08.12.24.
The Laughing Gravy Annual
John Ullah and Mandy Finney have excelled once more with this year’s Laughing Gravy Annual. Not only did their Birmingham Tent host a remarkable convention in May, but they had a very full year of activities - they usually do!
Tributes to Mike Dennett
A Blackpool ventriloquist and comedian who performed on stage with legendary comedy duo, Laurel and Hardy has died at the age of 82. Mike Dennett was 10 when he performed at Stan Laurel and Oliver Hardy's Christmas Party at the Nottingham Empire on 21 December, 1952.
The performer, whose career spanned seven decades, later described it as the highlight of his career. Mr Dennett had "brought laughter and light to so many", and died surrounded by his loved ones at home in Blackpool following a short illness, his family said. They said he had "spoken really fondly of Laurel and Hardy", having been invited to meet them in their dressing room that day.
He had told his family that the famous comedy double act had introduced him by saying "one day this young man's name will be up in lights. It was an absolute highlight of his career," his family said, adding that they believed he may have been the last surviving UK artiste to work with Laurel and Hardy. Mike was invited to perform with Laurel and Hardy after the ventriloquist due to perform with them had dropped out due to illness.
His family said: "Mike's quick wit and infectious humour left a lasting impression on everyone who had the pleasure of seeing him perform alongside his long-time partner, Chic, over the course of a remarkable seven decade career. Beyond the stage, Mike was even more beloved: He was known for his kindness, authenticity, and unwavering devotion to his family." They said Mr Dennett's "selflessness and love" would be "missed by all who knew him".
Mike Dennett was invited to perform with Laurel and Hardy after the ventriloquist due to perform with them had dropped out due to illness. Mr Dennett, who began his career in show-business at the age of eight, also performed alongside Lulu, Matt Monro, Shirley Bassey, Tony Christie and Engelbert Humperdinck over the course of his career. He was married to Blackpool singer, Darci Silver, and lived in the coastal town for 41 years as well as performing there for 50 years.
Mr Dennett continued to perform with his ventriloquist's dummy, Chic, pronounced "chick", until he retired at 78 due to ill health, his family said. He appeared on TV shows including New Faces in the 1970s and Guys and Dolls in the 1980s, as well as a BBC documentary on ventriloquism. He performed in venues across the country, including Blackpool Central Pier and the Sheffield Fiesta, as well as in Benidorm.
He also performed in front of royalty, appearing in front of Prince Edward at an event in Scotland.
Spotted in the press by Eric Schultz
Men o' War Tent meetings
Now available
Fez & Badge just £7.50 !
Email: garryerrock@gmail.com to order.
Back on TV
Good news is that Laurel and Hardy are back on Rewind TV this week in The Flying Deuces on Tuesday 10th December at 6.45am. Rewind TV can be found on Freeview 95, Sky 182 and Freely 150 and they have recently aired Pardon Us and the Stan Laurel solo West of Hot Dog.
Paul Harding
On board
Anni and Grahame Morris are currently in Madeira on the Queen Anne. They found this picture onboard, and thought it was very good.
Smashing time
I have been reading a little of The Laurel & Hardy Digest each night before bed and I finished it last night. I thoroughly enjoyed the book, and note one reference to me, although not by name. It's the description of our smashing an upright piano to smitherings in Saint Paul during the 1988 convention. I was Professor Theodore von Schwarzzenhoffen, MD, AD, DDS, FLD, FFF und F, while two other Block-Heads members portrayed Stan and Ollie, Dick Snider as Stan and Lyle McNair as Babe, both sadly now gone.
We actually destroyed FIVE upright pianos (none of them actual player pianos), and it was 103° F (39.44° C) in downtown Saint Paul that sultry, July 15th day overlooking the Mighty Mississippi River!
Tracy Tolzmann
Did you know?
Fascinating revelations emerge from the analysis of existing scripts and comparison with the finished films: three chimps instead of one in Dirty Work and three babies instead of one in Their First Mistake, for example! Promising scenes, in scripts but not filmed, include a bicycle ride in Sons of the Desert and a dance in Block-Heads. It is even more galling to learn of treasures which were actually filmed but lost on the cutting room floor, an example being the first reel of Any Old Port.
From The Laurel & Hardy Digest, available now
. . . and finally