I spent yesterday afternoon at a luncheon held by the Pacific Pioneer Broadcasters, a club for folks who've been in broadcasting for at least twenty years. Among its other activities, it holds these events to honor people who've made important contributions to TV and radio, and today's celebration was all about my pal, Leonard Maltin. There was an impressive turnout of people who cared about Leonard to eat the rotten food that's served at the Sportsmen's Lodge in Studio City.
The dais of speakers was quite impressive. It included Norman Corwin, Bea Wain, June Foray, Margaret O'Brien, Hal Kanter, Stan Freberg, Art Gilmore, A.C. Lyles, Tom Hatten and Daryl Hickman. All spoke of Leonard's vast knowledge of movies, his diligence in researching and documenting history, and his unsquelchable enthusiasm for film. A few razzed him because they felt insufficiently mentioned in some book of his but all praised his fairness as a reviewer and there was a lot of mutual affection up there on the stage.
I don't have much else to report. Did I mention how terrible the food is at the Sportsmen's Lodge? Yeah, I did. The Sportsmen's Lodge is a hotel/restaurant in the Valley that has a wide array of banquet rooms and also outdoor "party" sites. On any given day, it's a veritable strip mall of weddings, luncheons, banquets, Bar Mitzvah receptions, memorial services, business conventions, etc. I keep attending functions there…and it does have a comfy, friendly atmosphere to the grounds. But the food is dreadful and overpriced…and I don't mean it's dreadful and overpriced the way banquet food is always a little dreadful and overpriced. I understand that the logistics and costs involved in such events prevent great cuisine and great value. It's just that the Sportsmen's Lodge goes the extra distance of making you feel personally abused and this doesn't really having anything to do with Leonard, does it? Sorry.
I've known Leonard since shortly before he joined Entertainment Tonight, around a quarter-century ago. The show keeps changing on-screen personnel but he remains since, after all, they need someone there with his expertise. The first time I visited the office, I was waiting for Leonard and someone asked someone else about researching some facts for a story. I heard the line, "We don't need a reference library here. We have Leonard." That's the least of his value to that operation.
Anyway, it was a good luncheon. I'd give it three stars. If I hadn't eaten the salmon, it would be four. Sorry, Leonard.