Hello Laurel & Hardy friends,Our next film show is next Wednesday September 16th 7.00pm till 10.00pm at the usual venue, THE BARGE INN, at 177 Tamworth Rd, Long Eaton, Nottingham NG10 1DH.
We are up on the upper deck. All are welcome – entry is free.
This month we will be showing one of my favourite Laurel & Hardy feature films, “Block-Heads (1938); Private Laurel returns to a heroes home coming after guarding a WW1 trench for 21 years, unknowing that the war had long since ended! We will again be celebrating the anniversary of the births of two important Laurel & Hardy supporting actors…..Billy Gilbert, born 12th September 1893and Kay Deslys, born 28th September 1899. Billy Gilbert appeared in 11 Laurel & Hardy films including “Block-Heads”, where he played Ollie’s next door neighbour…a grumpy Big game hunter.We will also be showing two of his other films with the Boys ; “County Hospital (1932) where he plays a doctor andthe Oscar winning “The Music Box (1932)” where he plays Professor Theodore von Schwarzenhoffen, MD, AD, DDS, FLD, F, F, F and F.Kay Delys appeared in 6 Laurel & Hardy films, possibly best remembered for telling the Boys to move on two streets after they were busking in “Below Zero (1930)”.We will be saving that film for our traditional Christmasshow.So, instead, this month we will be showing the L&H silent short “Should Married Men Go Home (1928)” where Kay plays Mrs Hardy at the very start of the film. This I will show from the latest HD Blu-ray set of restored films along with Randy Skredvedts brilliant commentary.I will also show the rare “behind the scenes” home movies footage we have on this film thanks to Ollie’s friend, Hank Mann.We will also be recomembering a rather momentous event that occurred EXACTLY 100 years ago this month.After what appeared to be a very long time at the Hal Roach studios..the worlds of Laurel and Hardy eventually collided in front of the camera… TOGETHER on film.They were filmed together as vagrants on a park bench in a scene that would be reworked a few years later in “Pack Up Your troubles” which we showed last month.Though not Laurel & Hardy as we know them, it is clear that from these early first film shots that there is a certain familiarity in look, mannerisms and character and a special chemistry between them.Stan wrote the storyline based on his father’s play “Home from the Honeymoon” and casted himself as one of the main leads.Ollie was later selected to play the other male lead and filming began September 20th through to October 2nd 1926.The film is “Duck Soup”. Due to contractural issues that Stan still had with Joe Rock, the film, wasn’t released until March 1927. This month, we will only show the opening scenes of Duck Soup, but we intend to show all of their films in the order they were released exactly 100 years ago, starting in January next year. So now, 100 years ago, Stan & Ollie were working and being filmed TOGETHER in front of the camera. At the break, there will be a related L&H cartoon…this time, no 109 from the 156 Larry Harmon series from May 1967 entitled “Bird Brains”. We’ll have the usual raffle and of course the long roll-call of toasts in accordance with the Sons of the Desert constitution.
Finally, I have a few glossy 2027 calendars available created by Willie McIntyre of the Bowler Dessert. I can sell these for £10. These are of a slightly shorter format(and slightly cheaper) than the Calendar Club calendars that will be on sale on the High Street. Unfortunately, I’ve not been able to get any of these larger format calendars from Rob Lewis this year as postage/packing would make it a bit pricey.Our September film show will be on the usual third Wednesday in the month..Octember 21st when we will be celebrating Arthur Housman’s birthday.
Before then, hopefully, we’ll see you on Wednesday. Please bring friends and family – all are very welcome.
Fraternally Yours,
Dave T
(Grand Sheikh – Nottingham Beau Hunks tent)Beau hunks tent website: http://www.laurelandhardynottingham.uk
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