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NOTE: This is an old issue of the Brushwood Gulch Gazette, which has been archived for reference purposes.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. |
Our April 25th meeting will present an in-depth look at the Hal Roach Studios, in a way that you've never seen it before. Authors Richard Bann and Marc Wanamaker will present rare (and in some cases never before seen) slides of the Hal Roach Studios in Culver City. Together, they will present a "tour" of the Roach lot, recreating for us something that was lost to the wrecking ball many years ago. This glimpse into the studio and the man behind it will begin back in New York and travel westward with Mr. Roach, where he was to find fame and fortune in Culver City. Richard Bann is the co-author of popular books such as Laurel and Hardy and The Little Rascals - The Life and Times of Our Gang. Marc Wanamaker founded the Bison Archives and has been a contributor to many documentaries on Hollywood.
The meeting will be at the Mayflower Club in North Hollywood, located at 11110 Victory Boulevard (west of Vineland Avenue). Doors will open at 6:30PM and the meeting will begin at 7:15PM. As always, the Fabulous Fisher Franks and the Mayflower Bar will be at the ready.
So, mark this date on your calendar and don't miss out on this rare event...this may very well be the closest we will ever come to knowing what it was like at the Roach Studios back in its heyday. We'll see you the evening of Tuesday, April 25, 2000.
Click here for a map to the Mayflower Club...
Sea-Tac 2000the 12th International Sons of the Desert Conventionis just around the corner, and we're happy to say that many Way Out West Tent members will be in attendance. For those who have not yet signed up, but are still interested in going, time is running out. The convention will be highlighted by a Laurel and Hardy Vaudeville Show in Tacoma's Pantages Theater, in addition to three banquets, several seminars, films, videos, a dealer's room with L&H memorabilia for sale, celebrities, and numerous games. It's sure to be a lot of fun. For more information or to get a registration form, ask at our next meeting or visit the convention website.
New Laurel and Hardy DVDs continue to be released, as Volume 6 of the "Lost Films of Laurel and Hardy" series is scheduled to be in stores on April 25. This disc will include Putting Pants on Philip, the popular 1928 silent film which has never before been available commercially on video. In addition, the DVD will contain That's My Wife, Flying Elephants, 45 Minutes from Hollywood, Charley Chase and Oliver Hardy in Crazy Like a Fox, and Stan Laurel in The Soilers. The disc may be ordered online from Amazon.com from one of the following links:
On May 2, the UCLA Film and Television Archive will present an evening of rare Laurel and Hardy short films and newsreels. The program will focus on some of Oliver Hardy's solo films, with screenings of King of the Kitchen and Two-Time Mama. Also to be shown are excerpts from a 1932 Hearst Metrotone Newsreel as well as the Spanish language version of Berth Marks and The Laurel-Hardy Murder Case, which is entitled Noche de Duendes. Archivist Rob Stone, who we all know as the author of Laurel or Hardy:The Solo Films of Stan Laurel and Oliver "Babe" Hardy, will present the program along with author Bob Dickson. The screening will take place on the UCLA campus at the James Bridges Theater, which is located near the intersection of Sunset Blvd. and Hilgard Ave. Admission is $6 and nearby parking is available on campus in Lot 3 for $5. Call (310) 206-8013 for more information.
The Way Out West Tent's founding Grand Sheik Bill Patterson, has recently completed his book on actress Inger Stevens. Entitled The Farmer's Daughter Remembered, the biography is the culmination of many years of research. It also features a foreword by actor William Windom, previously unpublished photos, and an appendix of her acting career. The book is available from Xlibris publishers at (888) 795-4274.
Long-time Way Out West Member and popular Los Angeles radio and television personality, Tom Hatten, received the lifetime achievement award from the Pacific Pioneer Broadcasters. Perhaps known best as the host of "The Adventures of Popeye" and "Popeye and Friends" on KTLA for many years, Hatten also presented Our Gang and Laurel and Hardy films to local audiences as part of the program "The Family Film Festival." Congratulations on a well deserved honor.
The meeting of March 14, 2000, began with Bob Duncan introducing our first film of the evening, Mickey's Polo Team, a Walt Disney cartoon featuring Mickey Mouse and the rest of the popular Disney characters along with Stan and Ollie, Charlie Chaplin, Harpo Marx, and Jack Holt. Vice-sheik, Jimmy Wiley led us in the Sons of the Desert song and the traditional toasts to the boys and company. The evening's film program was a salute to Walter Long. We started off with Any Old Port and The Live Ghost. At the break we celebrated the anniversary of Long's birthday (March 5th) with festive cakes. Laurel and Hardy costumer, Jay Dare was on hand to make the ceremonial first cut of the cakes. This was followed by our feature for the evening, Pardon Us which was a nice "finishing touch."
Ron Hall of Festival Films has informed us that all 16mm Blackhawk Films prints will go up in cost by 15% on May 15. This price increase will be on all Blackhwak films, including Laurel and Hardy and Our Gang. So, if you collect 16mm films be sure to order by May 15th and save. Festival Films may be reached at (952) 470-2172.
The Eddie Cantor Society will hold its annual convention July 21 - 22 at the Best Western Hotel and Convention Center in Hempstead, New York. Planned events include a Friday evening banquet, with guest stars (like radio personality Joe Franklin and renowned comedian Jerry Stiller, if Jerry is in town), a discussion panel, musical entertainment, and emceed by Jolson and Cantor fan, Jan Hernstat. On Saturday, there will be a morning continental breakfast followed by introductions from Jan Hernstat, Cantor Jeopardy with prizes, and a raffle. Lunch and Cantor film/TV show(s) will follow. 'A la cart prices are $50 per person each day, or $85 per person if you reserve for both days. Send your reservation with check or money order to The Eddie Cantor Appreciation Society, 14611 Valley Vista Blvd., Sherman Oaks, CA 91403. Act now, as seats may go fast! For more information, call Michelle Malik, at (818) 907-8895 or e-mail Cantorfan@aol.com.
He was born on December 14, 1880, in San Francisco, California. His birth year is also listed as 1881 in other sources. After starting his show business education on the stage as an actor and director, he began his film career with the Kalem Picture Company in 1911. He went on to direct many features, serials and comedy shorts. His credits in serials include The Shadow, Terry and the Pirates, Captain Midnight, and The Iron Claw. He directed Buster Keaton in College in 1927. At the Hal Roach Studios, he directed Stan and Ollie in such films as Our Wife, Laughing Gravy, and Any Old Port. His final directing credit was a serial entitled Perils of the Royal Mounted in 1942. He died on June 29, 1942, at the age of 60 or 61, depending on which birth year you go by, in Hollywood, California. Although he directed many L&H comedies, he is best remembered as "Abdul Kasim K'Horne," chief of the Riffs in the 1931 L&H three-reeler, Beau Hunks...James W. Horne
Helpmates
Released January 23, 1932. Starring Stan Laurel, Oliver Hardy, Blanche Payson, Robert Callahan and Robert "Bobby" Burns. After a wild night of partying, Ollie gets word that his wife will be arriving home at noon. Unfortunately, the house is in shambles from the night before and Ollie has nobody to turn to for help other than his pal Stan. Needless to say, Stan's help does nothing but make things worse.
85 Years Ago
80 Years Ago
75 Years Ago
70 Years ago
65 Years Ago
60 Years Ago
55 Years Ago
45 Years Ago
Sources for Looking Back:
Laurel & Hardy - The British
Tours, by A.J. Marriot
Laurel & Hardy - From the Forties
Forward, by Scott MacGillivray
Laurel & Hardy - The Magic Behind the
Movies, by Randy Skretvedt
Laurel or Hardy - The Solo Films of Stan Laurel and
Oliver "Babe" Hardy, by Rob Stone
May
4 Edgar Dearing Two Tars 5 June Lang Bonnie Scotland 8 Sam Lufkin Two Tars, Going Bye-Bye! 10 Johnny Arthur Pick a Star 11 Doodles Weaver Swiss Miss 11 Peggy Lynch (Margaret Kerry) Our Gang 18 Frank Capra Our Gang writer 20 Vivien Oakland Way Out West, Scram 20 Patricia Ellis Block-Heads 20 Edith Fellows Our Gang 20 Stanley Fields Way Out West 21 Ralph Sanford The Bullfighters 23 Max Davidson Call of the Cuckoos 26 Peter Cushing A Chump at Oxford 26 John Wayne The Fighting Kentuckian 26 Dorothy Christy Sons of the Desert 27 Willie Best A Haunting We Will Go 28 Minna Gombell Block-Heads 29 Iris Adrian Our Relations 30 Virgina Karns Babes in Toyland 30 Stepin Fetchit Zenobia
June
3 Paulette Goddard Berth Marks 8 Henry Brandon Babes in Toyland 8 Sheila Ryan Great Guns, A Haunting We Will Go 8 Dorothy Coburn The Finishing Touch 9 Bob Cummings Sons of the Desert 10 Hattie McDaniel Zenobia 12 William Austin County Hospital 13 Ralph Edwards This is Your Life 13 Ellen Corby Roach Studios Script Girl 15 Harry Langdon Zenobia 16 Stan Laurel 17 Flora Finch Way Out West 18 Mae Busch 24 Martha Sleeper The Chimp
Roach Studios
Recreated at April Meeting