Bulletin May 2008
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100th edition This month's issue of our (paper) Laurel and Hardy News is our 100th edition, with ten pages. Congratulations to all who have made it possible. 
For bigger picture click here. To subscribe click here. 2008 International Convention highlights
 Italy votes An election campaign in Italy ran for more than a month. Grand Sheik Tiziano Medici sent us the photo above of election posters near a bar in his home town Modena. He says, "It was produced by five anarchical political groups." Roughly translated its message is, "And you? Will you vote again? Liberty has too big a value to vote on again. With your vote you legitimise parasitism, arrogance and bureaucracy. On 13th and 14th April we won't make them legitimate. We won't vote." Wed Antony and Joanne were married in Scotland on 12th April. Of their honeymoon they say, "We had a wonderful time in Prague!" They add, "We are both changing our names, so in future we will be known as Antony and Joanne Mitchell-Waite. 
Ant, Jo and son Josh Jonathan says Jonathan Hayward tells us that his dad John has responded quite well to treatment. He says, "It's nice for him to be spending time at home after one month having treatment." Jonathan has had further interest in his film project Job Culture. One idea he has come up with is, "If the film can be made this summer, I hope we can have a charity concert premiere at the Tameside Hippodrome in Ashton-under-Lyne. Sadly, the theatre has shut down after its main financial backer left. But I do intend contacting the relevant individuals to see if it could be opened for one night to show this film." The UK Convention of 1979 had a couple of events there and it is hoped that the spirit can be revived. Jonathan is hoping for a meeting with the film production company's head very soon. He says, "The person involved, Philip Ettinger, has knowledge of the Sons of the Desert, and further encouragement and support from the rest of the UK and Ireland contingent may well be crucial." Stan and Bishop Auckland Tony Hillman found a piece on Stan Laurel and the Eden Theatre, in Bishop Auckland. Part read. . .
Tony tells us that Gainford Academy, or part of it, is now a tea room. The Laurel & Hardy Encyclopedia A new edition of The Laurel & Hardy Encyclopedia by Glenn Mitchell is being published on 27th June. This revised and updated guide is promised "in a more accessible format, with over 600 entries".  Posters etc Festival Films feature over 4,000 movie poster reproductions, filmed directly from original posters of movie stars and classic films. Each one-sheet poster is reduced in size to 11"x17". Lobby cards are in their original size of 11"x14". Each poster comes inside a heavy plastic sleeve with a hanger to mount on your wall. Prices: one poster, $15 plus $3 shipping (in the USA), two posters $15 each plus free shipping (in the USA), three posters or more $13 each plus free shipping (in the USA). Actual air mail shipping costs will be charged on European orders. Contact: Festival Films, 6115 Chestnut Terrace, Shorewood, MN 55331, USA. Web: http://www.fesfilms.com/MoviePosters.html. Phone or fax: (952) 470-2172. E-mail: FesFilms@aol.com.
Did you see? On Weakest Link Ann Robinson asked, "In the Laurel and Hardy films who said the catchphrase, 'Another fine mess or nice' - Stan Laurel or Oliver Hardy?" The contestant got it right. Nick Rich Josh caught a TV advert for Teenage Kicks. He thought he heard them mention Laurel and Hardy, so, being a nice kind mother, I thought I would watch the programme (ITV1, 28.03.08.). Vernon (Ade Edmondson) was sitting in a pub talking to his friend when Vernon asked, "Who do you think I look like? Pete Docherty?" His friend replied, "No - more like Laurel and Hardy." So, well done to Josh for this one! On Talk Sport (03.04.08.) they were talking about famous Brits who made it in America. One listener phoned in with Stan Laurel. Whilst I was reading That's Life magazine (14.02.08.), a true life story by Kirsty Plummer aged 16 years caught my eye with the following: "8 months later he put on a boring Laurel and Hardy and when he refused to turn over to Corrie I stormed upstairs screaming, "I hate you." Well, all I can say to that is, "If she thinks Laurel and Hardy are boring why is she watching Corrie?" But I suppose she wouldn't have seen the old Corrie clip with a character dressed as Stan! Jo Mitchell-Waite
Stan and Art From the programme Turning Point with Art Friedman, on 14th August, 1957, Ross Owen has posted on the Laurel and Hardy Forum (http://www.box.net/shared/3eyjr00ill) a recording of an interview with Stan Laurel. At first Art rambles and asks some very stupid questions. Stan's first answers are short and he sounds a bit annoyed by the inane opening questions, but things warm up and Stan takes over, talking at length about his early career. Speed the Plow Part of the Financial Times review for the play Speed the Plow (correct spelling), starring Jeff Goldblum and Kevin Spacey, at the Old Vic in London, read, "Laurel and Hardy, Lemmon and Matthau, Goldblum and Spacey. The sheer joy of this production is to encounter two actors working together with such effortless timing that they become a fabulous double act." I saw the quote on one of the billboards outside the theatre. Tony Hillman McGrath's play There is a review of Tom McGrath's play Laurel and Hardy, recently on tour in Kent and Sussex, on http://www.chalkfoot.org.uk/laurelandhardy.html. More from Jo Well, would you believe it? On our wedding day, 12th April, Ant commented on the cake looking like a bowler hat! Doh! And then later on in the afternoon, before our evening do, we were watching TV (as you do after you have just got married), and in the John Barrowman show, The Kids are All Right on BBC1, John asked a contestant, "Who was the comedy partner of Stan Laurel?" The contestant got the answer correct. Josh had a little adventure on his way back home from the wedding. He went to Keswick to the Cars of the Stars Museum. He said he saw a Laurel and Hardy car and he was really impressed with it. On our honeymoon in Prague we went into a marionette shop and of course you know what we were looking for. We found some Laurel and Hardy puppets, of which we purchased a couple of sets, one set for Ant and one set for Howard. Something else to add to the collection. Rob Stone has sent a bit of info from Amnesty Magazine (Nov-Dec 2006). In an interview Stephen Merchant was asked, "Who are your comedy heroes?" Woody Allen, Bob Hope, and Laurel and Hardy were his answers. Jo Mitchell-Waite |
Blockheads' new era
I am happy to report that the Blockheads Tent has found a new home. At our meeting at the Edinburgh City FC Clubrooms on 13th April, we decided that this venue was more suited to our needs than the RAF Club, which had been the other option since our regular meeting place closed down at the beginning of the year. The meeting marked the start of a new era for the tent for another reason as we have at last acquired a DVD projector. Our thanks must go to Dave Walker, who has acted as our projectionist on a monthly basis for twenty-three years. No doubt he is looking forward to a very well-earned retirement! Blockheads meetings have traditionally always opened with a Tom and Jerry cartoon, and April was no exception. We saw Puss Gets the Boot, the very first cartoon featuring the pair - except that Tom was called "Jasper"! The first Laurel and Hardy film to be shown was The Music Box. Purists may shudder, but we chose to see the colorized version, just for the novelty value. It turned out to be the first time that some of our members had seen the Boys in colour, and the film was very well received. Having put our toe in the water, so to speak, we stuck with colour for the rest of the meeting, with Sons of the Desert (which is always shown at the last meeting before the convention), Brats and Twice Two. We will probably revert to black-and-white at the next meeting, but the DVD format will give us a wider choice. I believe that Willie's film of the 2006 UK Convention is already pencilled in. . . . Gordon Davie
Bedding The Early to Bed Tent held its 150th meeting on 16th March. It is hard to believe it's nearly thirteen years since that first meeting at the White Hart in 1995. We have screened 485 films, plus documentaries, rare footage and other bits and bobs since the tent's inception. A total of 2,757 have attended meetings, we have had four Vice Sheiks and have held meetings at three different venues. There have been thirty-four different winners of the quiz. Current members who have achieved this feat are Ken Kind, Ashley Lawrence, Glenn Gibbions, Phil Hinchliffe. Fred Lawrence, Terry Kind, Paul Robinson, Sandra Platts, Luke Young, Matt Lawrence, Alan Harrison, Dave Tomlinson and current quiz inquisitor Bob Hall. (Some of them have actually cleaned the cup!) Fittingly for a Laurel and Hardy society, the tent has had its ups and downs over the years, with chewed-up video tapes, breaking TVs, mislaid leads, power cuts and even on one occasion the meeting room being closed and condemned because the floor was unsafe and at any moment could have deposited Sons into the room below! Grahame Morris Cuckoo visitor The Call of the Cuckos Tent will be back at the Panopticon in Glasgow on Wednesday 7th May. Doors open at 6.30pm and the show starts at 7.00pm prompt. A very welcome guest will be John Osborne who is coming all the way from Dublin specially to be with us. We will give him VIP treatment. Smile The photo below from, the Juste Pour Rire Festival in Montreal in July 2007, was spotted by Jean Poulain.  Kilt sold The Evening Mail (12.04.08.) reported that a kilt Stan wore in the 1935 film Bonnie Scotland had just sold in a specialist sale in Dallas, Texas, for £1,523.62. Also a collection of Scottish stagewear worn during Laurel and Hardy's 1947 tour went for £2,094.97. Brimal on the Laurel and Hardy Forum  Come Clean Tent My tent had a meeting on 15th April celebrating our 21 years of existence. Angie decorated a lovely celebration cake and made marzipan figures of the Boys for the top. We had twenty-two people at the meeting, five of whom were there on our opening night back in 1987. OK, we all have a little less hair now but we still have great films to watch. Eric Woods
 Brown's mess Dave Wyatt saw this cartoon in the Daily Mail (14.04.08.). Comedy World book Nick Rich has The Comedy World of Stan Laurel on eBay. It is signed by Lois Laurel. Bids start at £150.00. Click here. Proclaimed Frances Hughes found Stan and Ollie dancing to the Proclaimers at http://uk.youtube.com/watch?v=kHjT-TEqLBs. |
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And finally The local sheriff of Brushwood Gulch was looking for a deputy, so Stanley went for an interview. "Okay," the sheriff drawled, "Stanley, what is 1 and 1?" "11" he replied. The sheriff thought to himself, "That's not what I meant, but he's right." "What two days of the week start with the letter 'T'?" "Today and tomorrow." The sheriff was again surprised that Stanley supplied a correct answer that he had never thought of himself. "Now Stanley, listen carefully: Who killed Abraham Lincoln?" Stanley looked a little surprised, then thought really hard for a minute and finally admitted, "I don't know." "Well, why don't you go home and work on that one for a while?" So Stanley wandered over past the Avalon Boys and straight into the saloon, where Ollie was waiting to hear the results of the interview. Ollie asked, "Well . . . how did it go?" "How did what go?" replied Stanley. "Why, the interview, of course!" said Ollie. "Well," said Stanley, "I guess it went OK." "And why do you say that?" asked Ollie. Stanley replied, "It is my first day on the job and I'm already working on a murder case!" Another Fine Gazette (Spring/Summer 2008) |