Rare Laurel & Hardy Videos Never Shown Before at a WOW Meeting!Rare Laurel & Hardy Videos Never Shown Before at a WOW Meeting!
On the evening of Tuesday, March 11th, we will screen the rare Laurel & Hardy appearance in Now I'll Tell One (1927) for the first time at a Way Out West meeting. Now I'll Tell One was rediscovered in 1990 by longtime British SOD member, Dave Wyatt. With Dave's rediscovery, the total number of films that both Laurel & Hardy appeared in was raised to 106. Unfortunately, only the final reel of this two reel silent starring film Charley Chase exists, and some portions of the video are very dark. The film takes place in a divorce court. Each witness has their own version of why Charley and his wife should be divorced. Babe appears as a policemen and Stan appears as Charley's attorney, but neither appears in a scene together.
Also on Tuesday evening, we will screen a restored and uncensored version of Blotto (1930). As some of you know, the version of Blotto that we are all used to seeing is a 1937 reissue with new music and scenes removed from the original 1930 release. This version was restored by the Way Out West Tent, and is available no place else! It includes much of the original 1930 music, restores the original opening titles, and brings back several scenes deleted in the 1937 reissue. Some of deleted scenes were censored in the reissue because they were considered too risque. You be the judge.
Another treat for the evening will be the screening of Their Purple Moment (1928) with a full orchestral accompaniment recorded specifically for this film. The twist is that by using a split screen we will be able to see the full film and the orchestra perform their accompaniment all at the same time! In this classic silent, the boys go to a nightclub, without their wives and spend "money" Stan thought his wife didn't know about.
To close out the evening, we will screen the popular Laurel & Hardy feature, Our Relations (1936). In Our Relations, Stan and Babe play two sets of identical twins, one set married men (Stan and Ollie) and the other set sailors (Bert and Alfie). Stan and Ollie are told by their mother in a letter that Bert and Alfie were hanged after they were involved a mutiny. Because of their long years at sea, Bert and Alfie have had no contact with Stan or Ollie. Somehow though, they all happen to show up in the same town, at the same places, and mistakenly become involved in each other's lives again.
This all takes place at the Mayflower Club, located at 11110 Victory Boulevard in North Hollywood. Doors open at 6:30 PM and our meeting starts at 7:15 PM. There will be "Fisher Franks" and chips sold at the Mayflower Kitchen, and drinks will be sold at the Mayflower Bar. There will be cake served during the second break. Don't miss joining us for a very special meeting on Tuesday March 11th!
Click here for a map to the Mayflower Club...
Don't Forget To Pay Your 2008 Dues
Please remember that your annual dues for Way Out West Tent membership are due each January. For anyone who missed our January meeting or who hasn't paid their dues yet, please pay them now. We need your continued support to cover our current expenses for rental fees to the Mayflower Club, for new items at the dealer's table, for paper and postage for our newsletter, supplies for the Mayflower Kitchen, and to continue be able to offer discounts to paid members for special events. As always, thank you for your continued support.
Volunteers For Toasts At Our Next Meeting
For any WOW member that wishes to give a toast to Stan, Babe, Fin, Mae, Charlie, Marvin, or Mr. Roach, please see our Grand Sheik Jimmy Wiley Jr. before 7:00 PM at our next meeting.
Upcoming Meetings
All of our regular meetings for 2008 will be on Tuesday evenings at the Mayflower Club. All meetings will start at 7:15 PM. At our next meeting, on May 6th, we will screen The Devil's Brother (aka Fra Diavolo) to commemorate the film's 75th anniversary. June 17th will be our annual Stan Laurel birthday celebration. We will honor longtime WOW member Anita Garvin at our August 19th meeting. Our year will conclude with a special holiday meeting on December 9th. Admission to all of the above meetings are included in your annual dues. In additional to our regular meetings this year, we are planning a special event for Saturday, October 18th. The location, exact time, and theme will be announced in an upcoming newsletter.
Notes From Our January Meeting
At our January 15th meeting, we celebrated Oliver Hardy's birthday. After the usual song and toasts, our Grand Sheik Jimmy Wiley Jr. gave us a general overview of what our 2008 meetings would be about. He also asked for suggestions for our 2008 special event in October. With mixed successes, he also tried to show everybody in attendance how to do the "finger wiggle" from The Devil's Brother. His idea being that at our May 6th meeting, when we screen The Devil's Brother, everyone in attendance would pose for a picture of them doing a group "finger wiggle." As they say, "we'll see how that works out!"
To open the evening a rare silent film, Married to Order, was screened for the first time at a Way Out West meeting. The Charley Chase short featured Babe without Stan. The theme for the rest of the evening was Stan "helping" Ollie. We screened Busy Bodies (Stan helping Ollie in a sawmill), Our Wife (Stan helping Ollie to elope), Hog Wild (Stan helping Ollie with a radio antenna), and Beau Hunks (Stan helping Ollie forget Jeanie Weenie).
Jerry Ekdom
We are very sad to announce the passing of the husband of Our Gang member Patsy Barry Ekdom. Jerry passed away January 19th.
2008 International Convention
Twenty additional rooms have just become available for the sold-out Sons of the Desert convention, which will take place in Amsterdam this July. Space is very limited. Please visit www.tellmethatagain.info for more information.
