May Meeting 2024 May 9, 2024

Hello Laurel & Hardy friends,

As now become our tradition this month is our  “Nothing but Mae” film show in tribute to the eternally ever-popular Mae Busch.  Though her birthday is next month (June 18th), it’s over-shadowed by Stan’s birthday just two days before – so the month of May is dedicated to our Maise.  So,  I intend to show nothing but a series of Laurel & Hardy short films in which the eternally ever-popular Mae Busch provides a supporting, and in fact in one film, she’s credited as taking the top starring role!   This year I’m also taking the opportunity to show a 40 minute documentary on Mae Busch….entitled Hats off to Mae Busch.  The documentary has been put together by the Wigan “Dirty Work” tent with the support of many eminent and knowledgable Sons of the Desert,  it documents her rise as a famous silent million dollar film star “vamp” during the early and mid 1920s , her sad decline and then sudden resurgence as a supporting star at the Hal Roach studios with Laurel & Hardy.  The documentary covers all of her 13 Laurel & Hardy films.  It’s an absolute fascinating documentary..and you get to understand why she is deservingly toasted 4th in the list of toasties in the Sons of the Desert constitution which was ratified by Stan laurel himself in the early 1960s.  The documentary was first shown at the Laurel & Harday last September to very high acclaim.  I felt it was worth showing this month and I’m sure you’ll enjoy it.  This will be supported by 4 or 5 Laurel & hardy film shorts.

We will also continue our history of L&H cartoons with a short US World War II propaganda cartoon from 1943 entitled “Fighting Tools” .  The cartoon was written by Dr Seuss targeting an audience of US troops…engaging with them to keep their military equipment in tip top order.

We will have the usual raffle and toasts, all donations are gratefully accepted.

BUT before that….

Our afternoon Laurel & hardy film show at the Bull Inn, Bottesford has been booked for Saturday 15th June.  This film show will cover Laurel & Hardy films that feature and celebrate their “on screen” wives.  So of course we will be showing one of their best feature films “Sons of the Desert” from 1933 with Mae Busch as Mrs Hardy.  We will have a raffle, quiz and the usual (long winded) round of toasts…including the eternally ever-popular Mae Busch.  For those that have not visited the Bull Inn before…this was the pub that Stan’s sister Beatrice Olga Healey ran in the 1950s with her husband Bill Healey.  Stan & Ollie visited the pub on a number of occasions whilst on a variety tour of the UK…most notably Christmas 1953 whilst performing at the Nottingham Empire.  they even served behind the bar on Christmas Day 1953….and there are photos in the pub to prove it along with other momentos in the pub lounge.  The film show will start at 1pm and finish at 6pm.  Come and go as you please.  The event is free to all and it will be great to see you.

For the more adventurous (early birds…how early?)…in the morning, we will also be visiting  the village of Barkston (4 miles north of Grantham).  This is where Stan Laurel’s father has been laid to rest in the village’s very  small cemetery and there is the Plough Inn where he lived with Beatrice Olga and Bill on West Street during the 1940s.  The Plough Inn was visited by the Boys in March 1947 during their first variety tour of the UK…infact they were playing at the London Palladium.  I will be conducting the usual  walking tour of these sites starting from the Stag Inn in the centre of this very small village at 10.30am. Again all are very welcome to join me.

I’ll write again to remind/finalise everything nearer the time.

Before then, hopefully, we’ll see you next Wednesday.  Please bring friends and family – all are very welcome.