The Dalles Community Advantage Magazine August 2023

Wilamette

A ‘Marvel’ Illustrator

Imaginative comic artist made lasting impact

By David Bates, Contributing Writer

The comics industry has a growing roster of Asian, AfricanAmerican and Latino artists who have a hand in creating the books that land in comic book stores every day. That wasn’t always the case, but way back in the 1940s one trailblazing immigrant from Puerto Rico made Marvel Comics his artistic home. And in the early 1960s, he adopted Newberg as his actual home.

Today, the non-descript ranch house at 608 N. Meridian Street in Newberg is housing for George Fox University undergraduates. This is Schomburg House, named for Alex Schomburg, who moved there in 1962. Although most of his comic book work was behind him by then, he was still a working artist.

Schomburg was born on May 10, 1905 in Puerto Rico to Guillermo Schomburg and Francisa Rosa, one of seven children and six sons. They were a prosperous family, and able to move Alex to New York when he was 12. He attended public school in Harlem, and in 1923 he and three brothers started their own art studio.

He found his way into the comic book world by freelancing. His black-and-white illustrative work started showing up in the pages of some of the early pulps — Radio Craft, Popular Western and Thrilling Adventures, among others.

He was in an ideal position to ride the wave of a publishing industry that swelled in the late 1930s; the precursor to Marvel, Martin Goodman’s Timely

Comics, began publishing stories about characters with names like the Human Torch, the Sub-Mariner, and during WWII, Captain America.

From the late 1930s into the mid-1940s, Alex produced more than 500 comic book covers, including all but about a dozen of the first 69 issues of the Marvel Mystery Comics series. A generation of American kids who grew up reading and later collecting Golden Age comics were likely to have seen his covers.

His work was imaginative, splashy and highly detailed, perfect for the eye-grabbing mission of a comic book cover on a magazine rack. Ron Goulart, author of “Comic Book Culture: An Illustrated History,” called Alex “the Heironymous Bosch of comics.”

At the website for the Estate of Alex Schomburg, you’ll find a testimonial from one of the artist’s biggest fans, Stan Lee himself.

“I’ve always felt Alex Schomburg was to comic books what Norman Rockwell was to the Saturday Evening Post,” Lee wrote. “He was totally unique with an amazing, distinctive style…we used to wonder how he managed to get so much detail in every cover.”

Alex had another claim to fame — he was among the artists who worked with director Stanley Kubrick in the 1960s on the visual design for “2001: A Space Odyssey.”

Today, you can find Schomburg’s work at Marvel Unlimited, the online repository of the comic giant’s catalog and read more about him at AlexSchomburg.com.

CAMPUS COMEDY

CAMPUS COMEDY

“National Lampoon’s Animal House” and its Oregon roots

After initial overtures to the University of Missouri were rejected, Universal Studios approached the University of Oregon, who agreed to permit filming on the campus for $20,000 and an agreement that the university not be identified in the movie. Universal also negotiated deals to use the houses of two fraternities located just off campus on the 700 block of East 11th Avenue. The Delta fraternity house was set in the Eugene Halfway House located between the two fraternities. The city of Cottage Grove, twenty miles south of Eugene, also got in on the fun. City officials agreed to close down Main Street for three days for the filming of the movie’s dramatic homecoming parade scene.

By Robert Matsumura, Contributing Writer

If you’ve ever wondered how the song “Shout” became a wildly popular tradition at University of Oregon football games, one need only watch “National Lampoon’s Animal House” to see the tie-in. But what does this outrageous comedic classic from the 1970s have to do with U of O? Unbeknownst to many people today, the movie starring Jim Belushi of “Saturday Night Live” fame was shot primarily on the U of O campus.

In the fall of 1977 the producers of “Animal House,” a movie that was to become one of the most successful American film comedies of all time — were searching for a college campus as the setting for their story about the scandalous Delta Tau Chi fraternity and the madcap chaos it wreaked on fictional Faber College.

In October of 1977 the cast and crew arrived in the area, settling at the Rodeway Inn in nearby Springfield. The movie was a showcase for Belushi, who had recently risen to fame due to “Saturday Night Live,” and featured Donald Sutherland as well, who played the role of an English professor on campus. “Animal House” was also the film debut for Kevin Bacon and Karen Allen, both of whom went on to enjoy major success in numerous hit movies. In addition to these famous Hollywood names, Tom Hulce (of “Amadeus” fame) and Tim Matheson (of the ’60s “Johnny Quest” series, and more recently, “The West Wing”) also played minor roles. Behind the scenes, “Animal House” was the first major Hollywood movie for director John Landis, who subsequently brought hit movies such as “Trading Places,” “The Blues Brothers,” “An American Werewolf in London,” and others to the big screen.

Auditions for extras were held on the U of O campus, and 150 men and 50 women were chosen to appear in the film. The students were paid $2.30 an hour, and the male extras were instructed to have their hair cut in the style of college students from 1962. Filming of the movie commenced on October 24 at the Sigma Nu house, where the majority of interior shots of the fictitious Delta house were taken. U of O President Boyd’s office was used for that of Dean Wormer, the enemy of the Deltas. The Dexter Lake Club, located 20 miles east of Eugene, served as the locale for the movie’s “road trip” scene, where the Deltas take their dates to hear their favorite R&B band called Otis Day and the Knights.

During his off hours Belushi befriended Portland blues legend Curtis Salgado, who helped fuel Belushi’s passion for the blues, which in turn led to the subsequent movie, “The Blues Brothers,” starring both Belushi and Dan Akroyd. While filming “Animal House,” Belushi and his wife, Judy, also had dinner with Oregon author Ken Kesey (“One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest”) at his home in nearby Pleasant Hill.

“National Lampoon’s Animal House” premiered in New York

City on July 24, 1978, and in Portland in August of the same year, with many of the movie’s extras in attendance. The movie was the second most popular film in 1978 and a remarkable financial success. Produced for under $3 million, “Animal House” grossed $140 million in the U.S. and Canada. So successful was “Animal House” that it spawned a whole genre of zany, overthe-top comedies focused on younger audiences. Aside from one’s cinematic preferences, “Animal House” ranked 36th on the

American Film Institute’s list of the hundred greatest film comedies of all time. In 2001, the Library of Congress selected it for preservation in the National Film Registry.

Although “Delta House” was torn down in 1986 and replaced by another building, a bronze plaque still marks the site for posterity. The old Sigma Nu house still stands. The building is now home to the Northwest Christian University’s School of Professional Studies, but if you peer through the front door you can still see the stairwell where Belushi’s character, Bluto, bashed a hole in the wall with the guitar of a student playing folk music.

Despite the fact that the University of Oregon initially attempted to downplay its involvement

in the movie, “Animal House” has actually become a part of U of O’s popular culture and is even marketed as a feature of the school’s identity. Locations from the movie are pointed out on campus tours, and Otis Day and the Knight’s version of “Shout” is belted out by the audience at Duck football games. To this day, people in both Eugene, and Cottage Grove, take great pride in their town’s participation in this American comedy classic.

So, the next time you witness Duck fans singing “Shout” at a U of O football game, or happen to watch “Animal House” on television, know that this wild, raucous and influential movie was filmed close to home, right here in the state of Oregon in the southern Willamette Valley.

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HOW WELL DO YOU KNOW YOUR MOVIES? NW MOVIE TRIVIA

By Robert Matsumura, Contributing Writer

What 1990 comedy starring Arnold Schwarzenegger, which featured the actor portraying a teacher, was filmed in Astoria, Oregon?

Name the movie starring an American bulldog, Himalayan cat, and a golden retriever that was set in Ontario, Canada, but actually filmed primarily in the forests near Bend, Oregon?

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Nicholas Cage starred in a drama set in Oregon about a truffle hunter and his foraging pig. What was the name of this movie?

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This movie saga about a teenage girl and her love for a vampire named Edward, was set in the town of Forks on Washington’s Olympic Peninsula. What was the name of this saga?

Based upon Shakespeare’s “Taming of a Shrew,” this movie shot in the Seattle and Tacoma areas, featured Julia Stiles and Heath Ledger as high school students in a romantic romp set in the 1990s. What was the name of this movie?

Inspired by a real-life 17th century shipwreck off the Oregon coast, the 1985 movie “The Goonies” revolves around a group of kids who find a pirate map. What famous director filmed this movie?

Filmed in Astoria, Portland and Seaside, the 1993 movie “Free Willy” told the story of a troubled 12-year-old boy who helps free a captive Orca. What was the boy’s name?

In the movie “Animal House” starring John Belushi, filmed on and around the University of Oregon campus, what was the name of Belushi’s fictitious fraternity?

The fictitious town of Castle Rock was the setting for the 1986 film “Stand By Me,” based upon a novella by author Stephen King. What real-life Oregon town served as the setting for Castle Rock?

Fun Fact: Rob Reiner, the director of the movie, said that of all the movies he’s ever filmed, “Stand by Me” was his favorite.

10.) Answer: Brownsville

Fun Fact: The only reason Universal Studios greenlit the movie was because Donald Sutherland, a prominent star at the time, had agreed to play Professor Jennings.

9.) Answer: Delta Tau Chi.

Fun Fact: The movie “Free Willy” helped raise awareness of the captive killer whale, Keiko, who was in a tank that was too small, too warm and overly chlorinated. As a result of the movie, Keiko was moved to the Oregon Coast Aquarium where he lived a much healthier life.

8.) Answer: Jesse

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Fun Fact: Locations in the movie include Cannon Beach, Astoria, The Astoria Coffee Company, and Ecola State Park.

7.) Answer: Steven Spielberg

Fun Fact: The film features Stadium High School in Tacoma, and the Fremont Troll in Seattle.

6.) Answer: “10 Things I Hate About You” (1999)

Fun Fact: Author Stephanie Meyers’ first choice for the character of Edward wasn’t Robert Pattinson, but Henry Cavill. However, by the time the movies were filmed, Cavill was too old to play the part.

5) Answer: “The Twilight Saga” (2005-2012)

Fun Fact: The scene with Hanks and Victor Garber crying about the movie “The Dirty Dozen” was completely improvised.

4) Answer: “Sleepless in Seattle” (1993)

Fun Fact: The pig only had three days of training and bit Cage a number of times during the filming.

3) Answer: “Pig” (2021)

Fun Fact: Some of the voices featured in the film were Michael J. Fox and Sally Field.

2) Answer: “Homeward Bound: The Incredible Journey” (1993)

Fun Fact: The movie included great scenery from the Astoria area, including the John Jacob Astor Elementary School.

1) Answer: “Kindergarten Cop” (1990)

o One in 3 people over the age of 60 have hearing loss.

o Occurrences of dementia are 2 times higher in individuals with a mild hearing loss , 3 times higher in individuals with a moderate hearing loss and 5 times higher in individuals with severe hearing loss.

o Hearing loss is a major contributor to misunderstandings and broken relationships.

o Most people with hearing loss can be helped significantly with hearing aids.

o It is a common misunderstanding that current hearing aid technology can cancel background noise. It is more accurate to say that current technology can greatly help hearing in noise as it is better at managing the noise ... keeping it in the background.

The Power of Local

State-of-the-art services based in the Willamette Valley

2018. However, they are a subsidiary of MINET (Monmouth Independence Network) which has been providing the best service in the industry to Monmouth and Independence, Oregon since 2006. In fact, the existence of Willamette Valley Fiber itself is a testament to the success of MINET. Outgrowing their original service area, they have expanded into Dallas, Rickreall,

By Dennis McNabb, Staff Writer Photos by Laurel Bice

Technology’s advancement occurs at such an accelerated rate these days that it can sometimes be difficult to keep up. Even for the most tech-savvy among us, there is the general understanding that once the latest gadgets hit the market, they’re already obsolete. It wasn’t that long ago that we were all still using dial-up modems! Fancy gadgetry aside, what most of us are primarily concerned with is our internet connection. Our modern lifestyles are completely dependent upon it, and if that connection is slow or spotty, it’s a problem. Fortunately, for those living in Dallas and Rickreall, it takes just one call to Willamette Valley Fiber to resolve all your connection issues!

You may not be familiar with the name. Willamette Valley Fiber (WVF) is a relatively new entity, having been founded in

and now are working on the rural section south of Dallas. It just goes to show that when an organization prioritizes customer service and their appreciation for the local community, good things happen.

Willamette Valley Fiber operates a cutting-edge fiber-tothe-home internet and phone service with data speeds up to 1 gigabyte. They are the only fiber-to-the-home provider in the market, a responsibility they do not take lightly, and their infrastructure (including resiliency and redundancy)

has been built-in to be future proof. Fiber is the state-of-the-art, highest quality connection available, and the synchronous— meaning the upload and download speeds are equal.

Most importantly, by choosing Willamette Valley Fiber, you are

choosing local! Everyone on staff lives and works locally, and they are highly involved in the community. Their vans have the Dallas cityscape painted on the side, and their signature color is orange, after the Dallas High School Dragons. These are your friends and

neighbors, and the level of service you receive is a reflection of that. Case in point, in 2020 they received the Dallas Community Award for Business of the Year, the 2022 Dallas Community Award for Innovative Business of the Year, and were nominated for the Best Customer Service Award by Best of the Willamette Valley.

Tired of that slow, spotty old internet connection, and even spottier customer service? Contact Willamette Valley Fiber today. It’ll be the smartest decision you’ve made all year and they will make the switch easy for you! New customers can get 500 Mbps download and upload for only $59.99!

Willamette Valley Fiber is located at 988 SE Jefferson St. in Dallas. For more info on their services, visit their website at wvalleyfiber.com, or give them a call at 503-837-1700.

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