Lights, camera and plenty of action

Stan Laurel, named Arthur Stanley Jefferson, was born in Ulverston, England, in 1890. The son of a theatre owner and actress, the young Stan spent his youth in England before moving to Glasgow in the early 1900's. In Glasgow, he completed his education and began working for his father in the box office of the Metropole Theatre.

One of the most popular theatres in Glasgow at that time was the Panopticon. The venue was a cross between a theatre, side show and museum and was owned by AE Pickard. He was a millionaire business genius with a zany sense of humour. Originally from Bradford, Pickard moved to Glasgow in 1904, where he quickly gained a reputation for his eccentricity. In his theatre, he would sit at the top of a ladder at the side of the stage throwing nails at disorderly members of the audience. Sometimes he would stand with a long pole with a hook on the end and if the act was not good enough, he would hook them off by the neck! The audience loved this. The Glasgow audience had a notorious reputation for being the most difficult in the country.

In 1906, at the tender age of 16, Stan asked Pickard for a chance to perform in front of the intimidating Glasgow audience. Pickard obliged.

His father Arthur Jefferson recollected that first night:

"Stan's number, billed as an 'extra turn', went up. On he came wearing a pair of baggy patched trousers (new trousers of mine, cut down, patches added) and also my best frock coat and silk hat. He did his act, the details of which I cannot now remember and he got a very good reception. He scored a genuine success, finishing up to loud laughter, applause and even shouts of 'Encore!' The shouts brought him back and he beamed the now popular Laurel smile, but, in bowing his acknowledgements, he spotted me!"

After this success, Stan went on to join a succession of travelling groups, including the aptly named Fred Karno's Barmy Army, where he was understudy to none other than Charlie Chaplin. In 1910 the troupe went to America where Stan, like his father, began to write his own material. He eventually joined Hal Roach studios and co-starred with his alter ego, Oliver Hardy in A Lucky Dog (1921). The rest, as they say, is history. Laurel and Hardy went on to make over one hundred much loved films and it all started in a small theatre in Glasgow!

Pots and Pans

With the benefit of hindsight, Stan's future success might not have come as such a surprise. The very same stage and the very same Friday night amateur spot that launched his career did the same for many of Stan's contemporaries. Comedians Harry Lauder, Jack Buchanan and Jack Milroy all made their début at the Panopticon, or ‘Pots and Pans' as it became known locally. So too did Cary Grant, albeit in an unlikely guise as a dancing stilt-walker!

It's fitting therefore that this remarkable venue, once described as "pre-eminently the most popular place of amusement" in Glasgow, should be celebrating its 150th birthday next year. The Panopticon still occupies the upper floors of its original building. Built in 1857, the Britannia Music Hall, as it was known before Pickard re-named it, is the oldest music hall in Scotland and one of the oldest in Britain. Even more remarkable, after 67 years in suspension, the venue has been brought back to life. In October 2005 , this one-time music hall, cinema, freak show, waxworks, carnival and zoo, staged The Working Party's world premiere of Adventures of the Baron. This play was inspired by the poems of Glasgow's first Poet Laureate, Edwin Morgan. The Baron's run has finished for now, but you can still take a virtual tour of the auditorium and imagine the laughter and applause that must once have filled this space.

Another of Glasgow's historic venues that has recently returned to active service is the new-look City Halls. The permanent new base of the BBC Scottish Symphony Orchestra and the Scottish Music Centre, this magnificent modern concert venue is the culmination of a £14m renovation of two adjacent Victorian venues of outstanding architectural beauty.

Dating from 1841, the original City Halls is Glasgow's oldest, purpose-built, performance and meeting space. Lavishly decorated, with a traditional "shoebox" auditorium, raked seating and balcony, the venue now boasts state-of the art broadcasting and recording facilities, not to mention some of the finest acoustics for orchestral works. The other half of the new City Halls development is one of the city's best-loved performance spaces, The Old Fruitmarket. Its lofty vaulted roof, cobbled walkways, cast iron columns and balcony all contribute to The Old Fruitmarket's unique ambiance, making it an ideal space for contemporary music. The new City Halls development represents a superb addition to Glasgow's arts, entertainment and education scene.

Cinema City

Glasgow's love of the cinema goes back almost to the start of film making itself. Films were shown in circuses, ice rinks, churches and warehouses. The first purpose-built Glasgow cinema, The Electric Theatre, opened in Sauchiehall Street in the city centre in 1910.

Heralded as the ‘Cinema City', Glasgow's picture houses provided growing audiences with the quintessential great escape from their day-to-day lives. Outside, the cinemas boasted stunning facades, while inside patrons could marvel at mosaic floors, chandeliers and the grandest of staircases. Legendary Hollywood stars like Charlie Chaplin, Greta Garbo and Clark Gable had the venues full to capacity regularly.

With over 130 cinemas, Glasgow has more per person than any other city outside America. Glasgow continues to be the home for the stars of film and TV. Edinburgh may have its Sir Sean Connery and Ewan McGregor, but the modern generation of Glaswegian screen stars includes Robbie Coltrane (Hagrid from the Harry Potter films), Robert Carlyle (Trainspotting), John Hannah (The Mummy), Billy Boyd (Lord of the Rings) and Craig Ferguson, host of America's Late Late Show.

Sometimes, of course, it's the city itself that's the star. Over the years, Glasgow has provided a remarkable backdrop for over 100 films and continues today to be a powerful force in the British film industry. The Glasgow Film Office is the city's strategic agency for film and high value television. In the last 3 years alone, they have seen 20 films produced here, not to mention numerous television drama series.

Top Ten Holiday Destination

Some of the beautiful venues and theatres must have contributed to Glasgow's appearance in Frommer's Travel Guide. The latest edition lists Glasgow among the Top Ten of the world's most interesting, affordable destinations for 2006. The only European destination listed, Glasgow is described as being cosmopolitan and modern, with a happening nightlife and radiant architecture. In addition, the New York Magazine has rated King Tut's in the world's top 10 list of must-see places for travellers in 2006. The Glasgow music venue helped propel rock band Oasis to stardom. Magazine bosses insist that King Tut's is as hip as New York's club scene. In their Bliss List for 2006 they urge readers to, "Discover the new Franz Ferdinand at King Tut's Wah Wah Hut in Glasgow. The city is ground zero for the post-punk revival." Condé Nast Traveler, one of the world's top holiday magazines, also placed Glasgow second only to London, in a list of top tourist destinations.

Stan Laurel took his first comedy steps on a Glasgow stage. Since the early 1900's the city has blossomed into a leading arts and multi-cultural capital. Future plans include the £350m upgrade of the Scottish Exhibition and Conference Centre. Once complete, Glasgow will be able to boast the largest entertainment venue in Scotland. It will join the world's tallest cinema (Cineworld), Scotland's largest screen (the IMAX at Glasgow Science Centre) and Britain's most successful art house cinema (Glasgow Film Theatre). With a burgeoning arts and cultural sector, Glasgow's future looks bright.