The Terrible Catsafterme

After a week of laundry, packing, and cleaning as I prepared for my house guest who would return with me, I was ready to hop on that plane Friday morning, April 23, 2010, and head to California for the second time this year. The last time I had planned to get to Dad’s house before an early flight, I had botched the alarm clock and caused all sorts of panic – but this time, I arrived bright and early around 5:30am, made it to the airport with time to spare, and was taking off at 6:40, sitting next to a smelly individual on the way.

Having gained one hour, my layover was once again in Dallas from 8:15 to 10:30. Breakfast was at the airport Burger King. I had an odd blend of karma on the second flight which would ultimately take me to LAX. I was preparing for the most horrible flight in history when the I sat down and found that the magazine pouch had come loose and was jabbing me in the leg and I had ended up with a window seat and already felt cramped. So I truly thought that my prayers were being answered when the guy next to me volunteered to take the only empty seat on the plane. So the new only-empty seat on the plane was next to ME! I got off the plane happy as a clam, but karma had the last laugh when I somehow managed to leave something crucial on the plane.

The sprawling view from the plane as I neared Los Angeles

My flight got in at 11:55am, having gained two more hours. I had to wait a little over an hour for Bob to get there as he was working for part of the day and had over an hour trip into L.A. from his hometown in San Bernardino. I passed the time chatting with Erin on the cell phone. Eventually Bob arrived, and while I was loading my luggage in his car, he spotted Butch Patrick from The Munsters entering the airport. I wasn’t worried about chasing him down, as he was scheduled to attend the Hollywood Show the next day.

By this time I was famished and although we originally planned on stopping in Culver City for lunch on Main Street, traffic heading north looked so daunting that we decided that we had better begin our trek to the Santa Clarita area where the Santa Clarita Cowboy Festival was being held.

Bob and I had signed up for two of the festival events that evening. As we neared our destination, I had just enough time to run over to Taco Bell while Bob got gas (the kind for his car), and purge my hunger. We had missed our exit in the Santa Clarita district of Newhall but still made it to the Out West Store just in the nick of time at 3pm for our first event.

Giving a lecture here was Miles Swarthout, who had been co-credited as screenwriter for John Wayne’s final film The Shootist. The book on which the film was based was written by Miles’ father Glendon Swarthout. Having not actually visited the set or met John Wayne, the lecture was more given as a fan would have given it, discussing various scenes and symbolism of the movie, delving into John Wayne’s career, and showing clips along the way. Miles’ co-author on the book The Westerners, C. Courtney Joyner, also addressed the crowd. Overall, an interesting presentation.

Miles Swarthout introduces a clip from The Shootist

I can see one Miles

We browsed Newhall, which was distinctly a ‘western’ town where several films had been shot. In 1981, they had began their own Walk of Western Stars lining their sidewalks so we looked for some of our favorites. Also located here is the William S. Hart County Park, where the silent cowboy, screenwriter, director, and producer’s mansion still stands. Unfortunately it was closed to visitors at that time. We headed out of Newhall a little after 5:00.

Newhall: Western Walk of the Stars. Duh.

With one of my favorite cowboys’ stars

And my other favorite

On the streets of Newhall

Outside the William S. Hart Park and estate

We parked our car at a field in Santa Clarita and waited for a bus to show up and take us to the Melody Ranch. There were many motion pictures filmed here, including (purportedly) the Brushwood Gulch scenes from Laurel and Hardy’s Way Out Westin 1937 (at which time it was called Plecerita Ranch) on the western style streets. That year Monogram pictures signed a long-term lease with the owner to film on the property. In 1953, the land was purchased by Gene Autry, who kept it until 1990. Unfortunately during this time, a fire destroyed all of the standing sets.

In the faux town at Melody Ranch

Bob gets lost on the dusty street

Playing in front of the blacksmith shop

Learning my lesson

When he sold it in 1990, the new owners re-created an active movie ranch for location shooting, along with sound stages, shops, a saloon, and a movie museum. The museum has the bar used in The Shootist and (again purportedly) the police car used in Laurel and Hardy’s The Midnight Patrol. Unfortunately, by the time we got there at around 6:30, it was closed for the day.

Locked out of the Melody Ranch Museum

Bob and I browsed the western streets and shops, I grabbed a Corona at the saloon, and we found our tables (and bags of popcorn sitting atop them). The event for the evening was a barbecue dinner and a screening of High Noon. There was plenty to eat in the western-style dinner: salad, chicken, pork, potatoes, cake, and soda. Dinner was followed by some folks from American Cowboy Magazine and the U.S. Cattleman’s Association. One of the speakers informed us that it was his father who spoke the first line in High Noon.

A man, a Corona, and a piano player. No telling what can happen.

Drunk and disorderly

Soft rock

A cool old house set. Bob thought he heard a tour guide once say that this was used in W.C. Fields’ The Old Fashioned Way but so far, I’ve found no evidence of this

Getting ready to dig into the western style food delights

The sun goes down and the peanuts come out

The dude whose father speaks the first line in High Noon

After the plates were cleaned

I really liked the film, but my eyes were getting weary as the it came to an end not long after 9:00. I saw most of it, but occasionally through closed eyes. In addition, I had once again misjudged the temperatures and didn’t bring enough warm clothing on this trip. I resorted to wearing Bob’s blue jacket, which made it look as if I was camping in a pup tent.

Being cold makes you resort to the strangest things

We took our bus back to the car and then drove on to Burbank where we bunked up at the Marriott Hotel and Convention Center. The stars would be out the next day. But considering it was 1:30am back where I came from, I was already seeing stars.

California will continue…

Bypass the trip and continue with 2010…

This entry was posted on Sunday, May 2nd, 2010 at 6:54 am and is filed under 2010's - Early, Celebrity Encounters, Film Locations, Laurel and Hardy, Vacations. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.