Lois Laurel-Hawes Letter of 19th July, 1999

Summer is here in the San Fernando Valley California USA!

Just returned from a short trip to Chicago where the Advisory Board of Sons of the Desert and a few long time members met up for a get together and a sightseeing trip around Chicago. We heard all about the plans for next year's International Convention Sea-Tac 2000 which are so exciting....it is bound to be the largest in terms of attendance.

The 'Bacon Grabbers' Tent of Chicago held their special 30th Anniversary meeting and had well over 250 people roaring with laughter watching the films on a huge screen. 'Bacon Grabbers' hosted the very first international convention in 1978 where many of us met for the first time.

I also went to the Ray Courts Hollywood Collectors & Celebrities Show in Hollywood, a good occasion to hunt for old L&H stills, posters and other obscure items on 'The Boys'. So many of the old day Hollywood celebs are collectors and it will be a fun weekend. One of the Apollo crew is going to be there and I'm really looking forward to meeting them.

We celebrated our (USA) 4th July weekend in Santa Cruz California (2 hours south of San Francisco) AND Monterey with the 'Midnight Patrol' Tent who are celebrating an anniversary with a Film Festival, afternoon at the Boardwalk (ala Blackpool!) where my Dad loved to spend time and fish off the pier. I'll fill you in on the details in my next letter.

Back home, I've settled down to the packing up of the house - the Museum is all secure and boxed up properly. In between this - which even with help is a huge job - I will be tackling more editing of the home movies and working on my book. Never a dull moment around here or enough time to do everything!

My collection of 16mm films are all in good homes now, and what a joy to watch my VVL collection on video, so beautifully remastered with the quality just pristine. Film takes such care, temperature control, fiddling with reels, projectors, lamp bulbs and the like, so to be able to pop a tape into a multi-system, sit back and enjoy The Boys at their best is just great. Film is great in an old cinema on the big screen, but for the home crown, it's Vision Video for me!!

Laurel and Heartily Yours for now!



Lois Laurel-Hawes

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