Laurel and Hardy and the Sons of the Desert are at the heart of Bowler Dessert magazine and Bowler Dessert Online

Bulletin 01.06.11.

Sons at Sloans Sloans in Argyle Street, Glasgow, will be showing Sons of the Desert on Tuesday 14th June. The show starts at 7.00pm. If you would like to reserve any seats then please e-mail. Details are on http://www.sloansglasgow.com/eat_films. The show has been arranged at the suggestion of the Sons of the Desert, who have had many glorious encounters with Laurel and Hardy at Sloans over the years. The show is open to all. New play A Laurel and Hardy tribute show called The Laurel & Hardy Review 1954 was planned for Southport in June, but it was cancelled due to ill health. Theatre producer Mal Jefferson from Birkdale Village claims to be the owner of the copyright of The Driver's License Sketch, Birds of a Feather and A Spot of Trouble. He says, "I feel now, more than ever, the public deserves to be treated to some real, nostalgic variety. This production is a rebellion to the current, manufactured so-called entertainment that does not hold a candle to original acts like Stan and Ollie." Jefferson believes himself to be a relative of Stan Laurel. Eric Woods had a telephone chat with him. Says Eric, "He said his family is connected to the Jeffersons via the Goff side of the family and that as such he is a distant cousin of Stan's. He told me at one time he, along with a guy called Hector Gedal, ran the Laurel and Hardy museum in Blackpool. He went on that most of the display stuff from the Blackpool museum was given to Bill Cubin for his Ulverston museum. The reason for the delay with the show was heart surgery but he has plans to tour with the show later this year." Eric continues, "He told me that Lois gave the scripts to the William H Hammond library in Los Angeles and that, as the sketches had never been formally recorded, his company recorded them and so he now owns the copyright. "He went on to say there is much interest in the show from Los Angeles. He has been asked to take it over there to show it to the tents in and around LA. His 18-year-old daughter is playing the part of the cop, just to add a bit of variety to the visual appeal of the show." Del Kempster phoned Nancy Wardell and she said there is a family connection between the Jeffersons and the Goffs. She did not have the papers in front of her but from memory she thought AJ's mother may have been involved. Gone cuckoo The Sailors Beware Tent of Hyde answered the call of the cuckoos on Saturday 21st May when we visited Cuckoo Land at Tabley in Knutsford. What a collection of clocks this is! It really is gob-smacking - wall to wall, floor to ceiling with cuckoo clocks. Brothers Roman and Maz are very knowledgeable about every clock they have and are delighted to explain the history of every clock, how they work etc. Also housed are some impressive fairground organs that are wonderfully loud and get your feet tapping straight away. Ulver-Stan and Georgia-Babe just could not resist the vibrations and performed an impromptu dance routine to the delight of onlookers. Vintage cars and motorcycles are also an attraction at the museum and, when news got around that Laurel and Hardy were to visit, Richard Jones brought along his 1927 Morris Oxford Flatnose Coupe. This certainly made the day extra-special for the tent. We highly recommend a visit to this museum. You will not be disappointed. Stuart Green More is at http://www.sailors-beware.co.uk.     Movie Café The Movie Café (BBC Radio Scotland, Thursday, 02.06.11. at 1.15pm) discusses the recent Laurel and Hardy Marathon Show at the Britannia Panopticon Music Hall. It will be repeated on the following Sunday (5th June) at 3.45pm. Did you see? On BBC1 on 30th May was Pixar : 25 Magic Moments. Billy Crystal, talking about Monsters Inc, said that Mike and Sulley had a kind of Laurel and Hardy relationship. Tony Hillman Paisley by Tube Norman Leigh sent Janice Hawton a DVD he made at the Convention in Paisley. Her Bonnie Scotland Tent showed it at the May meeting and Kenny MacLaren has now put it on YouTube. Janice says, "It's our 14 minutes of fame!" Boxing tip In Radio Times (21-27.05.11.) Andrew Collins had an article on boxing films. It listed his four favourite boxing movies. Rocky, Raging Bull and When We Were Kings would not surprise one, but his fourth choice was Any Old Port!