Joseph “Buster” Keaton (above, centre as a teenage vaudeville star) is today renowned as a comic actor and director of… Read more Buster Keaton and the Collapsing Lavatory
Category: Libraries
A Very Fine Exhibition of Clog-Wallopping or How Charlie Chaplin Found His Feet
“The boys roamed the streets for diversion, Syd wearing a pair of shoes as “holey as Gruyere cheese” and a… Read more A Very Fine Exhibition of Clog-Wallopping or How Charlie Chaplin Found His Feet
The Wrong Trousers: Making Laurel and Hardy’s “Liberty”
“Liberty” was released in January 1929 and was the 28th short comedy Laurel and Hardy had made together. It stands… Read more The Wrong Trousers: Making Laurel and Hardy’s “Liberty”
Silent Comedy: Where Do I Start?
At both my recent talks I’ve been approached by curious audience members in their 20s and 30s coming up to… Read more Silent Comedy: Where Do I Start?
The Noisy Silent Cinema
Silent cinema was never actually silent. You’ll probably know from your parents or grandparents that a large organ might rise… Read more The Noisy Silent Cinema
The Laurel and Hardy Bookcase
Many words have been spilled documenting and explaining the lives and careers of Stan Laurel and Oliver Hardy and there… Read more The Laurel and Hardy Bookcase
Book Review: He – A Novel by John Connolly
Ollie: “Shut up and get this mess cleaned up. Do you know that my wife will be home at noon?”… Read more Book Review: He – A Novel by John Connolly
Stan and Ollie: I knew they were my friends
Of Laurel and Hardy, Spike Milligan once said: “From the moment I saw them on the screen I knew they… Read more Stan and Ollie: I knew they were my friends
A Paper Trail
Discovering not only what was written for the great lost libraries of history, but what was written ON has been… Read more A Paper Trail
Uncovering the Library
For my latest talk I’ve been delving into the history of libraries. There are a few good modern books on… Read more Uncovering the Library
