| Submit your comments on this article |
| Home Front Economy |
| Animal House Roadhouse For Sale |
| 2007-04-24 |
| DEXTER, Ore. -- The downright frowsy Dexter Lake Club, the roadhouse that was home to scenes in the 1978 comedy "National Lampoon's Animal House," is for sale. Viewers may recall it as the place where Boon, Pinto and Flounder, ne'er-do-wells from fictional Faber College, found their favorite music group, Otis Day and the Knights, singing "Shama Lama Ding Dong." Another of their group, Otter, looked around at the all-black clientele and predicted: "We're gonna die." The movie was not a hallmark of political correctness but it was a box office smash that has become a classic. At the same time, those who were there recall racial issues in then-as-now overwhelmingly white Lane County, where it was shot. The 50-year-old building southeast of Eugene off of Oregon 58 is yours for the asking price of $259,000. Real estate agent Shaunna Durham says the 2,444-square-foot rural commercial space has possibilities. "It's a nice diner," she said. "And I'm sure you could pull a lot of business from the (University of Oregon) having themed toga parties." It still has the Dexter Lake Club neon rooftop sign that advertises "Cocktails" and "Dining," which attracted movie scouts in the fall of 1977. "It was probably the most bizarre location that I've ever scouted," location scout Katherine Wilson said. "It really (felt like an) old South bluesy roadhouse." Much has changed. The bar and lounge portion, once a watering hole for local residents seeking a drink and a live tune, has been out of use for years. The front end has housed a series of mom-and-pop diners. The proprietor in 1977, Wilson says, was a free spirit prone to leather and leopard-skin patterns, and the place reflected her personality. But the zebra-patterned wallpaper, the vinyl-padded front door and the round booth seating from the film are gone. The dimly lit lounge in the back has been mostly gutted. A cutout can be seen in the floor where the bar once stood. The brick stage where the band played remains in good condition. Some critics found the Dexter Lake Club scene racially insensitive, and Wilson says race was a factor on the set as well. At one point, the cast and crew members in the film lined up for a meal of prime rib while black extras were told they were getting sack lunches. The problem, Wilson said, was remedied by a producer who ordered the two groups to switch lunch lines. There was also the irony that most of the extras in the scene came from outside the Dexter area, said Maida Belove, an extra in the film who assisted with costuming for the Dexter Lake Club scene. The black actors were recruited from Portland and Los Angeles, and there were reports of some racial tension between them and local residents. But mostly, Wilson said, the shooting of the film was one big party. She recalled the late author Ken Kesey, who lived at nearby Pleasant Hill, showing up on the set, as well as musician Robert Cray. "That was back in the day when film was fun and creative," Wilson said. Thirty years later, some call Animal House the film that launched a thousand gross-out comedies. "I think it's stayed current because we all want to live that crazy life, and you know, just go for it and be daring and question authority," Wilson said. "That was the motto of my youth." In the final scene the character of Bluto (John Belushi) and Mandy the sorority girl (Mary Louise Weller) drive off into the sunset in a convertible. Dexter Lake can be seen in the background. |
| Posted by:Anonymoose |
| #5 Caplock Joe in the Sinktrap? Yet another sign of the pending Apocalypse. Someone with even a shred of brains would purchase the place, make Southern-style barbeque and classic chrome & formica diner menu items the usual and make a fortune. Idjits. Hell, I could supply all the necessary recipes and half the small wares. |
| Posted by: Zenster 2007-04-24 23:37 |
| #4 I was wondering how good ole Joe got put in the dreaded sinktrap. |
| Posted by: Brett 2007-04-24 23:24 |
| #3 Joe, you got redacted for all the question marks. It messed up our formatting. Sorry ;-) AoS |
| Posted by: Steve White 2007-04-24 21:39 |
| #2 GUAM RADIO promo > Belushi > "Over, did you say over, well nothing is over until WE say it is. Was it over when the GERMANS bombed Pearl Harbor -no, and it taint over now. Because when the going gets tough ???????????????????????????????????? ????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????uh, the tough get going! Who's with me - lets go, yahahahahahahahaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaahhhhhhhhhhh!? |
| Posted by: JosephMendiola 2007-04-24 21:28 |
| #1 true Americana |
| Posted by: Frank G 2007-04-24 20:59 |