Happy 125th Birthday to Stan Laurel

If he were alive today Stan Laurel would be 125 years young. Stan Laurel was of course one of the greatest comedians in the history of film, and when he was teamed with Oliver Hardy his career only got better. Today we are going to look at four silent short films that celebrate the great talent of this man.

Laurel and Hardy were one of the only (If not the only) comedy teams to first appear together on film (rather than  Vaudeville, Radio, or Broadway). Both in fact had fairly successful film careers before teaming up. Stan Laurel acted in many parodies of famous films of the time. One of the funniest of these films was 1925's Dr. Pyckle and Mr. Pride. This was a parody of the 1920 film Dr. Jeckel and Mr.Hyde, directed by John S. Robertson an staring John Barrymore. So from 1925, directed by Joe Rock and Scott Pembroke, and staring Stan Laurel, here is Dr. Pyckle and Mr. Pride:

  

Stan Laurel was not only an actor he was a director as well. One of the films he directed featured Oliver Hardy, an instance of them working together before they teamed up. The star of this film is Jimmy Finlayson who would later play the foil to Laurel and Hardy in some of their best films (Both shorts and features). An expression of his would also be used as an inspiration for Homer Simpson's "Do'h". It is great to see him play the lead in a film and he does it well. Well this may not be the best film any of these talents worked on it is highly amusing in it's own right. So from 1925, directed by Stan Laurel and Clarence Hennecke, and staring Jimmy Finlayson, Oliver Hardy (credited by his nickname Babe), Sue O'Neil, and Jack Gavin, here is Yes, Yes Nanette:

 

Next is the first film in which Laurel and Hardy worked as a team. Although they had appeared together before this they had not worked as a team. This film is called Duck Soup, and one of the film's directors was Leo McCarey who would later direct The Marx Brothers in Duck Soup. The story of this short was based off a sketch written by a music hall comedian named Arthur Jefferson, who was in fact Stan Laurel's father. This film was remade 3 years later also with Laurel and Hardy and called Another Fine Mess. So from 1927 directed by Fred Guiol, and Leo McCarey, and staring Stan Laurel and Oliver Hardy, here is Duck Soup:

 Our last film is a treat considered to be one of Laurel and Hardy's best silent films, directed by James Parrott, and Leo McCarey, and staring Stan Laurel and Oliver Hardy here is Two Tars:

 

-Michael J. Ruhland