May-June 2004 Volume 37, Number 3 The Brushwood Gulch Gazette is the newsletter of the Way Out West Tent. It is published five times a year, shortly before regular tent meetings. Members receive the complete printed edition in the mail. The online edition features most of the articles found in the printed version, minus photos.

Contents:

Sons of the Desert To Be Shown at June Meeting Annual Banquet Date April 2004 Meeting Notes

Fabulous Fisher Franks Birthdays

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Sons of the Desert To Be Shown in Honor of Stan's Birthday in June

On June 15th we will honor the comedy genius of Stan Laurel with a selection of classic films, all of which feature the Boys in a state of blissful matrimony.

Our feature presentation will be Sons of the Desert (1933), in which the Boys sneak away from the wives to attend a convention. Both film historians and fans alike often rank this as Laurel & Hardy's best film. This will be the first time that we have shown this film since 1999, so don't miss your chance to see this classic on a big screen with an audience of fans! As a bonus, all attendees will receive a special program on the history of the film.

Also to be shown are Twice Two (1932), which features the Boys in dual roles as both Mr. Laurel & Mr. Hardy, and also as Mrs. Laurel & Mrs. Hardy. In Chickens Come Home (1931), Ollie's being blackmailed by a former girlfriend and it's up to Stan to keep her away from Ollie's wife.

The meeting will take place at the Mayflower Club, located at 11110 Victory Boulevard in North Hollywood. Doors open at 6:30 PM and the meeting starts at 7:15 PM. There will be cake during one of the breaks in honor of Stan Laurel's birthday. "Fabulous Fisher Franks" and drinks from the bar will be on sale. We'll see you for a night of big laughs on Tuesday, June 15th.

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

Annual Banquet Date

The Way Out West Tent's annual banquet will take place October 2, 2004 at the Beverly Garland Hotel in North Hollywood. Mark your calendars now. Additional details will be announced in an upcoming newsletter.

April Meeting Notes

In April, the Way Out West Tent paid tribute to frequent Laurel & Hardy co-star, Mae Busch. We saw Mae in five L&H films: Going Bye-Bye!, Oliver the Eighth, Come Clean, Them Thar Hills, and Tit for Tat. Everyone in attendance received ice cream during the break. We also celebrated the birthday of long time Way Out West Tent member Jay Dare, who was a costumer for Laurel & Hardy at 20th Century Fox.

What Makes the Fisher Franks SoFabulous?

Longtime members, as well as first time guests, have probably ordered one of the best hot dogs they ever had from Sharron Fisher. Sharron, along with her late husband Al, have been serving their "Fabulous Fisher Franks" for many years now, but their ties to Laurel & Hardy go back even before the founding of the Sons of the Desert.

Years ago, Al and Sharron were watching a Laurel & Hardy Festival on KNXT Channel 2. During the telecast, veteran southland newscaster Jerry Dumphy mentioned that Stan Laurel lived in Santa Monica and wished him the best, if he was watching. Sharron looked up Stan's address in the phone book and wrote to him the very next day. It was Stan Laurel that told her about the Laurel & Hardy Club (an organization which predates the Sons of the Desert).

The Fishers joined the Laurel & Hardy Club, which met at the Zanzibar in Duarte around 1963. The club bought Stan Laurel a color TV, and Sharron and Al were among the members that were on hand when the television was delivered. Sharron and Al also received an invitation to return to Stan's Oceana apartment.

When they next visited Stan Laurel, they brought their three young boys (ages 3 to 7). Ida Laurel answered the door and let them in. She visited with them until Stan entered the room.

Sharron said of the visit, "He walked slowly because this was after his stroke. Mrs. Laurel excused herself. I was amazed at his blue eyes and his traces of red hair&emdash;even though most of his hair was white by then.

"Stan's honorary Oscar was sitting on top of his new TV set. He had many photos and paintings of the Boys from all over the world throughout the house. I also remember a signed photo from Jerry Lewis as well.

"He was so good with the boys. He did the 'Kneesy, Earsy and Nosey' bit for us. He also did his high-pitched laugh and scratched his head. I had our youngest on my lap so he would not get into any trouble. The next day my leg was black and blue from him kicking it when he was laughing!

"I also remember [Stan] telling us that he gets letters from fans from all over the world. Some address the letters to Laurel and Hardy. He also received invitations from people who would like the two of them to come live with them, so they wouldn't get into any more trouble.

"When we got back in the car, we realized what a wonderful experience we had just had and was sorry we didn't bring a camera."

Years later, after the Laurel & Hardy Club was no more, the Fishers found out about the Sons of the Desert. They were watching Ben Hunter on KTLA Channel 5, and he mentioned the organization. They volunteered to help out at one of our tent's semi-annual mini-banquets, when we met at the Golden Valley Auditorium. The Fishers have been serving hot dogs ever since. Sharron's beloved husband, Al, passed away in 1999.

Here's a tip of our derby to Sharron Fisher for her loyal support of the Boys. Thank you, Sharron, for all you do!

Birthdays