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Toy collector relives the good old days with GI Joe dolls

What started as a curiosity led to a career for GI Joe collector

James DeSimone of Burbank.

It was 23 years ago, while glancing through the Recycler, DeSimone

saw an ad about a collector searching for GI Joe dolls. So, he called

the collector and asked him why.

The man explained that the 4-inch-tall action figures had replaced

the 12-inch doll from the 1960s, like the one that DeSimone had when

he was a kid.

Just to see for himself, DeSimone went to a Toys R Us to check out

the smaller version.

In the same phone conversation with the collector, DeSimone

learned that the 12-inch action figures were being sold at swap meets

and garage sales. So, still curious, DeSimone started going to them.

“I started finding them,” he said in a voice still laced with

surprise. At first, he admitted, it was more like a challenge, trying

to find them. “I don’t know why I wanted the 12-inch doll. It brought

back memories. When I found one, it was like reliving my childhood.”

From then on, he said he was hooked, and three years later, he had

built a collection of more than 500 original GI Joes.

Now he shares his hobby with collectors of all ages by presenting

toy shows every three months at the Ramada Inn in Burbank. The next

show is from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. Sunday.

The adults at his shows, he said, are often looking for things

they had or wanted to have as a kid. A lot of the children who attend

are collectors and are collecting what dad or other relatives have.

“Or they try to recreate or reenact current movie things,”

DeSimone said. “My son finally built his first diorama of “Black Hawk

Down.”

And, surprisingly enough, he said, women and girls collect GI Joe,

because moms wouldn’t let them play with them when they were little.

Their brothers had them.

For DeSimone, his hobby has grown into a business. He has

published four books on GI Joe, which are available on ebay.com and

amazon.com, and sells GI Joes to collectors. Selling the toys from

home, he said, has allowed him to become a stay-at-home father to his

two children, Jonathan and Melissa, while his wife, Honor, works at

Costco.

Seeing all the toys from childhood is a great outlet for adults in

these times of hectic lifestyles, DeSimone said.

“The ‘60s and ‘70s were a good era in life. There was lots of

stability and not a lot of worries like there are today,” he said.

“Kids had a childhood. They were not forced in a situation where both

parents worked, or in one-parent homes. There were no video games,

computers and other things like we have today. They had to use their

imagination, which created memories.”

Seeing the toys from their past allows them to relive those

memories, he added.

Part of the fun planned this Sunday is a chance to meet one of the

voice-over actors from the G.I. Joe cartoons. Also attending will be

representatives of manufacturers of the various action figures. And,

of course, he said, there will be mostly GI Joe action figures and

all toys from ‘60s through the ‘80s, with a few pieces from “Star

Wars” and X-Men.

The Action Figure Show and Sale, featuring GI Joe, space figures

and other collectible toys, will be from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. Sunday at

the Ramada Inn, 2900 N. San Fernando Blvd., Burbank. Admission is $5

and free for youngsters under 3 feet tall. Families receive a

discount. A portion of the proceeds goes to St. Robert’s School for

its science lab. For more information, call 563-1179 or check out the

Web site www.gijoeinformation.com.

SPECIAL EVENTS

Stunt Road band at Cruise Night

There are two sides to Andy Roth. By day, he is a registered

investment advisor and financial planner at his Glendale office. But

on the weekends, he unleashes his creative side as lead guitarist and

vocalist with his band Stunt Road.

Joining him in the group are Mark Watson, bass guitar and vocals;

Luke Theule on keyboards and vocals; and Dave Nelson on drums and

percussion.

“We are a classic rock band, playing sounds of the late ‘60s and

early ‘70s and some ‘70s and ‘80s,” he said. “The bands most

integrated into our set list are the Beatles and the Doors but we

have quite a few beyond that.”

The band plays material of more than 100 different artists and

plays a lot of different events from night clubs to charitable

events. Most recently, the band played at Glendale’s Holy Family’s

Midsummer Night’s Cuisine fund-raiser.

“I’m active in Kiwanis Club of Glendale and during the club’s

holiday gala, we auctioned off two performances by the band as a

prize in the live auction,” he said. “We don’t turn down charity

events. That goes beyond playing to satisfy our artistic needs by

also putting something back into the community.”

But Stunt Road is getting paid when it performs at the ninth

annual Glendale Cruise Night from 5:30 to 10:30 tonight on Brand

Boulevard in Glendale. The free event is between Broadway and Doran.

There will be 400 classic cars on display.

Performing on the main stage, at Brand and Wilson, are The

Nelsons, Matthew and Gunnar, who will present a special musical

tribute to their dad, Ricky Nelson, at 9 p.m. The band Slacktone

begins at 5:30 followed The Cadillac Angels at 7. On the second

stage, at Brand and Lexington, are Stunt Road at 5:45 p.m. La

Bluescasters at 7:15 and Penn and Lane at 8:45.

Roth has appeared at Cruise Night with the band for the last four

years but the members have changed. Stunt Road has quite a

significant local following, he said.

“We are opening the evening,” he said. “We hope to get the

audience really excited so they have a great time. We have been able

to do that in the past.”

The best part about performing with the band, Roth said, is it

gives balance to his life.

“As a business person and a father, this is my way of tapping my

creative side, different from what I do professionally,” he said. “I

get a lot of satisfaction out of helping other people in my business

but what my music does is it allows me to express myself creatively

and artistically.”

ROAD’ERS REVVING UP FOR CAR SHOW

The Road’ers car club will meet for its July Cruise-In from 6:30

to 9 tonight at Bob’s Big Boy, 1407 W. Glenoaks Blvd. in Glendale.

This is the one night a year the club gets to participate in

winning trophies, etc. There will be a dj, raffle and 50/50 drawing.

In addition, at least seven trophies will be awarded. This is a

family affair and entry is open to all classic, muscle, custom and

hot rod-type cars.

For more information, call Jim Thomas at 842-0325.

CHRIS BRUBECK IS GUEST AT POPS CONCERT

The Pasadena Pops Orchestra concert tonight at Descanso Gardens

features composers whose names begin with B -- Leonard Bernstein,

Johann Sebastian Bach, Beethoven and the Beatles. The gates open at

5:30 p.m. for picnicking and the concert begins at 7:30.

Guest artist Chris Brubeck, the son of famed musician Dave

Brubeck, will perform his and his father’s music with the Pops. Barry

Socher, concertmaster of the Pops, will perform the first movement of

the Barber violin concerto.

Tickets are available only for Section C at $19 and can be

purchased at the gates the day of the concert. For information and

tickets for the benefit concert starring John Tesh on Aug. 3, call

the Pops office at (626) 792-7677. Descanso Gardens is at 1418

Descanso Drive in La Canada Flintridge.

FREE SCREENING OF ‘A BUG’S LIFE’

A free family movie night featuring “A Bug’s Life” is scheduled

tonight in the parking lot of the First Lutheran Church of Burbank.

Gates open at 7:30 p.m., and all ages are welcome. Guests should

bring their own chair or blanket as seating is on the ground only.

The church is at 1001 S. Glenoaks Blvd. In Burbank. For more

information, call 848-7432.

MUSIC OF THE BEATLES AT STARLIGHT BOWL

The Fab Four, performing the music of The Beatles, will take the

stage Sunday at the Starlight Bowl in Burbank. Ron McNeil portrays

John Lennon, Ardy Sarraf plays Paul McCartney, Michael George Amador

is George Harrison and Rolo Sandoval portrays Ringo Starr.

The concert begins at 6:30 p.m. and gates open at 5:30 p.m. for

picnicking. Tickets are $5, $3 children ages 4 to 12 and seniors 60

and older. Parking is $2. The Starlight Bowl is at 1249 Lockheed View

Drive, Burbank. For more information, call 525-3721.

FREE CONCERT IN THE PARK

The Foothill Community Concert Band will perform at a free concert

from 6 to 8 p.m. Sunday when the city of La Canada Flintridge

continues its 2002 Music-in-the-Park Concert Series at Memorial Park.

Listeners are invited to bring a picnic basket, blankets, lawn

chairs and join family and friends for some country music.

On Aug. 4, Instant Replay, a reggae group, will perform. The park

is at 1301 Foothill Blvd. in La Canada Flintridge. For more

information, call 790-8880.

MUSIC PLAYED UNDER THE OAKS AT DESCANSO

Descanso Gardens’ free Under the Oaks concerts, titled “Six

Continent World Music Tour,” begin at 2 p.m. each Sunday. The

audience can savor the sounds in the tree-shaded comfort of the newly

renovated Under the Oaks Theater. This week, Asha’s Baba,

representing Africa, is scheduled.

The final event in the series, Stephen Day’s East Indian music,

representing Asia, is on July 28.

Descanso Gardens is at 1418 Descanso Drive, La Canada Flintridge.

The gardens are open from 9 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. daily except Christmas

Day. Parking is free. Admission fees are $5 for adults; $3 for

seniors and students; $1 for children 5 to 12, and free for members

and children 5 and younger. For information, call 949-4200 or visit

www.DescansoGardens.org.

ART EXHIBITS

WATERCOLOR ARTIST EXHIBITS AT DESCANSO

An exhibit of works by Patricia A. Wiley of La Crescenta and

Kendra Page of Glendale continues this weekend at Descanso Gardens

Art Gallery.

Wiley’s “Expression From the Heart in Watercolor” features

watercolor paintings by the artist who has shown at La Canada

Flintridge Library, San Gabriel Fine Arts Gallery, Whites Gallery and

whose art hangs in numerous homes and establishments throughout Los

Angeles. She has studied the art of porcelain painting and has worked

on fabric like silk. But for the most part, she has studied florals,

landscape and still life in the mediums of oil and watercolor.

“First Impressions” showcases recent oil paintings by Page, a

30-year Glendale resident, who returned to art a few years ago after

a career in business. She focuses on California landscapes, exploring

all areas of her adopted state, from the golden summer hills along

the coast to the foothills in our local mountains to Catalina Island.

The displays continue through Aug. 1.

Descanso Gardens is at 1418 Descanso Drive, La Canada Flintridge.

The gardens are open from 9 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. daily except Christmas

Day. Parking is free. Admission fees are $5 for adults, $3 for

seniors and youths 13 to 18, $1 for children 5 to 12 and free for

members and children 5 and younger. For more information, call

949-4200.

EXHIBIT IS ON ‘SUMMER EXCURSIONS’

Five painters are featured in the new exhibit, “Summer

Excursions,” continuing through Aug. 10 at Whites Gallery in

Montrose.

The exhibit features the international landscape paintings in oil

of Elisabeth and Bill Johns, the regional and state landscape oil

paintings of California Art Club member Catherine Hill of Glendale,

the soft pastel paintings of the California coast by Bruce Trentham

and the photo-surrealistic acrylics of Romy Muirhead.

The gallery is at 2414 Honolulu Ave., Montrose.

THEATER ARTS

‘ONE TOE IN THE GRAVE’ AT CENTRE THEATRE

“One Toe in the Grave,” a comedy by Jack Sharkey, is in its

opening weekend at Glendale Centre Theatre.

The play is about an executive who, in order to save his job,

fakes a marriage claiming his “wife” is seriously ill. But things get

out of hand when his boss arrives with a cure.

Tickets range from $14 to $16 and student and senior rates are

available. Performances are at 8 p.m. Wednesdays through Saturdays

with a 3 p.m. matinee on Saturdays, through Aug. 24. There is a

special Thursday matinee on Aug. 8. For reservations, call 244-8481

from 10 a.m. to 7 p.m. Monday through Saturday. The theater is at 324

N. Orange St. in Glendale.

‘PINOCCHIO’ OPENS THIS WEEKEND

A new musical version of the classic children’s fairy tale,

“Pinocchio,” opens today at Glendale Centre Theatre.

Show time is 11 a.m. every Saturday through Nov. 16. For tickets, $8 to $10, call 244-8481 from 10 a.m. to 7 p.m. Monday through

Saturday. The theater is at 324 N. Orange St. in Glendale.

PLAY ON PARENTING AT BRAND PARK

The age-old dilemma of how parents should relate to teenagers is

the subject of the Roman comedy “The Brothers” by Terence being

produced by the Action Reaction Theater Company in its second annual

free series at Brand Park. The final performance is at 7:30 tonight.

The play was written by Terence who was brought to Rome as a

slave, eventually freed, and became a noted playwright. For the Brand

Park production, Christopher Pearson, a Glendale obstetrician and

gynecologist, wrote the current translation.

His wife, Kathy Pearson, is producer of the Glendale Summer

Theater Project for the company and also appears in the play as the

elderly widow Sostrata who lives next door.

Directing this production is Michael Holmes. The play is performed

in front of the Doctors’ House Museum. The Glendale Historical

Society will provide refreshments for sale at intermission as a

fund-raiser for the society.

To make preferred seating reservations or for more information,

call 786-1045.

MUSEUMS

THE DOCTORS’ HOUSE FEATURES GLENDALE HISTORY

The Doctors’ House, tucked inside Brand Park in Glendale, is a

Victorian home in Queen Anne Eastlake-style open to the public from 2

to 4 p.m. Sundays. Built in the 1880s by real-estate entrepreneur

E.T. Byram, the house has been restored. Brand Park is at 1601 W.

Mountain St., Glendale.

If you have press releases for the 48 Hours column, please call

JOYCE RUDOLPH at 637-3241 or e-mail joyce.rudolph@latimes.com or fax

them to 241-1975.

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