Well, I'm not sure how many were actually on the cake, but that's how many veteran character actor Charles Lane should have blown out at his party earlier this evening. Lane, who turned 100 last Wednesday, was toasted by friends and other Hollywood professionals in what my friend Stu Shostak reports was a very big event. Here's some of what he wrote to me…
Mr. Lane is one of the nicest, most gracious people I have ever met. I was expecting a carbon copy of the characters he's played over the years, but he's just like Gale Gordon — very much the opposite, and with an incredible memory, to boot! He didn't miss a beat all day long and was very entertaining, too. I didn't get to spend all that much time talking with him, but after I told him who I was, he thanked me for all the films I gave the party committee to use for the clip reels, and he's looking forward to seeing the shows in their entirety…if he can figure out how to work his DVD player. I asked him if his VCR still flashes "12:00, 12:00, 12:00", and he joked back that he didn't know how to get it to do that!
I'm sorry I wasn't there. Stuart sent other photos that included shots of guests Shirley Mitchell, Cara Williams, Johnny Grant, Peggy Rea, Jay Sandrich, Bill Asher, Jimmy Garrett and Candy Moore (who played Lucille Ball's kids on The Lucy Show, which featured Charles Lane), William Schallert and others. Here's a shot of Mr. Lane thanking the attendees at the end…
Stu supplied film clips out of his massive collection of vintage television shows, many of which can be ordered from his company, Shokus Video. I have been ordering from him since the days when everything he sold was on Beta, so that should give you some idea of his reliability. A glance through his catalog will show you that he has a lot of great old TV programs that you'll want to purchase. His reels of old commercials are special treasures and if you order anything at all from him, do yourself a favor and add a couple of them to your shopping cart. Thanks, Stuart, for the report and pics.