Hello Laurel & Hardy friends,

Our next film show will be on Wednesday, Septober 21st,   7.30pm till 10.30pm at the THE BRIDGE INN on Longmoor Lane, Sandiacre NG10 5LW –  in the outside function room as per usual.

Hello Laurel & Hardy friends,

Our next film show will be on Wednesday August 17th 7.30pm till 10.30pm at the THE BRIDGE INN on Longmoor Lane, Sandiacre NG10 5LW –  in the outside function room.

There will be the usual raffle (indeed any donations will be gratefully accepted),  toasts….and I’ll show a L&H cartoon or two in the intermission.   As always, the event is FREE and all are welcome to come and enjoy the show.

Many thanks for all your support of our film show at the Bull Inn – by all accounts everyone enjoyed the day.  Special thanks go to Robin Cook who was able to show us a partly restored copy of “The Second Hundred Years” which included never seen before extra film footage based on the Robert Youngson copy of the original film.  Also a special thanks to John Palmer, who brought along his special Model T Ford to the event.  We had many visitors…including Rob Lewis who brought with him a number of props from the “Stan & Ollie film” ….including Ollie’s plaster cast, which was used to good effect in photos taken in John’s car…..ala Perfect day, County hospital, Them Thar Hills and other films.  I’ve attached the main group photo below.

On the day i was able to secure a limited number of 2023 Laurel & Hardy calendars….These usually sell at £12 in the pop-up “calender club” stalls which appear in shopping centres nearer christmas.  Rob was selling them at £11 each at our bull Inn event….but I can sell them at a special reduced price of £10 each and still make a little money that will go directly into club funds.  i will bring them down on Wednesday and I will sell them on a “first come first served” basis.  I maybe able to get more later dependent on future L&H events up and until Christmas but that’s not guaranteed….so come early on Wednesday and get your copy.

Looking forward to seeing you all next week.

Hello Laurel & Hardy friends ,

Just a quick reminder to let everyone know that our film show at the Bull Inn, Bottesford  (NG13 0BW) is this Saturday, July 30th, 1pm-6pm.  It’s entitled “Twice Two – Part deux” in recognition of the tent reaching it’s 22nd year in the year 2022…and in my 2nd attempt at arranging this meeting this year!!! .  We will be showing many L&H films including one of boys best feature films “Sons of the Desert”.  There will be an observational quiz on this film where the winner(s) will be awarded with  the ‘”Mae Busch Wax Apple Bowl” quiz trophy.   The highlight of the day will be a premiere screening of a complete and restored version of the silent short “The Second hundred Years”  by film historian, archivist and ex-projectionist tent member, Robin Cook.   John Palmer will also be bringing his amazing Model T.

We will also have a number of special guests with us from all around the UK…..Antony and Jo Mitchell-Waite (from the Stoke Midnight Patrol Tent ) with books and memorabilia to sell;  Mark Hammond (from Brighton) who is a well-known Laurel & Hardy autograph, memorabilia and playbill poster collector/expert;  Rob Lewis (Exhausted Grand Shiek of the UK Helpmates Tent and recent editor of the Laurel & Hardy Magazine) and his family will be joining us from Kent.  As many of you know, Rob has been a major ambassador for Laurel & Hardy not just in the UK but internationally through the UK Helpmates tent, Helpmates conventions and the L&H magazine which he has been doing for over 40 years.  He doesn’t usually travel to other tent events, so it is an honour for us to have him with us again .   He has also been selling L&H merchandise for many many years….and will have a few items to sell at our meeting.  Rob was an on-set consultant on the Stan & Ollie film and will be bringing up some of the actual props from this film.  I’ve also been informed that we will have representatives from a few other tents…including the Brats from Sheffield. We will also be having with us, Dave Wyatt  (internationally renowned L&H and silent film comedy expert  and book author),  Russ Babidge (the new L&H magazine editor and book author) and  Patrick Vasey (of the online L&H blog and future book author). So, plenty of experts available if you want to ask questions and buy books and memorabilia.

There will be the usual raffle and we have a silent auction, where one of the items available is a rare and large Laurel & Hardy statue by Philippine artist Jun Asilo from 1997.  The statue is 75cm high, the pedestal is 49cm wide and 25cm deep.  It is made of fibreglass resin and is hand painted.  The statue is reminiscent of the final scene of “You’re Darn Tootin”   The item was donated to the tent by a local resident, Tom Mackie and its sale will go to club funds.  Its rare but has been selling for over £100 on Ebay, so, I will start the auction at £30 – but although I’ve enjoyed it for the last 2 years I don’t really want to take it home!!  So please bid on the silent auction form on the day.  An image of the item was attached in an earlier memo i sent.

The event is FREE and all are very welcome.

Can I please ask for everyone to park on the streets  and not in the pub’s car park as we will need this space for John’s trailer and Model T, my car and also for Rob Lewis’s car as he will be selling from his car-boot.  There may be a need to set up other tables outside for sale items – weather of course dependent.  There is plenty of free and un-restrictive street parking in the village

In the morning (of July 30th),  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 theatre tour.   We will also be visiting AJs grave in the village and paying our due respects to this very special father.    Those interested in this pre-event …please meet at the Stag Inn at the centre of this small village (NG32 2NB) at 10.00 am.   For late comers, I expect to be at the Barkston & Syston cemetery at 10.15am and the Plough Inn (22 West Street) at 10.45am.  I will be leaving Barkston at 11.15am so I can get back to set up.

Food is not sold at the pub, so bring sandwiches or you can buy food in the village at the bakery, Co-op,  the  cafe or at the local chippy.

All are welcome to Bottesford & Barkston, and it should be a fun day out.

Hopefully, we’ll see you on Saturday….

Fraternally Yours,

Dave T

Hello Laurel & Hardy friends,

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

Thank you all for the support at our first meeting.  It was great to see so many old and familiar faces after our long break away…I know less of the old!!   After being so careful, unfortunately we had to cancel our 2nd meeting at the Bull Inn last month due to a Covid outbreak in the Tomlinson household….thankfully we are now both well and fighting fit…ok just well!.   This  leads me on to the theme of what is now our 2nd meeting next Wednesday….”Box Clever” .  we will be showing a number of Laurel & Hardy short films where the Boys get caught up in a Boxing match or in films where a Box leads to some comic mayhem.   One of the films we will be showing is the most complete version we have of “The Battle of the Century (1927)”  which includes all the extra footage of the pie fight that was discovered in a collection of Youngson films just a few years ago.

Thelma Todd was born on July 29th 1906….116 years ago.   She only appeared in 6 films with the boys…but each and every one is memorable.  We will be paying a little tribute to her followed by the first film she appeared in, which just happened to be the Boys first talkie film, “Unaccustomed As we Are (1929)”.

There will be the usual raffle, toasts….and I’ll show a L&H cartoon or two in the intermission.   As always, the event is FREE and all are welcome to come and enjoy the show.   As Covid is again on the rise, can I please ask for everyone to take care, be mindful and supportive of those who would still prefer to wear masks and if you can take a lateral flow test, please do so, before coming out.

As mentioned in a previous email, we have been able to re-arrange our film show for Saturday afternoon of July 30th at the  Bull Inn, Bottesford 1pm til 6pm.   Thankfully, we have been able to keep the same programme of events and attractions.    It’ll be our “Twice-Two – Part Deux” film show ….all with the number 2 or 22 in mind, which celebrates our 22nd year in the year 2022….and now we can add that its our 2nd attempt at running it!  Doh!    We will be having a  marathon film show culminating in the showing of “Sons of the Desert (1933)” with an observational quiz after, and yes with prizes.   Undoubtedly, the highlight of the day will be Robin Cook’s  showing of his restored version of the Boys silent film “The Second Hundred Years(1927)” in its most complete form based on  copies of the original 35mm film elements and specialist film restoration software/techniques.  We will have a number of Laurel & Hardy book authors on hand selling their latest books.  Also, John Palmer will be exhibiting his wonderful Laurel & Hardy car, a genuine Model T Ford.  Also, we are hoping to have a number of  well known “out of town”  Laurel & Hardy guests, including Rob Lewis (Grand Shieik and founder of the Helpmates UK tent and Laurel & Hardy magazine), Russ Babidge (new editor of the L&H Magazine), Patrick Vaseley  (Laurel & Hardy Blog), Dave Wyatt (L&H film expert), Roger Robinson (The Periwinkle magazine editor), and Mark Hammond (L&H memorabilia).  I’m also hoping that Rob Lewis, who was an advisor to the recent “Stan & Ollie”  film can bring up some interesting props from that movie .

As with all our film shows, the film show at the Bull Inn is FREE and WELCOME TO ALL.  So, please do come along and support us, it will be a great day out.   As most of you now know, the Bull Inn was the pub that Olga and Bill Healey ran during the 1950s…Olga being Stan’s younger sister (who incidentally gets a mention in the Beau Hunks  film!).  During their  theatrical tours of 1952 and 1953/4,  the Boys and their wives would regularly visit this pub and on Christmas Day 1953, the Boys pulled the pints behind the bar for the locals.  The Pub lounge is adorned with photos and memorabilia and there are plaques inside and outside the pub that commemorates their visits,

On the morning of Saturday July 30th, I will also be doing a  guided walk around Barkston (a few miles north of Grantham),  with visits to the Plough Inn on West Street (Olga’s first pub visited by the Boys in 1947)  and to Arthur Jeffersons grave (Stan’s father) in the Barkston&Syston graveyard.  We’ll start this at 10 am outside the Stag Inn in Barkston.

BS  Photo is topical…and a clue to another film we’ll be showing on Wednesday.

Hello Laurel & Hardy friends,

Hello Laurel & Hardy friends,

Again no show I’m afraid this month.  I had hoped to have brought some good news this month on a restart for next month, but with rising infection rates on the Omicron BA.2 variant I think it would be a good and prudent idea to put it off for yet another month, that is until most, if not all, of our over 75s have had their fourth jab and infection rates are back on the rapid fall.  So fingers crossed.  i’m now thinking of a restart on Wednesday, May 18th evening (7.30pm) dependent on the venue.

On the good news front, I have booked the Bull Inn, Bottesford, for Saturday afternoon June 18th, 1pm to 6pm.  Unfortunately as the “skittle alley” has been transformed into a small events area, we are now having to pay a small hire fee….but rest assured, it will remain a FREE event to you and its open to all family and friends.   For those that haven’t been before we very much run it as a Laurel & Hardy film show with a few interludes for brief L&H based talks, a L&H film observational quiz (which this year will be based on “The Sons of the Desert” film ), film rarities and of course a raffle…and yes I’ve collected some good raffle prizes in the past 2 years.   If all goes well, I’m hoping that John Palmer can bring his wonderful L&H car again – a genuine Model T Ford.  John’s car is presently undergoing a few maintenance/repairs at the moment so we wish John well with this.

he Bull Inn was run by Bill and Olga Healey (Stan’s sister) during the 1950s and a number of occasions during that time Stan & Ollie popped in to see them, particularly when they were on tour.  They even pulled the pints behind the bar on Christmas Day 1953.  The lounge is adorned with photos and memorabilia.

With C-19 in mind I’m not advertising this event too broadly but all tent members on this email, friends and family are warmly invited along with past attendees….so we may get a few from other tents.

As mentioned last month, its our 22nd Birthday as a tent in this year 2022.  We tried to celebrate our 20th birthday in 2020 and I had it fully planned out….so based on that plan and where we are now, I’ve entitled our show  “Twice Two – Part Deux” .   So yes, we’re going to show the Boys “Twice Two” film alongside the Boys “Sons of the Desert” feature….(why this feature film I hear you ask….well its because Ollie lives at “2-2-2-2 Fairview Avenue” and that these two little ducks are like “two peas in a par- deux”  Sorry, welcome back to the bad jokes!!!)

In the morning we will do the usual  trip out to Barkston and lay some flowers on  Arthur Jeffersons grave (Stan’s father) and also see the pub (The Plough Inn) which Bill & Olga ran during the 1940s and Stan & Ollie visited on 16th March 1947…exactly 75 years ago this month.

Its now been 2 years since we last met.  We had planned a meeting for Wednesday, March 18th which we had to cancel.  We had planned to have  a “Tough Guys (& Dolls)”  theme where Stan & Ollie are confronted by some really tough characters….one of these is Walter Butch Long, whose birthday we would have been celebrating this month (March 5th).  We were going to show a number of Laurel & Hardy short films with Walter Long, Noah Young, Anita Garvin and Frank Brownlee.

Hello Laurel & Hardy friends,

Again unfortunately  I still think it’s a little too early to meet up…the infection rates though falling are still moderately high.  Boris has also spoken and he will end all legal restrictions tomorrow which sadly i think is a tad too soon and will at worst increase the infection rate for a while and at best slow its fall.  So cautiously, I’m planning now a restart in April – hopefully, April 20th….and yes this year!  Horray!!  I’ve still got to check up at the Bridge Inn that the room is still available to us, but if that falls through I’ve already got Martin scouting out the Beeston area to find a new venue and we do have a possibility in the making.  Last week, as I was passing,  I checked out our old venue, The White Lion, but sadly its still stands empty awaiting a new owner.  Anyway, watch this space.

I’m also keen to get a film show together at the Bull Inn in Bottesford in June.  For  those who have recently joined us in the last 2 years, this is the pub that Stan’s sister, Beatrice Olga, and her husband, Bill Healey, ran during the1950s.  Stan & Ollie visited the pub on a number of occasions  notably, Easter 1952 and Christmas 1953 when they were performing at the Nottingham Empire.  That 1st visit was, yes, exactly 70 years ago and it will be nice to celebrate that at the Bull Inn.    We tried to plan a visit in 2020, it was going to be our 20th anniversary celebrations, and we had some special items planned (ie restored films being shown and some special books being launched) but unfortunately Covid-19 put paid to all that!   We were also denied our 21st “Coming of Age” aninversary last year….so I’m not letting us lose yet another fine event at the Bull Inn.   We will scale it back this year to make it comfortable for all attendees, so I won’t advertise it too broadly.  You would have noticed that yesterday’s  date was 22nd of the 2nd, 22 (22/2/22), it was my son-in-laws birthday….both myself and Denise have birthdays on the 22nd of a month, our 22nd Birthday as a tent is in June in the year 2022, so all the stars are being aligned for a meeting at the Bull Inn on June 22nd…..just unfortunately its not a Saturday!!  Doh!… .But it is a Wednesday – so we may try and and have a birthday meet then!  I will , however, try and target the Bull for June 11th (which is 1/2th of 22) or June 18th, so keep these dates clear.  With all this meticulous ramblings which I have to extricate myself from…it’s very likely that we will name our Bull Inn meeting…”Twice Two – Part Deux”  as it will largely be based on what we tried to plan for our 2020 event.    Tell me that again….

For those that are suffering major withdrawal symptoms….I thought I would look back to our last film show before Boris told us all to stay at home…that was February 2020…exactly 2 years ago.

Unbelievably,  this film show was entitled “Wet n’ Windy” after the passage of then two tropical storms  Ciara and Denis.   This was the  programme back then:-

With the passage of Dudley, Eunice and now Franklin, you might want to revisit some if not all of these films.

I’m afraid not much else to report this month….there isn’t anymore!

Stay safe everyone and hopefully we will see you all real soon….possibly April 20th.

Laurel & Hardily Yours,

Dave & Denise T

BS  If you have any ideas of a potential venue locally to Sandiacre, Beeston, near to the a52 between Derby/Nottingham, please let me know.

BBS Below is a still from the Sons of the Desert  – The Boys returning from their stormy voyage expecting a stormy confrontation with their wives at……2222 Fairview avenue…(That’s  Twice Twice – Two)