Billy Gilbert Tribute at September MeetingBilly Gilbert Night at The Way Out West Tent on Tuesday, September 25th
Although Billy Gilbert appeared in only a handful of Laurel & Hardy films, he always made the most of each appearance. Just imagine The Music Box without Billy! Billy Gilbert is also special to our tent, as he was a guest at our first banquet in 1971. On the evening of Tuesday, September 25th, you will see Billy in four Laurel & Hardy shorts, plus one short in which he stars.
In Them Thar Hills (1934), Billy is Ollie’s doctor who recommends the Boys take a trip to the mountains to help cure Ollie’s gout. After the circus they work for goes broke, Stan and Ollie bring home a large gorilla and try to hide it from landlord Billy Gilbert in The Chimp (1932). Towed in a Hole (1932) finds Billy selling a boat to Stan and Ollie. To say the boat needs some repairs is a great understatement! After Stan talks Ollie into adopting a baby, Billy serves divorce papers on Ollie in Their First Mistake (1932).
For the first time at a Way Out West meeting, we will screen Rhapsody in Brew (1933). This Hal Roach produced film stars Billy Gilbert and Billy Bletcher (also an early Way Out West Tent member) as the Schmalt brothers, who are talked into buying a nightclub that specializes in serving beer.
So join us September 25th at the Mayflower Club, located in North Hollywood at 11110 Victory Boulevard. The doors open at 6:30 PM and the meeting starts at 7:15 PM. “Fisher Franks” with assorted chips can be purchased at the Mayflower Kitchen. Drinks of all kinds can be purchased at the Mayflower Bar. Free cake will be served at our second break. Hope to see you there!
Click here for a map to the Mayflower Club...
Culver City 90th Anniversary at Culver Hotel
On Thursday, September 20th, the Culver Hotel will host a party to celebrate the 90th anniversary of the founding of Culver City. Hotel management will have a live band and vintage cars outside the hotel, starting at 5:30 PM. Around 6:30 PM, the party will start inside the hotel with hors d’oeuvres, tours of the hotel, special guests, more music, a drawing for a special prize, and an auction. To top the evening off Stan Taffel, our Way Out West “Keeper of the Celluloid,” will screen Laurel & Hardy films in the hotel lobby. With the exception of the auction, everything is free! The Culver Hotel is located on the corner of Washington and Culver Boulevards in Culver City. For parking, use the public parking structure on Cardiff Avenue (one block west of Main Street).
Notes From Our June Meeting
At our June meeting, we celebrated Stan Laurel’s 117th birthday by screening four Laurel & Hardy shorts: One Good Turn, Liberty, Perfect Day, and The Hoose-gow. We also screened a James Finlayson sound short, Dog-Gone.
Notes From Our Anniversary Tours & Banquet
The Way Out West Tent celebrated its 40th anniversary with a weekend-long celebration in Los Angeles on July 27-29th. The weekend consisted of a Friday night mixer, a Saturday morning tour, a Saturday evening banquet, and a Sunday morning tour. For a complete report from the event, please visit http://www.wayoutwest.org/tour
Marcia Mae Jones
Actress Marcia Mae Jones, who joined us with her close friend Edith Fellows at our meeting in June 2005, passed away the first week of September. She appeared in close to 50 movies, including Heidi and The Little Princess opposite Shirley Temple. Her early films also included Our Gang’s Birthday Blues and Mush & Milk.
Silent Movies at South Pasadena High School
The Early To Bed Tent and the Los Angeles Theater Organ Society are joining forces to present an afternoon of silent comedy films with Dean Mora at the Mighty Wurlitzer Organ and Joe Rinaudo with his vintage 1912 hand cranked projector. The program will include silent short comedy classics by Laurel & Hardy, Buster Keaton, Charley Chase, and Larry Semon. It will take place at 2:00 PM on Sept. 23rd at the South Pasadena High School Auditorium, located at 1401 Fremont Avenue in South Pasadena. Admission is $15 at the door.
Charley Chase Screening - Date Change
There will be a screening of Charley Chase films on Friday, October 19 to benefit Actors For Autism. Doors open at 7:00 PM and the screening begins at 7:30 PM. The theater is located ta 18344 Oxnard Street in Tarzana. Refreshments and popcorn will be available. Tickets are $10. Please call (818) 705-1600 to reserve your seats, as space is limited.
http://www.actorsforautism.com/
Al Jolson Anniversary
The International Al Jolson Society will sponsor a celebration honoring the 80th anniversary of The Jazz Singer on the weekend of October 5-7, 2007. Events include film screenings, live performances, and panel discussions. For more information please visit:
http://www.libranpoet.com/jazzsinger80.htm
Carol Channing Performance
California State University San Bernardino will host An Afternoon with Carol Channing on Sunday, November 4th. The show will feature performances by Ms. Channing and by students from the Theatre Arts & Music Departments. Tickets start at $25. For more information please visit:
International Convention
For those thinking of attending the Sons of the Desert Convention in Amsterdam next July, please be aware that space is filling up fast. They will limit registration to 250 delegates, and at the time of this writing they have 28 spaces left. For more information about the convention, please visit www.tellmethatagain.info or inquire at our next meeting.
