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Script scene - "Rotters in Rotterdam"
Local newspaper, the "ROTTERDAMS NIEUWSBLAD", carried an advertisement for Stan and friends "The Eight Comiques", their act to be in the Circus Variete- Friday May 24th,1912. The British act was announced as as the first item on the programme over the Whitsun Weekend, Saturday May 25th and Sunday May 26th - and "the next few days". This could have been the cancelled programme finally performed on the 1st and 2nd of June.
The act "Fun on the Tyrol" was described as "a big, funny pantomime in a mad hotel" (Tyrol was possible the name of the hotel). It ended with the eight comedians walking on stilts with giant papier-mache heads on, until Stan fainted through lack of food and knocked them all down, domino fashion.........Thus, their act was cancelled*. One act was a horse dressage by De Sosman, a family member of the popular clown Pio Sosman. Also on the programme was the MOVING PICTURE SHOW, thus - according to some sources, making the operator of the company Van Kersten run the first officially recorded film theatre in Rotterdam.
*Stan recalls being told that their act was cut due to the WOODEN roof (its not wood but metal plates) making too much noise in rain but the REAL reason is that the oweners were told to have some health and safety building work done. And, according to a regular performer there before World War One, Alex de Haas, when asked about nthat fact many years later, he could not remember a full programme ever being cancelled because of the rain!
(Crazy idea to build a public performance place with ANY roof that made ANY noise when it rained - in the weather belt that Rotterdam is in!) Weather reports in the official KNMI (Royal Dutch Meteorlogical Institute) show nothing exceptional for the whole month of May 1912. The report for Whitsun Friday (May 24th) reads "cloudy, probably some rain or thunder, temperatures 17-19 degrees Celcius" And for the day after (25th) "Dry, or just a little rain: possible some frost during the night". The KNMI also report rain as being only 34mm during the previous three weeks, with 42mm the average for the whole month"...."no rain at all at Whitsun and hardly any the weekend before. The only heavey rainfall was the Tuesday and Wednesday before Whitsun."
Another Laurel and Hardy story to unravel - and enter the mythology of the two men's stories.........
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The "Circus Varitie", Rotterdam - interior shot, 1912. When in use as a circus, horses and clowns took the place of chairs and tables in the arena, where "The Eight Comiques" almost certainly played. A dressage act was second on the bill. (Stan was the Fifth Comique"). |
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View from Stan's balcony in the Dekkers Boarding House, looking into Kruis Street, in the direction of Station Square, (where the Circus Varitie is situated). The trees in middle mark the Zoo entrance and right back on th right, the mall tower that crowned the iron roof of the Circus Varitie. This address is No. 65 Kruisstraat. The lodging rooms were on the upper floors and a cafe called "The Porpoise" was on the ground floor. |
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What goes around,come around......When Stan an Ollie toured Europe in 1948, on the 7th January they were due to perform their "Driver's Licence" sketch here. It is the same place that the "Eight Comiques" had their disastrous 'performance' way back in 1912, the Liege-Palace, on the Rue Pont d'Avroy, Liege. To make matters worse, the next day, they saw some children playing with their props inthe street!
It's interior in 1912 sounds lovely - the 1500 seater hall was decorated in the then fashionable Oriental style, the walls covered with canvas painted representations of Japanese landscapes. Under the balcony (which carries a string of charming balancing lanterns) is the cabin of the cinema operator, who projects his moving images onto an unfolding big white screen in front of the stage. Left is a small gallery, with a piano, to accompany the cinema images... |
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The film "Hats Off" is lost, unfortunately, except for a few bits and pieces. This is one of two rare stills, from the collection of Peter Mikkelsen).
Hats Off: the story of two young men, with only one pocket between them - but that was always empty!
The forerunner for their more famous (later) film "The Music Box" - same steps............Stan was apparently relentlessly persued when married to Lois by a washing machine salesman, very keen to give a demonstration.......... |
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Text reads : "Congratulations Boys! Not only are you America's favourite sons of fun, but now "BONNIE SCOTLAND" has broken all previous records in Europe. It's doping the biggest business of ALL Laurel and Hardy feature-length comedies. Out tip to theatres who haven't played it yet, is to give it the works. Theres no comedy team in the world to equal these boys and your folks love 'em"
HOW TRUE.............!
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In some style in Copenhagen,on their way to the Palace Hotel. Stan's suit is canary yellow and Ollie's suit is green (1948 Tour). |
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Let's not forget Britain on the 1947/48 Tour: this is Birmingham, where Stan and Ollie (and Ida) have meagre rations, during the "worst winter on record" and the snow is eight feet thick outside....still didn't stop fans waiting in the cold to see them! |
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