You can celebrate ST. PATRICK'S DAY even if you're not Irish!

And of course there are many ways to remember St. Patrick's holiday which must include watching some great classic Irish-themed cartoons!
These two are my perennial favorites!

1951 - WEARING OF THE GRIN. Written by Michael Maltese and directed by Chuck Jones. The expressions on Porky's face make this, one of the funniest entries in the Merrie Melodies library!

 

https://www.dailymotion.com/video/x4831na

1958 - DROOPY LEPRECHAUN - MGM-Hanna-Barbera Productions. Directed by Michael Lah.  Droopy's last theatrical cartoon is memorable for Spike, the Irish dog who's obsessed with catching a leprechaun! 

Opening scenes from DROOPY LEPRECHAUN:

Anyway, Happy St. Patrick's Day!

GIRLS! - (The Wonders of Photoshop)

                              This image may seem utterly ridiculous and impossible but...I can dream, can't I?

The World of Entertainment Today...

I think this may be an age thing but it seems harder each year for me to find good entertainment...

The LAUREL & HARDY Comic Book Collection

Being a Laurel and Hardy fan since my early childhood, I was pleasantly surprised back in 1962 when I discovered Dell Publishing's first Laurel and Hardy comic book and immediately began to look for all their following issues. The names of the writers and artists on these are sadly unavailable.

Unfortunately, only four issues were produced before the title was discontinued.    

                                                     

 Later on, Gold Key comics took another shot at it and published two more Laurel and Hardy issues, in 1967. 



Again, in 1972, DC Comics tried one more time to promote a Laurel and Hardy comic with so much luck, they only came out with one lone issue.   

 
Today, thanks to the internet, it's very easy to track down most of the Laurel and Hardy back issues, even dating to the St. John comics from the late forties.


It is even possible to locate some rare foreign editions like these from England, Spain and Mexico.

                                                                                                                                                                 
                                 

OSCAR NIGHT...

...and this happens when you're NOT rooting for any of the nominees!

Remember STAN LAUREL

54 years ago, we lost Stan Laurel, a comedy genius and my own personal idol.

From Wikipedia:

In January 1965, Stan Laurel underwent a series of x-rays for an infection on the roof of his mouth. He died on 23 February 1965, aged 74, four days after suffering a heart attack on 19 February.  Minutes before his death, he told his nurse that he would not mind going skiing, and she replied that she was not aware that he was a skier. "I'm not," said Laurel, "I'd rather be doing that than this!" A few minutes later, the nurse looked in on him again and found that he had died quietly in his armchair.

At his funeral, silent screen comedian Buster Keaton said, "Chaplin wasn't the funniest, I wasn't the funniest, this man was the funniest."  Dick Van Dyke gave the eulogy as a friend, protégé, and occasional impressionist of Laurel during his later years; he read "The Clown's Prayer".  Laurel had quipped, "If anyone at my funeral has a long face, I'll never speak to him again."  He was interred in Forest Lawn–Hollywood Hills Cemetery.

At Forest Lawn Cemetery, a plaque was placed reading:

STAN LAUREL
1890 - 1965
A MASTER OF COMEDY
HIS GENIUS IN THE ART OF HUMOR BROUGHT GLADNESS TO THE WORLD HE LOVED.

Joining the Laurel and Hardy appreciation society, the Sons Of The Desert, I was fortunate enough to meet Stan Laurel's daughter, Lois Laurel Hawes and visit Stan's final resting place with her, back in 1980, during the Sons of the Desert Second International Convention in Hollywood.

God Bless Stan Laurel!

ARTIE SHAW and BENNY GOODMAN, the Great Clarinet Players.

I've always been a big fan of Big Band Swing music which I've been listening to since my early childhood. My parents had a good sized collection of old 78 RPM shellac records which I continually played on an old Motorola player and later, on a Garrard turntable. The music of Glenn Miller, Tommy Dorsey, Benny Goodman, Artie Shaw and several other big band leaders, was a staple of their collection.

Later on, I managed to get hold of a second-hand clarinet and taught myself how to play the instrument, aided by Paul Harvey's THE COMPLETE CLARINET PLAYER Omnibus Edition from 1986 and A. Magnani's Complete Method for Clarinet in Two Books. Since there were no YouTube tutorials back then, and I didn't have the time to take lessons from a qualified music teacher, the learning process was quite slow and lengthy.

Of course, no virtuosity was achieved but after much practice, I managed to play it with limited proficiency, enough to carry me by when I had to perform in public for a musical play.

I don't remember the name of the show but I do recall I had two solo numbers with a piano accompanist: As Time Goes By and St. Louis Blues.

My clarinet kit.

The clarinet is no longer functional for lack of proper maintenance; however, I still keep it for nostalgic reasons and am planning to buy me a new one someday soon. Playing the clarinet along with Goodman and Shaw's recordings used to be a very pleasant pastime years ago and I hope I can indulge myself once more.

 

Artie Shaw was born May 23, 1910 and died December 30, 2004 at the age of 94.

Benny Goodman was born May 30, 1909 and died June 13, 1986 at the age of 77.

STAN & OLLIE - The Movie

STAN & OLLIE, the biopic of comedians Stan Laurel and Oliver Hardy was released in the US on December 28, 2018 and as of February 14, it had grossed a total of $4, 489,249.
The film earned several award nominations:
John C. Reilly was nominated for a Golden Globe Award for the Best Performance by an Actor in a Motion Picture - Musical or Comedy.
The film was nominated for the BAFTA Film Award for the Outstanding British Film of the Year.
Steve Coogan was nominated for the BAFTA Film Award for Best Leading Actor.

STAN & OLLIE earned praises and cheers from Laurel and Hardy fans all over the world in spite of some resistance early on.  I was lucky enough to be in New York in January and made it to a screening thanks to my son Ricardo, who promptly bought our tickets!

Frankly, I had my doubts about the characterizations and overall treatment of the story but in spite of the historical inaccuracies and factual distortions, the film is excellent, and both Coogan and Reilly give realistic and very moving performances. Shirley Henderson as Lucille Hardy and Nina Arianda as Ida Laurel are magnificently funny and likable. They almost walk away with the film. The rest of the cast is excellent. I do not completely subscribe to the portrayal of Mr. Hal Roach but all in all, this is an exceptional work of movie magic; the period is faithfully recreated and the entire production looks like a top-notch endeavor. Many touching moments and funny bits are edited in a very effective fashion and the film goes by very quickly, never dragging and always keeping you wondering what's coming up next. Some scenes are painfully realistic and you genuinely feel as if you're witnessing the woes and trials of two great comedians trying to recapture their former glory and popularity. 
Their theme song, Dance of the Cuckoos is thankfully present throughout!
If anything, the movie made me realize once again, how great Laurel and Hardy really were...and it reinforced my deep love for these two gentlemen.
The theater was little more than half full and most of the audience was made up of people around my age range. They were all quite appreciative and laughed at the right moments. The comments I overheard as we were walking out of the movie house were all very positive, with people remembering other L & H films and reminiscing about their favorite bits from the original films. The inclusion at the end credits of the actual dance sequence from WAY OUT WEST and photos from the real Laurel and Hardy in the same period of time was a nice surprise for me as was the dedication to Lois Laurel.
All in all, both thumbs way up for this film. 

                                                     

The release of the DVD was announced for March 26, 2019!

Of course, wishful thinking makes one hope that all of this will somehow contribute to a rediscovery and renewed appreciation of Laurel & Hardy's original body of work, for present and future generations to enjoy.

Doubtful, at best...but anyway, the film was a success and we, the old tried and true Laurel & Hardy fans, are simply grateful for it!

VALENTINE'S DAY!

According to WIKIPEDIA:
Valentine's Day, also called Saint Valentine's Day or the Feast of Saint Valentine, is a secular and religious holiday celebrated annually on February 14. It originated as a Western Christian feast day honoring one or two early saints named Valentinus. Valentine's Day is recognized as a significant cultural, religious, and commercial celebration of romance and romantic love in many regions around the world, although it is not a public holiday in any country.

Whatever the case, February 14th is Valentine's Day, so...

HAPPY VALENTINE'S DAY!