Brushwood Gulch Gazette

January-March 2002

Volume 35, Number 1


NOTE: This is an old issue of the Brushwood Gulch Gazette, which has been archived for reference purposes.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:

All-Day Film Marathon in February
Time to Renew Your Membership!
New Laurel and Hardy Museum Opening in Harlem, Georgia
Hal Roach Studios Taxi Cab Restored
Former Mae Busch Residence Destroyed by Fire
Meeting Date Changed for June 2002

Stan Laurel Check Auction
Fighting Kentuckian DVD
John Guedel
Bill Coffman
Notes from December 2001 Meeting
Birthdays



All-Day Film Marathon in February

The new year marks the Way Out West Tent's 35th anniversary in Los Angeles. We will begin the year with a special all-day film festival on Sunday, February 10 at the Mayflower Club. Doors will open at 9:40 AM, with films from 10:00 AM until 4:00 PM. All members who pay their dues at or before this meeting will receive a free lunch, made up of "Laurel-dogs" and "Ollie-burgers." Non-members may also buy lunch.

We will screen a selection of very popular Laurel and Hardy shorts throughout the day. The film program will be:

       10:00-11:00  Do Detectives Think?, Double Whoopee
       11:00-12:00  Perfect Day, The Laurel-Hardy Murder Case
       12:00-12:30  Helpmates
        12:30-1:00  Lunch
         1:00-2:00  Them Thar Hills, Tit for Tat
         2:00-3:00  The Live Ghost, Oliver the Eighth 
         3:00-4:00  County Hospital, The Music Box

Films will be run back-to-back, with short breaks after every two films. The kitchen will be open for lunch between 11:30 AM and 1:30 PM, and there will be an extended lunch break during the twelve o'clock hour. Cake will be served for dessert and the Mayflower Bar will be open throughout the day to serve beverages.

Although the film program will continue all day, you're free to come and go as you please. Those with the determination to stay for the entire day will receive a certificate proclaiming that you're a true fan, who survived the all-day Laurel and Hardy-a-thon!

The Mayflower Club is located at 11110 Victory Boulevard in North Hollywood, just west of Vineland Ave. Click here for a map to the Mayflower Club...

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Time to Renew Your Membership!

If you haven't paid your dues for 2002, now is the time to do it in order to take full advantage our new membership benefits. The dues rates for 2002 will remain the same as last year (in fact, they haven't been increased in the past nine years). One new benefit for those who pay their dues at or prior to the February 10th meeting will be a free lunch at that meeting. Membership also includes admission to our special April 1st meeting at Hollywood's Silent Movie Theatre. In addition, your membership entitles you to pick up a free copy of the Intra-Tent Journal, when attending the first meeting that a new issue is available. Plus members continue to receive our newsletter, two guest passes to be used during the year, and a discount of $10-$15 off the price of our annual banquet in September. Thank you to all who have already paid dues; we cannot operate without the support of all of our members.

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January 18, 2002, marked the 110th anniversary of Oliver Hardy's birth. For this occasion we have been looking for some news or a story that honors this fine southern gentleman. And as luck would have it, plans were just announced for the grand opening of the first Laurel and Hardy museum in the United StatesÉand it will be located right in Oliver Hardy's hometown of Harlem, Georgia.

 

"MUSEUM OF LAUREL & HARDY OF HARLEM, GEORGIA" SET to open JULY 15, 2002
By Gino Dercola, Robin Root, and Linda Caldwell

For the past thirteen years, the City of Harlem has celebrated Oliver Hardy's legacy with a yearly festival attended by thousands of visitors. The City of Harlem made a momentous announcement in 2001: that they were going to open the first Laurel and Hardy museum in the United States. This announcement was met with great joy and appreciation by fans all over the world.

The plans call for the City of Harlem to officially open the doors of the "Museum of Laurel and Hardy of Harlem, Georgia," on July 15, 2002. City officials and residents are working hard to get the museum ready to open on that day so that fans from all over the world can be present, including members of the Sons of the Desert. The museum is the ultimate tribute to the legacy left by Laurel and Hardy.

The City has established a Museum Committee, and they are planning an exciting ceremony to celebrate this Grand Opening. Laurel and Hardy look-a-likes will be present to liven up the celebration. There are many events planned for attendees, and a very festive atmosphere is anticipated. It is anticipated that hundreds, if not thousands, of fans will be in attendance.

City officials and local residents of Harlem, along with guests from the Sons of the Desert, were given a sneak preview of the museum at the Oliver Hardy Festival this past October. At that time, the museum was not ready to open officially and permanently, since both costly and time-consuming work and remodeling had to be completed. Betty and Laurie Sargent got the ball rolling by contacting their cousin Mr. Eugene Clary, a well known former resident of Harlem, who was kind enough to donate $10,000 towards the renovations. The museum is owned and maintained by the City of Harlem.

The museum is located in a beautiful brick, stand-alone building, on the main street of Harlem. Inside, the museum is very roomy, with displays of L&H memorabilia in the main room, and a wonderful screening room in the rear for showing L&H films. The museum will have a permanent curator and will always be a "work in progress." Donated gifts of Laurel & Hardy memorabilia can be sent to the museum at: City of Harlem, c/o L/H Museum, P.O. Box 99, Harlem, GA 30814.

Opening Ceremonies will begin at 8:00 AM, and Sons of the Desert members who are attending the International Convention in Nashville will be able to take a bus from the convention to the museum on that day.

Gino Dercola is a member of the Any Old Port Tent of Maryland. Robin Root is Mayor Pro Tem of Harlem, GA, and Linda Caldwell is a member of the museum committee.

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Hal Roach Studios Taxi Cab Restored

The classic 1922 Yellow Cab that was used in many Hal Roach films has recently been restored and has been displayed at automobile shows throughout the United States. This was the taxi cab seen in such films as Double Whoopee and Me and My Pal. The cab was eventually sold by Roach to 20th Century Fox. In the 1960s it was privately purchased from Fox. Sitting in disrepair for many years, it found its way to Arkansas, where it was fully restored. Many thanks to Way Out West Member Victor D'Agostino for providing us with the "now" photo and bringing this to our attention.

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Former Mae Busch Residence Destroyed by Fire

Early on the morning of January 1, 2002, a fire destroyed the remains of the Hillview apartment building in Hollywood, where Mae Busch once lived. The building was built on Hollywood Boulevard in 1917, and had been placed on the National Register of Historic Places. Movie mogul Jesse Lasky constructed the apartment for actors, at a time when landlords often considered actors undesirable tenants. Hillview was home to many motion picture stars during the silent era and was once owned by Charlie Chaplin. It was reported by KABC-TV news that Oliver Hardy also lived in the building, although we have been unable to confirm this rumor.

The building has been vacant for a decade, after suffering extensive damage from the nearby subway construction as well as from the 1994 Northridge earthquake. It is difficult to tell the new fire damage from the previous damage. More than one hundred firefighters took over two hours to extinguish the blaze, the cause of which is unknown.

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Meeting Date Change

Please note that there has been a change in our 2002 meeting dates from the last newsletter. Our June 2002 meeting will take place on the 11th.

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Stan Laurel Check Auction

The Stan Laurel check auction on eBay took place December 3-13, 2001. There were a total of 19 bids on the item, with a gentleman from Michigan placing a winning bid of $545.00. All proceeds from the online auction will go towards the continued operation of our tent's website. Thanks to all who bid on the item, and especially to Lois Laurel Hawes for donating this terrific piece of Stan Laurel memorabilia.

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Fighting Kentuckian DVD

John Wayne's The Fighting Kentuckian is scheduled to be released on DVD on February 26, 2002. While this is not a Laurel and Hardy film, Oliver Hardy is featured as Wayne's sidekick Willie Payne. The film is a fine testament to Oliver Hardy's versatility as an actor.

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John Guedel

Writer and producer John Guedel died December 14th. Guedel was best known as the producer of "You Bet Your Life" with Groucho Marx and "People Are Funny" with Art Linkletter. Earlier in his career he worked as a writer for the Hal Roach Studios, where he wrote General Spanky. He was 88.

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Bill Coffman

Bill Coffman, co-owner of the Old Town Music Hall, passed away on December 7, 2001. In 1968 Coffman founded the theater in El Segundo, which will continue to operate.

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Notes From the December 2001 Meeting

The last meeting of the Way Out West Tent was December 12th at the Mayflower Club. Our very special guests for the evening were Betty and Dick Jones. Dick reminisced and answered questions from members. We screened Big Business, The Our Gang Follies of 1938, and Babes in Toyland (with the latter two both featuring Dick Jones). We also saw the trailer to Walt Disney's Pinocchio, in which Dick Jones provided the voice of the famous puppet who became a boy.

Thank you to all who donated to the Maude Booth Family Center. As always, the generous support of Way Out West Tent members helped many families in our area during the holidays.

We would also like to thank Richard Bann for bringing his prints of the Pinocchio trailer, the original Follies of 1938, and the clay-mation version of the Our Gang Follies of 1938.

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Birthdays

The Way Out West Tent would like to wish a very happy birthday in January to Mary Ann Jackson. Mary Ann celebrated her birthday on January 14th, which also happened to be the birthday of her former boss, Hal Roach. Mary Ann was a seasoned veteran, having been a part of the "Smith" series at Mack Sennett before joining Roach's "Our Gang." She appeared in thirty-two Our Gang films, starting at the tender age of five. She also appeared in The Stolen Jools, which featured Laurel and Hardy.

Our birthday girl for February was most appropriately born on Valentine's Day. The lovely and talented Trudy Marshall co-starred with the boys in The Dancing Masters. As a very loyal and dedicated "Son" of the Desert, Trudy has attended countless Way Out West Tent meetings and banquets and has been to several International Conventions.

Celebrating her birthday in March is the ever popular Dorothy de Borba. Dorothy appeared in twenty-four Our Gang films, most notably as Chubby's sister in Love Business, who incorrectly echoes everything that her brother says. Dorothy also appeared with the boys in The Stolen Jools and was among the townspeople in The Devil's Brother. Since being "found" in 1980, Dorothy has attended nearly all Way Out West Banquets and International Conventions.

January

1

Matthew "Stymie" Beard

Our Gang

3

ZaSu Pitts

On the Loose

12

Patsy Kelly

Pick a Star

13

Harry Bernard

Two Tars

14

Hal Roach

14

Mary Ann Jackson

Our Gang

18

Oliver Hardy

18

Norman "Chubby" Chaney

Our Gang

20

Rolfe Sedan

Double Whoopee

23

Franklin Pangborn

Wild Poses

26

Alf Goulding

Director

30

Wilfred Lucas

Pardon Us, A Chump at Oxford

February

2

Noah Young

Sugar Daddies, Do Detectives Think?

10

Jimmy Durante

Hollywood Party

10

Alan Hale, Sr.

Our Relations

11

Anita Garvin

From Soup to Nuts, Blotto

11

Angelo Rossitto

Babes in Toyland

14

Trudy Marshall

The Dancing Masters

14

Jack Benny

Hollywood Revue of 1929

14

Jimmy Murphy

Stan's Valet

15

William Janney

Bonnie Scotland

25

Dick Jones

Our Gang

26

Tiny Sanford

Big Business, Their Purple Moment

27

Reginald Gardiner

Flying Deuces

March

2

Lona Andre

Our Relations

3

Charlotte Henry

Babes in Toyland

3

Jean Harlow

Double Whoopee

5

Walter Long

Pardon Us, Any Old Port

6

Lou Costello

Battle of the Century

9

Peggy Ahern

Our Gang

10

Baldwin Cooke

Perfect Day

12

Bill "Buckwheat" Thomas

Our Gang

13

Fred Knoth

Roach Studios Prop Department

15

Frank "Junior" Coghlan

Our Gang

16

Florence Roberts

Babes in Toyland

21

"Broncho Billy" Anderson

Producer of The Lucky Dog

24

Tony Hawes

Stan's Son-In-Law

24

Venice Lloyd

Mrs. Art Lloyd

25

Jackie Condon

Our Gang

27

Philbrook Lyons

Our Gang

28

Dorothy Deborba

Our Gang

29

Robert "Wheezer" Hutchins

Our Gang

31

Eddie Quillan

Hollywood Party

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Updated January 24, 2002

Copyright ©2002 Way Out West. All rights reserved.


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