Laurel and Hardy

[mtw12055]

What is your opinion on Laurel and Hardy? To me, they're arguably the best comedy team in film history.

Do you have a favorite/least favorite silent short?
My favorite silent is probably "Bacon Grabbers. Can't really think of a least favorite, as I haven't seen these in awhile.

Favorite/least favorite talkie short?
My favorite talkies are "The Music Box", "Chicken Comes Home", "Blotto", "Busy Bodies", and several others. My least favorites are probably "Berth Marks", "Any Old Port", "Laurel-Hardy Murder Case", and "Be Big". They all have funny sequences in them, but those three just seem to drag on too long with certain gags.

Favorite/least favorite feature film?
My favorite features are "Way Out West" (my first Laurel and Hardy film), "Block-Heads", "Our Relations", "Sons of the Desert", "A Chump at Oxford", "The Bullfighters", "Pack Up Your Troubles", and (believe it or not) "Atoll K".

Favorite/least favorite Laurel and Hardy saying?
"You can lead a horse to water, but a pencil must be lead" - Stan in "Brats".

Favoirte/least favorite supporting player?
James Finlayson, Billy Gilbert, Edgar Kennedy, Charlie Hall, Mae Busch are all great. In fact, all of the L&H supporting players were great.

[ymymeatemup]

I definitely consider them to be the best comedy duo in films.
Favorite silent short: tie between "Putting Pants On Philip" and "Wrong Again."
Favorite sound short: I have trouble connecting titles with footage when it comes to L&H, though "Towed In A Hole" never fails to crack me up.
Favorite feature: tie between "Sons Of The Desert" and "Way Out West." I also have a sentimental feeling for "Babes In Toyland," which was virtually the only L&H feature I saw as a kid.
Favorite saying: "You don't believe me!" from "Beau Hunks," or perhaps "He sure knows how to buttle" from whatever film that was.
Favorite supporting player: tie between Finlayson and Busch.

[mickeygubitosifan]

I've actually seen very little of the Laurel and Hardy comedy team. Most of what I know about them comes from the clever impressions of Stan Laurel done on screen by a particular lanky performer celebrated for his excellent physical comedy and self-named television series.

My father hasn't been impressed by what he's seen of Laurel and Hardy, but I might attribute that to his lukewarm response in general to cinema that isn't colorized. As I see it, though, Laurel and Hardy seemed to set the standard for an entire brand of two-person comedy that is still going strong today. Younger people may not all be directly familiar with the names of Stan Laurel and Oliver Hardy, but you can bet that nearly all of them have at least experienced the descendent influence of the team's comedic legacy in one way or another through today's entertainment.

[lauraingallsw777]

Laurel and Hardy were true natural comedians. There are others from the same time period they come from that just didn't have it, as far as I'm concerned. Laurel and Hardy will always be one of the greats.