Showing posts with label Laurel and Hardy. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Laurel and Hardy. Show all posts

Saturday, September 30, 2023

THE NEW LAUREL & HARDY BLU-RAY!

FROM AMAZON:
A world premiere for all the Laurel and Hardy fans!
Deluxe 2-disc Blu-ray Edition
Stan Laurel and Oliver Hardy first appeared on film together in 1921, after an initial period in their careers spent apart. The two would formally team up in 1927 and found success by following a simple comic formula that displayed the hilariously ambitious and anarchic qualities of their joint personality. Laurel & Hardy: Year One, The Newly Restored 1927 Silents, as proudly presented by Flicker Alley and Blackhawk Films, offers fans new and old the rare opportunity to observe the evolving partnership of the slapstick comedy team that would reach enormous popularity. Featuring all new restorations sourced from
best available materials contributed by archives and collectors around the world restored by Blackhawk Films and Lobster Films in Paris, this comprehensive deluxe Blu-ray 2-disc collection features thirteen extant films produced in 1927 and two additional films from before they were officially a team.
It includes new scores from some of the best silent film composers working today, such as Neil Brand, Antonio Coppola, Eric le Guen, and Donald Sosin. Arthur Stanley Jefferson for a time understudied Chaplin in England and the US, meanwhile Oliver Norvell Hardy was a talented actor in comedies and melodramas, yet neither had reached the status of movie star.
It became clear upon their merging together that their contradictory physiques and personalities complimented each other perfectly. The team would go on to produce numerous projects together that reached wide acclaim, eventually becoming nearly unanimously considered by film critics, scholars, and movie fans alike, the funniest comedy duo in film history.

Wednesday, December 14, 2022

XMAS CARTOONS AND SELECTED SHORTS.

 Christmas is the perfect time to watch these cartoons which are not readily available on TV or on the main streaming services but can be found navigating the internet, principally on YouTube and Vimeo. I remember watching all of these when I was very young and television was just gaining momentum, (mid-50s, early 60s). Needless to say, it was a veritable nostalgia trip when I found them after all those years.


CHRISTMAS NIGHT (1933) starring Oscar E. Soglow's The Little King.



Ub Iwerks' THE BRAVE TIN SOLDIER  (1934)









THE SHANTY WHERE SANTA CLAUS LIVES (1933)  
WB Merrie Melodies Directed by Rudolph Ising

 



SANTA'S WORKSHOP (1932) -  A Walt Disney Silly Symphony





GIFT WRAPPED (1952) WB Looney Tunes -  Directed by Friz Freleng






TOY TINKERS (1949) Walt Disney





PLUTO'S CHRISTMAS TREE (1952) Walt Disney



And these are my selected shorts, which I watch whether it's Christmas or not:

Stan Laurel and Oliver Hardy in BIG BUSINESS (1929) 
Directed by James W. Horne and Leo McCarey






THE FIXER-UPPERS (1934) Directed by Charles Rogers


"Jingle bells, jingle bells
coming through the rye.
I wish you a merry Christmas
even as you and I"

And without further ado, I bid you farewell and a Merry Christmas to you!

Saturday, December 10, 2022

MY TOP 10 CHRISTMAS MOVIES

 Every year, at this time, I prepare myself to watch my favorite Yuletide Season movies and I have ranked them in order of preference. They're all great films and their place in the list does not deter from their merits. All 10 are highly recommended if you like classic films and/or Christmas themed movies.

1.-   A CHRISTMAS STORY (1983)


2.-   NATIONAL LAMPOON'S CHRISTMAS VACATION (1989)


3.-   BABES IN TOYLAND (MARCH OF THE WOODEN SOLDIERS) - 1934


4.-   THE BISHOP'S WIFE  (1947)


5.-   WHITE CHRISTMAS (1954)


6.-   IT'S A WONDERFUL LIFE (1946)


7.-   MIRACLE ON 34TH STREET (1947)


8.-   ELF (2003)


9.-   POLAR EXPRESS (2004)


10.- THE MUPPET CHRISTMAS CAROL (1992)


There's also the matter of the excellent and essential Christmas TV specials which I never miss during this season, but that is the subject of my next blog entry!

Friday, November 4, 2022

IN MEMORIAM : My Friend Marshall.

 Very sad to hear the news about Marshall Korby, former Grand Sheik of the Detroit Dancing Cuckoos Tent of the Laurel & Hardy International Organization, The Sons of the Desert; who passed away at 79 on November 1st.

                 
                   I subscribed to his Laurel & Hardy Catalogue and bought many items from him.
 

We met at the Sons of the Desert 1978 Convention in Chicago and became good friends. We kept in touch for many years after that and I last saw him in Florida where we had dinner and exchanged our life stories up to that point. He presented me with a booklet he compiled himself of all my Laurel & Hardy artwork as a gift.
 
Here are some of the vignettes featured in the booklet:




Rest in Peace, my Friend!