Home Photo Galleries   • 2000-2009   • 1990-1999   • 1980-1989   • 1979   • 1978   • 1977   • 1976   • 1975   • 1974   • 1973   • 1972   • 1971   • 1970   • 1960-1969   • 1950-1959   • 1949   • 1948   1978 Thanks for the Memory The Thirty-First Year: April 21 and 22, 1978 Producer: John Grande Associate Producer: George Benz Ad Sales: John Bartley Writer/Director: Jill Benone Musical Director: Bob Adolphe Choreographers: Yvonne Rodriguez and Jackie Larson Singers: Bill Struebing and Al Benone Set Design and Program/Poster Art: Keith McConnell Stagecraft: Dave Kern* By Jill Benone: A sandbag falls on Principal Steve Smith’s head so he spends the entire evening looking for his memory, aided by teacher Gary Goold and the PTA ladies. Along the way, Smith and his group encounter a mummy, El Vaquero, the robot cowboy (played by GCC President/Follies Producer John Grande), who suckers Assemblyman Cornponovitch, several bank robbers and the bank guard. The Zeppolinis had become a yearly skit, absorbing those men who "couldn’t rehearse, but wanted to be in the show" and who were capable of throwing an ad-lib skit together. We resurrected a song/dance routine from the 50s, "A Lonely Little Petunia in an Onion Patch". It was my first attempt at integrating dancers (as onions) into the script with the singers and only a very few of them were willing to be in it. To my great relief, the number was a huge success. There are six actors listed in the program with roles unidentified – I don’t remember why. "Assistant writers" were producer Grande, who developed the Robot Cowboy skit Rodger Thisdell, and fifth grade teacher Sue Mowery. I don’t remember what Rodger or Sue did but one character is named "Mrs. Bowery", which must mean something. The program layout is still scattered, but it looks as if everyone was credited. *Dave Kern, a Glendale College aviation school instructor, was active in Follies for many years.