UCLA

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Damn Yankees (A movie about baseball, devils and music)

Posted by ksquaredno15 on April 24, 2012
Posted in: Entertainment, Movies, Sports, Television. Tagged: , , , , , , , , , , , , , . 2 comments

Damn Yankees started life as a book then a Broadway musical on May 5, 1955. And in 1958, it was made into a film which eventually made it to my television set (I’m guessing this happened around the late 1960′s), where I saw it for the first time. Come to think of it, this was probably my first exposure to a musical too.

The movie starred Tab Hunter as Joe Hardy, Gwen Verdon as Lola, Ray Walston as Mr Applegate (both Lola & Applegate portrayed devils in the movie) and Robert Shafer as Joe Boyd. I remember Ray Walston for his television role as Uncle Martin on the sitcom, “My Favorite Martian”, where he played the martian who befriends Tim O’Hara, played by Bill Bixby. Damn Yankees also starred Jean Stapleton who later appeared on “All In The Family” as Edith Bunker with Carroll O’Connor as Archie Bunker.

In October of 2007, a friend sent out an email to see if a group of us wanted to go see the play Damn Yankees at UCLA (a university in Los Angeles, California). I said sure, and so did several others. November 24th rolls around and it was the night of the play. We all met at UCLA and gathered in the lobby of Freud Playhouse where the play was being held. It was time for the play to start, so we lined up to go into the theater and an usher told our group to line up along the wall, instead of lining up at the main doors like everybody else. He then escorted us outside the theater and around the back of the building. We then went into the rear entrance and we found ourselves backstage. We climbed some stairs and were told to sit in these seats which were right on the stage.

The photo below is not from the UCLA play, but the Damn Yankees play in Modesto in 2004. It shows a similar elevated bleacher setup like the one we were seated in that night.
Damn-Yankees-Stage

Apparently, we were part of the play and it was supposed to look like we were spectators sitting up in the bleachers watching the baseball game. On one hand, it was neat to be a part of the play, but on the other hand, we saw everything from a different perspective than the main audience. I guess we should have looked more closely at the tickets, because instead of having the typical seat numbers, it said “Stage”, DOH! :o

Despite being seated on the stage, it was a good play, although we may think twice before letting our friend purchase tickets for us in the future. : D

If you get a chance, you should rent the movie, I think you will enjoy it! You gotta figure, if they are still creating plays and commercials based on the film, I can’t be that far off the mark.

Following are some YouTube videos of songs from the movie:

The song, “Whatever Lola Wants”, Sung By Gwen Verdon In The 1958 Movie:

“Whatever Lola Wants” Has Been Revived In This 2012 (54 years later) Pepsi Commercial:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=r2DFEd6ed34

http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0051516/

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Damn_Yankees_(film)

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Damn_Yankees

The Birthplace Of The Internet

Posted by ksquaredno15 on April 18, 2011
Posted in: Info, Lifestyle, Places of Interest, Technology. Tagged: , , , , . Leave a Comment

This is something that has touched the lives of all of you who are viewing my blog, or surfing the web…the birthplace of the Internet!

This post is not my usual format, but I just saw this article and thought I would share it with those of you that are interested. It’s about a UCLA PhD who went searching for the birthplace of the Internet and found it.

Read the article at the link below:
http://la.curbed.com/archives/2011/04/heres_the_room_at_ucla_where_the_internet_was_born_it_tweets_1.php

Visiting California?

Posted by ksquaredno15 on April 2, 2011
Posted in: Eateries, Entertainment, Foods, Info, Places of Interest, Travel. Tagged: , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , . Leave a Comment

If you’re a visitor to my blog that’s planning a visit to Los Angeles and/or it’s surrounding cities, you may be interested in checking out one or more of locations that I’ve posted on this blog. Even if you’re a Los Angeles/California native, you may find some of these sites worthy of a visit.

For your convenience, I’ve listed all of the locations that I’ve posted about (to date), that are still around (as far as I’m aware). If you want to read the posts connected with these locations, you can easily enter a keyword in the search field or click on the link that I’ve provided.

1. Griffith Observatory – Los Angeles, Ca – Read the post: http://yesteryearremembered.com/?p=28

2. Vacation Village-now called Paradise Point Resort & Spa in San Diego. I haven’t been there since it has changed to Paradise Point, so if you plan a visit, let me know how it is. Read the post: http://yesteryearremembered.com/?p=447

3. NHRA Drag Racing at Pomona Fairplex – Usually has races in February and November. Don’t forget a good pair of earplugs (I would take the over-ear style too). Visit the NHRA Website for schedule: http://nhra.com/

4. Far East Cafe – Little Tokyo in Los Angeles – Read the post: http://yesteryearremembered.com/?p=2207

5. Frank Lloyd Wright’s Ennis House – Los Angeles, Ca – I don’t think you can enter the property, but you can drive by to see the exterior of the house. Read the post for location: http://yesteryearremembered.com/?p=26

6. Marineland of The Pacific – Palos Verdes, Ca – Marineland is no longer there, but you can still visit the property which is now home to the Terranea Resort. You can grab a bite to eat at one of a few different restaurants and look out over the ocean. There is a small self-park lot or a $5 parking lot (the self-park is usually full). http://yesteryearremembered.com/?p=65
Read the post about Terranea Resort reunion: http://yesteryearremembered.com/?p=1674

7. Magic Castle – Los Angeles, Ca – This is an exclusive club, so entry is only allowed if you are a member or have a guest pass from a member. Read the post: http://yesteryearremembered.com/?p=1059

8. Pauley Pavilion on the UCLA Campus – Los Angeles, Ca – http://yesteryearremembered.com/?p=711

9. Farrell’s Ice Cream Parlour – Mission Viejo, Ca – Farrell’s website: http://www.farrellsusa.com/
Read the post: http://yesteryearremembered.com/?p=415

10. Snow Summit at Big Bear Mountain – San Bernardino, Ca – Read the post: http://yesteryearremembered.com/?p=2322 Snow Summit website: http://www.snowsummit.com/ski/

11. Greek Theatre – Los Angeles, Ca – Read the post: http://yesteryearremembered.com/?p=59

12. Original Tommy’s Hamburger – Los Angeles, Ca – Read the post: http://yesteryearremembered.com/?p=37

13. Griffith Park Southern Miniature Railroad – Los Angeles, Ca – Read the post: http://yesteryearremembered.com/?p=61 The Griffith Park Train Rides http://www.griffithparktrainrides.com/

14. Holiday Bowl – Los Angeles, Ca – Read the post: http://yesteryearremembered.com/?p=24

15. Pink’s Hot Dog Stand – Los Angeles, Ca – Read the post: http://yesteryearremembered.com/?p=48

16. Bradbury Building – Downtown Los Angeles, Ca – You are only allowed on the ground floor of the building. Read the post: http://yesteryearremembered.com/?p=19

17. Angel’s Flight – Downtown Los Angeles, Ca – Angel’s Flight was reopened on March 15, 2010. I’ve taken a ride up and down Angel’s Flight since my original post was written. The cost of a one-way ride was 25 cents at that time. Read the post: http://yesteryearremembered.com/?p=4

18. John Marshall High School – Los Angeles, Ca – Read the post: http://yesteryearremembered.com/?p=3306

Leave me a comment if you visit any of these sites during your next visit.

Gymnastics at UCLA

Posted by ksquaredno15 on July 17, 2010
Posted in: Entertainment, Sports. Tagged: , , , , , . Leave a Comment

I was around 9 or 10 and the year was around the mid 1960′s. My dad took me to my first and only gymnastics meet at UCLA’s Pauley Pavilion. It was a men’s competition that night and I remember seeing two gymnastics events that are no longer used in competitions today, the Rope Climb and Tumbling.

In Rope Climbing, the competitor would sit on the floor with legs outstretched in front of him and the rope between them and he would climb to the top of the rope as fast as he could using only his hands (no legs or feet allowed). He would then strike a tambourine coated with lamp black so he could prove that his hand touched the tambourine. The person with the fastest time wion the competition. Rope Climb

This website gives a good description of the event:
http://www128.pair.com/r3d4k7/Competitive_Rope_Climbing2.html

Tumbling is done on a long narrow row of mats and it is a continuous set of 8 different tumbling moves. This was my favorite event, because it was so energetic and just plain awesome to watch. The tumbling in the current floor exercise event of today is great, but tumbling was adrenaline charged!

After watching this event at the UCLA gymnastics meet that one evening, I decided that’s the sport I wanted to try out for in high school and I did. Unfortunately, by that time, tumbling was no longer used in competition so I went for the next best thing which was floor exercise. Click the link below, to see a series of AWESOME tumbling runs: http://www.metacafe.com/watch/2045786/extreme_gymnastics_best_ever_tumbling_compilation/