Laurel and Hardy Podcast

The Laurel and Hardy Podcast launches in January 2017

Courtesy of Chris Jaunsen. Chris writes... As the most frequent co-star in the L&H canon, Charlie Hall deserves a lot of attention in his own right. In the constitution for The Sons of the Desert society, he is to be toasted fourth along with Mae Busch after Stan, Babe and Fin. To quote Charlie, "This is more than I can stand!" People usually associate "The Little Menace" (as Hal Roach referred to him) as a great nemesis for L&H in films like Laughing Gravy and Tit for Tat. More often than not, he simply appeared as a regular and innocuous citizen inhabiting the same world as L&H. From split second cameos to co-starring roles, Charlie always got full value out of his screen-time whether he played a waiter, a soda jerk, a thug, an onlooker of destruction to property, a deliveryman of any kind, or my personal favorite, an ice cream salesman! When sound films came in, there was speculation that people would wonder why two British actors were appearing in the same American film, but there was no need to worry when Hall's vocal inflections would often prove to be truly hilarious. In compiling this video, it was difficult to imagine how I could include every single appearance in YouTube's 11 minute limit while still finding time for laughs, so I aimed for a happy medium where certain cameos would be shown very briefly in order to spend a little more time with his heavier roles. Most of the 47 appearances I knew by heart but a few took a lot of research (and a couple "roles" are really cheats -- Charlie is only visible in long-shot for The Second Hundred Years so a still was necessary). Viewers will note that I could not identify him in 2 films he is credited for: Babes in Toyland (is he one of the horn-blowers introducing the king?) and Bonnie Scotland (he is credited as a "native henchman" so it is doubtful he will be recognized under all that makeup). Most of the research besides inspecting the films themselves involved the McCabe/Kilgore/Bann "L&H Bible," and is also where the number 47 originated which in itself is up to debate. I have included Charlie's appearance in the Spanish version of Chickens Come Home as an elevator boy (a role Ham Kinsey played in the original), but since 47 has been the number used for so long there is no sense in changing it. For further reading, a great article for his early appearance in With Love and Hisses appears on a website called The Wax Apple.

This is my interview with Irish comedian Frank Carson recorded at the Kings Theatre in Glasgow on 28th March.

Laurel and Hardy Forum moderators René Riva and Nico Cartenstadt perform the wonderful 'On Yonder Rock Reclining' at the 2008 Amsterdam Convention. The song is featured in Fra Diavolo (AKA The Devil's Brother) starring Laurel and Hardy. A DVD featuring this and other highlights of the convention is available from the wonderful 'Bowler Dessert' website http://www.bowlerdessert.co.uk

This 'not to be missed' episode of the pod-uh-cast features rare interviews with the wonderful Chuck McCann and British ventriloquist Ray Alan. Coincidentally both men made careers out of working with puppets. They also both have strong connections with Laurel and Hardy on a personal level. Chuck explains in depth how he met and got to know Stan Laurel after looking him up in the phone book. Co founder of the International Laurel and Hardy Appreciation Society, The Sons Of The Desert, Chuck urges fans to campaign for Laurel and Hardy films to be preserved forever. Ray Alan, dubbed the best ventriloquist in the world talks about touring with Laurel and Hardy in 1954. Ray also explains how the face of his 'Lord Charles' character was based on Stan Laurel.

This episode features the latest Laurel and Hardy news as well as a look at recent contributions to the forum. We also take a look a Jeff from South korea's photographs and research regarding L&H filing locations. We also feature an exclusive interview with Grange Hill star Erkan Mustafa and Ricky Gervais talks about how Laurel and Hardy influenced his career.

Rare interview with Stan's daughter Lois Laurel Hawes, recorded in the eighties when she appeared on UK TV with Richard and Judy.

Ahead of his worldwide Laurel and Hardy Convention in 1998, John Ullah talked to Chris Coffey about the honour, before relating the oft-told story of how he acquired a pair of Stan Laurel's socks.

Rare colour footage of the boys performing the 'drivers licence' sketch. This color footage is from the Riverside Theater in Milwaukee, taken between October 11 through October 16th in 1940. This was the third city in their "Hellaballou" tour. The dance number costumes are the same costume that Lois Laurel (Stan's daughter) was photographed in that had appeared in a recent Intra Tent Journal article on the tours. The girls are doing a number called "The Three Musketeers", and you get to see the fencing in one segment of this clip. The male-female dance couple are the Fredricos, and the end singer is Maxine Conrad. second mark. Many thanks to Irv Hyatt for the info and to Robert Wilson of Milwaukee for the footage.

In this, our first episode of the Laurel and Hardy Forum Podcast, moderator Mike David talks to Bernie Hogya about his splendid website lettersfromstan.com. comments welcome