See classic films from cinema’s greatest comedy stars …
A triple-bill of classic movies starring Laurel and Hardy, the greatest double-act of all time, is to be screened at Stourbridge Town Hall on Sunday 7 April 2019.
The Very Best of Laurel and Hardy features three films by Stan and Ollie, whose comedy adventures continue to delight audiences the world over, 80 years after they were produced.
Presented by Birmingham Comedy Festival the screening includes The Music Box, which won the 1932 Academy Award for Best Comedy Short and sees the two famously struggling to deliver a piano, and 1928’s silent masterpiece, The Finishing Touch.
Concluding the bill is 1933’s Sons of The Desert which finds ‘The Boys’ hatching a cunning plan to deceive their wives so they can attend a lodge convention in Chicago.
The films will be introduced by John Ullah, Grand Sheik of The Laughing Gravy Tent (the Birmingham branch of the international Laurel and Hardy Appreciation Society), and author of This Is More Than I Can Stand, the biography of Birmingham-born Laurel and Hardy co-star Charlie Hall.
John Ullah said: “Come and enjoy Laurel and Hardy in three of their best loved films – spanning their work from silent, to talkies to feature film. With some classic slapstick, iconic moments, and plenty of laughs.”
Alex Jackson, booker for Dudley Borough Halls, said: “We’re delighted to be working with the excellent Birmingham Comedy Festival again following the sell-out success of last year’s Lost Hancocks show in Stourbridge.”
The bowler hat-wearing Stan Laurel and Oliver Hardy were two of cinema’s greatest stars. First paired in the late 1920s, they made over 100 screen appearances together before retiring in the 1950s. Still popular today, the story of the duo’s farewell tour is recounted in the new film, the BAFTA-nominated Stan and Ollie, starring Steve Coogan and John C. Reilly.
The Very Best Of Laurel and Hardy is at Stourbridge Town Hall, Crown Centre, Crown Lane, Stourbridge DY8 1YE on Sunday 7 April 2019 at 2pm. Tickets £9. For more information call 01384 812812 or see: boroughhalls.co.uk
NOTES FOR EDITORS
NB. Tickets are on sale from noon on Friday 11 January 2019 via Stourbridge Town Hall’s website.
About the films
The Finishing Touch (1928)
Laurel and Hardy are hired to finish building a house, with the offer of a $500 bonus if they do it quickly. Can they finish the job on time?
Silent/ 20mins
The Music Box (1932)
The Boys have a piano to deliver. However, the address – at the top of a long flight of steps – proves somewhat challenging. Winner of the 1932 Academy Award for Best Comedy Short.
30mins
Sons Of The Desert (1933)
Stan and Ollie swear an oath to attend the Sons of the Desert’s annual convention in Chicago, but when it looks like their wives won’t let them go, Ollie hatches a cunning plan. Featuring one of the most famous lines in movie history: “Well, here’s another nice mess you’ve gotten me into!”
64mins
About Birmingham Comedy Festival
The awarding-winning festival has been celebrating great comedy since 2001. Running annually in October for 10-days across Birmingham, headliners have included Joanna Lumley, Peter Kay, Sir Lenny Henry and Michael McIntyre, while key projects have included The Birmingham Comedy Festival Breaking Talent Award (which celebrates emerging talent from across the West Midlands region) and The Lost Hancocks: Vacant Lot (reviving a long-lost Tony Hancock show). Their recent edition, 2018, attracted an audience of over 11,000 and has been nominated for two What’s On Readers’ Awards: Best Midlands Arts/ Cultural Festival and Best Birmingham Arts Festival.
About The Laughing Gravy Tent
Formed in 1993, The Laughing Gravy Tent celebrates all things Stan and Ollie, with monthly meetings in Erdington, Birmingham, which are open to all ages. The Tent is one of the most consistently well-attended and lively Laurel and Hardy appreciation society meetings in Europe!
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