Will Rogers, Ice Cream, And The Mussallem Family Reunions~

Happy New Year to you for the Year 2012. One week from today in Vancouver, The Chinese Year of The Dragon will also be celebrated, in banks, parades, & with firecrackers in the snow. In March, the Persian Population here will observe their New Year.
So, in between the New Years, I called Uncle Craig today, to "belatedly" wish him a happy one. We had a good chat.

Here below, is some of what came from our conversation today. It had to do with Craig's Dad, George P. Costello, Movie Sound Engineer, taking Craig and Jeep up to Camp Richardson, where some of us will meet at August's end, 2012.

I said to Craig, "We're coming to the time when not all of us will be able to attend the reunions..", and he replied "I feel I may be one of those folks, as traveling is difficult these days for me". He then spoke of Camp Richardson.
Craig recalled being on set with his Dad, George P. Costello, and his brother "Jeep", when Will Rogers was filming "Lightin' at Camp Richardson.
In Hermosa Beach, Craig said he saw the film a while back, and watched the credits roll showing his father's name as the Recording Engineer, or "Sound Engineer" as Craig recalled. But the "keen thing was", Craig told me, that he was hanging about with his brother Jeep and Will Rogers spoke with them. He invited them for an ice cream cone and off they went to the local source of such ageless pleasures.

So in one simple New Year's call, I am richly rewarded by having heard this story from our Uncle Craig Costello.

I had the idea of somehow hiring a driver and a big home on wheels, stopping after 2 or 3 hours each day, driving up to Camp Richardson with Uncle Craig inside, without "pushing it", so that each day before, during, and after, could be comfortable for him, and so that we could have him with us for the Mussallem Family Reunion 2012. A tall order, perhaps, but, meanwhile, whether he makes it or not this August, his memorable story has been there before any of us gather together.

http://www.willrogers.com/wr_filmography/filmography.html

Above is the filmography page which shows the text below ~ if you scroll down to this text. (George P. Costello, Sound Engineer.)

LIGHTNIN’. A Fox Movietone Production, Copyright, October 31, 1930; b&w, sound; final shooting script at USC. World Premiere, November 28, 1930, Roxy Theatre, New York City. Location shots, Cal-Neva, near border between California and Nevada, also at Tahoe Tavern, California and at Camp Richardson, California. Presented by William Fox; a Henry King Production; Director, Henry King; Assistant Director, Frank Dettman; Cameraman, Chester Lyons; based on the play by Winchell Smith and Frank Bacon, produced by John Golden; Opened August 26, 1918 at Gaiety Theatre, New York City; screenplay by S.N Behrman and Sonya Levien; music and lyrics by Joseph McCarthy and James F. Hanley; song “Reno Blues” sung by Goodee Montgomery; editor, Louis Loeffler; recording engineer, George P. Costello; Harry Oliver, art director; costumes by Sophie Wachner.