Laurel and Hardy and the Sons of the Desert are at the heart of Bowler Dessert magazine and Bowler Dessert Online
Bulletin
25.07.09.
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Michael Jackson Helicopters hovered above the Hall of Liberty building as around 200 family and friends filed into the circular 1,200-seat auditorium. It was unclear last night if Jackson was to be buried at Forest Lawn. If he is he will be in good company. Bette Davis, Sammy Davis Jr, Liberace, Stan Laurel and, most recently, actor David Carradine have all had funerals there. Tom Bryant in The Mirror (08.07.09.) Kilts in the frame
It was a 'reel' labour of love for George Rae when he was asked to frame a pair of kilts worn by his all-time comedy heroes, Laurel and Hardy. George had been asked to frame the kilt, sporran, tartan hose and shoes worn by Stan Laurel in the 1939 movie Bonnie Scotland, and Oliver Hardy's somewhat larger version of the same outfit donned for his appearance at the Glasgow Empire Theatre, in 1947. An un-named movie memorabilia collector had bid several thousand pounds for the items at an auction and approached George - who runs the FrameWorks social enterprise, in Paisley - to make a pair of frames, measuring four foot by five feet four, for the souvenirs. "It was a great privilege and honour for me to be asked to frame these items as I'm a huge fan of Laurel and Hardy as well. I was absolutely amazed when I saw the kilts and sporrans as I've watched Laurel and Hardy in the Bonnie Scotland movie loads of times. I first remember seeing it when I was a wee boy sitting on my father's knee watching the television." Evening Times (18.07.09.), spotted by Willie Gallacher How weird! Is it just me, or have any of you had any Laurel and Hardy related dreams? I've had quite a few over the years. In them I actually met Stan and Ollie occasionally. I ask this because I had a peculiar dream last night about a Sons convention. . . A few of us were there. Not exactly sure where, to be exact, but Willie McIntyre (Bowler Dessert editor) was also there. Willie brought along a mask with his own face on it. He told me he paid thirty quid for it too. The strangest thing was, the mask looked more like him than he did! Weird? Yes, but that was my dream! Gary Winstanley On stage
Flying model Gary Russeth of Harlem, Georgia, is working on a Laurel and Hardy model and is requesting information. He is trying to find a picture that shows the airplane that the Boys end up flying in the movie The Flying Deuces while they are in the Foreign Legion. If anyone can help Gary, please contact him at olliealso@att.net. Gino Dercola The above
conversation in Way Out West
mentions "Mary Christmas". It turns
out that someone is in fact called that in
real life. Dean Carroll found the
following in BBC News (25.02.09.)
and Sunday Times
(01.03.09.): Then there's
Jo King (Assistant Producer of
Gardeners' Question Time on
Radio 4, Justin Case, Barb Dwyer, Terry
Bull, Paige Turner, Mary Christmas,
Doug Hole, Hazel Nutt, Pearl Button,
Barry Cade, Carrie Oakey. .
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The Fiddle
and the Bow Andrew
Shepherd in the premiere of The Fiddle
and the Bow Andrew Shephard
has been invited to perform The Fiddle
and the Bow for the Sailors Beware
Tent in Hyde on 6th August, which he will
be using as part of his funding
initiative. Roger Robinson
has also invited Andrew to perform the
play at the UK Convention next
year. John Burton spoke
to the producer at Andrew's wedding and
there are a few changes afoot for the next
performance, which sound great, says
John. At the tent's
meeting on 13th July, Andrew with his wife
Jayne and their son Oliver Stanley
(above) were presented with a limited
edition Brats Tent silver and
glass plate presented to them as a
wedding present and a "thank you" for the
world premiere performance of the play to
the Brats Tent a few weeks
earlier.
Laurel and Hardy's Comedy Mayhem with Sanjeev Bhaskar At the Colston Hall, Bristol Wednesday 9th September, 8.00pm £16, £12 concessions, £6 under 12s Bristol's Slapstick Silent Comedy Festival celebrates Laurel and Hardy's legacy with a special live gala evening of film and music hosted by writer and comedian Sanjeev Bhaskar. Best known for his work on Goodness Gracious Me and The Kumars at No 42, Sanjeev has selected his favourite Stan and Ollie comedies to delight new audiences, including their Oscar winning classic The Music Box (1932). Other highlights include live musical performances from a capella vocal group The Matinee Idles and a special appearance from Our Gang member and child performer with Stan and Ollie - Jean Darling. All this plus the world premiere of a newly commissioned orchestral score for Double Whoopee (1929) accompanied by the Emerald Ensemble. Tony Baker's 90th birthday
The Saps at Sea Tent keeps in contact with Tony Baker, the train driver at the Romney, Hythe and Dymchurch Railway when Laurel and Hardy visited it in 1947. Tony will be 90 on 5th August. If any tent or individual members would like to send him a birthday card, then I am sure he would be "chuffed". Tony was due to attend the 2002 Sons Convention in Southend, but a bout of shingles prevented him doing so. He wrote a letter in which he said, "I am gutted that I can't be there." He is such a lovely man and remembers with great fondness when Stan and Ollie visited the Railway. What a fun day it was. Tony's home address is 1 Connaught House, Connaught Avenue, Frinton, Essex, CO13 9AA. Roger Robinson Cinema shows Sons of the Desert Around a hundred folk watched Helpmates and Sons of the Desert at the Hippodrome cinema in Bo'ness on 18th July. It was a treat on a big screen not far from where James Finlayson was born. Hardy-Harr
These two people had just gotten married and it was announced in a local paper. When you look at their two last names, hyphenated, it brings a smile to your face. I think Ollie would love this. Gino Dercola |
