Smokehouse Restaurant & More With Bob Gurr

We talk with people from Smokehouse and continue with Bob Gurr

Episode Transcript

Speaker 1 (00:00):
Hey, it's Neil Savedra. You're listening to kfi EM six
forty the Fork Report on demand on the iHeartRadio app.
I am your Well Fed host aka your friendly neighborhood
folk reporter Neil Savedra. And boy, there's nothing better than
you know, talking about the historic places here in Los

(00:23):
Angeles and beyond and to have hector from a last
name of Rocha. Yeah, they're at It's such a classic place.
The Smokehouse is your your classic steakhouse style old school.

(00:43):
So many people have gone through there, it's been there,
been around since nineteen forty six. You can find out
more at smoke House nineteen forty six dot com. And see.
You know, the food that we're talking about, world renowned
cheese bread are our buddy Tim Conway Junior lives here
in Burdbank. He goes there all the time and he

(01:05):
gets just the bread sometimes, you know, and it's just
a special place. You brought so much representative food, some
of Bob Gurr's favorite. Bob is my guest for the
entirety of the show today. Bob Gerr, legendary imagineer at
Disney and Beyond. A new documentary that he has put

(01:27):
his seal of approval on and been a part of
is Bob Gerr Living by Design? Bob ger Living by Design.
The twenty sixth is the premiere in Glendale at the
Alex Theater. You can go to the Alex dot com
for tickets, scroll down see Bob smiling face and get tickets.

(01:49):
I will be there that night. I'd love to see
you there. I would love for you to meet Bob
and to see this film and the gentleman that put
it together two of my guests, Ernie and Frank today.
But also if you buy a ticket and you go,
you can go to the will call table and say
you heard about it on KFI and they will give

(02:09):
you a special commemorative pen lapel pen that other people
will have to buy that night. So that's our way
of saying thank you. VIP tickets are already sold out,
so I would encourage you to get on it and
go to the Alex dot com to get your tickets
and I will see you on the twenty sixth. Hector
being at such a legendary restaurant like the Smokehouse just

(02:31):
down the road here in Burbank, obviously across from Warner
Brothers you see a lot of celebrities come in. What
do you hear over and over from your everyday folks
like myself to celebrities that they love about the Smokehouse, that.

Speaker 2 (02:49):
It hasn't changed, it has like the classic play is
that everybody loves from there. They say that it's they
remember when they were little kids.

Speaker 3 (03:01):
They will come to the small house.

Speaker 2 (03:02):
It's still the same feeling when they go in now
with their grand kids.

Speaker 1 (03:06):
Is that true to you, Bob?

Speaker 4 (03:07):
Is it the same after eating there for seventy seven years? Yes,
yes it is. Yeah, it's sort of like I'm going
to somebody's den. It happened, has a big bar if
you keep walking, if you turn right, you got a
big dining room. And then they also found out they've
got them. It's not like a secret room up in

(03:29):
the attic, so to speak, where we did a lot
of Disney luncheons up there.

Speaker 1 (03:33):
Oh yeah, I didn't even know about it until you
mentioned it.

Speaker 4 (03:36):
Yeah, Well, it's because we never went there unless the
whole bunch of people got fired.

Speaker 3 (03:41):
Well, then we'd go up there and we'd ask the
whole full room.

Speaker 4 (03:44):
We got the whole room at lunchtime, and then I
think we drank till three or four in the morning
and in the afternoon.

Speaker 1 (03:51):
Well was it hard to fire people? I mean, it
always is, I get, but from Disney was it was,
Well not a fan of firing or.

Speaker 4 (04:00):
No, it's you got to remember the theme park industry
is a series of projects, one after another, and there's
a gap between when you finish one and you decide
to do the next.

Speaker 3 (04:14):
So you have this big valley of.

Speaker 4 (04:18):
Nothing going on, and you can't retain an extra hundred people.

Speaker 3 (04:24):
And everybody expected.

Speaker 4 (04:25):
Every company that I've been associated with, you always kind
of grit your teeth and say, well, they finished this
big installation. It runs now all the designers over period
a couple of weeks, they're all going to be finished.
But the advantage is, like Universal would say the same
thing we would say at Disney, well we got to

(04:47):
let one hundred people go, but we're going to have
some keepers. This meant you have literally been working for
a year or two with some people, and the really
ones that are sharp, you make a mental note that
when the time comes, well, everybody goes except them. Over
a number of years, you built a big team of
super people that way.

Speaker 1 (05:08):
I imagine it's it's rough. I get it. But I
imagine Hector. When it comes to the food, what's the
most I think I have my idea. What is the
most purchased food item at the Smokehouse? The prime rib? Yeah, oh,
that prime rab. That is just I mean, a good

(05:28):
prime rim is like nothing else. Do you have people
coming in and you know, for years celebrating their anniversaries
and things like that there that you just know the
minute you see them walk in.

Speaker 2 (05:39):
You have we still have the Disney family coming. Oh yeah, yeah,
so it's been generations.

Speaker 1 (05:45):
Wow, that's so great. It It really is one of
those gems that that I was so glad that you
guys were able under tough times like uh COVID to
batten down the hatches and remain because it's not like
this stuff is easy to do switch and pivot to delivery.

(06:06):
So but you guys manage to do that, and you
say that you're thriving and things are great right now.
I love hearing that.

Speaker 2 (06:13):
And then thank you to the like I said before,
thanks to the community.

Speaker 1 (06:16):
We're steals well that you have to do that. We
talked about this on the forkport all the time. If
you don't celebrate and go out and enjoy these places
and get off your butt and actually go in them
to eat. They go away. You know that it is
on all of us to go and continue to go
to places like the Smokehouse Smokehouse nineteen forty six dot com.

(06:37):
Smokehouse nineteen forty six dot com. I will tell you
what a great place to go on Sunday brunch. It
is worth every cent. It is one of the best brunches,
one of the best buffet style anything I've ever had,
and that's in and out of the country, and it's
just great. I've brought my family there many, many times,

(06:58):
even on Easter or Mother's Day, any of these things.
It's great, but you got to get in on it early. Hector,
thanks for taking the time. I know Saturdays are quite
busy and weekends are busy, and I appreciate you taking
the time to come in.

Speaker 3 (07:09):
Oh, it's a pleasure for us to be here.

Speaker 1 (07:10):
And to celebrate Bob Gerr and bring all this great food.
Look he's smiling. Yeah, he goes. He leaned over during
the break and he goes, I can smell the barbecue
sauce from here.

Speaker 5 (07:26):
But night.

Speaker 1 (07:27):
Nice to see you, my friend, and thanks for taking
the time.

Speaker 6 (07:29):
You're listening to The Fork Report with Nilsdra on demand
from kf I AM six forty.

Speaker 1 (07:36):
Hey everybody, it's the Fork Report on Nil Savedra special show. Today.
Bob Gerr, legendary designer, legendary creator, and legendary imagineer for
Disney is here. We're celebrating him because finally the documentary
Bob Gerr Living by Design is out. We talked with

(07:59):
Ernie about this back in October when they had visited
Artie Alonzo, mister Gurr's manager and producer of the documentary.
He's here too. Frank H. Woodward, producer and director, is
here as well. Follow Bob on Instagram at Bob Gerr
g u r R Official Bob ger Official on Instagram.

(08:19):
If you're looking for Bob Gert news updates and my
favorite bobger autographed memorabilia, check them out at Fandom Products
of Productions rather Fandom Productions dot com. Fandom Productions dot
com I have. They were very kind to gift me

(08:41):
with a Bobgerr the the pop Funko which is it
sits in my creative space, my studio. I was telling
Bob about I also have a swatch and it is
a treasure, a swatch of the Haunted House wallpaper, and

(09:01):
it's signed by Bob and it has a place of prominence.
So it touched me so much and is such a
cool thing. I tracked down the wallpaper and we're having
it putting put in our hallway at our home. Our
home was built in nineteen twelve and has this cool
vibe and we're gonna trick the lights out on the

(09:21):
inside to flicker and do stuff that the Haunted Mansion does.
But again, Fandomproductions dot com, Fandom Productions dot com, go
and check everything out there. I love that you're allowing
so much access to such a special person like Bob.
All right, let's see, because I'm going to ask you

(09:43):
a story about food. But then when we come back,
I'll have you do the longer story about something else.
I went to the one of the anniversaries there at Disneyland,
of the one hundredth anniversary of Walt Disney Productions, and
they have these little lovely yellow lemon tea cakes, and

(10:06):
they had said that Walt used to give them out
every now and again, you know, to some of the
people that worked for him, did you ever ever see
that or hear about those little those little lemon tea cakes.

Speaker 4 (10:17):
Oh I didn't get a lemon cake. But he was
always surprising people the little gifts, little things here and there.
I remember it Christmas time. It was common for him
to have a whole bunch of stuff he was carting
or carrying in some manner that he could then from
that cart or whatever, walk down the halls and give

(10:38):
people things like there was a whiskey long time ago
they had made into a beautiful lamp, and he knew
that people are going to make lamps out of the
bottles and he would give us. That was first year
he gave me a bottle of whiskey so I could
make a lamp out of it. And next year he
gave me a polish ham. He was like that, walk

(11:00):
around and just give people things from time to time.

Speaker 1 (11:02):
Polish ham is that beef?

Speaker 3 (11:09):
It was a great big curved tint. Don't wind get
into get into it.

Speaker 4 (11:17):
Uh. He was always uh thought toul in a way,
kind of little surprises.

Speaker 1 (11:23):
He liked to tip a glass. What was his drink?

Speaker 4 (11:25):
And I think I think what triggered it was in
his house in holmby Hills. He had like a little,
uh little shop, you know, like for uh sodas and
malts and things like that. Well, he knew people that
ate very exquisitely, and he used to get him to
come out to the house. And if he's gonna invite

(11:47):
you to his little soda fountain, you are not going
to refuse what he gives you. And you'd have somebody
that's you know, prime rib and he's going to make
him a chocolate malt and you're gonna drink.

Speaker 1 (12:01):
It, because that's what Walt wonted.

Speaker 4 (12:04):
Well, he he had a kind of a pixie way
of a sneaky tease that he'd do to people, and
he would do it to you know, fairly important people
and do that he was also he'd be in an
important place and then he'd reverse it.

Speaker 3 (12:23):
Then he'd eat something simple.

Speaker 4 (12:25):
An example, one day we were on a Disney Company plane.
We stopped a Westinghouse and they showed us a whole
bunch of things like our first laser and everything, and
then they gave us a wonderful lobster salad, which I
thought was fabulous. There was about thirteen of us on
the plane, and then we get in the limos and
get go back to the hotel and uh A, Walt

(12:47):
puts me in the car with Joe Potter, general general
who's gonna build Walt Disney World. We get back the
hotel and he says, Joe, that was a very small lunch.
Let's go and go to into this a little like
a little drug store, and let's go get a cheese
burger and a chin chocolate mall. And in those days

(13:09):
I was quite heavy set. And he says, Bobby, you
already had too much.

Speaker 3 (13:13):
You go to your room. And then I found out
Joe Potter was a.

Speaker 4 (13:18):
US general retired, is being forced I have a chocolate
malt when Walton wow public in a public place.

Speaker 1 (13:27):
Well, I guess he came and kept you humble.

Speaker 3 (13:32):
I like that.

Speaker 1 (13:33):
He says, you had enough? All right, we'll come back
more stories with mister Bob Gerr, legendary Disney imagineer. The
documentary is Bob Gerr Living by Design. Get tickets. Well you,
I'd love to see you out at the premiere. It's
the twenty sixth of this month. I will be out there.
It's at the Alex Theater in Glendale, not far from

(13:54):
the Burbank studios here, but it's the twenty sixth. The
VIPs also out that stuff, but it's going to be
a VIP night all the way around. Really is the reality.
So you can go to the the Alex dot com
The alex dot com scroll down. Do you see see
Bob Gurr's face? Click there, get the tickets. But this

(14:14):
is what I want you to remember, because you're a
KFI listener and you're hearing about it here. When you
get there, just to walk over to will call and say, hey,
I heard about this on KFI and they will give
you a commemorative lapel pin that they're selling that night,
but you'll get it for free because you heard about
it here. Okay, so do that. Follow them at Bob

(14:36):
Gerr Official as well on Instagram.

Speaker 6 (14:38):
You're listening to the Fork Report with Nil Savedra on
demand from KFI AM six forty.

Speaker 1 (14:46):
You're listening to the Fork Report a very special edition
as we are in the presence of someone that I
admire very much, Bob Gerr. His new documentary is Living
by Design, and we're selling celebrating him today because the
documentary comes out on the twenty sixth, and we have
not only Bob a legendary imagineer, Disney imagineer. I mean

(15:11):
the guy, the man has his name on a window
on Main Street, come on now. And Ernie Alonzo, his
manager and producer of the Newton documentary. And Frank H. Woodward,
producer and director who I'm very much enjoying getting to
know on and off the air. The twenty sixth is

(15:34):
the big premiere. So you know, if talking with you
Frank on and off the air, and seeing the questions
you ask, even of our last guest here we had
we had the Smokehouse, folks from down the street, legendary restaurant.
The way you're inquisitive, how do you go about doing

(15:56):
a documentary about such a life so far that isn't
even close to slowing down? Like Bob gir.

Speaker 5 (16:07):
Right, I mean it's I mean, it's not a story
with an end. Bob is still with us and still
doing Thanks God, world what you I try to approach
all the documentaries I do with curiosity that I'll know
something about the subject as I go in there. But
I want to learn something, so I'm asking questions that

(16:27):
will hopefully reveal things to me. I know that sounds
very you know, esoteric, or whatever, But it's really I
want to discover things and the things I've learned about Bob,
the things I've learned about cars, the things I've learned
about planes, the things I've learned about the world and politics,
just by sitting with Bob, because that was kind of
our approach, is that I want to give people the

(16:50):
feeling of what it's like to spend an afternoon with
Bob as well. And I've always respected people for their experiences,
whether they're older, they're younger, I want to hear where
they've been sure, and I think that that was something
that I really enjoyed doing with Bob.

Speaker 1 (17:06):
Yeah, I can only imagine, and I love getting to
know Ernie more and more that you have good partners
that are I mean, because you have a very humble
way about yourself and you kind of need someone else
I would imagine to say, hey, you know, you deserve
to be seen and to go to conventions, to have

(17:30):
a documentary these things. Yeah, and I see that Ernie
is a partner in that, and I love his excitement
for you as well, because I get giddy talking to you.
I mean, it really the wisdom that pours from your
mouth naturally is it impresses me. Yes, you're ninety three

(17:51):
years old, so you've been on this planet for a
long time and you've seen how people make mistakes. But
I think it was instilled. As we said, you know,
looking at pictures of you as a young boy, that
you've had a disposition about curiosity and positivity your whole life.

Speaker 3 (18:09):
Isn't that right?

Speaker 4 (18:10):
Yes, I never thought about the curiosity apart until I
knew more about Walt. Curiosity was his big number one thing,
And then I would watch how somebody would start to
explain something to him. Walt was the kind of guy,
whether it was mechanical, electrical, animal or what you didn't

(18:30):
have to explain it twice. He would pick things up
in an instant. I watched that the first time we
went to a display of red laser in nineteen sixty six,
he was looked at all this big tabletop set up,
and then he looked at some of our guys and says,
you know what kind of storytelling we can do with.

Speaker 1 (18:51):
This with a laser.

Speaker 4 (18:53):
Yes, the first time it was an internal secret in
the westing House Company at the time, but he saw
it as a useful tool to continue telling stories.

Speaker 3 (19:05):
So yeah, it was. He would pick these things up quickly.

Speaker 4 (19:09):
This is why he'd like to come down to the
machine shop after work in the fifties, because he'd liked
to learn how to do metal work. Machine work would
work to help build his little lily bell train. Most
people would think, Oh, the guy's a cartoonists. What in
the world does he want to do something like that.
At the same time, he and his brother were trying

(19:30):
to build a business. They could buy a house here,
they already exist. No, he went to a company and
got a kit home delivered with a truck dump twelve
thousand parts. In the street was a seventy five page booklet,
and he his brother each built themselves a home.

Speaker 1 (19:48):
The first ikea.

Speaker 4 (19:51):
Yeah, so early on, you know, when he's only twenty three,
twenty four to twenty five years old, build a company,
improve animation.

Speaker 3 (20:02):
And build a home. Why would build it? Well? Could
you could do it?

Speaker 1 (20:08):
Wow?

Speaker 4 (20:09):
So he had a instantaneous understanding about everything. I thought
that is the most super curiosity characteristic. But I find
even this age now, I'm curious about everything.

Speaker 3 (20:21):
Every morning I turn on the turn on the computer.

Speaker 4 (20:25):
I've got so many industries and history that I follow
current politics.

Speaker 3 (20:29):
I just follow it all the time.

Speaker 4 (20:31):
My reading list in the last five years is Origin
of Civilizations?

Speaker 3 (20:36):
How did we get here? And more I know about
how we got here.

Speaker 4 (20:39):
I can understand why we're doing what we do now
without getting upset because it's one long continuum of stuff.

Speaker 3 (20:47):
You know.

Speaker 1 (20:47):
That's interesting because I follow Joe Roadie, another imagineer, and
he's very focused on cultures and civilization as well. Do
you talk to any of the other imagineers like Joe Roady.

Speaker 3 (21:02):
Well from time to yes.

Speaker 4 (21:04):
I just was on a the twenty three Disney program
about designing rides a Disneyland, and the film coup tied
me up talking to Mark Mescow, who's a senior imagineer,
but twenty years ago or so, No, not close to
thirty years ago. He was a young fellow just coming

(21:26):
into Disney, and I kind of mended him a little bit.

Speaker 3 (21:29):
Now he and I.

Speaker 4 (21:30):
Can have a conversation about all the stuff we're still
doing and going to do next.

Speaker 1 (21:34):
Wow, we'll be back with more. As we talked to
Bob Gerr and Ernie Alonzo, Frank H. Woodward about the
new documentary about Bob Gerr. Fascinating legendary imagineer at Disney
and beyond the name of the documentary Bob Gerr Living

(21:55):
by Design. We'll tell you more about that. How you
get tickets for the twenty six this month is the premiere,
So go nowhere.

Speaker 6 (22:03):
You're listening to The Fork Report with Nil Savadra on
demand from KFI AM six forty.

Speaker 1 (22:11):
Neil Savadri here with the Fork Report celebrating Bob Gerd
today legendary designer, Disney imagineer. Find out more on Instagram
at Bob Gerr Official. You can also get autographed memorabilia,
get news updates all kinds of cool things at fandom
Productions dot Comfandom Productions dot Com celebrating U. When I

(22:32):
found out that they were doing a documentary about Bob,
I said, please come back. Let's let's celebrate it. Get
the word out. It's called Bob Gerr Living by Design.
The premiere is the twenty sixth of this month. It
is at the Alex Theater in Glendale. I will be there.
They've been kind enough to invite me. I'd love you
to go as well. You can buy tickets at the

(22:55):
Alex dot com The Alex dot Com. It will be
at the Alex Theater in Gladale and you just scroll
down to you see Bob Gerr's face. You can buy
tickets there, but this is something specially special that they're
doing for you, and that is if you get a
ticket on the twenty six, come out. The VIP tickets
are gone, but it's going to be a VIP all

(23:17):
the way around, a red carpet, fun stuff like that.
Ernie A. Lonzo, Mister Durrs manager and the producer of
the documentary, and Frank H. Woodward of the producer and
director are here today as well. And so if you
buy your ticket you come on the twenty six, you
can go to will Call say I heard about this
on KFI and they'll give you a commemorative lapel pin.

(23:39):
We need to know, yes, I mean, there's rumors probably
out there if Mickey is going to make an appearance.
Actually the voice of Mickey will be there. The voice
of Mickey will be there. All I heard is Mickey
Mouse will be there. That's all I heard. Listen, it's
gonna be a fun night. We're not going to tell
you about everything, but you'll also be able to see
the The mark seven I think is that is that

(24:03):
that the car we're looking to have one of the
Utopia Mark seven bodies.

Speaker 3 (24:08):
Yeah, Topia car.

Speaker 1 (24:11):
That's so great. So it's gonna be a fun night
and I'm thrilled that they're allowing me to invite you.
You can get your tickets, like I said, going to
the Alex dot com the Alex dot com. If you
do go, please be sure to say hello. I'd love
to meet you as well. Okay, just a couple of
minutes before we hand everything on over to Tiffany tonight.

(24:38):
Last thoughts. You know you go to the parks very often. Yes,
I do.

Speaker 4 (24:43):
Do Ernie and I go down there where you shoot
a lot of stuff for Instagram. The part I'm looking
forward to is the Alex Theater. Yes, you didn't know that.
At nine years old, I used to run around there.
My father give me ten cents to go see a
movie because his store was a block south.

Speaker 1 (25:00):
What did your dad do? What story?

Speaker 4 (25:03):
Harry Gurr's Pants and Tie Shop, which he modified to
Harry Gurr's Sandwich Shop. Wait, and they had the Harry
gurs bowling.

Speaker 1 (25:12):
Hate and ties. No white pants? Oh pants? And I
thought you said paints.

Speaker 3 (25:19):
I'm like no, no, No.

Speaker 4 (25:20):
He had some little English guys, and they made clothing
to suit as they were a real habit.

Speaker 3 (25:26):
Yes, oh but that. But the Alex.

Speaker 4 (25:28):
I love the forecourt because you could run run around
in there with my little sister nine years old. Wow,
So this will be nice to go back to the Alex.
And of course they got redesigned a great number of
years ago into classic show place. I'm gonna I got
a nice seat, I'm gonna be thirty percent back, and
the orchestra right in the middle because I've never seen

(25:51):
the movie. I'm gonna see Frank H. Woodwards movie for
the first time.

Speaker 1 (25:59):
I'm gonna sit six six rows behind you and just
pelt you with popcorn the holes.

Speaker 3 (26:07):
They got a real kid's movie.

Speaker 1 (26:08):
Yeah, we'll have some fun. Okay, you're the sexiest lines
on a vehicle, your favorite vehicle design out of all
these years that you've seen on the road or any place.

Speaker 4 (26:24):
Set or when Maserati sm nineteen seventy one, because I
bought the very first one sold west of the Mississippi,
and the guy that's had a transportation to Dinet Arts
Center has it today and it looks and is bran new.

Speaker 1 (26:42):
I thought you'd be less specific, but Wow, good for you.
Do you get out to the Peterson Museum often?

Speaker 3 (26:48):
Yes, I do.

Speaker 1 (26:49):
It's a it's a really neat place. Have you been
to Fanny's? You walk across the across the street now,
Fanny's Restaurant is there in the Museum of the Academy,
and it just has a great vibe and a really
great place to eat.

Speaker 4 (27:05):
Meat and clean, contemporary and real crowded.

Speaker 1 (27:09):
Yeah, it's contemporary, but there also is this kind of
throwback vibe to it too. But I did a show
live from there before the Oscars and it was just
a really.

Speaker 4 (27:19):
Has a nice line and you can be real close
to the food behind the glass so you can see
what you're going to get.

Speaker 1 (27:26):
Yeah. Yes, Bob. I can't even tell you what a
thrill to get a chance to interview not once, but twice,
and to have you stay for the whole show, Bob,
Girl Living by Design is again the documentary. I can't
wait to sit it, to sit and see it on
the twenty sixth. It's gonna be a lot of fun. Gentlemen.
I'm looking forward to seeing your work, Ernie. I love

(27:49):
that you come with such excitement towards the specialness of
who Bob is and that you're curating so much really
wonderful work. I know you're a big fan as well.
Thank you always my pleasure. It's been very very cool.
All right. Well that's all of our time. I've three

(28:09):
hours went so quickly today again Fandom Productions dot Comfandom
Productions dot Com. Also on Instagram at Bob ger g
u r our Official. Looking forward to meeting you guys
again on the twenty six. Thanks so much for coming in.
Thank you, Thanks to all my guests, Smokehouse and Joselitos

(28:30):
in Tahanga as well. Thanks to the crew and everything.
Stick around for Tiffany Hobbs. Coming up, It is the
Fork Report. I'm Neil Sevader. This is KFI and KOSDHD
two Los Angeles. You've been listening to the Fork Report.
You can always hear us live on KFI AM six
forty two to five pm on Saturday, and anytime on

(28:52):
demand on the iHeartRadio app.