On Saturday, December 14, 2019, I was honored to introduce the Laurel & Hardy films at the Arcada Theatre in St. Charles, IL. I would like to thank the “Chicago Bacon Grabbers”– the local tent of the “Sons of the Desert” Laurel & Hardy fan club– for this wonderful opportunity. This year marks the 50th anniversary of the Bacon Grabbers, having been founded in 1969 by Charles “Chuck” Huck. In the morning we screened two shorts, Bacon Grabbers (1929) and Big Business (1929), prior to a showing of Sons of the Desert (1933). In addition to my own remarks on these films, I relayed special greetings from Radio Hall of Famer Chuck Schaden and film historian Richard W. Bann.
After the film festival, we retreated to a luncheon upstairs in the Club Arcada Speakeasy. Several members of the Bacon Grabbers made toasts to Laurel & Hardy cast members and shared congratulatory messages from other tents from around the country.
I would like to thank Robert Birarelli and Marcia Opal of the Bacon Grabbers for extending the invitation to me. Also, special thanks to Gary Cohen and Grand Sheik Mark Yurkiw.
~MCH
Film historian Matthew C. Hoffman introduces the Laurel & Hardy films at the Arcada.
(Photos courtesy of Marcia Opal and Maria Melnyk.)
