THE HOLLYWOOD MUSEUM’S NEW EXHIBIT CELEBRATES THE 100TH ANNIVERSARY OF HAL ROACH’S “OUR GANG".

THE HOLLYWOOD MUSEUM’S NEW EXHIBIT  CELEBRATED THE 100TH ANNIVERSARY OF HAL ROACH’S “OUR GANG" JULY  28, 2022.

By Karen Ostlund                                                  

Stanley Livingston (My Three Sons Actor) Maria Carpenter (Daughter of Hal Roach) Sidney Kibrick (Our Gang Actor) Donelle Dadigan (President The Hollywood Museum) Leonard Maltin and Richard Bann at the Hollywood Museum opening day of OUR GANG exhibit.

 The Hollywood Museum announced the opening celebration of its newest exhibit, “OUR GANG”, on Thursday July 28, 2022.
Donelle Dadigan, Founder & President of the Hollywood Museum announced that the museum would be paying tribute to and celebrating the 100th Anniversary of Hal Roach’s “OUR GANG” film shorts. "In addition, the exhibit will solve the mystery/myth about Pete the Pup and the black ring from the “OUR GANG” film shorts.”
                                                                                   

Pete the Pup with the black ring

"Our Gang" was also known as "The Little Rascals" or "Hal Roach's Rascals" was an American series of comedy short films chronicling a group of poor neighborhood children and their adventures. It was created by film producer Hal Roach, also the producer of the Laurel and Hardy films, "Our Gang" shorts were produced from 1922 to 1944, spanning the silent film and early sound film periods of American cinema. Writers on the series of film shorts included Frank Capra, Walter Lantz, Leo McCarey, and Hal Roach himself.
                                                                              

Hal Roach award.

 Hal Roach and original director Robert F. McGowan worked by showing children behaving in a natural way, rather than have them imitate adult acting styles.
The series also broke new ground by portraying white and black children interacting as equals during the Jim Crow era of racial segregation in the United States.
                                                                                     

Alfalfa Switzer

The exhibit features Hal Roach’s Academy Award, Spanky McFarlands costume from the “Our Gang” comedy film short “Doin’ Their Bit”, also costumes from Darla Hood, Alfalfa Switzer, and Jerry Schatz.  Original Our Gang movie posters, countless B&W production stills, and more. 

"This is an exhibit that movie enthusiasts will enjoy, as well as families who have enjoyed “OUR GANG” on film, in television syndication over the years and the “OUR GANG” animated series - which has been part of the fabric of film culture from 1922 thru 2022, entertaining generations of kids and adults of all ages for 100 years,” said Donelle Dadigan (President of the Hollywood Museum).
                                                                                  
The franchise began in 1922 as a silent short subject series produced by the Roach studio and released by Pathé Exchange. Roach changed distributors from Pathé to Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer (MGM) in 1927, and the series entered its most popular period after converting to sound in 1929.
                                                                               

The speakers: Stanley Livingston (My Three Sons Actor) Maria Carpenter (Daughter of Hal Roach) Sidney Kibrick (Our Gang Actor) Donelle Dadigan (President The Hollywood Museum) Leonard Maltin and Richard Bann.

  Production continued at Roach until 1938, when the "Our Gang" production unit was sold to MGM, where production continued until 1944. Across 220 short films and a feature-film spin-off, General Spanky, the "Our Gang" series featured over 41 child actors as regular members of its cast.

As MGM retained the rights to the Our Gang trademark after buying the series, the Roach-produced sound Our Gang films were re-released to theaters and syndicated for television under the title The Little Rascals. Roach's The Little Rascals package, currently owned by CBS Media Ventures, and MGM's Our Gang package, currently owned by Turner Entertainment and distributed by Warner Bros., have since remained in syndication. New productions based on the shorts have been made over the years, including a 1994 feature film, The Little Rascals, released by Universal Pictures.TheHollywoodMuseum.com #TheHollywoodMuseum, 1660 N. HIGHLAND AVE, HOLLYWOOD CA.                                            

$588 million Sixth Street Viaduct reopens after 6 Years of closure.

$588 million Sixth Street Viaduct reopens after 6 Years of closure.

By Karen Ostlund   
                                                                           

The community celebration of the opening of the $588 million Sixth Street Viaduct took place Saturday July 9th when the viaduct opened to pedestrians, bikes, musical performances, food trucks and 100 Years of Cars.

                                                                                 

“After more than six years of being closed, we are thrilled to reopen the Sixth Street bridge which will take its place as one of Los Angeles’ most iconic landmarks connecting the Arts District and Boyle Heights", said Council member Kevin deLeón.
                                                                                   

LA Mayor Garcetti at Sixth Street bridge, before opening.

 “The 6th Street Viaduct isn’t just a connection between our communities – it’s a new landmark that represents beauty, that defines Los Angeles,” said LA Mayor Eric Garcetti. “I couldn’t be more excited to celebrate with my fellow Angelenos who have been waiting for this day for six years and are ready to experience the benefits of this historic project.”
                                                                         

HELIX ramp structure, located near the center of the viaduct, was designed with efficiency and connectivity in mind.•
This structure is 790’ long, 12’ wide, and 45’ tall.•The ADA-compliant helical ramp have a connection to both the westbound and eastbound bicycle lanes and sidewalks at the deck level.
Using the ramp structure, pedestrians and cyclists will be able to connect from the ground level at Mission Road into the communities of Boyle Heights and the Arts District.•The helix will also help connect the viaduct to the future 12-acre PARC under the viaduct, which will be located at ground level and include recreation and open spaces, connections to the LA River.

                                                                                      

ARCHES,The design of the new bridge, known as “The Ribbon of Light,” includes 10 pairs of arches, with a 9-degree artistic outward cant.•There are three different arch heights on the new viaduct, ranging between 30 to 60 feet in height and about 300 feet in length.•Each arch required 260 cubic yards of concrete equivalent to 65+ truckloads and took 12-14 hours to pour the concrete.•The team injected liquid nitrogen into the concrete to cool the mix down to ambient temperature and reduce the potential for concreate cracking.•The arches will be lit with color changing LED lights which will light up from the bottom and upwards for different events.

Starting in 2023, the Bureau of Engineering will construct a new 12-acre park underneath the structure that will provide access to the Los Angeles River, public art and recreational programming.
The $40 million park, of which $8.5 million comes from state Prop 68 dollars, will also be home to the Len Hill Arts Plaza, made possible via a donation by the Leonard Hill Foundation.
“This viaduct has been a labor of love and determination for so many of us in the City, our partners and particularly the Bureau of Engineering,” said Gary Lee Moore, City Engineer. “We worked closely with the community to create a multi-modal space that not only creates a new bridge for vehicles, but also brings exciting new walking and biking options with breathtaking views. Our team is very proud to deliver this iconic landmark to Los Angeles for everyone’s enjoyment for generations to come.

"BACK ON THE BLOCK" at Concern Foundation's 47th Anniversary - after 2 years of virtual events.

 "Back on the block" at Concern Foundation's 47th Anniversary - after 2 years of virtual events.
By Karen Ostlund

 
Concern Foundation’s 47th Annual Block Party returned July 9th as BACK ON THE BLOCK at Paramount Studios Hollywood - after two years of virtual events, due to COVID-19 health and safety concerns.                                                             

Concern Foundation's 47th Anniversary at Paramount Studios backlot.

The sold-out event was attended by over 3,500 guests and exceeded previous record and raised $2 million dollars for cancer research. Concern Foundation provides funding to post-doctoral cancer research, focused on cancer genetics, cell biology and immunology for all forms of cancer prevention and treatment.
                                                                            

This year Concern honored entrepreneurs, philanthropists and community leaders Janet Crown and Steve Robinson with the first ever Larry Powell Spirit of Concern Award named after one of the founders of the organization. In 2018, Janet and her husband Steve Robinson opened Brewery X, an independent craft brewery in Anaheim, CA. https://www.concernfoundation.org/honorees2022

                                                                                     

Tom Nolan Band at "Back On The Block", July 9 2022

Paramount’s backlot streets were filled with musical and interactive entertainment on multiple stages featuring the Tom Nolan Band, D’ City Sound & Events, and the Vibrato Grill Jazz stage.

New York Street at Paramount Studios also featured photo studios, lounges, casino style gaming, and spa services provided by the Beauty Bus Foundation.
                                                                                      

(Sponsor CADILLAC in front of the Silent auction) One of the highlights of the evening was the online silent and live auction underwritten by ZACUTO GROUP that featured items and packages including concert and event tickets, restaurants, stay-cations and golf packages. 

                                                                                   

For the 16th year, Concern was honored to celebrate The Best of LA 2022® on Los Angeles magazine’s street, which featured stilt-walkers, cocktail-stations and DJ dancing.  Once again, Los Angeles magazine donated  $25,000 to Concern Foundation. Stilt-walker in-front of Santa Teresa 1796 Rum.

                                                                                  

STK Lil' burgers.

"Back to the block" restaurants featured a great variety of food and beverages for every taste, including Vibrato Grill Jazz, Factor’s Famous Deli, Bar Hayama & the California Sushi Academy, The Drago Group, Porta Via, Maria’s Italian Kitchen, Pink’s Famous Hot Dogs, STK, Fogo de Chao Brazilian Steakhouse and plant-based NEXT MEATS.                                                       
                                                                                

Plant-based Japanese NEXT MEATS brisket.

Restaurants joining the Concern for the first time were H&H Brazilian Steakhouse, Gion Beverly Hills, Conservatory West Hollywood, Ike’s Love & Sandwiches, Milagro Tequila, Bé Ù, Little Llama Peruvian Tacos, Deutsch Family and Brontë Bakes.

Fogo de Chao Brazilian Steakhouse.

www.concernfoundation.org/block-party