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)

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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)

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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)

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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)

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August Meeting 2024 August 18, 2024

Hello Laurel & Hardy friends,

Many thanks for all your well-wishing emails – I’m now fully recovered, back to full health and raring to go and show some of those Laurel & Hardy films we’ve been missing since we last met in Sandiacre, 3 months ago!! So, I can confirm that our next show will be next Wednesday, August 21st, at the usual place (ie The Bridge Inn, Sandiacre) at the usual time (ie 7.30pm). All are welcome and yes it’s still free.

In fact, I intend to show the films that I was planning to screen last month before the dreaded Covid struck… these are films where Stan & Ollie are twinned, mixed up up as others or just totally mixed up!! This will include the 1940s Fox feature “The Bullfighters” where Stan is mistaken for his Mexican bull fighting doppelgänger. We will also have a small birthday tribute to Thelma Todd, born July 29th.

Our Septober film show will be on the usual third Wednesday in the month..September 18th when we will be celebrating Jimmy Finlayson & Charlie Hall’s birthdays…..as originally planned for August, this we will make a “by request” evening where YOU get to select the Laurel & Hardy film shorts you want to see that are supported by either Charlie or Jimmy feature or both.

Before then, hopefully, we’ll see you next Wednesday. Please bring friends and family – all are very welcome. It will be good to see you all again.

Fraternally Yours,

Dave T

(Grand Sheikh – Nottingham Beau Hunks tent)

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July Meeting 2024 CANCELLED due to a shaky Sheikh July 16, 2024

Hello all,

Unfortunately I’m having to cancel tomorrows meeting as today I’ve tested positive for COVID. indeed, it’s still doing the rounds…and I don’t know where I’ve got it from as I watched all the England games at home. I’m fine just feeling a bit run down, headachy, with some symptoms of a head cold.

We’ll run our planned June meeting…in August and our future august meeting in Septober. See you all on August 21st.

Please pass the message around.

Fraternally Yours,

Dave T

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July Meeting 2024 July 15, 2024

Hello Laurel & Hardy friends,

Our next film show will be next Wednesday, July 17th, 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 and entry is free.

It seems a very long time since our last meeting. First of all, I hope you all enjoyed the little film show at the Bull Inn. We had a great turnout and I thank you all for your support – it wouldn’t work without it. The weather was a bit mixed but we were able to take a few photos outside – which I’ve attached below. I had hoped to have had our Junel meeting at the Bridge Inn…but due to circumstances beyond my control I had to cancel this Stan Laurel birthday meeting. However, we hope to have a belated birthday celebration this forthcoming Wednesday.

As promised, next Wednesday, I intend to show a 1940s Laurel & Hardy feature film from the Fox film studios….entitled “The Bullfighters” which although is set in Mexico…it was filmed at the Fox studios in California. It is a film we haven’t seen for 7 years so is overdue an airing. In the film, Stan is mistaken for a professional bullfighter who is his exact doppelgänger. There are many films where Stan and Ollie are twinned, mixed up as others or just totally mixed up!! So accordingly, we’ll support this Fox feature film with two Hal Roach studio films where Stan and Ollie suffer from an identity crisis. In recomembrance of Stans birthday I will also take the opportunity to show one of his 2 reel silent solo films from 1925 that was produced for Joe Rock entitled ‘”Twins”. This was filmed before Stan was paired with Ollie at Hal Roach . The copy, I will show has recently been restored in the US and released on the “Laurel or Hardy” blu-ray boxset. It’s a pristine copy and presents gags that are highly reminiscent of the mix-ups that occur in the later Laurel &Hardy feature “Our Relations”.

As we are coming to the end of the 1930s/40s cartoon series, I will unashamedly re-show the Porky Pig “The Timid Toreador” from 1940 – as it fits our theme very well. We will have the usual raffle and toasts, all donations are gratefully accepted – particularly as we ran down our bank of raffle prizes at the Bull Inn.

We will also be paying a little tribute to the beautiful Thelma Todd, her birthday will be is on July 29th. She was a major star on the Hal Roach studio lot and only made 6 films with the Boys…but all very memorable.

Our August film show will be on the usual third Wednesday in the month..August 21st when we will be celebrating Jimmy Finn’s & Charlie Hall’s birthdays…..this we will make a “by request” evening where YOU get to select the Laurel & Hardy film shorts you want to see that are supported by either Charlie or Jimmy feature or both.

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)

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Boys At the Bull 2024 June 7, 2024

The Nottingham Beau Hunks Tent once again invite everyone everywhere to join them in an afternoon of film fun and frivolity at the Bull Inn in Bottesford (between Nottingham & Grantham, NG130BW) on Saturday 15th June, 1pm until 6pm. The Bull Inn was once run by Stan’s sister, Beatrice Olga and her husband Bill Healey. Stan & Ollie visited the pub on a number of occasions during their 1952 and 1953/4 variety theatre tours of the UK. The pub’s lounge is adorned with photographs and memorabilia all in memory of those very special visits.

This year, our Laurel & Hardy film show will be themed on celebrating all their long sufferring on-screen wives and their exasperating relationships with the Boys. Of course, this film show will culminate in the best example of this kind – a showing of one of the Boys best feature films, SONS OF THE DESERT (1933).

We also plan to screen one of the newly restored 1927 in High Definition from the recent US Blu-ray boxset. I’m also hoping that John Palmer will be able to bring his fabulous Model T Ford motorcar, presenting an ideal opportunity for photos. In attendance, we also hope to have a number of eminent Laurel & Hardy book authors selling and signing their books….and yes, we will be having a raffle, an observational quiz and the usual long round of toasts.

The event is FREE and everyone is very welcome….including your long suffering wives, husbands and partners! Oh, those Sons of the Desert!

In the morning, we will again be visiting The Plough Inn in Barkston (4 miles north of Grantham) where Stan’s father, AJ, and his sister, Beatrice Olga, once lived and ran the small pub during the 1940s – and where of course Stan & Ollie made at least one visit during their 1947 variety tour. We will also be visiting AJs grave in the village and paying our due respects to a very special father. Those interested in this pre-event …please meet at the Stag Inn at the centre of this small village (NG322NB) at 10.30 am, Saturday morning.

The Beau Hunks Tent continues to meet with a Laurel & Hardy film show every 3rd Wednesday of the month at the Bridge Inn (outside function room) in Longmoor Lane, Sandiacre, Nottingham NG105LW at 7.30pm. It’s free and all are very welcome.

For more information please contact the Grand Sheik, Dave Tomlinson at DTomlinson@tinyworld.co.uk

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May Meeting 2024 May 9, 2024

Hello Laurel & Hardy friends,

Our next film show will be next Wednesday, May 15th, 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 and entry is free.

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.

Our June film show will be on the usual third Wednesday in the month..June 19th when we will be celebrating Stan’s 134th birthday when I will take the opportunity to show one of the Boys feature films we haven’t seen in a while …possibly another Fox studio feature films from the 1940s. I’ve not decided yet….but suggestions welcome.

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.

Fraternally Yours,

Dave T

(Grand Sheikh – Nottingham Beau Hunks tent)

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April Meeting 2024 April 13, 2024

Hello Laurel & Hardy friends,

Our next film show will be next Wednesday, April 17th, 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 and entry is free.

As a few of you know , after 39 years of continuous service, working for Rolls-Royce, I’ve at last completed my sentence and found the appropriate escape route out….Retirement. In fact, I retired just before Easter. I still can’t as yet get my head around it and that I’m now classed an OAP…though I hasten to add that I’m not quite yet old enough for a free bus pass and a state pension. Though, I do now feel my Liberty, I’m very acutely aware that I’ve swapped one boss by another. Our Wife , Denise, indeed has a very loooooong list of neglected jobs for me to do in the home and garden. Doh!!

This month in an indulgent celebration of my escape from work …(paid work I hasten to add!) , I thought I would show 4 Laurel & Hardy films where the theme is escape …but in this case an escape from prison. Therefore…our main feature film will be the Boys first ever feature film “Pardon Us” from 1931…which as we learnt last month was the prequel to the 1935 film “Bonnie Scotland”. This will be supported by the silent short “The Second Hundred Years” from 1927, where we will be showing the newly restored version from the US blu-ray set. This will also be supported by the talkie shorts “The Hoose Gow” from 1929 and “Going Bye Bye” from 1934.

This month we’ll also be paying a short birthday tribute to one of our favourite policemen “Edgar Kennedy” – his birthday is on April 26th (1890). We’ll also show another cartoon, “A Hollywood Detour” from 1942 and an animated advert from 1987 for Duracell batteries – these all with a L&H connection thanks to Ant & Jo Mitchell-Waite. There’ll be the usual raffle – all donations gratefully accepted….and of course the loyal toasts.

As previously mentioned – our afternoon film show at the Bull Inn, Bottesford has been booked for Saturday 15th June. This film show will be based on the Boys view on matrimony and it will celebrate their “on screen” wives. So of course we will be showing one of their best features “Sons of the Desert” from 1933. In the morning, we will also visit Barkston where Stan Laurel’s father has been laid to rest in the village’s small cemetery and the Plough Inn where he lived with Olga and was visited by the boys in 1947. So, it should be another perfect day out. Best of all – it’s a FREE event.

In the mean time, our next film show will be on the 3rd Wednesday…May 15th….when we will be celebrating Mae Busch.

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)

BS. Denise commissioned well-known Laurel & Hardy artist Mark Reynolds (Marko) to produce this wonderful image for a card to celebrate my retirement. I thought it was brilliant and I hope you don’t mind me sharing this with you.

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The Beau Hunks Tent of The Sons of the Desert

The Nottingham branch of the Laurel and Hardy appreciation society

December Meeting 2024 December 8, 2024

November Meeting 2024 November 17, 2024

October Meeting 2024 October 11, 2024

September Meeting 2024 September 16, 2024

August Meeting 2024 August 18, 2024

July Meeting 2024 CANCELLED due to a shaky Sheikh July 16, 2024

July Meeting 2024 July 15, 2024

Boys At the Bull 2024 June 7, 2024

May Meeting 2024 May 9, 2024

April Meeting 2024 April 13, 2024

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