June Meeting 2018 June 18, 2018

Hello Laurel & Hardy friends,
This is a reminder that we have two film shows next week.

 

Our first film show is on  Wednesday, 20th June at the usual location, THE WHITE LION….24, Middle Street, BEESTON, NG9 1FX commencing at the usual time of 7.30pm and hopefully in the upstairs function room – in the “Beeston cinema”.   

Our Wednesday show we will be screening the Boys 4th Fox feature film  from 1943….entitled “The Dancing Masters” .   Being a Fox film, admittedly its not one of their best.  As the film was tightly scripted they lost a lot of creative control particularly through lack of input and an inability to improvise on set.  As we have not seen this film for 13 years, its well overdue a showing ans re-evaluation.  However, like a lot of these latter films there are some very good routines and some routines copied from their earlier films with Hal Roach..ie Thicker than Water, County Hospital, Battle of the Century, Block-heads and Dirty Work.  So, I think you will be surprised and I’m sure you will enjoy it.  The film also hasa few other familiar faces….Daphne Pollard and Charley Rogers from Hal Roach L&H films, Margaret Dumont familiar from Marx Brothers films….and a very young looking Robert Mitchum.

 

This Saturday (June 16th) will be the university of Stan’s birthday, 128 years ago….so we will also be celebrating this on Wednesday with a piece of birthday cake.  As is the tradition, we’ll also be showing a Stan Laurel silent solo film.  This year it will be the 1-reel (10min) solo film  “The Noon Whistle” from 1923 which  features Stan in the lead comedy actor role supported by James Finlayson and Noah Young.   This is a good solo film with the action based in a wood/lumber yard.  On the night, we will also be showing a few other L&H  short films which follow a “wood” based theme – in what is our first cut of wooden-based films in advance of our second cut of films in the second of our film shows this month.  Tell me that again?  We will also be showing the cut-up extant version of Battle of the Century that is available on DVD, so you can thoroughly appreciate the longer version that we’ll be showing in our second film show.  There will be the usual raffle (all donations gratefully accepted) and we’ll be continuing our series of animations

 

As per usual – all are welcome and entry is free.

 

Our second film show is on Saturday, June 23rd, 1pm-6pm, at the Bull Inn, Bottesford (NG13 0BW)  entitled “Laurel & Hardy in Bully-Wood”.  This will be our 2nd and prime cut of Laurel & Hardy short films with an emphasis on wood, wood products and trees.  The highlight of the day will be a re-showing of the most complete version of the Boys silent film Battle of the Century – which includes the recently discovered complete 2nd reel  on 16mm by our special guest, Dave Wyatt.

 

Weather permitting, our very own John Palmer will be be bringing his wonderful working Model T-Ford to exhibit and photograph.

 

We will also have a number of special guests with us from all around the UK…..Antony and Jo Mitchell-Waite (from the Stoke Midnight Patrol Tent ) will be briefly talking about their forthcoming books and selling/signing their earlier books covering L&H in animation, advertising and compilation films (including Robert Youngson)….Roger Robinson (from the Southend Saps at Sea Tent) co-authored with Dave Wyatt, will be selling/signing their recently issued book on Laurel & Hardy at the London Palladium…Danny Lawrence will be selling/signing his superb book on Arthur Jefferson (Stan Laurel’s father).  Also, for the first time ever, Rob Lewis (GS of the Rochester based Helpmates Tent and editor of the Laurel & Hardy Magazine) and his family will be joining us.  As many of you know, Rob has been a major ambassador for Laurel & Hardy not just in the UK but internationally through the UK Helpmates tent, Helpmates conventions and the L&H magazine which he has been doing for over 40 years.  He doesn’t usually travel to other tent events, so it is an honour for him to join us.   He has also been selling L&H merchandise for many many years.  He won’t be bringing his stall with him, but if you are wanting to purchase anything from him on the day and hence save on postage…check out http://www.laurelandhardy.org/

 

We also have a number of other special guests joining us from the UK Helpmates tent….Mark Hammond (from Brighton) is a well-known Laurel & Hardy autograph and playbill poster collector.  We also have Helpmates Laurel & Hardy lookalikes Gregg Taylor and Tom Seymour joining us….and hence there will be plenty of photo opportunities.

 

For those that are new to the tent, the Bull Inn was regularly visited by Stan & Ollie during the early 1950s as Stan’s sister Beatrice Olga and her husband Bill Healey ran the pub as landlords.  In the lounge there are numerous photos of their visits….including photos of the boys pulling the pints behind the Bull Inn bar on Christmas Day 1953 which was during their 4 week “Laurel & Hardy Christmas Party” variety show at the Nottingham Empire theatre.  There is a plaque in the pub that mentions their visits.  There used to be a plaque on the outside of the pub.  However, the brewery for reasons unknown have not allowed it to be re-fixed following the external refurbishment.  The plaque is still owned by the pub and will be available to view on the day.  I will, however, be writing to the brewery to get this sorted – and I may need your support if I don’t get anywhere.

 

In the morning of June 23rd, we will  again be venturing out to Barkston (a few miles north of Grantham) to lay flowers on the Stan Laurels father’s grave (AJ) and to visit the Plough Inn (the pub that Beatrice Olga and Bill ran during the 1940s).  Meet at the Stag Inn, Barkston 10.30am (NG32 2NB) or catch up with us through this small village….I expect to be at the Barkston & Syston cemetery at 11am and the the Plough Inn (22 West Street) at 11.30am.

 

All are welcome to Bottesford & Barkston, and it always makes a fun day out…..and this I believe will be our best ever.

 

All this information is on our website, thanks to Mark Elvin…

http://www.laurelandhardynottingham.uk

 

 

 

Our July film show will be on the usual third Wednesday July 18th.

 

So, hopefully,we’ll see you TWICE TWO next week.  All are welcome.

 

Fraternally Yours,

Dave T

(Grand Sheikh – Nottingham Beau Hunks tent)

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