Ulverston's finest

[John Little]

As I mentioned on another thread, I am Cumbrian. Stan Laurel was Cumbrian too - he was born in Ulverston, so naturally I like this and I also like Laurel and Hardy. Because I am part Scots this particularly makes me guffaw;

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7aXv1J9ewjY

But there is one thing that has always puzzled me. I have searched and failed to find a clip with him wiggling his ears as he did I think in a film called 'A chump at Oxford'.

So I thought I would ask - could he really wiggle his ears or was it some sort of special effect?

Anyone know?

[Corrie 3]

I am sure we will have an "Ear Wiggling Scientist" on here somewhere John who will come along and answer your question shortly.

C3........:roll:;)

[John Little]

LOL! You may well be right C3!

The comments from all the pipers under that clip are interesting too btw.

[gleeber]

So I thought I would ask - could he really wiggle his ears or was it some sort of special effect?

Anyone know?


I am sure we will have an "Ear Wiggling Scientist" on here somewhere John who will come along and answer your question shortly.

C3........:roll:;)
I'm not an ear wiggling scientist but I can wiggle my ears. The only special effects involved happen inside my head. To be honest I had forgotten about my ear wiggling ability but I can confirm the ears still wiggle on command. If you want to get scientific about it then the question is what comes first? The thought that I am going to wiggle my ears or do my ears click into a thought and then wiggle? Without the thought my ears have been static for years. The thought is sparked into life by a variety of chemical and electrical charges which infuse my whole being with the message, I will wiggle my ears. Without the thought nothing would happen but the thought is made up of chemical and electrical discharges coming from my brain.
So what comes first when we wiggle anything? The thought or the chemical and electrical charge? The chemical and electrical charge must be set off by a stimulant. In this case a post on the org.
Over to the scientists. :eek:

[NickInTheNorth]

Taken from http://www.laurelundhardy.de/films/talkies/blotto-production.html







One surefire gag in Hal Roach shorts was ear-wiggling. Only a few months before, the studio built an entire Our Gang comedy around this notion; Messrs. Beanie Walker and Bob McGowan named it WIGGLE YOUR EARS. In BLOTTO when Stan finally tastes Anita's intoxicating mixture, he blinks his eyes, and frantically wiggles his ears. Decades later in l962, New England television personality Hal Stanton wrote and asked Stan Laurel how he performed this pulsating trick. "Very simple," Laurel answered in his usual gracious fashion, "A thread is attached to each ear with adhesive tape, the threads extend to below camera level and are pulled back and forth at a camera speed of 8 or l2 frames per second. The threads are painted with opaque paint so they won't show in the scene."

[John Little]

Mystery solved. Thankyou Nick - not Science, or ear mutation but clever tricks.

The pipers' comments under the clip though - I wonder if any org pipers relate to them?

[Green_not_greed]

As I mentioned on another thread, I am Cumbrian. Stan Laurel was Cumbrian too - he was born in Ulverston, so naturally I like this and I also like Laurel and Hardy. Because I am part Scots this particularly makes me guffaw;

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7aXv1J9ewjY

But there is one thing that has always puzzled me. I have searched and failed to find a clip with him wiggling his ears as he did I think in a film called 'A chump at Oxford'.

So I thought I would ask - could he really wiggle his ears or was it some sort of special effect?

Anyone know?

You're not allowed to wiggle your ears anymore . Apparently it causes global warming.

[John Little]

Is that scientifically proven or is it just another one of those untested hypotheses that become true if enough folk say them often enough?

Back to the video...

It might be a bunch of actors on the march but if the appearance of a regiment of Scotties on the march is anything like real life then you'd have to be pretty foolhardy to get in their way...


I can wiggle my ears slightly - am I a malignant naysayer? :eek:

[Corrie 3]

What I would like to know is how much effect on global warming does wiggling the ears have?
And.........if we all wiggled our ears and plugged ourselves into the grid would there be a need for these awful windfarms???

C3.......:roll::)

[Bazeye]

Ulverstons second finest was Hartleys beer until it got taken over a few years ago by Robinsons of Stockport.

[Phill]

Can't beat Robbie's. Especially Old Tom. Got veeeeeeerrrrrrry dru...... Er tired and emotional on that.

[bekisman]

Is there anyone on the Org who knows Ulverston? at least they might, by their local knowledge, have final conclusive proof of such an action, even if it is confirmation of sticky tape as N-i-t-N mentions?

[Walter Ego]

Glen Campbell sang a song called 'Ulverston'.

I liked that, I did.

[John Little]

Glen Campbell sang a song called 'Ulverston'.

I liked that, I did.

Oh yes - so he did - I remember that... Ulverston - Ulverston... good tune.

[Bazeye]

Been on many a pub crawl in Ulverston. It must have had, at one point, the most pubs for the population of any town in England.

[ducati]

Nope I put forward Knutsford in Cheshire. Two street town over thirty pubs at one time.

[Walter Ego]

Nope I put forward Knutsford in Cheshire. Two street town over thirty pubs at one time.

'Knutsford City Limits'

Another great tune.....blimey.

[John Little]

This thread could run and run. Pennine Way - longest pub crawl in the UK...

[Better Out Than In]

I can't make my ears wiggle but if you clamp them in a vice I can make my head go up and down

[NickInTheNorth]

Been on many a pub crawl in Ulverston. It must have had, at one point, the most pubs for the population of any town in England.

Interesting article on the bbc website http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/magazine/7370986.stm

And I have to add my voice to those that say Otley :)

[Walter Ego]

This thread could run and run. Pennine Way....

That would be 'The Rocky Mountain Way' then.....another good tune....

[ducati]

That would be 'The Rocky Mountain Way' then.....another good tune....

Or The Trail of the Lonesome Pine :lol:

[John Little]

Or The Trail of the Lonesome Pine :lol:

And so back to Stan Laurel...
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TBlYDmTzic8

[John Little]

Interesting article on the bbc website http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/magazine/7370986.stm

And I have to add my voice to those that say Otley :)


You a tyke Nick?

[NickInTheNorth]

aye lad :)

Born and raised in York, lived many years is Huddersfield, many more in Menston (2 miles from Otley)

[John Little]

By 'eck lad - tha lived near me uncle in Fartown! Nice part of the world.

[NickInTheNorth]

nearly bought 'ouse in Fartown once, and nearly lived in the Slubbers Arms when I was a student

[John Little]

I'll ask him if he knows that pub now!

[northener]

nearly bought 'ouse in Fartown once, and nearly lived in the Slubbers Arms when I was a student

Good pub is t'Slubbers. Proper Luddite territory.

[Phill]

Proper Luddite territory.A lot of it is that side of t'Pennines.Eccles 'beach' ( Salford, not Norfolk) used to have a a pretty damn good pub to population ratio. Until many of them were burnt down or closed by the polis.I'm sure I've seen Stan Laurel on a pub crawl there, but then it could be the hallucinogenic nature of Holts'.

[gleeber]

So what comes first when we wiggle anything? The thought or the chemical and electrical charge? The chemical and electrical charge must be set off by a stimulant. In this case a post on the org.
Over to the scientists. :eek:

They're a strange crowd the Cumbrians. Just like the Scots but their heads kicked in. :lol:

[Bazeye]

Theres a bit of a difference of opinion here in Barrow as to whether we're Cumbrians or Lancastrians. Anyone born here before 1972? was born in Lancashire, anyone after that was born in Cumbria. Btw most Cumbrian places have the Carlisle postcode of CA, but here we've still got the Lancaster postcode of LA. :confused

[John Little]

Well the definitive difference surely is whether you talk about 'hotpot' or 'tattiepot'.

[Bazeye]

More a chicken curry chop suey and fried rice man myself.