The Gillis Mural Dedication 2026 | FULL VIDEO

[00:00:18]That was She's [music] going to set my soul [music] >> [music] [music] [music] >> just can't keep playing. [music] [music] Show girls driving [music] from Queens at the prince of drinking [music] [music] that hole.

[00:01:40]>> [music] >> All those hopes are dashed out.

[00:01:43]You're so blue [music] when your nightmares killing your soul.

[00:01:50]That's baby going to keep on [music] if it cost my very last.

[00:01:59]And if I'm broke from the t-shirts, I'll remember some really good times. I want to tell all the stories from the days of your legend in our minds. We create the door. And now we memories.

[00:02:27][music] Yeah.

[00:02:36]This Kippy Landing K is so awesome. Move this a little bit.

[00:02:42]>> Hey, so we're all super excited. Very, very excited that you all are here with us to celebrate such a momentous occasion as we dedicate this beautiful mural Gillis style right here.

[00:02:57]So throughout the decades it became a tradition in that are good friends the linens for the band Venice best band ever right am I right okay they would sing the national anthem every year okay they had a very important engagement today that they couldn't do they couldn't be here with us so we got the next best thing since today is faux gillis we're bringing out faux Venice for the national anthem.

[00:03:38]>> All right, sing it out now.

[00:03:42]Come on.

[00:03:45]Can you see by the dawn early light?

[00:03:53]What's so proudly at the twilight screaming?

[00:04:04]Who brought in bright stars through the [music] barrel is bright.

[00:04:14]For the railarts we watched were so gallently streaming.

[00:04:24]And the rockets [music] sprinkler, the BS bursting [music and singing] in air, gave proof through the night.

[00:04:40]Let our flag was still there. Oh, say does [music] that star spangle weigh.

[00:05:15]My life All >> [cheering] >> right, let's hear from Venice. We got Jackass Patrick Brown right there. We got Aler Valerie. He was here in every Gillis. Denny Smith played in every Gillis.

[00:05:34]And Whitey, America's team. There's a little more I can say.

[00:05:39]All right. It took three years to push through all the red tape for this mural.

[00:05:44]Tracy Park kept her promise. So, we give her a huge shout out and a hand to Tracy Park.

[00:05:55]Okay. But the real muscle came from a Gillis family member. Okay. The little engine that could was Lucy Han. So, give her a hand. Let's bring her in. Come on, Lucy.

[00:06:14]Hey everyone, what do you think about this mural?

[00:06:17]>> Awesome. [cheering] >> Totally awesome. Anyway, this has been a long journey, two long years. Um, having to pick our our our muralist, having to deal with county and city. It was a long journey, but I but I love to to share it with you guys and you guys are so welld deserved. So really appreciate all your efforts for this uh the Gillis tournament and uh we love you. Thank you.

[00:06:45]>> H So I need to give a shout out to the artist that created my art every year for the Gillis logos. Guy out named Tim Neil. He's in New Orleans. He's just a great guy. He did this art, okay, from a concept that I created. And then Hex Rios, he's a world famous muralist at Dendis. The guy is crazy. Lives in Venice. He's super humble. I said, "Come on down, be here with us." Like, I can't do that. So, he he didn't. But he's he's phenomenal. He's got so much talent.

[00:07:19]But, uh, the reason this mural exists is because of the community event that this has become for everybody over the many decades. And because of the traditions and colorful characters that put their creative juices on the line every year.

[00:07:34]For example, the late great Paul Hoffman. He started the Hoff tradition cuz he sucked at volleyball.

[00:07:43]God rest his hot dog loving soul. Paul Hoffman. Another tradition. Another tradition was started by the late great Harry Stell who supported our good friend Shory Bradford in disrupting domino players by donating a case of the dreaded cold duck to equalize play.

[00:08:06]>> Uhoh. Time out here.

[00:08:09][music] >> A little too hard. We're going to slow you down a little. Yeah.

[00:08:38]>> [music] >> Don't be afraid of me.

[00:08:50]>> That swag won't bite you. I hope number 50 was a super sprouter.

[00:08:59]right now.

[00:09:06][music] >> All right, everybody raise your glass, whatever you got. Let's let's ch give a cheer out to Harry Stencil, our in what a great guy. And that was Robbie and Phil Stutzel carrying on the tradition.

[00:09:24]Thank you.

[00:09:24]>> Okay. Now, I I would be remiss in not mentioning that alcohol may have played an important role in our history.

[00:09:35]>> And here to share part of that memory today is the legendary bartender that kept so many of us looped up for fun all weekend, the great Gino Rodriguez. Gino, shake it up. Legend, step down, breie. I have something to say. Lift that up, ladies. This is not just a drinking song. This is a killer singalong drinking song. So, join in.

[00:10:04]Margaritas and jello shots will be passed out.

[00:10:17]Struming my six string se on my front board swing.

[00:10:24]Smell of shrimp there beginning to boil.

[00:10:28]Yeah, see you know this part. [music] Wasted away again. Margarita Bill.

[00:10:36]Everybody. Everybody.

[00:10:39][music] Searching for my [singing] lost shaker assault.

[00:10:45][music] >> Some people claim that there's a woman to blame. Listen up. But I know it's the crushman's fault.

[00:11:01]>> Thank you. [music] >> I stayed here all season.

[00:11:11]with nothing to show but this brand new [music] tattoo.

[00:11:15]>> I see jello shots are making their way out there.

[00:11:19]>> Real [music] beauty, >> a Mexican beauty.

[00:11:31]>> Everybody away again in Margaritavville.

[00:11:38]Sing it loud and proud [music] for my lost shaker.

[00:11:48][music] Some people say it is a woman to blame. [music] >> But I know whose love is it. It's a Christmas song.

[00:12:05][music] I'm someone to dance with.

[00:12:11][music] >> [music] [music] >> I blew out my flipflop, >> stepped on a popcorn that hole.

[00:12:52]>> [music] >> And soon I will render that frozen [music] concoction that helps me. Everybody sing [music] it away again.

[00:13:13]Searching for my lost shakers. [music] Some people claim [music] that there's a woman to blame, but I know I know [music] it is a person's fault. One more time. Come on. [music] [music] But I know >> it's a craftsman's fault. [music] >> Cheers everybody.

[00:13:54]>> Happy supplying a little job.

[00:14:06]>> All right, little history for you.

[00:14:09]The Gillis.

[00:14:11]>> The Gillis started in 1971 at the Oasis right down there. Uh we had one medal court with 17 teams with all of our closest friends. So, one tradition that started then was a requirement that all players must have matching homemade trunks.

[00:14:32]Okay. So, we crowned a winner that year and here to strut the catwalk with those original caveman beauties are King Thompson and Neil Pilaski.

[00:14:52][music] >> [music] [music] >> Jesus.

[00:15:17][music] >> [music] >> Come on, rock the catwalk. Let's go.

[00:15:34][music] >> Shake it out there. Let's go. Wave your hands or something. [music] You're the [music] [music] [music] >> All right. Pretty good. Uh, wow.

[00:16:07]Throwback to 1971. Zero dancing. Wow.

[00:16:11]Okay. Following the homemade tracks down there. original Gillis.

[00:16:18]>> Uh, the Trunks tradition was there was an escalation sent shock waves through the turnney when one team was chauffeur. Oh, I'm glad you're here. Okay. I'm glad you can make it, Doc.

[00:16:33]Doc, >> it's not about us, Doc.

[00:16:41]>> Okay.

[00:16:43]Anyway, one team sent shock waves through through the tourney when one team was chauffeurred on the bike path with an act. They had an act and they were dressed as Laurel and Hardy. Okay, just take a picture of that in your mind showing up with everybody in homemade trucks. Everybody was stunned.

[00:17:03]>> Okay, that was amazing cuz I think they might be here today.

[00:17:09]Where is Dick and Pat?

[00:17:21]>> [cheering] >> All right, this what they did was amazing, you guys. But their most impressive feat was arriving to the Gillis on the bike path in LAPD cars to bust the tournament. Okay. And they had built the night before a jail and they pulled off the tarps during the day and they had a live band inside the jail and they started singing live Jailhouse Rock. So let's sing along with Charlie and Johnson. Take us back, boys.

[00:18:06]Come up here. Where's your hat?

[00:18:15][music] >> They began to whale. Another sweet knock [music] going on the whole day. [music] Everybody dance [music] on the street.

[00:19:04]She'll be delighted with your house rock.

[00:19:13][music] Everybody in the hotel [music] [music] [music] was sitting on another stone over in the corner. We've been all alone. The woman said, "Hey buddy, don't know. You can't get up and use the wood just >> [music] [music] >> Everybody [music] and he said hey to make a break and he said no I'm going to stick around while I get my kick.

[00:20:09]Everybody rock. [music] Everybody in the horse rock.

[00:20:18][music] [music] [cheering] Thank you.

[00:20:45]Everybody >> [cheering] >> Well, Olly, isn't it nice that these nice people after after 45 years invited us back to play in their bowling tournament.

[00:21:42]>> It wasn't bowling, Stanley.

[00:21:46]It was volleyball.

[00:21:50]>> That's right. That's right. It was handball.

[00:21:59]>> IT WASN'T HANDBALL, STANLEY. IT was volleyball. V O L L E Y.

[00:22:06]>> V A L L. Volleyball.

[00:22:11]>> Yeah, you're right. It was volleyball.

[00:22:14]>> That's it. That's it. You got >> And it And it was these brothers, >> Stephen and David.

[00:22:24]They They asked us to play.

[00:22:26]>> I I think I remember them. I I remember that they weren't very good, you know.

[00:22:31]In fact, in fact, no, in fact, I think they only invited us so that they could learn some tricks by watching us play.

[00:22:43]>> Yeah. Yeah. Uh, you're right.

[00:22:47]What's my next talking about Oh, they just came to watch pretty >> Oh, yeah. Yeah. Yeah. They were more interested in watching the pretty ladies that play volleyball.

[00:23:01]>> Yeah. Did any of you guys do that? Watch the Pretty Girl anyway. Oh, hey Stanley.

[00:23:07]Do you remember some of the odd names that some of the people had around here?

[00:23:13]There was odd names. Let's see. Ollie, there was there was a whitey and a shorty and there was a Dr. Dick.

[00:23:26]There was a Dr. Dick. And there was a moon.

[00:23:29]Um, there was even a rooster.

[00:23:34]>> A rooster?

[00:23:36]>> You mean a chicken?

[00:23:38]>> No. No. I mean a [ __ ] A doodle.

[00:23:42]>> Oh, yeah. That's rooster.

[00:23:44]>> Rooster. Rooster.

[00:23:48]>> Oh, yeah.

[00:23:50]>> But the funniest one. Funniest name funnest name was >> BJ.

[00:23:57]>> BJ does I wonder what that means. BJ.

[00:24:08]>> But anyway, let's uh let's let these people get on with their ceremony.

[00:24:15]>> Okay, Stanley, it's good to be back after 45 years. See all these nice people.

[00:24:21]Charlie and Johnson right there, folks.

[00:24:24]So many memories. Give it up for him.

[00:24:32]All right. Our creative geniuses like Terry Johnson. Uh they took everything to new heights with skits, performed at Showtime, and they were all one of a kind. So, we must mention our cousin though, the late great Alan Wheeler, who brought us his beautiful dancing daughters, Tiffany, and Alicia, and all their dancing friends to do their amazing routines every single year. One of those has stood out above the rest and thrown that memory back one more time as a leisure and her crew killing Thriller again.

[00:25:20]No, that's what it's always [music] Excuse [music] [music] [music] me.

[00:26:02][music] Something evil's working from the dark.

[00:26:08]The moon night almost.

[00:26:13]You try to scream, but I take the [music] sun before you make it and you start to brea [music] right between your paradise because [music] no one's going to save you the [music] strike. You know this feeling you're fighting for your life.

[00:26:54][cheering] >> How about that you guys? Pretty good, huh?

[00:27:05]>> Very good. So, >> first my brother Steve, >> so we want to say in this mural, it's not about Stephen, okay? It's about the memories that we piled up year after year after year as we grew up with all of you, okay? and how a bunch of singles all got married and they had kids and then those kids had kids and we had memories galore that we all have and they're all into this mural right here.

[00:27:40]So, I want just want to say a shout out to the Lennens. They had a team that had four generations on one team. Okay, stunning. That's amazing to think about.

[00:27:52]Uh so all the time that was spent on sewing machines and jello shot production and preparations, that's what gets memorialized on this wall. Okay?

[00:28:03]It's about the friends we brought and the friends we made uh at the Gillis.

[00:28:08]Our community was local. Okay? We grew up here. All the people that came to the Gillis for the beginning grew up here and we hung together. So, if you want a Gillis in any bracket at all, this mural is for you. Okay? If you're a Gillis king or you're a Gillis queen, this mural is for you. Okay? If if you run Showtime or best camp, this mural is for you. If you never won anything but love [cheering] but loved your weekends here, this mural is for you. [cheering] So when you come to visit, get that QR code that's on the wall there. Review it. Tell whoever's with you a story.

[00:28:59]There is no lack of stories of 50 years of the Gillis, okay? Everybody's got a hundred of them and can spout them at any bar from P to the Shack.

[00:29:11]Okay. So, uh we have fabulous memories of all the days of your uh with all of you and now we get to be reminded of it all the time because of the mural. So, we couldn't be more thankful for that.

[00:29:31]>> All right.

[00:29:33]So, one more uh one more tradition that we had was the previous year's winner would always give a toast at showtime.

[00:29:41]>> So, the original toast of the Gillis, started this whole tradition was given by the massive legend Greg Machado, who is here to bring history full circle today. Bring it on, oh, Dr. of Dec.

[00:30:02]So, I can't begin to tell you how rare it is to get the microphone from David.

[00:30:08]Unbelievable. Unbelievable.

[00:30:11]Unbelievable. Steve and I have been fighting for that damn microphone for years. But anyways, we have a original toast. Goes something like this. At this special time of year, a time for joy, a time for cheer. One counts as blessings.

[00:30:27]One stands clear. Let's all stand up and give the Gillis one loud cheer.

[00:30:37]>> Thank you giving it up.

[00:30:39]>> Let's go child.

[00:30:41]>> So anyways, somebody asked me to if I had any little stories about the Gillis.

[00:30:48]I had one kind of went like this. It was I was sitting in my jacuzzi feeling mighty woozy. partied at the shack the night before. Tequila shots were flying and I was just trying to pick myself off the floor. And like an angel in the night, Agavei wings in flight, Queen Gillis stepped up and grabbed me and took me out the door when I could say no more.

[00:31:24]So, I just want to I just want to say Gillis Maidens's on my mind. Feel like leave the rest behind. Knots left untied. Draw me back. Starting to wonder where it's really at. My heart's a pound and full of joy. Let's kill his name.

[00:31:43]>> Big Doc Machado. That is a true legend right there.

[00:31:51]All right, everybody. So, we dedicate this mural to everyone who loved the Gillis. So, thank you all so much. And we want everybody to turn around and get a picture. Daniel's going to take a picture of everybody with a mural behind us. So everybody [music] drinks [music] feed.