New Theatre
Cardiff is a beautiful, metropolitan city in South Wales. Amongst its modern Millenium Stadium and office blocks is a little bit of history with connections to Laurel and Hardy. The New Theatre is in Park Place, and was the location for the last stop in Laurel and Hardy's 1952 tour.
The Boys arrived after performing in Swansea. Strangely, the local press had little to publish about the visit of the two veteran comedians and their wives. Both Stan and Ollie were reflective on comedy of the time. Stan said that too much comedy relied on words, and not enough action or defined characters. Ollie agreed and said of slapstick that if you take the comedians out of an awkward situation, the scene becomes a drama.
Park Hotel
The Boys stayed at the Park Hotel, just across the road. The Hotel is now named the Thistle Hotel, but is still very recognisable and has beautiful architecture. It was alleged by the hall porter at the time, that Stan and Ollie were not speaking to each other, presenting problems for the hotel's staff. Breakfast was taken at the theatre rather than the hotel, so the Boys would not be worried by swarms of fans. This meant that the food had to be carried over the road.
It has since been established that it was actually Ida and Lucille, the Boys' wives who had argued. As Laurel and Hardy often said, they were proud of never having had a crossed word between them.
You can read more about the New Theatre, using the following link :
More information can be found on the Park Hotel, now known as the Thistle Hotel at:
Sadly, and surprisingly, there is no Sons of the Desert tent in South Wales.
New Theatre, Cardiff
Park Hotel, Cardiff
