Two years ago we presented some Laurel and Hardy comedies beautifully restored for the big screen. Now we happily offer you “another nice mess,” in the form of a new batch of restorations to savor.
Stan Laurel and Oliver Hardy were the most beloved double act in the movies. Laurel (1890-1965) was English, a talented mime who understudied Charlie Chaplin in the music hall troupe that brought them both to America. Hardy (1892-1957) was an actor-singer from the American South. Both knocked around in silent comedy shorts for several years until 1927, when producer Hal Roach made them a pair. Stan was thin and innocent, Oliver heavyset and haughty. In their movement, dialogue and childlike behavior, they complemented each other perfectly.
Of all the silent comics, Laurel and Hardy made the smoothest and most successful transition to sound, and our presentations focus on several talkies and one extremely rare silent. The films were restored by Jeff Joseph in conjunction with the UCLA Film and Television Archive, and it’s safe to say they haven’t looked this good since they were first released.
Special thanks to our Community Partners SF Silent Film Festival
Photo Credit: Randy Skretvedt Collection
VOLUME 1
SUNDAY, AUGUST 14 • 4:30 & 7:00
Four classic Laurel and Hardy shorts. Helpmates (1932): Stan “helps” Ollie clean house before his wife returns. Their First Mistake (1932): Ollie adopts a baby to keep his wife occupied while he goes out with Stan. County Hospital (1932): When Stan visits his pal in the hospital, a broken leg is the least of Ollie’s problems. The Music Box (1932): In their sole Academy Award winner, the boys try to carry a piano up a yuge flight of stairs. Program 90 min.
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Photo Credit: Randy Skretvedt Collection
VOLUME 2
SUNDAY, AUGUST 21 • 4:30 & 7:00
Four classic Laurel and Hardy shorts. Busy Bodies (1933): Who better than Stan and Ollie to reduce a sawmill to sawdust? Scram! (1932): On a rainy night, a drunk invites them to his mansion but leads them to the wrong place. Me and My Pal (1933): They get distracted on the way to Ollie’s wedding. One Good Turn (1931): Depression-era transients Stan and Ollie try to help an old woman who gave them a meal. Program 85 min.
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Photo Credit: Randy Skretvedt Collection
VOLUME 3
SUNDAY, AUGUST 28 • 4:30 & 7:00
Four classic Laurel and Hardy shorts. Come Clean (1931): When Stan and Ollie rescue a woman from the river, it spells trouble for them and their wives. Twice Two (1933): The boys play dual roles, as themselves and as their twin sisters- each married to the other man. The Midnight Patrol (1933): They are police rookies who try to capture a burglar. Towed in a Hole (1932): Fishmongers Stan and Ollie decide to buy their own boat. Program 85 min.
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Photo Credit: Randy Skretvedt Collection
DOUBLE FEATURE!
WAY OUT WEST & THE FLYING DEUCES
SUNDAY, SEPTEMBER 4 • 4:30 & 7:15
A double bill of restored Laurel and Hardy feature films. Way Out West (1937): In one of their best features, set in the Old West, Stan and Ollie must deliver the deed to a gold mine. The Flying Deuces (1939): His heart broken by a Parisian girl, Ollie joins the French Foreign Legion…naturally he insists Stan come along. Program 135 min.
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