The second day of our Laurel & Hardywood adventures was Thursday, July 3, 2015. David and I were able to get up bright and early at his place, get ready, and get over to the Loew’s hotel by 7:30am. It was imperative again that we were on time as the buses were scheduled to leave at 8am. There were four buses that would be running simultaneously, two of which would start off on one track, and the other two on another. I was hosting Bus #4 “Alf” and David had agreed to help the bus driver navigate. He also gave me interesting tidbits to point out along the way. The two Jimmys were on Bus #3 “Bert” (the buses so named after Laurel & Hardy’s twin brothers in their film Our Relations). The “Bert” and “Alf” buses would be crossing paths and meeting up with their counterparts “Stan” and “Ollie” for lunch.
The jury is still out whether Bob had just backhanded this conventioneer
The bus captains
“You don’t realize who we are do you?”
We managed to get everyone boarded and took off on our leg of the tour, with our first stop being at Valhalla Cemetery to visit the final resting place of Oliver Hardy and his wife Lucille, as well as Lucille’s later husband Ben Price. Part of the reason that we had to split up our buses was so we didn’t have too many of them in the cemeteries at the same time. Jimmy and I came up with a plan where we would take photos of anyone who wanted to pose with the grave, to try and expedite the process and stick to our timeline. It worked moderately well with only a few fools roaming behind the graves and getting in the pictures. The only near-disaster of the day was when our two buses could barely clear their way around some parked cars to get out of the bush.
Feeling like a cemetery director… and take your eats with you
My pal Gene Sorkin at Ollie’s grave
Bob phoned us from Stan’s grave at Forest Lawn where the other two buses had gone, and said that the cemetery folks had asked their group not to take photos. This was a first, and we completely ignored the rule once we got there and once again employed our organized photo op plan. Although it worked for the most part, it made me sympathize with tour guides the world over who had to work with brain-dead individuals.
Traipsing back across the graves at Forest Lawn after yelling at people
As we worked our way from Forest Lawn to Hollenbeck Park, we drove by several Laurel and Hardy film locations, which I gleefully pointed out and explained their significance and added anecdotes whenever possible. I slowly became comfortable with the microphone, while many delegates became uncomfortable with the lack of air conditioning on the bus. Dick Bann sat right behind David and offered his color commentary as well… most of it good.
Keeping Dick Bann entertained on our bus ride. “The tour is a bore!”
We drove by the location from The Lucky Dog where Stan and Ollie presumably first met onscreen, the building used as the prison in both The Hoose-gow and The Second Hundred Years, and drove over the overpass that can be seen in the background of the train station in Berth Marks.
Our buses had done so well with our schedule that we actually arrived at Hollenbeck Park a little bit early around 10:30. This site was actually an L&H location in itself as this was where the canoe action had been filmed for Men o’ War. Inside the community room, conventioneers could actually watch the film. This was also where the Pee-Wee contest was held, and my showing in it was abysmal as usual (excepting that one fateful time that I managed to take first place). Lunch was delectable and included cheeseburgers that were being grilled in the shelter area.
Walk this way please
The lovely Hollenbeck Park, the site where Laurel and Hardy filmed…
… Men o’ War, currently being shown in the community room
Doing my darndest to smack that Pee-Wee once again
David goes for the gold. No luck here either.
With my pals at Hollenbeck Park
Dick lines up for burgers aplenty
This gazebo is prominently seen in the film
Everyone left there around noon and all four buses pressed on with the tour locations, which included the building atop which Liberty was filmed, the alley seen in both Block-Heads and We Faw Down, a statue that was seen in the Stan Laurel solo comedy White Wings, and Mae Busch’s apartment from Love ‘Em and Weep. We then got word from the buses ahead that they were not going to attempt to take them onto the USC campus to see the locations from Hog Wild.
Taking my tour guide role seriously
Utter confusion as we try to make heads or tails of the directions
“Take a piece of fat and slide off…”
I kept the bus of delegates in rapt attention
Next was a particular location seen at the end of County Hospital that I had never actually seen. Then we saw the Another Fine Mess mansion, the Wrong Again mansion, the Love ’em Weep house, and the street and houses seen in Me and My Pal. All of these sites of course were only seen from the bus window. Had I never seen these sites before and had been confined to the bus and not able to get off for pictures, it would have driven me crazy. As it was, I am just thankful that I’ve had Bob and Jimmy to take me personally to nearly all of these locations in the past.
We arrived back to the hotel a little before 3pm and greeted Stan Laurel’s daughter Lois, as well as Cassidy, Lucy, and Tommy who had just arrived. We the took an hour or so to rest in the Wiley room and chat about the crazy affairs of state going on amongst the local Sons. During this time one of our Our Gang celebrity guests, Mildred Kornman, arrived from her home in Utah. I met her in the lobby and helped her to her room with her luggage. It’s always great to see this sweet lady… and those beautiful eyes. After traveling all day, she wasn’t up to attend the banquet that night so we said goodnight for the evening.
Meanwhile back at the hotel…
Convention intermission
Big Jimmy
Hello to the lovely Mildred Kornman!
Bob asked me to accompany another Our Gang member, Lassie Lou Ahern, who had arrived from her home in Arizona with her son and daughter-in-law, to the banquet. David and I went to her room to assist her, not knowing that they were hoping that we had a wheelchair to use. I hadn’t seen Lassie Lou in seventeen years, but we became fast friends as I pushed her in her four-wheeled walker… but we eventually made it.
Wheeling Lassie Lou through Hollywood
She’s still a bit of a Little Rascal
We were greeted with a cocktail at the Hollywood Museum, which was housed in the former Max Factor building. I didn’t have a lot of time to explore the permanent exhibits, but as soon as I had Lassie Lou taken care of, we hightailed it for the 100 Years of Hal Roach exhibit that Bob had masterminded getting together. This was certainly the most impressive gathering of Roach memorabilia ever gathered in one place. Instead of telling you about it, I figure it’s just best to show you:
The Hollywood Museum with the Hal Roach exhibit banner
Lassie Lou and her family take these cocktails
The list of contributors in order of importance
A Hal Roch still camera from the 1920’s
Hal Roach’s Oscar and original movie posters
Perhaps the coolest piece of memorabilia of all: the original plaque placed at Lake Laurel & Hardy at the Hal Roach Studios commemorating their appearance on This Is Your Life
Ollie and Stan’s costume suits from their film The Bullfighters
Their costumes from Jitterbugs
The original Alfalfa figure from the Hollywood Wax Museum
Another amazing piece of memorabilia. When I visited real Our Gang teacher Fern Carter’s daughter back in 1997, she told me about the quilt she owned that she had had Our Gang members sign over the course of 22 years, I never thought I’d get to actually see it… but here it is. I hand’t realized that she stitched over their signatures making it much more permanent.
Our Gang display with several of Bob’s signed photos
Harold Lloyd’s make-up kit
Amazing lobby card display
Some of Bob’s autographs and Randy Skretvedt’s original wooden soldier from Babes in Toyland
A real Little Rascal among the artifacts
Jimmy studying a map of the studios
Los Angeles Examiner with the headline about Alfalfa’s death during a shooting
Me amongst the treasures
Incidentally, despite having top billing among the list of contributors, there actually wasn’t anything of mine on display. Bob had asked me for my signed Bob McGowan photo and I had sent it to him, but ultimately they didn’t go with it. I did actually find some of the film clips on YouTube for them to play on the TV loops, but that’s really about the extent of my contribution. Still I gleefully took the top billing designation.
Dinner was served at 6:30 on the top floor and consisted of a buffet of roast beef, chicken, pasta, mashed potatoes, green beans, and salad catered by the “Someone’s in the Kitchen” catering company. We sat with Lassie Lou and her family and it was a great meal but I scarcely got to enjoy it. Ten minutes after sitting down, Bob called me back down to the Roach exhibit where he was showing Rich Correll around. After years of wanting to meet him, I finally got my opportunity for a private audience. If you don’t know who he is, you might check out my earlier posting here.
With Rich Correll and the Harold Lloyd memorabilia he contributed
Then as soon as I got back to my seat, Cassidy called and said that the museum workers weren’t letting Lois and her family into the building without their name badges. I rushed down to get them inside and accompany them to the banquet, only to find that there were no available seats.
Bob joined in the hunt, leading to some of my favorite quotes of the convention: “I need four seats! Yes, no, maybe?” and “Are these TVs always on Bob?” and “Where is fu…” … no we’ll skip that last one, but ask me privately for a good laugh. Eventually I cleared away some of the people at my table so the Laurel family joined us, which led to some cute conversation and photos between Lois and Lassie Lou. It was especially nice to see Tommy and Lucy growing up fast and looking all mature.
Jimmy with Lois Laurel Hawes
David listens to his neighbor
With those swell kids Tommy and Lucy, the great great grandchildren of Stan Laurel
Lois chats with Lassie Lou
Such interesting conversations with Alan
Cassidy photo bombs my picture with Lois and Lassie Lou at our table
With the ever-glowing Cassidy
David gets some technology pointers from Lassie Lou
The always charming Payne Johnson, Our Gang member and Jiggs, one of the Three Little Pigs in Babes in Toyland
It was a lovely time and probably my favorite event of the convention, and my only complaint was that it had to end. It was a little after 8pm when I accompanied Lassie Lou back up Highland and across Hollywood Boulevard and to their room. David and I left and drove back to his house at that time, stopping to pick up a burger from Tommy’s. David forgot to tell me that they were known for their chili, so I just got a plain old burger, which we ate back at his house while watching Seinfeld.
Cassidy chats with Lassie Lou as I take her back to her hotel room
Post-dinner dinner at Tommy’s
This was my favorite day at the convention, made even nicer because we’d get to take the next day a little slower. Still it was hard to believe that it was nearly half over.
Laurel and Hardywood 2014 will continue…
I found the Lake L&H plaque for use in the display. I asked the good organizers for a flyer or brochure about the display, but they couldn’t come up with a spare, nor have they Xeroxed anything for me. Do you possibly have anything about the display?
Richard Sloan
August 12th, 2015