Thanks to Dmote I got in connection with Tiger and Scram in Sydney and we decided to hit up a wall along with Sare2. The day started out pretty badly, heavy rain, traffic, I was supposed to be there at one but didn't show up till 3. However luckily the rain stopped as I arrived and we got a perfect afternoon from then on. We placed ourselves on the wall and started painting away.

scram

Here's another shot from Sedona. This was one of our favorite places from our road trip. This red rock was all over the place and it contrasted so well with all the greenery. This is probably the most recognizable formation in Sedona. This was a popular place at this time of day, too. I was really happy when a family of creek-goers opted to scram just before sunset. This shot took quite a bit of blending. There was a lot of wind so I had to shoot at a higher ISO for the trees, then I bumped up the aperture for the water and blended them all together with the rest of the scene.

scram!!!!

Whimbrel chasing an arctic tern away from its nest.

Iceland.

————-

A blinding light shines down onto Warlock’s body as a Nova’s ship lands on the ground. Nova exits and pulls his body into the ship. He walks over over to me and says, “I see you found Gamora. You know we’re going to have to hunt you and your ‘Guardians Of The Galaxy’ down. But to be nice I’ll let you go for this time.”

“You, know maybe the Nova corps ain't that bad after all. Also our ship is kinda, not in one piece.”

“There’s a great shipyard 5 jumps from here, I bet Yondu can get you there.”

“Actually, we could use a Nova officer on the ‘Guardians Of The Galaxy’.”

“I'll think about it, anyway scram.” I make my way to Yondu with Drax’s body and a ship similar to the Milano sends down a ladder. We all hold on and rise to the back of the ship. I look down and see more Nova corps arrive. The door then swiftly closes.

------------

Thanks for reading the last issue of volume 1 ‘infinite’ I will be posting my plans for volume was later this week.

-hero motion

The Gladiators

------------------------------------------

(Sir Ian's POV):

Sir Ian knew not how long more he stayed in the dirty cell. He had been transported once more and his burned arm had been sloppily treated with a splash of cool water and a rough bandage. It helped, but not much. Apparently, they want they prisoners in good condition, he thought. He also knew not where the Loreesi man who had offered him assistance had been taken, or if he still lived. He somehow hoped so. Days, hours, minutes passed at a mind-numbngly. Here in the dark cell, no difference was to be told. The only thing that marked the passage of time was the occasional crust of bread and bowl of water slid though the iron bars of the door. So they wanted to keep him alive, they thought to himself. Finally, he glanced up to see yellow torchlight growing brighter as it flickered down the passage towards him. It stopped in front of his door. "You, come over to the door!" The guard fingered a ring of keys. Sir Ian nervously shambled over to the door where the guard stepped in, unlocked his chains, then whipped out a gladius. "Now, don't make me kill yeh." He prodded the prisoner with the rusted end. "Move it." Sir Ian shuffled down the muddy, damp corridor, for lack of a better alternative.

After he had been walking for what seemed like hours to his sense-of-time-bereaved mind, another guard pushing a similarly bedraggled Erathor Pridenar joined them from another corridor. "Hello, old friend," he gasped. "Stay silent!" the guard snapped and cuffed the Loreesi on the head. At the end of another musty corridor, Sir Ian could barely make out a pinprick of light.As they drew closer it enlarged. Finally, the guards shoved the two prisoners out the entrance. The light was blinding. Sir Ian squinted and could not keep his eyes open.

The sunlight made his eyes ache and tingle after being in the dark for so long. "Move along, blondie! No time for fooling around!" The guard jabbed Sir Ian's bare back lightly with the blade. He had no idea where they were going. Although colors swam and danced heavily in front of his eyes, he made out a dirty street fringed with ramshackle houses and tattered Loreesi banners sprinkled sparsely along the rooftops. He stumbled along the dusty street. Must be a nominally "Loreesi" village being used as an Outlaw hideout, he thought. He did a double take to see a young Queen's archer clad in the standard studded leather vest and a red bandana walking idly down the streets, fingering a cheap crossbow. The man stopped and directed his attention to the party of bandits, for they had now been joined by a couple more of their captors, and eyed the two knights quizzically. "Where'd 'e get these 'uns, Horace?" One of the Outlaws, the one dressed in Queen's uniform and wearing a battered gorget, replied, "Ah, we got 'em up at Granhaven. Them Loreesi and a few Garhims were pushing the boys out, so we decided to grab some, uh, booty, and scram while we still had our heads." "I see", replied the crossbowman. "You know the slave market up North just got busted, right?"

The Outlaw, presumably called Horace, replied, "So I hear. Shame, I coulda made some good money on these. But I guess they're just, ah, entertainment now." Next to Ian, Erathor spat and winced. This was obviously not how the Loreesi lord had imagined their remaining prison time to pass. Still, Ian thought, their was the hope of Rufus Battleborn. But Horace's next words sent a shot of doubt down the Garhim's spine. "You heading' down to the arena? We just got finished with a coupla' Lenfels and these two'll do quite nicely. Wargs are still hungry." With a pang of fear, Sir Ian remembered the whispered conversation he had overheard from the cell. The archer and Horace exchanged goodbyes and the latter prodded the two captives on.

  

It was not long before they reached "the arena". While not as impressive as Sir Ian had imagined, it was still a grim sight, as he watched the spent forms of 2 Lenfels being dragged away. It was about 20 feet square, with 2 of the walls being constructed, or more thrown together, of stone and mud, while the other two were of wood. Sharp stakes lined the palisades, making any thought of escape more complicated. A crowd of Outlaws surrounded the ring on crude wooden benches, talking amongst themselves, obviously delighted that they would see another pair of prisoners meet their end today. "Put these on!" said Horace, who dropped a few meager pieces of armor, a shortsword, and a mace at their feet. "This is barbaric!" whispered Erathor as the two knights leaned over to adorn the scraps of Outlaw-fashioned pauldron and vambrace. Sir Ian was about to reply but something caught his eye. "Look! There's Rufus!" he returned in a dry whisper as he noticed the heavyset Outlaw amidst the crowd. "I hope he carries through." "Indeed," the Loreesi noble replied. "Alright, enough chit-chat!" Horace gestured into the arena. Seeing no better choice, the two men clambered over the wall and dropped to the scuffed ground. Another one of their captors locked a chain around each man's neck and fastened the other end to a post."Have fun!" the man laughed, and vaulted over the side of the arena to observe the imminent spectacle. Sir Ian fingered the mace he had chosen. It was rusty, but better than nothing. Suddenly, he snapped to attention as with a snarl, a far less-groomed version of his old friend Tarminus' mount bounded over the crude palisade. The beast growled again and sprang forward. "Quick, Erathor!" Sir Ian yelled and ducked behind the post to feel the bast's great bulk slam into the other side. Erathor stepped in from the side and brought his sword down on the Warg's back. The crowd exploded with hollers of disappointment and delight alike. The animal growled viciously and snapped its head around the tear at the Loreesi. Sir Ian dodged back around the post and swung his mace and the already-bruised back of the Warg. It howled in rage, but the two knights had gained an advantage, and continued fending it off while dealing out blows. The Warg had had enough, and, bruised and battered, turned and bounded away, springing from, the arena and bowling over a couple of surprised spectators. The rabble roared with raucous laughter. "Impressive!" boomed Horace's commanding but cruel tone. "It seems both of you have some skill with the blade. Evidently, the only sensible conclusion is that you fight…each other!"

--------------------------------------

(Lord Erathor's POV):

Erathor was not in a cell anymore, the guards had deemed him unworthy for such a privilege. Instead, he found himself hunched in a cramped cage, bars all around him, unable to move. He blinked the sleep out of his eyes as, once again, he heard footsteps approaching.

“Get up, you!” A stinking Outlaw unlocked the cage and Erathor crawled out, wincing in pain as he did so. “C’mon, move it!” He was pushed forward and he staggered into the hallway, almost falling into Ian as he did so.

“Hello, old friend,” the lord croaked, only to receive a blow to the head.

“Stay silent!” the guard ordered, and they continued forward to a large entrance, filled with blindingly bright light. Shoved through the doorway, Erathor could make out buildings all around, buildings that appeared to be Loreesi. He was in the desert, and the glare of the sun was hot on his head.

"Where'd 'e get these 'uns, Horace?" asked a guard in Galainir’s uniform. Erathor squirmed with rage.

"Ah, we got 'em up at Grahnhaven. Them Loreesi and a few Garhims were pushing the boys out, so we decided to grab some, uh, booty, and scram while we still had our heads."

"I see,” replied the crossbowman. "You know the slave market up North just got busted, right?"

"So I hear. Shame, I coulda made some good money on these. But I guess they're just, ah, entertainment now." Ian shivered and Erathor spat onto the sand, still trying to break free from the guards, who were surprisingly strong. Where was Rufus? Why were they relying on another Outlaw to get them out? He sighed, realising that they had no other way out now.

"You heading' down to the arena? We just got finished with a coupla' Lenfels and these two'll do quite nicely. Wargs are still hungry,” the former Queen’s man said as he turned to walk away, leaving the two captives to their fate.

The arena itself was crude, made up of bloodied wooden stakes. Fresh blood was on the sand, staining it scarlet.

“Look, there’s Rufus!” Ian whispered urgently.

“Indeed,” replied Erathor, desperately hoping he wouldn’t let them down. The conversation was cut off, though, as they were ‘guided’ into the arena and chains were fastened around their necks. They were tied to posts, effectively live bait. Scrappy armour placed on them, rusting weapons in hand, the two men faced down the creature that had been let in, a huge wolf-like thing with teeth the size off a man’s hand. There was anger in its eyes.

The warg leaped forward at Ian but the Garhim’s instincts had kicked in, and he ducked away. The beast turned to Erathor but received the strong blow of a sword on its back, just as Ian’s mace flew forward. Howling in rage it continued its attack, but it was severely weakened and could be held off by the battered Roawians. It suddenly appeared to have had enough and the creature flung itself back over the spiked fence, receiving cheers from the crowd. Horace stood and laughed.

"Impressive! It seems both of you have some skill with the blade. Evidently, the only sensible conclusion is that you fight…each other!"

 

with Phibs, Shoe, Scram & Perso.

Actually, I think it was in Explore for about five minutes. There was a brief flurry of faves, and then it was over.

Picked up a Kubrick Big Bird from their Sesame Street line, and I think it fits right in with my LEGO town. Here's a couple of quick snapshots of him getting to know the place.

Last piece in Australia this time round, fast and fun times alongside Sare2 at the famous May's Lane in Sydney. Thanks to Scram for the spot. Even though this spot gets painted pretty much daily, somehow this wall is still up 3,5 weeks after it was done :)

"With my compliments."

 

Why would someone be giving away lemons "with my compliments"?

 

It helps to know that handing someone a lemon in the early twentieth century when this postcard appeared was actually a way to say "scram," "beat it," or in the parlance of the day, "skidoo" or "23 skidoo."

 

For more information about "23 skidoo" and how it related to lemons, see Skidoo 23 Is Now 37.

Scram

scram wern kerupl zombe roske

The Scram-Delta D-Wing was manufactured by the Damorian Manufacturing Corporation (Essesia System) as a rapid assault fighter with the unique attribute of having a long range remote guidance system whose movements could be controlled by the Core Tactical Computers of the local Capital Ship. In "easy" mode, the pilot's role became primarily a weapons operator, being required to simply thumb the large and very ergonomic "fire" buttons rapidly several times (preferably yelling, "Aaaaaaaagh!!!!"), once the Core Tac-Com had conveniently manoeuvred the D-Wing to place any enemy vehicles within its targeting crosshairs.

 

The Jedi Order had captured a Scram-Delta that had been escorting an Imperial supply convoy. Seeing potential in the remote system, they hacked the guidance system and slaved it to their own Tac-Coms in the Jedi Temple on Coruscant. Then came the time to test the system, but of course, they needed a humanoid Prindaar Surf-Hog (guinea pig).

 

Master Yoda himself said, "Install Pokludix Zaa in the D-Wing we should. A computer the fighter will control. "Easy" mode set, we will. Possibly go wrong, what could, hmm? Hmmmmmm."

 

So once more, Pokludix flashes into space in yet another risky and unknown starfighter... Will he return safely or will something possibly go wrong?

 

Built for the Alphabet Starfighter Contest at FBTB.

The last of my surreal self portraits, you might be pleased to hear ;-)

A month later, and Harry still hasn't spoken to me. His friendship is one of the most important things to me, and yet, I just screwed it up. I went to the funereal, but that won't change what happened. There's no forgiveness there. To be fair though, if I didn't jump out of way, I would've been dead, and I'd prefer to being alive than dead. Spider-Man saved the city, but Peter Parker lost his best friend that day. That, and J Jonah Jameson has done a complete 180, now saying that Spider-Man's a menace to society. Honestly, I can't really disagree with him, which is why I haven't touched the suit since. With this newfound free time, I've got back into photography, which I did a lot more of when I was younger, even though my pictures always ended up being so blurry. With an open slot at the Daily Bugle, I've been honing my skills, to get the job, so that Aunt May doesn't have to work herself so hard to pay the bills. Sure Teresa still gets money from SHIELD missions, but Aunt May has a hard time accepting the money, saying that she should save it.

  

Anyways, back to Harry. Ever since that day, he's been hanging out with Flash Thompson of all people. I feel like he's doing it on purpose to try to hurt me in some way. Ironic, since Flash is one of Spider-Man's biggest fans. Cheyenne skipped town, so that also doesn't help Harry's state of mind any. So now, it's just me and Lana.

 

It's after school, and I'm standing at the front doors to the Daily Bugle. Here goes nothing... I open the doors of the Daily Bugle, and walk in. I ask the receptionist, Betty Brant for directions to J Jonah Jameson's office. On the way to his office, I overhear some of the journalists talking.

 

"Oh c'mon Norah! I know you were a big fan of that Goblin story. This Hobgoblin could be the next big thing!"

 

"Sorry Phil, but you've got no evidence! Just an orange blur, which could literally be anything."

 

"So what you're saying is, you'll work with me on the story if I get you proof that the Hobgoblin exists?"

 

"Yeah, sure, whatever."

 

"You better keep to it! I'm on the case!" Phil says with a cheer, as he runs out of the office, bumping into me on the way out, which causes me to stumble. I regain myself after a second, and make my way into Jameson's office.

 

"Yes? What is it?! I don't have all day!" He barks out, noticing me enter the room.

 

"I'm here for the photographer position. Peter Parker. It's nice to finally meet you."

 

"Don't act like you know me Patrick! I don't have time for small talk, I'm a very busy man."

 

"Clearly. It's Peter sir..." I nod in agreeance, trying not to get on his bad side.

 

"I don't care what your name is! As long as you take good pictures, the rest doesn't matter."

 

I reach into my bag, grabbing my portfolio, filled with varying landscape shots I've taken, and place it on his desk.

 

"They're crap! Crap, crap, megacrap. Sorry kid, but landscape shots don't sell newspapers! But you know what does sell newspapers? That menace, Spider-Man!"

 

"Menace? But wasn't the Daily Bugle a huge supporter of the friendly neighborhood webhead?"

 

"That's before I learned his true nature. He creates these villains he fights to get famous! He's also a coward that hides behind a mask! What's he hiding from? What's so bad that he would need to hide his true face from the public? So anyways, if you get me pictures of that menace or something newsworthy, I'll give you some money But if not, scram!" He's already huffing and puffing. I'm surprised he hasn't blown the whole place down. Well this is problematic, considering my decision to stop being Spider-Man. Guess I'll have to find an even bigger story.

Via: Dmote1.wordpress.com

 

Photo: Ol’ Icy Fingers.

Explore Nov. 11, 2009 #275

 

Tokina 11-16 f2.8

Exposure: 0.125 sec (1/8)

Aperture: f/11.0

Focal Length: 11 mm

Hoya Pro 1 Digital CPL

 

Please view large on black to see the detail in the rocks here B l a c k M a g i c

 

"Roaring River Roaring" and that's exactly what it was doing, as in right in my face. Wipe, shoot, scram was the situation !

Please view on black and large:

bighugelabs.com/flickr/onblack.php?id=2490546551&size...

 

Not well known among those not from the area, or not into historic architecture, the Flatiron Building is a favorite of New Yorkers and admirers around the world. Perhaps because it symbolizes so much of how New Yorkers see themselves -- Defiant, bold, sophisticated, and interesting. With just enough embedded grime and soot to highlight its details. The Flatiron's most interesting feature is its shape -- a slender hull plowing up the streets of commerce as the bow off a great ocean liner plows through the waves of its domain. The apex of the building is just six feet wide, and expands into a limestone wedge adorned with Gothic and Renaissance details of Greek faces and terra cotta flowers.

 

The building has two claims to fame -- one architectural, the other cultural. Some consider the Flatiron Building to be New York City's first skyscraper. It certainly was one of the first buildings in the city to employ a steel frame to hold up its 285-foot tall facade, but not the first. Some felt its shape (like a flatiron) was less artistic and more dangerous. They thought it would fall over, and during construction the Flatiron Building was nicknamed "Burnham's Folly."

 

The building's cultural legacy is a little more interesting and has passed into the local social consciousness as a fable. It is said that the building created unusual eddies in the wind which would cause women's skirts to fly around as they walked on 23rd street. This attracted throngs of young men who gathered to view the barelegged spectacle. Police would try to disperse these knots of heavy-breathers by calling to them, "23 Skidoo." This phrase has passed out of common usage, but its descendant, the word "scram" remains in a back corner of the American lexicon.

Barry screamed around the building seventeen times before he located Leonard Snart.

 

“There’s nowhere left to run Snart,” Barry said behind Leonard Snart.

 

“You’re sloppy Flash...you ran past me four times,” Snart said with a smirk across his face

 

“At least I’m not the one wearing a parka”

 

“What’s with the cold shoulder Flash. I thought we were friends. Perhaps ‘friends’ is too much...acquaintances perhaps?” Snart said as he slowly paced back and forth.

 

“I don’t have time for this” Barry said as he went to grab Snart. Before he could reach him Snart raised his gun and fired a blue stream at Barry’s feet freezing him in place.

 

“Now while you’re stuck there why don’t we just have a good time and chill?”

 

“Cold puns? Are you being serious? I know I make bad jokes but this...is just unfortunate.”

 

“You don’t like my puns? How cold of you,” Cold said with a grimace.

 

“As soon as I get out of this ice...I’m gonna wipe that smug look off your face Captain Cold.”

 

“Captain Cold?! Now that...is a name I could get used to,”

Snart said as Barry began to shake from the ice gnawing at his feet.

 

“It certainly compliments your look...the guns...the puns,” Barry said as he noticed something odd. It was as if he was slipping through the ice by shaking. He began to try to shake faster.

 

“Well Flash, its been fun...it certainly has, but I have to get running before the cops show up and arrest your little speedster friend. Til’ we meet again Flash,” Snart said as he began to walk away. Barry began to vibrate faster and faster until the ice shattered which caused Snart to turn back around. “How did you-” Snart said as he pressed the trigger on his gun. Barry ran at Snart before the gun could fire except he was vibrating. When he went to slap the gun out of Snart’s hand something happened. It disturbed something within the gun. Instead of firing it exploded sending ice energy up his arm. He fell to the ground and screamed.

 

“Snart! Are you okay?” Barry exclaimed

 

“ *Arg* Do I look okay you idiot? What the hell did you do to my cold gun?” Snart responded

 

“I-I didn’t mean to. I’ll go get help!”

 

“No, no help...they’ll...they’ll arrest me.”

 

“You would’ve been arrested anyway!”

 

“Fat chance!”

 

“At least you’re not spewing cold puns anymore”

 

“What the hell is wrong with you!” Snart yelled as he gripped his arm in agony. “I’m gonna kill you Flash...mark my...mark my...words,” Snart said as his head slowly drooped to the ground.

 

“No! Stay with me Snart...damn it...I’m not gonna let you die!” Barry yelled as he became increasingly confused about what to do. He looked around frantically but then the thought hit him. He looked down at his hand and concentrated.

 

“Cmon….” Barry said as his arm quivered slightly. Then it burst to life with electricity. “Yes! Yes!” Barry said as looked from his hand to Snart. “I really hope this works,” Barry said as he placed his fist firmly and Snart’s chest. Electricity flowed through Snart’s body and he jolted back to consciousness. Snart wheezed as he sat back up and Barry fell onto his back in relief. “

 

"What did you do? Did I die? Please tell me this isn't hell,” Snart asked.

 

“No, you didn’t die. I resuscitated you with my electricity.”

 

“You...you saved me?”

 

Barry leaned back up. “Of course I saved you"

 

"The hero isn't normally supposed to save the villain, I think you may be confused."

 

"A hero should save everyone they can. No matter who they are or what they represent."

 

“I’ll be sure to make a note of how soft you are before I make revisions,” Snart said as he looked down to his cold gun. “Do you know how long that took me to make?”

 

“Oh, I’m sorry I foiled your master plan Mr. Villain”

  

“You know I’ve about had enough-” Snart said as he was interrupted by the opening of a nearby door.

 

“CCPD put your hands in the air,” David Singh said who was flanked by two more police officers who had “Metahuman Task Force” printed on their uniform.

 

“They always have to yell so loudly,” Snart said sarcastically.

 

“He’s all yours officer,” Barry said slightly differently than his normal voice. He figured if he could vibrate his entire body, then he could vibrate just a single part of his body such as his vocal cords. “Now if you don’t mind I have a date I need to get back to”.

 

“Actually, I do mind. You’re a witness to all of this...I’ll be taking you in as well Flash”. David Singh said.

 

“You can’t be serious” Barry responded

 

“Oh he’s deadly serious,” Snart said with an eye roll.

 

“Do you shut up?” Barry asked

 

“Do you?” Snart responded

 

“Will both of you shut up? You’re under arrest for-” David Singh said as Barry ran off. “Damn it! Where did he go?”

 

“He just ran away? Now that’s cold...and I should know” Snart said as he gestured to his arm. As he raised his arm to point he pressed something on his belt.

 

“What don’t you understand about shut up?” David Singh asked as he placed handcuffs on Leonard Snart. He then walked him around the building to an armored vehicle. David opened the back doors to reveal that there was already a passenger inside.

 

“August Heart...you turned out to be the judge,” Leonard snart said with a smirk

 

“You! Who killed my brother!” August shouted

 

“If I knew I would’ve already told you,” Snart said as David Singh forced him into the truck. “The man who killed your brother wasn’t a part of my Rogues after that night. He either scrammed or the Flash subdued him before he left the building.”

 

“Of course...it always comes back to the Flash...to...” August trailed off as the truck pulled out of the parking lot.

 

“Tell me about it, but why did you stop? Do you know who he is?” Leonard inquired as he leaned towards August.

 

August looked into Leonard Snart’s eyes “If I knew...I would’ve already told you.”

 

“Touche speedster,” Leonard Snart said. That last statement was followed by silence until something odd happened. A hazy, translucent figure seemed to phase through the doors of the truck and they developed into a full human.

 

“Oh, brother...what have you gotten yourself into this time?” the figure asked with a gentleness to their voice.

 

“August Heart I’d like you to meet my baby sister, Lisa Snart,” Leonard Snart said with a gesture of his bound hands.

 

“I can really see the family resemblance,” August said sarcastically.

 

“That’s no way to treat your beautiful rescuer,” Lisa Snart said with a slightly pouty face.

 

“My rescuer?” August asked

 

“Your rescuer. You can’t find the killer of your brother all on your own...especially if you're in Iron Heights. And we could use someone like you on our team. So what do you say, would you care to join the new and improved Rogues?” Leonard Snart asked. August Heart pondered for a moment...was this the person he wanted to be? Did he want to be a villain? Like them? Did he have a choice? No...no he didn’t...He raised his restraints.

 

“Hell yeah I would”

 

Paused alongside Loch Achray on the Three Lochs Forest Drive..

  

forestryandland.gov.scot/visit/forest-parks/queen-elizabe...

So i am done my breakfast project for now. I may add to it on occasion though!

 

1. Asparagus, Egg & Parmigiano-Reggiano Breakfast, 2. grilled plantain, 3. Friday Grilled Corn & Bean Breakfast, 4. Thursday Morning Smoothie, 5. Strawberry Rhubarb Crisp with Orange zest, 6. Tuesday Baked Yellow Sweet Potato Breakfast, 7. breakfast salad, 8. Polenta fries, 9. thursday breakfast, 10. kiwi's & banana bread, 11. Natural No Bake Carrot Cake, 12. Peanut Butter & Banana cakes, 13. Almond Pancakes, 14. Saturday's snap, crackle and pop, 15. Hominy and Eggs Scram, 16. Bowl of Beta-carotene, 17. Nutty Breakfast, 18. Sautéed Kale & Poached Egg Breakfast, 19. Monday Breakfast, 20. Sunday Breakfast, 21. Birthday breakfast, 22. Friday morning breakfast, 23. breakfast for Thursday!, 24. Wednesdays two tone breakfast

 

Created with fd's Flickr Toys

A lemony postcard from 1906 that was connected to the "23 skidoo" fad that was popular at the time (notice the "23" on the hat or whatever it is that's on top of the lemon's head).

 

To find out what lemons meant in the early twentieth century and how they were connected to 23 skidoo, see Skidoo 23 Is Now 37.

 

For more postcards, see my 23 Skidoo and Lemons Too album.

 

The Lemon

 

Oh, something that's yellow and egg-shape, not round!

You buy by the dozen, in crates they are found;

Oh, something that's handed out freely each day,

"For yours" this portrait now comes to say.

-Ralph Waldo Emerson

 

These flowers have always been bokeh, or behind the subject. Well, today, they are part of the subject. :) It was a cloudy start today, but the sun started to pop out of the clouds. On that note, I scrammed (more like walked) to get my camera and brought Chuppy out to take some pictures.

 

Chuppy is actually stopping to smell the flowers, instead of zooming past them like a wild dog. :)

I don’t know if the exterior decoration is terracotta that has been painted or cast material of some sort. The current painting scram is fanciful and attractive.

Hyaena chasing two Black backed jackals from carcass

Next time you're found, with your chin on the ground

There a lot to be learned, so look around

 

Just what makes that little old ant

Think he'll move that rubber tree plant

Anyone knows an ant, can't

Move a rubber tree plant

 

But he's got high hopes, he's got high hopes

He's got high apple pie, in the sky hopes

 

So any time you're gettin' low

'stead of lettin' go

Just remember that ant

Oops there goes another rubber tree plant

 

When troubles call, and your back's to the wall

There a lot to be learned, that wall could fall

 

Once there was a silly old ram

Thought he'd punch a hole in a dam

No one could make that ram, scram

He kept buttin' that dam

 

'Cause he had high hopes, he had high hopes

He had high apple pie, in the sky hopes

 

So any time you're feelin' bad

'stead of feelin' sad

Just remember that ram

Oops there goes a billion kilowatt dam

 

All problems just a toy balloon

They'll be bursted soon

They're just bound to go pop

Oops there goes another problem kerplop

  

für Mona´s Musikladen

ein hoch auf Doris Day und auf die abgefahrensten hüte die ich jemals in einem film gesehen habe.

"Pyjama für 2" heißt der reißer und ist nur zu empfehlen.

2003 Harley-Davidson Screamin' Eagle Softail Deuce 100th Anniversary FXSTDSE2

The only thing more colorful is their language.

 

More trashy shots...

 

Nikon D3200 - 90mm f/2.8 Macro -

 

This is once again one of my neighbors flowers. Unlike yesterdays flower I was minding my p's and q's as I am unsure if this neighbor has patience for me. One foot in her garden and one foot out, I had to scram as she was calling to her dog to take him for a walk. This bee balm was easier to photograph than other coneflowers because the stalks are so long...it wasn't too back breaking as to shoot into the tree's to get the bokeh.

 

P.S. I know what you are thinking...yes, the title is a Tolkien reference....yes, I am that nerdy!

Joined by Frenchie Maybe.

An early twentieth-century postcard.

 

My Hearts Wishes

 

Date ________ 190__

 

I Wish You Would

 

Check

__ Meet me to-night

__ Not worry too much

__ Send me some flowers

__ Take me to the Theatre

__ Kiss me at the gate

__ Take me out to dinner

__ Leave me alone

__ Be a sister to me

__ Marry me

__ Be a brother to me

__ Marry someone else

__ Flirt with me

__ Be an old maid

__ Beg my pardon

__ Grow a wart on your nose

__ Forgive me

__ Skiddoo - 23 for you

 

Check

__ Come back to me

__ Bring me a box of candy

__ Declare your love

__ Come real often

__ Pop the question

__ Get busy

__ Come every Sunday

__ Cut out your fooling

__ Quit the other girl

__ Try it again

__ Forget me

__ Grow a mustache

__ Kiss me

__ Loan me five

__ Quit talking about me

__ Behave yourself

__ Get arrested

 

What I Wish

 

Having been so bold as to convey to you a faint idea of the dearest wishes of my heart and hoping every one of them will in due time come true, I remain

 

Most sincerely yours,

 

____________

Dropped Himmy off for a 'under warranty' relay switch thingy replacement..

So many Enfields there at Manhattons!!

Feast for the eyes and worthy of a few snaps too.!!

Took a reflected selfie as well whilst waiting for my taxi home.!

www.youtube.com/watch?v=bF746jod68I

My Mom and I found this Awesome Gnome today.. If you turn him around he says "Welcome" But let's be honest, He'll always be this way :P

 

Walking edgy neighborhoods looking for subjects to photograph, I do occasionally encounter people, but most are not too interested in talking besides "Why are you taking pictures of [that sign/a pile of trash/graffiti]?" But Kelly was different.

 

Kelly compulsively talks through an ever-shifting stream of conciousness symptomatic of schizophrenia. Before throwing this undershirt on, she had been walking barefoot on 16th Street covered in only a bikini top and another shirt stretched around her waist just enough to cover her frontal area, but still leaving half of her ass showing. A lady at Muhammad Enterprises was decent enough to cover her a bit better with a piece of fabric, but it was ill-fitting and tenuously attached. By the time we crossed paths, Kelly had been gleefully dismissed by the woman who had already had enough of her.

 

When she saw me, Kelly thought she recognized me and felt that it was somehow our fate that we would meet. She cast me in the role of her new landlord who would tell the people blocking the door to her room that she had authorization to enter. She then told me that I needed to walk with her and listen as she explained the situation.

 

I was apprehensive, but then I noticed a car pass by slowly with leering eyes checking her out, and then speeding up and turning right. Not yet sold on joining her for a walk, I stood and listened, but the car came back and slowed again. I glanced back at them disapprovingly and they scrammed quickly.

 

I asked Kelly if she had more clothes, and in a roundabout way, she said a friend of hers she had just met yesterday said he would do her laundry at the laundromat just around the corner, but she had just come from there and didn't see him.

 

She also was hungry and said she needed to go to the mission to eat, as she does daily, but she said they would not let her come in dressed like that. So, I asked if she knew any place where she could get some clothes, and she said she did. We began walking in that direction.

 

As we walked, the car passed by again, and the two young men--gaunt and gawky wannabe thugs--parked up the street and got out of the car and waited on the sidewalk for us to pass by. We changed course, and I had to physically direct her and explain why. It's as if she couldn't perceive the threat. But everywhere we went, it seemed, she was drawing the attention of leering eyes of groady men or the disdainful eyes of gentrifiers loading fancy furniture into their victorian fixer-uppers.

 

We wound up at a strange store on 12th Street called R&B Fashions which is also a smoke shop which always seems to have plenty of loiterers hanging out. I'd noticed it before with leggy big-booty half-mannequins wearing colorful Spanx and other slutty pants. She said she would be able to take any clothes she wants there for free in exchange for the owner letting her do some "modeling work" for him. But he was in no mood to see her, and his wife was especially in no mood for her.

 

There are six apartments behind the store and a boarding house (something of a halfway house) next door, and she had said that sometimes she can shower and stay in those places, too, but she had no clothes there either.

 

So we left and continued walking north toward the mission. But now her best plan was for me to go there with her and guard her backside from view. She had mentioned getting Del Taco "with my homegirl" the other day, so I asked her if she might want to go there. She got excited at the possibility, and we walked back in a circle to where I started to get in my car and go.

 

Then I realized she really stunk, but it was just ordinary B.O. like the kind I remember wafting around crusty punk shows I'd seen at 924 Gilman in Berkeley when I was younger.

 

Her more paranoid ranting broke as she took over my car stereo and flipped stations until she'd found a song she liked. She sang along to several songs, and very adeptly. She had a pretty fantastic singing voice including a natural vibrato, and she could get deep and ramble through blue notes soulfully in the modern R&B style. I've always disliked how modern singers overdo it with that, but as long as she seemed happy, I was glad to hear her warble through urban/top 40 hits. Some Coldplay came across the channel, and she quickly changed it while claiming to have met Coldplay (and referring to Coldplay as "he" and "him" as if it were the name of a solo artist). He went camping with her and her friends, and he stole all their soda. She loves soda because she doesn't drink alcohol. We passed a man walking a dog and a family pushing a baby in a stroller, and she wove dogs and babies into her story and then seemed to admit having two children taken from her.

 

Slowly, pieces of her story were coming together through the shards of memory and constant flow of actual things and events happening around us. What I had gathered is that she had been assaulted earlier that day--probably sexually, but definitely physically--resulting in bruises all over her legs and her lack of clothing.

 

At the Del Taco drive-through I ordered her a #2 combo with a cherry Coke. She just noticed the new churro promotion and giddily gushed about her love for churros. So, I added two churros.

 

She said she had once worked the drive-thru at a Del Taco. There was also some talk of attending a college somewhere. I think she may have slept outdoors recently in Roseville, but a woman there just drove her to downtown Sacramento and dropped her off.

 

I returned to near where I had met her in the parking lot of the strip mall that included the laundromat where her friend would be doing her laundry.

 

This is where I took some photos of her. It didn't cross my mind to take a photo of her, but she had offered to pay me for the Del Taco with a certain type of intimate favor (and I'm sure you can figure out what I mean). I tried to decline politely, but she seemed more intent in her second offer, so I declined again with a bit of added moral reprehension. I improvised the photo opportunity as a way to say "Just give me something to remember you by, and I'll be happy."

 

As a follower of the gut-wrenching documentary work of Chris Arnade in the Hunts Point area of the Bronx, I've seen him charged with many accusations of exploiting his subjects (he photographs addicts who live on the street or barely one step above the street). I do admit I felt a bit of guilt as I took these photos, but I'm afraid that Kelly truly sees making herself a target for exploitation as a necessity for food, shelter, laundry favors, and even a bag of fast food. I know my intention was to help, and in the end, a photo doesn't really compare to the indignity she must endure, especially if I can try to capture her dignity.

 

In the previous photo, she's looking over her shoulder into the laundromat with a look belying the feeling of futility that everyone in her life is pretty much expected to fail her.

 

Next, We walked into the laundromat but found no sign of her friend or her clothes. We walked around the alleyway behind the strip mall to the apartment building where she said she lived. It sounded like it operated somewhat like a halfway house. She warned me that no one wanted her to return there and that's why I had to pretend to be her landlord. I was glad to hear her say "pretend" because I had been believing that she truly had begun to think of me as her landlord. As we turned the corner of the building and entered the parking area, a woman was guarding the door, seemingly ready for her. "NO NO NO NO NO! YOU ARE NOT COMING IN HERE! GO!", said the woman, a middle-aged Latina with the gnarliest, scariest face tattoos I've ever seen in real life. Her neck had bold gothic letters spelling FUCK YOU, and her face had huge crosses and skulls on her neck, chin, and forehead, plus several tears. It was quite a trip to see someone looking like this sound so moralistic as she further explained the grounds for denying her entry: "If you cannot cover up decently, you do not belong near my children, or anyone's children. Do you understand?"

 

So, we walked back around the corner to check the laundromat again. I seriously gave some thought to just waving a $20 bill in the air and asking anyone to trade me any shorts or pants for it, but I checked my wallet and realized that I was out of cash.

 

By this time, I was way overdue to return home to my wife and talk about dinner. But I felt Kelly was in no way able to take care of herself if I left. Her behavior was still erratic. She was obviously vulnerable enough to offer herself to me for a small favor of a $7 bag of Del Taco. She was still barely clothed, and after a week that felt like summer came early, this evening felt a bit chilly. I saw no way she would be safe tonight. I left her with a promise to go home and get her some clothes, but I drove a couple blocks away and called 9-1-1. I hope she is being cared for tonight.

 

The art was on a Howard 500 (N500HP) at the Anoka County-Blaine Airport in Minnesota.

A ghost crab slowly moves to force a plover away from its territory.

(Continued from here.)

Avenger is annoyed after Kazuma recalled an old saying about living to fight another day.

Scram ya little wierdo! Can't you find something to hoard without bothering me?

scram

Laurel and Hardy were a British-American comedy team during the early Classical Hollywood era of American cinema, consisting of Englishman Stan Laurel (1890–1965) and American Oliver Hardy (1892–1957). Starting their career as a duo in the silent film era, they later successfully transitioned to "talkies". From the late 1920s to the mid-1950s, they were internationally famous for their slapstick comedy, with Laurel playing the clumsy, childlike friend to Hardy's pompous bully. Their signature theme song, known as "The Cuckoo Song", "Ku-Ku", or "The Dance of the Cuckoos" (by Hollywood composer T. Marvin Hatley) was heard over their films' opening credits, and became as emblematic of them as their bowler hats.

 

Prior to emerging as a team, both had well-established film careers. Laurel had acted in over 50 films, and worked as a writer and director, while Hardy was in more than 250 productions. Both had appeared in The Lucky Dog (1921), but were not teamed at the time. They first appeared together in a short film in 1926, when they signed separate contracts with the Hal Roach film studio. They officially became a team in 1927 when they appeared in the silent short Putting Pants on Philip. They remained with Roach until 1940, and then appeared in eight B movie comedies for 20th Century Fox and Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer from 1941 to 1945. After finishing their film commitments at the end of 1944, they concentrated on performing stage shows, and embarked on a music hall tour of England, Ireland, Wales, and Scotland. They made their last film in 1950, a French–Italian co-production called Atoll K.

 

They appeared as a team in 107 films, starring in 32 short silent films, 40 short sound films, and 23 full-length feature films. They also made 12 guest or cameo appearances, including in the Galaxy of Stars promotional film of 1936. On December 1, 1954, they made their sole American television appearance, when they were surprised and interviewed by Ralph Edwards on his live NBC-TV program This Is Your Life. Since the 1930s, their works have been released in numerous theatrical reissues, television revivals, 8-mm and 16-mm home movies, feature-film compilations, and home videos. In 2005, they were voted the seventh-greatest comedy act of all time by a UK poll of professional comedians. The official Laurel and Hardy appreciation society is The Sons of the Desert, after a fictional fraternal society in the film of the same name.

 

History as Laurel and Hardy

Hal Roach

Hal Roach recounted how Laurel and Hardy became a team: Hardy was already working for Roach (and others) when Roach hired Laurel, whom he had seen in vaudeville. Laurel had very light blue eyes, and Roach discovered that, due to the technology of film at that time, Laurel's eyes wouldn't photograph properly—blue photographed as white. This problem is apparent in their first silent film together, The Lucky Dog, where an attempt was made to compensate for the problem by applying heavy makeup to Laurel's eyes. For about a year, Roach had Laurel work at the studio as a writer. Then panchromatic film was developed; they tested Laurel, and found the problem was solved. Laurel and Hardy were then put together in a film, and they seemed to complement each other. Comedy teams were usually composed of a straight man and a funny man, but these two were both comedians; however, each knew how to play the straight man when the script required it. Roach said, "You could always cut to a close-up of either one, and their reaction was good for another laugh."

 

Style of comedy and characterizations

The humor of Laurel and Hardy was highly visual, with slapstick used for emphasis. They often had physical arguments (in character) which were quite complex and involved a cartoonish style of violence. Their ineptitude and misfortune precluded them from making any real progress, even in the simplest endeavors. Much of their comedy involves "milking" a joke, where a simple idea provides a basis for multiple, ongoing gags without following a defined narrative.

 

Stan Laurel was of average height and weight, but appeared comparatively small and slight next to Oliver Hardy, who was 6 ft 1 in (185 cm) and weighed about 280 lb (127 kg; 20 st 0 lb) in his prime. Details of their hair and clothing were used to enhance this natural contrast. Laurel kept his hair short on the sides and back, growing it long on top to create a natural "fright wig". Typically, at times of shock, he simultaneously screwed up his face to appear as if crying while pulling up his hair. In contrast, Hardy's thinning hair was pasted on his forehead in spit curls and he sported a toothbrush moustache. To achieve a flat-footed walk, Laurel removed the heels from his shoes. Both wore bowler hats, with Laurel's being narrower than Hardy's, and with a flattened brim. The characters' normal attire called for wing collar shirts, with Hardy wearing a necktie which he would twiddle when he was particularly self-conscious; and Laurel, a bow tie. Hardy's sports jacket was a little small and done up with one straining button, whereas Laurel's double-breasted jacket was loose-fitting.

 

A popular routine was a "tit for tat" fight with an adversary. It could be with their wives—often played by Mae Busch, Anita Garvin, or Daphne Pollard—or with a neighbor, often played by Charlie Hall or James Finlayson. Laurel and Hardy would accidentally damage someone's property, and the injured party would retaliate by ruining something belonging to Laurel or Hardy. After calmly surveying the damage, one or the other of the "offended" parties found something else to vandalize, and the conflict escalated until both sides were simultaneously destroying items in front of each other. An early example of the routine occurs in their classic short Big Business (1929), which was added to the National Film Registry in 1992. Another short film which revolves around such an altercation was titled Tit for Tat (1935).

 

One of their best-remembered dialogue devices was the "Tell me that again" routine. Laurel would tell Hardy a genuinely smart idea he came up with, and Hardy would reply, "Tell me that again." Laurel would then try to repeat the idea, but, having instantly forgotten it, babble utter nonsense. Hardy, who had difficulty understanding Laurel's idea when expressed clearly, would then understand the jumbled version perfectly. While much of their comedy remained visual, humorous dialogue often occurred in Laurel and Hardy's talking films as well. Examples include:

 

"You can lead a horse to water, but a pencil must be led." (Laurel, Brats)

"I was dreaming I was awake, but I woke up and found meself asleep." (Laurel, Oliver the Eighth)

"A lot of weather we've been having lately." (Hardy, Way Out West)

In some cases, their comedy bordered on the surreal, in a style Laurel called "white magic". For example, in the 1937 film Way Out West, Laurel flicks his thumb upward as if working a lighter. His thumb ignites and he matter-of-factly lights Hardy's pipe. Amazed at seeing this, Hardy unsuccessfully attempts to duplicate it throughout the film. Much later he finally succeeds, only to be terrified when his thumb catches fire. Laurel expands the joke in the 1938 film Block-Heads by pouring tobacco into his clenched fist and smoking it as though it were a pipe, again to Hardy's bemusement. This time, the joke ends when a match Laurel was using relights itself, Hardy throws it into the fireplace, and it explodes with a loud bang.

 

Rather than showing Hardy suffering the pain of misfortunes, such as falling down stairs or being beaten by a thug, banging and crashing sound effects were often used so the audience could visualize the mayhem. The 1927 film Sailors, Beware! was a significant one for Hardy because two of his enduring trademarks were developed. The first was his "tie twiddle" to demonstrate embarrassment. Hardy, while acting, had received a pail of water in the face. He said, "I had been expecting it, but I didn't expect it at that particular moment. It threw me mentally and I couldn't think what to do next, so I waved the tie in a kind of tiddly-widdly fashion to show embarrassment while trying to look friendly." His second trademark was the "camera look", where he breaks the fourth wall and, in frustration, stares directly at the audience. Hardy said: "I had to become exasperated, so I just stared right into the camera and registered my disgust." Offscreen, Laurel and Hardy were quite the opposite of their movie characters: Laurel was the industrious "idea man", while Hardy was more easygoing.

 

Catchphrases

Laurel and Hardy's best-known catchphrase is, "Well, here's another nice mess you've gotten me into!" It was earlier used by W. S. Gilbert in both The Mikado (1885) and The Grand Duke (1896). It was first used by Hardy in The Laurel-Hardy Murder Case in 1930. In popular culture, the catchphrase is often misquoted as "Well, here's another fine mess you've gotten me into", which was never spoken by Hardy—a misunderstanding that stems from the title of their film Another Fine Mess. When Hardy said the phrase, Laurel's frequent, iconic response was to start to cry, pull his hair up, exclaim "Well, I couldn't help it...", then whimper and speak gibberish.

 

Some variations on the phrase occurred. For example, in Chickens Come Home, Ollie impatiently says to Stan, "Well...", and Stan continues for him: "Here's another nice mess I've gotten you into." The films Thicker than Water and The Fixer Uppers use the phrase "Well, here's another nice kettle of fish you've pickled me in!" In Saps at Sea, the phrase becomes "Well, here's another nice bucket of suds you've gotten me into!" The catchphrase, in its original form, was used as the last line of dialogue in the duo's last film, Atoll K (1951).

 

In moments of particular distress or frustration, Hardy often exclaims, "Why don't you do something to help me?", as Laurel stands helplessly by.

 

"OH!" (or drawn out as "Ohhhhh-OH!") was another catchphrase used by Hardy. He uses the expression in the duo's first sound film, Unaccustomed As We Are (1929) when his character's wife smashes a record over his head.

 

Mustachioed Scottish actor James Finlayson, who appeared in 33 Laurel and Hardy films, used a variation: "D'oh!" The phrase, expressing surprise, impatience, or incredulity, inspired the trademark "D'oh!" of character Homer Simpson (voiced by Dan Castellaneta) in the long-running animated comedy The Simpsons.

 

Films

Laurel's and Hardy's first film pairing, although as separate performers, was in the silent The Lucky Dog. Its production details have not survived, but film historian Bo Berglund has placed it between September 1920 and January 1921. According to interviews they gave in the 1930s, the pair's acquaintance at the time was casual, and both had forgotten their initial film entirely. The plot sees Laurel's character befriended by a stray dog which, after some lucky escapes, saves him from being blown up by dynamite. Hardy's character is a mugger attempting to rob Laurel. They later signed separate contracts with the Hal Roach Studios, and next appeared in the 1926 film 45 Minutes From Hollywood.

 

Hal Roach is considered the most important person in the development of Laurel's and Hardy's film careers. He brought them together, and they worked for Roach for almost 20 years. Director Charley Rogers, who worked closely with the three men for many years, said, "It could not have happened if Laurel, Hardy, and Roach had not met at the right place and the right time." Their first "official" film together was Putting Pants on Philip, released December 3, 1927. The plot involves Laurel as Philip, a young Scotsman who arrives in the United States in full kilted splendor, and suffers mishaps involving the kilts. His uncle, played by Hardy, tries to put trousers on him. Also in 1927, the pair starred in The Battle of the Century, a classic pie-throwing short involving over 3,000 real pies; only a fragment of the film was known to exist until the first half resurfaced in the 1970s; a more complete print was discovered in 2015 by historian Jon Mirsalis.

 

Laurel said to the duo's biographer John McCabe: "Of all the questions we're asked, the most frequent is, how did we come together? I always explain that we came together naturally." Laurel and Hardy were joined by accident and grew by indirection. In 1926, both were part of the Roach Comedy All Stars, a stock company of actors who took part in a series of films. Laurel's and Hardy's parts gradually grew larger, while those of their fellow stars diminished, because Laurel and Hardy had superior pantomime skills. Their teaming was suggested by Leo McCarey, their supervising director from 1927 and 1930. During that period, McCarey and Laurel jointly devised the team's format. McCarey also influenced the slowing of their comedy action from the silent era's typically frantic pace to a more natural one. The formula worked so well that Laurel and Hardy played the same characters for the next 30 years.

 

Although Roach employed writers and directors such as H. M. Walker, Leo McCarey, James Parrott, and James W. Horne on the Laurel and Hardy films, Laurel, who had a considerable background in comedy writing, often rewrote entire sequences and scripts. He also encouraged the cast and crew to improvise, then meticulously reviewed the footage during editing. By 1929, he was the pair's head writer, and it was reported that the writing sessions were gleefully chaotic. Stan had three or four writers who competed with him in a perpetual game of 'Can You Top This?' Hardy was quite happy to leave the writing to his partner. He said, "After all, just doing the gags was hard enough work, especially if you have taken as many falls and been dumped in as many mudholes as I have. I think I earned my money." Laurel eventually became so involved in their films' productions, many film historians and aficionados consider him an uncredited director. He ran the Laurel and Hardy set, no matter who was in the director's chair, but never asserted his authority. Roach remarked: "Laurel bossed the production. With any director, if Laurel said 'I don't like this idea,' the director didn't say 'Well, you're going to do it anyway.' That was understood." As Laurel made so many suggestions, there was not much left for the credited director to do.

 

Their 1929 silent Big Business is by far the most critically acclaimed. Laurel and Hardy are Christmas tree salesmen who are drawn into a classic tit-for-tat battle, with a character played by James Finlayson, that eventually destroys his house and their car. Big Business was added to the United States National Film Registry as a national treasure in 1992.

 

Sound films

In 1929 the silent era of film was coming to an end. Many silent-film actors failed to make the transition to "talkies"—some, because they felt sound was irrelevant to their craft of conveying stories with body language; and others, because their spoken voices were considered inadequate for the new medium. However, the addition of spoken dialogue only enhanced Laurel's and Hardy's performances; both had extensive theatrical experience, and could use their voices to great comic effect. Their films also continued to feature much visual comedy. In these ways, they made a seamless transition to their first sound film, Unaccustomed As We Are (1929) (whose title was a play on the familiar phrase, "Unaccustomed as I am to public speaking"). In the opening dialogue, Laurel and Hardy began by spoofing the slow and self-conscious speech of the early talking actors which became a routine they would use regularly.

 

The Music Box (1932), with the pair delivering a piano up a long flight of steps, won an Academy Award for Best Live Action Short Subject. The Music Box remains one of the duo's most widely known films.

 

Laurel and Hardy were favorites around the world, and Hal Roach catered to international audiences by filming many of their early talkies in other languages. They spoke their dialogue phonetically, in Spanish, Italian, French, or German. The plots remained similar to the English versions, although the supporting actors were often changed to those who were fluent in the native language. Pardon Us (1931) was reshot in all four foreign languages. Blotto, Hog Wild and Be Big! were remade in French and Spanish versions. Night Owls was remade in both Spanish and Italian, and Below Zero and Chickens Come Home in Spanish.

 

Feature films

Just as Laurel and Hardy's teaming was accidental, so was their entry into the field of feature films. In the words of biographer John McCabe, "Roach planned to use the MGM set [built for The Big House] for a simple prison-break two-reeler but MGM suddenly added a proviso: Laurel and Hardy would have to do a picture for them in exchange. Roach would not agree so he built his own prison set, a very expensive item for a two-reeler. So expensive was it indeed that he added four more reels to bring it into the feature category and, it was hoped, the bigger market." The experiment was successful, and the team continued to make features along with their established short subjects until 1935, when they converted to features exclusively.

 

Sons of the Desert (1933) is often cited as Laurel and Hardy's best feature-length film. The situation-comedy script by actor-playwright Frank Craven and screenwriter Byron Morgan is stronger than usual for a Laurel & Hardy comedy. Stan and Ollie are henpecked husbands who want to attend a convention held by the Sons of the Desert fraternal lodge. They tell their wives that Ollie requires an ocean voyage to Honolulu for his health, and they sneak off to the convention. They are unaware that the Honolulu-bound ship they were supposedly aboard is sinking, and the wives confront their errant husbands when they get home.

 

Babes in Toyland (1934) remains a perennial on American television during the Christmas season. When interviewed, Hal Roach spoke scathingly about the film and Laurel's behavior. Roach himself had written a treatment detailing the characters and storyline, only to find that Laurel considered Roach's effort totally unsuitable. Roach, affronted, tried to argue in favor of his treatment, but Laurel was adamant. Roach angrily gave up and allowed Laurel to make the film his way. The rift damaged Roach-Laurel relations to the point that Roach said that after Toyland, he didn't want to produce for Laurel and Hardy. Although their association continued for another six years, Roach no longer took an active hand in Laurel and Hardy films.

 

Way Out West (1937) was a personal favorite of both Stan Laurel and Oliver Hardy. A satire of the Gene Autry musical westerns sweeping America at the time, the film combines Laurel and Hardy's slapstick routines with songs and dances performed by the stars.

 

It appeared that the team would split permanently in 1938. Hal Roach had become dissatisfied with his distribution arrangement with Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer, and had begun releasing his films through United Artists. He still owed MGM one last feature, and made the Laurel and Hardy comedy Block-Heads, with the announcement that this would be Laurel and Hardy's farewell film. Stan Laurel's contract with Roach then expired, and Roach did not renew it. Oliver Hardy's contract was still in force, however, and Roach starred Hardy solo in the antebellum comedy Zenobia (1939), with Harry Langdon as Hardy's comic foil. This fueled rumors that Laurel and Hardy had split on bad terms.

 

After Zenobia, Laurel rejoined Hardy and the team signed with independent producer Boris Morros for the comedy feature The Flying Deuces (1939). Meanwhile, Hal Roach wanted to demonstrate his new idea of making four-reel, 40-minute featurettes—twice the length of standard two-reel, 20-minute comedies—which Roach felt could fit more conveniently into double-feature programs. He referred to these extended films as "streamliners". To test his theory, Roach rehired Laurel and Hardy. The resulting films, A Chump at Oxford and Saps at Sea (both 1940), were prepared as featurettes. United Artists overruled Roach and insisted that they be released as full-length features.

 

Hoping for greater artistic freedom, Laurel and Hardy split with Roach, and signed with 20th Century-Fox in 1941 and MGM in 1942. However, their working conditions were now completely different: they were simply hired actors, relegated to both studios’ B-film units, and not initially allowed to contribute to the scripts or improvise, as they had always done. When their films proved popular, the studios allowed them more input, and they starred in eight features until the end of 1944. These films, while far from their best work, were still very successful. Budgeted between $300,000 and $450,000 each, they earned millions at the box office for Fox and MGM. The Fox films were so profitable that the studio kept making Laurel and Hardy comedies after it discontinued its other "B" series films.

 

The busy team decided to take a rest during 1946, but 1947 saw their first European tour in 15 years. A film based in the charters of "Robin Hood" was planned during the tour, but not realized. In 1947, Laurel and Hardy famously attended the reopening of the Dungeness loop of the Romney, Hythe and Dymchurch Railway, where they performed improvised routines with a steam locomotive for the benefit of local crowds and dignitaries.

 

In 1948, on the team's return to America, Laurel was sidelined by illness and temporarily unable to work. He encouraged Hardy to take movie roles on his own. Hardy's friend John Wayne hired him to co-star in The Fighting Kentuckian for Republic Pictures, and Bing Crosby got him a small part in Frank Capra's Riding High.

 

In 1950–51, Laurel and Hardy made their final feature-length film together, Atoll K. A French-Italian co-production directed by Léo Joannon, it was plagued by problems with language barriers, production issues, and both actors' serious health issues. When Laurel received the script's final draft, he felt its heavy political content overshadowed the comedy. He quickly rewrote it, with screen comic Monte Collins contributing visual gags, and hired old friend Alfred Goulding to direct the Laurel and Hardy scenes. During filming, Hardy developed an irregular heartbeat, while Laurel experienced painful prostate complications that caused his weight to drop to 114 pounds. Critics were disappointed with the storyline, English dubbing, and Laurel's sickly physical appearance. The film was not commercially successful on its first release, and brought an end to Laurel and Hardy's film careers. Atoll K did finally turn a profit when it was rereleased in other countries. In 1954, an American distributor removed 18 minutes of footage and released it as Utopia; widely released on film and video, it is the film's best-known version.

 

After Atoll K wrapped in April 1951, Laurel and Hardy returned to America and used the remainder of the year to rest. Stan appeared, in character, in a silent TV newsreel, Swim Meet, judging a local California swimming contest.

 

Most Laurel and Hardy films have survived and are still in circulation. Only three of their 107 films are considered lost and have not been seen in complete form since the 1930s. The silent film Hats Off from 1927 has vanished completely. The first half of Now I'll Tell One (1927) is lost, and the second half has yet to be released on video. The Battle of the Century (1927), after years of obscurity, is now almost complete but a few minutes are missing. In the 1930 operatic Technicolor musical The Rogue Song, Laurel and Hardy appeared as comedy relief in 10 sequences; only one exists. The complete soundtrack has survived.

 

Radio

Laurel and Hardy made at least two audition recordings for radio, a half-hour NBC series, based on the skit, Driver’s License, and a 1944 NBC pilot for "The Laurel and Hardy Show," casting Stan and Ollie in different occupations each episode. The surviving audition record, "Mr. Slater's Poultry Market," has Stan and Ollie as meat-market butchers mistaken for vicious gangsters. A third attempt was commissioned by BBC Radio in 1953: "Laurel and Hardy Go to the Moon," a series of science-fiction comedies. A sample script was written by Tony Hawes and Denis Gifford, and the comedians staged a read-through, which was not recorded. The team was forced to withdraw due to Hardy's declining health, and the project was abandoned.

 

Final years

Following the making of Atoll K, Laurel and Hardy took some months off to deal with health issues. On their return to the European stage in 1952, they undertook a well-received series of public appearances, performing a short Laurel-written sketch, "A Spot of Trouble". The following year, Laurel wrote a routine entitled "Birds of a Feather". On September 9, 1953, their boat arrived in Cobh in Ireland. Laurel recounted their reception:

 

The love and affection we found that day at Cobh was simply unbelievable. There were hundreds of boats blowing whistles and mobs and mobs of people screaming on the docks. We just couldn't understand what it was all about. And then something happened that I can never forget. All the church bells in Cobh started to ring out our theme song "Dance of the Cuckoos" and Babe (Oliver Hardy) looked at me and we cried. I'll never forget that day. Never.

 

On May 17, 1954, Laurel and Hardy made their last live stage performance in Plymouth, UK at the Palace Theatre. On December 1, 1954, they made their only American television appearance when they were surprised and interviewed by Ralph Edwards on his live NBC-TV program This Is Your Life. Lured to the Knickerbocker Hotel under the pretense of a business meeting with producer Bernard Delfont, the doors opened to their suite, #205, flooding the room with light and Edwards' voice. The telecast was preserved on a kinescope and later released on home video. Partly due to the broadcast's positive response, the team began renegotiating with Hal Roach Jr. for a series of color NBC Television specials, to be called Laurel and Hardy's Fabulous Fables. However, the plans had to be shelved as the aging comedians continued to suffer from declining health. In 1955, America's magazine TV Guide ran a color spread on the team with current photos. That year, they made their final public appearance together while taking part in This Is Music Hall, a BBC Television program about the Grand Order of Water Rats, a British variety organization. Laurel and Hardy provided a filmed insert where they reminisced about their friends in British variety. They made their final appearance on camera in 1956 in a private home movie, shot by a family friend at the Reseda, California home of Stan Laurel's daughter, Lois. The three-minute film has no audio.

 

In 1956, while following his doctor's orders to improve his health due to a heart condition, Hardy lost over 100 pounds (45 kg; 7.1 st), but nonetheless suffered several strokes causing reduced mobility and speech. Despite his long and successful career, Hardy's home was sold to help cover his medical expenses. He died of a stroke on August 7, 1957, and longtime friend Bob Chatterton said Hardy weighed just 138 pounds (63 kg; 9.9 st) at the time of his death. Hardy was laid to rest at Pierce Brothers' Valhalla Memorial Park, North Hollywood. Following Hardy's death, scenes from Laurel and Hardy's early films were seen once again in theaters, featured in Robert Youngson's silent-film compilation The Golden Age of Comedy.

 

For the remaining eight years of his life, Stan Laurel refused to perform, and declined Stanley Kramer's offer of a cameo in his landmark 1963 film It's a Mad, Mad, Mad, Mad World. In 1960, Laurel was given a special Academy Award for his contributions to film comedy, but was unable to attend the ceremony due to poor health. Actor Danny Kaye accepted the award on his behalf. Despite not appearing on screen after Hardy's death, Laurel did contribute gags to several comedy filmmakers. His favorite TV comedy was Leonard B. Stern's I'm Dickens, He's Fenster, co-starring John Astin and Marty Ingels as carpenters. Laurel enjoyed the Astin-Ingels chemistry and sent two-man gags to Stern.

 

During this period, most of his communication was in the form of written correspondence, and he insisted on personally answering every fan letter. Late in life, he welcomed visitors from the new generation of comedians and celebrities, including Dick Cavett, Jerry Lewis, Peter Sellers, Marcel Marceau, Johnny Carson, and Dick Van Dyke. Jerry Lewis offered Laurel a job as consultant, but he chose to help only on Lewis's 1960 feature The Bellboy.[citation needed]

 

Dick Van Dyke was a longtime fan, and based his comedy and dancing styles on Laurel's. When he discovered Laurel's home number in the phone book and called him, Laurel invited him over for the afternoon. Van Dyke hosted a television tribute to Stan Laurel the year he died.

 

Laurel lived to see the duo's work rediscovered through television and classic film revivals. He died on February 23, 1965, in Santa Monica and is buried at Forest Lawn-Hollywood Hills in Los Angeles, California.

 

Supporting cast members

Laurel and Hardy's films included a supporting cast of comic actors, some of whom appeared regularly:

 

Harry Bernard (former vaudeville partner of Charley Chase) played supporting roles as a waiter, bartender, or policeman.

Mae Busch often played the formidable Mrs. Hardy and other characters, particularly sultry femmes fatales.

Charley Chase, the Hal Roach film star and brother of James Parrott, a writer/director of several Laurel and Hardy films, made four appearances.

Dorothy Coburn appeared in nearly a dozen early silent shorts.

Baldwin Cooke (former vaudeville partner of Stan Laurel) played supporting roles as a waiter, colleague, or neighbor.

Richard Cramer appeared as a scowling, menacing villain or opponent.

Peter Cushing, well before becoming a star in Hammer Horror films, played one of the students in A Chump at Oxford.

Bobby Dunn appeared as a cross-eyed bartender and telegram messenger, as well as the genial shoplifter in Tit for Tat.

Eddie Dunn made several appearances, notably as the belligerent taxi driver in Me and My Pal.

James Finlayson, a balding, mustachioed Scotsman known for displays of indignation and squinting, pop-eyed "double takes," made 33 appearances and is perhaps their most celebrated foil.

Anita Garvin appeared in a number of Laurel and Hardy films, often cast as Mrs. Laurel.

Billy Gilbert made many appearances, most notably as bombastic, blustery characters such as those in The Music Box (1932) and Block-Heads.

Charlie Hall, who usually played angry, diminutive adversaries, appeared nearly 50 times.

Jean Harlow had a small role in the silent short Double Whoopee (1929) and two other films in the early part of her career.

Arthur Housman made several appearances as a comic drunk.

Isabelle Keith was the only actress to appear as wife to both Laurel and Hardy (in Perfect Day and Be Big!, respectively).

Edgar Kennedy, master of the "slow burn," often appeared as a cop, a hostile neighbor, or a relative.

Walter Long played grizzled, unshaven, physically threatening villains.

Sam Lufkin appeared several times, usually as a husky authority figure.

Charles Middleton made a handful of appearances, usually as a sourpuss adversary.

James C. Morton appeared as a bartender or exasperated policeman.

Vivien Oakland appeared in several early silent films, and later talkies including Scram! and Way Out West.

Blanche Payson, a former policewoman, was featured in several sound shorts, including Oliver's formidable wife in Helpmates.

Daphne Pollard was featured as Oliver's diminutive but daunting wife.

Viola Richard appeared in several early silent films, most notably as the beautiful cave girl in Flying Elephants (1928).

Charley Rogers, an English actor and gag writer, appeared several times.

Tiny Sandford was a tall, burly, physically imposing character actor who played authority figures, usually policemen.

Thelma Todd appeared several times before her own career as a comic leading lady.

Ben Turpin, the cross-eyed Mack Sennett comedy star, made two memorable appearances.

Ellinor Vanderveer made many appearances as a dowager, high society matron, or posh party guest.

 

Music

The duo's famous signature tune, known variously as "The Cuckoo Song", "Ku-Ku" or "The Dance of the Cuckoos", was composed by Roach musical director Marvin Hatley as the on-the-hour chime for KFVD, the Roach studio's radio station. Laurel heard the tune on the station and asked Hatley if they could use it as the Laurel and Hardy theme song. The original theme, recorded by two clarinets in 1930, was recorded again with a full orchestra in 1935. Leroy Shield composed the majority of the music used in the Laurel and Hardy short sound films. A compilation of songs from their films, titled Trail of the Lonesome Pine, was released in 1975. The title track was released as a single in the UK and reached #2 in the charts.

 

Influence and legacy

Laurel and Hardy's influence over a very broad range of comedy and other genres has been considerable. Lou Costello of the famed duo of Abbott and Costello, stated "They were the funniest comedy team in the world." Most critics and film scholars throughout the years have agreed with this assessment; writers, artists, and performers as diverse as Samuel Beckett, Jerry Lewis, Peter Sellers, Marcel Marceau Steve Martin, John Cleese, Harold Pinter, Alec Guinness, J. D. Salinger, René Magritte and Kurt Vonnegut among many others, have acknowledged an artistic debt. Starting in the 1960s, the exposure on television of (especially) their short films has ensured a continued influence on generations of comedians and fans.

 

Posthumous revivals and popular culture

Since the 1930s, the works of Laurel and Hardy have been released again in numerous theatrical reissues, television revivals (broadcast, especially public television and cable), 16 mm and 8 mm home movies, feature-film compilations and home video. After Stan Laurel's death in 1965, there were two major motion-picture tributes: Laurel and Hardy's Laughing '20s was Robert Youngson's compilation of the team's silent-film highlights, and The Great Race was a large-scale salute to slapstick that director Blake Edwards dedicated to "Mr. Laurel and Mr. Hardy". For many years the duo were impersonated by Jim MacGeorge (as Laurel) and Chuck McCann (as Hardy) in children's TV shows and television commercials for various products.

 

Numerous colorized versions of Laurel and Hardy features and shorts have been reproduced by several studios. The process was introduced in 1983 by Colorization, Inc. in partnership with Hal Roach Studios, then a Canadian concern licensing its name and films from Hal Roach. Early efforts were the famous Laurel & Hardy films Helpmates, Way Out West, and The Music Box, which were released to television and issued on VHS videocassettes. Most of the Laurel & Hardy sound shorts were ultimately colorized for distribution in Europe; The pixel-based color process and the conversion from the American NTSC system to the European PAL system often affected the sharpness of the image, so since 2011 video distributors have issued the original, more accurately rendered black-and-white editions.

 

There are three Laurel and Hardy museums. One is in Laurel's birthplace of Ulverston, England and another is in Hardy's birthplace of Harlem, Georgia, United States. The third is located in Solingen, Germany. Maurice Sendak showed three identical Oliver Hardy figures as bakers preparing cakes for the morning in his award-winning 1970 children's book In the Night Kitchen. This is treated as a clear example of "interpretative illustration" wherein the comedians' inclusion harked back to the author's childhood. The Beatles used cut-outs of Stan Laurel and Oliver Hardy in the cutout celebrity crowd for the cover of their 1967 album Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band. A 2005 poll by fellow comedians and comedy insiders of the top 50 comedians for The Comedian's Comedian, a TV documentary broadcast on UK's Channel 4, voted the duo the seventh-greatest comedy act ever, making them the top double act on the list.

 

Merchandiser Larry Harmon claimed ownership of Laurel's and Hardy's likenesses and has issued Laurel and Hardy toys and coloring books. He also co-produced a series of Laurel and Hardy cartoons in 1966 with Hanna-Barbera Productions. His animated versions of Laurel and Hardy guest-starred in a 1972 episode of Hanna-Barbera's The New Scooby-Doo Movies. In 1999, Harmon produced a direct-to-video feature live-action comedy entitled The All New Adventures of Laurel & Hardy in For Love or Mummy. Actors Bronson Pinchot and Gailard Sartain were cast playing the lookalike nephews of Laurel and Hardy named Stanley Thinneus Laurel and Oliver Fatteus Hardy.

 

Currently, the North American rights to a majority of the Laurel & Hardy library are owned by Chicken Soup for the Soul Entertainment, successor-in-interest to the companies that previously held such rights (Cabin Fever, RHI, Hallmark, and Sonar), while the CCA owns international rights, and Larry Harmon's estate owns the likenesses and trademarks to Laurel & Hardy.

 

The Indian comedy duo Ghory and Dixit was known as the Indian Laurel and Hardy. In 2011 the German/French TV station Arte released in co-production with the German TV station ZDF the 90-minute documentary Laurel & Hardy: Their Lives and Magic. The film, titled in the original German Laurel and Hardy: Die komische Liebesgeschichte von "Dick & Doof", was written and directed by German film-maker Andreas Baum. It includes many movie clips, rare and unpublished photographs, interviews with family, fans, friends, showbiz pals and newly recovered footage. Laurel's daughter Lois Laurel Hawes said of the film: "The best documentary about Laurel and Hardy I have ever seen!". It has also been released as a Director's Cut with a length of 105 minutes, plus 70 minutes of bonus materials on DVD.

 

Appreciation society

Main article: The Sons of the Desert

The official Laurel and Hardy appreciation society is known as The Sons of the Desert, after a fraternal society in their film of the same name (1933). It was established in New York City in 1965 by Laurel and Hardy biographer John McCabe, with Orson Bean, Al Kilgore, Chuck McCann, and John Municino as founding members, with the sanction of Stan Laurel. Since the group's inception, well over 150 chapters of the organization have formed across North America, Europe, and Australia. An Emmy-winning film documentary about the group, Revenge of the Sons of the Desert, has been released on DVD as part of The Laurel and Hardy Collection, Vol. 1.

 

Around the world

Laurel and Hardy are popular around the world but are known under different names in various countries and languages.

 

CountryNickname

Poland"Flip i Flap" (Flip and Flap)

Germany"Dick und Doof" (Fat and Dumb)

Brazil"O Gordo e o Magro" (The Fat One and the Skinny One)

Sweden"Helan och Halvan" (The Whole and the Half)

Norway"Helan og Halvan" (The Whole and the Half)

Spanish-speaking countries"El Gordo y el Flaco" (The Fat One and the Skinny One)

Italy"Stanlio e Ollio" also as "Cric e Croc" up to the 1970s

Hungary"Stan és Pan" (Stan and Pan)

Romania"Stan și Bran" (Stan and Bran)

The Netherlands, Flemish Belgium"Laurel en Hardy", "Stan en Ollie", "De Dikke en de Dunne" (The Fat [One] and the Skinny [One])

Denmark"Gøg og Gokke" (Roughly translates to Wacky and Pompous)

Portugal"O Bucha e o Estica" (The Fat One and the Skinny One)

Croatia, Serbia, Bosnia, North Macedonia, Montenegro"Stanlio i Olio" (Cyrillic: Станлио и Олио)

Slovenia"Stan in Olio"

Greece"Hondros kai Lignos" (Χοντρός και Λιγνός) (Fat and Skinny)

India (Marathi)"जाड्या आणि रड्या" (Fatso and the Crybaby)

India (Punjabi)"Moota Paatla" (Laurel and Hardy) (Fat and Skinny)

India (Telugu)"Lamboo Jamboo" (లంబూ జంబూ) (Laurel and Hardy) (Fat and Skinny)

FinlandOhukainen ja Paksukainen (Thin one and Thick one)

Iceland"Steini og Olli"

Israel"השמן והרזה" (ha-Shamen ve ha-Raze, The Fat and the Skinny)

Vietnam (South)"Mập – Ốm" (The Fat and the Skinny)

Korea (South)"뚱뚱이와 홀쭉이" (The Fat and the Skinny)

Malta"L-Oħxon u l-Irqiq" ("The Fat and the Thin One")

Thailand"อ้วนผอมจอมยุ่ง" ("The Clumsy Fat and Thin")

Biopic

A biographical film titled Stan & Ollie directed by Jon S. Baird and starring Steve Coogan as Stan and John C. Reilly as Oliver was released in 2018 and chronicled the duo's 1953 tour of Great Britain and Ireland. The film received positive reviews from critics, garnering a 94% "Fresh" rating on Rotten Tomatoes. For their performances, Reilly and Coogan were nominated for a Golden Globe and a BAFTA award respectively.

Nanette "DEATH METAL Of course, Now SCRAM"

 

Me "Geesh you certainly are bitchy lately"

 

Nanette "well how would you be if you got sent over in a box in the dark 8000 Miles away?"

 

Me "Yea yea ok good point"

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