1983 Sons of the Desert Banquet

Above, the banquet program with autographs from Hank Worden and Hal Roach Sr.

Thirty-five years ago this month, I attended the 13th Annual Banquet of the "Way Out West" Tent of the Sons of The Desert at the Sportsmen's Lodge in Studio City with Glenn Thornhill and Mark Rosenthal. The banquet was held on October 15, 1983.

It was there that I met and obtained the autographs of actor Hank Worden (Mose Harper of The Searchers) and Hal Roach Sr. on my program.

Above, actor Hank Worden. Photo by Armand Vaquer.

At the table I was seated at was actress Joyce Compton, who was tickled that I remembered her starring with Bela Lugosi in Scared To Death.

Other stars were in attendance at the banquet, including Vivian Blaine, Alan Young, Henry Brandon and Anthony Caruso.

Above, yours truly with Mark Rosenthal (center) and Glenn Thornhill at the banquet.

Herald-Examiner columnist James Bacon was also in attendance and he wrote this in the October 20, 1983 edition:

Some of us were discussing John Wayne this morning and I noted that I met two actors in a clip from The Searchers: Hank Worden and Henry Brandon (Comanche Chief Scar). This led me to dig though my files of the banquet. 

Joyce Compton - "Scared To Death"

While perusing the Classic Horror Film Board forum this morning, I came across a thread on the movie Scared To Death starring Bela Lugosi and George Zucco.

This jogged a memory of the 1980s when I met actress Joyce Compton (January 27, 1907 – October 13, 1997), who was in the movie's cast. I posted this on the thread:

Back in the 1980s, I was a member of the Laurel & Hardy group "Sons of the Desert." The L.A. group, "Way Out West" tent, held a banquet at the Sportsman's Lodge in Studio City. In attendance were such luminaries as Hal Roach, Sr., Hank Worden and others.





I found myself fortunate to be seated next to Joyce Compton, who was a co-star of Scared To Death. When we were seated, I looked at her name tag and said, "Joyce Compton! I remember you in Scared To Death!" She was so thrilled (or "tickled to death") that I remembered her in the movie.

We had a nice chat about Bela. Good times!

Scared To Death was a melodrama produced in 1947 and was the only color movie with Lugosi in a leading role.

According to Wikipedia:

Scared to Death (1947) is a horror film directed by Christy Cabanne and starring Bela Lugosi. It was filmed in Cinecolor, is one of only three color pictures Lugosi made, and the only one he starred in. The film is notable for its narration by a dead woman — she describes the events leading up to her death.

The dead woman gives her narration from a coroner's slab.