CHRISTMAS WISHES FROM LAUREL & HARDY

REMEMBERING MR. HARDY

 On this date, 66 years ago, the world lost one of its brightest and funniest comedians. 

We remember Oliver Hardy, who, as his plaque declares, was: 

"A GENIUS OF COMEDY. HIS TALENT BROUGHT JOY AND LAUGHTER TO ALL THE WORLD."

Stan Laurel - Born on this day, 133 years ago.

OLIVER HARDY'S BIRTHDAY

THE SONS OF THE DESERT 22nd INTERNATIONAL CONVENTION!

The 22nd International Convention of the Sons of the Desert is being held in Albuquerque, New Mexico, from August 17th to the 22nd, hosted by the Albuquerque Busy Bodies Tent, Oasis 29.

All participating delegates are already having the time of their lives at the Hotel Albuquerque and most of their wives think they are in Honolulu. That's a darb!

Hosted by the Albuquerque Busy Bodies - Oasis 29

Some personal affairs precluded me from attending the festivities this year but I am crossing my fingers hoping I will be able to partake of the forthcoming event a couple of years from now, wherever and whenever it may be held. (As long as I don't have to take the Oath from our Exhausted Ruler).

This was the logo of the now defunct BULLFIGHTERS TENT of MEXICO CITY.

"Here's another nice mess you've gotten me into!"

 

Of course, that was one of Oliver Hardy's most familiar catchphrases along with "Why don't you do something to help me?" and "Hard boiled eggs and nuts! Hmmh!"  Unforgettable words, always directed at his slow-witted partner Stan Laurel in their many short films from the 1930s. Unlike most comedy double acts who consisted of a funny guy paired with a straight man, Laurel and Hardy were a comedy team formed by two equally funny comedians, each one in his own particular style which complemented and counterbalanced the other.  Considered by many film scholars as being the greatest comedy team ever, Laurel & Hardy have always remained a very important and recurring part of my life. Every mistake, downfall, calamity, disaster, stupid move, wrong turn or spill I've experienced in my daily existence, always remind me of something that happened to The Boys. And then I realize I am not alone, for Laurel & Hardy were echoing all humanity with its many shortcomings and foibles. Therefore, I will always remain grateful that Stan Laurel and Oliver Hardy existed and even though they are gone now, their influence still remains with me and those like me who remember them fondly.

'Twas Ever Thus!

I was 6 years old when Ollie passed away and I vaguely remember my grandfather making some comments about it. I guess I was much too young to be really impressed mainly because most of the comedians I watched on TV from the silent era and early talkies had almost all died by then, a fact my parents were quick to provide whenever they saw me watching those films.

“Hey, ma! Look at this funny guy here! Who’s he?”

“Oh, he’s Harry Langdon. He’s dead now!”

YOU BET YOUR LIFE!

Wise quote by an often quoted Groucho Marx!

STAN LAUREL (1890 - 1965)

As we do every year on February 23rd, we take a moment to pay tribute to one of the greatest  comedians to ever grace the silver screen: Mr. Stan Laurel!

                                                You can check Stan's entry on IMDb here:

                                                                         STAN LAUREL

"I'm Mr Hardy; Oliver Norvell Hardy!"

              Every January 18, I remember one half of the greatest comedy team in movie history!                                                                                    Bless you, Oliver Hardy!

OLIVER HARDY

OLIVER HARDY remembered on his birthday.

OLLIE!

 Oliver Hardy passed on this date, August 7th, 1957 at 65 years of age. When his on stage and screen partner, Stan Laurel heard the news, he was devastated and from then on, refused to perform on stage or act in another film again. Ever since they became partners in 1927, he thought of himself as half of an entity called Laurel & Hardy and consequentially, without Hardy there couldn't be any Laurel. That's how close they were. Their friendship had blossomed during their fading years when, out of work in movies, they began to tour appearing live before delighted audiences in the U.S. and abroad.  Ollie was by this time, married to Virginia Lucille Jones, a script girl he met while filming THE FLYING DEUCES.  Stan was married to Ida Kitaeva Raphael and the four of them struck a very close friendship during those tours.

Many people think of Hardy as being the perfect straight man to Laurel but in fact, there was no straight man in this team since Ollie shared the comedy equally with Stan.  You could laugh at Stan's fumblings and get another laugh watching Ollie's reaction to his pal's blunders, which did not keep Hardy from committing some equally hilarious bits of slapstick himself!

Here's a link to last year's post on Oliver Hardy:

https://ferllera.blogspot.com/2019/08/oliver-hardy-genius-of-comedy.html

LAUREL & HARDY : The Definitive Restorations

Finally, after a long wait, the Laurel & Hardy Definitive Restorations DVD and Blu-Ray discs were released on June 30th and a joyous occasion it was for the countless fans who were eagerly awaiting for this event!

And it was everything it was supposed to be.  The films look better than ever. The sharpness, detail and sound are exactly like they must have been when first released, almost 90 years ago.

I won't go into any details here because every Tom, Dick and Harry have posted their opinions on the social networks and I will not be adding my comments to them as I'm not interested in being a critic or reviewer, but mark my words, these films look gorgeous as never before.

The only drawback is that it's not a complete set. Laurel and Hardy appeared in about 106 films together, between 1917 and 1951 and this volume covers a mere fraction of that, which only wets L&H fans' appetite for more restorations.

Hopefully, there will be further volumes coming sometime but for the time being, let's enjoy what we have! Welcome back again, Mr. Laurel and Mr. Hardy!

For more details on this Blu-Ray and DVD release, check here:

https://www.amazon.com/Laurel-Hardy-Definitive-Restorations-Blu-ray/dp/B084P3S7NJ

You can watch the trailer here:

REMEMBERING STAN LAUREL

               I consider myself to be primarily a comedian who just happens to perform through cartoons.
                   And among comedians, there's no one standing higher for me than Stan Laurel.

I've always admired his skill in pantomime and the remarkable ability to take a simple everyday situation and transform it into something funny, ridiculous and immensely entertaining. His partnership with Oliver Hardy was a blessing for Stan as it gave him a sounding board and instant feedback to his quiet bits of lunacy. Sadly, most of Laurel and Hardy's artistry is lost in present generations due to a lack of promotion and poor exposure of their films on the streaming services. Still, there is hope that their wonderful shorts and feature films somehow will find a way to be admired and become an inspiration to future generations. As for myself, I am just glad I was born when their comedies were still widely available on television because, to this day, I cherish their friendship and companionship through all the muck and mire of our daily existence.

                                                                 God Bless Stan Laurel!

ABBOTT & COSTELLO MEET FRANKENSTEIN!

ABBOTT AND COSTELLO MEET FRANKENSTEIN (1948) is the first film in which the famous comic duo meet the classic monsters from Universal Pictures' horror films. In my humble opinion it is also the best of them.
Bud and Lou play baggage handlers Chick Young and Wilbur Grey who get involved with Dracula and the Frankenstein Monster when a crate holding the remains of the Count arrives at the railway station in Florida, where Bud and Lou work as baggage clerks, to be delivered at McDougal's House of Horrors, a local wax museum.
The film contains some of Abbott & Costello's best routines and some of the one-liners are true gems, like this one:

The film is also notable because it was the "swan song" for the Big Three of Universal's Monsters: Dracula, Frankenstein's Monster and the Werewolf made their last appearances in a Universal film here.

                                         

 Bud and Lou made some other subsequent horror spoofs for Universal: "A & B Meet the Invisible Man" (1951), "A & B Meet Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde" (1953) and "A & B Meet The Mummy" (1955).

                    But their crowning achievement in horror comedies was certainly the first one.

Abbott and Costello have always been among my favorite comedy teams, second only to Laurel & Hardy, but in the 1940s, they were the top box-office draws, remaining there for several years. Their brand of comedy was more suitable to the taste of war and post-war audiences.

They also had a successful run on television with the "Abbot and Costello Show" (1952-1954) and their legion of fans remain adoringly faithful to this day.

Traditionally, I always reserve October for a horror film marathon, with the classic Universal films holding a special place in the line-up.

So, here's to the classic Universal monsters and to Bud Abbott and Lou Costello, who will always keep a special place in my heart.