Laurel and Hardy Society Sons of the Desert Way Out West Tent Los Angeles
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The Brushwood Gulch Gazette is the newsletter of the Way Out West Tent. It is published six 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.

Old Time Night at the Movies April 17th

Join us on Tuesday night, April 17th, for something a little different. Along with our regular Laurel & Hardy films, the song, the toasts, and cake, we will also screen a cartoon, trailers, and a newsreel. We will also offer popcorn and candy and have a raffle. Put all those things together, in the right order, and you will have an old time night at the movies.

After we screen our cartoon, trailers, and newsreel, our first film for the evening will be Movie Night (1929). In this Charley Chase silent two reeler, Charley, his wife, his young daughter (Edith Fellows), and his brother-in-law try to enjoy a night out at the movies. Movie Night was Edith Fellow's first film and a great start for a long career in films and later television. As most of you know, Edith was a longtime member of our Tent and passed away just last year at the age of 88.

Next we will screen Them Thar Hills (1934). When Ollie comes down with a case of gout, his doctor (Billy Gilbert) tells Ollie and Stan that the best treatment for Ollie's gout would be for the Boys to take a trip to the mountains. While in the mountains, after preparing a meal in their trailer and drinking some "tasty well water," Stan and Ollie meet a married couple (Mae Busch and Charlie Hall) who have just run out of gas. WARNING: if you're coming to the meeting, be prepared for "audience participation" during the film's catchy Pom-Pom Song.

Our feature for the evening will be our Tent's namesake, Way Out West. Way Out West was released on April 16, 1937, seventy-five years and one day before our April 17th meeting. In a nutshell, Stan and Ollie visit the western town of Brushwood Gulch to find Mary Roberts (Rosina Lawrence) to give her the deed to her late father's gold mine. Along the way, the Boys meet the sheriff's wife (Vivien Oakland), the sheriff (Stanley Fields), the owner of the local saloon Mickey Finn (James Finlayson), Finn's wife and saloon singer Lola Marcel (Sharon Lynn), and Dinah the mule (played by herself). In Way Out West, Stan and Babe are not only at the top of their game in comedy, but they also sing and dance!

For any members who have not paid their 2012 dues yet, please pay them at our April meeting. All memberships must be renewed each January. Dues are unchanged from last year and rates are listed here. As always, thank you for your support.

The Mayflower Club is located at 11110 Victory Boulevard in North Hollywood. Our doors open at 6:30 p.m. Our meeting starts at 7:15 p.m. "Fisher Franks" (100% beef hot dogs) with your choice of chips will be sold at The Mayflower Club Kitchen. Refreshments will be sold at The Mayflower Club Bar. Free cake will be served on our second break. Don't miss our "Old Time Night at the Movies" on Tuesday night, April 17th at The Mayflower Club!

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


Second Raffle for Our 2012 UCLA Donation

For any of you who couldn't participate in our first raffle that we had at our February meeting, we will have a second raffle at our April 17th meeting. As we did in February, all the proceeds from our second raffle will be donated to the UCLA Laurel & Hardy Preservation Fund. Cash donations are also welcome. In total, we collected $233 from the raffle and cash donations in February. You guys were great! But it sure would be nice, if we could raise at least another $177 to bring our total donation for 2012 an even $400.00. Can you help us?


Notes From Our February Meeting

For our February meeting, after we sang the Song and gave our toasts, we screened Going Bye-Bye!, Unaccustomed As We Are, and Block-Heads.

Going Bye-Bye! is always a Way Out West favorite, and it was again in February. Because Unaccustomed As We Are and Block-Heads both have very similar plots, we all got to compare how much Laurel & Hardy films have changed from 1929 to 1938. Music was the most obvious difference in the two films, with no music in Unaccustomed As We Are and a full T. Marvin Hatley score in Block-Heads. However, the vast improvement that Stan and Babe made in their use of dialog and timing in Block-Heads over Unaccustomed As We Are, was a very close second.

Thanks to Stan Taffel, Rita Crandall, James Romero, Victor D'Agostino, Ken Runyan, Dave Griem, and Bob Duncan for helping me with our toasts and singing the Sons of the Desert Song. Also thanks to Tegan Summer and Bob Duncan for helping me with raffle. Finally, special thanks to all our members who bought raffle tickets and/or donated cash to the UCLA Fund.


2012 SOD Int'l Convention in New Hampshire

If you are still planning on attending this year's Sons of the Desert International Convention in Manchester, New Hampshire, and you haven't registered yet, the good news in that you still can register. The bad news is that your time to register is quickly running out and air fares to New Hampshire are going no where but up. Take it from many Way Out West members who have attended past Conventions, Sons of the Desert Conventions are a lot of fun and a good way to make new friends with people who also enjoy Laurel & Hardy. For more Convention information go to 2012.looserthanloose.com


New Book Out on Charlie Hall

Charlie Hall appeared with Laurel & Hardy in 47 of their 106 films, much more than any other Laurel & Hardy supporting actor. Did you ever wonder how Charlie, a native son of Birmingham, England, wound up appearing in films at the Hal Roach Studios with Laurel & Hardy? John Ullah, Grand Sheik of the Laughing Gravy Tent of Birmingham, England answers that question and many more about Charlie Hall in his new book, This Is More Than I Can Stand: A Biography of Charlie Hall. Just released in March, John's new book is now available at Amazon.com and Amazon.co.uk in limited quantities. Soon, however, you will also be able to buy copies of his book directly from John on his new web site: www.laughinggravytent.co.uk



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