The Official
Arch Hall Jr.
website
Bio
Page 1 & 2 of 27 booklet included with the Arch Hall, Jr. and the Archers CD
BIO / BLOG
Actor, Musician, Aviator, Author - Arch Hall, Jr. was born December 2, 1943 in Van Nuys, California USA
Beginning in 1959 and ending in 1965 I made THE CHOPPERS, EEGAH, WILD GUITAR, THE SADIST, SPIES-A-GO-GO and DEADWOOD '76. These six films comprise my short film career.
In the years following the end of the Drive-In theater... a few of my films rather than be totally forgotten... have instead risen in popularity to become cult B-movie classics.
Now semi-retired and a grandfather [soon-to-be a great grandfather] and at the request of many folks, I've finally decided to start a website of my own. I hope to contribute to it regularly and share the adventure that has been my life so far.
IN THE BEGINNING |
I grew up in and around Southern California's famed San Fernando Valley... starting out in North Hollywood during WWII when my father was in the Army Air Corps and my mother worked at Lockheed Aircraft. Not too long after that the reunited Hall family moved into a beautiful red tile roof house on busy Beverly Glen Blvd in Sherman Oaks.
We always had interesting showbiz neighbors like veteran actors, Victor McLaglen and Vince Barnett.
Our immediate next door neighbor was a cop and former Marine who used to tell me tales of combat in the Pacific. On rare occasions he showed me his coveted battlefield souvenirs. Things like ornate Japanese Officer's swords, Nambu pistols and a bit of the macabre in the form of gallon sized glass jars filled with gold teeth from Iwo Jima. Where the Marines took horrendous casualties as well as vengeful payback for their buddies and for Pearl Harbor.
We were at Beverly Glen for quite a few years. Then it was off to Palm Desert near Palm Springs for about three years... then back to the S. F. Valley in Van Nuys where I attended Madison Jr High then moving a short distance to Sun Valley and transferring to Sun Valley Jr High then... back to Palm Desert where I eventually graduated from Coachella Valley Union High School's class of 1961.
DOCUMENTARY & INDUSTRIAL 16MM FILMS with CLETE ROBERTS & ARCH SR
During these rather confusing years I was introduced to documentary industrial films produced by Clete Roberts. Clete was an Army Air Corps buddy and fellow broadcaster friend of my father. Clete and my dad would occasionally collaborate on projects such as making documentaries. By the time I was about 10, I had participated in a few of these films mostly centered around stories of successful entrepreneurs and CEOs when they were kids.
I remember doing a sort of kid reporter thing on Hollywood scene. I once was taken to 20th Century-Fox studios to interview two major movie stars... Tyrone Power and Terry Moore on the set of their movie KING OF THE KYBER RIFLES. I still remember how petite and beautiful Terry Moore was.
In FEB 2009 I attended the HOLLYWOOD COLLECTERS SHOW in Burbank and had the privilege of speaking with Terry Moore once again, some 55 years after the interview. I told her I had once interviewed her and Tyrone Power when I was just 10 years old. She looked at me for several seconds and then said something like "Oh my God!"
Clete Roberts had been a war correspondent, having covered WWII, Korea, Dien Bien Phu and Vietnam. He was also a pilot and in radio just like my dad. For his own reasons Arch Sr (a/k/a Big Arch) chose not to follow his friend in making the rather easy transition from radio to television. My mother (Addalyn) and many others think it was attributed mostly to the effects of his heavy smoking. Big Arch was then smoking about 5 packs a day!
Clete himself smoked a pipe but saw the effect of what heavy smoking was doing to my dad's great voice. Needing to hit the cough button on the mike way too often was a path to career suicide!
So anyway, Clete Roberts went on to become a well established TV anchorman in the Los Angeles market. After a long tenure with CBS, he was hired by Gene Autry to be his news director and anchorman on his KTLA Channel 5. Clete returned to CBS in 1966 then returned back to KTLA for Autry in 1974. Two years later he stepped back into semi-retirement and worked for the PBS affiliate KCET up until his death in 1984.
NOTE: Clete Roberts was the person who gave me my very first ride in an airplane, truly inspiring me to go on and get involved with a career in aviation.
DAVIS MOTOR CAR COMPANY
My father chose to break-out of broadcast journalism and try his hand at many different things. One was marketing a revolutionary, new, three-wheeled car called the "Davis". The founder and CEO of the Davis Motor Car Company was a guy aptly named Gary Davis. The Davis was really ahead of it's time with features like four across seating, great fuel economy (when that wasn't really a virtue) and spaceace aerodynamic styling! Several prototypes were built and the Davis three wheeler was getting rave reviews! A 57,000 square foot production line was set up in an aircraft assembly hangar at the Van Nuys airport. There was even a militarized version of the Davis, a sort of "three wheeled Jeep" type vehicle that my dad demonstrated to the US Army. The Army seemed to like it! Even testing it's durability by dropping it by parachute.
By this time around 300+ franchises for Davis dealerships had been sold and dealerships were being set up all across the country and discussions were underway for overseas sales representatives .
Gary Davis was given credit for being somewhat of a genius at coming up with the whole idea as well as promoting his unique three wheeler. The public was anxiously awaiting the grand openngs of the dealerships so they could buy a new Davis. Unfortunately it turned out that Mr. Davis was also part "con artist" as he never followed through with full scale production thus leaving his network of dealerships with no vehicles to sell and cheated out of their money.
In the end... all the franchisees + all the employees were left embarrassed and jobless! That of course included my Dad. Mr. Davis had his day in court, was convicted of fraud and went to prison.
BART LYTTON
After wasting his time with The Davis Motor Car Company fiasco, Big Arch was once again looking for a new gig and soon landed what was thought to be a rather formidable position working for far "left wing" Hollywood screen writer turned financier, Bart Lytton (whose real name was Bernard Shulman). Lytton was once on Hollywood's "blacklist" for being a member of the Communist Party! But was responsible for starting California's very first Savings & Loan. Lytton went on to build an empire in both the financial world and politics.
Bart Lytton soared with the eagles for a while even eventually becoming a player in the Democratic party scene. He notably once gave $200,000 in cash to John F. Kennedy one month prior to the election! JFK reportedly called Lytton an "S.O.B. but... he's our S.O.B."
It all collapsed for Lytton in the late sixties and his wife was quoted as saying he died "insolvent".
My dad didn't stay with Bart Lytton very long but admired his drive and ambition.
HALL N' COMPANY
The next thing Big Arch got into... came out of left field...
Prior to and during the making of THE CHOPPERS... My Dad had met a country singer / truck driver by the name of Kelly Walker. Walker sang at bars when he wasn't driving a truck or working as a DJ on a country AM radio station.
It was also the first time I had ever laid eyes on a Fender Stratocaster. Kelly Walker brought a mysterious square looking tweed case into the house and opened it up on the floor to expose 1957 Mary Kay Blonde Strat with gold hardware.
It was beautiful and looked like something Buck Rogers might play in outer space! Compared to my Guild X-350 with it's three white P-90s, Bigsby and six push button "vegamatic" tone selector... it was like comparing a Ferrari to a Dodge pickup!
It would be two years later before I would be ushered into Leo Fender's office at the Fender factory in Fullerton and be presented with the white Fender Jazzmaster that was used in the making of both EEGAH and WILD GUITAR.
Back to the story... Kelly Walker was instrumental in encouraging my Dad to invest into a business he knew nothing about.
Keep in mind my Dad knew absolutely nothing about the trucking business, yet took Walker's 'business advice' and bought 17 used Ford 10-wheeled dump trucks.
This fleet of old dump trucks were capable of hauling rocks, gravel and about 14 tons of hot asphalt. There were some frightening as well as humorous incidents daily.
Once a driver lost his brakes on a steep residential winding road up in Bel Air. The driver bailed out of the truck early on as the heavily loaded truck rolled backwards completely out of control! It jumped the curb and crashed through a wall, down an embankment coming to rest in the deep end of Zsa Zsa Gabor's swimming pool! Another time a driver disappeared with a company truck loaded with 14 tons of hot asphalt. The truck was discovered by the police several days later abandoned. It took days to remove the hardened asphalt.
Finding and keeping good drivers was not an easy task. One morning when we were short of drivers my dad tried to drive one of the trucks himself! The day started out OK when Arch Sr was dispatched to haul broken concrete from a construction site in downtown LA. But in the afternoon he found himself coming down Barham Blvd (a very steep grade). At the bottom of the grade there is a stop light, then the road begins a sweeping left turn in front of Warner Brothers Studios. Understand my father was not a professional truck driver but he was doing the best he could when at the worst possible time, he realized he had lost his brakes coming down this steep hill. It was estimated that he quickly accelerated to over 100 miles an hour careening wildly back and forth in both sides of the road to avoid hitting other traffic. When he reached the light at the bottom of the grade... the light was green and he went through the intersection with flames coming off his brakes! Somehow he managed to avoid a fatal catastrophe and was even commended by the police who were chasing him all the way down the hill.
There were others always hanging around too like Hollywood writer Bud Beauchamp, William Conrad, actor John Payne and others. There was always an old guitar laying around the house as my dad liked to strum and sing old cowboy songs. So my early musical interests were really kindled by my father. He surprised me one day by buying me a brand new blond Guild X-350 which had gold plated hardware and a "Bigsby". Even more unusual, this guitar was equipped with a bizarre six push button control panel similar to a vegimatic food processor. This guitar can be seen in THE CHOPPERS but I think it was the director who thought it looked too shiny and had the prop department smear shoe polish on it which on film looked more like dog feces! In retrospect, it makes you want to question authority figures when they come up with such goofy ideas. I 've owned many guitars over the years but never again had one as nice as this beautiful Guild which my father gave me. I only wish I still had it today.
ON THE SET OF EEGAH
Many people have asked me about the 'dune buggy" used in the Eegah. This vehicle started out as a 1939 Plymouth 4-door sedan which the body was removed and which had a 4 foot section of the frame cut out with a torch. After the frame was shortened it was gas welded back together with steel plates. Twice during the film where the buggy was put under extreme stresses the crappy welds failed. The worst was in one scene where the buggy comes over the crest of a sand dune the entire frame collapsed on landing trapping me behind the wheel for 10-15 minutes until I was rescued by crew.
Saturday, March 6th 2010
Lolly Vegas 1939-2010 R.I.P.
I've just learned that my old friend and great talent, Lolly Vegas has passed away at the age of 70. You may all remember Lolly and his talented brother Pat in "The Nasty Rabbit". Of course they went on to have many hits and become quite famous as "Redbone". Lolly was a great guitar player. God bless him.
Tuesday, April 6th 2010 - Getting ready for CHILLER THEATRE after Having wasted much time over the past several weeks helping an old friend who thought he wanted to own a private jet.
THE SADIST First Time on Blu-ray!! Super 2 disc Set!
That wild man Johnny Legend begin_of_the_skype_highlightingend_of_the_skype_highlighting, who was first to come up with the HD transfer version of THE SADIST called me last night to announce his launching of a never before offering of THE SADIST on Blu-ray! So far all who has seen it says it is absolutely AWESOME! Go Johnny Go!
Thursday, April 22nd. 2010
Le-Thanh and I returned to FL Monday after having a wonderful time at the 20th annual CHILLER THEATRE & FILM EXPO in Parsippany, NJ. The weather was an issue on friday but improved and turned out to be beautiful for the remainder of the weekend event. It was great chance for me to meet cult movie fans and other celebrity guests attending this wild event which is held twice a year. Next CHILLER will be in October! It's looks likely I'll be returning in October . . . I've been asked to bring with my old battered Telecaster so as to be prepared to jam with "THE DEAD ELVI" . . . stay tuned for updates : ) Arch
Saturday, April 24th 2010
For those familiar with aviation matters. . . I've been out to the hangar working on my little Thorp T-18. The 180 hp Lycoming engine was recently overhauled and I've only been able to put 20 or so hours on her so far so she's still tight but it runs nice and fast as you might expect. I had to pull the altimeter and the blind encoder out because they were getting "tired" and were not up to snuff. Waiting for FedEx to deliver new parts on Monday. Happy Landings always to those of you who also fly! Arch
Sunday April 25th 2010
Epiphone Blues Zephyr Deluxe
In my quest to replicate that long lost, great, Guild X-350 guitar my father gave to me on my 11th birthday, I've struck a deal with Steve Kelly a/k/a "Big Daddy" of Big Daddy & The Blue Notes- to part with his beloved Epiphone Blues Zephyr Deluxe. This fine modern instrument roughly recreates the atributes of both the Gibson ES-5 Switchmaster & gets me closest to my beloved Guild X-350 with it's triple dog ear P-90s but without the MoPar push buttons. My old X-350 can always be seen in THE CHOPPERS (covered with brown shoe polish) Why shoe polish? Because in the sun some asst. camera geek said the finish looked too shiny and was casting flares into the camera lens and also because it might make it look older and thus look as if it were one of Britt Wood's other guitars laying around the junk yard. WTF? It looked like shoe polish smeared on a beautiful guitar to me back then and still does to this day! Anyway, I am looking forward to making friends with this axe and getting it set up for future live performances of KONGA JOE and perhaps even for chasing that elusive sound that the great Scotty Moore gave us in MYSTERY TRAIN and THAT'S ALRIGHT MOMMA. BTW- I had the honor of meeting the great Scotty Moore in New Orleans and again in Memphis awhile back : ) Arch
Tuesday April 27th 2010
Yesterday, I spent a few hours out at the hangar in one of the most uncomfortable positions imaginable- think of standing on your head- upside down underneath the instrument panel on my little T-18 Thorp in order to install a new altimeter, vertical speed indicator and blind encoder. Much like all the stuff we buy today, the replacement instruments were... "Made in China" Today, I'm going to fly over to Okeechobee or Pahokee to exercise the engine and return it to a different hangar with my friend's beautiful Sabre 60. ~Arch
Sunday May 2nd 2010
This weekend was devoted mostly to family duty in caring for my mother-in-law who lives with us while Le-Thanh flew up to Rhode Island to celebrate our grand daughter "Ruby's" first birthday. Next week I will continue preparing my T-18 for the planned solo flight to Philip, South Dakota. My youngest son Jeff will also be flying in from Utah in his Zenith CH200. We both plan to hook up with my cousin Tommy Hall and his son Douglas Hall who are driving in from Idaho. More about this later. ~Arch
Sunday May 9th 2010
I've been rather busy the past few days with supporting my wife, Le-Thanh in caring for her mother who is presently in the hospital. Le-Thanh is by her bedside 24/7 and sleeping in a chair for the past few days. A stressful situation for all and sadly with a prognosis that is not looking so good. Such is all part of life and our duties and responsibilities as children of our parents.
Work on both aircraft continues in Utah & FL to prepare for the planned trip to South Dakota. I recently joined www.Ancestry.com in hopes of learning more about my grandfather's rural life in South Dakota's rugged badlands in places like Interior, SD and Owanka, SD and on land leased land at Pine Ridge.
Some of the old documents I have discovered are truly amazing. For instance, I found the county form from Mitchell, SD that my father & mother filled out in order to get a marriage license.
Another government census document dates back to 1900 showing my grandfather and his younger brother working as sheepherders for John Jones in Interior, SD. This is rather funny to read as my grandfather went on to make a career out of cattle ranching. In a conversation I had with my cousin Tom Hall a couple of nights ago, we were discussing our great grandfather Thomas Griffith Hall who as a Confederate officer during the Civil War, defeated a Union unit in combat. The commanding Union officer was captured alive and surrendered his Union sword (sabre) to my grandfather in appreciation for our grandfather ordering his Confederate doctors to treat wounded enemy soldiers along with his own wounded. This sword today is owned by Douglas Hall along with a the old .38 caliber double action revolver and leather shoulder holster my father used to wear when going to dances in Interior, SD and Pine Ridge.
~Arch
Thursday May 20th 2010
I've been rather busy the past two weeks with supporting my wife and brother-in-law with caring for their ailing mother. My mother-in-law is now home from the hospital and things are calming down a somewhat.
The avionics shop has torn into upgrading the radios and flight instruments in my little experimental T-18. They should finish up by this weekend.
My thoughts and prayers go out to all of those in Thailand who have lost loved ones over the past few months and especially yesterday, May 19, 2010, a day that will not be easily forgotten. Those who are tightly holding on to the reins of power in Thailand know very well they would lose if they ever were to permit a fair & democratic election. Of course Thai soldiers should be able to defend themselves but not indiscriminately kill unarmed civilians like they were buffalo hunters in the wild west!
Who ever permitted the wide spread use of live ammunition against for the most part unarmed civilians should probably themselves face a firing squad without a blindfold. ~ Arch
Monday May 31st 2010
Memorial Day! Hope all is well with everyone, especially those who are veterans or the family of those who may have served their country in the military. Let's all try to remember we are still at war and why we celebrate this day.
~Arch
Monday June 7th 2010
I haven't made entries for several days because of my mother-in-law's health situation worsening. So the planned flying trip to South Dakota was canceled + there were some issues with some new avionic equipment that failed to function after installation in my T-18. We are taking it one day at a time. ~Arch
Saturday June 12th 2010
I am very sad to report that my mother-in-law, Mrs Le-Xinh Ly, a person who was loved and respected by all who she ever came into contact with passed away yesterday morning at 2:35 AM. May this wonderful lady rest in peace for eternity. ~Arch
Monday June 21st 2010
Returned home late last night from San Jose, CA where the funeral for my mother-in-law was held.
Saturday August 7th 2010
I'm continuing on my hectic on an adventurous flight across country in my little homebuilt experimental airplane. I posted a couple of videos today from Utah. ~Arch
Sunday August 29th 2010
My wife and I had a wonderful adventure on our trip from FL out to Northern California in my little 2-seat experimental airplane. Weather caused us some days to be cut short or required us to divert from our planned route, but nothing really we hadn't expected for this time of year.
My Thorp T-18 "Tiger" with it's 180 hp Lycoming engine performed well and was a delight to fly. We met some good folks across this still great land, especially in Texas.
We normally planned to land every 2-3 hours for fuel and to stretch our legs. The airports were usually very small without control towers with self serve gas pumps. (more later on the trip)
Saturday September 4, 2010
Trip contd- I mostly planned our departures for early AM and began looking for a place to land and call it a day by 3:00 in the afternoon so as to avoid the thunderstorms.
Some have asked some questions about the T-18's speeds?
After takeoff I normally initially climb the T-18 out at 160 mph indicated and flight plan it for anywhere between 145 to 165 knots TAS depending on conditions. Descents are made with power to keep the cylinders warm and speed relative to flight conditions but normally 180-190 mph IAS. I'm still working out some trim issues which is presently costing me some speed by needing a fair amount of aileron trim. I'll be out to the hangar next week to fix some things and do some routine maintenance.
Sunday October 3, 2010
I've been also digging out some of my music gear. Checking out amps and guitars and trying my best to knock the cobwebs and rust off my chops. I I've got to get out to the airport and change the oil on my plane as I haven't flown her in about a month. Maybe I try to do that tomorrow morning while it's still relatively cool~Arch
Friday October 8, 2010
I flew the Thorp today for about 40 minutes to get the oil hot before draining it. It was wonderful, the temperature is starting to be comfortable here in FL. I flew up and down the coast about a mile offshore keeping the power up to get the oil hot. At 3500' indicating 192 mph at 2550 rpm in smooth air it was a great day to fly! Life is good even in bad times. I'll go back tomorrow to change the oil filter and add 7.5 quarts of Phillips 20W50 and make a engine logbook entry.
Sunday October 31st Halloween
Sorry for the lack of entries but I've been pretty busy lately. Tonight we finished our second CHILLER THEATRE EXPO and another wonderful time was had by Le-Thanh and I. Many thanks to my many loyal fans and to Kevin Clement (a/k/a Mr. Chiller) for having me back at this incredible event! A big thank you is also in order to all the members of THE DEAD ELVI who so graciously invited my alter ego "Bud Eagle" to the Chiller Saturday night concert stage. THE DEAD ELVI are tops in my book! It was a real hoot for me and I hope I didn't disappoint the many fans of WILD GUITAR & THE CHOPPERS with my slightly updated impromptu renditions of MONKEYS IN MY HATBAND, KONGA JOE and YES I WILL? I spoke with a few folks after, who said they thought it was fine. I explained my guitar had fallen over just prior to going on stage and was badly knocked out of tune. I had to re-tune before I could continue. One large German man approached me at the hotel restaurant Sunday morning and said he normally only listens to European Heavy Metal music but "liked very much the song with the animals" KONGA JOE : )
Sunday November 12, 2010
I spent the past few days with my old pal Al Scott who flew in from Colorado. Al and I attended high school together in California and as some of you savvy fans know he also played Bud Eagle's brother in WILD GUITAR.
Monday morning I depart to Phnom Penh Cambodia to attend the 35 year reunion of those volunteers who flew the 1975 Cambodian Ricelift. (of which I am one) For those who might be intereted... I will try to post pictures when I return to CONUS. Arch
Saturday January 1st, 2011
I hope you all had a great Christmas and I wish each and everyone of you a happy healthy and prosperous 2011!
I returned from Cambodia and Thailand on December 17th only to get home in time to come down with bronchitis. More later on the reunion Phnom Penh.
Le-Thanh was up in RI helping Michelle & Eric and didn't get home until 12/23.
HOANG VAN MORRIS 1962-2010 R.I.P.
Sadly, we had to leave on Christmas Day in order to travel to Maui for a funeral. Le-Thanh's cousin Van Morris passed away at the Mayo Clinic in Rochester, MN.
Van was a terrific guy who was liked by everyone and HE will be greatly missed. He fought valiantly to beat a severe lung infection but sadly lost his battle on 16 DEC at the age of 48. Van leaves behind brothers and sister and the pride of his life in his bright and beautiful daughter Vanessa. Hoang Van Morris 1962-2010
PHNOM PENH REUNION 2010
The pilot reunion recently held in Cambodia commemorating 35 years since the airlift was halted because of the communist victory in April 1975 went off well and as planned. Although the turnout was a bit light with many last minute "no shows" a great time was had by all those who did attend. Attendees came from as far away as France, Sweden, The UK, Russia and the USA.
A lunchtime meeting was held on 51 St near the Walkabout. After lunch, photographer, Al Rockoff shared many of his rare and personal photographs as well as his experiences after having stayed behind in Phnom Penh after the Khmer Rouge takeover.
The unspeakable brutality still lives fresh in Rockoff's photographs. Terror frozen in time in the eyes of those who would soon perish by orders from the "Angkra" in what we now refer to as the "Killing Fields" of the Khmer Rouge.
Listening intently to Rockoff's chilling personaltestimonyhad me at times on the verge of openly crying.
The group moved in the late afternoon to the FCCC (Foreign Correspondent's Club Cambodia) located riverside on Sisowath Quay. The spectacular open-air view looking out on the river at sunset was intensely beautiful. Here are a few G-rated pictures taken that afternoon on November 19th 2010.
Friday January 7, 2011
FAA FLIGHT REVIEW FAR 61.65(a)
Woke up at 5:00 AM this morning to get out to the hangar by 6:30 AM. Pulled the T-18 out with the tail wheel dolly and preflighted the aircraft by flashlight as the horizon began to lighten to the east.
With a cool 45 degrees outside air temperature, it took a while before the oil temp warmed up enough before being ready to go flying. After around 15 minutes the oil temp was acceptable and I called the tower to advise "Experimental 45 Alpha Hotel was ready for takeoff on 32 and requesting a right turn out to the shoreline.
After boring holes in the sky flying up and down the beach at 2700' for a few minutes I returned to the traffic pattern to shoot a few touch & go landings. The morning air was cool and the wind was almost right down the runway as I made my first approach for a full flap wheel landing touch & go. Three more "wheelies" were followed by a full stop "three pointer". Itaxied to the airport restaurant to have breakfast prior to meeting my flight instructor who was to administer a Flight Review required by the FAA every 24 months to remain current to fly as "pilot-in-command". The Flight Review consists on 1 hour of ground and 1 hour of flight time. The instructor was a highly experienced pilot with many previous hours as a crop duster + corporate helicopter and fixed wing pilot. The Flight Review was completed and with the logbook endorsement, I'm good for another 24 months. ~Arch
Friday January 21st. 2011 visit to KTIX
AIR AMERICA FOUNDATION
(left to right) Josh Eiting - Archie Hall - Prince Panya - Brad Byron - Lyle Barney - Paul Hedtke
My good friend, Prince Panya Souvanna Phouma of Laos and I were invited to visit the AIR AMERICA FOUNDATION in Titusville, FL last Saturday. We flew up along the coastline to Space Coast Regional Airport. After checking out their "Provider" we had lunch at the famous Outer Marker Cafe, we were then treated to a VIP tour of the awesome Valiant Air Command Warbird Museum on the field. The AAM Foundation is restoring a C-123K which will be painted in Air America colors for static display. Thanks to Josh and all the volunteers for a wonderful time.
Prince Panya takes the "stick" for a while in the T-18
Monday February 14th 2011
I would like to share a surprise that I must say knocked my socks off recently-
I was contacted by an individual who had hired Arch Hall Jr & The Archers + Dobie Gray to perform live at a dance for teenagers at the Los Angeles Breakfast Club 3201 Los Feliz Blvd on Wednesday June 26th, 1963.
Three days ago I received a package containing several original flyers promoting this rare appearance 48 years ago!
Even more interesting was that unknown to us the entire gig was recorded on two large reel to reel tapes. Sadly, one of the two tapes was lost over the years but one remains containing over an hour of the performances of Dobie, Alan, Joel, "Paco" (Ernie) and of course yours truly.
I listened to the tape for the first time late at night alone and I'll be honest I got a bit misty eyed listening to the youthful exuberance of us after almost half a century.
The headline of the Glendale News-Press the following morning on Thursday June 27th 1963 was "YOUTH DANCE RAIDED... 800 SENT HOME!"
The article goes on to say that six police cars were summoned to quell the decadence of the teens. Many underage girls were dancing barefoot in shorts (panties was more accurate)
The police were called because of a fight but then discovered there was "inadequate supervision" of the event.
I'll try to scan and post some stuff on the above this week. Gotta go to the hangar and work on the T-18 today. Later ~Arch
Sunday April 10th 2011
Midget Mustang Mishap near San Diego
Arch standing next to Midget Mustang. (photo by Jeff Hall)
Surprisingly, damage to the tiny aircraft was relatively minor as it landed in wet grass and soft mud. Damage then continued when recovery efforts began as photo below discloses
If airplanes could only talk... this one would probably be saying Owww! Ouch! Stop it! That hurts!
May 5, 2011
Things are starting to get somewhat back to normal at home. I'll be going out to the hangar later to check on the T-18 and retrieve my two David Clark headsets for sending out for ANR upgrade to Amarillo TX.
In hopes of improving my portable "plug & play" travelling compact guitar rig- I 'm getting some expert guidancefrom my friend Stuart Baker, better known as "Unknown Hinson" Stuart is an incredibly talented entertainer and a most formidable guitar player!
My problem has always been the same in trying to deal with my old heavy vintage Fender amps which I dearly love but coupled with piecing together a rats nest of effect pedals and trying to tweek everything to sound good after being laced together has been hit & miss at best and has made for some frustrating & disappointing sound checks. I admit to being a bit stubborn and "old school" but the time has come for me to harness today's technology and get it working for me.
I've learned the hard way that vintage tube amps don't survive shipping around the country well, even if within a protective road case. My new approach will be to utilize a single one piece stand alone VOX multi effect pedal into a small Music Man 1X10 or 1X12 combo amp. I have admired the Music Man series of combo amps and heads for many years. I now own a bunch of them.
I remember first hearing Johnny Winter playing through a 4X10 combo and later was at a jam in Las Vegas where I was blown away at hearing a guy from the Philippines played a Tele through a diminutive Music Man RD110 combo. There was Twin Reverbs and Marshall 2X12 combos there all blaring away and this tiny little MM amp sounded like Albert Collins cutting through the mix! Most impressive!
From that day forward I've hunted down and collected several variants of these now obsolete and very under appreciated guitar amps. No, they are not as sweet as a Tweed Deluxe or an old "Blackface" Deluxe Reverb but sadly those amps run out of steam (and definition) when running wide open at large venues. ~Arch
Thursday Sept 22, 2011
We are back home in FL after what was a successful and busy weekend in New Orleans with both the Clandestine Film Series screenings and panel Q&A plus a rare live performance for Arch Hall Jr & The Archers at the Howlin' Wolf with Alan O'Day, Joel Christie, Gene Oliveri, Deke Dickerson and "Chris" the drummer from Deke's band, the Eccofonics. Although some technical sound problems were experienced going on without a "sound check" but overall I think the the crowd and our loyal fans who made the trip to New Orleans were satisfied.
STAY TUNED - TO BE CONTINUED...
