Charles Phoenix - Pomona Valley's Favorite Son.

I meant to write up a little something on the Charles Phoenix Slideshow I went to last week but just never had a good chunk of time to do it.




I went after work last Friday with a friend on comp tickets from the Ford Amphitheatre in the Hollywood Hills--just a hop skip and a jump from the Hollywood Bowl--and had a blast. You've heard me say a million times about how "I'm a sucker for Americana" and this was right up my alley. Pre-show dinner ("BBQ") and cabernet was also generously provided to me by Ford (Very nice! The cookies were excellent.). And believe me, we needed the wine. Have you ever been to this place? Getting there by auto is no easy task. After getting lost, very briefly in the valley, we narrowly escaped death on at least 2 occasions on Cahuenga.

The venue itself is lovely. It is theater and park built right into the Hills, nestled in cypress and other greenery. Although many improvements have been made, its 1920's charm is still felt. The outdoor amphitheater is an intimate affair and we were seated as close to the stage as possible among Charles' personal friends; closer to the stage than say, Cybill Shepherd and her entourage of fabulous gay men sipping good quality cabernet (Clos Du Val).

We sat enjoyed the cool evening air, the stars, and live organ music. Hearing the organ--it's like a cross between my early years and the Lawrence Welk Show. The audience was eclectic. I won't bother attempting to explain the show--I couldn't do it justice. I will give you a list of some of the essentials.

- Hula Hoop Champion
- Pink poodle
- Enough AMBROSIA to feed the Amphitheatre
- 35 mm slides - collected from a variety of sources; 1950s-early 1980s; suburban life/vacations

My date and I laughed hysterically through most of it. There was a brief moment where Charles threw up a slide of the Eastland Center (West Covina) taken the week it opened and I felt overcome with nostalgia from my own childhood--I nearly cried. That's right SGV is represented. As is portions of the Inland Empire; Phoenix is an Ontario, CA native. 909 represent.

A few of my photos available on Flickr.

Book of considerable interest to the Empirical: Cruising the Pomona Valley 1930-1970