Stan Laurel was the BEST. When I was 13 years old, I wrote a letter to him, simply put: "Stan Laurel, Hollywood California." He wrote me a personal letter (typed it actually), signed it and personally signed a picture to me. The letter was sweet and heartfelt. I still have it. They were true gentlemen, funny in a way that today is sadly, lost.
The interviewer was Arthur B. Friedman who was my professor at UCLA in the '70s. He was a great teacher and he gave me a copy of this taped interview over 30 years ago. I lost the tape and now all these years later, thanks to you I can hear it all over again! Professor Friedman passed away in 2001.
This is pure gold. Hearing the great man talking about his great career is wonderful. Laurel and Hardy are the comedy equivalent of The Beatles - forever being remembered as the greatest.
I have 2 sons, aged 26 & 21, a couple of years ago I sat down to watch Hog Wild on the t.v, the lads said what's this crap, it ancient & black & white, 5 mins later the 3 of us were in stitches at the antics of a great pair of comic geniuses, my eldest son has the box set, & watches a few dvd's on a regular basis, my youngest son wanted to take them to Afghan on his tour as he felt these two fine men, Laurel & Hardy would certainly have raised the morale of his battalion, their humour lives on
Prof. Friedman visited Stan at his home in Santa Monica numerous times and enjoyed his company. I met Hal Roach in 1973 when I interviewed him for a UCLA term paper on American Film Comedy and knew him for nearly 20 years after that. In 1988 I stayed at his home in Bel Air to help him create his "come back comedy" when he was 96. I even played James Finlayson in a short "Teamwork" which can be seen at ccvisions. I so look forward to receiving a CD copy of the complete interview! Thank you!
You can feel his heartbreak when they talk about Babe at the beginning … but he clearly enjoys reminiscing about their time together, it likely helped him focus on gratitude for his special memories.
I have nothing but the greatest respect for the both of them, they have made me laugh for years, I have recently started to watch their films again and they still crack me up.
For me Stan Laurel and Oliver Hardy are the best humor couple of all time. There is never gonna be another like Laurel & Hardy. I am 38 years old and I remember when I saw they for the very first time on TV when I was 5. I cried of laughing everytime I saw a movie of them. R.I.P. Stan & Ollie. I never forget you.
After Ollie died, Stan continued writing material for them both even though he knew it would never be performed. It must have been heartbreaking for him to write with Ollie on his mind but he did it anyway. It's funny how we sometimes deal with the death of someone we are close to.
Yes he had a nervous breakdown when Oliver died and writing more material for them was essentially his coping mechanism. You can hear in this interview that he still referred to Oliver in the present tense sometimes 😢
Its pretty amazing to hear them talk about these other comedy teams at the beginning - teams that I and probably most people today haven't ever even heard of. Just goes to show you how extraordinary the longevity of their popularity is, and how extraordinary their material must have been to be this popular for this long.
As a child growing up in the Iran-Iraq war of the 80s, Laurel & Hardy movies were the only a few things that brought smile and sense of comfort to me. I loved them very much. Golden time of comedy!
its nice to see me family is still remembered my grt uncle was stan himself and all these vids of thme shows they will both never die and thats a fact thanks RIP stan and ollie
Stan Laurel and Oliver Hardy are two very funny men. Nobody will ever be able to replace them. There films were always treasures that will always be kept for ever and ever. there made us laugh when there were alive, and there still make us laugh today.
I have alot of their movies and shorts and have to say, no one has come close to that kind of comedy and probably will never. They are not forgotten! Long live Laurel and Hardy! x
What is remarkable about this interview is how objectively honest Stan is about his time as a comedian before the wonderfully successful partnership with Olly "Babe"Hardy. Its indefinable as to why the teaming of two people connect so brilliantly as Stan and Olly,but as they say thats history. Thank you for posting.
@@Tom-uv7ry you know sweet fa about comedy. These guys are legends watch their work and you will know that you said the wrong thing. "Why don't you do something to help me" . Son you will learn that you don't mess with these guys and that's all I have to say about that about that
makes me emotional to think that these guys are gone and that my grandchildren will never be able to understand what a pair of genius's they were, wish i could have met them both ! god bless them...
I wish our entertainment industry could still be this great! I'm only 16 and I have many fond memories of watching old Laurel and Hardy, and W.C. Fields movies with my dad (who grew up with it). Those are the best memories I have and I have great old comedy like this to thank
He was a man of such great humour, tempered with tragedy, right to the end. I wish I had met him . He seems such a kind and unassuming man, him and his fine friend, Babe, who he loved so much.
I'm in my 30s but I remember as a child watching "The Music Box" for the first time and laughing for a good hour after watching it. I've been a huge fan ever since. Funny stuff.
"The Music Box" is incredible. When stan plays it, the look on his face! My life long friend and I laughed so much .. Ive never matched that out of contol laughter so much since ..I still remember it now more that 40 years later ... both of us could barely breathe and yet could not stop watching it over and over ... still the funniest thing I have ever seen.
It is a very grand time to be alive and to see these two comedy geniuses in action. These two were history's gift to our age. We will never see the likes of these two, who could make a grieving mother laugh at her own son's funeral. Simply the best - ever !
L&H are just genius... never fail to make me laugh out loud time and time again. Shame the interviewer isn't particularly good... a bit lacking in research and took a while to get Stan to relax into his natural style
my daughter of 2 years 8 months sat and watched one of their movies and enjoyed and laughed. I have always been a fan of these 2 boys and its nice if only once my daughter shared this with me. I happened to pull out a video of laurel and hardy while my daughter was out and she queired what I was watching when she came home.
thats the amazing thing about the internet and you tube .things that you enjoyed when you were young you can catch up later .laurel and hardy were and are fantastic to watch.its great that you can come across vids like this you normally wouldn't know about .thanks to anyone putting on rare vids about anything
They filmed all their talking scenes in different languages. They spoke phonetically and used foreign speakers to coach their pronunciation. Speaking the local language made them more popular around the world then other Hollywood comedy acts.
i find it so sad, that what would otherwise be a wonderful interview was pushed on with, barely a week after ollie had died. like stan just has to turn on 'stan' and act like nothing had happened, jollity and all
You Know what,the fact that they were not on tap as is most films or series this day and age,made them even more fabulous to watch.Usually in school holidays,in the morning,and that was it,and not every day...Who else remembers the laughter when they came on,sheer enjoyment from seeing there type of clean,slapstick comedy,fantastic,as an early 60s kid,these were far and above what was about at the time...Thanks Olly ,thanks Stan...for the memories
one of the best things about teams such as thee two is that their comedy was clean, they did not have to make toilet jokes, or have nudity to get a laugh, and that is something that the comedians these days seems to have not known or forgotten.
After Stan Laurel's funeral Buster Keaton was heard to say to Andy Clyde, "Stan was the greatest. Even greater than Chaplin. Charlie was second. And don't let anyone fool you about that!"
they set the mark for comedy duo's. no one can match them. only crew that can make three 2 reelers in one day. . . .fish. . ice. . and piano . .beautiful
my heroes have always I'm Italian and I love them so much I put the wrapped Suai in the old VHS movies and thanks to them that as a child I was laughing like a madman. thanks for everything
I spoke to an American colleague the other day. He's 30 years old, and has never heard of Laurel and Hardy. I then mentioned John Wayne, and he said he thought he had heard that name before.
The pair of them are one of the greatest comedy duos ever, their films were made over 50 years ago but I love them just as much as all these modern films with advanced technology and effects.
Stan did continue to live a full life throughout those 8 years, with the peace he deserved after decades of hard work, but he never truly got over the loss of Oliver.
I'm 56, and can remember Laurel & Hardy on television in the 1970s. They have had a remarkable longevity as entertaining cultural artefacts, and there may be many arguable reasons for this, but Laurel probably explains it best by mentioning the importance of the 'characters'. Mr Laurel ( 1890 - 1965 ) had great respect for Mr Hardy ( 1892 - 1957 ) as an actor. Laurel was effectively the director of the films produced by Hal Roach and it's a given that in every one of them the 'Ollie' character suffers the worst of the often surreal physical mishaps.
- NOT WILL BE MISSED, They are missed. The greatest comedy team ever. Martin & Lewis are second and great, but not even close to the best... Laurel & Hardy.
Stan Laurel was the BEST. When I was 13 years old, I wrote a letter to him, simply put: "Stan Laurel, Hollywood California." He wrote me a personal letter (typed it actually), signed it and personally signed a picture to me. The letter was sweet and heartfelt. I still have it. They were true gentlemen, funny in a way that today is sadly, lost.
Jerry Lewis said a deal should have been made to keep Stan alive forever.
stan needs to put down the Meth pipe this loser can't even talk listen to him slurring his words
Stan was a true legend.
Stan was not a legend 🤣 he's a creeper
@@martinconnors6200your a creeper
The interviewer was Arthur B. Friedman who was my professor at UCLA in the '70s. He was a great teacher and he gave me a copy of this taped interview over 30 years ago. I lost the tape and now all these years later, thanks to you I can hear it all over again! Professor Friedman passed away in 2001.
my 6 y.o daughter watched her first L&Hardy film and its pretty amazing that their work lives on and new audiences are loving them... Legends!!
This is pure gold. Hearing the great man talking about his great career is wonderful. Laurel and Hardy are the comedy equivalent of The Beatles - forever being remembered as the greatest.
Laurel and Hardy are timeless and will never get old, they may be gone but they're FAR from forgotten.
God bless you both:)
I have 2 sons, aged 26 & 21, a couple of years ago I sat down to watch Hog Wild on the t.v, the lads said what's this crap, it ancient & black & white, 5 mins later the 3 of us were in stitches at the antics of a great pair of comic geniuses, my eldest son has the box set, & watches a few dvd's on a regular basis, my youngest son wanted to take them to Afghan on his tour as he felt these two fine men, Laurel & Hardy would certainly have raised the morale of his battalion, their humour lives on
My Grandfather and I shared many laughing moments watching this duo. I will always treasure that. True comedy. Thank You Laurel and Hardy.
Prof. Friedman visited Stan at his home in Santa Monica numerous times and enjoyed his company. I met Hal Roach in 1973 when I interviewed him for a UCLA term paper on American Film Comedy and knew him for nearly 20 years after that. In 1988 I stayed at his home in Bel Air to help him create his "come back comedy" when he was 96. I even played James Finlayson in a short "Teamwork" which can be seen at ccvisions. I so look forward to receiving a CD copy of the complete interview! Thank you!
You can feel his heartbreak when they talk about Babe at the beginning … but he clearly enjoys reminiscing about their time together, it likely helped him focus on gratitude for his special memories.
God Bless Stan and Ollie, for bringing countless people over the years, and years to come, so much pleasure and laughter. R.I.P.We miss you so much.
He was a very honest man😁 he read every fan mail sent to him😁 what a great guy😁
I have nothing but the greatest respect for the both of them, they have made me laugh for years, I have recently started to watch their films again and they still crack me up.
For me Stan Laurel and Oliver Hardy are the best humor couple of all time. There is never gonna be another like Laurel & Hardy.
I am 38 years old and I remember when I saw they for the very first time on TV when I was 5. I cried of laughing everytime I saw a movie of them.
R.I.P. Stan & Ollie. I never forget you.
After Ollie died, Stan continued writing material for them both even though he knew it would never be performed. It must have been heartbreaking for him to write with Ollie on his mind but he did it anyway. It's funny how we sometimes deal with the death of someone we are close to.
That I'm sure is how Stan Laurel handled Oliver Hardy's death. It's a very therapeutic approach.
Yes he had a nervous breakdown when Oliver died and writing more material for them was essentially his coping mechanism. You can hear in this interview that he still referred to Oliver in the present tense sometimes 😢
Its pretty amazing to hear them talk about these other comedy teams at the beginning - teams that I and probably most people today haven't ever even heard of. Just goes to show you how extraordinary the longevity of their popularity is, and how extraordinary their material must have been to be this popular for this long.
There is no greater Comedy team than Stan and Ollie. The laughter from millions who watch their films is still being heard.
Yes there is
As a child growing up in the Iran-Iraq war of the 80s, Laurel & Hardy movies were the only a few things that brought smile and sense of comfort to me. I loved them very much. Golden time of comedy!
its nice to see me family is still remembered
my grt uncle was stan himself and all these vids of thme shows they will both never die and thats a fact
thanks
RIP stan and ollie
A Great Comedy Dual they are missed 😢
Very funny men
Stan Laurel and Oliver Hardy are two very funny men. Nobody will ever be able to replace them. There films were always treasures that will always be kept for ever and ever. there made us laugh when there were alive, and there still make us laugh today.
I have alot of their movies and shorts and have to say, no one has come close to that kind of comedy and probably will never. They are not forgotten! Long live Laurel and Hardy! x
What is remarkable about this interview is how objectively honest Stan is about his time as a comedian before the wonderfully successful partnership with Olly "Babe"Hardy. Its indefinable as to why the teaming of two people connect so brilliantly as Stan and Olly,but as they say thats history. Thank you for posting.
The greatest comedy team of all time.
No one comes close.
Rest in peace.
Nonsense
@@Tom-uv7ry NO ONE!
@@Tom-uv7ry you know sweet fa about comedy. These guys are legends watch their work and you will know that you said the wrong thing. "Why don't you do something to help me" . Son you will learn that you don't mess with these guys and that's all I have to say about that about that
@saltychips7627 really ? 🤣 daft lad
@@Landofmyfathers-h9c I've forgotten more about comedy than you'll ever know youngen go back to sleep
Just wonderful...thanks so much for sharing this with everyone !
makes me emotional to think that these guys are gone and that my grandchildren will never be able to understand what a pair of genius's they were, wish i could have met them both ! god bless them...
Show your grandchildren the Laurel & Hardy films! They’ll know just by watching them how funny those two guys were. :)
The interviewer should have zipped it and allowed Stan to speak more.
Quite.
Holle gfrunds babe
I wish our entertainment industry could still be this great! I'm only 16 and I have many fond memories of watching old Laurel and Hardy, and W.C. Fields movies with my dad (who grew up with it). Those are the best memories I have and I have great old comedy like this to thank
He was a man of such great humour, tempered with tragedy, right to the end. I wish I had met him . He seems such a kind and unassuming man, him and his fine friend, Babe, who he loved so much.
Yes, his family life had more than its fair share of tragedy, and his marital exploits were complex,but his humour overcame all the setbacks.
Be'd nice if he let Stan Laurel do the most of the talking instead of himself. :(
I'm in my 30s but I remember as a child watching "The Music Box" for the first time and laughing for a good hour after watching it. I've been a huge fan ever since. Funny stuff.
"The Music Box" is incredible. When stan plays it, the look on his face! My life long friend and I laughed so much .. Ive never matched that out of contol laughter so much since ..I still remember it now more that 40 years later ... both of us could barely breathe and yet could not stop watching it over and over ... still the funniest thing I have ever seen.
A true gentleman of comedy. This is a true gem of an interview, thank you for posting.
It is a very grand time to be alive and to see these two comedy geniuses in action.
These two were history's gift to our age. We will never see the likes of these two, who could make a grieving mother laugh at her own son's funeral. Simply the best - ever !
Wow! This is amazing. I've never heard Stan Laurel's voice outside of their films
L&H are just genius... never fail to make me laugh out loud time and time again. Shame the interviewer isn't particularly good... a bit lacking in research and took a while to get Stan to relax into his natural style
the best double act of all time, you gave the world so much happiness and laughter,and still do, thanks for this interview really interesting
my daughter of 2 years 8 months sat and watched one of their movies and enjoyed and laughed. I have always been a fan of these 2 boys and its nice if only once my daughter shared this with me. I happened to pull out a video of laurel and hardy while my daughter was out and she queired what I was watching when she came home.
The greatest double act there ever has been. No other act has come close!
Holle gfrunds babe
Yes they have
Highly talented in any remarkable way. Their quality work will be remembered forewer.
It's all over.
The greatest talents have come and gone.
Nothing will ever compare.
🥰🥰🥰🥰🥰
I loved em as a kid and I still love em, I always will. They were true masters of comedy. Long live the memory of Laurel and Hardy.
Those two will never be surpassed period.
This is a gem! Thanks for uploading it.
I remeber watching them every Friday, during my childhood, lived in Germany! And i laughed and laughed! Loved them!!!
The Best!!!!
🥰🥰🥰🥰🥰♥️♥️♥️
thats the amazing thing about the internet and you tube .things that you enjoyed when you were young you can catch up later .laurel and hardy were and are fantastic to watch.its great that you can come across vids like this you normally wouldn't know about .thanks to anyone putting on rare vids about anything
Stan Laurel and Oliver Hardy are the greatest clowns in the art of film making. May there rest in peace. God bless them both.
They filmed all their talking scenes in different languages. They spoke phonetically and used foreign speakers to coach their pronunciation. Speaking the local language made them more popular around the world then other Hollywood comedy acts.
i find it so sad, that what would otherwise be a wonderful interview was pushed on with, barely a week after ollie had died. like stan just has to turn on 'stan' and act like nothing had happened, jollity and all
Laurel and Hardy along with Morcambe and Wise were THE absolute best comedy duo's ever. There could never be anyone to equal their comic genius.
You Know what,the fact that they were not on tap as is most films or series this day and age,made them even more fabulous to watch.Usually in school holidays,in the morning,and that was it,and not every day...Who else remembers the laughter when they came on,sheer enjoyment from seeing there type of clean,slapstick comedy,fantastic,as an early 60s kid,these were far and above what was about at the time...Thanks Olly ,thanks Stan...for the memories
Love these guys...comedy legends!!
Fan from Ireland
one of the best things about teams such as thee two is that their comedy was clean, they did not have to make toilet jokes, or have nudity to get a laugh, and that is something that the comedians these days seems to have not known or forgotten.
Nobody else like them, then or now.
I feel so dumb. I had NO idea how brilliant Stan was. I mean II got his humor duh but OMG HE WASa GENIUS!!
I've just spent the day working in his hometown of Ulverston, Lancashire. Beautiful place!
Very honest answers to the questions by Stan Laurel. They were both professional and got on well working together.
After Stan Laurel's funeral Buster Keaton was heard to say to Andy Clyde, "Stan was the greatest. Even greater than Chaplin. Charlie was second. And don't let anyone fool you about that!"
My cat being sick is more funny than Charles Chaplin . Total rubbish
Thank you for the memories Mr. Stan Laurel and Mr. Oliver Hardy.
An unskillful interviewer for a most skillful performing artist.
It’s amazing that they still make us laugh to this day. 😊
they set the mark for comedy duo's. no one can match them. only crew that can make three 2 reelers in one day. . . .fish. . ice. . and piano . .beautiful
Very well put together I love how the pictures match the topics, esp. laurel sleeping when writing is being spoken of.
Interesting listening, thanks for uploading this. Laurel & Hardy were pure genius.
Thanks for uploading this. Great stuff!
Laurel & Hardy we're well ahead of their time, i have so much love for the both of them.
I never ever get sick of watching these guys I grew up with them as a child and still fine them funny
my heroes have always I'm Italian and I love them so much I put the wrapped Suai in the old VHS movies and thanks to them that as a child I was laughing like a madman. thanks for everything
What a sweet, gentle speaking voice.
best comedy duo ever to have lived, no others have even come close & never will...
Stan and Ollie: perhaps the two most wonderful men who ever lived
Brilliant. Thanks. X
it's lovely to listen to Stan talking
14th day of August, in 1957, I was almost 2 years old.
I spoke to an American colleague the other day. He's 30 years old, and has never heard of Laurel and Hardy. I then mentioned John Wayne, and he said he thought he had heard that name before.
The pair of them are one of the greatest comedy duos ever, their films were made over 50 years ago but I love them just as much as all these modern films with advanced technology and effects.
@scoobyGR
Thanks Mate,That quote always had Me in stitches!
Stan Laurel 1890-1965
Oliver Hardy 1892-1957
I feel so sorry for Laurel having to live 8 years without Ollie. They were such best friends and its sad really. These guys are legends
Stan did continue to live a full life throughout those 8 years, with the peace he deserved after decades of hard work, but he never truly got over the loss of Oliver.
What a difference 53 years have made to attitudes, and none of it for the better.
we miss the legends greatest laurel hardy
I'm 56, and can remember Laurel & Hardy on television in the 1970s. They have had a remarkable longevity as entertaining cultural artefacts, and there may be many arguable reasons for this, but Laurel probably explains it best by mentioning the importance of the 'characters'. Mr Laurel ( 1890 - 1965 ) had great respect for Mr Hardy ( 1892 - 1957 ) as an actor. Laurel was effectively the director of the films produced by Hal Roach and it's a given that in every one of them the 'Ollie' character suffers the worst of the often surreal physical mishaps.
Interesting how Stanley refers to Ollie as Babe.
His nickname
this is great. thank you for posting this gem.
What a wonderful piece of history...Stan and Ollie made so many people in the world laugh and no doubt still do.
Thanks for uploading this very informative interview.
they've been the best ones ,and will remain ,even if they are not with us now ,god bless them both,for putting a smile on each one of us.
Thank you for this rare gem!
My favorite,blockheads ,music box,flying due ces.sons of the desert.i still watch them ,im 76.
Lovely, thanks for uploading.
Mr. Laurel........how respectful.
Legends both of em.
Really enjoyed this. Thanks for posting.
They will be miss'd...Rest in Peace Laurel and Hardy!
- NOT WILL BE MISSED, They are missed. The greatest comedy team ever. Martin & Lewis are second and great, but not even close to the best... Laurel & Hardy.
legends. utter utter legends.
"now look what kind of a fine mess you've gotten me into!" "Well, whatya expect?!"
I really love those two guys :-)
thanks for posting....
Thank you so much
Thanks a million.
So true. I just wish I had been lucky enough to have seen them live.
Very interesting! Thanks for posting.
Oh he sounds so sad about the death of his friend.
these guys are legends
R.I.P