The David Reel Show

“Of all the icons of mainstream 20th Century, Johnny Cash was the most overrated. It was just boom-chick-a-boom over and over for forty-five years. He couldn't pick a guitar, had no range as a singer, wasn't worth a damn as a composer, and was a terrible actor. Of his major contemporaries, he was easily the least talented and most overrated.” ~David Reel

“When a council member is in office for many years, they tend to stop working for the people and only working for themselves.” Matt Lorimer

“During the Great Depression and during World War II, the Camarillo Ranch was totally self-sufficient, except for buying gas and sugar. Adolfo had his own slaughter house, his own well and a wealth of agriculture. The Camarillo Ranch relied on no government help whatsoever.” Ynez Parker LaDow

"In those days, my hair was below my shoulders. I was a grading contractor and wore a Cat hat, so every bar we hit--that hair went under that Cat hat." Pliny Mier describing celebrating his 21st birthday in Paso Robles while simultaneously avoiding a confrontation with the badass cowboys.

“Here I sit like a piece of shit I want to play but they're going with a kid named Cey I ain't no clown—I can play in this town So it's not back to the bag at third And back to the bench as a turd” Poem by Ken McMullen during his last year with the LA Dodgers “The thing that really helped us beat the Yankees in the 1963 World Series is the Dodgers had traded for Bill Skowron—from the Yankees. Skowron gave a pitching report to Koufax and Drysdale so they knew exactly how to pitch to the Yankees.” Ken McMullen

“They wanted the route of the 101 Freeway to go south of town where Oxnard Air Force Base was, but Adolfo Camarillo had enough political pull in Sacramento that he got them to put the freeway right through the middle of town. Adolfo did not want his line of eucalyptus trees to be bypassed.” Bobby Hernandez

“I've done over twenty productions of Showboat back to 1976 and it's taken me to Europe, Canada, Australia, and various states in the United States.” Dan Tullis Jr.

“I loved working on the movie, Harlem Nights, because my scene was with Redd Foxx, Charlie Murphy, and Richard Pryor—and being directed by Eddie Murphy.” Dan Tullis Jr.

“‘Ol Man River—it's an interesting phenomenon—to me, the best song ever written for a bass baritone. I don't think there's anything that can touch it. But a lot of people when they see someone that's not black sing it—they freak out. And I'm not talking about black people, either.” Dan Tullis Jr.

“Wallace Beery Jr—when I do Showboat, I actually try and take things from certain actors to incorporate them in my performance. There were some physical things he'd do in the movies—when he'd get mad, he'd grab his belt and shift his trousers—I incorporated that.” Dan Tullis Jr.

“The way I understand it—especially in the deep south—you put a white guy with a black guy on a chain gang, it was the ultimate humiliation.” Dan Tullis Jr.

“I had a student at Santa Monica College. One day, he got out of bed. He killed his brother, he killed his father. He came on campus and killed three more people. Luckily, I wasn't on campus that day.” Ron Brewington

"Two things have always made a movie a hit. Sex and violence. But now with the use of special effects--every time you go to the movies with all these special effects--that spoils the audience. So the next time they go to a movie they want to see something better than the last. If you want to make a real quality film today, you really got to bust your butt." Ron Brewington "Hence the reason these Super Hero movies have Part Five, Fifteen, Fifty-Five and Sixty." David Reel

“Sam Cooke for some odd reason liked prostitutes—and his love of prostitutes is what lead to him being killed here in Los Angeles.” Ron Brewington

“Screenwriting and novels are really very different. In some ways, novels are easier because you have the narrative to explain, whereas a screenplay it's in the dialogue—and that's a skill that needs to be absorbed.” Carolyn Howard-Johnson

“It doesn't hurt to know the publishing industry, but you write because you have a great story that needs to be told. Don't conform your writing to popular genres.” Carolyn Howard-Johnson

"When you're raised in an area where there's a unique culture, it helps your writing because you're exposed to things the general public isn't exposed to---it gives you the types of settings Tennessee Williams had." Carolyn Howard-Johnson

“Alan Ladd, Joel McCrea and Jack Broome were as nice and friendly as any one you'd meet. Like talking to an old friend on a city street.” Roger Putnam

"1960 broke the all-time record for calls received in a 24 hour period by the Camarillo fire department---that number was eight." Roger Putnam

My latest guest is George Miller, publisher and co-founded of Citizen's Journal, Ventura County's Real News.

“People blame Ronald Reagan for the closure of mental hospitals—both as Governor and as President—but it was a set of circumstances that was all about finances.” Evelyn Taylor

"Camarillo State Hospital had its own farmland for its patients—and where is a better place to have a farm than the Oxnard Plain, which grows more crops per acre than any place on earth?” David Reel

The old Oxnard Press-Courier was such a fun newspaper to read. It had a touch of yellow journalism—which gave it spice—and although we couldn't get away with using that language today, it's still part of our history and that's important. Evelyn Taylor

"Roy Campanella won three MVPs, won a World Series and made the Hall of Fame despite losing his prime years in the Big Leagues because he was black." Josh McDonald

“Walter Johnson was measured at a munitions laboratory in 1916 and his fastest pitch was only 91.36 MPH.” Josh McDonald

The Camarillo Ranch Foundation has lost over $500,000 the last few years. And we spent $350,000 on seven parking spots at the ranch. That's $50,000 per parking spot. The City Council approved this—are there any grown ups on the City Council? Jeff McVicker

“The young Air Force Private hanged himself—he was so ashamed for stealing a quarter from his bunkmates he literally got a rope and quietly dragged a chair across the room.”

“There are very few State governors in the United States who make a higher annual salary than the City Manager of Camarillo—who along with benefits—makes well over $300,000 a year.” Jeff McVicker

‘“The Bad Boy Down the Street” is a short story set in present-day Camarillo, California, and it tells how a gossipy tongue can carry seeds of distrust and prejudices toward a minority community in an otherwise peaceful, pleasant town.”

“Because the politicians in Camarillo blew the Safe Harbors Act, which consequently will cause the Camarillo tax payers to have to pay hundreds of thousands of dollars—I think Charlotte Craven, Tony Trembley, Kevin Kildee, Brian Pierik, and Dave Norman should all resign—or else foot the bill themselves.” Jeff McVicker

The urban myth about a woman named Hueneme

Camarillo native Augie Baldonado, Luis Moya and Ma Duncan reached an agreement: For $6,000 Baldonado and Moya would kill the Nurse.

"There are people frustrated in the City of Camarillo with our lack of a newspaper and journalism. Shenanigans continue at Camarillo City Hall . . . . " Jeff Mcvicker

Rachel Shur UCAAN

How I became interested in local history part 1

How I became interested in local History part 2