Laurel and Hardy

Early careers

Stan Laurel was born Arthur Stanley Jefferson in Ulverston, Lancashire, England, into a theatrical family; his father was a theatrical entrepreneur and theater owner. The family moved to Glasgow in 1905, and Laurel made his stage debut at the Britannia Panopticon shortly before his 16th birthday. His father secured him his first acting job with Levy and Cardwell, a juvenile theatrical company specializing in Christmas pantomimes. In 1909, Laurel was employed by Fred Karno as a supporting actor and understudy for Charlie Chaplin.

He left England with the Karno troupe in 1912 to tour the United States, and decided to remain there. He teamed with vaudevillians as 'The Keystone Trio', imitating Chaplin. In 1917, he teamed with Mae Dahlberg, living as common-law husband and wife, and made his film debut with her in Nuts in May. He began using the name 'Stan Laurel' while working with her, legally changing it in 1931.

Producer Joe Rock paid Dahlberg to leave Laurel and return to Australia. Laurel joined Hal Roach Studios in 1925 as a director and writer, appearing in over 50 films before teaming with Hardy.

History as Laurel and Hardy

Hal Roach recounted that Laurel and Hardy became a team after Roach hired Laurel, whom he had seen in vaudeville. Laurel's light-blue eyes did not photograph properly with the film technology of the time, a problem apparent in their first silent film together, The Lucky Dog, which used heavy makeup to compensate. After panchromatic film was developed, the issue was resolved, and they were cast together. Comedy teams usually had a straight man and a funny man, but both were comedians who complemented each other.

Leo McCarey told an anecdote on This Is Your Life about how a leg of lamb brought them together: Hardy burned his arm while cooking a leg of lamb, so his part in the next picture was reduced, and Laurel was added to bolster the comedy; seeing them together, the team was formed. Their humor was highly visual, with slapstick used for emphasis, often involving complex physical arguments. Their ineptitude prevented progress even in simple endeavors, and much of their comedy involved 'milking' a joke, where a simple idea provided multiple ongoing gags without a defined narrative.

Influence and legacy

Laurel and Hardy's influence has been considerable across comedy and other genres. Lou Costello called them the funniest comedy team in the world, and many critics and film scholars have agreed. Writers, artists, and performers such as Samuel Beckett, Jerry Lewis, Lucille Ball, Peter Sellers, Marcel Marceau, Steve Martin, John Cleese, Harold Pinter, Alec Guinness, J. D. Salinger, René Magritte, and Kurt Vonnegut have acknowledged an artistic debt.

Starting in 1949, widespread television exposure ensured continued influence. Their works have been reissued in theatrical revivals, television airings, home movies, compilations, and home video. They were impersonated by Jim MacGeorge and Chuck McCann in children's television and commercials. Colorized versions were introduced in 1983 by Colorization, Inc. with Hal Roach Studios.

Three museums exist: in Ulverston, England; Harlem, Georgia; and Solingen, Germany. Maurice Sendak featured Oliver Hardy-like bakers in his book In the Night Kitchen. Cut-outs of the duo appear on the cover of Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band. In 2005, they were voted the seventh-greatest comedy act by a UK poll of professional comedians.