 Paul Fitzpatrick, P.O. Box 107, Wood-Ridge, NJ 07075 |
GRAND SHEIK:
Paul Fitzpatrick
VICE SHEIK: Mark Nannes CYBER-SHEIK: Yair Solan YEARLY DUES: $14 per household THE
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Paul Fitzpatrick, P.O. Box 107, Wood-Ridge, NJ 07075 |
GRAND SHEIK:
Paul Fitzpatrick
VICE SHEIK: Mark Nannes CYBER-SHEIK: Yair Solan YEARLY DUES: $14 per household THE
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You can go on to the website of the Way Out West tent in California -- www.wayoutwest.org -- to get first-hand reports from the Tacoma convention!
The American Film Institute special 100 Years, 100 Laughs aired recently on CBS, with the results of a poll of voters who picked "the 100 funniest films of all time." Limited to feature films, the list included only one Laurel & Hardy film, 1933's SONS OF THE DESERT, way down at number 96! Naturally, I think SONS is a lot funnier than many of the films that ranked ahead of it. Certainly WAY OUT WEST or BLOCK-HEADS would have fit nicely on this list, as would several other L&H features. For the most part, they seem to have picked the more well known comedy titles (IT HAPPENED ONE NIGHT, TOOTSIE, ANNIE HALL). At least they made up for snubbing Buster Keaton in the "100 Greatest Films" list, and included three of his films on this one. For the record, the "funniest film" of all time, according to this poll, is 1959's SOME LIKE IT HOT.
Volumes 8 and 9 of the DVD series The Lost Films of Laurel & Hardy are due out August 29, at $29.99 each. Here is the rundown of contents for these new DVD's:
Volume 8: TWO TARS (1928), THE SECOND HUNDRED YEARS (1927), SLIPPING WIVES (1927), FROM SOUP TO NUTS (1928), SCORCHING SANDS (Laurel solo, 1923), SHOULD TALL MEN MARRY (Laurel's final solo film, 1927)
Volume 9: YOU'RE DARN TOOTIN' (1928), WHY GIRLS LOVE SAILORS (1927, French & English versions), THE BATTLE OF THE CENTURY (1927, 2 versions), WANDERING PAPAS (1926, Clyde Cook with Hardy), THUNDERING FLEAS (1926, Our Gang with Hardy), MUM'S THE WORD (Charley Chase, neither Laurel nor Hardy in the cast)
The annual Oliver Hardy Festival in his home town of Harlem, Georgia, will be held on Saturday, October 7, starting at 9 a.m. This festival is known for having several fun events such as a look-a-like contest, parades, carnival rides, a street dance, a raffle drawing, clowns, skits, live entertainment, and of course Laurel & Hardy movies. Street vendors will be selling arts and crafts, novelties, and food. There is free parking and no admission charge. Profits go toward the construction of a community center for Harlem.
For more information, write to: Oliver Hardy Festival, P.O. Box 99, Harlem, Georgia 30814, or call (706) 556-3448, or fax (706) 556-3293.
Tent member Bill Patscher continues to peruse the catalogs for more great Laurel & Hardy merchandise:
Worldwide Collectibles & Gifts (www.worldwidecollectibles.com) has
several "traditional English hand-painted plaster wall masks" of all sorts,
including those of Stan & Ollie! The masks are 6" and are $47 per mask.
The likenesses are quite passable;these masks would complement anyone's home
decor quite nicely!
A company called Fingerhut has a cookie jar in the likenesses of Stan &
Ollie, Larry Harmon style. They sell for $34.99 plus $11.29 shipping. This
offer expires October 23. Write to Fingerhut, 11 McLeland Road, St. Cloud,
MN 56395 or call 1-800-552-2115.
Some nice L&H, Our Gang, and Thelma Todd material can be had from Photo
Classics at www.photoclassics.com