Boys at the Bull 2026 June 13, 2026

Hello Laurel & Hardy friends,

Just a quick reminder that our annual film show is at the Bull Inn, Bottesford tomorrow, Saturday 13th June 1 to 6pm. If you want to make a full day of it, we’ll be in Barkston in the morning to visit the Plough Inn and the final resting place of Stan Laurel’s father, Arthur Jefferson, for this meet at 10.30am at the Stagg Inn, Barkston.

if you are coming to the Bull Inn, can I please ask that you park your vehicles in the street – there’s usually plenty of parking spaces. The available parking in the Bull Inn carpark has diminished over the years because of the pubs “pub garden”. John, if he can make it, will need much of the space for his car, trailer and his Model T, as well as some space for photos. Also I’ll need a space to unload.

I’ve ordered some good weather, so I hope to see you all tomorrow for our Animal Magic film show.

Fraternally Yours,

Dave T

No Comments

Categories: Uncategorized

June Meeting 2026 June 5, 2026

Hello Laurel & Hardy friends,

Our next film show is next week on Wednesday June 10th in our NEW time slot of 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.

On Wednesday, we will be celebrating the anniversary of the birth of Ulverston born Stan Laurel on the 16th June 1890. Our film show will therefore have a bit of a bias to Stan and a number of film firsts.

First of all, we will be showing Laurel & Hardy’s first ever film together as recorded in the various filmographies. This is the silent short “Lucky Dog (1921)”. Though deemed a Laurel & Hardy film, Stan Laurel is the lead comedian with Babe providing a supporting role as a villainous “heavy”. Stan’s younger brother, Teddy Jefferson, also makes an appearance as a butler in the film. It would be another 5 or 6 years before Laurel & Hardy would be seen together in front of the camera, this time, at the Hal Roach studios. For the first time, we will show the recently restored version of this in full HD supported by a Randy Skredvedt commentary.

Our main feature of the evening will be a showing of “Sons of the Desert (1933)”, one of the Boys best features, where Stan reminds us that “honesty is the best politics”. Stan was particularly influential in the creation of the Laurel & Hardy Appreciation Society aka The Sons of the Desert based on this film now over 60 years ago. Again, we will show a restored version of this film in full HD.

After the break, we will continue to look at what was happening at the Hal Roach studios exactly 100 years ago…and in a tent first, we are going to show, the silent short “Get ‘Em Young (1926)”. This was the film that Stan was supposed to direct Babe Hardy, but due to Babe having an unfortunate accident whilst basting a leg of lamb, Stan had to fill in for him. This is quite a pivotal film in the history of Laurel & Hardy as it put Stan back into pictures and later created the opportunities for Laurel and Hardy to work together in front of the camera. In the film, Stan plays a very significant supporting role to the fading star, Harry Myers.

We also plan to show “Unaccustomed As We Are (1929)”, the Boys first ever talkie short. As a tent first we will show the very recently restored version of this film in full HD.

Yes, at the break we’ll have a birthday cake and I have few interesting film items to show including a short documentary on the silents film restorations by Serge Bromberg and of course another Larry Harmon L&H cartoon entitled “Flea’s a crowd (1967)”, shown as a precursor to our “Animal Magic” film show at the Bull Inn.

There’ll be the usual raffle – all donations gratefully accepted….and of course we will have the loyal toasts. Again, we shall target to finish at 10pm.

Announcements…

1). Talking Pictures TV are airing a short season of Laurel & Hardy films between Saturday June 6th and Thursday June 11. See attached

2). Don’t forget, our afternoon Laurel & Hardy film show at the Bull Inn, Bottesford on the following Saturday, 13th June 1-6pm. We have an “Animal Magic” theme to our show, celebrating the animals that supported Laurel & Hardy…including the flea circus! John Palmer is planning to be there with his super vintage Ford Model T motor car with Stan & Ollie. Also there will be visitors from other tents selling all sorts of L&H merch and books. Also, in the morning, we will be walking round Barkston, visiting AJs grave and the Plough Inn. Meet 10.30am at the Stag Inn in the centre of Barkston. Please refer back to last months circular email or our website regarding all the details.

3). Our July film show will be on Wednesday July 22nd as the Barge Inn when I’m hoping to celebrate Thelma Todd. After that, our meetings will return to the usual third Wednesday in the month.

So, hopefully, we’ll see you next Wednesday.

Please bring your 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

No Comments

Categories: Uncategorized

June & July meeting date changes 2026 May 23, 2026

Hello Laurel & Hardy friends,

It was inevitable that we would have to make changes to meeting dates due to the World Cup and holidays, etc. As I didn’t want a summer shutdown, I’ve changed our next two meeting dates at The Barge Inn in Long Eaton as follows…

1) From Wednesday June 17th to a week earlier, that is Wednesday June 10th 7pm. That’s because some country called Eng-er-Land actually plays on the 17th! We will be celebrating Stan’s birthday with a showing of the Boys 1st film appearing together, “The Lucky Dog (1921)” along with probably their best film, “Sons of the Desert (1933)”.

2) From Wednesday July 15th to a week later, that is Wednesday July 22nd 7pm.

The Bull Inn film show is unaffected…still on Saturday June 13th.

I’ll send out reminders nearer the time.

Fraternally Yours,

Dave T

(Grand Sheikh – Nottingham Beau Hunks tent)

Beau hunks tent website: http://www.laurelandhardynottingham.uk

No Comments

Categories: Uncategorized

May Meeting 2026 May 15, 2026

Hello Laurel & Hardy friends,

Our next film show is next week on Wednesday May 20th in our NEW time slot of 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 in accordance with the tent tradition our film show is presented in tribute to the “eternally ever-popular” Mae Busch. Though her birthday is next month (June 18th), it’s always over-shadowed by Stan’s birthday just a couple of days before. So, our May show is dedicated to our Maisie. Mae appeared in 13 films with the Boys…and I will be showing no less than 4 of them, all talkie shorts in the period from 1931-1935 using the best available prints, mostly recently restored and in HD.

Laurel & Hardy had many great supporting actors and actresses, all very well casted, making the films as wonderful as they are…and sadly many don’t get the full credit they deserve. One of these actresses is the beautiful Vivien Oakland, born May 20th 1895. She only appeared in 3 films with the Boys…all very memorable. In celebration of her birth exactly 131 years ago, we will take a little time-out from our Maisie show to show 2 of her 3 films; the silent short “We Faw Down (1928)” where she is Mrs Hardy and the talkie short “Scram (1932)”where she’s the judge’s wife. Again, we will show the recently restored versions of these films in HD. She also appeared in “Way Out West (1937)” as the pestered lady in the stagecoach enrolee to Brushwood Gulch. I intend to show this film at the Bull Inn, Bottesford next month.

We’ll also show another Larry Harmon L&H cartoon “Baul Maul (1966)”. This is being shown in recognition of the Football World Cup finals that begin next month on June 11th. Coincidentally, the cartoon was released just after that 1966 England World Cup win, 60 years ago. In the cartoon, the Boys do actually play football in America …but sadly it’s football of the US kind. Thankfully, none of our June meets clash with any of the big games.

We’ll also have another quick look at what was happening at the Hal Roach studios exactly 100 years ago…this time during May 1926, with a screening of the final 6 mins of Say it With Babies (1926) which was released on May18th 1926. This was a Glen Tryon comedy supported by Babe Hardy, Martha Sleeper and Vivien Oakland. Babe plays a co-starring role in the film and amazingly appears and acts like the Ollie we know and love in future L&H films.

There’ll be the usual raffle – all donations gratefully accepted….and of course we will have the loyal toasts. Again, we shall target to finish at 10pm.

Our June film show will be on the usual third Wednesday in the month..June 17th when we will be celebrating Stan’s 136th birthday, including the screening of Laurel & Hardy’s very first film in the Chronology “The Lucky Dog (1921)”.

BUT before that….

Our afternoon Laurel & Hardy film show at the Bull Inn, Bottesford has been booked for Saturday 13th June. We have an “Animal Magic” theme to our show, celebrating the animals that supported Laurel & Hardy.

Yes, we will be having a raffle, quiz and the usual (long winded) round of toasts…including the eternally ever-popular Mae Busch. The quiz will be an observational quiz on the “Way Out West (1937)” film with a few multiple choice curve ball questions thrown in…just to give everyone a chance of winning our quiz trophy.

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 that proves 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 (Arthur Jefferson) 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.

There will be visitors from other tents including The Brats, Thicker Than water and the Helpmates. Mark & Theresa Hammond from Brighton will be joining us from the Helpmates tent. Mark was a regular writer for the Laurel & Hardy magazine and has an absolutely superb collection of L&H memorabilia including autographs, original photographs, posters and programmes . Also, we will be joined by members of the Sunderland “Beau Chumps” tent including GS Mike Jones. Mike has recently written a couple of brilliant books, one covers his take on the L&H films entitled “‘Twas Ever Thus” , the other covers a miscellany of L&H facts entitled “You don’t believe me”. These are good value at £10, fully recommended with proceeds going to charity. He will be with us selling these books. We will also be joined by members of the Saps At Sea tent from Southend, including Roger Robinson. Roger also has items to sell including some of his wonderful books that he has authored over the years (including Pom! Pom!), also all fully recommended.

Finally, John Palmer is also hoping to bring his wonderful Model T. Its should be a great day out…all I’ve got to do now is order some good weather!

Check out the Sons of the Desert website https://www.bowlerdessert.com

Click on “Coming events” and you’ll find “Boys at the Bull Inn 2026”. This advertises the event.

It can also be seen on the Home page under “added recently”.

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

Finally, Graham Wale from the Tit for Tat tent and a few others have helped in supporting the BBC in putting a new 15mins audio documentary (BBC sounds) based on the Laurel & Hardy visits to Lincolnshire and the surrounding areas including the Bull Inn and Barkston. It is good and worth a listen

https://www.bbc.co.uk/sounds/play/p0nk3vy3

Graham will also be joining us on June 13th..

So, hopefully, we’ll see you next Wednesday….at 7pm!. Please bring your 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

No Comments

Categories: Uncategorized

April Meeting 2026 April 11, 2026

Hello Laurel & Hardy friends,

Our next film show is next week on Wednesday April 15th in our NEW time slot of 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 celebrating the birth of our favourite cop….Edgar Livingstone Kennedy born April 26th 1890…indeed, who was only a couple months older than Stan. Edgar appeared in 11 films with the Boys, mostly between 1928 and 1930. We are hoping to show 4 of these films, beginning with his first with Laurel & Hardy…and infact his first at the Hal Roach studios, the silent “Leave em Laughing (1928)” . In a tent first, we will be showing the recently restored version in full HD with a Randy Skredvedt commentary. In the film the Boys pay a visit to the dentist and become seriously intoxicated with Laughing Gas…Edgar Kennedy plays a disgruntled cop.

This month, we are also daring to show a 1940s feature that we’ve not seen for 10 years…it’s the MGM wartime feature “Air Raid Wardens (1943)“. As I’ve mentioned before, the 1940s films are not to everyone’s taste as they tend to lack the playfulness and spontaneity that we are used to seeing on the Hal Roach lot. This is a result of Stan losing a lot of creative control through tight scripting and filming schedules and also of poor editing. But it is a Laurel & Hardy film and there are many good scenes with many good gags with echoes back to some familiar Hal Roach films…I promise you it’s worth a look. In the film Stan & Ollie become heroes as they foil a Nazi plot to sabotage a Magnesium plant. It’s Edgars last film with the Boys and he plays a tough guy, Joe Bledsoe.

After the break we plan to show a HD restored version of the talkie short “Perfect Day (1929)” with “gouty” uncle Edgar. This will be followed by the talkie short “Night Owls (1930)” with Edgar playing a failed cop….but will Kennedy fix it?

We’ll also show another Larry Harmon L&H cartoon “Always Leave ’em Giggling (1966)” which has ties with the films we’re showing. in this, the Boys, Zatman and Zatboy, foil a plot to sabotage a water plant by the Giggler. This is indeed a parody of the TV series with Batman and Robin foiling the exploits of the Joker.

We’ll also have another quick look at what was happening at the Hal Roach studios exactly 100 years ago…this time during April 1926, with a screening of the extant 3mins fragment of Madame Mystery (1926) which was released on April 18th 1926. This was an All star comedy co-written and co-directed by Stan principally guesting the fading silent superstar Theda Bara as a spy, in her last ever film. This was supported by Oliver Hardy and Jimmy Finlayson.

There’ll be the usual raffle – all donations gratefully accepted….and of course we will have the loyal toasts, including a toast to our friend and fellow tent member, Brian, who passed away last month and of course a toast to all our absent friends. Again, we shall target to finish at 10pm.

Don’t forget…the Bull Inn, Bottesford is booked for an afternoon of L&H films on Saturday June 13th, 1pm-6pm. I’m intending to show films where the Boys are strongly supported by various animals….and I don’t mean tough guys Walter long, Richard Cramer or Noah Young. We’ll again be visiting the Plough Inn and Arthur Jeffersons grave in the morning. All are very welcome.

I’ve also been informed that Ant and Jo Mitchell-Waite will be running a 2-day event of Laurel & hardy films on Saturday and Sunday, July 11th and 12th at the Artisan Tap, Hartshill, Stoke. it sounds very interesting. Admission £3, kids free; films, raffle, sales stall, food truck etc. See attached..more details to follow.

Next months meeting is on the usual 3rd Wednesday..May 20th (again at the new time of 7pm to 10pm), for our annual tribute to our Maisie….that’s Mae Busch.

So, hopefully, we’ll see you next Wednesday….at 7pm!. Please bring friends and family – all are very welcome.

Fraternally Yours,

Dave T

(Grand Sheikh – Nottingham Beau Hunks tent)

No Comments

Categories: Uncategorized

Brian Calladine April 4, 2026

Dear Laurel & Hardy friends,

It’s with great sadness that I have to inform you that Brian Calladine passed away peacefully at Stoke Hospital on 1st March 2026, aged 86.

Brian was a regular member of our tent for over 25 years and, even before that, he was a member of the Derby Hats Off tent. I know that many knew him as a kindly, cheerful, thoughtful and a very unassuming fellow with a big laugh. After I became GS in December 2014, Brian happily took over the role of a sub vice-vizier and became the tent’s treasurer and did a good job. Whilst at the White Lion he would happily help set up the room before and after each meeting – though he didn’t have much choice as we used to car share to the meeting! Being early, he was always able to sit in the cushioned comfy seats at the back of the room at the White Lion. Brian loved Laurel & Hardy and had a great sense of humour. He used to work for the East Mids Electricity board as an electrician and had many a funny tale to tell about his wiring ventures. At one time he was also a scout master. In retirement he had a lot of different interests including the Chaddesden Historical society, regular reunions with his old mates at the “Leccy board”, gardening and enjoying time with his rescue dogs. He also loved to travel with his lovely and beloved wife, Hillary who looked after him.

Sadly, due to a long term illness, he couldn’t make the return to the tent after the Covid break in May 2022. Hillary actively took care of him until she very unexpectedly passed away in August 2023. I met him briefly in 2024 and it was quite clear that the loss of his beloved wife had very seriously affected him. The house was sold and sadly I subsequently lost contact with him but I believe he was looked after by his large family.

A funeral service will be held at Derby Markeaton Crematorium (Main Chapel) on Thursday 9th April 2026 at 1.30pm. The family has requested that: ” Family flowers only, but donations in loving memory of Brian to benefit Alzheimer’s Society may be given online by visiting funeral-notices.co.uk or placed in the donation box at the service. Any further enquiries to Central Coop funeral Chaddesden. Tel 01332 281442″

We will certainly remember and toast Brian at our next meeting which is on Weds 15th April at the Barge Inn, Long Eaton.

Dave T

No Comments

Categories: Uncategorized

March Meeting 2026 March 13, 2026

Hello Laurel & Hardy friends,

Our next film show is next week on Wednesday March 18th in our NEW time slot 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 paying a very special tribute to our favourite L&H film villain….Walter “Mugsy/Tiger/Butch” Long whose birthday it was on March 5th (1879). For someone so recognised and revered by the Sons of Desert, it is quite unbelievable to tell you that Walter only appeared in 5 films with the Boys; two feature films, Pardon us (1931) and Pick a Star (1937), and, 3 talkie shorts, Any Old port (1932), The Live Ghost (1934) and Going Bye Bye (1934). Unfortunately, we won’t have time to show all of these films….but we do intend to show not one but all three of the talkie shorts.

We are also going to take the opportunity to show the 30 min Hats Off documentary to Walter Long which was produced by the Dirty Work tent, principally the talented Gary Winstanley. This was ably supported by a number of eminent Sons of the Desert from the UK…one or two of them you may well recognise from the Stoke tent (Antony and Jo Mitchell-Waite). The documentary was premiered last year at the Laurel & Harday in Wigan to much acclaim. The documentary presents many Laurel & Hardy film clips including clips from the two films we won’t be able to show, Pardon Us and Pick a Star.

This month we’ll also be paying a small tribute to Jean “Jeannie Weenie” Harlow who was also born this month; March 3rd back in 1911. So, we will begin the evening (at 7pm!) with a tent premiere showing of the recently restored version of the Laurel & Hardy silent Double Whoopee from the 1929 silents restoration HD US boxset. This we will show with another fine commentary by Richard Bann who eloquently describes( or I should say, exposes) the goings on (or I should say, off) during Jean Harlow’s scene with the Boys.

We’ll also show another Larry Harmon L&H cartoon “Ups and Downs” from 1967 where the Boys are employed to fix an elevator/lift which has a tenuous connection to Double Whoppee. We’ll also have another quick look at what was happening at the Hal Roach studios exactly 100 years ago…this time during March 1926, with a screening of a small 5mins clip from Thundering Fleas (1926). This was an Our gang film supported by Oliver Hardy as a policeman. There’ll be the usual raffle – all donations gratefully accepted….and of course we will have the loyal toasts….with a target of finishing at 10pm.

As mentioned last month we have booked the Bull Inn, Bottesford for an afternoon of L&H films on Saturday June 13th. And, yes, for the more adventurous, we’ll again be visiting the Plough Inn and Arthur Jeffersons grave in the morning. All are very welcome.

Next months meeting is on the usual 3rd Wednesday..April 15th (again at the new time of 7pm to 10pm), when we will be having a tribute to Edgar Kennedy and we will also show the 1940s feature “Air Raid wardens”, a film we haven’t seen in a while.

So, hopefully, we’ll see you next Wednesday….at the new time of 7pm!. Please bring friends and family – all are very welcome.

Fraternally Yours,

Dave T

(Grand Sheikh – Nottingham Beau Hunks tent)

No Comments

Categories: Uncategorized

February Meeting 2026 February 13, 2026

Hello Laurel & Hardy friends,

Our next film show is next week on Wednesday February 18th 7.30pm till 10.30pm 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 still free.

This month we’ll be celebrating the 120th university of the birth of Anita Francis Garvin, born February 11th 1906. She appeared in 11 Laurel & Hardy films….7 silents, 2 talkie-shorts, and 2 features. We plan to show 2 of these and a nod of the Derbie hat to a third. (NB This total excludes the foreign versions but Anita did appeared in all 3 versions of the film “Blotto” …English, Spanish & French).

We will start the evening with the silent “From Soup to Nuts (1928)” where Anita plays the gracious and funny Mrs Culpepper, who hires the Boys to serve at a swanky dinner party. This film will be shown from the US 1928 year3 restorations boxset in full HD with randy Skredvedt’s commentary. This will be followed by the talkie feature “A Chump At Oxford (1940)”, which includes a reworking of the silent film, with Anita reprising her role, but this time as Mrs Vandevere! Maybe she got divorced and remarried! This would be Anita’s last film with Laurel & Hardy. After the break, we will show a slideshow of film stills that reconstructs the Boys film, “Hats-Off(1927)”, which is now sadly lost. The Boys are door-to-door washing machine salesmen. Anita is a potential buyer but she lives right on “top of the stoop” of a long flight of steps….plot sounds familiar? Yes, “Hats Off”was later reworked as “The Music Box” in 1932.

I’ve also selected two talkie shorts we haven’t seen in quite a while. The first is the rather politically scandalous film , “Chickens Come Home (1931)”, which is quite topical at the moment in the news. The second film is “They Go Boom (1929)” – this is the last talkie short to show that hasn’t been seen since the pandemic.

I’ll also be showing yet Another Fine L&H based cartoon in the intermission – this will be “Truancy or Consequences” from the Larry Harmon series of “Laurel & Hardy Show” cartoons created by Hanna Barbera in 1967. In this cartoon, the Boys discover the importance of a good education which links nicely with their Oxford education in our feature film.

There will be the usual raffle and toasts.

One key announcement – I’ve booked the Bull inn (Bottesford) for a Laurel & Hardy film show on Saturday June 13th, 1pm to 6pm. I’m not sure exactly what we’re doing as yet…but yes, we will certainly be going out to Barkston in the morning to pay our respects to Arthur jefferson Sr.

Finally, I like to hear your thoughts on potentially moving our meeting time from say 7pm to 10pm? I know this might help with some of you with the distances you have to travel and having to make early starts the next morning….but it might make things more difficult for others if the meeting starts earlier. Let me know, we can discuss it more on Wednesday.

Our March film show will be on the usual 3rd Wednesday, March 18th.

So, we hope to see you this Wednesday. Please bring along your friends and family – all are very welcome.

Fraternally Yours,

Dave T

(Grand Sheikh – Nottingham Beau Hunks tent)

No Comments

Categories: Uncategorized

January Meeting 2026 January 16, 2026

Hello Laurel & Hardy friends,

Happy belated New Year to you all.

Our next film show is next week on Wednesday January 21st 7.30pm till 10.30pm 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 still free.

This month is Oliver Norvell Hardy’s birthday, born 18th Jan 1892. So, we’ll be celebrating the 134th university of his birth…now 134 years ago! So, as the tradition, we have prepared a strong programme of Hal Roach Studio short film subjects which are all very Ollie-eccentric.

You may be aware that this year marks the beginnings of Laurel & Hardy at the Hal Roach studio 100 years ago. In reality, though Stan & Ollie were starting to work together in 1925 and in 1926 in various roles, it wasn’t until 1927 when they were becoming “Laurel and Hardy” as we know them. As I mentioned at the Christmas meeting, this year I want to track through what was happening at the studios exactly 100 years ago and then next year to start showing the Laurel & Hardy silents, in date order, to the month that they were released exactly 100 years ago. It’s wonderful that we now have ALL the extant silents in a restored state and on Blu-ray HD. Laurel & Hardy’s first film where they appear in the same film at the Hal Roach studio was “45 minutes from Hollywood”. This was released December 26th 1926…so we will show this in January 2027…then we will show all the 1926/7 films in 2027, all 1928 films in 2028 and so forth. Indeed it’s great to have a long term plan, though I’m not sure I’ll be still here to show the 1951 Atoll K in 2051!! We have seen many of the 1927/8 silents in the last couple of years with the release of the restorations on Blu-ray. So, this year we will concentrate on the 1929 silents which have recently been restored and issued on Blu-ray. One of these silents is the brilliant sky-scraper thrills film “Liberty (1929)” We will still however aim to show just one but at most two silents per show!

Exactly 100 years ago, at the start of 1926 both Stan & Babe were at the Roach studios…Babe was acting in front of the camera but due to contractural issues, Stan was writing comedy and behind the camera directing short comedy films. This month, as it’s Babe’s birthday, I’m taking the opportunity to show a Babe Hardy solo silent film entitled “Wandering Papas (1926)”. Stan is directing. Though the lead is Clyde Cook, he exhibits many traits that are similar to Stan’s acting and if Stan wasn’t prevented from acting, this film could well have been the first Laurel & Hardy film. This film is taken from yet another fine US HD Blu-ray boxset entitled “Laurel or Hardy”. This boxset was released just a few years ago with restored material.

I’ve selected three talkie shorts we haven’t seen in quite a while…“Another Fine Mess (1930)”, “Busy Bodies (1933)” and “Me and My Pal(1933)”. I’m pleased to also announce that this will be our 2nd meeting where all of the films have been recently restored and will be shown in HD.

I’ll also be showing yet more Another Fine L&H based cartoons in the intermission – this will be “Goofer upper golfers” (Ollie loved his golf) and “Skyscraper scape” (based on the film Liberty) from the Larry Harmon series of “Laurel & Hardy Show” cartoons created by Hanna Barbera in 1967. Also, if time permits I have a short 10 min documentary on the Big Business and Liberty film locations in Culver City and Los Angeles.

There will be the usual raffle – any unwanted Christmas presents would be gratefully accepted as we had a pretty good clear-out at the Christmas show.

A couple of announcements…First, the Lucky Dog theatre company are again back at the Leicester comedy festival on Saturday February 7th at the great Hall in The old Guildhall. They are putting on two shows “Laurel & Hardy Cabaret” at 2pm and “Hats Off to Laurel & Hardy” at 4pm. Tickets are £11.50 each per show with concessions available. Both shows are brilliant…I’ve seen them quite a few times now. I will be going, and I now wish had shares in them!! See more at https://www.comedy-festival.co.uk

(search on Laurel Hardy)

Second, Neil Brand is on tour with a new Laurel & Hardy show celebrating 100 years of Laurel & Hardy. I note various venues close to us…Loughborough Town Hall (21/4/26), Newark Palace theatre (16/4/26) and Lichfield The Hub St Mary’s (9/5/26)…tickets are approx £25. Again, this is a highly recommended show and I will be going again to see this, his new show at Loughborough. See more at

https://www.laurelandhardypresentedbyneilbrand.co.uk

So, we hope to see you this Wednesday to celebrate Babe’s 133rd birthday and the start of the 100 years of L&H celebration Please bring along your friends and family – all are very welcome.

Fraternally Yours,

Dave T

(Grand Sheikh – Nottingham Beau Hunks tent)

No Comments

Categories: Uncategorized

December Meeting 2025 December 11, 2025

Hello Laurel & Hardy friends,

Our Christmas film show is on Wednesday December 17th, 7.30pm till 10.30pm at THE BARGE INN, at 177 Tamworth Rd, Long Eaton, Nottingham NG10 1DH on the upper deck.

All are welcome – entry is free.

Yes, it’s our Christmas film show……and as expected we will be screening the Boys in some of their best talkie shorts reflective of the Christmas festive season – and of course, our annual screening of the Boys selling Christmas trees in “Big Business (1929)”!

This year, 3 of the films we will be able to show in full HD including “Big Business“. This is because I’ve only just received an early Christmas gift…two blu-rays from the USA with the latest silent and talkie short restorations. These are “Laurel & Hardy Year Three – The newly restored 1929 Silents” and “Laurel & Hardy – The Definitive restorations Vol2”. So, we are now capable of showing HD restorations of all the L&H silent films, and something like 25 of the L&H talkie shorts (ie just over half of them) and 3 of the L&H feature films. There are a number bonus extras on these Blurays which we will also be able to show next year. So the future is looking good.

This month we will also showing another fine animated cartoon featuring Stan and Ollie – this time its episode no 55 from Larry Harmon’s “The Laurel & Hardy Show” entitled “Beanstalk Boobs”! It sounds all a bit risqué – but no, it’s actually based on the Jack and the Beanstalk fairie ale/panto where the Boys have to deal with a giant…that is a giant dog! I’m also hoping to fit in a L&H raritiy or two.

We will have some nibbles and mince pies….as we did last year.

We also intend to run the usual raffle with some great prizes just for Christmas – of course all donations are gratefully accepted. Indeed, many thanks for your support of the raffle this year.

All are welcome…so please feel free to invite your other halves, family and friends.

So, hopefully, we’ll see you next Wednesday. If not, we wish you a Laurel Christmas and a Hardy New Year. Our first meeting of the new year will be at the Barge Inn on the usual third Wednesday, January 21st 2026, 7.30pm, when we will be celebrating Ollie’s 134th Birthday.

The Beau Hunks Tent of The Sons of the Desert

The Nottingham branch of the Laurel and Hardy appreciation society

Boys at the Bull 2026 June 13, 2026

June Meeting 2026 June 5, 2026

June & July meeting date changes 2026 May 23, 2026

May Meeting 2026 May 15, 2026

April Meeting 2026 April 11, 2026

Brian Calladine April 4, 2026

March Meeting 2026 March 13, 2026

February Meeting 2026 February 13, 2026

January Meeting 2026 January 16, 2026

December Meeting 2025 December 11, 2025

Recent Posts