Laurel & Hardy - The Official Website

Welcome to the Laurel and Hardy Official Website - Main Menu home - <a href="home/home.html">home</a> | <a href="home/message/message.html">message board</a> | <a href="home/faq/faq.html">faq</a> | <a href="home/contact/contact.html">contact us</a> | <a href="home/business/business.html">business contacts</a> Laurel & Hardy films - <a href="films/features/_features.html">features</a> | <a href="films/talkies/_talkies.html">talkies</a> | <a href="films/silents/_silents.html">silents</a> | <a href="films/cameos/_cameos.html">cameos</a> | <a href="films/refilmings/_refilmings.html">refilmings</a> | <a href="films/solo/laurel.html">Stan Laurel</a> & <a href="films/solo/zenobia.html">Oliver Hardy</a> solo films | specials - <a href="films/specials/golden.html">Golden Age of Comedy</a> | <a href="films/specials/when-comedy.html">When Comedy Was King </a> the players - <a href="players/players-l&h.html">Stan Laurel & Oliver Hardy</a> | <a href="players/players-halroach.html">Hal Roach & Hal Roach Studios </a> | <a href="players/players-legacy.html">the legacy of Mr. Laurel & Mr. Hardy </a> what's new - <a href="news/news.html">news</a> | <a href="news/events.html">events</a> | <a href="news/clip.html">the Laurel & Hardy video clip of the month</a> the Laurel & Hardy archive - <a href="archive/articles/articles.html">miscellaneous essays & past press releases</a> | <a href="archive/pressbooks/pressbook.html">pressbooks</a> | <a href="restoration/nav-restoration.html">restoration </a> did you know - <a href="dyk/dyk.html">did you know</a> | <a href="dyk/asklois.html">ask Lois Laurel-Hawes</a> | <a href="dyk/quiz/2008-07/quiz.html">quiz</a> | personalities - <a href="dyk/personalities-kempster.html">Del Kempster</a> | <a href="dyk/personalities-bann.html">Richard W. Bann</a> | <a href="dyk/personalities-aping.html">Norbert Aping</a> Sons of the Desert - <a href="sons/about.html">about the Sons of the Desert</a> | Sons of the Desert tents - <a href="sons/america.html">North America</a> | <a href="sons/british.html">British Isles</a> | <a href="sons/aussie.html">Australia & NZ</a> | <a href="sons/europe.html">Europe</a> | <a href="sons/intnl.html">International</a> | <a href="sons/links.html">links</a> | <a href="sons/videos/videos.html">videos</a> gallery - <a href="gallery/photoalbum.html">photo album</a> | <a href="gallery/P&C/p&c.html">photos & captions</a> | <a href="gallery/POSTERS/posters.html">posters</a> videos - <a href="videos/videos/videos.html">Laurel & Hardy channel</a> | <a href="videos/downloads.html">downloads</a> <a href="contact/imprint.html">imprint </a> links - <a href="http://www.sotd.org/">Sons of the Desert Website</a> (The International Laurel & Hardy Society) | <a href="http://laurelandhardyforum.com">The Laurel & Hardy Forum</a> | <a href="http://intratentjournal.com/">Intra-Tent Journal</a> | <a href="http://www.geocities.com/Hollywood/Boulevard/2601/">Italian Laurel & Hardy Webite</a> (Stanlio & Ollio) | <a href="http://intratentjournal.com/"></a> German Laurel & Hardy Website (Dick und Doof) If you are using a browser that does not support frames, use the browser buttons to navigate back to the main menu.   Stan Laurel & Oliver Hardy Stan Laurel was born Arthur Stanley Jefferson on 16 June, 1890 in Ulverston, England; died on 23 February 1965. Oliver Hardy was born Norvell Hardy on 18 January, 1892 in Harlem, Georgia; died on 7 August 1957. The son of a British showman, Stan Laurel had been raised in English music halls. In 1910 he made his first trip to America as a member of the Fred Karno musical-comedy troupe, which also included Charlie Chaplin. Laurel stayed in the United States, touring in vaudeville and landing an occasional movie job. Oliver Hardy had been destined for a military career, but opened a movie theater in Milledgeville, Georgia, instead. He next found work as an actor in Jacksonville, Florida, home of the Lubin film company. Hardy later moved to Hollywood, and by the mid 1920s, he was working as an all-purpose comic at the Hal Roach studio. Laurel and Hardy's partnership at the Hal Roach studio began in 1926. Within a year of their first joint appearance, they were being touted as the new comedy team. After collaborating on many silent films, they took the transition to the talking film in stride. As their success spread throughout the world, they began making feature films as well and won an Oscar for their short subject entitled "The Music Box" (1932).After the team left the Hal Roach studio, they formed their own production company but were unable to repeat the success they had enjoyed under the guidance of Hal Roach. Filmography: Laurel & Hardy Feature Films As the economics of motion picture exhibition changed in the 1930s, Hal Roach needed to produce feature-length vehicles for Laurel & Hardy. Filmgoers then and now treasure WAY OUT WEST, BLOCK-HEADS and SONS OF THE DESERT among their best full-length feature films. After SAPS AT SEA (1940) Laurel & Hardy left the Hal Roach Studios and signed with major studios 20th Century-Fox and MGM. From 1941-1945 they made eight feature films - six for Fox and two for MGM. In 1951 Laurel & Hardy made their final film appearance together in the disastrous UTOPIA, aka ATOLL K. Laurel & Hardy Feature Films for the Hal Roach Studios (1931-1940) 1931 Pardon Us 1932 Pack Up Your Troubles 1933 Fra Diavolo (aka The Devil's Brother) Sons of the Desert 1934 Babes in Toyland (aka March of the Wooden Soldiers) 1935 Bonnie Scotland 1936 The Bohemian Girl Our Relations 1937 Way Out West 1838 Block-Heads Swiss Miss 1940 A Chump at Oxford Saps at Sea Laurel & Hardy Feature Films for FOX and MGM (1941-1945) 1941 Great Guns (20th Century Fox) 1942 A-Haunting We Will Go (20th Century Fox) 1943 Air Raid Wardens (MGM) Jitterbugs (20th Century Fox) Dancing Masters (20th Century Fox) 1944 The Big Noise (20th Century Fox) Nothing But Trouble (MGM) The Bullfighters (20th Century Fox) Other Laurel & Hardy Feature Films 1939 The Flying Deuces 1951 Utopia (aka Atoll K, Robinson Crusoeland) Laurel & Hardy Talkie Shorts Unlike many other silent film actors, Stan Laurel and Oliver Hardy adapted with ease to talking in movies, practically paying no attention to this new component of their work. Happily, their voices matched their screen personalities. And sound effects greatly aided their talking films. So did the wonderful, peppy, period background music. The Boys were then able to punctuate their physical and visual comedy with catch phrases long familiar to fans who smile when they hear variants of such lines as these: “I'm Mr. Hardy, and this is my friend, Mr. Laurel.” “Why don't you do something to help me?” “We certainly do!” “Tell me that plan again.” “Here's another nice mess you've gotten me into!” aurel & Hardy Talkie Shorts (1931-1940) 1929 Berth Marks The Hoose-Gow Men O' War Perfect Day They Go Boom Unaccustomed As We Are 1930 Another Fine Mess Below Zero Blotto Brats Hog Wild Night Owls The Laurel-Hardy Murder Case 1931 Beau Hunks Be Big Chickens Come Home Come Clean Helpmates Laughing Gravy One Good Turn Our Wife 1932 Any Old Port The Chimp Country Hospital The Music Box (Won the Oscar for best short subject in 1932) Scram! Their First Mistake 1933 Busy Bodies Dirty Work Me and My Pal Midnight Patrol Towed in a Hole Twice Two 1934 Going Bye-Bye Oliver the Eighth The Live Ghost Them Thar Hills 1935 The Fixer-Uppers Thicker Than Water Tit for Tat Laurel & Hardy Silent Shorts Not yet a team, Stan Laurel and Oliver Hardy first appeared together in the independent film THE LUCKY DOG, which we now believe was shot in early 1921. During the 1920s they appeared separately in a number of silent shorts for the Hal Roach Studios. 45 MINUTES FROM HOLLYWOOD (1926) is the first Hal Roach production featuring both performers. Their characters blossomed as a team in DUCK SOUP, their very next film, then, curiously, regressed. The independent recollections of both Stan Laurel and Hal Roach cite PUTTING PANTS ON PHILIP (1927) as the first Laurel & Hardy film. THE SECOND HUNDRED YEARS (1927) was promoted as the first official Laurel & Hardy release, but the film was actually produced and sold as part of the Hal Roach All-Star series. It was not until SHOULD MARRIED MEN GO HOME? (1928) that the studio officially branded their pictures as "The Laurel & Hardy Series." Laurel & Hardy Silent Shorts (1921-1929) 1921 The Lucky Dog 1927 The Battle of the Century Duck Soup Do Detectives Think? Flying Elephants Hats Off (Lost) Love 'Em and Weep Putting Pants on Philip Sailors Beware! The Second 100 Years Slipping Wives Sugar Daddies Why Girls Love Sailors With Love and Hisses 1928 Early to Bed The Finishing Touch From Soup to Nuts Leave 'Em Laughing Should Married Men Go Home? That's My Wife Their Purple Moment Two Tars We Faw Down You're Darn Tootin' 1929 Angora Love Bacon Grabbers Big Business Double Whoopee Habeas Corpus Liberty Wrong Again   Laurel & Hardy DVDs