OKC Events July 31, 2003

Journal Record, The (Oklahoma City), Jul 31, 2003 by Joan Gilmore

Two exciting trips to view important works of art are coming up in September and October. The first is to Tulsa's Gilcrease Art Museum and the second is to Houston's Museum of Fine Arts.

Joanna Champlin and her hubby, Shawnee Brittan, will take a busload of art lovers to Tulsa on Sept. 18 to view the fabulous Frederic Remington exhibition there. One of the paintings, Pretty Mother of the Night, was purchased from Remington's wife in 1937 by Joanna's grandparents. This painting, inherited by Joanna and her brothers, Bud and Doug Champlin, is part of the exhibition, "The Color of Night," which opened in the National Gallery of Art in Washington, D.C., prior to coming to Tulsa in a Remington show opening in August.

Joanna and Shawnee went to Washington for the donors and trustees reception for this priceless collection, which included some paintings from the National Cowboy & Western Heritage Museum.

On the bus, which will leave at 9:30 a.m. from the parking lot of All Souls Episcopal Church, the travelers will enjoy refreshments served by Shawnee and Riley Fitzhugh. The group will return to Oklahoma City around 5:30 p.m.

The fee is $50 per person, which includes the coach ride, lunch and admission to Gilcrease.

To assist with the trip arranged by the National Cowboy & Western Heritage Museum and Journey House Travel, in addition to Riley, will be his wife, Mary; Donna Vogel and Brenda Kelly. Laurel Anderson, development director for the Cowboy Museum, also will be on hand. For reservations, call Journey House at 843-9447.

Sponsored by the Oklahoma City Museum of Art and led by its executive director, Carolyn Hill, the second trip will take place Oct. 28-29. The Houston Museum exhibition is titled "The Heroic Century: The Museum of Modern Art Masterpieces, 200 Paintings and Sculptures." Included in this exhibition are Vincent Van Gogh's The Starry Night, Claude Monet's Waterlilies and Salvador Dali's The Persistence of Memory. This will be the only U.S. venue for this exhibit.

The travel package includes hotel accommodations at Sheraton Inn & Suites, a four-star hotel in the Galleria shopping area; direct round-trip flight to Houston on Southwest Airlines, and admission tickets to the Houston Museum of Fine Arts. The tour fee is $399 per person, double occupancy, or $499 single occupancy, plus a $50 donation to the Oklahoma City Museum of Art. Sept. 10 is the deadline for registrations.

For information or to make reservations, call Brenda Kelly or Donna Vogel at 843-9440.

Thanks for the memories

Bob Hope is gone but his legacy of humor will remain with us forever. He was a frequent visitor to Oklahoma City, serving as toastmaster at award dinners and other philanthropic events.

He always stayed at the Skirvin Hotel in one of its elegant suites and he always had local police detective Sugar Smith as his protector and driver. They made a witty pair.

Born in England, Leslie Towne Hope moved with his parents to Cleveland, Ohio, at the age of 4. He celebrated his 100th birthday in May and was honored with a number of television specials depicting his unique career.

His career ranged from vaudeville to movies to television and he was a staple entertainment to servicemen throughout the world in war as well as in peace.

He did seven rollicking "Road" pictures with Bing Crosby but shifted mainly into television in the 1950s.

He brandished a golf club when he performed for the troops and when he sponsored his various golf tournaments, retiring from public view in the late 1990s when he was well over 90. We missed him then and now we'll miss him forever.

Remember You're Perfect?

One of the funniest plays I have seen in years is I Love You, You're Perfect, Now Change, presented in the inaugural series of productions by City*Rep, the Oklahoma City Repertory Theatre.

If you missed it, you're going to have another opportunity. If you saw it last season, be joyful that you'll be able to see it again because City*Rep has it scheduled Sept. 12-Oct. 5 in the Freede Little Theatre at Civic Center Music Hall.

Pleased at its successful first season of three plays, City*Rep has scheduled four plays for its second season, starting with You're Perfect. The other shows are Fully Committed, Nov. 28-Dec. 28; Laughter on the 23rd Floor, March 19-April 11; and Cotton Patch Gospel, May 7-30. Performances are at 8 p.m. on Fridays and Saturdays, 4 p.m. on Saturdays and 2 p.m. on Sundays.

Season tickets are available in two options. The Gold Flexpass offers four admissions to any show, any performance you choose, for just $80. The Silver Supersave Flexpass is for those of you who aren't night owls. You receive four admissions to any matinee or any twilight performance for just $60. For additional information, call 848- 3761.

Even if you don't decide on season tickets, be sure to see the first show. It's hilarious.

Follow the yellow brick road

Even though it's pretty spacious, the stage at Civic Center Music Hall is apt to get a bit crowded next week when Lyric Theatre presents the musical stage version of The Wizard of Oz.