We were
dressed and ready for Stan Jones' show as dad poured his flask full of Johnny
Walker from the demijohn in the trunk of the Bel Air to accompany mom's flask
of vodka. We then walked to Harry Oliver's old west backdrop handiwork
whereupon we see Stan Jones engaged in conversation with another little family
of three just like us. It turned out Stollerys came along with Stan with their
son turning out to be actor David Stollery who'd just signed on to do an
upcoming television series for Walt Disney to be called 'The Adventures of Spin
and Marty', with David playing Marty. Shooting was to begin as soon as school
got out. That was the way Walt did things, no fake tutors on the set for Mr. Disney.
He also wanted Stan, who was going to be in the series as well, to write
several sets of lyrics for the theme song Stan had written, and the kids, and
only the kids, would decide which verses made the cut. To woodshed those ideas was
the reason the Stollerys came. Imagine giving that decision making to children....only
Walt Disney would do something like that. And that helped make a dynasty.
News of my so
called show stopping rendition of 'Lady of Spain' on the accordion had been
relayed by The Plainsmen to Stan and the Stollerys along with connection to the
band with my mom's best friend and my godmother, Shirley Patterson.
But rather
than bask in the compliments, I found myself thinking more about the clever
trick Clem from The Plainsmen had just taught me by putting little holes in a
Pep Boys matchbook. This involved Manny, Moe, and Jack who stood together on
the cover and further detail was not suitable for that general audience, so I
just stood there. Besides, I only knew two songs on the thing; the other being 'Fascination'
and went with 'Lady of Spain' because it was perky. I had no business with an
accomplished thespian like David. Still, his mom persisted in telling my mom
that not all the boys had been cast and that I should try out as an extra and
be a 'Mouseketeer' of sorts. At this point we broke into groups; the moms to
talk further about my audition (which thankfully turned out later to be a dud,
as they easily saw a one trick pony), the dads and Stan to further investigate
the demijohn in the trunk of the Bel Air, and 'Marty' and I to look for
peepholes in the outhouses.
'Ghost
Riders in the Sky' took twenty years or one night to write depending on how you
look at it. At fourteen, while growing up on an Arizona Death Valley and wrote
the song that night. Right away the song went into his campfire repertoire he
was playing for cast and crew of the John Sturges directed film 'The Walking
Hills' while not being the park's technical advisor to them. Stan was
encouraged to take the song to publishers in Los Angeles
What a
night it was. It was a last round-up of sorts, though no one there knew it
then. With the exception of genre film and TV, western music was fading from
popularity, especially in the live venues, which was the bread and butter for
groups like The Plainsmen, Spade Cooley, or Rose Maddox. Leo Fender turned this
music on its ear with his electric bass, and guitar.... 'stick guitars' my dad
called them. They were loud and bright and popular music in all forms hasn't
looked back since. It would be one of the last times The Plainsmen played in
public, but that night, it didn't
matter and Stan and the boys sang and played and the people danced well into
the chill of a Death Valley night in January.
My somewhat halting version of 'Lady of Spain' on the accordion went over well,
and though the crowd asked for another, we agreed it was good for me to quit
while I was ahead, and 'Fascination' took the night off.
Meanwhile,
my parents had met Neil Fawcett from an outfit called 'Covered Wagon Tours' and
had decided to stay an extra day and take a sunset ride the following afternoon.
That night
I again slept in the Bel Air and woke the next morning to a beautiful sunrise over
the eastern hills that rolled over the Chevy's roof parked in the midst of a
tent and cabin city. Finally, things began to stir as it got warmer, with the
sun heating up the tents and amplifying the hangovers inside and coaxing
everyone up to greet the day with first cigarettes. Heck, it was almost 10am
and time for mom's first Dr.
Despite
hangovers, Stan's friends Julio and Bufungo were already up and helping Dave
Frey break down the props and reload Dave's Studebaker flatbed. They were
rather angry with Harry Oliver and T.R. Goodwin who should have been helping
but had slipped away late in the show to Pahrump ,
Nevada
After a
pancake breakfast with the Stollerys which was quite a treat for they had Log
Cabin syrup in the tin log cabin and not the awful clear Karo syrup mom
insisted on using, we made the short drive to the Furnace Creek Inn to see
dad's next historical landmark.
For those
49'ers who came to this gateway to Death Valley that Christmas of 1849, the options
they faced in Utah a few months prior were to either continue the methodical
pace of Capt. Hunt along the Old Spanish Trail and bypass this valley, or to
run with the new fella in camp who had a map made by John Fremont that looked
like it could save them 500 miles. Who could turn down a short cut like that?
Certainly dad couldn't if he was signed on to that train.
NO. 442:
Death Valley Gateway
Plaque inscription: Through
this natural gateway the Death Valley '49ers, more than 100 emigrants from the
Middle West seeking a shortcut to gold fields of central California, entered
Death Valley in December 1849. All suffered from thirst and starvation. Seeking
an escape from the region, two contingents went southwest from here, while the
others proceeded northwest.
Location: near
Furnace Creek Inn
State
Hwy 190 (P.M. 111.8), 1.3 mi SE of Furnace Creek, 
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