In the Summer of 1939, a Nebraska college group took a field trip to Hollywood to visit the great motion picture empire of the West. One of the most memorable stops they made was at the General Studios in Hollywood, where Laurel and Hardy’s newest feature The Flying Deuces was being filmed. Student Bob Lichty had the foresight to have his camera at the ready, and snapped a few great shots of Stan and Babe – as well as one of the evil Commandant Charles Middleton. He took the opportunity to get a photo with an old friend of the boys who was visiting the set, too – former Roach employee Harold Lloyd. (more…)
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There’s no question that producer Hal Roach knew how to make a buck. The comedians of his studios were extremely popular with the public and Roach knew that there was a great deal of advertising value in them. Of course, taking advantage of his performers’ popularity doesn’t begin to approach the use and over-use of celebrities of the current age when it comes to advertising and merchandising…but you knew that.
Less than five years ago a very interesting blurb was posted on a Laurel and Hardy website’s message board. The posting made the startling declaration that the long-lost 1927 L&H film Hats Off had been discovered and was tied up in negotiations with various video companies for future release. This was not the first and I expect it will not be the last time that a rumor or claim is made that this film has been found.
Invariably when one watches Laurel and Hardy, Our Gang, or any other classic film made at the Hal Roach Studios, they are usually overcome with the uncontrollable urge to tap their feet along to the contagious rhythms playing in the background. Most of the songs can be attributed to Leroy Shield (although T. Marvin Hatley also contributed heavily, especially to the later pictures).
Stanley “Tiny” Sandford provided Laurel and Hardy with one of their most menacing adversaries by sheer virtue of his incredible girth. Often we see him portraying an officer of the law – or least someone laying it down for Stan and Ollie. Filmographies generally agree that Tiny appeared in 23 films with the boys, so we can assume that this number is correct, right? In the immortal words of Stan Laurel, “uh-uh.” 
Viola Richard has been one of the most asked-about and frequently misinformed-about co-stars in the entire Laurel and Hardy repertoire. With a face and physique like Viola’s, it’s easy to see why. She understandably fluttered the hearts of fans everywhere with her appearances alongside the boys in six of their silent films: Why Girls Love Sailors, Sailors Beware, Do Detectives Think?, Flying Elephants, Leave ‘Em Laughing, and Should Married Men Go Home? She is also featured most notably in the 1928 Charley Chase silent Limousine Love.
The stunning Jean Parker, best known to Laurel & Hardy buffs as the lovely Georgette, the object of Oliver Hardy’s affection in The Flying Deuces, passed away on November 30, 2005. Jean had an illustrious Hollywood career starring in over seventy-five films. She also worked in Zenobia, Hal Roach’s 1939 attempt to team Oliver Hardy with Harry Langdon during a contract dispute with Stan Laurel.
Typical of all Sons of the Desert Conventions thus far is that they have all been held in hotels with elevators. This has left ample opportunity to bellow out yet another ridiculous line of dialogue from the films of our favorite funnymen. From the back of a crowded elevator, we will often hear in a baritone voice, “Out Please!” A worthy trivia question to follow might be: who played the midget who spoke this line in 
Laurel and Hardy buffs often take great pride in correcting anyone who incorrectly quotes Oliver Hardy as saying “Well, here’s another fine mess you’ve gotten me into.” But is this line really incorrect? The actual line is, of course, “Here’s another nice mess you’ve gotten me into.”
These letters were recently revealed on the DVD release of This Is Your Life. Although commonly accepted that the boys (especially Stan) did not enjoy the experience of the show, these letters indicate otherwise. If Laurel and Hardy were less than thrilled about appearing on the program, the notes penned to host Ralph Edwards afterward indicate their immaculate professionalism. 
Here is the orginal 
You’ve seen people naked. Quite an auspicious opening line, eh? Anyway, you’ve seen people naked. And photos of your favorite celebrities fully clothed are few and far between. But when your favorite celebrity poses nude, there’s always a bit of shock value. It’s the forbidden fruit, the guilty pleasure of seeing the uncommon.
It has been generally accepted that Charlie Hall appeared in 46 films with Laurel and Hardy. In the invaluable tome Laurel and Hardy by John McCabe, Al Kilgore, and Richard W. Bann, it is noted that he worked with the boys in 47 films – but this included Charlie’s deleted appearance in Oliver the Eighth.