18.07.23.
Convention photos
Fred Terris has excelled once again with his collection of photographs taken at the UK Convention this year. He has kindly shared them at
Laurel & Chaplin
The new play/musical Laurel & Chaplin is opening at the Cambridge Theatre, London for a short run on 24th July.
It later moves to the Winter Gardens Theatre in Blackpool.
The Blackpool run is initially set to be 30th August to 2nd September.
There is a clip from the show on YouTube.
Intra-Tent Journal 189
The latest Intra-Tent Journal is now available.
Editor: Bill Oates itj.inbox@gmail.com
UK subscriptions: Del Kempster delkempster@gmail.com
New website
Jack Winstanley of the Dirty Work Tent of Wigan has launched a new website at https://sonsofthedesert.co.uk.. It lists all UK tents (and others). There are also some splendid photographs.
Well worth a visit. The site is still under development and deserves support.
Hexham success
We had an amazing time at the (reasonably) local private cinema, the Forum in Hexham on Saturday 15th when 90 attended, including about 30 Chumps (and Mrs Grand Sheik!), and several from the Dirty Work, Them Thar Hills, Our Relations, and a few other tents. Our special guest was Stan’s Great Nephew, Keith Woods, and we were delighted to also welcome Alistair Young, who is a first cousin twice removed of James Finlayson.
Gary Winstanley captured a few bits for his forthcoming ‘Hats off to Mae Busch’ documentary which will premiere at the Laurel and HarDay in Wigan on Saturday Septober 2nd, with right-hand man/technical wizard/son Jack, keeping an eye on Jiggs!
We raised a wonderful £140 from the Raffle and souvenir sales, with an eye on our current Charity, the RNLI.
Clockwise from top-left: Keith with Hexham resident Jeff and his lovely wife; Alistair and Keith: the end of a looooong day, - yours truly, Gary and Jack; raffle prizes and souvenirs, and last but not least our raffle winner who had a wonderful time.
Gary also made a short film of the afternoon and evening's events which you can view HERE.
Mike Jones
Ulverston by-pass
Radio Times 15-21 July 2023
Renovations in Ulverston
In the coming months we’ll be starting the first phase of our planned renovations for the Roxy. This will primarily consist of fixing the roof and giving the exterior of the building a fresh lick of paint with some other exciting changes. It's important to note that all businesses in the building will still be open and operating normal hours during this time.
This work will mean that the building will have scaffolding around it for a while. In honour of this beloved building and for prosperity before these changes happen, we thought it would be a nice idea for everyone to share their favourite photos/memories of the Roxy from the past decade.
Matthew Cooper on Facebook
County Hospital Twent of Bradford
Scarecrows
Spotted at the Garstang Scarecrow Festival recently by Jack Winstanley.
Coming: Jeff and The Artist
Jeffrey Holland will be talking about his comedy icon Stan Laurel in a conversation with Robert Ross at the Club for Acts and Actors in London on Friday September 15th. This is what has been said about the show:
In the first of a new series of shows, situation comedy legend Jeffrey Holland celebrates his Comedy Icon, Stan Laurel. Having played Stan in an award-winning solo show and been a lifelong admirer. Jeffrey chats with Robert Ross about Stan Laurel's beginnings in show business; his hugely successful screen and stage partnership with Oliver Hardy, and just why he believes Stan Laurel is the greatest comedian of all.
x x x
In 2024 there will be a stage version of the Oscar winning film 'The Artist' premiering at the Theatre Royal Plymouth from May 11th-25th - although not directly linked to Laurel and Hardy it is set in the same era as Stan and Ollie worked in the transition from silent movies to 'talkies' so could be worth watching for any fan of that era. The theatre website describes the show as follows:
In 1920s Hollywood the business of making dreams come true is in full swing.
Silent movie icon George Valentin has long been the darling of the silver screen when he falls for aspiring actress Peppy Miller. But while her star is about to rise, his might soon flicker out: amidst all the glamour, laughter and romance, the silent movie industry is on the brink of a revolution. With the Talkies on their way, George must either find his voice in a brave new world or lose everything he holds dear to a bygone era.
The Artist has mesmerised film audiences across the world for over a decade, winning five Academy Awards, seven BAFTAs and three Golden Globe Awards. Now the beguiling love story is reinvented for the stage in a dazzling celebration of silent cinema that blends cutting-edge theatre-making with iconic music of the period.
Michel Hazanavicius’ gloriously funny and tender film is co-adapted by acclaimed writer Lindsey Ferrentino alongside director and Olivier Award-winning choreographer Drew McOnie.
Stan Fan
...and finally