Marc Davis Exhibit at Forest Lawn Museum
Marc Davis is, hands-down, my all time favorite Disney animator. When I first started my love affair with Tinker Bell, I learned that he had been the designer for the playful pixie and numerous others of my favorite Disney characters (Alice [from Alice in Wonderland], Aurora [Sleeping Beauty], Cruella DeVille [101 Dalmations], etc.) including the hitchhiking ghosts inside the Haunted Mansion. Aside from his Disney work, he is a fabulous artist and we got to see a few of his pieces (including his personal collection of tikis) at a Tiki exhibit at Forest Lawn a couple of months ago which were astounding. So when we heard the museum was hosting a gallery of his original paintings, we HAD to go. And man... there isn't much to say except that my brain melted out of my ears. He played with a lot of familiar artistic styles, but in my opinion, his were better than some of the better known artists of the genre (Picasso, etc.). The whole museum was an overload of wonderfulness and something that I am truly appreciative that we got to see!
After this, we headed off to Santa Clarita to the last Farrell's Ice Cream Parlour...
Farrell's Ice Cream Parlour
Did you have a Farrell's near you when you were growing up? There were 130 parlours in the US at one time and today only 2 remain: one in California* and another in Hawaii. When I was young, we would go to the Farrell's in Cerritos (in my mind it's attached to the Cerritos Mall, but it might have just been nearby?) and it was a sensory overload. There is ragtime music playing and Americana memorabilia everywhere. The servers dress like turn-of-the-century soda jerks and when someone has a birthday, they all march around the restaurant with a giant bass drum, creating a parade to the lucky boy/girl. If someone orders a big ice cream dish, alarms go off and sirens wail and a team of Farrell's employees serve it to you like royalty (watch this old commercial for Farrell's to see what I mean).
Not much has changed over the years, I am happy to say, although I did have to laugh (often and loudly) at the player piano versions of modern songs (including Beyonce and Pink Floyd). We had a very good lunch and then an overload of ice cream. We met up with Miss Bliss and Tianana & her husband and had more fun than should be legal.
After eating a metric ton of hot fudge, we went to the arcade next door and had a blast. Kate and Ryan played Dance Dance Revolution and then we all crammed into a photo booth (which, as per regulations, turned into complete pandamonium, bringing to mind Buster Bluth being terrorized by a sheep on Catalina Island). Then we used up the remainder of our game tokens playing skee ball and earning over 500 tickets! We each chose some goofy stuff from the prize counter (miniature shoes, parachuting soldiers, etc.) so we all had souvenirs from a lovely day.
After that was done, we just couldn't stand to go home, so Ryan suggested a movie. Ryan, Kate, and I went to see The Hangover which is so funny that when we left the theater, we all were massaging our tired faces and were exhausted. Ed Helms and Zach Galafinakis are two of my fave comedians and they did a roaringly great job. THIS is an example of comedy done right: was there a redemption-cheesy ending? Yes. BUT they pulled it off without it being stupid. I won't spoil anything, but if you go, please pay attention to the wedding band. Oh. Mah. Gaw.
After the movie, it was really late (1am?) and we were punchy as all get-loose, and that was when I remembered that I had bought these little pencil toppers in a 25 cent machine and everyone needed one! They came in these tiny bubbles and Ryan thought he should stick it in his nose. We were tired, for sure, but this was hilarious at the time because it would just fall off his face again and again.
*a second California shop is planned to open this year
1 comment:
Farrells! I remember going there as a kid.
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