Did You Know?

During the prolonged ‘down-time’ enforced upon us by Granolavirus (as Stan might have called it) Beau Chumps Grand Sheik, Mike Jones, sent out many ‘Beau Chumps Update’ emails which basically turned themselves into information spreaders, ‘favourites’ sharers, ‘did you knows’?, and general communications vehicles.

Many contributed to the emails – and continue to do so – but the item that got most responses was the regular ‘Did You Know’ slot. It was suggested that it might be nice to pull these together into one place, and even though there could never be a specific theme – apart from Laurel and Hardy, of course – that sounded like a good idea.

So, here we go with lots you probably do know, but some stuff we’re pretty confident you don’t! In no particular order and with no relevance to each other, most have already appeared in the update emails, but several haven’t; this in the hope that those on the mailing list will read on!

Firstly, Did You Know that when Mike is looking for a Did You Know for an update email, he often just opens Randy Skretvedt’s Laurel and Hardy: The Magic Behind the Movies: on any random page, and there is inevitably a little tit-bit of info, right there, just waiting to be found. So, as we have used Randy’s fine book to provide several of these, in order to give well deserved credit where needed, the short term “Randy tells us” will frequently pop up in what follows!

… Laurel and Hardy would have caused 88 serious eye injuries in their 92 films: An ophthalmologist from Amsterdam studied the comedy duo’s back catalogue and analysed every optical trauma from comedy duo’s 92 films for his research. The pair potentially incurred 88 serious injuries for the sake of their art, he says. Hardy was the primary victim and Laurel’s finger was the most common cause.

We’re not sure where the Dutch Ophthalmologist got his 92 from, but hey, it’s an interesting statistic…

… The girls who introduce Another Fine Mess were identical twins: Bettymae and Beverley Crane, were born in Lake City, Utah, on April 11th 1917 and Randy tells us that by this time “talking films had supplanted the silents and Hal Roach had the idea that instead of forcing his audiences to read the opening titles, perhaps moviegoers would appreciate hearing them instead – especially from the voices of two attractive young girls. Thus began the film careers of Bettymae and Beverley Crane. They were only 13 years and five months old when they spoke the credits for this short.

Dear ladies and Gentlemen. Hal Roach presents for your entertainment and approval, Laurel and Hardy

Roach paid them $15 for each of their spoken introductions. They did a total of twelve although this is their only appearance in a Laurel and Hardy film. They also did intros for Charley Chase, ‘The Boyfriend’ series and for Our Gang. Roach’s idea didn’t last long. Theatre managers complained that rowdy audiences were yelling the credits back to the two girls on the screen” Amongst other inappropriate comments too, we rather suspect…

In case you can’t place it, this is a classic line from Kay Deslys in Below Zero (1930)

… Stan and Ollie were asked to practice a form of ‘Social Distancing’ as long ago as 1930: 😷 This may clarify: Lady in window: About how much money do you boys average a street ?
Ollie: I would say about fifty cents a street.
Same lady: There’s a dollar. Move down a couple of streets.

… Everyone at the Hal Roach Studio loved comedy and nearly everyone loved Golf. Randy tells us: “It was only a matter of time before Leo McCarey, Jimmy Parrott and Stan would get together and concoct a story around Babes favourite pastime. “ The Story was originally called Follow Through, but Beanie Walker gave the film it’s final title: Should Married men Go Home?

… Carol Tevis, the voice of Mrs Hardy (played of course by Stan) in Twice Two also provided the voice of a squeaky Munchkin in the Wizard of Oz (1939) and was Minnie Mouse in the early Disney cartoons.

Charlie Hall (From Bryan Hall’s collection)

… Stan pulled a great practical joke on eternal nemesis Charlie Hall when Charlie was planning to visit the UK in 1937: John Ullah tells us that Charlie knew that Stan had been in England as recently as 1932 so he asked him what people were wearing back in England. Stan told him that everyone was dressed in bright colours, so Charlie dressed accordingly… He must have stood out like a sore thumb amongst the crowd as he walked the streets of his home town. His waistcoat (now in the Laurel and Hardy Museum in Ulverston) was bright red and his relatives all recall him wearing fluorescent socks and flashy shoes.

Charlie’s mother was so embarrassed by his colourful socks and underwear that she used to hang them out to dry at the very bottom of the garden so the neighbours wouldn’t see them!

… Stan’s light blue eyes almost ended his movie career before it began: Early filmmakers used black and white orthochromatic film stock which did not pick up light blue. Hal Roach then cameraman, George Stevens (who would later become an Oscar-winning director – A Place In The Sun, Shane) knew of an alternative, panchromatic film, which he was able to get from a supplier in Chicago. This was sensitive to blue and recorded Stan’s eyes in a more natural way. When Stan teamed with Babe, Stevens became the cameraman Stan would always choose first.

… Jaqueline Wells who, in Any Old Port, played the intended bride of Walter Long (“I’m gonna be Married…Sure she’s conscious!”) was only 17 at the time. The day the film was released was Walter Long’s 53rd birthday! That’s some age difference!

Messrs Hardy, Long, Laurel and Miss Jaqueline Wells in Any Old Port

… By a curious coincidence, Stan was born in what became Argyll Street in Ulverston, made his first serious stage appearance on Argyll Street in Glasgow and reached the pinnacle of his theatrical career when he appeared (with Babe) in the Royal variety Performance at the London Palladium which is situated on … Argyll Street in London: Okay, there is a spelling ‘adjustment’ in there, but thanks again to Danny Lawrence.

... Laurel and Hardy have appeared more than once in The Simpsons: The image is from an episode called Thursdays with Abie, and IGN (whoever they might be!) gave it a 8.4/10 and said that “Overall, the episode was a success, using one of the best Simpsons running jokes to tell an engaging and even sentimental tale”.

… eternal foil James Finlayson was reported to have lost two toes on his left foot: Apparently the accident happened when working in his fathers foundry thus convincing him that a career in his old man’s business might not be for him. His fathers loss would certainly become our happy gain!

… Sneezy (in Walt Disney’s Snow White was voiced by Billy Gilbert!

Billy is of course better known as Professor Theodore Von Swarzenhoffen, M.D., A.D, D.D.S., F.L.D, F.F.F. und F
in The Music Box

… A genuine lumber yard may have provided the inspiration for Busy Bodies: Randy tells us: “Directly west of the Roach lot just across Washington Boulevard was the large Patten-Blinn Lumber Company. it’s quite likely that Stan, Hal Roach or one of the gag-man wondered what nice messes Stan and Ollie would get themselves into if they worked there.”

Scooby Doo Meets Laurel and Hardy

… As well as the Simpsons, the boys have also appeared in Scooby Doo in the imaginatively titled Scooby Doo Meets Laurel and Hardy: Reviews on IMDB mention a great line too – Velma, seeing Laurel and Hardy’s car stuck in a dead tree says “Have an accident?” Stan responds with “No thanks, we just had one!” That could’ve come straight out of a 30’s sound short!

… Stan’s famous hairstyle was created by accident: He and Babe had shaved their heads to play convicts in The Second 100 Years (1927). His hair grew back very unevenly and refused to stay down. Others on the Roach lot laughed, which is meat and drink to Stan, so he began to cultivate the new look. Offscreen, he combed it straight back in the style of the day.

Their First Mistake

… The first film Stan and Babe shot following their Summer holiday tour in 1932 during which they visited our local North Shields, as well as Newcastle, Glasgow and Edinburgh in the UK and was Their First Mistake: Filming began on September 21st 1932. The last they shot before leaving was Scram! 

… Stan Laurel married his first wife once, his second wife twice, and his third wife three times: He went back and married his second wife for a third time, and concluded by marrying his fourth wife once. ‘Twice Two’? Maybe ‘Twice Three’? Perhaps Oliver Hardy had the answer in ​Sons of the Desert when he said, “I never realised that such a deplorable condition existed in your home.” (with thanks to Richard W.Bann)

… Stan Laurel was of average height and weight, around 5 ft 9 in (175 cm), and weighed about 161 lb (73 kg,) but appeared small and slight next to Oliver Hardy, who was 6 ft 1 in (185 cm) tall and 280 lb (127 kg) in his prime. That being said, Stan also removed the heels from his shoes as it helped him accentuate his already humorous walk.

… Billy Wilder (regarded as one of the most brilliant and versatile filmmakers of the Hollywood Golden Age of cinema) planned to do a film with himself and Oliver Hardy in the 1950s: The film would have opened with each of them sleeping in one of the letter ‘O’s’ of the Hollywood sign. The plot centred on a woman coming between them. The project was aborted due to Ollie’s failing health. The image at right is from a brilliant Pratfall Magazine special edition. (Incidentally, if you know of an edition lying around anywhere, Chumps Grand Sheik Mike Jones would crawl over hot coals for a copy!)

… According to Movie Mirror (1933), Oliver Hardy bought the rights to Laurel and Hardy’s famous signature tune, Cuckoo, from the composer Marvin Hatley for $25: “I thought it was funny” said Stan.

One Good Turn

… When Stan’s daughter Lois was young she had very little time for Babe as she thought he always seemed to bully her Dad in their films: Stan noted this and decided to incorporate a ‘revenge’ scene at the end of One Good Turn, where Stan finally turns the tables on Ollie.

… In addition to his main hobby of fishing, Stan’s other interests included raising ducks and hydroponic gardening (a process in which plants are grown in chemical solutions rather than soil): He once successfully cross-bred a potato and an onion, but perhaps understandably, couldn’t get anyone to sample the results…

… A rather risqué gag was scripted for Be Big: Randy tells us: “As Stan drags Ollie by the boot into the living-room, Ollie’s cries of “Cut it out! You’re hurting me” arousing the curiosity of a passing bellboy. He opens the door to find Stan and Ollie in what the script terms “a very funny position” struggling and groaning. Embarrassed, the Bellboy says “Excuse me!” and makes a hasty exit. Needless to say, the gag didn’t survive!” 

… if it wasn’t for an accident Babe suffered cooking a leg of lamb which made him unable to appear in a film that was to be directed by Stan, Stan might have continued contentedly as a writer and director and Leo McCarey would not have noticed the comedy chemistry which resulted from the chance pairings of Stan and Babe in those early Hal Roach comedies. On the boys’ This is Your Life broadcast, McCarey was a guest and as he told it, “Babe left his arm in the oven for too long!”

Babe’s putting practice on the A Chump at Oxford set

… Babe was an irredeemable golfer, often setting up a little putting green on the set so he could practice between takes: In fact, it was pointless entering the Hal Roach Studios golfing competition, as there would only ever be one winner!

… Despite his protestations in Way Out West, Babe, like Stan very much enjoyed English Fish and Chips: On one occasion in the UK on tour in the 50’s, they were in a draughty, dirty old theatre and Stan wanted to send out for some. Stan adored fish and chips but the stage doorkeeper protested – he said indignantly that fish and chips would smell up the place! Stan just looked at the man, took a deep breath, getting that backstage air into his lungs. “Bring the fish and chips please,” he told the man politely “They’ll be like perfume in the air floating round in here” With thanks to Danny Lawrence and AJ Marriott.

with Jacquie Lyn on the Pack Up Your Troubles set

… Stan’s daughter, Lois, was briefly considered for the role of Eddie’s Baby in Pack Up Your Troubles: By the time of filming, it was determined that Lois looked too old for the role and it was instead given to Jacquie Lyn. Additionally, the scene where Eddies baby tells Stan the story about Goldilocks and Stan falls asleep was originally conceived with Ollie in mind. Babe however, unselfishly thought it would play better with Stan as the storyteller, and that beautiful and memorable scene was the result.

… Laurel and Hardy are known as Dick & Doof in Germany; Helan & Halvan in Norway and Sweden; Gog & Cokke in Denmark; Stan es Pan in Poland; Flip I Flap in Romania; O Bucha & O Estica in Portugal; Crik & Crok in Italy; Xonapoe & Aznoe in Greece; El Tikhin &El Roufain in Egypt and Sisman ve Zaif in Turkey. There are more, but that’s enough for now, methinks.

The Wizard of Oz with Babe at left

… Babe Hardy played the Tin Man in a 1925 silent version of The Wizard of Oz.

… While Ollie’s fine singing voice is not unknown to us through his occasional tonsil quiverings on the screen, he was once part of a quartet known as ‘The Twentieth Century Four’? Their combined bulk was recognised in their alternative name of ‘Half Ton of Harmony’! 

… the British radar system to detect Russian nuclear attack in the early 1960s was secretly codenamed Laurel and Hardy. You don’t believe me!

… The back-projection footage used for the dance sequence in the movie Stan and Ollie was the original as used when shooting Way Our West in 1937!

It’s astonishing to think that this was still around and in good enough condition to be used again more than 80 years later! After all, it’s only a short clip, and when you think that so many full movies from the era have been lost.

… A cute gag was scripted for Wrong Again but didn’t make it into the Movie. Randy tells us that Stan was supposed to lead the horse towards the house but the horse doesn’t want to enter and backs up. Stan ponders and gets a bright idea; he turns the horse around with its back to the now open door and by pretending to lead the horse away, the stubborn beast again backs away bit this time straight through the door and into the house!

Well, that’s thirty-odd Did You Knows to be going on with; We hope these whetted your appetite in terms of Laurel and Hardy Trivia and if so, please let us know in the reply / comments section below. There will be more of these in future, so keep an eye open for them.