NOTE: This is an old issue of the Brushwood Gulch Gazette, which has been archived for reference purposes.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 June 11th meeting returns to Tuesday evening and our old stomping grounds at the Mayflower Club, located at 11110 Victory Boulevard in North Hollywood. The doors will open at 6:30 p.m. and the meeting will start at 7:15 p.m.
Our special celebrity guest will be Buddy MacDonald. Buddy attended our banquet in October, but this will be his first regular meeting. We will first see Buddy in the Our Gang short Teacher's Pet and the Todd-Pitts short On the Loose (which features Laurel and Hardy in a cameo). After a question and answer period, we will conclude the evening with our feature film, Pardon Us. Buddy was originally in the ending sequence of Pardon Us, but was left on the cutting room floor when the film's final scenes were reworked. Film historian Richard W. Bann recently "discovered" Buddy, and will be conducting the evening's interview. We would also like to thank Richard for supplying the film prints that will be screened. This promises to be a very special night.
As always, Famous Fisher Franks will be on sale, and the Mayflower Bar will be open. There will also be a raffle. Full paid members please bring your membership card to get in and to pick up your free issue of the Intra-Tent Journal. Also, remember that all of your guest passes expire at the end of this yearÉso bring along a friend, too! Be sure to join us now, as this will be our last meeting before our banquet on September 14.
Click here for a map to the Mayflower Club...
For the first time in many years, almost all of Laurel and Hardy's films are available on home video. While silent films have been available on VHS and DVD for a number of years, most of the sound films have been unavailable. Recently, a company called Nostalgia Family Video released a collection of ten tapes, each with four short sound films. Several feature films are also available (on additional tapes). This means that 95 of Laurel & Hardy's 106 films are readily available on video, as opposed to only 45 a few months ago! These videos are only available on VHS (no DVDs), and each volume is the same as those sold by "Nostalgia Merchant" in the 1980s. All of these tapes are available by mail from Movies Unlimited, an outfit that specializes in hard-to-find videos. Ordering information for each tape can be found here.
The next Sons of the Desert International Convention will be this summer in Nashville, Tennessee. Many members of the Way Out West tent are signed up, but if you plan on joining them you'll have to act soon...the deadline for registering will be the end of June. For more information, please visit the convention website at http://www.nashville02.com/.
This will also be our last newsletter before the International Convention this summer in Nashville. If you're not attending, be sure to check this page for daily updates from the convention.
While Stan Laurel's 112th birthday would have been just around the corner, his family has two new births to celebrate. Stan's great-granddaughter Cassidy gave birth to twins on May 8, 2002. Cassidy and husband Justin are the proud new parents of son, Thomas Anthony and daughter, Lucy Rose. We wish them all the best.
A decade ago, the Culver Hotel was nearly abandoned and looked as if it would soon see the wrecking ball. The hotel, which is seen in many silent Laurel & Hardy films (including Putting Pants on Philip and We Faw Down), has always been one of the highlights of L&H location tours. So, when a million dollar renovation of the historic building took place several years ago, we were elated to see the hotel looking as good as the day it opened. Just three years ago, the Way Out West Tent held a very successful banquet there. Now, plans for a new theater multiplex could result in the hotel closing once again.
The Los Angeles Times reports that the problem has to do with parking. The new theater complex will be built on an empty lot directly behind the hotel, which had previously been available for guest parking. The city has now closed this municipal lot and contends that a parking structure two blocks away is sufficiently convenient for hotel guests. Even worse, the hotel has lost its loading zone, so guests have nowhere to stop to check on room availability and taxis have nowhere to load or unload guests. The hotel has asked for permission to use a nearby alley as a loading area, but the city has refused to allow this and has aggressively issued tickets to violators.
The city supports the building of this multiplex, which it says will help in the continued revitalization of the area. But how much will an abandoned landmark right in the middle of this revitalization detract from the neighborhood? If the city is truly trying to bring new life to its downtown, shouldn't its interest be focused on helping all of its local businesses?
Fondly we remember Our Gang's Eugene "Pineapple" Jackson for the many times he entertained us with song and dance at Way Out West meetings and banquets. Now, many of those same numbers will be performed in his honor by more than 80 dance students. "It's Show Time" will take place at 2:30 PM on Sunday, June 23, 2002 at the Wilshire Ebell Theater. For more information, contact the Sue B. Dance Company at (626) 798-8285.
Thelma Todd's Pacific Pallisades home has gone up for sale. This ocean-side building was her last residence. The asking price is $4.7 million.
Author Ray Bradbury has been honored with the 2,193rd star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame. It is located near Larry Edmunds Book Store on Hollywood Boulevard. Mr. Bradbury, who attended our banquet last October, has authored two short stories inspired by Laurel & Hardy.
A British trio called the Avalon Boys (which took its name from the vocal group in the film Way Out West) has recently released a live recording of 15 songs from L&H films. More information can be found on their website at: http://www.avalonboys.co.uk
Our condolences to the family of Barrie Finney. Barrie passed away on May 18. He was a member of Birmingham, England's Laughing Gravy Tent. His involvement during the hosting of the International Sons of the Desert Convention in 1998 made him friends with fellow Sons from around the world, and his absences is sure to be felt at this summer's convention.
L&H co-star Jacquie Lyn passed away on March 21, 2002. She worked for the Hal Roach Studios and MGM between the ages of 3 and 5, appearing in two Our Gang shorts. But we remember her best for her on-screen work with Laurel and Hardy, as Eddie's daughter in the feature film Pack Up Your Troubles.
Born in England as Jaquelyn Dufton, she worked in pictures under the name Jacquie Lyn. Her brief career as a child actor came to an end when her stepfather asked for more money than the studios were willing to pay. Later, she married and became Jacquelyn Woll.
Jacquie was rediscovered by the Sons of the Desert because of a home movie taken by Stan Laurel. The movie showed Jacquie playing with Stan's daughter Lois. The brief film was featured on a video that Jacquie's son had purchased for her in the early '90s. In the introduction to this video, Lois asked the whereabouts of Jacquie. Jacquie contacted the address given in the video, and soon attended two Sons of the Desert International Conventions. She also attended several Way Out West Tent meetings and banquets. Jacquie was scheduled to attend the upcoming International Convention in Nashville this summer.
Donations in the name of Jacquie Lyn may be made to the Motion Picture and Television Fund, 22212 Ventura Boulevard, Suite 300, Woodland Hills, CA 91364-9952.
Joe Cobb, known best for the role of "Joe" during the silent era of the Our Gang comedies, passed away of natural causes May 21, 2002. Born November 7, 1917 in Shawnee, Oklahoma, Joe and his family moved to Culver City when he was five. The Hal Roach Studios hired Joe in 1923.
Joe appeared in 86 Our Gang films, including Seeing the World with Stan Laurel and Thundering Fleas with Oliver Hardy. He was among the Our Gang members in the all-star short 45 Minutes from Hollywood, which also featured Laurel and Hardy.
After seven years he became too old to be one of the kids, so the studio sent him on publicity tours as a representative of the gang. He even returned to play older roles in three additional Our Gang films in the 1930s. Following his acting career, Joe went to work for North American Aviation. He worked there for nearly 40 years, before retiring in 1981.
Joe reunited with numerous Our Gang members in 1980, when the Way Out West tent hosted the Second International Sons of the Desert Convention in Los Angeles. Joe was a long time member of our tent, attending both meetings and banquets. Although his health kept him from attending recent meetings, members of the Way Out West tent remained in close contact with him.
Donations in the name of Joe Cobb may be made to the Motion Picture and Television Fund, 22212 Ventura Boulevard, Suite 300, Woodland Hills, CA 91364-9952.
In a tragic accident, Our Gang's Darwood "Waldo" Smith was hit by a small truck while taking a walk through his neighborhood on May 15, 2002. The truck drove onto the sidewalk, where it struck and killed him. The driver of the vehicle fled the scene and no arrests have been made.
As "Waldo" in Our Gang, Darwood appeared in 21 films. He was cast as the skinny kid with glasses, who was Alfalfa's rival for Darla. During his acting career he was known as Darwood Kaye. He retired from show business, when he was a teenager.
With acting behind him, Darwood converted to the Seventh-day Adventist faith and became a pastor. He and his family were missionaries in Thailand for 17 years. After returning to the States, he worked in churches throughout California as the Reverend Kenneth Smith.
Darwood was a long time member of our tent, attending meetings and banquets. Most recently, he joined us in October 2001 for our annual banquet. Services were held May 25, with over one thousand people turning out to pay their respects.
Donations in memory of Darwood Smith can be made to the Darwood Kenneth Smith Memorial Church in Chiangmai, Thailand. Checks can be made out to La Sierra University Church and sent to Grand Sheik Bob Satterfield at P.O. Box 448, Patton, CA 92369.
April 1st was no Fool's Day for our members and the public that attended our last meeting, at the Silent Movie Theatre in Hollywood. It was the first time in a long time that the Way Out West Tent actually met in Hollywood, and was the very first time we met at this historic theater.
Although our scheduled guest Edith Fellows could not be with us in person, she appeared on screen in the Charlie Chase classic Movie Night. The rest of the film program featured the Boys' silent films From Soup to Nuts, Leave 'Em Laughing, Their Purple Moment, Liberty, and Two Tars. Our Gang's Margaret Kerry was in attendance, as was L&H costumer Jay Dare.
The fun of seeing these films on the big screen was enhanced by the piano and organ accompaniment of the very talented Bob Mitchell, who has been delighting audiences since the 1920s. It was a great evening, and we hope to revisit the Silent Movie Theatre in the future.
Last issue, we reported on twenty nine members who remained for our entire film marathon in January. That number should have been thirty, as we forgot our very own Sub-Vice Vizier Bob Duncan. Sorry Bob!
Happy birthday wishes to another great comedy team, Sid Kibrick (July 2) and Tommy Bond (September 16). Tommy played "Butch" and Sid was his sidekick "Woim" in many Our Gang Comedies.
Sid was in a total of twenty-six Our Gang films, usually credited as "Woim." These include such favorites as Glove Taps, Pay as You Exit, Rushin' Ballet, and the Oscar winning Bored of Education. He was also in the classic films Dead End and The Great O'Malley, both with Humphrey Bogart.
Tommy appeared with Our Gang twenty-eight times, first as Tommy before becoming the bully "Butch." He also appeared with Stan and Ollie in the feature film Block-Heads. In the "Gas House Gang Series" Tommy reunited with Alfalfa. He was also the very first Jimmy Olsen in the serial Superman, starring Kirk Alyn.
The duo appeared together in thirteen films. Their last appearance together was in 1939, in the short Captain Spanky's Show Boat. In 1980 they were reunited at the Second International Sons of the Desert Convention in Los Angeles. Happy birthday to both of these long time Way Out West members!
June | ||
3 | ||
8 | ||
8 | ||
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12 | ||
13 | ||
13 |
Roach Studios Script Girl | |
15 | ||
16 |
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18 |
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24 |
July | ||
2 | ||
2 |
Our Gang | |
4 | ||
5 |
Our Gang | |
5 | ||
8 | ||
12 |
Alice Cooke | |
18 | ||
18 | ||
18 |
Bill Patterson |
Founding Shiek of Way Out West Tent |
19 | ||
19 |
Harvey Wasden |
Roach Studios Crew Member |
20 | ||
20 | ||
22 |
Sons of the Desert founding member | |
23 | ||
29 |
August | ||
4 | ||
5 | ||
6 | ||
6 |
Our Gang | |
8 |
Our Gang | |
9 |
Our Gang | |
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23 |
Our Gang | |
26 |
Film Editor | |
27 |
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27 |
Roach Studios Prop Department | |
30 |
Julie Bishop (Jacqueline Wells) |
September | ||
2 |
Sons of the Desert founding member | |
3 |
Our Gang | |
3 | ||
4 | ||
4 | ||
7 |
Lois Laurel Sr. |
Mrs. Stan Laurel |
8 |
Our Gang | |
12 |
Arthur Jefferson |
Stan's Father |
12 |
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12 |
Our Gang | |
15 |
Our Gang | |
16 |
Block-Heads, Our Gang | |
17 | ||
18 |
The Big Noise, Our Gang | |
19 |
Joy Lane |
Babes in Toyland, Our Gang |
20 | ||
26 |