LAUREL & HARDY

FORMATION: For years it was believed that the one responsible for teaming up these two was Hal Roach. In fact, it was Leo McCary who noticed the reaction of the audience when they performed together, and recommended they be teamed up later on. Even though Leo discovered them, the story of what caused them to be in the same picture is even more interesting.

Hardy was cooking a leg of lamb and got his arm burned so badly that they cut down his part in another picture. This forced the studio to put him with a skinny comedian in a new picture, "The Lucky Dog" (1921), and the rest is history.

STUDIOS: Teamed up at Hal Roach Studios, they made a majority of their films there. After a disagreement with Hal Roach they moved over to 20th Century Fox & MGM in 1940.

ENDING: Though their last film was "Utopia" (1951) aka "Atoll K," they never stopped being Laurel & Hardy. It was a friendship that lasted even when the money wasn't rolling in. Hardy died of a stroke on August 7th, 1957 and Laurel followed on February 23rd, 1965. Since Laurel had lived a little longer, he was able to see the new popularity of their partnership flourish into the inspiration of new comedians. These new comics had watched them as kids and created a legacy in honor of these two great men.

I love these two men for what they taught the world about comedy and about friendship. As a boy, my mother showed me a few of their short films and I was hooked. When I grew older, I could see the effect they had on the comedians of the sixties like: Dick Van Dyke, Jerry Lewis and others. They made their films through two world wars, yet they are more popular than any tyrant or any world leader. They were the world's best friends.

Here is a clip from "Flying Deuces" (1939) that presents

Hardy's singing and Laurel's dancing.

This is a scene that you can't watch without laughing.

Dick used to sneak away from home to watch Laurel & Hardy films

as a kid. When he got home he would show off something new

he had seen Laurel do. Not only could he move like him, his face

also held a close resemblance. In this clip, on the Dick Van Dyke show,

he plays the part of his idol. After the show, he called up Laurel

out of the phone book and asked for his thoughts on it.

HUMOROUS TITLES

As I did these last few posts, I realized that each comedian has his own space in the universe of comedy. So I have given a title to a few of them. Here they are:

Raised by a clown himself, his father worked in a circus when Red Skelton was young. With his authentic training, he successfully brought this type of comedy into Radio, Television and Motion Pictures more than any other comedian.

Keeping true to the title of his most popular film, "The Court Jester" (1956),

Danny Kaye proved himself as the "King of Jesters and Jesters of Kings."

As a tribute to his film and character, "The Nutty Professor" (1963),

Jerry Lewis is as crazy as they come.

Who needs scripts when you're with Bob Hope. Dorothy Lamour found herself lost many times through some of their films, but carried on as best she could. From hosting the Oscars to entertaining troops, he never packed a cue card.

As the King of Clumsy, Stan Laurel has kept audiences rolling for generations. He continues to be an example to comedians of our day. His facial expressions, walk, smile and even the movement of his elbows speak louder than any of his dialogue.



DYNAMIC DUO'S

Many comedians have found success performing alone, while others found it best to team up. For this next week, I will be posting on my favorite Duos and Trios.

Before I move on from the solo performers, I wanted to list a few comparisons I found interesting. I posted on six comedians and here are their similarities.


When it came to having boys:
Stan Laurel
Red Skelton
Lou Costello
(These three all had their only son die in their youth).

Danny Kaye
(Only had one child, a daughter).

Bob Hope
(Adopted four kids).

Jerry Lewis
(He is the odd one out with six boys from his first wife).


Speaking of wives:
Danny Kaye
Bob Hope
Lou Costello
(All of these never divorced with the exception of a rumor about Hope having a previous marriage).

Jerry Lewis
(He had two marriages).

Red Skelton
(Had three marriages).

Stan Laurel
(Interesting enough, he had five marriages. Two of them were with his second wife who later became his fourth).


On Academy Awards:
None of the comedians I posted on received an Oscar for a performance. They all, except Lou Costello, received Honorary Awards from the Academy.
Stan Laurel
Red Skelton
Jerry Lewis
(They all received one Honorary Academy Award).

Danny Kaye
(He was awarded two Oscars)

Bob Hope
(He beat them all. Not only was he the host for the Oscars countless times, he walked home five of his own).

There are a few other comparisons that I don't have time to list now.

STAN LAUREL (1890-1965)

ARTHUR STANLEY JEFFERSON

Born: June 16th, 1890 (England)

Died: February 23rd, 1965 (heart attack)

Marriages: Lois Neilson (1926-1934), Virginia Ruth Rogers (1934-1937), Vera Ivanova Shuvalova (1938-1940), Virginia Ruth Rogers (1941-1946) & Ida Kitaeva (1946-1965).

Children: He had two children: a girl named Lois, after his wife at the time, and a son named Stanley Robert Laurel who died after nine days.

Awards: In 1961, Stan received his first and only Academy Award for his pioneering work in the cinema of comedy. Though he was unable to attend, it was received in his honor by Danny Kaye. He also won a Life Achievement Award in 1964, and has a star on the Walk of Fame for Motion Pictures.

Interesting Fact: In an epitaph that he wrote for his own funeral he stated: "If anyone cries at my funeral, I will never speak to him again."

My Favorite Movie: "The Music Box" (1932) is my favorite of theirs. I do not know what makes a piano going up and down the stairs so funny, but it cracks me up every time. There is also a collection of scary shorts that I love called the "Laurel & Hardy Spooktacular," which is still only on VHS.

Stan was the inspiration for so many comedians who followed him. Dick Van Dyke, Jerry Lewis, Peter Sellers and others looked to him as an example and even met with him a few times to ask for advice. Though he was the understudy of Charlie Chaplin, the first most successful comedian, he set his own standard in the world as the character of a childish adult. He was also one of the most gracious of comedians by adding his number in the phone book and personally responding to fan mail.

Though it may not seem this way, he was the brains of the team. He was the director & writer of many of his films with Oliver Hardy. That was what made their partnership successful. This duo withstood the test of time better than any other partnership in Hollywood history. They were close friends and received awards and achievements as a team most of the time. They were in more than 300 movies together and are commonly mimicked to this day.

From his ear to ear smile to his puffed out bottom lip he became the Laurel that America would never forget. We have never seen anything like him since and were sure we never will. He gave us so much laughter and tears that there is hardly room for anyone other comedian to do the same. What a beautiful "mess we've gotten into!"

Here are some scenes from my favorite film of theirs "The Music Box."

This is a touching interview with Laurel about his fan mail.

Comments from Jerry Lewis on his idol Stan Laurel.

This is a fan made compilation of his funeral.

WHAT IS YOUR FAVORITE MOVIE?

CHARLIE CHAPLIN (1889-1977)

SIR CHARLES SPENCER CHAPLIN

Born: April 16th, 1889 (London)

Died: December 25th, 1977 (Natural Causes)

Marriages: Mildred Harris (1918-1921), Lita Grey (1924-1927), Paulette Goddard (1936-1942), Oona Chaplin (1943-His Death)

Children: He had a total of eleven children. Norman (Lived three days), Charles Jr., Sydney, Geraldine, Michael, Josephine, Victoria, Eugene, Jane, Annette & Christopher.

Success: He is most known for his his portrayal as "The Little Tramp" and played this character, while also directing at times, in thirty-five films. He is the most pivotal star of the silent screen.

Interesting Fact: When Chaplin came to America with his understudy Stan Laurel, they lived in a boarding house that didn't allow cooking. While Laurel was frying food, Chaplin would play the violin to cover the sound.

Awards: Though he never received an Oscar for his acting alone, he did, however, win two Oscars for his contributions to the cinema, and another for the musical score in "Limelight" (1952). He has also received sixteen other awards in addition to being knighted in 1975. He had footprints at the Grauman's Chinese Theater but it was stolen in the fifties.

Hidden Gems: "The Kid" (1921), "The Gold Rush" (1925) "The Circus" (1928), "City Lights" (1931), "Modern Times" (1936), "The Great Dictator" (1940), "Limelight" (1952).

While Chaplin's life itself was full of suprising tragedy, he was the best entertainer in the business. While others were struggling through the sound years, the "Tramp" kept him busy making silents. His first talkie was "The Great Dictator" (1940), though he re-released some silent pictures with his own voice as the narrator. He was also a composer and wrote the music for many of his films.

To me, Chaplin is timeless. He created a new type of Comedy, involving sympathy, that is greatly used today. His silent pictures are the most entertaining to me, though I enjoy a Keaton and Lloyd now and then.

* Here is the famouse table ballet in "The Gold Rush" (1925).