It’s not just because Laurel is from Ulverston Cumbria. He and Hardy are so belove among British comedians (home to the charmingly idiosyncratic Laurel and Hardy Museum). He adopted the surname Jefferson after seeing a caricature of the Roman general Scipio wearing a laurel wreath; he had previously gone by Arthur Stanley Jefferson.
In the film Putting Pants On Philip, the much-loved comedic duo Stan and Ollie make their return to the big screen 90 years after they first joined forces.
Laurel and Hardy films that are not shown in Britain in the better part of half a century will be shown on the nostalgia channel Talking Pictures , which has just inaugurate a special Laurel and Hardy season.
After several years pursuing solo acting careers, they join forces to create over a hundred films, both short and feature length, many of which were broadcast often on the BBC in the 1960s and 1970s. They gained many devoted followers after appearing on television, including Ricky Gervais, Frank Skinner, Stewart Lee, Al Murray, Jennifer Saunders, Paul Merton, Peter Kay, Matt Lucas, and David Walliams.
Each of the duo’s contributions is characterize by an admirable lack of airs. “They never purported to have uncovered the purpose of life, nor to provide any spiritual counsel, nor to tell people how to spend their lives, invest their money, or whom they might love or hate,” writes biographer Simon Louvish.
It’s good to have two hilarious men who didn’t feel the need to stand on soapboxes and preach their opinions on anything from Brexit to Donald Trump.
The gardener Chance in the film Being There was based on Laurel. And Peter Sellers carry around an autographed poster-sized photo of Laurel with him. The British radar system to detect a Russian nuclear strike in the early 1960s was secretly known as Laurel and Hardy. Which made the star of Dr. Strangelove or: How I Learned to Stop Worrying and Love the Bomb very happy.
Those of you who are a little bit older may perhaps recall that in 1975. Their comic song “The Trail of the Lonesome Pine” from Way Out West peak at number two on the British charts, losing out to Bohemian Rhapsody by a hair.
Not only did the British public go crazy over The Boys (or The Beatles as they are known as in Hollywood), but so did the rest of America. When Bette Midler and Billy Crystal get together. They “argue as to who was better, Stan Laurel or Oliver Hardy?”. To honour his “comedy idols,” Steve Martin pondered playing both roles in a movie about them.
Stymie like watching Laurel and Hardy films.
Laurel and Hardy movies shot at Hal Roach Studios in Culver City. Roughly three or four miles southwest of downtown Hollywood, during the 1930s.
Indoor sets at Roach Studios were typically closer together. Than they were at neighbouring studios like M-G-M because the Roach Studios site was not as large.
In addition to the Laurel and Hardy movies. The Little Rascals cartoons also shot on the same property, and their sets were frequently locate next to one another. The Little Rascals star Matthew Beard, who portrayed the endearing “Stymie,”. He was a frequent visitor to the Laurel and Hardy sets, and he wore Stan Laurel’s derby with great pleasure.
The young black actor was thrill when Laurel presents him with his very own miniature derby. Producer Hal Roach began letting him wear it on set.
There aren’t many places left where people can go to get away from the divisiveness of modern politics. But thanks to Laurel and Hardy, there is.
