The Terrible Catsafterme

Hollywood ’80 is distinctly emblazoned on my mind as a completely iconoclastic experience – one that stands on its own, with no ‘before’ and no ‘after’. Unlike any other typical vacation, the time I spent on this trip is seldom thought of in the context of anything else that was going on during this time. It simply is remembered as ‘Hollywood ’80,’ the single most exciting experience up to that time, and likely one of the most important trips of my life. It was my first time in California, the first time to a Sons of the Desert convention, my first time on a plane, my first time meeting any L&H and Our Gang celebrities, my first ‘non-family’ vacation (I considered it to be much more of an ‘adventure’), and, as my attention to details are demonstrated by my remembrance of this, my first ham and swiss on rye sandwich. Read the rest of this entry »

The last chance I got to spend time with Gordon “Porky” Lee before his passing in 2005 was at the Sea-Tac Sons of the Desert convention in the Summer of 2000. Although it was the second time I had met him – the first being in Minneapolis in 1996 – I still was thrilled enough to purchase an additional four photos to have him autograph for my collection. Knowing his affinity for beer, I opted to keep my streak going, and treat him to one from the cash bar as I previously had on the occasion of our first meeting. As a hardened drinker and smoker, Porky was less appealing as an adult than he was as a child, but still a very nice and friendly man nonetheless. Read the rest of this entry »

The last day of vacation is always a little bit melancholy because you know that soon you will be thrust back in the daily grind of everyday life. This one was a bit easier as I knew that even after the long drive home on Sunday, I’d have an additional day off to recuperate. This day was quite fun, really. On Saturday morning March 24, we went out to the indoor pool and I took Adam in with me. It was a fun challenge to get hime to enjoy the water and feel comfortable being in the strange conditions of water immersion. He did well. After we got out, I laid out for a bit and soaked up some rays.

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Randy Skretvedt is the author of Laurel and Hardy: The Magic Behind the Movies, the single greatest book on Laurel and Hardy ever written – and probably one of my all-time favorite books overall. I can still remember the excitement when this book was delivered in the Summer of 1987 via postal service. I tore through the envelope and took it to the bathroom, where I do all of my heavy reading, and mulled it over for at least an hour. I have read it repeatedly over the course of the last twenty years – and am currently in the middle of it yet again. Read the rest of this entry »