March-April 2003 Volume 36, Number 2 NOTE: This is an old issue of the Brushwood Gulch Gazette, which has been archived for reference purposes.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.

Contents:

Meeting Date Changed to April 1 Lassie Lou Ahern at April Meeting L&H Diplomacy Roach Music Resurgence

Previous Meeting Vera Ralston Remembered Artist Al Hirschfeld Dies Birthdays

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Next Meeting Date Changed To April First - Way Out West to be Shown

Due to circumstances beyond our control, the date of the next meeting has been changed to the evening of Tuesday, April the first! What better way to spend April Fool's Day? We will meet at our regular meeting place, The Mayflower Club, located at 11110 Victory Boulevard in North Hollywood. Doors will open at 6:30 PM and the meeting will promptly begin at 7:15 PM.

Our feature for the evening will be our tent's namesake, Way Out West. This film consistently ranks as one of the duo's best feature films, by both critics and fans alike. It has been six years since we last screened Way Out West, so if you haven't seen it since then you're long due to see it again. And if you've never seen Way Out West, you definitely won't want to miss your chance to see this true classic! In addition, we will also see Lassie Lou Ahern (see below) in the Charley Chase short His Wooden Wedding and Laurel & Hardy in their first sound film, Unaccustomed As We Are.

Come early for a drink at the Mayflower Bar or to grab a hot dog, which will definitely be on sale at this meeting. There will be cake for everyone during one of the breaks between films. In addition, we will also conduct a book raffle at this meeting, with the proceeds going to a future tent endeavor. So be sure to join us for a full evening of great films, great guests, and great laughs on Tuesday, April 1st.

Click here for a map to the Mayflower Club...

Lassie Lou Ahern at April Meeting

One of the treasures of the Way Out West Tent are our celebrity members. Two longtime favorite members are the "Ahern Sisters," Peggy and Lassie Lou. We will have the pleasure of Lassie Lou's company at our next meeting, in addition to screening one of her films.

As a child actor in the classics Call of the Wild and Uncle Tom's Cabin, she received rave reviews from the critics of the time. Lassie Lou worked in several Will Rogers and Our Gang Comedies at the Hal Roach Studios. She also played Charley Chase's daughter in several shorts, including The Family Entrance and Sweet Daddy. Later, Lassie teamed with her sister Peggy to create a very successful dance duo. As an adult, Lassie made appearances in such television programs as Love American Style and The Odd Couple.

Author Richard Bann will interview Lassie on stage, where she will reminisce about her days in Hollywood and at the Hal Roach Studios. Hope to see everyone at this very special meeting with this very special lady.

L&H Diplomacy

On February 12th, the television series The West Wing featured brief scenes from Laurel & Hardy's Babes in Toyland. In the episode, the president had an epiphany while watching the film. He later denies this, when his wife teases him for solving a political crisis by watching Laurel & Hardy!

Roach Music Resurgence

T. Marvin Hatley's Honolulu Baby can currently be heard in a Dole Fruit Bowl commercial. A new recording of the song has been made for the ad, with the original words "dark complexion" changed to "bright complexion." Hatley (pictured below with Stan Laurel) was a longtime member of our tent and is best known for composing the L&H trademark Coo Coo Song theme, while musical director at the Hal Roach Studios.

The recent Jackie Chan film Shanghai Knights featured several tunes commonly heard in Laurel & Hardy, Our Gang, and Charlie Chase shorts. The music in the film is performed by the Dutch Beau Hunks orchestra and was written by LeRoy Shield for the Hal Roach Studios. Another Shield tune was recently featured in a MasterCard commercial.

Previous Meeting

Members filled the Mayflower Club in January to watch Below Zero, Laughing Gravy, and Swiss Miss on the big screen. They also celebrated Oliver Hardy's and Hal Roach's birthdays.

Vera Ralston Remembered

Longtime Way Out West Tent member Vera Hruba Ralston Alva passed away on Sunday, February 9. Vera starred with John Wayne and Oliver Hardy in The Fighting Kentuckian. Vera and her husband Charlie were made Honorary Members of our tent at a banquet, which reunited her with "Kentuckian" co-stars Hank Worden and Marie Windsor.

Born in Prague, Czechoslovakia on July 12, 1923, Vera learned ice skating at a very early age from her brother, Rudy. She left Czechoslovakia just before the Germans invaded. Vera Hruba soon became the star of the "Ice Capades" and toured the United States. She starred in the film Ice Capades and was put under a long-term contract to Republic Studios by Herbert Yates, whom she would later marry. She made over two dozen feature films for the studio, including The Fighting Kentuckian. Vera had fond memories of working with the gentle Oliver Hardy, saying "He was so formal and kind to everyone on the set. He was a true gentleman!"

Yates passed away in 1966. Vera married Charles Alva in 1973. Charlie was the love of her life and vice versa. Both enjoyed travel, shows, sporting events, and a host of friends. They were watching the NBA All-Star game when Vera reminded Charlie of the many good times they had and just how much she loved him. Vera passed away a few minutes later after suffering a long battle with cancer. The Way Out West Tent will miss Vera very much and would like to send our heart felt condolences to Charlie.

Artist Al Hirschfeld Dies

On January 19, artist Al Hirschfeld passed away in Manhattan at the age of 99. Renown for his celebrity caricatures, which appeared in numerous books, magazines, and the New York Times drama pages, he drew a number of Laurel and Hardy sketches. It was a Hirschfeld drawing that was used for the duo's only United States postage stamp, which was issued in 1991.

Birthdays