hiway29

I agree with fog's sentiments, and must say that I knew several people who were genuinely committed and loving, and went into the corps for unselfish reasons. Many of them even came out unscathed. For myself, what turned me off was the constant reinforcement that if you were not corps you didn't matter. Martindale used to say if you weren't corps, he wasn't interested in talking to you. It became an enormous class distinction that often alienated people. It has always galled me however that the way became so cavalier about cutting off those people who made such enormous committments to them. After voluntarily going through a program where your life was not your own, you would think that they would have honored that for no other reason than it's incredible that anyone would even do that. The martindale loyalty oath was the worst, but the threat of being dropped from the corps always seemed to loom like a shadow over the whole thing.

Sudo, the last tune is way too easy, and given my penchant for expounding on memories ad nauseum in here, you really don't want to get me started. :)-->

While I don't think it's the greatest movie of all time, it is certainly a classic. That might be the greatest theme tho. I grew up hearing that theme every day, knowing it as the theme of 'Million Dollar Movie", a tv show on channel 9 in New York City. It was on in the late afternoon on wekdays, and would show the SAME movie for a week straight. Most of them were hardly 'million dollar' movies, as I remember watching 'The Crawling Eye" so often that I knew just when to flip the channels to the 'good parts'. I loved that theme tho, and didn't know what movie it came from until I was in college, and saw it on campus. It was quite a distraction, since it hit me and I almost shouted out 'million dollar movie'. Sorry to go on and on. I know that frankly, you don't give a damn.

I see I've brought this board to a screeching halt. Somebody please change the subject.

It's amazing. I go through my day now without being 'confronted', or on edge. I may have an occasional arguement with someone, but for the most part I'm not 'screwing up', or 'in trouble'. Like many, I lived most of my time in the way, almost anticipating the next dressing down. And for WHAT ? I can honestly not recall a single thing I ever did that warranted someone sitting me down , reproving me, or treating me like i was 5 years old. Yet every time I turned around I was committing some offense that needed 'correcting, I live a normal life now, and I find it fascinating that I allowed that abuse for so long. Can anyone even imagine letting one of those b*stards run our lives like that again?

Thanks for the 'Cuckoo Song', Sudo. For the record, the main theme represents Ollie, and the 'cuckoo' is Stan.

I can relate to that george, and that was an aspect of some of their films that freaked me out as a kid. The one that weirded me out the most was the end of 'the Bohemian Girl'. They were being tortured in a dingeon, where Stan was stretched on a rack, and Ollie was put in a kind of 'orange crusher'. When they were set free Stan was 8 ft tall and Ollie was squashed. It wasn't until i was older and took a closer look at their films and studied their lives that I developed a deep appreciation for them. They were really gifted men who were were gracious and giving in their personal lives. When one looks past the slapstick and sometime 'dark' humor, their films reflect a love they had for life, and the bond between them is evident. They were very special as partners in a way that Abbott and Costello or Martin and Lewis for example never were, staying very close and devoted to each other their entire lives.

Happy Birthday, Jard !

On further reflection, I don't think he even said 'a fine mess', tho I'm certain he used 'fine', as in 'this is a fine state of affairs' or something like that. By the way, I'm a member of the 'Sons of the desert' , the laurel and hardy appreciation society that was formed by Stan and author john McCabe before Stan died. Stan's vision was to have people meet with 'mock seriousness', and enjoy their films as well as others. The groups meet in many cities and are called 'tents', each tent being named after one of their films. I belong to the 'Way out West' tent in Los Angeles, which meets about 5 times a year , always with an excellent program of films, centered on Laurel and Hardy but also other Hal Roach films. Being in Los Angeles, one never knows who will show up, and recently Tommy Bond, 'Butch' from Our Gang (Little Rascals), was there. it's fun and some of the members are more than a little eccentric, but I'm glad to support a group keeping Laurel and Hardy alive.

There were several variations on the fine mess. At times this was a 'nice mess' 'another mess', and even 'a fine mess', but not once did Ollie say 'this is another fine mess you've gotten me into". One of Laurel and Hardy;s films was titled "Another Fine Mess", which may have helped put it into the public awareness that he said that all the time.

The second sound clip. If being fantastic was a disease, what would you call it. Not only did Bogey never say 'play it again, Sam', bit Oliver Hardy never said "This is another fine mess".

I think that guy is kind of a jerk.

I lost count after 35 times or so. I know I hit in the neighborhood of 45 times. But, as they kept telling us-everytime you take it it gets BETTER. I ran 2 classes, worked charts on a few, ran tapes on a few, and was a 'supporting grad' on more than I can count. I'm with Hammeroni. I'm done. finit.kaput. At least I haven't cracked up yet-in the automobile.

Oh no. Just when I was gearing up to read the 180 pages I missed.

Yet we all lived in that world of fake smiles and 'half sharing' for years. I have to think everyone was aware of it on some level, but noone was going to buck that system and get away with it. For myself, whenever I showed any 'weakness', like having a real life problem, I was slammed down, yelled at, made to feel it was 'spiritual weakness'. When I learned to keep my mouth shut, and play the game, I was perceived differently, and rose in the 'system' accordingly. Sometimes I feel really stupid for having been sucked in over there.

HAPPY BIRTHDAY SHELL !! dang I nearly forgot

I live down the street from the Worldwide Church of God, and it's a spread to rival any HQ the way ever had. It's also basically deserted. They rent out the auditorium for functions and have been trying to sell the land for years. The only thing stopping them are civic groups opposed to the thousands of condos that the buyers want to build on the property. Apparently when they moved to more traditional Christian beliefs, it set forth a chain reaction not unlike the upheavel in the way. Most of the faithful supporters left, and I'm not sure the college functions at all anymore. It sure is a nice walk on the way to Sunday morning breakfast though. Brooks, and waterfalls, and fish in coit ponds, and beautiful buildings, and fountains. No people though. At least they welcome people crossing the grounds, unlike the security that keeps everyone from visiting the way.

"Sometimes Good Guys Don't Wear White' "Don't Pick on Me" "Try It' Not big hits, but good Standells songs. How many bands have at least one memorable song tho. My memory tells me it was 'Dirty Water" , not "Muddy"-but I may be wrong.

I love that picture. Maybe I'm an old fart ex hippy after all. Russ Tamblyn was (is) an excellent actor and it sounds like he 's as cool in real life. And the Standells rock.

I know I've reported this before, but they showed the lesb & dogs film at an open meeting at HQ, when i lived in St Marys in '84. Well, it wasn't quite an open meeting, it was a Christian Family and Sex evening, open to all grads of the class, otherwise I would have never gotten in there not being corps or staff. By the way, there was nothing lonelier than living near HQ and not being corps or staff. But that's another story.

In from 75-88. Moved 14 times, including 1 wow year, annual ''shuffling' in an area, migrating to other states twicw, and twice getting thrown out of homes. Funny, I went from being ejected from a 'way home' one year, to running a way home 2 years later. I can assure you I had not become any more spritual. I did learn how to watch what I said among the fearless leaders. Finally bought a place in '94. Haven't moved once. Unless I decide otherwise, I'm rooted and grounded here. I hate the way.

The sanctity of way leadership was all powerful. One simply did not criticise , speak negatively of, or argue with a leader . The results were almost always the same. Harsh reproof for going against the man of God, in your face yelling at why YOU are the one who's got the problem. After all , the first step down from the 'mystery' in the first century was turning from the man of God. I spent a whole Saturday once in a twig leaders meeting, being drilled on this by the region coordinators wife. The message was clear and never wavered. You have a conflict with someone over you-it's YOUR fault-not the one with the 'responsibility' to God. Like all the sap in the way tree, it filtered down through limb, branch, twig. Even pfal grads thought they had a leg up on lowly non grads.

Not only does this depress the hell out of me, all that math is giving me a headache :)-->

"Pressed Down' was my favorite way group, and I wonder if the music still holds up as I haven't heard them in decades. They came from a time before way productions became tighter than a snare drum in terms of music style and content, and I'm now curious what Ted Farrel has to say about them. You can be certain that many in here remember 'Pressed Down" fondly, coolchef.

I traveled through Russia when I was 12 years old. I was hit by a car when I was 6 My father was friendly with Martin Luther King I have every good Max Fleischer Popeye cartoon on tape I buried a shrunken head once Adam Sandler's dog Meatball took a dump in the cubicle next to mine I climbed the catwalks and expored the Pirates of the Caribbean ride at Disneyland, lifting a few coins from the treaure room I lost my beloved dog Amber, almost 2 years to the day of when I rescued her I belong to the 'Sons of the Desert'-the Laurel and Hardy appreciation society founded by Stan before he died I rarely wear the club 'fez' tho I studied art under John Buscema, who after Jack Kirby, ( and Steve Ditko) was marvel comics most important artist As a child I was devestated when Adam left Bonanza, and could never watch it again