February Meeting 2024 February 16, 2024

Hello Laurel & Hardy friends,

Our next film show will be next Wednesday, February 21st, 7.30pm till 10.30pm at the THE BRIDGE INN on Longmoor Lane, Sandiacre NG10 5LW – in the outside function room as per usual.

All are welcome – entry is free.

Happy Valentine’s Day to you all – I hope you have been able to spend some quality time with your loved ones today. “L.U.G.H…love..” is in the air and in our film show next week we hope to continue with the theme that we started last month, where Ollie is in love, wooing and serenading his ladies fair, just as the “gay caviars used to do in the olden days” all with a view to marriage. on the evening, we will be showing 4 films starting with a silent film that was entitled “Stone Age Romance” when it was first released on 8mm film for the home market. This will be followed by our main full-length feature of the evening – “Swiss Miss” from 1938. This will then be followed by two talkie film shorts where Ollie fails to marry his intended fiancee.

At the break I’ll be taking the opportunity to pay a visual musical tribute to two key supporting players at the Hal Roach film studios for L&H whose universities of their births fall in this month. These are the delightful Anita Galvin (born Anna Frances Garvin on Feb 11th 1906) and the hugely immense Tiny Sandford (born Stanley J. Sandford on Feb 26th 1894). I’ll also be showing another L&H based cartoon entitled “The Timid Toreador”, a Columbia cartoon from December 1940. This is the last L&H based cartoon featuring the famous Porky Pig.

Yes, there will be the usual raffle, with some exceptional prizes this month…which amazingly aptly reflect the films we hope to show. Any donated raffle prizes would also be gratefully accepted. Thankfully, we don’t have a massive outlay at our meetings – but the raffle is run to cover those costs (eg hire of the room and to cover our special events such as Christmas buffet and the bull Inn shows). So I wish to thank you for your continued support of this.

On the news front.. “The Lucky Dog” theatre company are again performing their Laurel & Hardy play “Hats Off to Laurel & Hardy” at the Leicester Guildhall on Saturday 24th February 6pm as part of the Leicester comedy festival. As mentioned last month, this is undoubtedly the best L&H biographical play. It’s a 2hr play with an interval and at just £10 a ticket it’s certainly value for money. You can book this online on the Leicester comedy film festival website. indeed, yes, I’ll be going…so hopefully that won’t put you off!!

I’ve booked the Bull Inn, Bottesford for our afternoon film show for Saturday 15th June….so please mark this date in your diary. After last years ‘lite” event I’m hoping to put on a full film show this year. I’ve not thought of a theme as yet…but any thoughts or ideas of what you would like to see or what you might even be able to contribute to would be gratefully accepted. This is a show for us, all in celebration of the Boys…and of course Stan Laurel’s birthday is just the day after. For those who are new to the tent…the Bull Inn at Bottesford is the pub run by Stan Laurel’s sister, Beatrice Olga, in the 1950s with her husband Bill Healey. Stan & Ollie visited the pub numerous times during their 1952 and 1953/4 UK theatrical tours…particularly during their theatrical stays in Nottingham. The pub celebrates this special time with many photos/memorablila adorning the walls in the lounge…and every year we put on a film show for all to enjoy. In the morning, we will also visit Barkston where Stan Laurel’s father has been laid to rest in the village’s small cemetery. So, it should be another fine day. Best of all – its a FREE event.

On a sad note…Paul our Grand Vizier has just informed me that his father-in-law, Stan, has passed away. Stan was a delightful and charming character, full of life, and as many of you know he wonderfully made it to his 100th birthday just before Christmas. Stan was a regular member of the tent and of the Derby Hats Off tent…he loved Laurel & Hardy. Our hearts and warm thoughts go out to Paul and Amanda and their family at this very difficult time. We will certainly toast young Stan and all our absent friends at our meeting next week.

After Wednesday, our next film show will be on the usual 3rd Wednesday….March 20th when we will be showing more L&H films we haven’t seen in a while.

So, hope to see you next Wednesday. As its a belated Valentine’s show…please do bring your wives, husbands, girlfriends, boyfriends, partners or even other peoples’ partners…..and of course friends and family – all are welcome.