Event

"Now Cut That Out!": Portland Theaters Educate Mel Blanc

This lecture will introduce the world of downtown Portland theaters, a world inhabited by Mel Blanc first as a consumer and later as an entertainer. Because Portland was on the Orpheum and Pantages vaudeville circuits, Mel Blanc saw all the big name acts, live and on stage just as if he had been growing up in New York or Los Angeles.

Guest speakers: Local theater historians Steve Stone and Gary Lacher, co-authors of Theaters of Portland, talk about the Portland Mel Blanc grew up in, with downtown streets lined with vaudeville theaters and movie houses, and a mayor, George Baker, who was himself in show business. Stone and Lacher will describe the Portland audiences who patronized vaudeville, and give a quick overview of the intersection between vaudeville and Hollywood.

Films: Dennis Nyback will show films of some of the vaudeville performers (Jack Benny, Groucho Marx, Eddie Cantor) Mel Blanc would have seen perform live during his Portland years. Later Blanc would perform alongside these same stars on national radio.

This lecture is the first of four.

To buy a pass to all four lectures, go to http://www.brownpapertickets.com/event/176017

To buy a ticket to the June 15 lecture, go to:
http://www.brownpapertickets.com/event/176009

To buy a ticket to the June 15 lecture, go to
http://www.brownpapertickets.com/event/176009

To buy a ticket to the June 22 lecture go to
http://www.brownpapertickets.com/event/176009

To buy a ticket to the June 29 lecture go to
http://www.brownpapertickets.com/event/176015