Bulletin 30.04.09.
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Dave Wyatt The UK Laurel and Hardy Convention will be taking place at Ulverston over this weekend and, as we are all having the time of our lives, we will be thinking of Dave Wyatt on his road to recovery. I phoned the hospital this afternoon (30.04.09.) and after enquiring about his progress, the male nurse went away and after some time returned to tell me that by lip-reading (he says he has become an expert) that Dave says "I am doing well and getting there slowly". I asked that he be told that all The Sons of the Desert send their best wishes to him and are thinking of him and was told that this will be conveyed. It does sound as though his progress is good. I know that at Ulverston several Sons want to get together to discuss and arrange appropriate support for Dave. (It looks as though he has lost pretty much everything in the fire). The Sons, being the Sons, I know will come into their own in their collective and thoughtful response. I will update everyone of the outcome of the discussion and ask Webmasters etc to let everyone know. Roger Robinson Tremor in Ulverston An earth tremor struck the north west of England on 28th April. The British Geological Survey confirmed there had been an earthquake of 3.7 magnitude at 1120 BST on Tuesday. It centred on Ulverston in Cumbria and was felt around Barrow, Kendal, Windermere, Fleetwood and the North Lancaster area. Frank McCall, of Grange Over Sands, said: "I felt the house shake. At first I thought a lorry had hit." He added: "I went outside and noticed neighbours were also on their doorsteps looking a bit bewildered. There hasn't been any damage that I can see but it was quite frightening." Police and the fire service said there had been no initial reports of damage or injuries. A spokesman for the British Geological Survey said: "We picked it up on instrumentation. With a magnitude of 3.7 it is relatively small. We get one of this size roughly once every year in the UK and they rarely cause any damage." BBC News To view
Laurel
and Hardy vs Pop
Muzik
click above photo. Alternatively
go to YouTube and punch in "Laurel and
Hardy vs Pop Muzik" This item is
on the new
DVD
from Bowler Dessert. Men in Dressing Gowns  The play Men in Dressing Gowns, which we have mentioned before, is being staged at the Lowry Studio, Salford Quays, on 3rd and 4th July at 8.00pm. Web: http://www.thelowry.com. Tel: 0870 787 5790. Exclusive interview from the Nutty Nut News Network  Our Gang star Dick Jones squeezed in a few minutes to sit down with the Nutty Nut News Network's Mike David and roving reporter Steve Wichrowski at the Williamsburg Film Festival in March. In this interview you hear him talk about a specific scene in the Our Gang short The Pigskin Palooka (1937). He also tells us about going to school with the other Our Gang members at the Roach studio. The timing of this new interview was significant since it occurred during the week when Walt Disney released the 70th Anniversary DVD edition of the 1940 classic Pinocchio, and it was a youthful Dick Jones who provided the voice for the title character. To listen to this interview and the NNNN 2007 interview with Mr Jones visit www.nuttynutnewsnetwork.com. Laughing through 
Charlie Lewis, Laura Tierney and Martin Tierney As appreciation societies go, we should all be taking our hats off to the Sons of the Desert. Actually, doffing a fez in recognition of their commitment to comedy legends Laurel and Hardy would be a more appropriate tribute to this dedicated bunch. Even in the face of depressing recession and economic meltdown they still meet and enjoy a laugh. Falkirk-born Laura Tierney is Vice Sheik of the Blockheads Tent and determined the "show must - and will - go on." Founded, or as they insist, "found(er)ed" in 1984, it meets every month in a rented room in the premises of Edinburgh City Football Club to share their passion for the work of two comedy legends. Laura "volunteered" to accompany her brother to a Sons of the Desert convention nearly 20 years ago and had such a great time the next obvious step for her was to join a tent. With the Blockheads, she and her fellow enthusiastic members of the fan club have travelled to Laurel and Hardy conventions across Europe and the United States and are having far too much fun to let financial concerns dampen their enthusiasm. Over the years Laura and her tent have long given up on counting how often they have seen the same scene and chuckled every time. Excerpt from a large article in The Falkirk Herald (16.04.09.) Father Ted's connection  I recently spoke to Irish writer Graham Linehan, co-creator of popular sitcom Father Ted. Graham received a BAFTA on 26th April for his writing on the Channel 4 sitcom, The IT Crowd. The IT Crowd focuses on the exploits of a three-strong IT support team located in a forgotten basement of a British corporation in London. I asked Graham if the Father Ted series was influenced at all by Laurel and Hardy to which he replied, "Ardal based Dougal on Stan Laurel and, er, me. So yes! I also based a scene in The IT Crowd on one in Sons of the Desert." Ross Owen |
UK
Convention There is an
article on the UK Convention which is
being held this weekend at
http://www.thevisitor.co.uk/entertainment/Laurel-and-Hardy-coming-to.5215707.jp. Dean on the radio The Nutty Nut News Network's Dean McKeown was on Shokus Internet Radio on 30th April, speaking to host Stu Shostak and his special guest Actor/comedian and founding Son of the Desert Chuck McCann. Dean says, "It was fantastic having the opportunity to speak with Chuck (both on air and during the commercial break and briefly after the show). Chuck told me that there are plans afoot to open a new Culver City tent. I managed to plug the forthcoming UK Convention and Chuck asked about the statue, saying how he'd like to come over and see it." If you would like to hear the show it will be repeated tonight to next Tuesday from 7:00 to 9:00pm EDT, and midnight to 2am in the UK on Shokus Internet Radio at http://www.shokusradio.com. 1978 Chicago convention on DVD As a member of the Bacon Grabbers (Chicago) Tent, I was part of the organising committee for the Sons convention in 1978. With my sound 8mm camera in hand, I put together a 45 minute film. Among the highlights are question and answer sessions with Anita Garvin, Lucille Hardy Price and Darla Hood, Anita Garvin's emotional acceptance speech at the banquet after a wonderful standing ovation, Darla Hood introducing Swiss Miss and telling stories about the other Our Gang members and much more. The film starts with the Planning Committee in session. "I'm having trouble locating the gorilla costume." It closes with the final breakfast. I'm making NTSC DVD copies available for the first time and offering them to the Sons for only $15 per copy. Multiple copies ordered together and shipped to one address (within the USA) will get free freight. The original film was to be passed among the tents and then returned to me. Unfortunately, it never made it back. A VHS copy was made for me in 1978. It, too, was lost for a while. Recently I found my VHS copy, which I have transferred to DVD. Due to using available light, and the 1978 technology used in the film-to-VHS transfer, portions of the DVD are dark, though not enough to detract from the fun. If I can ever locate the original 8mm movie, I can make a better transfer.
Charley Chase collection - 40 films for release on DVD in USA Becoming Charley Chase, a four-disc box set of the early works of this luminary, is at last on its way in the USA. A spokesperson for All Day Entertainment says, "Charley Chase fans have had their hearts broken before (Milestone, I'm lookin' at you) and I did not want to be part of the problem. "This summer, VCI Entertainment will be distributing this deluxe set, with the same specs and price as originally advertised. VCI has shown extraordinary support and enthusiasm for silent comedy at a time when the marketplace is not entirely welcoming. "Thanks to their faith, Charley Chase will get his due after all. I am thrilled - and when you see what we've done here, I think you will be too."
Cinevent 41 There is still time to register for Cinevent 41 and enjoy a great weekend of classic screenings, great finds in the dealers' rooms and getting a sneak peek at the fantastic images to be sold during the Hollywood Poster Auction. You can find all the infomation you need about registering and getting rooms at the hotel at www.cinevent.com. The event is from 22nd till 24th May 22 at the Ramada Plaza Hotel and Conference Center in Columbus, Ohio. It is the Midwest's Largest and Oldest Classic Film Festival, with Laurel and Hardy and Charley Chase screenings scheduled. New tent in Hudson Valley Ray Faiola has started a tent in the Hudson Valley. The Them Thar Hills Tent of Ellenville will meet monthly. Grand Sheik Ray says, "We're hoping to have residents of Ulster, Sullivan and Orange counties consider joining the tent. We are confident that there are fans of the Boys in the area, anxious to satisfy their need to enjoy the timeless comedy that originated at Hal Roach studios." The tent meets at the Chelsea Rialto on Briggs Highway in Ellenville, NY. Visit www.cinevent.com http://www.themtharhills.org. |
