14.01.26.
International Convention
We're a little more than five months from the 24th International convention, June 21-25th, 2026.
Beyond your tent meetings, I'm asking if Grand Sheiks could let their memberships know about the convention by doing an email blast, or text blast, however you communicate. Members can look at our website at www.laurelandhardysd2026.com.
We have just extended the early bird price of $400 per person through February 28th.
Thanks!
Dave Greim, Chairman
STOP PRESS
The early bird fee (FULL PASS) for San Diego, $400, has been extended through February 28th? Subsequently, it will jump to $450 from March 1st thru April 30th. Finally, it will then be $475 from May 1st thru June 7th ( final cutoff)
Partial passes remain unchanged.
Brats Tent (Sheffield) meeting
On 12th January what a fantastic night we had at the Two and Six Micropub, with guests travelling from Scotland and the North West taking the trouble to join us.
John Burton
Grand Sheik engaged
Our congratulations go to Gary and Julia on their engagement, announced over the Christmas period.
Christmas
We love this card from the Christmas season.
Toyland on Christmas Day
If you thought the days were long past of seeing Laurel and Hardy films on television on Christmas Day, think again. Channel That’s TV3 screened a colourised version of Babes in Toyland on 25th December, at a prime time!
Murder mystery
While watching the murder mystery Invitation To Murder: Death in Cairo on 5 on Boxing Day I was a little surprised to find a mention of Laurel and Hardy! Set in 1934, one of the characters was an American actress who made various claims about her career - including how Laurel and Hardy had wanted her to appear in Duck Soup! Of course, being totally set in Egypt there were also plenty of fezzes on display but no sign of Stan, Ollie or Charley Chase having the time of their lives!
Stan Fan
On the radio
Willie McIntyre played The Trail of the Lonesome Pine on Angel Radio on 28th December. He played it again (in a different programme) on Heartland FM on New Year's Day.
Even more on Harry Hoppe
Harry went on to win the final and a cash prize on a German television Mastermind type of programme. Specialist subject Laurel and Hardy.
Dave Williamson
The show was called Risiko and was hosted by Kai Böcking. This is the Google translation from the German Wikipedia page:
Risk! was a quiz show broadcast in the afternoon on the German public television channel ZDF. The show began with a buzzer round for all contestants, in which general, sometimes topical, questions were asked. For the first round (the first 7 questions), the prize was 1,000 DM (511 euros), in the second round 2,000 DM, and so on, up to 7,000 DM in the seventh round.
Risiko! aired Monday through Friday at 4:15 pm on ZDF from March 23, 1998, to December 20, 2002.
I remember that Harry said he was told to bring two sets of clothes although the two parts were filmed on one day. But he had to change his clothes to make it look more real since the two parts were broadcast on two consecutive days.
Michael Schmitz
2026 Laurel and HarDay
Panopticon
The Call of the Cuckoos Tent will be back at the Britannia Panopticon Music Hall in Glasgow for more Laurel and Hardy film screenings on the big screen. Make a note of the dates:
April 1st
June 3rd
August 5th
October 7th
Horse thieves?
Tried to get to 'Pottsville' on the Arctic Train - spotted these- 'looked like a pair of horse thieves to me' so I offered them a krona to 'move on a couple of streets'. Sons shine everywhere!
Anni Morris
Best of British
Last month I advised that there would be an article about Laurel and Hardy in Yorkshire in the January issue of Best of British magazine.
My copy arrived and it is well worth reading. Dean Sills and his daughter Rebecca have made a film with the help of those fine fellows - John Burton - Sheffield and Dave Ballard - Bradford and lookalikes - Gary and Robbie.
Not only that. They met our very favourite sculptor Graham Ibbeson and they spent some time in the Parkway Cinema in Barnsley.
Dave Dearle
...and finally
