, we'll let you know that you're on our waiting list. So don't delay!
This year's banquet will take place at the Culver Hotel, which has been featured on our tent's Los Angeles area location tours for years. Finally, we get the chance to go inside and see this newly restored landmark up close. Because of the overwhelming demand for this year's banquet, the hotel will close off its entire lobby and restaurant areas to provide us with the necessary space for our private event. Afterwards, with some simple rearranging, we will set up theater style seating so that everyone has a good seat for the program.
The cocktail hour will begin at 6:00PM, giving you a chance to mingle, have a drink, and check out the hotel site. Dinner will officially begin at 7:00PM, although those arriving early will be given a head start so as to prevent major congestion at the buffet line. The hotel will keep the buffet amply supplied throughout this time, but please arrive no later than 7:00PM so that you have adequate time to eat before the program begins. The buffet menu will consist of chicken picatta, roast beef with mushroom sauce, pan fried white fish, pasta primavera, garden and Caesar salads, mashed potatoes, steamed vegetables, corn on the cob, coffee or tea, and assorted cakes.
After dinner, the evening's program will feature celebrity introductions, awards, a raffle, and a few very special surprises that you're just going to have to wait to see! Because the evening's program is very full, we may not have time to screen all of the films listed below; they'll be shown at a future meeting, if necessary.
This will surely be a memorable night, in the very hotel that appeared in so many Laurel and Hardy, Charley Chase, and other Hal Roach comedies. So if you haven't made your reservations yet, don't wait. There are only a few seats left!
The Culver Hotel is located at 9400 Culver Boulevard, in Culver City. Click here to for directions, or call the Culver Hotel at (310) 838-7963.
From the 405 South:
From the 405 North:
From the 10 East:
From the 10 West:
The meeting of June 1, 1999 began with Bob Duncan introducing our first film of the evening, Charley Chase's Bad Boy. Vice-Sheik, Jimmy Wiley then led the Way Out West Tent chorus in the Sons of the Desert song followed by the toasts to the boys and the Hal Roach supporting players. Bob Duncan was back to introduce the next film and also bring us up to date on the trivia contest that was taking place throughout the evening. Members and guests were given questionnaires as they arrived and were asked to fill them out and turn them in. People were allowed to mingle and share their answers with each other. During the course of the evening, clues were dropped during the toasts and film introductions. By the end of the evening, Melanie Thompson was the only entry with all of the right answers. As her prize, she was awarded a copy of Scott MacGillivray's book, Laurel and Hardy - From The Forties Forward. Earlier, our film program continued with Stan and Ollie starring in County Hospital and The Fixer Uppers. At the break, we celebrated the 109th anniversary of Stan Laurel's birth with two birthday cakes. The evening concluded with Stan and Ollie and Alf and Bert mixing things up in the feature, Our Relations.
"The Lost Films of L&H, Volume 3" is now available on DVD. The disc contains Laurel and Hardy in Liberty, We Faw Down, The Lucky Dog, and Love 'Em and Weep, as well as the Oliver Hardy solo film Along Came Auntie and the Charley Chase film Bromo and Juliet.
The 12th International Convention will be held July 20 - 23, 2000 in Tacoma, Washington. You can get an official registration form and other information by visiting the "Sea-Tac 2000" web site at
He was born on March 17, 1905 in Westfield, New Jersey. A graduate of the University of Buffalo, he entered the theater in 1924 in Buffalo, New York. He played juvenile leads in such original New York productions as Backslapper, Still Waters, and House Party. He also played stock in Syracuse; Denver; Brooklyn; Patterson, New Jersey; and Freeport, Long Island. He stood 5'11" and weighed 150 pounds with dark brown hair and eyes. His film credits include Min and Bill with Wallace Beery and Marie Dressler, The Little Giant with Edward G. Robinson, and Cimarron with Irene Dunne and Richard Dix. His final film was Gunman of Abilene playing the role of Bill Harper in 1950. He died on November 18, 1982 at the age of 77 in Westlake, California. Laurel and Hardy fans remember him best as Eddie in Pack Up Your Troubles...Donald Dillaway.
Films to be show at the annual banquet, if time permits.
Putting Pants on Philip
Released December 3, 1927. Starring Stan Laurel, Oliver Hardy, Dorothy Coburn, Harvey Clark, and Sam Lufkin. Philip (Stan) arrives in America and meets his Uncle Piedmont Mumblethunder (Ollie). Among other things, "Uncle" is quite embarrassed by Philip's kilts and tries to get him fitted in a pair of pants. In addition to resisting the attempt to be fitted in a pair of pants, Philip spends his time chasing after women. Many shots of the Culver Hotel can been seen in this short.
Leave 'Em Laughing
Released January 28, 1928. Starring Stan Laurel, Oliver Hardy, and Edgar Kennedy. The boys go to the dentist to get rid of Stan's toothache. They wind up with an overdose of laughing gas. They leave the dentist and try to drive away only to cause a huge traffic jam and irritate the policeman on duty. The boys are seen starting their car in front of the Culver Hotel.
Limousine Love
Released April 14, 1928. Starring Charley Chase, Edgar Kennedy, Edna Marion, and Viola Richard. Charley winds up with a naked woman in the back seat of his car on his wedding day. He tries to get rid of the girl with the help of the men in his wedding party and the unsuspecting husband of the naked woman. The Culver Hotel can be seen as Charley drives around the building several times.
90 Years Ago
85 Years Ago
80 Years Ago
75 Years Ago
70 Years Ago
65 Years Ago
60 Years Ago
55 Years Ago
Sources for Looking Back:
Laurel or Hardy - The Solo Films of Stan Laurel and
Oliver "Babe" Hardy, by Rob Stone
Laurel and Hardy - The Magic Behind the
Movies, by Randy Skretvedt
Laurel & Hardy&emdash;From the Forties
Forward, by Scott MacGillivray
Laurel & Hardy - The British
Tours, by A.J. Marriot
September 2 Chuck McCann S.O.D. Co-founder 3 Alan Ladd Great Guns 4 Pete Smith Tree in a Test Tube 4 Mantan Moreland A Haunting We Will Go 8 Darwood "Waldo" Kaye Our Gang 12 Billy Gilbert The Music Box, Block-Heads 12 Dickie Moore Our Gang 15 Jackie Cooper Our Gang 16 Tommy "Butch" Bond Our Gang 17 Ben Turpin Our Wife, Saps at Sea 18 Robert Blake The Big Noise 20 Billy Bletcher Babes in Toyland 20 Blanche Payson Helpmates 26 Antonio Moreno The Bohemian Girl 28 Kay Deslys Perfect Day October 1 Charley Rogers A Chump at Oxford 2 Lois Roberts Mrs. Thomas Benton Roberts 2 George "Spanky" McFarland Our Gang 2 LeRoy Shield L&H music composer 3 Leo McCarey L&H director 3 Charles Middleton Pack Up Your Troubles 4 Scotty Beckett Our Gang 4 Buster Keaton The Stolen Jools 9 Frank Austin Laurel-Hardy Murder Case 9 Jim MacGeorge Stan Laurel Impressionist 10 Arthur Housman Scram, Our Relations 11 Mickey Daniels Our Gang 11 Frank Brownlee Midnight Patrol 17 Art Lloyd L&H cameraman 19 Daphne Pollard Our Relations, Thicker Than Water 20 Charley Chase Sons of the Desert, On the Wrong Trek 23 Jimmy Aubrey That's My Wife 25 Gordon "Porky" Lee Our Gang 28 Otto Fries Leave 'Em Laughing, Pardon Us
Annual Banquet:
Final Notice!