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![[IMAGE]](L&H%20plaque.jpg)
Childhoods were not the greatest time for some folks, but in one lousy childhood there was a SAVING GRACE. For me, it was:
STAN LAUREL & OLIVER HARDY
They say that laughter is the BEST MEDICINE and I wholeheartedly agree. There is just not enough of it today, so with your indulgence, I will to dedicate this page to the FUNNIEST TWO MEN THAT EVER EXISTED:
STAN AND OLLIE!
The early to mid '80's was not a good time for me as my beautiful sister CAROL had contracted ovarian cancer in which she was given 6 months at the outside to live. There was no INTERNET back then and me being of the type who won't accept such an inevitability, I went to the local library to read up on alternate treatments for my beloved sister and I was surprised as to what I had found out about cancer. I first learned that cancer treatments were not limited to what the AMA (American Medical Association). Some things I had read had to do with the BIG BUSINESS cancer was and that the ultimate treatment cost for the average cancer was $225,000.00 in 1980's dollars! I began to think in that line and decided to seek some alternate treatments that had reportedly had some success, and to recommend or at least present CAROL with some alternatives to consider.
Carol and Me 1953 (Carol was a model for Photoplay Magazine. This was taken under the Santa Monica Boardwalk)
We ended up initially at the HOXEY CLINIC in Mexico. Doctors were not allowed to practice alternative therapy's in this country so we had no choice because all the local doctors we visited including a brilliant Oncologist on one side of our family, and virtually all of them came up with the same "Death Sentence" for Carol. The Hoxey Clinic was known for treating massive tumors with an herb. We heard from one patient after another about this alternative therapy and many had at least some degree of success. The problem for us however was that the Doctor in charge had told us that their treatment would be too slow for Carol and had suggested we go to Central De Medical in Playas De Tijuana, Mexico, and there we went.
After a very thorough examination, an American trained Oncologist; Dr. Contreras said that he felt he could help if we followed his orders to the letter. Carol was a fighter and she ultimately did great, in fact Carol lived for 2-1/2 more years and it was a quality life! Look, I cannot guarantee nor recommend these alternate treatments to such a severe disease, but I can only tell you what our experience was at the time.
Probably the largest part of the treatment had to do with DIET. However, Dr. C gave us some books to read including LAUGHTER THERAPY! That book had taught us to LAUGH as much as we could in order to help LAUGH away the disease. Old adages that last seem to have truth to them and the old adage; "Laughter is the BEST MEDICINE".
Having memories of my Childhood, the best ones were when we all sat down to watch Laurel and Hardy shorts and movies where we would all laugh which was one emotion that was not normally a part of Mom and Dad's household.
So, Carol and I would watch as much Laurel and Hardy as we could, in fact at one point we were gutting and re-doing a guest house that my mother and father-in-law owned in Encino, California so that Carol could live there. There was such a mess made by knocking down a wall or two, building a kitchette and bathroom, that Carol and I cleaned it up. We played the music from L & H's award winning movie; "the Music Box" when the pair had to clean up a busted up piano and large crate that got all busted up and Carol and I danced like the "boys" did while cleaning up the mess. That was a MAGICAL time for us!
THE DANCE THAT CAROL AND I DID and More we would laugh and laugh at
We were well past Carol's six month "death sentence" by then and we credited in no small part LAUGHTER to her longevity and reasonably good health. In fact, we got a visit from our other sister who had not seen Carol in many months and her first statement to Carol was: "You look great! Cancer agrees with you"! Well, you had to understand the "zephro" brand of humor to appreciate that but we all had a great laugh from that one.
One other time we laughed so hard was when we went to see the opening of Le Cage au Fau at the Beverly Wilshire Theatre together along with our brother Ted Zephro who made us the greatest steak dinner in the world that night. Not good for Carol's diet, but we just knew that was going to be a special night; in fact we all laughed so hard we were asked to leave the theatre! (We stayed until the movie ended anyway) OH!
MANY PAGES ON THIS WEBSITE ARE FOR YOU, THIS ONE'S
FOR ME! 
With all of that said, let's KICK IT UP A NOTCH and get right down to my tribute to:
OH OLLIE!
DOH!
worthy of mention; James Finlayson
(Appeared in 195 motion pictures including 33 with Stan & Ollie!)
(1887-1953)
STAN LAUREL'S BIOGRAPHY
"say ollie!"
Out of the vast array of comic talent found at the Hal Roach Studios during its heyday, Stan Laurel emerged as The Lot of Fun's supreme comic genius. Given carte blanche by Roach when it came to the writing, direction, editing and production design of the Laurel and Hardy films, he enjoyed a close and professional relationship with Roach until their falling out over the script of "Babes in Toyland" (1934). Nevertheless, 'The Boys' continued to work another six years at Roach without interference from the boss. Though his name never appeared on the credits as such, Laurel was the de facto director and head writer for virtually every L & H film, a fact which enabled him to make twice as much money as his portly partner, but despite rumors that the two were bitter enemies, they remained close friends until Hardy's death in 1957. Having had only modest success as a solo performer, Laurel readily acknowledged Hardy as the missing ingredient which made his own character more sympathetic. There simply was no viable Laurel without Hardy. They needed each other; it was the pairing that made them funny.
Born into a show business family, Laurel (born Arthur Stanley Jefferson) made his stage debut in Glasgow, Scotland at the age of 16 and four years later joined Fred Karno's company, understudying Charlie Chaplin. When Chaplin's departure to work with Mack Sennett led to the cancellation of the troupe's remaining US dates, Laurel remained in the USA and toured the North American vaudeville circuit in "The Nutty Burglars", a sketch of his own devising. He then made a living impersonating Chaplin before teaming with common-law wife Mae Dahlberg (billed as Stan and Mae Jefferson; later as Stan and Mae Laurel), with whom he appeared in his first movie, "Nuts in May" (1917). Laurel bounced between pictures and vaudeville, working for Universal, Essanay (where he acted by chance with Oliver 'Babe' Hardy in "Lucky Dog" 1921) and Roach. After questioning his abilities as a performer, he pretty much decided to concentrate on a career behind the camera. In fact, Roach hired him back in 1925 with the understanding that his primary duties would be as writer, director, gagman--and only occasionally--performer.
Though not credited as director on any of the signature Laurel and Hardy films, he did receive credit as helmsman on 10 Roach shorts, three of which included Hardy. If not for Laurel's occasional appearances as one of the Hal Roach all-stars, director Leo McCarey, credited with urging Roach to make Laurel and Hardy an official team, might never have recognized the extra comic sparks flying whenever the duo were in a scene together. After their pairing, it took a little while for them to develop the winning formula. Their trademark costumes did not appear until their eighth film ("Do Detectives Think?" 1927), and McCarey and Roach both cited "Putting Pants on Philip" (also 1927) as the first "official" L & H film. By the end of that year, they had caught on so well with the public that there was no turning back, yet no one except Roach would have allowed their growing pains. He understood comedy and gave his people the time and freedom to get things just right, saving the pair from the kind of studio meddling that eviscerated the genius of Buster Keaton.
Laurel and Hardy each beautifully complemented the other's screen presence, achieving a connection that can only be called soulful on their way to becoming Hollywood's greatest acting team. (Bud Abbott and Lou Costello only proved how much more L & H had brought to the arena of fat man-thin man humor.) The perfect pairing of opposites, they thrived on maintaining their decency in a world constantly inflicting its irreverence and cynicism on them. Despite suffering defeat after defeat at the cruel hand of fate, they dusted themselves off to face whatever calamity awaited with renewed optimism, lampooning life's difficulties in a way that appealed to children and scholars alike. Stanley, the well-intentioned, bungling simpleton, always found a way to sabotage the dainty and painstaking plans of Ollie, eliciting from him, "This is another fine mess you've got us into." Their well thought-out comic interplay featured peerless one-upmanship, with each getting ample opportunity to upstage the other, though Hardy may have earned more laughs for his endless capacity for "falling in the whitewash."
The coming of sound did not shake up Laurel and Hardy's world. They simply continued doing their same brand of humor, adding only the language that seemed appropriate, nothing more nor less. "Pardon Us", their first feature, debuted in 1931, but their main work was still comedy shorts, which they continued to make along with their full-lengths until 1935. Though it is the features of this period (especially "Sons of the Desert" 1933 and "Babes in Toyland") that are now best remembered, the shorts, less flawed by tedium and plotlessness, may represent their highest artistic achievement. Certainly, a critical high point came when arguably their best short, "The Music Box" (1932), won the first Academy Award ever given in the category of Best Short Subjects (Live Action Comedy). When Roach abandoned shorts as commercially impractical, 'The Boys' continued making funny films through the end of the decade, benefiting from the creative contributions of veteran silent comedian Harry Langdon who received screenplay credit on "Blockheads" (1938), "The Flying Deuces" (1939) and "A Chump at Oxford" and "Saps at Sea" (both 1940).
In all, Laurel and Hardy appeared in over 70 films for Roach between the years 1926 and 1940, excelling in the studio's best of all possible worlds working environment. Neither 20th Century-Fox nor MGM would allow Laurel to call the shots, sure that they knew more about L & H's humor than 'The Boys', and their films from 1941-45 were dismal failures. No longer the sweet innocents so carefully perfected at Roach, they came off simply as unendearing idiots in weary, unfunny, juvenile efforts. Though they would make one last disappointing film, "Atoll K/Utopia" (1950), Laurel and Hardy enjoyed phenomenal success on the live stage between 1947 and 1954, particularly in Great Britain. Drawing from his English music hall roots, Laurel wrote delightful sketches that the team performed before sellout crowds, and the rejuvenated pair returned to the USA with big plans for a series of TV comedy specials. Sadly, it was not to be. 'Babe' Hardy suffered a mild heart attack, Laurel, a paralyzing stroke, and though they posed for a series of publicity stills in 1956, Hardy's massive stroke that year dispelled all hope of subsequent triumphs.
Their close, personal relationship was such that, when Hardy died in 1957, Laurel refused to work on film again. Realizing that one of its treasures had slipped away without proper recognition, Hollywood resolved to not make the same mistake twice, presenting Laurel with an honorary Academy Award in 1960. The comedy of Stan Laurel and Oliver Hardy remains popular today, as evidenced by a contemporary fan club called Sons of the Desert (which Laurel helped co-found), named for one of their best-loved films, in which 'The Boys' sneak off to a fraternal convention while pretending to go on a "medicinal" sea voyage. When the ship sinks and their wives see them cavorting on a newsreel report of the convention, the stage is set for a delicious send-up of marital strife, just one of the many examples of their art-imitating-life problems. This ability to capture universal truths about the human condition, coupled with the kindness and gentleness of their screen personas even in their roughest vehicles, produced a timeless humor which grows in estimation with each passing year.
OLIVER HARDY'S BIOGRAPHY
"hmm, hmm, hmm, HMM! Hello, I'm Mr. Hardy and this is my friend Mr.
Laurel".
Unlike his future screen partner Stan Laurel, American comedian Oliver Hardy did not come from a show business family. His father was a lawyer who died when Hardy was ten; his mother was a hotel owner in both his native Georgia and in Florida. The young Hardy became fascinated with show business through the stories spun by the performers who stayed at his mother's hotel, and at age eight he ran away to join a minstrel troupe. Possessing a beautiful singing voice, Hardy studied music for a while, but quickly became bored with the regimen; the same boredom applied to his years at Georgia Military College (late in life, Hardy claimed to have briefly studied law at the University of Georgia, but chances are that he never got any farther than filling out an application). Heavy-set and athletic, Hardy seemed more interested in sports than in anything else; while still a teenager, he umpired local baseball games, putting on such an intuitively comic display of histrionics that he invariably reduced the fans to laughter. In 1910, he opened the first movie theater in Milledgeville, Georgia, and as a result became intrigued with the possibilities of film acting. Traveling to Jacksonville, Florida in 1913, he secured work at the Lubin Film Company, where thanks to his 250-pound frame he was often cast as a comic villain. From 1915-25, Hardy appeared in support of such comedians as Billy West (the famous Chaplin imitator), Jimmy Aubrey, Larry Semon (Hardy played the Tin Woodman in Semon's 1925 version of The Wizard of Oz), and Bobby Ray. An established "heavy" by 1926, Hardy signed with the Hal Roach studios, providing support to such headliners as Our Gang and Charley Chase. With the rest of the Roach stock company, Hardy appeared in the Comedy All-Stars series, where he was frequently directed by fellow Roach contractee Stan Laurel (with whom Hardy had briefly appeared on-screen in the independently produced 1918 two-reeler Lucky Dog). At this point, Laurel was more interested in writing and directing than performing, but was lured back before the cameras by a hefty salary increase. Almost inadvertently, Laurel began sharing screen time with Hardy in such All-Stars shorts as Slipping Wives (1927), Duck Soup (1927) and With Love and Hisses (1927). Roach's supervising director Leo McCarey, noticing how well the pair worked together, began teaming them deliberately, which led to the inauguration of the "Laurel and Hardy" series in late 1927. At first, the comedians indulged in the cliched fat-and-skinny routines, with Laurel the fall guy for the bullying Hardy. Gradually the comedians developed the multidimensional screen characters with which we're so familiar today. The corpulent Hardy was the pompous know-it-all, whose arrogance and stubbornness always got him in trouble; the frail Stan was the blank-faced man-child, whose carelessness and inability to grasp an intelligent thought prompted impatience from his partner. Underlining all this was the genuine affection the characters held for each other, emphasized by Hardy's courtly insistence upon introducing Stan as "my friend, Mr. Laurel." Gradually Hardy adopted the gestures and traits that rounded out the "Ollie" character: The tie-twiddle, the graceful panache with which he performed such simple tasks as ringing doorbells and signing hotel registers, and the "camera look," in which he stared directly at the camera in frustration or amazement over Laurel's stupidity. Fortunately Laurel and Hardy's voices matched their characters perfectly, so they were able to make a successful transition to sound, going on to greater popularity than before. Sound added even more ingredients to Hardy's comic repertoire, not the least of which were such catch-phrases as "Why don't you do something to help me?" and "Here's another nice mess you've gotten me into." Laurel and Hardy graduated from two-reelers to feature films with 1931's Pardon Us, though they continued to make features and shorts simultaneously until 1935. While Laurel preferred to burn the midnight oil as a writer and film editor, Hardy stopped performing each day at quitting time. He occupied his leisure time with his many hobbies, including cardplaying, cooking, gardening, and especially golf. The team nearly broke up in 1939, not because of any animosity between them but because of Stan's contract dispute with Hal Roach. While this was being settled, Hardy starred solo in Zenobia (1939), a pleasant but undistinguished comedy about a southern doctor who tends to a sick elephant. Laurel and Hardy reteamed in late 1939 for two more Roach features and for the Boris Morros/RKO production The Flying Deuces (1939). Leaving Roach in 1940, the team performed with the USO and the Hollywood Victory Caravan, then signed to make features at 20th Century-Fox and MGM. The resultant eight films, produced between 1941 and 1945, suffered from too much studio interference and too little creative input from Laurel and Hardy, and as such are but pale shadows of their best work at Roach. In 1947, the team was booked for the first of several music hall tours of Europe and the British Isles, which were resounding successes and drew gigantic crowds wherever Stan and Ollie went. Upon returning to the States, Hardy soloed again in a benefit stage production of What Price Glory directed by John Ford. In 1949, he played a substantial supporting role in The Fighting Kentuckian, which starred his friend John Wayne; as a favor to another friend, Bing Crosby, Hardy showed up in a comic cameo in 1950's Riding High. Back with Laurel, Hardy appeared in the French-made comedy Atoll K (1951), an unmitigated disaster that unfortunately brought the screen career of Laurel and Hardy to a close. After more music hall touring abroad, the team enjoyed a resurgence of popularity in the U.S. thanks to constant showings of their old movies on television. Laurel and Hardy were on the verge of starring in a series of TV comedy specials when Stan Laurel suffered a stroke. While he was convalescing, Hardy endured a heart attack, and was ordered by his doctor to lose a great deal of weight. In 1956, Hardy was felled a massive stroke that rendered him completely inactive; he held on, tended day and night by his wife Lucille, until he died in August of 1957. Ironically, Oliver Hardys passing occurred at the same time that he and Stan Laurel were being reassessed by fans and critics as the greatest comedy team of all time.
If you've gotten this far, YOU MIGHT BE A LAUREL & HARDY FAN!
That being the case, you may wish to look at some more of these YOU TUBE clips.
HOLLYWOOD REVIEW 1929 HOLLYWOOD PARTY 1934
L&H AND FRIENDS PUBLIC SERVICE VIDEO
LET IT SNOW STANLEY GETS DRUNK!
LAST LAUGH WAY OUT WEST BABES IN TOYLAND
CAMEO APPEARANCE IN PICK A STAR 1937 LAUREL & HARDY MUSIC
THE BEGINNING'S OF L&H HOLLYWOOD PARTY 1934
L&H MUSIC TO STILL SHOTS LAST PICTURES OF L&H EVER
INSANELY FUNNY SCENES NO SOUND STAN AND OLLIE SING!
KNEESY EARSY NOSEY! L&H SILENT MOVIE WITH ADDED SOUND
CHUMPS AT OXFORD TRAILER......I DON'T THINK! OH! RANDOM STILLS TO L&H VOICES
RARE FOOTAGE OF STAN LAUREL'S FUNERAL TO MUZE THE DAY THE COMEDY DIED
If anyone knows where I can get the video of "Saps at Sea" particularly where Stanley was forced to eat the fake spaghetti and meatballs, let me know
List of Credits
| 1929
1930 1931 |
1932
1933 1934 1935 |
Well, there you have it, a TRIBUTE to the FUNNIEST and MOST TALENTED COMEDY TEAM. I SINCERELY HOPE THAT YOU ENJOYED IT, BUT LIKE I SAID; THIS IS FOR ME.
zef
Thanks Dave!
zef
You know dats right!
______________________________________________________________________________________________
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