Cowboy Country Long Beach

Tim Grobaty: Film guru brings lights, camera, action to Long Beach

John Robinson has been bringing Hollywood to Long Beach for more than

25 years, first as film liaison for the city of Long Beach and, since 1998, as boss of Long Beach Locations, where he finds local film sites for use in feature films, TV shows, commercials and still photos.

Question: How many film projects has Long Beach Locations worked on in town?

Answer: More than 500. I'm not sure exactly. A lot more if you include when I was working for the city.

Q: What was the biggest one?

A: I think the most important one was "Lethal Weapon 4." The city was still pretty nervous about doing anything dangerous, and we managed to convince them that the studio could light palm trees on fire, have a guy walking around with a flame-thrower, blow up an oil tanker and land helicopters in the street. It was a huge thing for the city and it really opened things up for filming here.

Q: Did anything go horribly wrong on that project? Seems like I remember you guys killed an exotic canary.

A: It was a parakeet. A neighbor said the fumes from the exploding tanker killed her parakeet.

Q: Did you buy her a new one?

A: We bought her a lot of parakeets. You can smooth over a lot of problems with parakeets.

Q: They're cheaper than goldfish. Remember when you could buy parakeets at Woolworth for, like, a dime?

A: I grew up in Bixby Knolls. We used to buy our parakeets at TG&Y.

Q: Or Sad Sack's. You could buy old war surplus parakeets for a nickel at Sad Sack's.

A: You could buy anything at Sad Sack's. Sad Sack's was the bomb.

Q: What was your first movie when you started Long Beach Locations?

A: "Donnie Darko." I found two houses on Country Club Drive for them, including the Donnie Darko house. Since then, it's been in "Criminal Minds," a feature film called "The Girl Next Door" and in a lot of commercials.

Q: How many properties do you represent?

A: About 600. Houses, buildings, bowling alleys banks. We have Joe Jost's and Cowboy Country.

Aids Life Cycle - Local Riders Prepare For a 545 Mile Trek For A ...

Aids Life Cycle is a 545 mile trek for a good cause. Today I am talking with Ed Allum a ride participant about why he wants to do this ride, and what it meas to him. If you want to learn more about Aids Life Cycle you can visit http://www.aidslifecycle.org/ . Ed and his fellow riders are planning an AIDS Lifecycle Fundraiser on Thursday, May 19, 2011, at Cowboy Country in Long Beach.  Doors open at 5:45 for an evening of country music (mostly!), line dancing,  2-stepping, drink specials and fun!  Line dance lessons at 6pm.

(Ed Allum) I’m a  Manager, Supply Chain Logistics, at Kenwood USA Corporation, with a passion for life in general. Best times spent out with family/friends and laughing ’til you can’t breathe. I love to move and I’m crazy about the outdoors so cycling is a perfect fit for my personality. A little reserved to start but once you get to know me, you’re hard pressed keeping me quiet.  I could spend hours talking about all of the different forests of trees, the vineyards and ocean views we’ll see… The AIDS/Lifecycle event is a working vacation, no doubt, but from what better vantage point can you enjoy the beauty of California than from the saddle of your bike… I’ll add that as a Training Ride Leader for the event, I especially love working with people that are starting from scratch and my getting to watch them improve, grow stronger and ride SAFER!!!

(Ed Allum) I have to say my first time out on this adventure it was all about whether or not I could prepare myself mentally and physically – Riding 545 miles from SF to LA is not exactly a walk in the park. However, my reasons for coming back over this five year journey were somewhat unexpected. While we’re on the ride, we’re surrounded by a community of about 5,000 people from, very literally, every walk of life and for those seven days, we live in full support of one another and our common purpose; we’re quick to offer a hand or a smile or just the right amount of encouragement while someone’s knocking out hills the likes of “Quad Buster or The Evil Twins.” For one week, there’s an obvious focus, less on what  makes each of us so different, more about how each of us can make a difference in other people’s lives – You can’t do this ride and not walk away with a sense you just experienced genuine “community.

The Beach

The marvellous country, or, Three years in Arizona and New Mexico. Containing an authentic history of this wonderful country and its ancient civilization ... together with a full and complete history of the Apache tribe of Indians ...

The cowboy

The cowboy, an unconventional history of civilization on the old-time cattle range

The cowboy, his characteristics, his equipment, and his part in the development of the West