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NOTE: This is an old issue of the Brushwood Gulch Gazette, which has been archived for reference purposes.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. |
August 14th will be the next meeting of the Way Out West Tent. We will pay tribute to one of Laurel and Hardy's most popular co-stars, James Finlayson. It will be your chance to see five very funny Finlayson films and to also win a prize by entering a trivia contest. The contest questions will be based on your knowledge of Laurel and Hardy, Fin, and two of the movies shown at the meeting.
The film program will include James Finlayson with Laurel and Hardy in Love 'Em and Weep (1927), Chickens Come Home (1931), Our Wife (1931), and Thicker Than Water (1935). We will also see Fin in the Charley Chase short His Silent Racket (1933), which also features Anita Garvin.
This will all take place at the Mayflower Club, which is located at 11110 Victory Boulevard in North Hollywood...just west of Vineland Avenue. The doors will open at 6:30 PM and the meeting will begin at 7:15 PM. Come early to quench your thirst at the Mayflower Bar or to grab one of our "Fabulous Fisher" franks for dinner. New collectables will also be available at the tent's "dealer's table," in the back of the room. So join us for the Finlayson Celebration on Tuesday, August 14, 2001.
Click here for a map to the Mayflower Club...
If you've ever wanted your very own Stan Laurel autograph, now's your chance! Our tent will be auctioning off a check written and signed by Stan Laurel. The check has been graciously donated by Stan's daughter Lois, so it is guaranteed to be genuine. The auction will take place on the Internet through eBay, and bidding will begin September 19, 2001. Please click here for more information.
Join us in celebrating our tent's 34th anniversary at the Pickwick Center in Burbank on October 6, 2001. Celebrity guests who worked with and appeared on screen with Laurel and Hardy will be in attendance. This will be your opportunity to meet them, ask them questions, and get their autographs! The menu for the evening will consist of Chicken Piccata with Ceaser Salad, glazed carrots, stuffed potato with herbs & cheeses, rolls, and Chocolate Amaretto Mousse in a chocolate cup for dessert. A vegetarian meal will also be an option. The cocktail hour will begin at 6:00 PM in the Embassy Room. Please fill out and detach the form at the bottom of this page and return it with your payment. No tickets will be mailed; you may pick up your tickets at the registration desk, when you arrive at the banquet. Please click here for a reservation form and additional information.
The home where Stan Laurel lived in 1934 is up for sale. It is at 10353 Glenbarr Avenue in Cheviot Hills, California (located only a few blocks from the Big Business house). To the right is a photo of how the house looked a few years ago, before a large wall was built blocking its view from the street. It is described as "spacious & elegant," with 3 bedrooms, 3.5 baths, 3 fireplaces, a guest house, and a pool. So, if you can afford the $2,450,000 price tag, here's your chance to own a genuine piece of Stan Laurel history. Who knows, maybe there's a copy of Hats Off up in the attic.
Oliver Hardy and James Finlayson have made some recent news, in a pair of new dictionaries. We start with the bad news: Microsoft's new Encarta Dictionary proclaims Stan Laurel to be a "comedian," while Oliver Hardy is written off as simply "an actor." Members of the Sons of the Desert worldwide would have to disagree with this assessment.
Apparently, this is a common problem throughout the reference book: J. Edgar Hoover is simply a "lawyer," with no mention of the FBI; Ringo Starr is the only Beatle to be identified as such; and the listing for Franklin Pierce does not mention that he was even president! The editors have admitted to the "faux pas" (to quote a famous "actor"), and will make amendments in some future version.
In the meantime, we'll be sticking to the Oxford English Dictionary, in which the online version was updated on June 14, 2001 to include the word "doh." News sources, such as cnn.com, immediately ran articles proclaiming "The famous catch phrase of cartoon character Homer Simpson...is now an official word." But, of course, fans of Jimmy Finlayson know better.
The dictionary defines "doh" as "frustration at the realization that things have turned out badly or not as planned or that one has just said or done something foolish. Also implying that another person has said or done something foolish."
The printed version of the Oxford English Dictionary was first published back in 1884. It is currently in its second edition, which consists of 20 printed volumes. New words are being added to the online version every three months, with about 250 new words added this time. A revised third edition will include all of these new words (including "doh"), but it won't be completed until 2010.
Silent child actress Peggy Cartwright passed away June 13th in Victoria, British Columbia, after a brief illness. She was 88 years old. Peggy was the last surviving member of Hal Roach's very first Our Gang Comedy from 1922. She went on to make four more in the series; Fire Fighters, Young Sherlocks, One Terrible Day, and A Quiet Street.
Peggy moved to Los Angeles to escape the 1917 scarlet fever epidemic in Canada. Her mother learned through a friend of a part for a young actor. Soon she was at Universal Studios playing one of Mae Murray's students in a classroom scene. In addition to working with Harold Lloyd in several films, Peggy was in D.W. Griffith's The Birth of a Nation and played Madge Bellamy as a child in The Iron Horse.
Ms. Cartwright had attended Way Out West Tent meetings and banquets. Her last appearance at a Sons' event was at the international convention last summer in Tacoma, Washington.
If you pre ordered a color T-shirt at the last meeting, please note that because they took a little longer to get delivered to us than we expected, none of them have been mailed out. If you attend the upcoming meeting, we will give you your t-shirt then (along with a refund if you paid for postage). After the meeting, we will mail any shirts that are not picked up. If you didn't order a shirt, there will be a few available at the upcoming meeting. A very limited number of T-shirts were ordered, and once they're gone they're gone, so be sure to get yours at the August meeting.
Joining us for our meeting in June was Burr Middleton, grandson of L&H co-star Charles Middleton. We thank him for sharing his memories with all of us. The first of a two part article written by Burr about his grandfather appears in the June/July issue of FilmFax magazine.
The deadline to register for the International Sons Convention in Nashville next summer has been extended. You now have until December 31, 2001 to register for $250; it will be $300 per person after that date. More information about the convention is available in the current issue of the Intra Tent Journal.
We would like to wish Miss Anita Page a happy 91st birthday. Miss Page will be celebrating on August 4th. We have had the honor and pleasure of Miss Page's company at several past banquets. She received our prestigious Lifetime Achievement Award as well.
Miss Page is one of the silent screen's all time beauties and starred in many films for most of the major studios and worked with many classic actors, it is through her work in Hollywood Revue of 1929 that we honor her. Of course this was the film the Boys did their magic act.
Happy birthday wishes also to Lois Roberts, wife of Thomas Benton Roberts (Thomas was a prop man at the Roach Studios, and is probably best remembered as the motorist who received a tomato in his face in Two Tars). Lois will celebrate her 94th birthday on October 2nd.
Lois has been a faithful and loyal member of Way Out West for many years, attending numerous banquets and conventions. Lois is an inspiration and favorite to all of us. She remains active in her church, with activities such as sewing pillows for cancer patients. She even sewed all of the costumes for last summer's convention in Seattle! Lois is also a member of the San Jose Midnight Patrol Tent.
We at the Way Out West tent tip our fezes and derbies to both of these classy ladies and wish them the very best.
August
4
5
6
6
Our Gang
8
Our Gang
9
Our Gang
10
11
15
16
19
20
23
Our Gang
26
Film Editor
27
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
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
October
1
2
Wild Poses, Our Gang
2
Lois Roberts
Mrs. Thomas Benton Roberts
2
Composer
3
Director
3
4
4
Our Gang
9
Stan Laurel Impresionest
10
10
Our Gang
11
Our Gang
17
Cameraman
19
20
22
Madge Jefferson
Stan's Mother
25
Our Gang
James
Finlayson Films and Trivia Contest in August