More Laurel and Hardy

After their British tour, and after their visit to Plymouth where Ollie was taken ill, Laurel and Hardy travelled back to America on the 3rd June 1954 on the Danish ship, 'Manchuria'.

This photo shows a recovered Ollie on the left with Stan on the right. They're dining at the Captain's table.

Unfortunately, Ollie died three years later on the 7th August 1957. He was 65 years old.

Stan wrote about their journey back home, in a letter;

'We sailed from Hull, England on June 3rd on a Danish Cargo ship. The voyage took 23 days, stopped in at St. Thomas (the Virgin Islands), Curaco Christobal and through the Panama Canal. It was very interesting, especially the Canal. The accommodations were very nice - good food and calm sea all the way, I really prefer travelling this way as you don't have to dress up for meals etc. as you do on the big passenger ships. There were only 10 passengers on this trip (12 is the limit they carry) so its practically like being on a private yacht.'

Stan died on the 23rd February 1965 at his home in Santa Monica. He was 74.

Westward Television

Westward Television was launched on the 29th April, 1961. The chairman of the company was Peter Cadbury who had previously been on the board of Tyne Tees Television. He named the company after a course in Westward Ho! where he played golf.

The station was based at Derry's Cross within purpose-built studios.

Well-known and much loved presenters included Kenneth MacLeod (pictured), Stuart Hutchison, John Doyle, Lawrie Quayle, Roger Shaw, Graham Danton as well as many others.

Westward's flagship programme was Westward Diary which went out at 6pm on Monday to Friday. The three original presenters were Reginald Bosanquet, Barry Westwood and Kenneth MacLeod. Many people may have forgotten that Reginald Bosanquet worked for Westward before becoming an ITN newsreader. Kenneth MacLeod later became the sole anchor man for the show which featured local news in the first half followed by items such as 'Pick of the Post' and 'Picture Puzzle' where people at home had to guess a mystery location to win a prize. In a time when there weren't so many cars, the picture puzzle was harder than it would appear today because many people hadn't been to the places shown. Other popular Westward shows included 'Treasure Hunt' with Keith Fordyce and 'A Date with Danton' with Graham Danton.

Shows, being live, regularly broke down and I can recall one show where nothing would work. Lawrie Quayle had just come back from a holiday in Spain and, as they had no news or anything else to show the public, Kenneth MacLeod chatted to him for half an hour about his holiday!

Another favourite on Westward Television was Gus Honeybun who became a favourite with children.There are still Gus Honeybun trains on Plymouth Hoe though none of today's children will have any knowledge of him!

When Westward was taken over by TSW in 1982, I think the people of the Westcountry expected something better but instead they lost something that had been very special to many people. The channel and its presenters are still fondly remembered.

Unfortunately, many of the presenters including Ken MacLeod, John Doyle and Stuart Hutchinson are no longer around although Gus Honeybun is apparently living happily on Dartmoor somewhere!

The Bounty

The story of the Mutiny on the Bounty is well known and documented. There is a link with Fletcher Christian and Plymouth but how accurate it is, no-one will ever know.

William Bligh (pictured) will always be remembered for the mutiny which took place on the Bounty in 1789. William Bligh owned a boathouse near to the Saltash Ferry and probably, at one time, lived there. Bligh was born at Tinten Manor at St Tudy on 9th September, 1754. Amazingly, his first sea voyage was on HMS Monmouth when he was just aged 7, as a servant to the Captain. By 1787, he had sailed with Captain Cook and had become Captain of the Bounty.

The Bounty's mission was to collect breadfruit plants from Tahiti and transport them to the West Indies where they were to be grown to provide a cheap food source for slaves.

Once Fletcher Christian and the crew of the Bounty had experienced the paradise of Tahiti for five months, collecting and preparing breadfruit plants, they were understandably, not happy about the prospect of their return to England when the time came to leave.

Tension overflowed once on board and Fletcher Christian took control of the ship.

Bligh's diary entry for 28th April, 1789, the day of the mutiny, reads: 'Just before sunrise, Mr Christian and the Master at Arms came into my cabin while I was fast asleep, and seizing me, tied my hands with a cord and threatened instant death if I made the least noise. I however called sufficiently loud to alarm the Officers, who found themselves equally secured by sentinels at their doors. Mr Christian had a cutlass and the others were armed with muskets and bayonets. I was now carried on deck in my shirt in torture with a severe bandage round my wrists behind my back, where I found no man to rescue me.'

Fletcher Christian took control of the Bounty and Bligh, and those faithful to him, were set adrift in a small boat. Bligh, being an excellent navigator and seaman, guided the 23 ft boat to Tofua and then on to Timor, which was in the hands of the Dutch. He travelled a total of 3,618 nautical miles with just a sextant, a pocket watch but with no maps. He made it back to England in March 1790 where he faced a court martial but was honourably acquitted.

Christian and his crew settled on the island of Pitcairn. Some were later captured but acquited at trial, some were hanged and some died at sea. Others died of natural causes.

There were various stories telling how Fletcher Christian met his death on Pitcairn. Some said that he had been murdered while others said that he had died of natural causes, committed suicide or gone insane.Rumours went around that he had faked his own death and returned to England. Midshipman Peter Heywood, who had sailed on The Bounty, reportedly saw Fletcher Chrisitan in Plymouth after the mutiny.

Bowls on the Hoe

Francis Drake was born at Crowndale near Tavistock in around 1540. Perhaps the most famous story connecting Drake with Plymouth Hoe is the one of how he played bowls on 19th July 1588 with his fellow captains. When news was brought to them that the Armada had been spotted off the Lizard, Drake announced that they still had time to finish the game and beat the Spaniards as well. Many people have dismissed the story as a myth and if the game did take place, it wasn't where the current bowling green is on the Hoe now. Interestingly, the game was banned by law at the time and the reason given was that it caused people to neglect their archery practice. It's possible that the rich had private games in their own gardens. Drake had a house with a garden in Looe Street and John Hawkins had a residence closer to the harbour. If the game did take place on the Hoe, it's likely to have been in the area of the much quarried Lambhay Hill where the Citadel now stands which would have also been near the chalk giants, Gog and Magog. From here, Drake would have had an excellent vantage point of the Sound right across to Rame. In the only remaining copy of Phoenix Britannicus, published in 1624, only 36 years after the event, the story is told as fact and states that the match did indeed take place on the Hoe.

Benny Baron

There has been a lot of interest in Laurel and Hardy and their appearance at the Palace Theatre on 17th May, 1954. Plymouth's Barry Ewart has a connection with both the comedians, as his grandfather, Benny Baron, taught Stan many of his routines. Although Barry never knew his grandfather, his mother used to tell him stories of when Benny toured the music halls with his partner, Jack Graham.

Barry's uncle, Billy Baron, remembers, 'Stan adopted exactly the facial expressions my father used in his act. He was the one who got everything wrong and used to 'cry' when his partner knocked off his straw boater.'

Barry says, 'In the film the 'Flying Deuces', Babe (Ollie) sings 'Shine On, Harvest Moon' and Stan does a soft shoe shuffle dance routine to the song which was taught to Stan, step for step, by my grandfather and it brings a tear to my eye every time I watch it.'

Barry continues, 'My grandfather first worked with a young Stanley Jefferson (later Stan Laurel) in the early 1900's ( before America beckoned). The first documented production I can find is a juvenile pantomime company run by H.B.Levy and J.E. Cardwell. The production was 'The Sleeping Beauty'. My grandfather Benny was older than Stan. Master Stanley Jefferson played Ebeneezer (Golliwog2) and my grandfather played Major Flashlight. Amongst others in the cast were Jack Graham (later to become my grandfathers stage partner in the double act, 'Graham and Baron'). Jack played Colonel Dreadnought. I have in my possession a letter from Stan to my grandfather (at a time when Stan was famous as one half of Laurel and Hardy) and a picture of Stan, Ollie and Benny when they toured during the 1950s. My late mother always used to refer to Stan as uncle Stan and she told me many stories. Apparently, Stan learnt the deadpan face , and the 'cry' from Benny. In the movie, 'The Flying Deuces', Babe sings shine on Harvest Moon. Stan does a soft shoe shuffle routine and this dance routine was taught to Stan step for step by Benny. My elder brother used to do part of this (my grandfather died before I was born). Apparently Stan wanted Benny to go to America where, he explained to Benny, it was money for old rope (he was still not famous then) but my grandmother was having none of it saying it was bad enough touring round Northern England and Scotland (mostly) with their by now growing family including my mum (Irene Baron). After a long stint in variety as a double act with Jack Graham my grandfather finally retired from the stage to run a pub in Sunderland called The Boars Head Hotel. Stan always kept in touch with my grandfather.'

Barry adds, 'My grandfather lived in Sunderland and my mother (Irene Baron) came from Sunderland to Plymouth in the early fifties to marry a matelot (my dad). I might add that my mother, when she was young, sang on stage with none other than Judy Garland, albeit in the chorus line, and most of my uncles played in the orchestra pit of the Sunderland Empire , and toured most of the theatres in Northern England.'

The Palace Theatre

The theatre in Union Street was originally called the New Palace Theatre of Varieties and was opened on the 5th September, 1898. The opening show featured Adele and May Lilian who were billed as the Levey Sisters. They performed Persian and hunting songs and were followed by an acrobatic act called The Six Craggs. Other acts that night included Walter and Edie Cassons who performed a vaudeville act, a comedian called Harry Comlin and a roller skater called Fred Darby. Tickets ranged from one shilling to 2/6 which included three hours of entertainment.

Fire destroyed both the auditorium and stage on the 23rd December, 1898 and the theatre wasn't opened again until May 1899.

There were twice nightly vaudeville shows by 1902 and artists who appeared during the early 1900s included Neil Kenyon billed as a 'scotch' comedian, Robert Williams a sword swinger and Miss Gertie Gitana who sang songs including 'Nellie Dean.'

In 1909, Harry Houdini played at the theatre for a week during August and drew a huge crowd.

Charlie Chaplin, who was in Plymouth as a guest of Nancy Astor, appeared on stage on the 16th November, 1931.

The theatre stayed open during the blitz of 1941 to keep people's spirits up. Acts that appeared that year included Billy Cotton and his band, Tommy Handley, Arthur Lucan (Old Mother Riley), Henry Hall and his Orchestra as well as many less known acts. At Christmas of that year, the show was Robinson Crusoe which starred George Hirstie.

The theatre closed in 1949 for redecorating and reopened with the Billy Cotton Bandshow. The theatre closed again in 1954 due to the lack of touring shows. It was offered to the Plymouth City Council in 1956 but they refused to buy it and it closed for five months before reopening in October 1956. It closed suddenly on the 7th February, 1959 during the pantomime, 'Little Miss Muffet' because of lack of interest.

New management took over the theatre in 1961 and it became Palace Theatre (Bingo) Ltd.

The theatre reopened in 1962 with the pantomime, 'Sinbad the Sailor.'

In 1965, Arthur Fox, a businessman from Manchester, paid £50,000 for the theatre with the intention of hosting Star Bingo, wrestling (which was very popular at the time) and striptease.

In 1975, it was bought by EMI and opened on the 19th April, 1977 with a performance of 'The Magic Flute.' The theatre struggled and closed on the 27th May, 1980 when it ceased trading and its contents were put up for sale. It reopened on the 16th May 1981 for a review with Danny La Rue but finally closed in 1983 when it became the Academy Disco.

Its fortunes didn't improve and today it remains closed and its shabby appearance hides its varied history. It's amazing to think of the great acts that have appeared there and of how many people in Plymouth have been entertained by them.

The theatre is said to be haunted, a rumour started in the early 1960s.

Robin Hood

Robin Hood wasn't from Plymouth but the actor who played him in the tv series in the 1950s was. Richard Greene was born in Stonehouse on the 25th August, 1918. He appeared in 'The Adventures of Robin Hood' for 143 episodes between 1955 and 1960.

His aunt was Evie Greene an actress in musical theatre and his parents were both actors with the Repertory Theatre in Plymouth. He was educated in Kensington and left school when he was 18. His stage career began when he played a spear carrier in a version of Julius Caesar in 1933. In 1936, he joined the Jevan Brandon Repertory Company and appeared in Terence Rattigan's 'French Without Tears' where he came to the attention of Alexander Korda and Darryl F Zanuck. When he was 20, he joined 20th Century Fox and became a huge success after appearing in John Ford's movie, 'Four Men and a Prayer.' He received so much fan mail that he rivalled Tyrone Power and Robert Taylor. Greene continued to make movies until he enlisted in the 27th Lancers during the Second World War.

Greene appeared in propaganda films during the war and also toured entertaining the troops. However, the war ruined Greene's rising film career although he is well remembered for 'Forever Amber' which was made in 1947. Afterwards, he found himself cast in mainly swashbuckling roles. With little film work and his divorce from Patricia Medina, Greene was almost forgotten when he was approached by Yeoman Films who offered him the lead role in 'The Adventures of Robin Hood.' By taking the role it solved his financial problems and also made him a huge star.

Richard Greene died at his home in Norfolk on the 1st June, 1985.