Good Times to Roll Again in Irvine in Gratis ‘50s Show

It’s booster season, time again for thousands of dedicated moms and dads to prowl the office coffee bar and supermarket parking lots, vigorously peddling raffle tickets, carwash coupons and foot-long chocolate bars to raise a few bucks for the home team.

Generally speaking, folks avoid them like the plague.

Then there’s Lee Ferrell, the booster’s booster with a fund-raising method that has them reaching for their wallets faster than you can say “World’s Finest Chocolate.”

Tonight at the Irvine Marriott, Ferrell and the University High School Athletic Boosters Club present “Let the Good Times Roll,” a full-blown ‘50s musical revue featuring recent Grammy Award-winner Bill Medley and a cast of local entertainers. Proceeds from the fifth annual show will help support sports programs and other extracurricular activities at the Irvine school.

Ferrell, whose 25-year career in the entertainment business has included stints as accompanist, conductor and road manager for the Righteous Brothers and for Medley, is producer, director, casting coordinator and head cheerleader for the show.

Working from his Irvine apartment, he has brought together more than a dozen artists; coordinated sound, lighting and settings; and led the efforts of a large volunteer crew of parents and faculty. All gratis.

Staging a 2-hour musical extravaganza is a far cry from hawking team chocolates at the office, but Ferrell’s motivation is just as simple.

“The bottom line? I wanted my kids to think I was a hero,” said Ferrell, who started the fund-raiser in 1984 as a way to support the school basketball team that included his son, Will (Will has since gone on to college and another son, Pat, graduates from the school this year.)

With his younger son’s graduation, Lee expects the 1988 show to be his last, but he says he’s pleased with the progress the event has made. Since its inception, it has grown from a simple nightclub revue with an audience of less than 100 to a fully staged production with an anticipated attendance this year of 1,500. It has raised more than $25,000 for school programs. That’s a lot of candy bars.

Ferrell came to California in the middle ‘60s during the height of the surf music craze, playing saxophone for Dick Dale & the Deltones. While working the nightclub circuit, he met Righteous Brothers Medley and Bobby Hatfield. Ferrell recorded and toured with the duo, worked on their 20- and 25-year reunion tours and created shows for Medley’s Fountain Valley nightclub, The Hop.

Ferrell gave up touring in 1981 to “stick around Irvine and see my kids” but has continued working as a studio musician on albums and commercials, and performing locally at the Newporter, the Hop and Anaheim’s Mr. Stox.

Staging “Let the Good Times Roll” on virtually no budget requires “calling in a lot of favors,” Ferrell said.

“It’s kind of like ‘The Little Rascals’ . . . you have to put the curtain up without it costing anything,” Ferrell said with a laugh.

Medley, now on tour with “Dirty Dancing” (a dance revue based on the hit film), said in a recent interview that he has headlined the “Good Times” show for the last 5 years. A resident of Corona del Mar, Medley said he will perform “You’ve Lost That Lovin’ Feelin’ ” and other Righteous Brothers’ hits, as well as his Grammy Award-winning “(I’ve Had) The Time of My Life” from “Dirty Dancing.”

Hal Ratliff leads the show’s 9-piece stage band, which includes several musicians from the “Dirty Dancing” sound track and tour. Local performers on the bill include comedian Jason Chase, R&B; singer Jerri Lynn, nightclub entertainer Greg Topper and singer-pianist Tony Rossini.

As a finale, Ferrell will perform a piece he apparently created as his swan song. Although he won’t divulge the title, he hinted that it will be a fast-paced, ‘50s kind of tune with a “personal message slanted towards the community . . . that reflects the theme, the school and the town.”

“Let the Good Times Roll” will be presented tonight at 8:30 in the Irvine Marriott main ballroom, 18000 Von Karman Ave . Tax-deductible tickets are $15. For information, call (714) 552-1800 or (714) 854-3374.