Laurel and Hardy

Laurel and Hardy: Trivia About Hollywood’s Greatest Comedy Team

Fun Stuff You Never Knew About “Laurel and Hardy”

Unlike their comedic counterparts, Abbott and Costello, Laurel and Hardy never ventured into the comedy-horror genre and stuck with slapstick comedy.
Unlike their comedic counterparts, Abbott and Costello, Laurel and Hardy never ventured into the comedy-horror genre and stuck with slapstick comedy.

One of them was married five times, and once busted for DUI. The other one was an accomplished, trophy-winning golfer and son of a Confederate soldier.

There have been many great cinematic comedy teams over the years: the Marx Brothers, Abbott and Costello, The Three Stooges, and others.

But to much of the American public, the most beloved cinematic comedians of all time were, and still are, Stan Laurel and Oliver Hardy.

Stan and Ollie first appeared in the 1921 silent film The Lucky Dog, but in separate roles and not as a comedy team. In 1926 they appeared in the film 45 Minutes From Hollywood, but again, not as a comedy duo. They began appearing together as a team in more than a half-dozen 1927 silent shorts, but were not officially billed as “Laurel and Hardy” until October 1927’s The Second Hundred Years.

How Stymie Got Stan Laurel’s Hat

Matthew "Stymie" Beard From "The Little Rascals" loved wearing Stan's bowler.
Matthew “Stymie” Beard From “The Little Rascals” loved wearing Stan’s bowler.

Stymie Was A Fan of Laurel and Hardy

In the 1930s the Laurel and Hardy movies were being filmed at Hal Roach Studios which were located in Culver City, about three or four miles southwest of downtown Hollywood.

The Roach Studios compound wasn’t as big as some of the other major studios nearby, such as M-G-M, so their indoor sets tended to be closer together.

While the Laurel and Hardy films were being made on the lot, so were the Little Rascals shorts, and the sets were often side-by-side. Matthew Beard who played the lovable “Stymie” character in The Little Rascals was a frequent visitor to the Laurel and Hardy sets and loved to wear Stan Laurel’s derby which delighted the older comedian.

Laurel surprised the young lad one day with his own pint-sized derby, and producer Hal Roach began allowing the happy young black actor to wear it during filming.

And now when we think of Stymie today, we always think of his little, beat-up derby hat which became his trademark.

Stymie may have received his derby hat from Stan Laurel, but Etta Place in "Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid" just thought they were cool.
Stymie may have received his derby hat from Stan Laurel, but Etta Place in “Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid” just thought they were cool.

How Well Do You Know Oliver Hardy?

For each question, choose the best answer. The answer key is below.

  1. Of the four possible answers, which is the ONLY statement that is NOT true about Oliver Hardy?
    • He played the Tin Man in the first The Wizard of Oz feature-length film.
    • Hardy once starred in an adventure movie with John Wayne.
    • His father died when he was 10 months old.
    • He was a diabetic.

Answer Key

  1. He was a diabetic.

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