Latest News is added to the top of this page as we have it. Do scroll down the page and read past news snippets and direct links to our ever expanding site.
APRIL 19th - The Laurel & Hardy Museum- On the move!
The original Laurel and Hardy museum in Cumbria, which commemorates the world's most famous comedy double acts, is to be expanded. The Laurel and Hardy Museum, in Stan Laurel's home town of Ulverston, has been granted planning permission to move to larger premises. The decision by South Lakeland Council was welcomed by museum manager, Bill Cubin's daughter Marion Grave as "an exciting opportunity". Items of Memorabilia will now be moved to a disused warehouse at Heron Glass, near to Booths supermarket.
Marion said: "We want to create a environment which is easy for the public to enjoy" . Until the decision to relocate was granted the museum had limited space and struggled to cope with visitor numbers. She added: "We will now be able to accommodate coach loads as well as individual visitors"
As you all know Stan Laurel was born in a three-bedroom terrace in the town's Argyle Street which is still there today.
If you plan to visit Ulverston, you will find these two pages helpful: PLACES TO VISIT and ULVERSTON by Kevin Doig.
APRIL 8th - The Laurel & Hardy Encyclopedia by Glenn Mitchell
Great news, Glenn Mitchell's
Laurel & Hardy Encyclopedia is being published on June 27th -Now
revised and updated. Ranging from Academy Awards to Zoos by way of Another
Fine Mess, Hats Off and ties, The Laurel & Hardy Encyclopedia is the
one and only complete reference guide to cinema's greatest comedy partnership.
Now reissued in a more accessible format, the book includes:
* synopses and critiques of all the Laurel & Hardy films * comprehensive biographical information * influences - from Valentino to music hall * details of the duo's solo film careers * stage, radio and television appearances * co-stars, directors and gagmen behind the partnership * stills and promotional artwork
With over 600 entires, The Laurel & Hardy Encyclopedia provides both the opportunity for endless browsing and the chance to discover a new slant on cinema's best-loved comedy duo.
Glenn Mitchell has been a loyal member since the early days of 'HELPMATES UK' . Now he is a renowned author and historian of silent cinema and the early talkies, and a popular comedy scriptwriter for both radio and television.
We are now taking ADVANCE orders via our LAUREL & HARDY BOOK PAGE.
APRIL 5th - LAUREL & HARDY NEWS UPDATE
Peter Mikkelsen has compiled a list of foreign titles for the missing 'Laurel and Hardy' films, these may help everybody with their research in trying to locate them; MISSING FILMS
Well, a week has gone by already since last weekends Memorabilia show at the NEC Birmingham. I would like to say a special to all those who made the effort to come along and enjoy the show. Ace Laurel and Hardy look-a-likes Gary (STAN) Slade and Rob (OLLIE) Graham were there both days entertaining the crowds and were very popular indeed. In fact they have put up a gallery on their site: LOOKALIKES and MAGIC., then click on the videos and photos page.
I have been busy adjusting our sales pages of our site, I do have just a few copies of HARRY HOPPE'S superb 'LIFE & MAGIC' book in stock, in fact if you look on amazon, they want £73 for a second hand soft cover copy, we are offing brand new hardbacks for £24…BUT, I do only have 10 left. Go to our BOOKS PAGE.
Our Laurel and Hardy Magazine Back issues page has also been updated.
I have also added a nice James Finlayson mug to our 'FIN PAGE'.
Since I put the catalogue up exchange rates have changed, the Euro has become stronger, whilst the Dollar is weaker against the pound. So I will be going through our whole site making price adjustments.
How many of you saw a copy of HATS OFF listed on ebay on …yes, APRIL 1st. Even though the date would put most people on high alert it is being investigated by members…just in case…but I doubt it.
Many thanks for all the compliments we have received for our recent issue, the speed of the subscription renewals coming in also reinforces how much you enjoy reading our printed magazine.
MARCH 20th- MARCH LAUREL & HARDY MAGAZINE – MAILED TODAY
Vol.7 Number 8 of our printed 'Laurel and Hardy Magazine' has just been mailed to all subscribers a few days ahead of schedule! Hopefully UK member/subscribers should get theirs around Tues./Weds.(due to the Easter break) , overseas subscribers allow 10 days from now.
“A.J” Marriot and I have brought it out earlier than scheduled, so that we could incorporate news of two time-sensitive events:– The Birmingham NEC Memorabilia Film Fair, and the “Stan & Olliday” at Butlins Skegness. Further details of both events are in the magazine, and also on this website.
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STOP PRESS: I can now confirm that ace Laurel and Hardy look-a-likes Stan (Slade) and Rob (Ollie) Graham will be attending both days at The Birmingham NEC Memorabilia Film Fair.
Among the attractions in the March magazine are:- a look at the current fate of one of the locations for the film The Flying Deuces; a huge feature on ‘Laurel & Hardy in Cartoons’; a review of the Tom McGrath play ‘Laurel and Hardy’; news of some newly-found found footage from Our Relations; a report on the tribute to Ronnie Hazlehurst; our photo features ‘Focus on a Photo” and “Where, What, When?” plus some extremely rare and early shots of Babe Hardy - relaxing at a beach house. All this plus our regular items ‘Fraternally Yours’ and ‘Readers’ Letters.’
So – don’t miss out.
If you haven’t yet renewed your subscriptions
to
The Laurel & Hardy Magazine, you should do so NOW!
oreTo subscribe to 'The Laurel & Hardy
Magazine'l
, For members who wish to renew via
PAYPALlaural
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STAN &
OLLIDAY
BUTLINS SKEGNESS
23-26
May 2008
(Fri-Mon)
LAST CHANCE TO BOOK
We are delighted to announce that, since our last magazine, the bookings and the Convention Room reservation have now been confirmed. For those who still wish to join us, we have extended the deadline to 10 April - if you make payment in FULL by then.
The cost is £140 per adult. The rate for children 2-14 is £50 cheaper @ £90
Single occupancy = £195 (Let me know if you want to share with another single person) Price includes: Evening Meals - Fri, Sat, Sun; and Breakfast - Sat, Sun, Mon.
As well as all the fabulous Butlins entertainment, we will have our own Convention Room to use as a meeting place; for Films Shows, Presentations and a Sales Stall, plus we will be doing a "Locations Tour" to retrace Stan and Babe's steps.
Full
details are on A.J’s websites. Please note that A.J has recently purchased
some web domain names, so, please use these NEW URL links. All three are
well worth a visit. And to those who have their own websites, A.J has requested
that you exchange links.
LAUREL and HARDY the BRITISH
TOURS |
CHARLIE CHAPLIN in MUSIC
HALL |
BUTLINS REDCOATS |
MARCH 5th- LAUREL AND HARDY PLAY by Tom McGrath Review.
As many of you know if you read our LATEST NEWS page, this play is now touring the South East of England. I had heard from member Nick Rich how good it was, in fact I have seen it twice over the years. Loyal member Adrian Scott enjoyed it so much that he sent in this review, as it was too late to go in our next magazine (which is at the printers right now), we have turned it into a web page for you all to read: LAUREL AND HARDY PLAY by Tom McGrath
FEBRUARY 25th- OFFICIAL 2009 CALENDAR / MARCH MEMORABILIA SHOW / MAGAZINE
I am pleased to be able to exclusively reveal next years 2009 Laurel & Hardy Calendar cover, plus to avoid disappointment we are taking ADVANCE ORDERS now. 2009 CALENDAR
GOOD NEWS. I am pleased to confirm that we will definitely be attending the BIG NEC MEMORABILIA SHOW at the NEC BIRMINGHAM on Saturday March 29th and Sunday March 30th. This is a show not to be missed, it was great fun at the November show, especially when Ace Laurel and Hardy look-a-likes Stan (Slade) and Rob(Ollie) Graham turned up, they were a BIG hit. They also hope to attend this March show. You can get plenty of bargains, for instance, I am collecting the Gerry Anderson diecasts, these sell at around £39 in the shops and I got them from £15 to £20 at the last show. So its worth coming not just for our 'Laurel and Hardy' sales stall..but for everything else as well. See what you missed last time: SHOW GALLERY.
We have already started send material to our printers for the NEXT issue of our printed 'Laurel and Hardy Magazine' (VOL 7 No. 8) . It still amazes us that we find even more rare photographs, but in this issue we guarantee we will have rare photographs that you have not seen before!!
FEBRUARY 19th- A TRIBUTE TO RONNIE HAZLEHURST
Last week Del Kempster, Chris Coffey and myself were invited to the BBC for a tribute to our honorary member Ronnie Hazlehurst. Del Kempster has written a full report about the show along with his own fitting tribute to Ronnie .
GO HERE: RONNIE HAZLEHURST TRIBUTE
FEBRUARY 16th- Laurel and Hardy A CHUMP AT OXFORD BUSTS
Talented
sculptor Neil Sims has produced another fine set of busts, this time depicting
the 'Boys' in their CHUMP AT OXFORD garb. I am sure this will be as popular
as his other sets, so do order early if you would like to be one of the first
to own these.
RECENT UPDATE
I have been busy adjusting odd pages on our site, plus I have deleted some of the sales items and replaced them with new collectibles.
I am pleased to say that we can now offer some very nice watches from the 'Laurel & Hardy Museum' in Germany.
GO DIRECT TO THE PAGE: Laurel & Hardy Watches
FEBRUARY 8th- Laurel and Hardy WHATS ON / FAKE AUTOGRAPHS / OLLIDAY
LAUREL AND HARDY PLAY by Tom McGrath is touring the SOUTH EAST of England.
Tom McGrath’s acclaimed play Laurel and Hardy captures the very essence of their unique relationship: although we all recognise their film personas - the assured and pompous Ollie with his hapless sidekick, Stan - paradoxically their roles were often reversed in real life.
In McGrath's play, Stan and Ollie - stuck in a limbo-like waiting room between this life and the next - must revisit the story of their lives before they can move on. As they retrace their steps through the high points and pitfalls of their long careers, they bicker and make up, swap gags, adopt different roles and occasionally break into a popular comic routine or two.
For the full list of venues all over Kent and Sussex go here:
http://www.chalkfoot.org.uk/laurelandhardy.html
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AUTOGRAPH FAKERS....LOOKOUT
This news item is in all major newspapers today:
Businessmen 'forged' sports memorabilia
Two businessmen "systematically" forged the autographs of such leading sports personalities as David Beckham, Steven Gerrard and Sir Alex Ferguson, a court has heard.
Michael Owen, the England striker, and Jonny Wilkinson, the rugby fly half, are also alleged to have had their signatures forged. All the forgeries are said to have been used to help offload a complete catalogue of counterfeit goods that were sold around the country.
The items included photographs and "poorly made" replicas of England international caps.
Graeme Walker, 45, is now on trial at Chester Crown Court, accused of more than 50 counts of cheating customers of his shop, Sporting Icons Ltd.
The jurors were told that Sporting Icons did not just sell sporting memorabilia. They were shown photographs of the shop and print-outs from its website depicting framed autographs and pictures of Laurel and Hardy, Rock Hudson, Sylvester Stallone and Muhammad Ali.
Other stars featured included The Beatles, Queen and Nat King Cole.
Mr Thomas said the bulk of the fraud took place in 2005 when Wilkinson helped England win the Rugby World Cup with a celebrated drop-kick and Liverpool FC achieved their historic fifth Champions' League victory.
"The defendants were involved in selling effectively worthless items to the public"
FOR THE FULL STORY: Telegraph.co.uk and THE SUN
As you probably know FAKE 'Laurel and Hardy' Autographs are rife on the Internet auction sites, so we were pleased to read this news.
For a full guide on collecting 'Laurel & Hardy Autographs' GO HERE: BUYER BEWARE
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JANUARY 28th- Laurel and Hardy Watches / SONS BUSTS
I am pleased to say that we can now offer some very nice watches from the 'Laurel & Hardy Museum' in Germany.
GO DIRECT TO THE PAGE: Laurel & Hardy Watches
I have revamped the Sons of the Desert Busts page by Neil Sims with new images: SONS BUSTS
JANUARY 21st- Antiques Road Show from ULVERSTON/ NEW MUGS
We
now offer NINE different designs of Laurel and Hardy mugs produced by
'Printing in Kent'. These are quality PHOTO
MUGS , the image actually fuses into the glossy glaze by sublimation heat
process, and is therefore smooth, permanent, un-scratchable, and safe in
dishwashers .
GO HERE : NEW MUG PAGE
Member Trevor Dorman has just emailed in this information.
"Just to let you know that on Sunday Feb 11th the BBC 1 Antiques Road Show will be from the Coronation Hall in Ulverston. The Magazine 'BBC Homes & Antiques' Feb 2007 had a feature on the location which was filmed last October and they did mention that it was the birthplace of Stan Laurel. They also showed a photo of a Laurel & Hardy salt and pepper set which a local woman had in her family since the 1930's and it was valued at approx £60 - £100. Expect lots of L&H references to crop up in the programme which is usually on around 7 pm on Sunday evenings. Check TV Guide for exact time."
JANUARY 17th - NEW T SHIRT PAGE ADDED
We have often been asked for BLACK and COLOUR materialT shirts, so I am pleased to offer a selection from 'Printing in Kent': NEW T SHIRT PAGE
JANUARY 14th - UNIVERSAL / PHOTO PAGES/STAN & OLLIDAY
Firstly, many thanks for all the emails and messages congratulating us for our Festive Special issue, both 'AJ' and I are very pleased that you enjoyed it.
This year is exciting on the book front as three 'Laurel and Hardy' titles will all get a makeover and will be republished. The first is Mark Potts, 'What Was The Film When'; this will be followed around June with Glenn Mitchell's,'Laurel & Hardy Encyclopaedia'. And finally later in the year a revamped Kilgore, Bann and McCabe 'Laurel and Hardy', of course we will be adding the books to our online store as they become available.
I have just added two more photograph pages to our online store and have been revising pages as I go along. Just follow these links for our new and revised pages:
GLOSSY PHOTO PAGE FOUR LAUREL & HARDY LOBBY CARDS RARE & PRESS SET
And do not forget there will be plenty of events to look forward to. At the moment it looks like we will be doing Collectormania in Coventry on March 1st and 2nd. We will confirm that nearer the date. Then there is AJ Marriot's Stan & Olliday event at the end of May. If you are thinking of going, then now is the time to book, as you would not want to miss out.
Now that Universal has renewed their contract for 'Laurel and Hardy' on DVD you can expect more releases later this year. It's all hush, hush at the moment and nothing has really been decided. However, their Laurel and Hardy 21 DVD BOX SETS are now in plentiful supply in all major stores, some at bargain prices. I should point out that these 21 DVD Sets are slightly different from the original release. The silver foil lettering in each sleeve has been replaced with black ink, the slipcases are black and not white and they do not have the information booklets written by Glenn Mitchell inside each DVD. However, they are still a bargain, grab them while you can.
DECEMBER 18th - CHRISTMAS MAGAZINE – MAILED TODAY
Our
FESTIVE SPECIAL A4 colour Laurel &
Hardy Magazine has now been mailed to all paid up member
/ subscribers. UK subscribers should get their issue within the next few
days, overseas members should allow 14 days from this point.
Among the attractions are: a look back at the 1947 Royal Variety Performance - with archive photos we guarantee you won't have seen; two rare photos from Laurel & Hardy’s 1952 visit to Sheffield; details of what may be previously unknown footage of Babe Hardy at the racetrack; Stan Laurel's Single Thoughts on .... MARCEL MARCEAU; a stunning photo of the Laurel and the Hardys from 1954 - IN FULL COLOUR; and much, much more. This issue will be yet another that will join the ranks of our “Collectors’ Editions.” So – don’t miss out. For those of you who haven't yet renewed your subs, you still have time to do so by using Paypal.
If you haven’t yet renewed your subscriptions
to
The Laurel & Hardy Magazine, you should do so NOW!
oreTo subscribe to 'The Laurel & Hardy
Magazine'l
, For members who wish to renew via
PAYPALlaural
STAN & OLIDAY MAY 2008
In 1947 Laurel & Hardy visited BUTLINS SKEGNESS
and that's where we're all going on:
23-26 May 2008 (Fri-Mon), for a
CLICK HERE: STAN & OLLIDAY
For details of how you can book for this fun-filled Laurel & Hardy event, click on the link above.
o-o-o-0-o-o-o
DECEMBER 6th - ROGUE SONG FOOTAGE ON DVD- MEMORABILIA
Member Trevor Dorman has made an interesting discovery, the USA DVD of The Jazz Singer has inadvertently been released with The Rogue Song ballet scene in disc 2 under 'The Gold Diggers of Broadway' - (Finale). Trevor has been in contact with Ron Hutchinson who confirmed the error, replacement discs are being offered but I suspect that few Sons will want them! (you will be missing the finale of 'The Gold Diggers Of Broadway')
The US version has THREE discs while the UK version may only have TWO. Warner Bros may correct the error in due course, in which case it may be better to buy this now by following this link;
Trevor thoroughly recommends this DVD as the documentary on the development of sound movies plus a 1926 short featuring Al Jolson in 'A Plantation Act' singing! is worth the price alone. There are also scenes from 'The Hollywood Revue Of 1929 in the documentary in B&W and Technicolor.
The HUGE MEMORABILIA SHOW AT the NEC BIRMINGHAM was great fun, plus it was nice to meet up with all of you who came along. We are not sure what show we are doing next as we have a choice, either the NEW Collectormania Show in Coventry at the start of March or Memorabilia at the NEC Birmingham at the end of March, so watch our site for updates. In the meantime I have put together a Gallery of photos from the November show. MEMORABILIA
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I have just updated one of our sales pages to include some nice CHRISTMAS and BIRTHDAY CARDS. I have also done a deal with artist Keith Turley to be able to offer his SUPERB 'Laurel and Hardy Poster Print' for just £14.99 POST PAID (Normally £22.50)GO HERE: UPDATED SALES PAGE
A reliable source has informed me that Universal have signed again with Beta to be able to re-release the 'Laurel and Hardy' titles on DVD next year.
NEWS of a re-published very popular 'Laurel and Hardy' book will be in announced in our Christmas Special 'Laurel and Hardy Magazine'
NOVEMBER 8th - YOURS MAGAZINE- PHOTO HELP
Just
to let you all know that YOURS MAGAZINE has just been published this week;
it has a full-page article on Laurel and Hardy by our honorary member Roy
Hudd. Roy has been a member of HELPMATES for many years, so I was pleased
when he told me he was going to do a page on 'Laurel and Hardy'.
During our recent HELPMATES Convention I was so busy making sure the event ran smoothly that I did not get a chance to take many photos. If you took some photos of our look-a-likes,etc. Could you email as I am looking for a couple more images for our Christmas Special magazine.
The WINTER Memorabilia Show sounds like it is going to be the biggest yet. This is one not to miss, especially if you want any usual Christmas gifts. You can get plenty of bargains, for instance I am collecting the Gerry Anderson diecasts, these sell at around £39 in the shops and I got them from £15 to £20 at the last show. So its worth coming not just for our 'Laurel and Hardy' sales stall..but for everything else as well.
24th & 25th November Memorabilia 2007 The NEC Birmingham
NOVEMBER 1st- POST CONVENTION NEWS
A big “THANK YOU” to all those who supported our ‘Helpmates Laurel and Hardy Convention’ last weekend. Judging by the feedback, you all had a great time. The two Projection Rooms, with their Laurel & Hardy films and special Presentations, proved to be a big draw, and kept everyone within the confines of the Convention Rooms. Another attraction was, not one but, TWO pairs of ‘Laurel and Hardy look-alikes, who kept the Conventioneers thoroughly entertained during the day – Bud & Steve in the guise of the Boys from Way Out West, plus a short self-penned sketch; and Stan and Rob, who added another dimension to the entertainment with their outstanding close-up magic. It had to be seen to be believed! See the video clip below for a sample of what you missed.
We had two films running continuously throughout the day, this would not have been possible without Richard Ellis and all his equipment. Its dedicated members like Richard and his father who have helped make these events run smoothly.
We shan’t be hosting a Helpmates Convention at the Holiday Inn Chatham in 2008, BUT, we are delighted to be giving our full support to “A.J” Marriot’s 3-day May Bank Holiday 2008 event, being held at a major holiday centre 23-26 May (Fri-Mon). It will be a three day holiday, with a little bit of Laurel & Hardy thrown in for good measure. A.J. has titled it a “STAN & OLLIDAY.” I’ve seen the programme for this and, believe me, it’s going to be something you won’t want to miss out on.WATCH THIS SPACE.
MORE MAGIC FROM LAST WEEKEND
These video's were filmed by movie cameraman Ray Andrew, author of the 'On The Trail Of Charlie Hall' book.
SANTA BUSTS
You can order Stan and Ollie in Santa outfits NOW, as Neil will be producing them alongside his other busts in the range. They will make a nice decoration for Christmas and certainly will be nice for your collection. BUT ORDER EARLY for pre-Christmas delivery.
GO HERE: LAUREL & HARDY SANTA BUSTS (Limited Edition)
OCTOBER 2ND- RONNIE HAZLEHURST (1928-2007)
We are saddened to hear the news that our Honorary Helpmates Member Ronnie Hazlehurst passed away last week, in a Guernsey hospital, after suffering a stroke.
Ronnie wrote many famous theme tunes for television shows such as Only Fools and Horses, and Last of the Summer Wine, among others. He was a former Musical Director at the BBC and, as such, was closely involved with the Eurovision Song Contest and actually conducted the UK entry on no less than seven occasions.
He also had a great love for not only the films of Laurel & Hardy, but also the musical compositions of Marvin Hatley and Leroy Shields, which compliment them so brilliantly. I always recall watching BBC's The Generation Game and hearing familiar Laurel and Hardy music being played in the background during the games by Ronnie and his Orchestra.
One day Tony Hawes, another Helpmates member, took the late- Peter Elkins and me behind the scenes of ITV's Looks Familiar show, and introduced us to Ronnie, which is how he also came to be a member.
With encouragement from myself and other Sons Ronnie researched into the music of the Laurel and Hardy films and then produced his first album - Laurel and Hardy's Music Box Vol. 1. He used his best BBC musicians and did a wonderful job; something I witnessed first-hand as I was fortunate enough to be invited to sit in on the actual recording. We then launched the album at our Helpmates' Convention in 1979, at Leeds Castle.
Ronnie then joined us for the Hollywood 80 trip, where he actually met the man himself - Marvin T Hatley. Marvin was moved to tears when Ronnie played him the album. This led to a second "Music Box" album which was later released on CD along with Vol.1. Ronnie performed live at another one of our Leeds Castle events, with his whole Orchestra, which made it a great night for all present. Conventioneers in the USA also had the pleasure of seeing and hearing Ronnie, when he played 'live' at the Las Vegas 92 Convention.
I have been to many events with Ronnie in the past, so I was very sad indeed to hear this news. However, Ronnie's memory will live on through his music, and be enjoyed by Sons everywhere - which is something that pleased him more than anything.
GO HERE FOR BBC NEWS VIDEO:
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These two photographs of Ronnie were taken during the recording of 'Laurel and Hardy's Music Box' Vol. 1.
SEPTEMBER 28th- MAGAZINE MAILED TODAY
Vol.7 Number 7 of our printed 'Laurel and Hardy Magazine' has just been mailed to all subscribers a few days ahead of schedule! Hopefully UK member/subscribers should get theirs around Tues./Weds. , overseas subscribers allow 10 days from now.
Again, the Laurel & Hardy Magazine is in FULL-COLOUR and, to cater for the huge amount of material, we have had to make it EIGHT PAGES longer than our quota.
SO - DON’T MISS OUT!
If you haven’t yet renewed your subscriptions
to
The Laurel & Hardy Magazine, you should do so NOW!
oreTo subscribe to 'The Laurel & Hardy
Magazine'l
, For members who wish to renew via
PAYPALlaural
SEPTEMBER 21st- NEW PAGE ADDED
Trevor Dorman has written a follow up to his research on the lost films of Laurel and Hardy, you can also play film clips from this new addition to our ever expanding web site: A Guide to the Lost Films of Laurel and Hardy - Update
SET TO END
I expect by now that most of you own the Universal 21 DVD box set, well it appears that this has been deleted as it is no longer available on the Internet. I can now confirm from a reliable source that their licence for the Laurel and Hardy has lapsed, so they will not be releasing any more. Those stores like HMV that have stock have put them out at their correct price of £200.
But not only are the sets hard to find, but even the odd single DVD. For instance DVD number 16 (Maritime Adventures) has totally vanished and is exchanging hands on Internet auction sites for up to ($120) £60! You can still get a set and the odd single DVD's (but not number 16) via amazon and their marketplace sellers. You can get to these via our 21 DVD page that will be revised soon to reflect this recent news. 21 DVD PAGE
WEB SITE NEXT MAGAZINE
I have been busy adjusting our sales catalogues deleting a few versions of the 'Laurel and Hardy Busts' by Neil Sims. So if you are after any of these, now is the time to buy them, as when Neil releases a new set....an earlier set will be deleted.
Our next magazine is now at the printers, and will be sent out at the end of September. Once again I’m sure you will be astounded at the amount of material that A.J. Marriot and I have unearthed since the last one. Articles include: a review of a Disney DVD featuring cartoons containing Laurel & Hardy; a report on the 60th Anniversary Celebrations at the Romney Hythe and Dymchurch Railway, back in June; and some very interesting Letters from our Readers.
Our regular feature “Focus on a Photo” is a rare shot of Stan in a pub with his sister – but it’s not her pub. And in the series “Stan’s Single Thoughts” Stan gives his thoughts on "Laurel & Hardy sketches on TV." Our star piece is a previously undocumented account of Laurel & Hardy’s 1950 Visit to Rome. Plus, of course, many Rare Photos from our Archives.
Again, the Laurel & Hardy Magazine is in FULL-COLOUR and, to cater for the huge amount of material, we have had to make it EIGHT PAGES longer than our quota.
ON TO THE SHOW CD
Piet Schreuders from Amsterdam contacted us to
tell us about this superb CD release:
"Your site states that you sell all available Beau Hunks albums. This is not quite true as one essential album ("On to the Show!") is missing -- and it is possibly the Beau Hunks' best album of all. It first came out in 1995 on the KOCH International label but is now being re-released, ten years later, by BASTA".
Well, we soon rectified that, as we now have copies of the new re-released version in stock. This CD contains 50 tracks from Laurel and Hardy and OUR GANG and other Roach comedies. We have copies of the new re-released version in stock. MUSIC SALES PAGE
GLASGOW SHOW
The Collectormania Show, at Glasgow (Braehead Arena, 25-26 August) went very well indeed with over 7,500 collectors there to browse the stalls; listen to talks; and do some autograph hunting.
It was nice to see some of our younger generation of 'Sons' turn up. Some members travelled long distances to join us, while lucky Son Jim McMenamin was only 10 mins. from the venue.
We enjoyed the friendly atmosphere of the event and having a chance to chat to members that we do not see very often. A special "Thank You" to all of our members who supported us. Our next show is the Memorabilia Show at the NEC on the 24th & 25th November. That show is HUGE, so we hope you can join us.
AUGUST 13th- SONS OF THE DESERT CONVENTIONS BOOK / COLLECTORMANIA
I have just received a copy of the book, 'SONS OF THE DESERT- THE CONVENTIONS' by Savannah Furman. I must say that I am very impressed, I was expecting a small thin book, but this is a large format thick quality book . Well, what's it all about ? It covers the International Conventions with photographs and stories and its a fun read, it includes everything, the celebrities, events, locations, personal stories and even the things that went wrong. In fact, every 'Son' should buy a copy as it is a job well done. Just go to this special page to order a copy: SONS OF THE DESERT- THE CONVENTIONS
I will have some copies on our sales stall at the GLASGOW COLLECTORMANIA show which is coming up soon on SATURDAY 25TH AND SUNDAY 26TH AUGUST 2007 . I am looking forward to meeting members from North of the Border :-) But I do know of some members making special trips to the event from other parts of the UK. So why not come along??
Our NEW set of 72 black and white trading cards is called the ‘Press and Rare Photos Collection' ( the proofs look great) are being printed this week and are on schedule to be launched at the Collectormania Show. All pre-orders will be mailed as soon as I return from the Glasgow event.
Finally, bookings are coming in at a steady pace for our October Convention, we have updated our Convention page with more news of what to look forward to. I suggest that you book early for this one:
OCTOBER 27th The HELPMATES Laurel and Hardy Convention-Chatham, Kent.
JULY 25 th -Calendars NOW OUT - NEW CD- NEW CARD SET
Next years 2008 'Laurel and Hardy Calendar' has arrived in stock ahead of schedule, in fact I have been busy mailing them out to all those who pre ordered. If you have not ordered yours yet, then just click the image below.
Our NEW set of 72 black and white trading cards is called the ‘Press and Rare Photos Collection', as the set features many rare Laurel and Hardy images from around the world. Not only will this set look very nice, it will also provide you with some images you have not seen before. We now have a web page up for these, just click on the centre image.
REMEMBER WHEN…WEEK ENDING 20th DECEMBER 1975, Laurel and Hardy were number two in the UK pop charts with 'On the Trail of the Lonesome Pine'. The 'Boys' were very popular at the time with BBC 2 TV screening their shorts every day. So to capitalise on their popularity, United Artists were quick to release two 12" Vinyl LP compilation records. Of course these were very popular indeed as they were skillfully mixed dialogue and music sequences . They were a delight to listen to. The original Vinyl's are long gone but are still sought after collectors items.
Well, the good news is that you can now enjoy those LPs again on a digitally Remastered CD
Just go to our MUSIC CD PAGE or click on the CD cover below.
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JULY 17th- Railway Day Souvenir Web Page / Laurel and Hardy Play
Sunday July 8th saw members of the 'Sons of the Desert' descend on the Romney Hythe and Dymchurch Railway in Kent. It was a FANTASTIC day out, I know we enjoyed it along with everybody who turned up. To commemorate this event we have put up a special web page with a full gallery and even video, so if you were there or could not make it, then take a look at this page:
The Romney Hythe & Dymchurch Railway -Laurel and Hardy Special Day
To celebrate this event 'AJ' Marriot has produced a superb souvenir pack with EIGHT 10 X 8" glossy photographs of Laurel and Hardy's visit in 1947. It also includes a reproduction of a newspaper article. Even if you were not lucky enough to be with us, this makes a fantastic collectable in itself. GO HERE: RHDR SOUVENIR PACK.
The New Vic Theatre presents
Laurel and Hardy- By Tom McGrath
Fri 27 July – Sat 11 August
In a side-splitting New Vic production, Stan and Ollie are re-born for the stage in Tom McGrath’s affectionate, fascinating and very, very funny play. Brilliantly re-creating some of their greatest ever routines with amazing precision, the theatre in the round looks set for a season of slapstick heaven with the finest comedy double-act in history.
TV’s own Ollie, Mike Goodenough, will be returning to the stage as Hardy following his success in the popular BBC 4 drama Stan. Seeing off fierce competition from the cream of the entertainment industry to star in the TV special, Mike’s appearance at the New Vic will be a showbiz first.
Joining Mike is acclaimed comedy actor Stephen Harper as Laurel. A clowning buff and master of physical theatre – not to mention a talented National Theatre actor – Stephen’s latest role demands all his expertise, as he and Mike bring the comedy legends to life. Making his debut at the New Vic theatre, director Paul Warwick leads the creative team.
New Vic Theatre, Etruria Road, Newcastle-under-Lyme, Staffordshire, ST5 0JG
Tickets for Laurel and Hardy, which cost £7.50 – £16.50, can be booked by calling the New Vic’s Box Office on 01782 717962, or online at www.newvictheatre.org.uk
June 28th- HAPPY HARRY INGLE- UPDATED
Del Kempster has just passed on this sad news:
It is with great sadness that I have to tell you that our good friend Happy Harry passed away on June 22nd. His son, Alan, telephoned me with the sad news.
Harry's funeral will take place on Monday
2nd July at 3 p.m. at Ulverston Parish Church. He will then be laid to rest
in Ulverston Cemetery.
For Harry's funeral on Monday, flowers can be sent to Little & Caine, Funeral Directors, Eden House, Neville St, Ulverston, Cumbria LA12 0BJ Phone: 01229 586970
If you use the local florist, it will save money because they will not charge delivery. I used:
Dodds Florist, 2-4 Brogden Street, Ulverston Cumbria, LA12 7AH email: doddsflorist@aol.com. Phone: 01229 588000
His son Alan wants to have a headstone on Harry’s grave and you are invited to contribute to that instead of sending flowers if you wish.
Send to Alan Ingle, 6 Princewood Drive, Barrow-in-Furness, Cumbria LA13 0RX. Phone 01229 838868
June 23rd
LAUREL & HARDY MAGAZINE MAILED TODAY - FILM EVENING LANARK
Vol. 7. number 6 of our 'Laurel and Hardy Magazine' has just been mailed to all subscribers two weeks ahead of schedule! Hopefully UK member/subscribers should get theirs around Tues./Weds. , overseas subscribers allow 10 days from now. We moved this issue forward so that we could advertise Roger Robinson's 100th meeting celebrations in July ( see above RHDR Railway link).
Ross Owen has just informed us about a special evening of 'Laurel and Hardy ' films to be held in the last original art deco single screen cinema in Scotland, the THE REGAL CINEMA, Bannatyne street, Lanark, Scotland, ML11 7JS on Sunday August 5th: MORE DETAILS
June 6th
Go here to find out about a NEW MUSEUM IN HARLEM by Gino Dercola
MAY 12th - USA DVDS +LITTLE RASCALS IN COLOR BOX SET
I have just updated our USA DVD page to make it easier to order via our partnership with amazon.com. I have noticed you can now get the FURTHER PERILS OF LAUREL & HARDY in the USA. GO TO OUR: USA DVD PAGE
| You may recall that LEGEND FILMS did a superb job with the restoration
and colorisation of
'March
of the Wooden Soldiers', following their success with their THREE
STOOGES range, LEGEND have now turned their attention to the
'LITTLE RASCALS'. These are of
course of interest to 'Laurel and Hardy' buffs as many of the films share
the same stock company players and indeed even the music, plus they are very
entertaining. One of my personal highlights was meeting Spanky McFarland
at a USA Convention. Another our gang favourite Dorothy DeBorba has attended
our HELPMATES events in the past.
Watching these fifteen shorts in restored colour adds another dimension, but for purists you also get the original Black and White versions. However, it the whole host of extras that add even more to this set including, THE STOLEN JOOLS (with Laurel and Hardy), Spankys home movies, trailers and much, much more. |
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Best of Our Gang - Spanky, Buckwheat, Porky at their hilarious best in their adventures with haunted houses, homemade fire engines, and the "Wild Man of Borneo". Best of Spanky - Spanky and his friends discover magic lamp, play mud football, and put on a musical dressed as girls! Superstars of Our Gang - The Little Rascals scare off their teacher's suitor, take a crazy cab ride and strike an unusual deal with a toy store owner - until Pete the dog destroys his shop!
NEIL SIMS BUSTS- LAST ORDERS ON SOME SETS!!
OH DEAR...some sad news for all of us who collect the superb 'Laurel and Hardy' busts by Neil Sims. Due the rising costs of the marble resin and materials, it is no longer viable for Neil to make and offer the full range. To be honest, they should really cost a whole lot more than what we offer them for as each set is made and painstakingly painted by Neil.
BUT GOOD NEWS....So that he can keep producing a new set every six months, each set will be limited to just 200 units. The price for existing and new sets will be raised slightly to cover time and costs producing them. After July 30th these sets will be permantely deleted: THE CHUMP AT OXFORD FIGURES,THE ORIGINAL SET OF BUSTS, TWICE TWO SET and all 54mm figure sets. If you want any of these, then I suggest you get your orders in.
But to be fair for all those loyal collectors who have purchased any in the past, Neil is giving us until JULY 30th to place your last orders. Member James Prideaux asked us to put some of our new JUMBO FRIDGE magnets on our online store, so I have.
Go here for : FULL CATALOGUE ORIGINAL VERSION
OR NEW DROP DOWN MENU : CATALOGUE
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SALES PAGES ADJUSTED
I have just been adjusting our sales pages adding TWO NEW sets of COLOUR POSTCARDS, our new DOUBLE DERBY PIN and finally the NEW LAUGHTOONS CD. Just follow those links or go direct to the main CATALOGUE as all the pages are now there along with the new BLOCKHEADS BUSTS.
MARCH 24th- MAGAZINE MAILED
The latest issue (Vol.7. No.5) of the 'Laurel and Hardy Magazine' was mailed this morning to all destinations. Hopefully UK members should get yours around Tues/Weds, overseas subscribers allow 10 days from now.
MARCH 22nd- JOAN ROBERTSON
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I am very sad to report that Joan Robertson passed away at 9am this morning. Joan was a loyal member for over 30 years and I will certainly miss her, especially our long chats on the phone. Joan's health went downhill this year as she had major heart problems. She did put up a good fight and was quite chatty when I last saw her in hospital, but sadly she took a turn for the worse. As we literally only just heard this sad news we will pay a full tribute to Joan in our June magazine. If any of you would like to share your memories or want to send us any photographs, then please do so. Joan did a tremendous amount of work for us in the past, in collecting in subscriptions and sending out renewals, plus the many raffles she ran. It will not be the same without her and I am sure you will all join me in send our sincere condolences to Joan's family.
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From The Times March 22, 2007
Blaze guts Stan Laurel’s school
BISHOP AUCKLAND Arson is suspected in a blaze that has all but destroyed the school attended from 1903 by Stan Laurel, the comedian.
The roof and spire of the Laurel Building, at Bishop Auckland Grammar School, Co Durham, collapsed and most of the upper floor and a quarter of the ground floor were destroyed.
The Grade II listed building, unused since 2000, may now be demolished. Youths were said to have been seen in the building before the fire.
NEW BLOCKHEADS SET - TRAILER FOUND - LOCATIONS
I
have just passed the proofs for our next issue of 'The Laurel and Hardy
Magazine', so if all goes well it will be printed Thursday, bound Friday
and back to me for envelope stuffing over the weekend. I hope to mail them
on Monday!
Neil Sims has just sent me the first picture of his new 'BLOCKHEADS BUSTS', I must say that they look great! We will be launching them at the next MEMORABILIA SHOW coming soon on 31st March & 1st April NEC Birmingham: Details: MEMORABILIA So we do hope to see as many of you there as possible, its a GREAT DAY OUT. However, you can be FIRST to pre-order your set of these busts now by going direct to our BLOCKHEADS PAGE.
BEAU HUNKS TRAILER
Good news for film collectors from Film Archivist Stan Taffel ,Grand Sheik of the Hollywood Party Tent of California.
Yesterday, I received news that another Laurel and Hardy trailer was discovered.
What makes this discovery doubly exciting is that it is from a film that previously wasn't available in trailer form AND it's from a short subject! It is the ONLY trailer from any Hal Roach short that has been found.
The trailer is from Beau Hunks (1931) and runs 54 seconds. It isn't in perfect shape; some splices and lines but it is complete AND it's from 35mm. This is a great addition to the film world of the boys. Trailers are hard to find from films of the early 30's and until now, impossible to find for short subjects. Now it can be documented.
And the search continues.............Here are a couple of frame grabs below.
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FROM WOLFGANG IN GERMANY
Hi Friends, we hope that we meet a lot of you next year in Amsterdam. If you are planning to visit us, see the museum and travel around you now have a helper. A couple of weeks ago a book was published called the Wupper Valley. It is written in English by Roy Kift, a British journalist and covers all the attractions in the Bergisch Land area. Of course, the Laurel & Hardy Museum is featured too. You can get it by Amazon or other book stores, the ISBN No. is: 3-89861-520-0.
Pom-Pom Wolfgang
FEBRUARY 6th- MEMBERS AREA UPDATE- MEMORABILIA
I have just added a BABES IN TOYLAND gallery, TV Commercial to watch and a new sales page that can only be accessed from our members area : MEMBERS ENTRY
James Finlayson is very popular with members, so much so that we have put all the 'Fin' items we offer on the same sales page...We have just added a FIN...DOHHH T Shirt. NEW FIN PAGE
Many of you know A J Marriot as the author 'CHAPLIN STAGE BY STAGE' and 'LAUREL & HARDY THE BRITISH TOURS', but you probably did not know that 'AJ' was a BUTLIN'S REDCOAT. Now 'AJ' has made a new web site that tells you what it was like to be a redcoat during the 70's...I found it interesting, so why not take a look: I WAS A BUTLINS REDCOAT
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ON THE TRAIL OF CHARLIE HALL
Several years ago loyal member Ray Andrew researched and produced a book about Laurel and Hardy's nemesis Charlie Hall. He unearthed many unseen and rare photographs. The book was very popular and sold out years ago. Since then second hand copies have occasionally surfaced on Internet auctions for as high as £56. Well, knowing there will be a demand Ray has produced a limited run of 1000 copies in soft cover costing £12.50 (or $30) post paid.
Ray is pleased to say that his PAYPAL shopping cart on his site is now fully operational , so you can now buy this book online.
NOVEMBER 20th- UPDATE
I have just received my copy of the NEW colorised 'March of the Wooden Soldiers', it is SUPERB and well worth adding to your collection. Just click this link to see the trailer: March of the Wooden Soldiers Trailer . Just go here to order a copy :REGION ONE/ZERO ORDER PAGE
Our BIG A4 size CHRISTMAS SPECIAL 'Laurel and Hardy Magazine' has now been delivered to the printers, we hope to mail this out on schedule around Dec. 18th so you get it just in front of Christmas.
October 8th - MORE AUTOGRAPH TIPS
Our expert ,Dave Tomlinson has provided us with some very interesting information regarding buying autographs online:
Recently, we have seen a number of fake, or at best dubious, Laurel & Hardy autographs on Ebay that are claimed to be verified as genuine by external third-party authenticators. On further investigation it was found that some of the authenticators did not exist or were known to be disreputable. We also found some sellers were using COA's (Certificates of Authenticity) from companies that were under FBI investigation and prohibited under Ebay.com rules! We have also seen dubious material being sold by known dodgy sellers that have been surprisingly authenticated by so-called reputable companies. Also, sadly, at the moment the autograph press is full of stories on corruption between dealers and authenticators.
It should be remembered that, at best, even the most reputable authenticator can only provide an opinion, which is based on forensics. That is, looking for characteristics that would dismiss the item as fake (e.g. paper age, ink stability, flow, autograph shape). The authenticator does not normally look at signing behaviours (e.g. material type, inscriptions, placement, ink type and colour), which would only come from some knowledge of the Boys autographs. So, an authenticator can only prove an item is fake or judge if an item is possibly/probably genuine. If you want to buy a L&H autograph our best tip is to do your homework; get to know the autographs supported by opinions from experienced collectors, buy from a reputable source, go for A1 perfect items and preferably seek out its provenance. So, buyer beware.
| September 23rd-
NEW COLOUR MARCH OF THE WOODEN SOLDIERS
and WARNER DVDS
MORE NEWS HAS BEEN ADDED RE: TOYLAND and NEW CARD SET-so scroll down for more!
Computer-colorized films have been around for some time now. We actually screened the first-ever colorized film 'Helpmates' when we co hosted the 1984 International Convention. Helpmates was primitive by today's standards, so I was more than impressed when March of the Wooden Soldiers was released in glorious colour in the 1990s. At that time I thought the colorization was superb. Little did I know that things could only get better: Recently an American company, "Legend Films," who specialise in the restoration and colorization of old black and white films, has announced that they will be bringing out March of the Wooden Soldiers. Having been enhanced using today's technology, this will be an even better and the most complete version of Babes in Toyland, and, judging by DVDs that Legend has released so far, will be one to look forward to. DVD CONTENTS: 2 RESTORED VERSIONS - New Color and Original B&W
It is due out in the USA on November 7th. But you can PRE ORDER now for just $17.99 from our :REGION ONE/ZERO ORDER PAGE Legend Films will be sending us over a sneak preview trailer to screen at our HELPMATES CONVENTION on October 28th. You can also pre-order AIR RAID WARDENS + NOTHING BUT TROUBLE on DVD On November 21, Warner Home Video (REGION ONE USA) will release "Air Raid Wardens"/"Nothing but Trouble" on DVD for just $11.19 , just go to our :REGION ONE/ZERO ORDER PAGE Laurel and Hardy Versus the Automobile Following on from the River Wye 'Babes at War' sub set, we have produced another mini set of Trading Cards: This collection features Movie Stills of Laurel and Hardy fun with various Automobiles. Produced on high quality 400gm laminated card . This is a strictly Limited 9 card Sub Set production . This set would make a nice addition to any of our existing card sets. We have produced these for our trading card collectors. |
| September 9th-
NEW TRADING CARD MINI- SUB
SET
As a follow on to their blockbusting WW2 ‘D-Day’ Trading Card Release River Wye have produced a tie-in release for WW2 collectors and Laurel and Hardy Fans. The ‘Babes at War’ Special Tribute Edition. This special Limited Edition pays tribute to the war efforts of the worlds greatest comic duo, who brightened the hearts of the world with their unforgettable humour and slapstick style of comedy. The collection features Movie Stills and Candids of the Babes at War. Produced on high quality 400gm laminated card in full colour. This is a strictly Limited 9 card Set production with each set Individually Numbered. GO TO: Babes at War’ Special Tribute Edition MEMBERS AREA. Paid up magazine subscribers can now download THE FLYING DEUCES PRESS BOOK and Hal Roach Studio Stationary, listen to 3 radio shows and read a feature on 'Laurel & Hardy and Magic'...recently added. BUT you have to subscribe to get access: If you a past subscriber who has let their membership lapse, then why not RENEW now.
September 2nd- BACK ISSUES It is nice to see our back issue magazines offered on auction sites and fetching high prices. But, why look for them there when we have a whole page full of back issues on offer. In fact I have fully updated the page today adding our more recent magazines. GO TO: BACK ISSUES |
| August 24th-
Laurel and Hardy Films in HD- MEMBERS
AREA
This information came through my newsfeed yesterday: "Classic Black & White films like film noir, comedies and westerns set for revival as upgrade to Hi-Def brings out the shading and textures not seen since original release. Blue Ray Group acquires 1,000-title film library for B&W Hi-Def release." It is amazing that almost all of the Laurel and Hardy films are now out on DVD. Many members over the years purchased them on the old 8mm (and other home formats) then moved on to VHS and buying them all. Most fans seeing their VHS collections redundant shelled out and purchased them on DVD. Many collectors are more than happy (apart from the odd quibble from the die-hards) with their 'Laurel and Hardy' collection. The Blue Ray Group has acquired libraries totalling 1,000 film titles that are being culled for re-mastering and hi-def release on Blu-ray Disc (BD). Laurel & Hardy (HMM..I wonder what titles they mean??) and Hopalong Cassidy will be among the first B&W titles from new division BRG Classics. Personally, at the moment I am more than happy with my DVD Collection and, as yet, I have not moved into High Definition TV. However I do feel HD TV suits the wide screen modern movies of today and I am not sure about a 4:3 B/W image in the middle of a big plasma screen. I will have to see a demo first to see if it blows me away with enough enthusiasm to go and buy a Blue ray DVD machine along with a HD TV...only time will tell. MEMBERS AREA As you know, for our paid up subscribers we have a member's area on our site with extra pages. At the moment, I am constructing a NEW members area with even more material. I am archiving interesting features and articles from old back issues of our printed magazine going way back. As I only have these in the printed form, I am scanning all the pages with OCR (optical character recognition software) to change them into text I can work with for the web site, this is a very time consuming process. Of course being online I can add more pictures and material to add even more to those original articles. Once I have enough material up on our new area, I will email all our PAID UP subscribers to let them have new passwords and the link ...more later. CONVENTION Bookings are coming in at a steady pace for our HELPMATES CONVENTION on October 28th, we are already putting together a great programme of 'Laurel and Hardy Rarities' to show. We would suggest that you book sooner....rather than later, especially if you intend staying at the hotel. August 16th- AIR RAID WARDENS + NOTHING BUT TROUBLE on DVD On November 21, Warner Home Video (REGION ONE USA) will release the "Classic Comedy Teams Collection," featuring six classic comedies from three of Hollywood's legendary comedy teams - The Three Stooges, Abbott and Costello, and Laurel and Hardy. The three double-feature discs include "Meet the Baron"/"Gold Raiders," "Air Raid Wardens"/"Nothing but Trouble" and "Lost in a Harem"/"Abbott and Costello in Hollywood." The Collection will sell for $28.98 SRP with the individual double features of each team available for $14.97 SRP. Lets hope they follow FOX's example and release these in Europe. I will post USA ordering links and cover artwork as soon as I have them. LOTTERY TICKETS? Look out for 'Laurel and Hardy' Lottery tickets as Pollard Banknote Limited Partnership ("Pollard Banknote") has made a multi-year deal with Larry Harmon Pictures Corporation for the worldwide rights to introduce the Laurel & Hardy(TM) brand to the lottery industry. August 10th-DVD-ON THE TRAIL OF CHARLIE HALL-DVD NEWS CHARLIE HALL Several years ago loyal member Ray Andrew researched and produced a book about Laurel and Hardy's nemesis Charlie Hall. He unearthed many unseen and rare photographs. The book was very popular and sold out years ago. Since then second hand copies have occasionally surfaced on Internet auctions for as high as £56. Well, knowing there will be a demand Ray has produced a limited run of 1000 copies in soft cover. If you would like to obtain a copy then go to : ON THE TRAIL OF CHARLIE HALL DVD NEWS Both of the FOX DVD Box sets are due for release in the UK in October. We will provide a link once pre orders are being taken via our amazon store links later. Computer-colorized films have been around for some time now. In fact we actually screened the first ever colorized film 'HELPMATES' when we co hosted the 1984 International Convention. Helpmates was primitive by today's standards. So I was more than impressed when 'March of the Wooden Soldiers' was released in glorious colour in the 1990's. In my eyes the colorization was superb…. until now… Recently an American company 'Legend Films' who specialise in the restoration and colorization of old black and white films, has announced that they will be bringing out March of the Wooden Soldiers with today's even better technology. This will be an even better version of ' Babes in Toyland' from 1934. Judging by the work that Legend has released so far this will be a DVD to look forward to. Due out around November. |
GOING DUTCH
I have just heard from Bram Reijnhoudt (PERFECT DAY TENT ) that the next International Convention will be in Amsterdam, July 9-13, 2008. Bram will be attending our HELPMATES CONVENTION on October 28th, so anybody interested will be able to ask Bram all about it. http://www.tellmethatagain.info/
June 22nd - HELPMATES CONVENTION OCTOBER- FOX VOL 2 DVD RELEASE DATE
We are pleased to announce that, after a long break, we are about to host a 'Laurel & Hardy Helpmates Convention', at the ever-popular Holiday Inn (former Crest, and Posthouse THF), Chatham, on Saturday 28th October 2006. GO HERE: HELPMATES CONVENTION
We strongly suggest that you book in advance and also secure your hotel room(s) , we have block held a limited number of rooms, so get in first!
Thanks to one of our regular visitors , Andrea Ippoliti
,
we can now tell you the actual release of the next FOX DVD SET
20th Century Fox Laurel
and Hardy Giftset VOL.2
Fox Home Entertainment have announced the Region 1 DVD release of The Laurel & Hardy Collection Volume 2 for 12th September 2006 priced at $34.98 SRP. This set contains 3 classic Features + more!
But ORDER it NOW for just:Price: $24.49
TO PRE ORDER NOW
Also to find out the FULL contents...
GO TO OUR : REGION ONE/ZERO ORDER PAGE
June 11th - A HAUNTING WE WILL GO....BUSTS and DVD NEWS
Talented Sculptor, Neil Sims has just produced his latest set of Laurel and Hardy busts....A HAUNTING WE WILL GO! I must admit they look superb from the prototype images. We are now taking orders from this special page:
http://www.laurelandhardy.org/Haunting.html
Talking of A HAUNTING WE WILL GO, we can now tell you the release date and contents of the NEXT FOX (USA) Box set.
The Laurel & Hardy Collection Volume 2 for 12th September 2006 priced at $34.98 SRP. This set contains 3 classic comedies…
MAY 29/ 30th- WEB SITE ON THE MOVE / BBC 4 UPDATE /NEXT MAGAZINE
Our web site started way back hosted on our AOL web space, since then it has just grown and grown and has become very popular. However, there is a limit to how much free space we had and we were bordering on using it all up. We own the domain www.laurelandhardy.org and since 1992 we have had an automatic pointer that sent surfers to our site on AOL.
Well, the good news is that we now have a FULL hosting package directly under our web address of: www.laurelandhardy.org. We now have a huge amount of disc space to use, so expect even more pages to be added.
However my first task is to duplicate our whole site under its new home, already I have most of our feature pages up. While I was uploading to our new space I tweaked some pages and expanded them with more info. Our AOL site will also remain in place, but we would now advise you to go direct to www.laurelandhardy.org and bookmark it as your new entry point.
BEWARE PIRATE DVDS on Ebay
As you all probably know by now, ebay is a haven for FAKE AUTOGRAPHS of 'Laurel and Hardy'; there are fakes for sale every week. We have also noticed a spate of PIRATE DVD copies of Universals 21 DVD set for sale. Member Dave Tomlinson and I have been able to spot these as their descriptions are a dead giveaway, but most would not see the tell tale signs. Of course these have all been reported and in most cases we have got them removed. In fact we have done the pirates a favour, as they could have got into more serious trouble. Sellers think they can hide behind their ebay ID's, not so. Major copyright holders patrol ebay for copyright infringements, they will even pose as a customer to buy items for evidence. Ebay has to provide the sellers home details in any dispute. So the pirates could end up with a knock on the door from FACT (Federation of Copyright Theft). Believe me they DO take action as I personally know of two cases.
AJ Marriot and I have now started to compile the next printed issue of 'The Laurel and Hardy Magazine'. It is not due out until the last week of June/1st week of July, but it does take a lot of advance work.
MAY 3rd - NEW KINGS OF COMEDY SET
We
can now offer a new mini set of standard (cigarette) size cards featuring
colour portraits of some of the legends of film and TV comedy. Eric Morecambe,
Spike Milligan, Terry Thomas, W. C. Fields, Eric Sykes, Norman Wisdom,Tony
Hancock, Jimmy Edwards, Laurel & Hardy, Tommy Cooper all feature.
They are on offer within our NEW ONLINE STORE.
The reverse sides give details of these great stars' lives.
I have just received both the new Laurel and Hardy DVD box sets from the USA; I must say that I am VERY IMPRESSED. The Laurel and Hardy Gift set from Fox had newsreel footage that I had never see before. I enjoyed watching the award winning documentary, THE REVENGE OF THE SONS OF THE DESERT on the extras. Meanwhile the new WARNER BOX set has a HOST of extras including a documentary about Comedy Shorts, narrated by Chevy Chase. I found this very interesting indeed along with all the extracts from, THE ROGUE SONG. HOLLYWOOD PARTY, HOLLYWOOD REVUE of 1929 and PICK A STAR. The Laurel and Hardy sequence from the OUR GANG short WILD POSES is featured in the documentary. If you have not ordered these, then do not miss them.(Go HERE TO ORDER!!) . Michael Agee ( HAL ROACH STUDIOS) has been keeping me informed about his restoration work on his new updated DVD BOX SET, he has found even more pristine material to include. There will be more details on this site as soon as Micheal is ready to release the news. From what I know already, boy, you are in for a treat.
APRIL 14th- LAUREL & HARDY TRADING CARDS/
I recently met up with Robin Welch of CMA CARDS (River Wye productions) and purchased his entire remaining stock of Laurel and Hardy Cards. In the batch was a few sets of both his PREMIER and MILLENNIUM Sets of Trading cards, plus a selection of bonus cards and some rarities. So for a limited time (as some stock is very low), I can offer the full range, plus of course we have another three sets on offer.
Take a look, just in case you want to fill some gaps in your collection: LAUREL & HARDY TRADING CARDS
I have also added some more pin badges to our site: PIN BADGES
IMPORTANT NEWS FOR LAUREL & HARDY TRADING CARD COLLECTORS
The original set ONE 'Laurel and Hardy Trading Cards' from CMA have now been officially retired. Of course some of the special BONUS cards ran out before the sets. However, here is the good news, I am buying the entire remaining stock of both SET ONE and SET TWO (The Millennium Collection). This small supply that includes some of those deleted bonus cards. But the MOST SOUGHT AFTER will be the Stanley Motion Card. Also included in this purchased are some gems such us uncut OLLIE MOTION CARDS and Uncut Gold Foil signature cards. CMA has pulled together an interesting range of odds and rare cards. I will pick up the stock next Wednesday. Following that I will revamp our Trading card pages.
For a short period I should be able to offer the entire range, but some cards are in VERY Short supply. If you would like me to email you as soon as I put up those limited cards, then CLICK HERE TO EMAIL US
The updated card offers will only appear in the NEW VERSION of our ONLINE STORE. Do take a look round all the pages as some new items have been added:
Go here for all your Laurel and Hardy Collectables
FAKE AUTOGRAPHS ON EBAY
THICKER THAN WATER-AUCTION NEWS
Over the past few weeks we have been patrolling the online ebay auctions, as usual fakes are rife. We have successfully managed to get some removed, but not all. Sadly, there are some poor people have purchased fakes, but as these unscrupulous dealers hide the buyers names we cannot contact them to tell them they have got a dud.
You may have watched the Laurel and Hardy film 'THICKER THAN WATER', where they are inside an auction room. Unaware, Stan and Ollie end up bidding against each other pushing the price up of a Grandfather Clock and then winning it themselves. Well, some unscrupulous dealers use a similar activity we frown upon. This is the practice of SHILL BIDDING where the price of an item is artificially pushed higher by a person bidding on his own item under another ID or getting a friend to bid.
The practice of SHILLING is still going on, it does not take Einstein to work out that an autograph ( even if its a nice genuine item) is being shilled. A Shiller normally puts in a really high bid to sucker bidders in, then he pulls out his high bid leaving the other high bidders like sitting ducks.
Shillers think they can hide from our experts, but we go back and see where the false bidders are located and see what they have bid for and when. It does not take long to find a pattern emerge.
There
is also a CLEAR FAKE Stan Laurel up at the moment, so far three of our team
have tackled the seller and he gave us differing replies. PLUS looking back
through his history it looks like he is a Shill bidder himself.
If you are new to the Internet, let me say be VERY VERY careful of Internet auctions as fakes or copies of originals (passed off as the real thing) are RIFE. As a guide go to our BUYER BEWARE page. If you want the real think then come to a show like MEMORABILIA at the NEC BIRMINGHAM, come and see me on our stall and we will point you to some trusted dealers.
MARCH 7th- CATALOGUE
I have been adjusting our online 'Laurel and Hardy Catalogue' , we now have this new version that operates with frames and drop down menus: NEW CATALOGUE .But we will also keep our original no frames versions for older browsers: ORIGINAL CATALOGUE. However, the same shopping cart is linked to both Catalogues and the rest of our site, so it does not matter what version you jump to your cart remains the same.
FEBRUARY 21st- MORE FOX DVD NEWS
Just as we were going to press today with our next printed 'Laurel and Hardy Magazine', we heard that the second Fox release will be a Volume 2 set that will include The Dancing Masters, The Bullfighters, and A-Haunting We Will Go. Author of "Laurel and Hardy, From The Forties Forward," Scott MacGillivray, has recorded the commentaries. As yet, there is no news about the other bonus materials, or the release date, but it certainly sounds like another set worth adding to your collection.
Susan Marshall e-mailed me to tell us that the "The Revenge of the Sons of the Desert," a fun documentary about the Philadelphia International Laurel & Hardy Convention, will be included as an extra on the soon-to-be released Laurel & Hardy DVD collection, by 20th Century Fox. It was made by Alexander Marshall, who won an Emmy for it, and which features interviews with Laurel & Hardy co-stars; plus the fun and antics of an International Laurel & Hardy event - and more.
This information was backed up by Michael Agee (Hal Roach Studios) who told me he had been contacted by Fox regarding his material used in the documentary. This is a possible extra on this second FOX DVD set, you can go HERE TO PRE ORDER the first FOX DVD set coming out in April.
Since our last update I have changed our whole LAUREL AND HARDY CATALOGUE entry page, hopefully to make it far more easier to use. Some new items have been added and some items deleted.
FEBRUARY 10th- THE MIDNIGHT PATROL SET
Talented sculptor Neil Sims has produced another fine set
of busts, this time depicting the 'Boys' in their MIDNIGHT PATROL garb. I
am sure this will be as popular as his other sets, so do order early if you
would like to be one of the first to own these.
RECENT UPDATE
I have been busy moving our member's area around. I have deleted some of the sales items and replaced them with new collectibles. I have also added a SWISS MISS GALLERY with 22 stills from the film. Of course the MEMBERS AREA is for fully paid up subscribers to our printed magazine only. We now have a secure entry where you add a user name and password. The user name and password will only be given out to those members who send me the correct information so I can verify their subs. If you do not subscribe already, its not to late to subscribe to our magazines with many rare photographs.
I am going through each page of our site and updating content and links, so do have a spin round the whole site if you have not done so for a while.
JANUARY 14th - PRE ORDER NEWS / FOX + WARNER RELEASES
Andrea
Ippoliti has just topped us off that Fox Home Entertainment have
OFFICIALLY announced the Region 1 DVD release of a Laurel
and Hardy Giftset for 11th April 2006 priced at $34.98 SRP
( pre order now from
our special page at $23.99). This three-disc collection
offers three films made by Laurel and Hardy at 20th Century Fox after they
had left Hal Roach in 1940. And boy what an impressive line up of
discs...
Disc 1 "Big Noise":
Audio: English: Mono & Stereo .Subtitled: English and Spanish
Special Features: Commentary by Randy Skredvedt /Photo Gallery / Theatrical Trailer
Laurel and Hardy Theatre: Bullfighters Theatrical Trailer, Great Guns Theatrical Trailer, & The Dancing Master Theatrical Trailer
Disc 2 "Great Guns":
Audio: English: Mono & Stereo .Subtitled: English & Spanish
Special Features:Commentary by Randy Skretvedt /Photo Gallery
Opening the Freemont Theatre Movietone News
Theatrical Trailer
Laurel and Hardy Theatre: Big Noise Theatrical Trailer, Bullfighters Theatrical Trailer, & Jitterbugs Theatrical Trailer
Disc 3 "Jitterbugs":
Audio: English: Mono & Stereo / Subtitled: English & Spanish
Special Features: Commentary by Randy Skretvedt/ Photo Gallery
Inauguration of the Railway Movietone News (must be the ROMNEY HYTHE & DYMCHURCH Railway)
Theatrical Trailer
Laurel and Hardy Theatre: Big Noise Theatrical Trailer, Bullfighters Theatrical Trailer, & Great Guns Theatrical Trailer. (Go HERE TO PRE ORDER!!)
ALSO COMING
Amazon.com
are now taking pre-orders for this Double DVD set with a host of desirable
extras (more details
on our special page). It will be a worthwhile edition to your
collection. Although only released in the USA, Amazon will ship anywhere
, all you need is a multi region player.
ORDER IT VIA OUR SPECIAL AMAZON LAUREL & HARDY PAGE and SAVE 30% off the price!
I placed my order today for this set. I suggest you get your order in now BEFORE it goes up to full price.
SITE UPDATES
We have just added a CHUMP AT OXFORD GALLERY today. Some new items have been added to the COLLECTIBLES PAGE of our CATALOGUE. We have updated our MOVIE FAIRS PAGE , as the Colchester Fair is turning into more of an event for Sons of the Desert. We will be screening some films and author A J Marriot will be attending signing copies of his new CHAPLIN Stage by Stage book and Laurel and Hardy-The British Tours. Other pages will be added to over the next few weeks so do check back.
NOVEMBER 17th- CHAPLIN BOOK PUBLISHED / DVD REVIEW / MEMORABILIA
Today I had the great delight of being present when the management
of T.T. Litho (who also print our magazine) presented "A.J" Marriot with
the first batch of his book "CHAPLIN - Stage
by Stage." Not only that, but I had the
honour of receiving the first signed copy. Talk about "hot off the
press." I must admit at being very impressed with the overall
quality of the book, it is packed full of information and very rare photographs.
It is common knowledge that Stan Laurel was a Karno Comedian for a few years,
but how much do you know about those years? For starters, just how many years
was it? And just how much of that time was spent in the UK, and how much
in the US?
It's also widely known that Laurel was understudy to Chaplin in the sketch Mumming Birds, but is this the only Karno sketch in which these two played together?
Well now, for the first time ever, you can discover exactly when, where, and with whom Laurel spent his time in the Karno Company. Go direct to A J's CHAPLIN PAGES to find out more and indeed be one of the first to obtain a copy.
[Early in November] I spent the weekend in Glasgow, to attend the Glasgow Memorabilia Show. People ask me why I bother to go to these Fairs, when I could stay at home and use our online catalogue. Well, I would never get to meet all the many Laurel & Hardy buffs who come to our stall. This year we had even more 'Sons' through the doors as several members of the new Fra Diavolo tent turned up, including their Grand Sheik, Ross Owen. Ross came away from the show happy as he managed to buy autographs of the Roach Stars: James Finlayson, Billy Gilbert and Charles Middleton. AND, being a 'Son of the Desert,' he got a big discount from the sellers - Autographs Ink. See what a little kindness can do?
So, as you have just read many bargains can be found at these shows if you look around. Coming up soon is the biggest Memorabilia show of them all to be held at the NEC Birmingham on November 26th / 27th . Again we will be there with our FULL 'Laurel and Hardy' sales stall. We are on stands A52 and A53 near their stage area. This show is so big that it takes over both HALLS 11 and 12 at the NEC.
I have just got stocks in of the brand new LEONARDO 2005 range of Stan Laurel and Oliver Hardy figures. They stand over 12" tall and are VERY NICE indeed. The first chance you will have to obtain these will be at this forthcoming Memorabilia Show. They come very well packed in nice boxes and are quite sturdy and solid. So if you want to add these to your collection, then do come along to the MEMORABILIA SHOW . If you want to make sure you get a set, then just CLICK HERE TO EMAIL US and we will hold you a set behind the stall for pick up at the show.
We have just added a another new page under our DVD Review section, this one covers Retour De Flamme. the latest edition of Serge Bromberg's DVD series, Retour de Flamme, includes a (mostly) unknown Laurel & Hardy film, never shown to the general public. Dubbed in French, the film, A Galaxy of Stars, is a promotional film intended for MGM exhibitors in Europe and Africa. This page includes a FULL GALLERY plus a description of the action. Just go direct to: A GALAXY of STARS.
Almost all of our next LARGE FORMAT (A4 size) Christmas Special issue of 'The Laurel & Hardy Magazine' is now at our printers. Again it will be full of rare photographs and more, so if you have not subscribed, then now is the time to consider joining/subscribing.
OCTOBER 5th - RONNIE BARKER
We were very sad to hear that TV comedian Ronnie Barker has died after a long illness on Monday of this week. He will be remembered for his many TV shows including The Two Ronnies, Porridge and Open All Hours. We have fond memories of Ronnie playing Oliver Hardy with the late Roy Castle playing Stan in 'Another Fine Mess', which was a short comedy in Ronnie Barker's series Seven Of One . The good news is that it will be out on DVD later this year and makes a fitting tribute to his many comedy talents. To pay our own tribute to Ronnie we have put up a special page from last year when Ronnie told us his memories of 'Laurel and Hardy'.
We have also revised a few of our sales pages and added a few new items: THE LAUREL & HARDY CATALOGUE
THE LAUREL & HARDY MAGAZINE VOL 7 No 1
I passed the proofs for this issue on Monday and it is being printed right now. Check back to this page and we will tell you when it has been mailed. Also the cover of the current issue will change on our home page when it has been mailed.
AUGUST 27th- AVENUE OF STARS / WESTMINSTER/ SHILL BIDDERS / DVD NEWS
Britain's Avenue of the Stars to be Unveiled in Covent Garden
Stan Laurel will be among 100 legendary British and Commonwealth stars to receive silver plaques in the The Avenue Of The Stars located in Covent Garden, London.
Chris Tarrant will present an ITV1 tribute, which will include the unveiling of the Avenue of the Stars, on September 18.
"It will be intriguing to see who makes the list and who doesn't.
"With so many names to choose from, there are bound to be some surprising omissions, as well as names that will raise a few eyebrows", Tarrant said.
The ceremony, set to honour one hundred celebrities will take place in Covent Garden.
The silver stars will be placed outside St Paul's, The Actors' Church, in Covent Garden, where many celebrities had been invited to attend the launch, and also to perform on the live program.
According to press sources, Stan Laurel's daughter Lois is upset she has not been invited to the opening.
One online news report quotes:
A friend says, "Lois found out about it only a couple of days ago and hit the roof. She couldn't understand why no one had told her or why none of the family had been invited.
The ceremony, set to honour one hundred celebrities will take place in Covent Garden.
The first 18 recipients announced include Sir Laurence Olivier, Sir Charlie Chaplin, Sir Alfred Hitchcock, but also Nicole Kidman, who has unveiled her Hollywood star in 2003.
As this will be devoted to British celebrities, sadly Oliver Hardy will not have a star as he was born in the USA.
THICKER THAN WATER-AUCTION NEWS
Over the past few weeks we have been patrolling the online ebay auctions, as usual fakes are rife. We have successfully managed to get some removed, but not all. Sadly, there are some poor people have purchased fakes, but as these unscrupulous dealers hide the buyers names we cannot contact them to tell them they have got a dud.
You may have watched the Laurel and Hardy film 'THICKER THAN WATER', where they are inside an auction room. Unaware, they end up bidding against each other pushing the price up of a Grandfather Clock and then winning it themselves. Well, some unscrupulous dealers use a similar activity we frown upon. This is the practice of SHILL BIDDING where the price of an item is artificially pushed higher by a person bidding on his own item under another ID or getting a friend to bid. Sadly we recently det
‘Babes
at War’ Special Tribute Edition Set