28.09.26.
New address for John Ullah and Mandy
We wish John and Mandy lots of happiness and good health in their new home:
9 Burrows Close
Malvern
WORCS
WR14 2EA
The Live Ghost Tent
You are invited to another fine session of fun and frolics when The Live Ghost tent meets once again to celebrate the world of Laurel & Hardy on Saturday December 5th 2026 at The Cinema Museum, 2 Dugard Way, (off Renfrew Road) London SE11 4TH.
You may care to have a look at The Cinema Museums website to view the proposed film programme. Directions how to get there are also included.
You can also take a look at our tent's own Facebook page at: https://www.facebook.com/groups/1101999479833042
The film programme starts at 3 pm, but we should be there before (from about 2.30 pm) for meeting, greeting and socialising etc. At this meeting we are asking: What links Ray Harryhausen with Laurel & Hardy?
The Live Ghost Tent is excited to introduce Al Friswell, who will give us an informed talk about the link between effects maestro Ray Harryhausen (creator of stop-motion creatures for films including The 7th Voyage of Sinbad and The Clash of The Titans) and comedy duo Laurel & Hardy.Al, an animator/restorer and artist/sculptor, is the conservator for the Ray and Diana Harryhausen Foundation and he repairs and restores Ray’s wonderful models. Al will relay personal conversations wth Ray and his daughter Vanessa Harryhausen on the link between Ray and The Boys.
The Live Ghost Tent will follow Al’s talk with screenings of a selection of Laurel & Hardy films that illustrate this link, one of which will be Ray Harryhausen’s favourite Laurel & Hardy film. So come and join us and find out more.
Masonic night
I’m rather looking forward to this. Sadly, I’m the one doing the talk!
Thanks to my fellow Sons who are also Freemasons for their help with my prep.
Tickets are £14 and include a hot and cold buffet.
Mike Jones
Leeds show
Oliver Hardy Festival
There's still time to put in your Oliver Hardy Festival Parade application.
Applications can be found on the Harlem Museum and Welcome Center's website:
https://harlemmuseumandwelcomecenter.com/vendor-and...
Just scroll to the bottom until you see "Oliver Hardy Festival Applications 2026"!
Sailors’ tribute
I visited the Stalybridge charity beer festival on 19 September.
The lads from the Sailors Beware Tent appeared on the programme for Friday evening.
The organisers are the local Rotary Club and maybe the Grand Sheik is a member of that group.
Dave Williamson
How many?
We asked Chat GPT how many films did Laurel and Hardy make and were given the following information (which it gathered from Wikipedia).
Laurel and Hardy made about 106 films together as a team, from 1921 to 1951.
That includes:
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34 silent short films
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45 sound short films
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27 feature-length films
Their first film together was The Lucky Dog (1921), although they weren't yet an established comedy team. Their final film together was Atoll K (1951).
If you mean just their famous full-length films, there were 27, including Sons of the Desert, Way Out West, Block-Heads, Babes in Toyland and The Flying Deuces.
There are slightly different counts (106 vs. 107) depending on whether cameo appearances and certain early films are included.
David McCallum
I saw this Facebook post about David McCallum the actor, which was cool
https://www.facebook.com/share/p/1KKQx7qiuu/?mibextid=wwXIfr
I then asked ChatGPT to find any links of McCallum to Stan and Babe and it found some, albeit distant:
https://chatgpt.com/share/6aae5966-70fc-83ed-bebe-582e534518cf
From Chat GPT:
David McCallum was professionally connected to the same Capitol Records producer and arranger — David Axelrod and H. B. Barnum — who were responsible for a 1966 Capitol recording of “The Theme from Laurel and Hardy.” The connection is particularly striking because Axelrod and Barnum also produced/arranged recordings connected with McCallum’s The Man From U.N.C.L.E. fame.
Glynne MacDonald
With Co-Co
We could not resist the temptation to colorise this splendid photo.
Lucky winner
Mr Edward Cross of Aberdeen flew to London to collect the world's record football pool dividend of £61,456. Mr Cross was presented with his cheque by Laurel & Hardy at the Palladium Theatre, London, who took time out from their personal appearance tour of Britain.
26 March 1947
Call of the Cuckoos Tent of Glasgow
...and finally
