Laurel and Hardy in Birmingham

Laurel and Hardy return to the Bartons Arms. Includes a talk by John Ullah (Sons of the Desert).

We’ve already highlighted the role played by local boy Charlie Hall in the work of Laurel and Hardy, but the boys also visited the city themselves a number of times, performing in Birmingham at the height of their fame in 1932 and then later on when their film careers had begun to wane. After a gig at the Aston Hippodrome it was the Bartons Arms where they bedded down for the night – an opulent Victorian boozer which also welcomed Caruso and Chaplin over the years – so it’s only fitting that we return there today. John Ullah, Grand Sheik of the Sons of the Desert’s Birmingham ‘tent’ and author of a new book on Charlie Hall, will be giving a talk and we’ll also have a medley of the duo’s finest two-reel moments.