I recently spotted on Facebook a photograph of Stan Laurel and Oliver Hardy, with their wives, sitting in a pub holding pint glasses. It was 1952 and they are in the Bull Inn at Bottesford in Leicestershire, the landlady of which was Stan's sister Olga. Can you imagine walking into a pub and seeing two famous people drinking there?!. Well...............
Back in the early seventies I used to work at the North East Electricity Board in Newcastle. The nearest pub was the Adlephi in Shakespeare Street. ( now called The Lady Grey). The pub happened to be opposite the stage door of the Theatre Royal.
As I used to work shifts, we could be found their most evenings for a break, or after the shift finished ( or both). In those days there was no real ale, I mostly drank McEwans Best Scotch. The method of dispense was a measured half pint in a glass cylinder, so it was easy to pull a pint, flick a handle across for one half, then back again to fill the glass. Dead easy. We used to get wrong off the barmaid, Betty, if we wanted a pint shandy as this would involve doing the half , then having to open a lemonade bottle. Thinking about it, she used to encourage drink driving as you were scared to order anything other than a pint.
Anyhow, one week when there was a comedy play on called Big Bad Mouse at the Theatre Royal and , some of the cast used to pop for a quick drink. One night I walked in, and there propping up the bar, were the shows stars, Jimmy Edwards and Eric Sykes. Now I am not a one for pestering people like this, they've just come out to relax like me after all. . So I walked up the bar and said to Betty, " A pint of Scotch please Betty "
Straightaway, Jimmy Edwards ears pricked up. " Bloody Hell, hes drinking a pint of Whisky !". I think my reply was, " well we are tough round here Jimmy".
Later that week soon to be Mrs Ken and I went to see the play, which was bloody funny. There was a lot of ad libbing and at one point Eric Sykes came on the stage and stated that the Turks Head Hotel opposite ( where they were staying) was on fire. We all thought it was part of the act but it was true, although only with minor damage.
Sadly, no room in the ad lib for the lad with the pint of whisky
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