Comedian Oliver Hardy was born on this day in 1892 (he died in 1957.) Here's a 1950 TV interview he did right as he was about to set sail for France:
The interviewer makes mention of Hardy being part of a famous comedy team, so without further ado, let's see that comedy team in action:
Uh...That's not the comedy team I had in mind.
In 1956, two of the funniest men who ever lived got together one last time to have their picture taken, though you'd be forgiven if you didn't immediately recognize the one on the right. So what accounts for Oliver Hardy's gaunt appearance? It seems the comedian, spooked by a mild heart attack he had suffered in 1954, went on a crash diet, shedding a whole 150 pounds. However, in a letter to an acquaintance, Stan Laurel speculated his longtime comedy partner had cancer. We do know that a series of strokes felled Hardy about a year after this photo was taken. At least the master of the comic reaction was able to give us one final feat of foolery for the camera.
While there was little to compare them to, I when I was a kid I thought they were so very, very funny. That final photo is moving.
ReplyDeleteAndrew, I thought long and hard about whether I should show that final photo. I don't want to shy away from reality, and in a highly exaggerated way, Stan and Ollie never did either.
DeleteI love these two. My brother regularly starts their routines when we’re chatting. I’m always Stan Laurel. I had never seen the Ship’s Reporter interview and I thought I had seen them all. Can’t watch the final video unfortunately. It’s blocked here.
ReplyDeleteHmm, Mitchell, that last video is one of the funniest (if not always the most tasteful) things they ever did. I definitely want you to watch it. Try YouTube itself:
Deletehttps://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wIbeGQp0cm4
That one is still blocked, but the link did provide the title, so I found another version.
DeleteThey left their mark, didn’t they? One of the videos is blocked in Canada due to copyright reasons.
ReplyDeleteDavid, is it the third one that's blocked? Try this link:
Deletehttps://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wIbeGQp0cm4
All of you live outside the United States. I wonder if some tariff is the reason the last video is blocked. An imminent invasion of Greenland is bad enough, but blocking Laurel and Hardy? Trump needs to be impeached.
DeleteOne of the truly great comedy teams!
ReplyDeleteDebra, the way they were able to comically play off each other is amazing. Together they became a single comedy entity.
DeleteYour last video is unavailable to me in Canada. I love these two, they are so funny. I enjoyed this post, thank you so much for sharing.
ReplyDeleteUnavailable in Spain, too. It’s the “I thought you had 2 legs” routine. Other versions available on YouTube.
DeleteIt's from the 1938 movie Blockheads, one of their funniest.
DeleteHonestly, Linda, I don't know what to do about that video other blame Trump and his tariffs.
ReplyDeleteHi Kirk, They were a great comic team, mixing slapstick with subtle gestures and facial expressions. By the way, all the video clips worked for me in Taiwan (for a change).
ReplyDelete--Jim
Jim, I'm glad SOMEONE got to see it!
DeleteI grew up watching Laurel and Hardy and The Marx Brothers. My dad got me into all the old stuff from the 30s and 40s! I still watch them to this day. They will still be popular in 100s of years to come...if the world is still around that is!!!! :-D
ReplyDeleteNothing against the army of comedians that's come since then, but like you, Ananka, I tend to see the 30s and 40s as the Golden Age of Comedy.
DeleteYou're bringing back the good ol' days for me.
ReplyDeleteGood ol' days of comedy, Mike. Other than that, there was a depression going on.
ReplyDelete