Los Angeles
WELL SIR, it was really a party. Disney v.p. Jack Reeder '25 sparked a great idea, and on the night of May 16 a milling crowd of 281 alumni and wives moved in on the Burbank Mouse Factory for the biggest Dartmouth evening yet seen in these parts.
Passing a teepee and a Freshman-sweatered wooden Indian (on which Walt tried to sneak a label Reeder, but the sign painter had gone home), and ducking under a Scotty's sign which inspired innocent curiosity in the 'younger alumni, the guests entered the studio Commissary and spent many happy hours in the food line. But the dinner was worth the wait, and from the table-hopping and general pandemonium in the jammed restaurant, no one would have known that it was a beer-only party. Ducky Nash, the voice of Donald, ambled •about, and any need for thinking up table conversation was obviated by the Huggajeedy Eight, an1 authentic old-style jazz band of Disney artists headed by Ward Kimball (the guy who has the full-size railroad in his back yard), which was the nearest thing to the old Bartiary Coast this side of Azuza. The lads wore Dartmouth sweaters smelling of mothballs, and sent the memories of the Twenties alumni back to Carnival balls and tea dances at Shepard's. The old Barbary Coast emblem was painted on their bass drum; they played Dartmouth's In Town Again as it has never, believe me, been played before, and your correspondent had only to close his eyes to see Spike Hamilton, Pav and Dinny Sample,Homer Cleary, Doc Morgan, Dick Willis, DudPope, Rockford's Williams, Gin Plumb, WallyLord and the others right back up there 011 the stand. Frankly, I got a lump in my throat, which is the damndest reaction yet experienced to the Huggajeedy's music—usually it's a punctured eardrum.
After dinner some of the folks danced on the terrace, while others probed their way through the mike booms and sound baffles on the Orchestra Stage to look at a Disney exhibit until time for the Theater. Bob Williams '26, Dick Rogers '29 and Frank Reeves '40 shilled .souvenir Mickey balloons in the lobby, and the guests, no slouches they, recreated the Nugget atmosphere by blowing up said balwork loons and slugging each other over the head with them. Finally President John Lyman '28 got things settled down and, interrupted only by the clinking of beer bottles as they rolled down the sloping floor, welcomed the wives. Cap Palmer '23 extended a welcome to Disney, tried to express our heartfelt appreciation to Lyman for his leadership in an extraordinarily successful year, and introduced the first block of film. Which included a clip of Three- Gun Charley Starrett '26 heroically (cheers) besting the villain (hisses) in a stage coach chase, another clip of Bob Williams being murdered by the Three Stooges (applause), a showing of the first Mickey Mouse, short, and the old familiar Three Little Pigs. Following which Reeder introduced the first public preview of the next Disney feature, Fun andFancy Free.
When the lights went up, John Lyman ran off probably as fast an annual meeting as has ever been seen in alumni circles. Treasurer Brad Petersen '37 tried to explain what he had done with the dough—Will Hays '31 shot a mob photo—Jim Norton 'OB and Mrs. Salinger, widow of the beloved Vic '00 drew for and awarded the door prizes (after the ticket stubs were located in the locked studio vault)— Disney's Walt Pfeiffer was cap-and-gowned in a too-small Dartmouth sweatshirt in appreciation of his Trojan labors, and adopted into the class of '24—the election steamroller roared through—Lyman sang his swan song, and new President Dick Hood '30 accepted his office and introduced the closing film, a superb made-in-Hanover color reel called Dartmouth Flashbacks. Then back to the Commissary for beer, toast-sides, and dancing to the Huggajeedy until the cops closed in some time after midnight.
Credit for work on one of the most successful Dartmouth evenings held in this region goes to more men than we can list. But among the gentlemen whose wives were neglected during the evening were John Lyman, for preliminary arrangements and meeting M.C.: ever-reliable Leon Rothschild '24 for more preliminaries, coordination, and door prizes: Bill Adams '34 (and his JWT crew) for the out-of-this-world announcements: DewittJones '40, for decorations, the Disney exhibit, and souvenirs: Brad Petersen, Ken Lieber '36 and cohorts for yeoman work in handling tickets and money: Bob and Mrs. Guggenheim '33 for equipping everybody with name tags: Will Hays '31 for his able photography: FredFuld '40, for impressing manual labor: BonesJoy '16 and Johnny Merrill '37 for piano and cheer-leading. Reeder and Palmer, who handled the Disney end, owe their thanks to a score of men (artists, publicists, movers, booth men, cutters, etc.) on the studio staff for wholehearted cooperation. The considerable expense of the party above the ticket price was contributed by several brethren who remain anonymous, but thanks. Welcome guests from a distance included Len Shea '17, New York; Sykes Hardy '27, Philadelphia; Bob Jones '29 and Bob Minehan '31, Milwaukee; Don Cobb '40, San Diego; Al Dick '27, Del Mar; LouisBell '16, Jevne Haugen '24, from Santa Barbara and Dohrman Sinclair '31 from La Jolla.
Officers for the '47-'48 season: president, Dick Hood '30; vice dittos, Cap Palmer '23, Jack Rourke '40 and Brad Petersen '37; treasurer, Ken Lieber '36, assistant treasurer-secretary, Bill Adams '34; and secretary (for the eighteenth much-appreciated year) Leon Rothschild '24.
On the following Friday, the Hollywood monthly luncheon continued its pleasant way toward becoming a local institution. JohnnyAllen '23 from East Los Angeles (sometimes loosely referred to as"New York") guested, and Dick Hood maintained our 1000% batting average on good speakers by talking on his as head of the Los Angeles office of the FBI.
We haven't heard about summer layoffs out here, so we suggest that you Easterners plan your coast trips to hit town on that Hollywood "Fourth Friday" (Hotel Knickerbocker), and in between drop in any Tuesday at the weekly downtown luncheons in the Redwood Room of the Savoy. Check in with Leon Rothschild (TRinity 3821) on your arrival. In the meantime, the Ivy League Picnic at Elysian Park June 14. See you there.
LOS ANGELES CLUB ENJOYS A GALA PARTY AT THE WALT DISNEY STUDIOS: Above group picture shows the fine attendance of club members at this unusual party. In the front row of seats are the brains and manpower behind this meeting. Left to right. Bill Adams '34, Treasurer Brad Petersen '37, retiring president John Lyman '28, new president Dick Hood '30, secretary Leon Rothschild '24, Cap Palmer '23 and Ken Lieber '36.
DONALD DUCK takes to skis to pose for this novel greeting used at the Los Angeles Club party.
