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In 1921, Stan Laurel and Oliver Hardy both appeared in 'The Lucky Dog,' but not as team. It would be several years before the pair again shared screen time.
'Putting Pants on Philip,' a silent short film made in 1927, was the first official picture that brought the two comedians together as a pair. But they were still billed separately.
The same year, 1927, Stan Laurel and Oliver Hardy appeared opposite each other in 'The Second Hundred Years,' this time officially as a team. Both were developing the comedic formula that would launch their careers as Laurel and Hardy.
The silent comedy short 'Big Business' saw Stan and Ollie as Christmas tree salesmen who confront a grumpy would-be customer with hilarious tit-for-tat results. In 1992, 'Big Business' was deemed culturally significant and entered into the National Film Registry.
Produced by Hal Roach Studios, 'Double Whoopee' is notable for the brief appearance of Jean Harlow as a "swanky blonde." Harlow would later garner fame as one of the defining figures of the pre-Code era of American cinema.
The introduction of sound added a whole new dimension to the Laurel and Hardy shorts—spoken gags could now be heard! 'Hollywood Revue of 1929' was the duo's first feature film, running 130 minutes. Starring numerous big name acts, one of the highlights of the film is a comedy routine where Stan and Ollie play a couple of inept magicians. At the 2nd Academy Awards, the film received a Best Picture nomination.
'Hog Wild' includes a masterfully crafted set piece where a vehicle Stan and Ollie are traveling in is concertinaed between two tram cars. The duo's slapstick routines were by now legendary.
'Another Fine Mess' is a remake of Stan and Ollie's earlier silent film, 'Duck Soup' (not to be confused with the Marx Brothers' movie of the same name). The film's title was inspired by Oliver Hardy's classic catchphrase, "Well, here's another fine mess you've gotten me into" and always aimed at a hapless Stan Laurel.
'Beau Hunks' saw the comedy duo on peak verbal and visual form. Jean Harlow is again featured in the movie, though it's a cameo performance in the form of a series of photographic snapshots.
In 1932, Laurel and Hardy appeared in arguably the most famous of their 100 or so comedies, 'The Music Box.' The scene where they attempt to shift a piano up a long flight of steep steps is a masterclass in slapstick comedy. The film won the first Academy Award for Best Live Action Short (Comedy) in 1932, and in 1997 was selected for preservation in the National Film Registry by the Library of Congress as being "culturally, historically, or aesthetically significant."
This 1932 photograph shows the pair taking a break from filming 'County Hospital,' surrounded by the crew and a throng of admirers who'd gathered to watch the duo at work in Los Angeles.
'Sons of the Desert' proved so popular with cinemagoers that it inspired the name of the twosome's fan club. Nominated for the Academy Award for Best Live Action Short Film, the feature sees the duo attend a convention in Chicago much to the objection of their respective spouses. In 2012, 'Sons of the Desert' was also added to the National Film Registry.
Comedy calamity ensued once again in 'Tit for Tat.' This is the only direct sequel the duo made, following the story of 'Them Thar Hills.' The crescendo of misadventures and virtuoso comic timing led to another nomination for an Academy Award as Best Live Action Short Film (Comedy).
'A Chump at Oxford' was the penultimate Laurel and Hardy film made at the Roach studio. The plot follows the duo taking advantage of scholarships at Oxford University in England, and is noticeable for Laurel employing an upper-class received pronunciation accent, the only time when he affected a voice different from "Stan" on film.
One of 10 hilariously funny screen gems produced in 1931, 'Pardon Us' features Stan's loose tooth throughout, which makes an involuntary razzberry sound that angers prison officials in this, the duo's first full-length talking picture.
'Pack Up Your Troubles' was released as a feature and set against the backdrop of 1917. The film follows Stan and Ollie's conscription into the American Expeditionary Force during the First World War and is more pleasant than funny, the plot occasionally dipping into darker territory.
'Way Out West' is notable for two marvelous musical moments, the singing by Laurel and Hardy of 'Trail of the Lonesome Pine' and a wonderful dance routine delivered to 'At the Ball, That's All,' performed by the Avalon Boys. In 1975, 'Trail of the Lonesome Pine' was released as a single in the United Kingdom and climbed to number two in the pop charts.
'Swiss Miss' follows Stan and Ollie to Switzerland to sell mousetraps, apparently because there's a lot of cheese. The film costars Grete Natzler, an Austrian actress and operatic soprano credited as Della Lind in the film and the object of desire by the lovesick duo.
By the late 1930s, audiences and film critics alike began noticing a subtle loss of quality in Laurel and Hardy productions. 'Block-Heads' still contained some delightful set pieces though, with silent comedy film star Harry Langdon contributing to the gags.
Three months later in December 1932, 'Towed in a Hole' was released to find Stan and Ollie back in tip-top form in one of the most consistently amusing shorts in the entire Laurel and Hardy canon.
Stan got Ollie into another fine mess in this 1933 comedy short, crammed full of slapstick mishaps, during which Ollie's hands are trapped in a window frame and he's then propelled through a ventilator duct and out of an attic flue. Along the way he loses his trousers and has his face painted with a glue brush.
'The Tree in a Test Tube' is the only known surviving professionally shot color film of the comedy duo. It was made while they were filming 'Jitterbugs' and is a cameo performance the pair gave for a promotional reel produced by the United States Department of Agriculture.
Early on in their career, Stan Laurel took an active role behind the scenes. He was responsible for staging, writing, or editing many of the productions the duo appeared in, Hardy less so, although he'd enjoyed a brief directorial career before meeting Laurel. Hardy's creative input was essential in establishing the comedic chemistry between the two men. They are pictured with a kitten during filming of 1928's silent short 'The Finishing Touch.'
Made for 20th Century Fox, 'The Dancing Masters' is the last Laurel and Hardy movie of any significance. Released in November 1943, the film garnered noteworthy acclaim upon its theatrical debut, emerging as Fox's third-highest-grossing production of the year.
The final screen appearance by Laurel and Hardy was in a production called 'Atoll K' in 1951. It was made in France and derided by critics. But throughout the late 1940s and early 1950s, the duo had returned to the stage and enjoyed highly successful tours of the United Kingdom and, later, Europe.
In 1947, Stan and Ollie took part in a a Royal Variety Performance in front of King George VI and his consort Queen Elizabeth in London. The variety shows performed in their twilight years drew thousands of fans and served as a suitable way of bringing the curtain down on comedy's greatest double act.
Sources: (BFI) (Factinate) (Britannica)
Stan Laurel was born Arthur Stanley Jefferson on June 16, 1890, in the small market town of Ulverston in Lancashire, England. He was already appearing in pantomime and music hall sketches when he accepted a job in America in 1910, touring with Fred Karno's troupe of actors and working under the name Stan Laurel.
Norvell Hardy, better known as Oliver Hardy, was born on January 18, 1892, in Harlem, Georgia. He caught the acting bug as a projectionist in a movie theater. Hardy began his career in films in Florida and honed his skills in New York before relocating to Los Angeles in 1917, working freelance for several Hollywood studios.
'Should Married Men Go Home?' was the first Hal Roach film to bill Laurel and Hardy as a comedy double act. An American movie producer and director, Roach was instrumental in producing the Laurel and Hardy franchise.
By now, Laurel and Hardy were at the very height of their fame and recognized worldwide as comedy's greatest double act. 'County Hospital' proved another exceptional example of comic timing. Ollie is in hospital with a broken leg when he's visited by Stan. Chaos invariably ensues, with a crestfallen Ollie regularly peering into camera, his face a picture of exasperated pathos.
Laurel and Hardy are considered the greatest comedy duo in cinema history. Together they made some 100 pictures, shorts and features that helped define the genre and which still endure today, over 100 years after the pair first shared the screen together. Their slapstick humor and comic timing have inspired generations of comedians, who all doff their bowler hats to Stan and Ollie and the fine mess they landed themselves into. So, ready to laugh out loud?
Click through this gallery and be reminded of Laurel and Hardy's finest and funniest screen appearances.
The timeless comedy of Laurel and Hardy
Laugh out loud at Stan and Ollie's finest and funniest screen appearances
CELEBRITY Entertainment
Laurel and Hardy are considered the greatest comedy duo in cinema history. Together they made some 100 pictures, shorts and features that helped define the genre and which still endure today, over 100 years after the pair first shared the screen together. Their slapstick humor and comic timing have inspired generations of comedians, who all doff their bowler hats to Stan and Ollie and the fine mess they landed themselves into. So, ready to laugh out loud?
Click through this gallery and be reminded of Laurel and Hardy's finest and funniest screen appearances.