LAUREL and HARDY
"Oh! How we laughed..."
Perhaps no other comedy team in history has held so much appeal, for so many people, for so many years, as Stan Laurel and Oliver Hardy.
Their background in vaudeville shows through in the "slapstick" nature of their work, but - unlike so many other comedians - they possessed a high level of gentlemanliness. Their scrapes with each other, and with their "victims," seldom amounted to more than a snowball in the face, or a slip or fall into a pond or barrel of water. And they were ever polite, both to each other and to their co-stars. Seldom did they meet anyone without a formal - but not forced - "I'm Mr. Hardy, and this is my friend, Mr. Laurel." Though things usually did go downhill from there!
I am a lifelong (so far) fan of Stan & Ollie, but not really a collector of their films or memorabilia. I simply enjoy watching and reading about their work. So this page isn't filled with much original work of mine, but rather it's a jumping-off place for you. I'll be trying to include links to the amazing number of sites dedicated to "the boys," as well as other reference material about them and their films. I'd greatly appreciate any contributions and corrections to what I have...new websites, publications, etc. Please email me with these, or with your comments. Thank you!
New! "The Music Box" Stairs
In the middle of my holiday-shopping and in-law
visiting trip to Southern California in December, 2000, I made my
semi-occasional pilgrimage to the "Music Box" stairway
on Vendome Street off Sunset. I was pleasantly surprised to find
two additions to the site since my last visit.
The first treat was VERY obvious...and news to me as well. The City of Los Angeles has erected a "street name" sign for our favorite thoroughfare. It is now officially named the "Music Box Steps."
The second surprise for me - though it appears to have been there for a while - was a marble plaque embedded in one of the lower "new" steps. Perhaps not surprisingly, it has some graffiti scratches in it. We can hope the plaque and the sign will survive...on one of the meaner of L.A.'s mean streets today.
Presented by Silver Lake Improvement Association, Hollywood Heritage Inc., The Hollywood Studio Museum, The Silent Society, and the Society of Operating Cameramen, it reads:
Stan Laurel and Oliver Hardy "The Music Box" 1932
"This plaque marks the site of the making of "The Music Box," winner of the 1932 Academy Award for Short Subject - Comedy. The film starred comic legends Stan Laurel and Oliver Hardy, who also employed this location in their 1927 film "Hats Off." Both films were produced by the Hal Roach Studio."
Be sure to read Rip Rense's "Looking for the Boys"
Sons of the Desert
THE Laurel & Hardy "Fan Club"
If you're a halfway serious fan of Laurel & Hardy (is that an oxymoron??), you might well be interested in joining a local "tent" of "Sons of the Desert - the Laurel and Hardy Appreciation Society." They have members and tents worldwide, who meet regularly to socialize, view films, and generally have a fun time sharing their interests in "the boys." Check out the Hollywood "Way Out West" tent's S.O.D. Database to help you find your nearest group.
"New" to Laurel & Hardy? Want to know more about their work and their backgrounds? Some excerpts from Neil Grant's "LAUREL & HARDY - Quote Unquote"
LINKS TO SOME OF MY FAVORITE L&H SITES
Rip Rense's "Looking For the Boys"- This story is just WONDERFUL!
Brushwood Gulch Telegraph - L&H email Discussion Group
Laurel and Hardy Chat Room on "Delphi"
Steve Mazoki's TERRIFIC Laurel and Hardy Page
Doug's Tribute to Laurel and Hardy
John's Tribute to Laurel and Hardy
The Laurel and Hardy Newsgroup
|
