Boys at the Bull 2025 June 11, 2025

Hello Laurel & Hardy friends,

This is just a quick email to remind you that we have two Laurel & Hardy film shows this month. Both are FREE and all are welcome to join in the fun.

FIRSTLY..This Saturday (June 14th)….we are at the Bull Inn in Bottesford celebrating our 25th year university. Our film show starts at the usual time at 1pm and will conclude at 6pm. The programme has been set based on your requests. There will be an observational quiz based on the showing of “Beau Hunks“, a raffle and the usual long round of toasts!

Also some great news…if all goes well…John is hoping to bring his wonderous Ford Model T motor car with Laurel & Hardy. So don’t forget your camera. As space is limited can I please ask you to avoid parking in the car park.

For the more adventurous, we’ll again be visiting the Plough Inn and Arthur Jeffersons grave in the morning. All are very welcome. For this meet at the Stag Inn in Barkston at 10.30am – but if you are late you can easily catch up and take your time to look round. I have a hand-out that’ll guide you around. Unfortunately, I do have to leave by 11.45am so I can get back to the Bull Inn to set up…but you can stay longer if you like.

SECONDLY..the following Wednesday, June 18th, we will be back at the Barge Inn in Long Eaton, 7.30pm to 10.30pm to celebrate Stan’s 135th birthday! As been the tradition over the years, I’m going to take the opportunity to show a few films that we don’t get to see too often. Following a request, I’m going to show the 1940s MGM film “Nothing But Trouble“. The 1940s films don’t get the best of press amongst L&H officials but there are many good L&H scenes/routines which are always worth viewing. I’m also going to show the one reel Stan Laurel solo film “A Man About Town” from 1923 that includes Jimmy Finlayson. We will also be supporting this with a showing of “Come Clean“, in a tip of the Derby, to Mae Busch (the film we had to drop off at our Mae meeting), and any one (of the many) requested films we just couldn’t squeeze in on Saturday.

So, hopefully, we’ll see you on Saturday and the following Wednesday. Please bring friends and family – all are very welcome.

Fraternally Yours,

Dave T

(Grand Sheikh – Nottingham Beau Hunks tent)

No Comments

Categories: Uncategorized

May Meeting 2025 May 15, 2025

Hello Laurel & Hardy friends,

Just a quick reminder that our next film show will be next Wednesday, May 21st, 7.30pm till 10.30pm at our new venue of THE BARGE INN at 177 Tamworth Rd, Long Eaton, Nottingham NG10 1DH. We are on the upper deck.

All are welcome – entry is free.

In accordance with 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 always over-shadowed by Stan’s birthday just two days before. So, the month of May is dedicated to our Maisie. So, I intend to show nothing but a series of Laurel & Hardy 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! Mae actually appeared in 13 films with the Boys…I’m hoping to show 5 of them!

As this meeting will conclude our first 25 years as an official Laurel & Hardy tent of the sons of the Desert, I’m also taking the opportunity to show one of the Boys finest, if not their finest, feature films…”Sons of the Desert” from 1933, where Mae appears as Mrs Hardy. In a first for our tent, I intend to project this in HD from the US based 2020 Definitive restorations Blu-ray. indeed, we’ve come a long way from ropey 8mm and Virgin VHS tape projections 25 years ago! Two of our other projections will be in HD…including our silent “Love Em and Weep” from 1927. By your consent, we may show this with Randy Skredvedt’s backing commentary….it’s very good.

We will also continue our history of L&H cartoons with another Larry Harmon L&H cartoon from 1967 with a plot connection to our main feature. There’ll be the usual raffle – all donations gratefully accepted….and of course the loyal toasts.

Our June film show will be on the usual third Wednesday in the month..June 18th when we will be celebrating Stan’s 135th birthday when I will take the opportunity to show films we haven’t seen in a while …possibly another Fox or MGM studio feature film from the 1940s. I’ve not decided yet….but any suggestions welcome.

BUT before that….

Our afternoon Laurel & Hardy film show at the Bull Inn, Bottesford has been booked for Saturday 14th June. We will be celebrating our Silver Jubilee… our 25th anniversary as an official tent of the Sons of the Desert. Our film show will cover a few relevant films…including “Beau Hunks” but as its your party celebration…where I’m just the GS with no authority whatsoever, in accordance with the constitution…you get a chance to view your favourite short film. As I need to set a programme, please can you let me know your favourites at next weeks meeting or by the Spring bank holiday, May 26th, at the very latest. Depending on the response, I will try and cram in everyone’s favourite, but of those that are selected, you will be fully credited in the programme.

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 our Beau Hunks 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. I’ve had word that 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 . Hopefully he might bring up a few of these items to show. Also, we will be joined by members of the Sunderland “Beau Chumps” tent including GS Mike Jones. Mike is well known amongst the Sons and has recently written a brilliant book on his take on the L&H films called “‘Twas Ever Thus”. This is good value at £10…and fully recommended. He will be with us selling his book. Incidentally…our film, was universally released as Beau Hunks. However, in the UK it was released and re-released under the title of “Beau Chumps” in the UK. But, all our UK based VHS/DVDs has taken the “Beau Hunks” title. It might have been more apt for us to have taken the “Beau Chumps” title 25 years ago…but unfortunately Sunderland beat us to it! They’ve just celebrated their 40th anniversary! Whatever…we share the same film.

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.

Fraternally Yours,

Dave T

(Grand Sheikh – Nottingham Beau Hunks tent)

No Comments

Categories: Uncategorized

April Meeting 2025 April 5, 2025

Hello Laurel & Hardy friends,

Just a quick reminder that our next film show will be next Wednesday, April 9th, 7.30pm till 10.30pm at our new venue of THE BARGE INN at 177 Tamworth Rd, Long Eaton, Nottingham NG10 1DH. We are in the upper deck. There is no car park but there is plenty of on-street parking.

All are welcome – entry is free.

This month we’ll be continuing our series of Laurel & Hardy films where the Boys are “all at sea” having a maritime misadventure in or around water. As there are so many good films to choose from, I’ve selected number of these films where they play (or attempt to play) musical instruments. This selection was inspired by the rather surreal ending of the Boys feature film last month, “The Big Noise“, where Stan plays a Concertina to a group of dancing fish whilst on a Buoy in the middle of the Atlantic ocean….tell me that again!!

So, our main feature will be “Saps at Sea” from 1940 where Stan learns to plays the Trombone whilst Ollie tries to recover from a severe case of horn-a-phobia! This will be supported by two Hal Roach talkie shorts…”Towed in a Hole” from 1932 and “Men O’War” from 1929…..where horns, bells and whistles all play a part.

This month we’ll also be paying a small birthday tribute to Edgar Livingstone Kennedy who was born on April 26, 1890…135 years ago. He appeared in 11 films with Laurel & Hardy , often playing a cop, and directed two of their films. One of these was the silent film “You’re Darn Tootin” from 1928. Though water plays only a small part in the film, the Boys are “all at sea” as they play in a brass band…Stan on Clarinet and Ollie on French Horn. Though it’s silent, it has been recently restored and is included on the Laurel & Hardy Year2 – The Newly Restored 1928 silents US High definition Blu-ray boxset from the US. This incorporates an orchestrated soundtrack that has been arranged by Neil Brand in front of a live audience. All these enhancements have added to make it one of the best L&H silent films .

We’ll also show another Larry Harmon L&H cartoon with a maritime connection and I have a little film surprise. There’ll be the usual raffle – all donations gratefully accepted….and of course the loyal toasts.

As mentioned previously we have booked the Bull Inn, Bottesford for an afternoon of L&H films on Saturday June 14th (1pm to 6pm). 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 (meet at the Stagg Inn in Barkston at 10.30am).

Next month we shall revert back to the usual third Wednesday in the month (ie May 21st) when we will be celebrating Mae Busch’s birthday and we will be showing one of the Boys best (if not the best) films; The Sons of the Desert as we conclude our 25th year as a tent. in June, we have the film show at the Bull Inn which will be followed by a meeting on June 18th to celebrate Stan’s birthday.

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

Fraternally Yours,

Dave T

(Grand Sheikh – Nottingham Beau Hunks tent)

No Comments

Categories: Uncategorized

March Meeting 2025 March 15, 2025

Hello Laurel & Hardy friends,

Just a quick reminder that our next film show will be next Wednesday, March 19th, 7.30pm till 10.30pm at our new venue of THE BARGE INN at 177 Tamworth Rd, Long Eaton, Nottingham NG10 1DH. We are in the upper deck. There is no car park but there is plenty of street parking.

All are welcome – entry is free.

This month we’ll again be daring to show yet another fine feature film from the 1940s wartime period by that 20th century Fox film company. Their days at the Hal Roach studios ended in 1940 with the release of A Chump at Oxford and Saps at Sea. In 1941 they were contracted to make a number of B-movie feature films for Fox. The Boys appeared in a total of 6 films with this company….and on Wednesday we will be showing their fifth film in the sequence of 6 which is entitled “The Big Noise” from 1944.

It is often viewed amongst L&H aficionados that the Fox films are not as good as those produced for the Hal Roach Studios – this is generally a result of the Boys losing a lot of artistic control in the film scripting and on-set film production. So, consequently, we don’t show them all that often. But, after saying all that….these are Laurel & Hardy films, they have their merit and there are a lot of very good moments including some reworking of sequences and gags in films from the Hal Roach era. This will be our first screening of “The Big Noise” since November 2005…..yes, 20 years ago…so it’s certainly well overdue an airing. So, please don’t be put off – I think you will be very pleasantly surprised by it.

This month we’ll also be paying a small birthday tribute to not one but two important Laurel & Hardy supporting actors. First, as it was Jean (Jeannie Weenie) Harlow’s birthday last week, on March 3rd (1911), we will begin the evening with a rare fan-dubbed talkie version of the silent film that she is best recommembered for. That’s “Double Whoopee” from 1929. Our second birthday tribute is to our favourite villain….Walter “Mugsy/Tiger/Butch” Long whose birthday it was on March 5th (1879) – I’m hoping to show not one but two of his best talkie shorts with the Boys….first the brilliant boxing match film “Any Old Port” from 1932 and then the criminal escapee film “Going Bye Bye” from 1934 .

We’ll also show another Larry Harmon L&H cartoon with more than a familiar connection to “Any Old Port”. There’ll be the usual raffle – all donations gratefully accepted….and of course the loyal toasts.

As mentioned last month we have booked the Bull Inn, Bottesford for an afternoon of L&H films on Saturday June 14th. 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.

Please also note that due an absent (minded) GS, we are having to re-arrange our next meeting in April from April 16th to Wednesday April 9th. After that we shall return to the usual third Wednesday in the month.

So, hopefully, we’ll see you next Wednesday. 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 2025 February 14, 2025

Hello Laurel & Hardy friends,

Just a quick reminder that our next film show will be next Wednesday, February 19th, 7.30pm till 10.30pm at our new venue of THE BARGE INN which resides near to the Erewash canal, at 177 Tamworth Rd, Long Eaton, Nottingham NG10 1DH. We are in the upstairs room. There is no car park but there is plenty of street parking.

All are welcome – entry is free.

As we’re in the upper decks of a boating inn next to a fine stretch of water…I just couldn’t help myself and select a series of films with a bit of a maritime theme. In this we will be showing the feature film “Our Relations” from 1936 where we meet Stan & Ollie’s sailor twin brothers, Bert and Alf, who are on shore leave from the SS Periwinkle. This is also being shown in tribute to Tiny Sanford (26th Feb) and Alan Hale Sr (10th feb) whose birthdays it would be this month.

However, our main birthday tribute this month is to Anita Frances Garvin. She was born February 11 1907 in New York City. She appeared in 11 Laurel & Hardy films between 1927 and 1940 and also a number of earlier Stan Laurel solo films. Overall the imdb credits her with a total of 100 film appearances, the last being in 1940 with the Three Stooges. Later, she attended a number of early Laurel & Hardy conventions. She died July 7th 1994 aged 87. I will be showing two of her silent films with Laurel & Hardy, The first will be “Sailors, Beware” from 1927 and, in a one-off, I will show this with a commentary by Randy Skredvedt as he has a lot interesting comments to make on this film and on Anita Garvin. I will also be showing the fully restored version of “The Battle of the Century” from 1927 with that infamous pie fight and Anita’s scene stealing slip up at the end of the film.

Both films will be taken from the recent releases of restored silent films on HD Blu-ray.

In the break I hope to show a short interview that Anita Garvin had with Randy Skredvedt in 1981 where she talks about Laurel & Hardy and that scene.

Stan passed away on February 23rd 1965. We don’t usually commemorate his passing but as it’s exactly 60 years ago, this year I hope to mark this with a few clips of Stan in 1964/5 and a short clip covering his funeral at the Chapel of the Pines in the Forest Lawn cemetery north of Hollywood Stan laurel was cremated and his ashes have been laid to rest in the same cemetery.

Our final film of the evening will be a High Definition version of “Towed in a Hole” from 1932, with the Boys renovating a boat in the boat yard.

There will be the usual raffle – any more unwanted Christmas presents would be gratefully accepted.

Other news…

1. I’ve booked the Bull Inn, Bottesford for our 25 anniversary celebration film show for the afternoon of Saturday June 14th. And, yes, we’ll be visiting the Plough inn and Arthur Jeffesrons grave in the more. All are welcome.

2. On Sunday, February 23rd, at 1pm, the Beau Chumps tent of Sunderland are gathering at the Stan Laurel statue in Dockwray Square in North Shields for the 6oth year commemoration. The event will be attended by other Sons of the Desert and by Keith Woods, Stan Laurel’s grand nephew (ie Olga’s grandson). Denise and I will be going up to represent the tent but everyone is welcome to attend. If you’ve not been there before, its quite a fascinating little town on the coast near Newcastle…you can visit the Laurel statue, see Dockwray Square where a young Stan Laurel used to live (though the buildings have long since gone you can see a plaque on the wall of a house marking where they did live), see the high and low lights off the green mentioned in memoirs and the multitude of step ways down to the fish quay and the fish quay itself….all undoubtedly inspiring plot lines for many Laurel & Hardy films as outlined in Danny Lawrences great book “The Making of Stan Laurel: Echoes of a British Boyhood”. Then there’s the sites of Arthur Jeffersons two theatres. Let me know if you are going up and I’ll be happy to take you around. See attachment below for details.

3. There has been quite a few really fine books come out recently on Laurel & Hardy..many of them quite pricey. But Roger Robinson from the Southend saps tent has just put a good book together for just £16 inclusive of postage.. it is called Pom! Pom! you can read all about this on https://www.bowlerdessert.com

This is definitely worth a punt …mine’s presently in the post.

4. The 1974 Laurel & hardy documentary entitled Omnibus cuckoo: A celebration of Stan Laurel & Oliver Hardy is being aired on BBC4 on Thursday 20th Feb at 22.40hrs. It’s a brilliant documentary narrated by Morecambe and Wise. I believe that this is to be followed by the Stan & Ollie feature film.

You will be pleased to note that this is it…there isn’t anymore!!

So, we hope to see you this forthcoming Wednesday at the Barge. After that our next meet will be Wednesday March 19th. Please bring along your friends and family – all are very welcome.

Fraternally Yours,

Dave T

(Grand Sheikh – Nottingham Beau Hunks tent)Stan & Ollie essay

No Comments

Categories: Uncategorized

January Meeting 2025 January 12, 2025

Hello Laurel & Hardy friends,

Happy belated new year to you all. This is just a quick email to let you know that our next film show will be on TUESDAY January 21st again be at the “The Victory Club” at 75 Station Road, Beeston, Nottingham, NG9 2AW at the usual time 7.30pm to 10.30pm. I’ll send a reminder out nearer the time with our show programme.

We certainly haven’t been resting on or Laurels. Last week , Paul and myself braved the Hardy weather and scouted out a good number of potential venue sites in Sandiacre, Beeston, Long eaton and Stapleford. Though quite encouraged by some of the places we saw none of them really fully met our requirements of an absolute ideal venue going forward. We recognise that although the Victory Club in itself provides a good venue, it unfortunately falls short of the ideal because of the change of evening, poor car parking availability in Besston and the relatively high hire costs. So, we are still looking and we still encourage you on providing your thoughts on any potential venues. So, in order that we can buy us little more time to look around and to make a more informed decision, we have decided to meet again at the Victory Club for one more show.

BUT…we have, however, taken steps to provisionally book the Barge Inn in Long Eaton, for each 3rd Wednesday of the month from Feb 19th onwards – and thanks to those members that recommended it. It is a good venue and it was the best of all those we viewed but sadly it isn’t an ideal and it does have its drawbacks….there is no car parking at the pub but there is plenty of available street parking with no restrictions, certainly better than that at Beeston. Secondly the large function space is accessed via a steep internal staircase. So, please let me know if this would create any problems for anyone.

So, for January we are back at the Victory Club and if we can’t find anything better in the interim we will move back to the 3rd Wednesday of the month at the Barge Inn .

We will continue to look but if you have any thoughts on this please let me know.

Fraternally Yours,

Dave T

(Grand Sheikh – Nottingham Beau Hunks tent)

No Comments

Categories: Uncategorized

December Meeting 2024 December 8, 2024

Laurel & Hardy Christmas film Show next Tuesday

Hello Laurel & Hardy friends,

This is just a reminder that our Christmas film show will be next TUESDAY, December 10th, 7.30pm till 10.30 pm at our NEW venue at “The Victory Club” at 75 Station Road, Beeston, Nottingham, NG9 2AW. The venue is located across the road from our old venue, the White Lion pub. I understand that after going through the front door you turn left to enter the large function room. Be aware that parking might be tricky as it is in central Beeston..I understand that there is on street parking available in the side streets and there is a large Tesco carpark but do check this out as there will be limits on how long you can park there. If I get time I’ll check out parking tomorrow and let you all know.

All are welcome and 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 that cover the Christmas festive season – and of course, our annual screening of the Boys selling Christmas trees in Big Business! We also be showing another fine animated cartoon featuring Stan and Ollie – this time its episode no 80 from Larry Harmon’s “The Laurel & Hardy Show” entitled “The Slipper Slip Up” which is based on the Cinderella fairy tale. It’s very L&H and so this should be a very good “shoe in fit” for our Christmas show! Doh!! I’ll see if I can find some other L&H based rarities too.

We will have some nibbles and mince pies – but as we weren’t sure on numbers and what to expect in the new venue we won’t be fuddling this year…but we will have plenty of nibbles!

We also intend to run the usual raffle with some great prizes just for Christmas – but, as usual all donations are gratefully accepted.

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

So, hopefully, we’ll see you next Tuesday. If not, I wish you a Laurel Christmas and a Hardy New Year. Our next meeting afterwards is provisionally penned in for Tuesday January 21st at the Victory Club. However, we will be actively searching in the interim to find a new and permanent venue that will take us back to the usual 3rd Wednesday in the month, that is better priced and has better car parking options. Thanks for all your suggestions so far, but if you know of any other places that may fit our requirements – do let us know.

Fraternally Yours,

Dave T

(Grand Sheikh – Nottingham Beau Hunks tent)

No Comments

Categories: Uncategorized

November Meeting 2024 November 17, 2024

Hello Laurel & Hardy friends,

Our next Laurel & Hardy film show will be on Wednesday Nowonder 20th, 7.30pm till 10.30 pm at the THE BRIDGE INN on Longmoor Lane, Sandiacre NG10 5LW – in the outside function room as per usual.

Worryingly…it’s now less than 6 weeks to Christmas! It’s that strange time of year when everyone, everywhere, seems to go crazily mad. But then again I think this year I think the whole world has gone crazily – but politics aside….so yes, indeed, it is the start of panto season. I like theatrical panto…and I know Stan particularly was a big fan of pantomime. Stan was highly influenced by the pantomime king…the Kings Jester…Dan Leno from the 1900s. Dan played many a pantomime dame. Though Stan never played a panto dame, its well known that Stan loved to impersonate the ladies on stage, in solo films and in a number of Laurel & Hardy films. During their latter UK tours, the Boys were given offers to play in panto – but sadly as a result of Ollie’s untimely heart attack in 1954 -this never came to fruition.

So, this month I’ve entitled our Laurel & Hardy film show “What a Dame!”. We will be showing 4 of at least 8 films where Stan and/or Ollie dress up in drag and impersonate a member of the fairer sex. As a tease, I can say that 3 of these films will be from the Hal Roach studio; a silent short, a talkie short and a 1980s cut-down re-issue of a feature film for the home market entitled “Home Helps”!

Our main feature, however, is the Fox Film “Jitterbugs” from 1943. The 6 Laurel & Hardy Fox films don’t usually get good press from L&H aficionados, but from most accounts, this is one of their best. This is not necessarily because of the comedy (where there are some very good original gags) but because of the Boys fine acting. We haven’t shown it for 5 years, so it’s certainly due an airing. A young Vivian Blaine plays the main female lead (excluding Stan’s short time in drag as her aunt Emily). Vivian is probably best known for her appearances on stage and in film of the musical “Guys and Dolls”. She also appeared on the Boys 1954 This is Your Life episode. As it is her birthday this month we will certainly be paying a little tribute to her.

We will however start the evening with yet another fine short silent film from the restored 1927 films US Blu-ray boxset…again this will be a short we haven’t seen in a long time. We will also be continuing our series of cartoons from the 1940s and if we have time, I’ll show some clips of recent appearances of the Boys or associated memorabilia on TV.

There will be the usual raffle & toasts, any donations are gratefully accepted.

Please be aware that our Christmas meeting has been moved to Wednesday December 11th 7.30pm. We plan to show the usual Christmas L&H short films served with plenty of mince pies and various table snacks.

As always our film shows are FREE and all are welcome to come and enjoy them.

Unfortunately, this year I’ve not been able to secure any 2025 Laurel & Hardy calendars . However they are available in the pop-up “The Calendar Shops” stalls in many of the large city shopping centres for £12. You can also buy an alternate calendar from the bowler dessert website.

Note that in the new year our film shows will revert back to the 3rd wednesday in the month.

Looking forward to seeing you on Wednesday.

Fraternally Yours,

Dave T

(Grand Sheikh – Nottingham Beau Hunks tent)

No Comments

Categories: Uncategorized

October Meeting 2024 October 11, 2024

Hello Laurel & Hardy friends,

Our next Laurel & Hardy film show will be on Wednesday Octember 16th, 7.30pm till 10.30 pm at the THE BRIDGE INN on Longmoor Lane, Sandiacre NG10 5LW – in the outside function room.

This month is Halloween and we have a spooktacular Laurel & Hardy show lined up for you with frights a plenty. Our main feature of the evening will be “The Flying Deuces”from 1939. This aerial antics film, which is based on “Beau Hunks”, has been in the Public Domain for many years and sadly there are many poor copies out there on VHS and DVD. We hope to show the best available copy of the film which was restored in High Definition and distributed on Blu-ray by Network in 2015. The film ends in a rather frightful flight with a rather unexpected ending. The film is significantly supported by Charles “This is no place for Levity” Middleton and to a much lesser extent Arthur “hiccup” Housman. As it is their birthdays this month, we will be paying a small tribute to both of them. Specifically, Arthur was born 135 years ago today on Oct 10th 1889; and Charles was born 150 years ago on oct 3rd 1874. As Arthur only plays a very small part in Flying Deuces as a drunk legionnaire (if you blink you’ll miss him), we will be showing two Laurel & Hardy films where he plays a much bigger role…indeed, as a drunk in both films.

We will however start the evening with yet another fine short silent film from the restored 1927 films US Blu-ray boxset. This will be “Do Detectives Think?” which has a frightening ghostly ending.

There will be the usual raffle, toasts….and yes I’ll show yet another fine L&H based cartoon in the intermission. This month..I’m going to move the time dial forward to 1966 and show one of the 156 short cartoons produced in just two series by Hanna Barbera for Larry Harmon entitled The Laurel & Hardy Show. This was a cartoon series created for children’s TV. They are certainly not as creative and funny as the ones we’ve already seen from the 1930s/40s but unlike the earlier cartoons, the Boys play the lead role. They are worth showing from a historical basis as they launched a lot of L&H (Larry Harmon cartoon) memorabilia (eg comics, annuals, games, figurines). Better still, they created a new generation of fans at a time when the original L&H films were not readily accessible. We will certainly not be showing all 156 cartoons. Firstly this is because I don’t have them all and secondly I think you will find them a bit annoying after a while!! But, I will occasionally throw an odd one in particularly if it supports our show theme. Tonight I will show episode no 8 of 156, entitled “High Fly Guys” from 24 sept 1966…this has flying parallels with our main feature.

As always, the event is FREE and all are welcome to come and enjoy the show.

Our next meeting is on our usual 3rd wednesday in the month, Nowonder 20th.

Looking forward to seeing you on Wednesday.

Fraternally Yours,

Dave T

(Grand Sheikh – Nottingham Beau Hunks tent)

No Comments

Categories: Uncategorized

September Meeting 2024 September 16, 2024

Hello Laurel & Hardy friends,

Our next Laurel & Hardy film show will be on Wednesday Septober 18th, 7.30pm till 10.30 pm at the THE BRIDGE INN on Longmoor Lane, Sandiacre NG10 5LW – in the outside function room.

This month we will be paying a small tribute not just to one…nor two…but three major supporting actors in our attempt to catch up with the birthday anniversaries in our L&H colander for the past month. These are Charlie Hall (August 19th 1899), James Finlayson (August 27th 1887) and Billy Gilbert (September 12th 1894). As previously promised, you will be able to select the 2 or 3 reeler talkie short L&H films we will watch….you will also be given a choice of it being shown in black/white or in color. I will help to shape the evening by offering you a choice of film from 2, 3 or 4 selected films that features one or more of our celebrated supporting actors for each actor. Confused…you will be!!

We will however start the evening with a short silent film from the restored 1927 films US Blu-ray boxset. This will be “Duck Soup” which was based on a script written by Stan’s father, Arthur Jefferson, for the stage in 1908 entitled “Home from the Honeymoon”. This silent film was later reworked into the 3-reeler “Another Fine Mess” in 1930…so will be familiar to you. This is being shown in celebration of Stan’s father, whose university of his birth is also this month…September 12th, 1862.

There will be the usual raffle, toasts….and yes I’ll show yet another fine L&H based cartoon in the intermission. As we have now shown all of the known and extant cartoons from before and during the war when Stan & Ollie were actively making films, we are now moving into the post war and modern era. We will start this with a short Warners brothers cartoon from Feb 1946 entitled “Holiday for Shoestrings” where Stan and Ollie are elves to a Shoemaker.

As always, the event is FREE and all are welcome to come and enjoy the show.

I’ve not seen too many references to L&H on the box recently but if you haven’t seen it yet there’s a superb documentary entitled Laurel&Hardy:Their Lives & Magic that is still available/being aired from time to time on the Sky Arts channel.

Our next meeting is on our usual 3rd wednesday in the month, Octember 16th when we will be screening “Flying Deuces” and paying a tribute to Charles “this is no place for levity” Middleton and Arthur “hic” Housman.

Looking forward to seeing you on Wednesday.

Fraternally Yours,

Dave T

(Grand Sheikh – Nottingham Beau Hunks tent)

No Comments

Categories: Uncategorized

The Beau Hunks Tent of The Sons of the Desert

The Nottingham branch of the Laurel and Hardy appreciation society

Boys at the Bull 2025 June 11, 2025

May Meeting 2025 May 15, 2025

April Meeting 2025 April 5, 2025

March Meeting 2025 March 15, 2025

February Meeting 2025 February 14, 2025

January Meeting 2025 January 12, 2025

December Meeting 2024 December 8, 2024

November Meeting 2024 November 17, 2024

October Meeting 2024 October 11, 2024

September Meeting 2024 September 16, 2024

Recent Posts