TALES FROM THE ‘70S

This past year has not been a gala gala time in any way. Thanks to COVID, people are out of work, stores are empty, prices have skyrocketed and charities are suffering. So it’s time for a little walk down memory lane …

I began my items column in the spring of 1972 in Ed Keate’s Gastown Guardian. At the time I was the publicist for the new theatre company called Actors Contemporary Theatre or ACT which was founded and financially supported by Langara teacher, John Parker and three of his teacher pals. They took over the space at 110 Water Street and called it Gaslight Theatre

John Parker of VancouVer’s Actor’s Contemporary Theatre.

There were no LIP grants (an early ‘70s federal program) then, so it was more than just a labour of love. It was a costly venture. It was also a time when Gastown was thriving with all sorts of first-class restaurants, clubs, bars, exclusive shops and stores, where the air was permeated by the aroma of roasting coffee at Malkin’s and spicy hot dogs at numerous food carts.

There was also the famous Medieval Inn where luringly costumed waitresses dodged bread-tossing customers, George Lee’s popular The Kego Club, The Barkerville Inn, the oolala La Creperie, Pharoah’s, the Banjo Palace and Roger Gibson’s Pink Pussy Cat.

Ed, whose brother Stuart Keate was the publisher at The Vancouver Sun, loved Gastown and had opened The Town Pump, a popular food and drink emporium, beloved by families with kids due to his reasonable pricing. He also introduced residents and visitors to geoducks, huge clams with very long necks.

We wanted to build the audience at our theatre so I approached Ed to ask his advice. He suggested that I write a column in his paper detailing all the shops and stores, clubs and amenities available, including our first production, Raymond Hull’s adaptation of the old melodrama, The Drunkard.

It was a great success, and the start of a series of old, hokey and very funny melodramas like Wedded to A Villain, along with such diverse talents as popular Irish actor, Shay Duffin and his tales of Ireland, the IRA and the Black and Tan. One other special guest who completely sold out with his fascinating stories was the talented American screen writer, Dalton Trumbo. He had been accused by U.S. Senator Joseph McCarthy of being one of “The Hollywood Ten”.

Dalton, who was a very interesting character, was drummed out of his job and Hollywood by McCarthy and his “scorched earth” search for communists in the U.S. Some of Dalton’s films were Johnny Got His Gun, Kitty Foyle with Ginger Rogers, Roman Holiday with Gregory Peck and Audrey Hepburn, the Oscar-winning The Brave One, Spartacus with Kirk Douglas and Exodus with Paul Newman, most written under a pseudonym.

The latter two film were so powerful and popular that the banishment was lifted.

Bob Hope told Joy the secret of his famous nose!

One person we did try to get, just to make a pass through appearance, was funnyman Bob Hope. Bob was in town for a one night show at the Orpheum and regularly kept in touch with his very good friend, The Hotel Vancouver’s resident manager, Art Cameron, to check out local happenings and work them into his routines.

Many of Bob’s funniest lines came from the pen of the brilliant Art, who could have filled in for the comic at any time. Art , who loved what we were doing in Gastown, tried to arrange Hope’s appearance at Gaslight Theatre, but time ran out.

It was a few years later that Bob and impresario Hugh Pickett and I had a long chat over aperitifs in Bob’s suite at Mel Zajac’s Palisades Hotel. He admitted to me that he wasn’t born with his famous proboscis.

“That happened when I was cutting down a tree with one of my six brothers and the tree swung the wrong way! It sure made my profile memorable!”

Hugh and I went on to do some publicity shots for Bob’s then new book, Don’t Shoot, It’s Only Me! at the official launch at Eaton’s downtown …

Those were the days when Hollywood North was alive and well, especially when the indomitable Grace McCarthy created our first official B.C. Film Office in the Trade and Convention Centre. We had Hollywood stars and film producers flying in every week from Los Angeles, seeking new sites and settings for their powerhouse movies.

Pierce Brosnan and Kris Kristofferson passed through on their way to Whistler to take part in the Whistler Ski Fest and bedded down at The Hyatt on the way home. Magnum P.I.’s Tom Selleck stayed and dined at the Palisades with determined young women trying to bribe the staff to get into his room, and musclemen Sylvester Stallone and Dolf Lundgren were boxing it out for Rocky IV, which was shooting here…

Kojak tough guy, Telly Savalas, was in town to film an episode, stayed at The Meridien on Burrard (now Sutton Place) and discovered the cozy hideaway of CinCin’s. The female servers loved him!

The fuzzy-haired American fitness guru, Richard Simmons, was in town for the Olympic Gym’s successful fundraiser for our hometown hero, Rick Hansen. While doing his daily runabout, he found Robson Street’s Club Monaco and fell in love with their fashions, and spent a huge bundle over two days, tap dancing around the shop. He was always grinning. It was just a week or so later that the store manager, Liz Coleman, was flicking the TV channels when there he was, Mr. Exercise, raving about the people and scenic beauty of Vancouver and wearing his distinctive Club Monaco t-shirt…

Remembering a visit to Vancouver by Loveboat

The day was sunny and warm as the L.A.-based P.R. man, Max Hall, son of the well-known Coley Hall, introduced actor Gavin MacLeod to the assembled media crowd on board the 20,000 ton Island Princess, twin sister of the famous Love Boat, the Pacific Princess.

MacLeod had been recently voted as one of the ten most watchable men in America. He immediately declared that “Happiness is being Captain Stubing and part of The Love Boat crew.” Several familiar U.S. celebs were part of that week’s story including Eleanor Parker, Ray Milland and Canada’s Lorne Green.

Immediately after their intro’s, Lorne was hopping in and out of sleek silver limo as part of the scene on the dock, leading lady Eleanor Parker rushed off to a nearby dentist to have a chipped front tooth repaired while Reginald Truscott-Jones, otherwise known as Ray Milland, sat unnoticed and alone. He sat on deck in a brown coat and brown fedora and you would never have noticed him if you didn’t look closely. Ray was the elegant Welshman who won an Oscar for his magnificent portrayal of an alcoholic in The Lost Weekend.

And why was he so morose?

Tell you all next time…

VFD’s Bud Kellett on his 100th birthday.

MEANWHILE TODAY …

Last year Vancouver Fire Department’s chief training officer Carl “Bud” Kellett was saluted in style to mark his 100th birthday. It was a grand day with more than 40 vehicles driving through the training grounds including all the big rigs, the huge ladder trucks, pumpers, Battalion Command trucks, all driving past with signs wishing him Happy Birthday and giving him the Thumbs Up sign. As retired VFD firefighter Jeff Deighton said on behalf of the August 1974 class, “You gave us the best start possible to a great career!”

I’m happy to report that this year, with a quieter celebration, he marked his 101st birthday.

Also celebrating a very special day recently was restaurant owner and chef, Jean Francis Quaglia, as he was marking the 20th anniversary of his Provence Marinaside. People came to lunch and dinner to congratulate the successful entrepreneur on his two decades hovering over the hot stoves. It truly was a gala gala do for everyone involved…

A CAUSE CLOSE TO MY HEART …

Don’t forget the virtual Kidney Gala this coming March 5 on Global TV. It’s another vitally important fund-raiser. Our third son, Peter, suffered with kidney failure for four-and-a-half years undergoing dialysis. Peter was quite ill and ready to stop and give up the procedure and just pass away when a minor miracle occurred.

A young cyclist had been hit by a car and was killed. His thoughtful, caring and bereaved parents donated his organs. They lost their son and we kept ours. We could never thank them enough for their gift of life . They and their son are in our prayers every night.

March 5th– Global – don’t forget!...

NO STRANGERS

And I love the saying for this year’s Cherry Blossom Festival. “There are no strangers under a cherry tree”…

Til next time!