Tag: hollywood

Laurel and Hardy accompanied by Spreckels Organ!

What a fun San Diego evening!

Laurel and Hardy entertained a huge crowd at the Spreckels Organ Pavilion in Balboa Park during another very popular Silent Movie Night. (Appropriately renamed Not-So-Silent Movie Night!) The entertaining concert was part of the 37th San Diego International Summer Organ Festival.

The comedy duo starred in three silent films as San Diego organist extraordinaire Russ Peck added his own incomparable, equally humorous soundtrack!

Putting Pants on Philip, 1927, had the ladies chasing Stan Laurel, to the chagrin of Oliver Hardy. Two Tars, 1928, had Laurel and Hardy causing absolute havoc wherever they went. Liberty, 1929, saw the two bumbling heroes high up in the city sky balancing precariously on steel girders. All very silly, all hilarious!

As the San Diego evening sky darkened, Russ Peck played jaunty, sunny, nostalgic old tunes from the 1920s, getting the audience in the mood for silent films from the same decade. Then he joined “Stan Laurel” on stage for a fun little skit concerning hats.

Then the pavilion lights were dimmed and classic silent film antics commenced!

I can’t tell you just how wonderful it all was. Laughter all around!

After the films, I approached a table where I learned a big international Laurel and Hardy convention is coming to San Diego in 2026! The 24th International Sons Of The Desert Convention will be held on June 21-25, 2026 at The Legacy International Resort and Spa in Mission Valley.

Do you love Laurel and Hardy? Read all about the big event by clicking here!

San Diego Civic Organist Raúl Prieto Ramírez says hi before the start of Not-So-Silent Movie Night.
Raúl Prieto Ramírez gets the evening started.
Introducing Russ Peck, who is House Organist for the Balboa Theatre in San Diego.
Russ Peck with Spreckels Organ curator Dale Sorenson.
A fun Laurel and Hardy skit has the audience laughing.
Two Tars on the way to causing mayhem.
The 24th International Sons Of The Desert Convention is a big Laurel and Hardy event coming to San Diego in 2026!

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I post new blogs pretty often. If you like discovering new things, bookmark coolsandiegosights.com and swing on by occasionally!

I live in downtown San Diego and love to walk around with my camera! You can follow Cool San Diego Sights via Facebook or X.

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Surprise encounter with Killer Tomatoes movie star!

Samantha Bailey is in San Diego for Comic-Con 2025. She plays the villain in the latest Attack of the Killer Tomatoes movie.

Samantha joined a Comic-Con Saturday panel concerning Attack of the Killer Tomatoes: Organic Intelligence and signed autographs.

Today, Sunday, when I saw a smiling somebody walking down MLK Promenade with a Killer Tomatoes sign, I quickly found out I had met the movie star herself!

I had seen Attack of the Killer Tomatoes: Organic Intelligence filming in early June by the USS Midway, but Samantha informed me she hasn’t performed her role in San Diego. Her work for the movie was done in Long Beach.

Samantha is the nicest person you could ever hope to meet. For sure she’ll be a superstar!

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If you’d like to view my coverage of Comic-Con so far, which includes hundreds of cool photographs, click here!

I live in downtown San Diego and love to walk around with my camera! You can follow Cool San Diego Sights via Facebook or X.

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Shotgun Tom and train fun in Balboa Park!

Can you believe it? Today I met legendary radio personality “Shotgun Tom” Kelly at the San Diego Model Railroad Museum in Balboa Park!

Shotgun Tom was running trains as he often does on Wednesday afternoons. His pleasant greeting brought me back to my younger days, when his distinctive radio voice was a part of my life.

Shotgun Tom is a model train enthusiast. He has his own elaborate layout at home. A display at the museum concerns his love for the hobby and how it developed. I blogged about this not too long ago–you can see what I posted by clicking here.

I asked whether he was still on the radio, and the answer was YES! You can catch his 60s Gold program on SiriusXM Channel 73 on week nights 4 -9 pm Pacific Time. He has also written a book titled All I Wanna Do is Play the Hits, which you can check out on Amazon here. The book’s cover shows him with his Hollywood Walk of Fame star.

I went to the San Diego Model Railroad Museum today because they are participating in the San Diego Museum Council’s “Big Exchange,” which allows members of one museum to visit others for free from May 1 to May 18. See which museums are participating by scrolling down this page.

If you’ve never been to the San Diego Model Railroad Museum, you’re missing out on a ton of fun! I took a few random photos, some behind glass.

One of the museum’s five amazing layouts (six if you include the outdoor Garden Railroad) is undergoing construction as it expands, as you might notice…

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I post new blogs pretty often. If you like discovering new things, bookmark coolsandiegosights.com and swing on by occasionally!

I live in downtown San Diego and love to walk around with my camera! You can follow Cool San Diego Sights via Facebook or X.

Feel free to share!

Fashion Redux 2025 at San Diego History Center.

Fashion Redux 2025 will soon be opening at the San Diego History Center in Balboa Park!

The extraordinary exhibition will include opulent garments created by renowned designers (including Hollywood’s legendary Irene Sharaff) worn between 1940 and 1988 during iconic San Diego events. They will be displayed along with unique creations by San Diego Mesa College students, who were inspired by the past styles and elegance.

I was wandering through the History Center yesterday when I noticed the exhibition is being set up in one gallery. I snapped the above photo.

Fashion Redux 2025 will be ready to go on April 10th–that’s this coming Thursday!

If you’ve never been to the San Diego History Center, located near the center of beautiful Balboa Park, why not go check it out? It’s a museum full of history, culture and amazing, important works of art!

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I post new blogs pretty often. If you like discovering new things, bookmark coolsandiegosights.com and swing on by occasionally!

I live in downtown San Diego and love to walk around with my camera! You can follow Cool San Diego Sights via Facebook or X.

Feel free to share!

Meet a Hollywood legend in San Diego!

You can meet Erik Betts, a Hollywood legend, in San Diego this weekend!

Erik, a self-taught gymnast and martial artist, has acted and performed stunts in so many movies and television shows that it would take forever to list them all.

He’ll be hanging out at Black Comix Day in Balboa Park, inside the WorldBeat Cultural Center, signing collectibles, comics, posters, action figures, t-shirts and more on Sunday, February 16, 2025, from 10 am to 6 pm.

You’ve almost certainly seen Erik (without possibly knowing it) all over entertainment. He was the Red Power Ranger! He has acted, been a crew member and performed amazing stunts in countless Hollywood movies, including Avatar, G.I. Joe: The Rise of Cobra, Batman Begins, Mission: Impossible III, and Ant-Man. He has worked in dozens of television shows, such as Westworld, Buffy the Vampire Slayer, Heroes, CSI: Miami, even the Young and the Restless, and many, many more! He has also contributed to video games!

Here’s his IMDb page with all of his credits and a full biography. Here’s his Instagram page.

Want to know the coolest thing about Erik? His huge smile and infectious enthusiasm. I was so excited just meeting him, absorbing his incredible energy. At Erik’s table you can watch a video of him creating jaw-dropping action in many of Hollywood’s most popular movies!

Make sure to swing by Black Comix Day on Sunday, February 16, 2025. It’s absolutely overflowing with talented creators–writers, artists, animators, publishers… Here’s the event website!

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I post new blogs pretty often. If you like discovering new things, bookmark coolsandiegosights.com and swing on by occasionally!

I live in downtown San Diego and love to walk around with my camera! You can follow Cool San Diego Sights via Facebook or X.

Feel free to share this!

Oceanside post office mural painted by Hollywood actress!

This wonderful Air Mail mural inside Oceanside’s historic post office was painted in 1937 during the New Deal. The public art was commissioned by the Treasury Section of Fine Arts. It was painted by Elise Seeds.

Many might not realize it, but the artist, Elise Seeds, was also a Hollywood actress!

As the Living New Deal website explains: Elise Seeds, also known as Alyse Cavanna, was a film actress, dancer, comedienne, and vegetarian as well as a painter. She was a well known artist back in the day. Here’s her bio on the askART website.

Elise Cavanna (her acting name) was W.C. Fields’ comic partner in the Ziegfield Follies. She’s mostly remembered for her role as a patient in the 1932 W.C. Fields slapstick comedy The Dentist. This website explains: As Fields attempts to pull her tooth, she recoils in pain and wraps her legs around Fields, getting her feet stuck in his pockets as he pulls her around the room. You can watch the movie on YouTube here. She appears around the 12 minute mark in a hilarious but ultimately suggestive scene that ended up being censored.

Elise Seeds led a full life and pursued many eclectic interests. She was certainly a genius. Simply take a look at her amazing Oceanside mural!

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I post new blogs pretty often. If you like discovering new things, bookmark coolsandiegosights.com and swing on by occasionally!

I live in downtown San Diego and love to walk around with my camera! You can follow Cool San Diego Sights via Facebook or X.

Thank you for sharing!

Epic geocaching event begins in Southern California!

Image credit: Chet Kinzelberg.

An epic multi-month event has begun in San Diego and throughout our region. Geocachers are participating in Cache Across Southern California 2025!

Geocaches are now hidden and waiting for discovery in ten Southern California counties. The event is described in this way:

Cache Across Southern California (CASC) invites you on a thrilling journey through roughly 40 Geocaches hidden across all 10 Southern California counties. With this year’s Hollywood-inspired theme, you’ll explore the magic of filmmaking while embarking on a Geocaching adventure like no other. For those who are unfamiliar, Geocaching is a worldwide GPS-based scavenger hunt in which one uses a free app on their phone to find hidden containers with a log sheet inside. To join the fun, locate a CASC Geocache and print the official passport. Each cache contains a unique stamp, which you’ll use to mark the small movie tickets on your passport. This makes prize redemption at the SoCal Spring Fling Mega Event on May 3, 2025, a seamless experience. As you progress, share your journey with fellow participants in the official CASC Facebook group. The group will also feature updates and announcements leading up to the Spring Fling.

If participating in this epic event sounds overwhelming, fear not. While the top prize requires locating 15 caches across 10 counties, you can also win prizes for finding 6 caches across 3 counties.

Want to join the fun or learn more about the outdoor hobby of geocaching? The San Diego Geocachers Facebook Group is where you can interact with over a thousand other local geocaching enthusiasts.

Happy hunting!

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I post new blogs pretty often. If you like discovering new things, bookmark coolsandiegosights.com and swing on by occasionally!

I live in downtown San Diego and love to walk around with my camera! You can follow Cool San Diego Sights via Facebook or X.

Thank you for sharing!

Costumes of Doctor Who and Star Trek at Comic-Con!

Costumes worn by actors in both the Doctor Who and Star Trek science fiction franchises are now being displayed in San Diego for Comic-Con 2024!

The free-to-the-public exhibition is titled Friendship is Universal. It’s located at two separate locations: 226 and 230 Fifth Avenue in the Gaslamp Quarter. The original television and movie costumes fill the latter address, and that’s where I took these photographs yesterday afternoon. (I’m afraid I accidentally missed two Star Trek costumes as I moved through the exhibit–Seven of Nine and Kathryn Janeway.)

If you’re in San Diego during San Diego Comic-Con this year, check it out! The offsite activation opens each day at 11 am. There is a photo op and merch to be had at the second address, just a few steps away. The lines for both locations tend to be small.

If you can’t see these costumes in person, please enjoy some cool photos!

Through fifteen Doctors and their companions and over a dozen brave captains and their crews, we’ve traveled on journeys spanning the cosmos…

Doctor Who costumes:

Left: Amy Pond, Vincent and the Doctor Costume. Right: Eleventh Doctor, Various.

Left: Yasmin Khan, Flux Costume. Right: Thirteenth Doctor, Various.

Left: Fourteenth Doctor, 60th Anniversary Costume. Right: Donna Noble, 60th Anniversary Costume.

Left: Ruby Sunday, Boom Costume. Right: Fifteenth Doctor, Boom Costume.

Star Trek costumes:

Left: Beckett Mariner, Star Trek: Strange New Worlds. Right: Brad Boimler, Star Trek: Strange New Worlds.

Left: Nyota Uhura, Star Trek: Strange New Worlds. Right: Hemmer, Star Trek: Strange New Worlds.

Left: Emperor Philippa Georgiou, Star Trek: Discovery. Right: Michael Burnham, Star Trek: Discovery.

Left: James T. Kirk. Right: Spock.

Visor used by Geordi La Forge.

Hat and pipe used by Data playing Sherlock Holmes, Star Trek: The Next Generation.

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Thanks for visiting Cool San Diego Sights!

If you’d like to view my coverage of Comic-Con so far, which includes hundreds of cool photographs, click here!

See movie star hand prints in San Diego!

Hand and shoe prints in concrete of Arnold Schwarzenegger.

If you’re heading to San Diego Comic-Con this week, heads up! Did you know you can see the actual hand and shoe prints of major movie stars and celebrities in a Gaslamp Quarter restaurant?

The prints of Arnold Schwarzenegger, Jennifer Lawrence, Robert Downey Jr., William Shatner, the actors who played R2-D2 and C-3PO, and even Michael Jackson can be viewed on the floor when you step into Mr. Tempo Gaslamp San Diego at 701 Fifth Avenue!

The building formerly was home to the Theatre Box movie theater. They had these hand prints brought in from Los Angeles, and they remain here to this day. Sadly, Mr. Tempo has dropped the Hollywood theme and many of the prints are now covered by tables. But it’s well worth stepping inside for a quick look!

By the way, the Shatner prints, if you can find them, were created here in San Diego, a couple years ago during Comic-Con!

Hand and shoe prints of The Hunger Games actors.

Hand and feet prints of Shirley Temple.

Hand and shoe prints of Humphrey Bogart.

Hand and shoe prints of Robert Downey Jr.

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Thanks for visiting Cool San Diego Sights!

If you’d like to view my coverage of Comic-Con so far, which includes hundreds of cool photographs, click here!

Ghosts materialize on a Comic-Con trolley!

An odd collection of ghosts has materialized on a San Diego Trolley for Comic-Con 2024!

The first trolley wrap for San Diego Comic-Con this year features three shows that can be viewed on Paramount+. Let the fun begin!

Ghosts is a comedy that has been renewed for a fourth season. Perhaps the deceased characters became tired of haunting the same old place for so many years, and decided to startle trolley riders in San Diego!

This new wrap on a trolley car also includes promotional images for Elsbeth and Tracker.

I wonder if Justin Hartley will use some of his tracking skills acquired while wielding a bow and arrow as Oliver Queen in Smallville? Just kidding. I liked Smallville.

I’ve got my eyes open for new Comic-Con trolley wraps!

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Thanks for visiting Cool San Diego Sights!

I post new blogs pretty often. If you like discovering new things, bookmark coolsandiegosights.com and swing on by occasionally!

I live in downtown San Diego and love to walk around with my camera! You can follow Cool San Diego Sights via Facebook or X.