Exploring the Graves of Laurel and Hardy Costars - Part 2 (Thelma Todd, James Finlayson, Mae Busch)

for nearly a century the slapstick antics of Stan Laurel and Oliver Hardy have delighted audiences around the world the films they produced between 1927 and 1945 are among the funniest ever made have secured their place as the greatest comedy duo of all time [Music] supporting them was a company of talented individuals who worked in front of and behind the camera each one played a large part in Stan and Ollie's success but over the years their names have largely slipped from memory in this second of a two-part series our walk through the cemeteries of Tinseltown continues we will resurrect some of the boys key players among whom will be Charlie Hall Mae Bush Thelma Todd Charlie chase James Finlayson an even Stan laurels long-lost brother and that just names a few oh and I saved the best part for last so whether you prefer coming by plane by train or automobile let's all meet up as I invite you to come walk with me and take a close look not that close Stanley as we take a look at the lives and contributions of Laurel and Hardy's co-stars [Music] Forest Lawn Memorial Park in Glendale California was the blueprint for the modern cemetery when dr. Hubert Eaton purchased the cemetery over a century ago he said he wanted to create a great park devoid of misshapen monuments and other signs of earthly death but filled with towering trees sweeping lawns splashing fountains beautiful statuary and memorial architecture at the center of this vast necropolis is the great mausoleum described by Time magazine as the Westminster Abbey of the new world construction began in 1917 and within these secular yet sacred confines there rests some of the greatest names from the worlds of art and science among them are a few individuals who are part of our exploration this corridor is called the sanctuary of benediction and the last door on the left is the private room of platinum blonde actress Jean Harlow her meteoric rise to stardom that was marked with tabloid headlines and followed by an early death has become the stuff of Hollywood legend but genes film career began simply and she was given small parts in several silent films including three with Laurel and Hardy in Liberty she's about to enter a taxi and interrupts the boys in the act of correcting a trouser mix-up [Music] then in bacon grabbers she is the young wife of Edgar Kennedy but her most memorable and risque pairing with the boys was in double whoopee where a major wardrobe malfunction has the potential to create quite a scandal [Music] [Music] from there she was cast in howard hughes's world war one epic hells angels and forever afterwards her name only appeared in lights tragically Jean Harlow's life ended at age 26 leaving her stunned fans and admirers to wonder what might have been in the sanctuary of the graces rests Harley Walker who was called beanie by his friends he headed the editorial department of Hal Roach Studios during its Golden Age Walker wrote title cards and contributed dialogue to nearly all Laurel and Hardy pictures until 1935 his only appearance on screen was with Charlie chasin all teed-up from 1930 he is the mutton chopped man who seems amused at chases tirade Walker was also the sports editor for the los angeles examiner newspaper he died in Chicago where he was visiting to see the heavyweight fight between James Braddock and Joe Lewis the lower portion of the Great Mausoleum is called the Azalea Terrace despite its pretty name it presents a looming if not fortress-like feeling from the outside and the comedian we've come here to visit is a man with a truly unforgettable face by the time Ben Turpin worked with Laurel & Hardy in 1931 he had already carved out a comedy legacy of his own beginning with SMA films then partnering with Mack Sennett and Charlie Chaplin he enjoyed a string of hit comedies and I do mean hit in mr. flip from 1909 Turpin became the first comedian to be hit in the face with a pie his most distinctive feature were his crossed eyes he considered them such a vital part of his act that he claimed to have taken out a million dollar insurance policy in case they straightened out Ben's first appearance with the boys was a cameo and our wife he plays the justice of the peace who joins Holly and Dulce in marriage or maybe not [Music] congratulations my boy you married the sweetest little girl in all the world you are punishing I kissed the bride in 1940 he made his second and final cameo with the boys in saps at sea this time he is the lopsided maintenance man who makes life in their apartment building a bit topsy-turvy hello you're the man that fix the plumbing in this room well it's all mixed up I can't understand it it looked all right to me SAP's at sea would be as very last film appearance shortly after its release Ben Turpin died after suffering a heart attack now we're going to leave the mausoleum and spend the rest of our visit at Forest Lawn out in the California Sun where among others we will meet three directors who made some of Laurel and Hardy's most important films the story goes that if it wasn't for Fred we all the double act we all know and love might never have come together during the 20s fred was one of Roach Studios busiest directors in 1927 he was assigned to make the two-reeler Duck Soup but he wasn't happy with the casting of Sid Crosley as Stan laurels co-lead so in what for Laurel and Hardy fans can only be attributed to divine inspiration we all replaced Sid with Oliver Hardy Fred either directed or co-directed many of the duo's earliest films but by the end of the silent era he left Roach studios following his pal George Stevens to RKO in 1956 Fred GUI all shared a writing credit and an Academy Award nomination for Stevens epic giant Fred's name has slipped into obscurity but the contributions he made to his industry will inspire forever keeping George Stevens in mind as we make our way to the Vesper lands section we will find the grave of his uncle and fellow director James W Horne a year after coming to Roach studios he directed his first Laurel and Hardy film the classic big business co-starring james Finlayson as a home owner who definitely doesn't want to buy a Christmas tree Horne would direct over a dozen of their shorts and features in bow honks he also took on acting responsibilities when he played the Arabian chieftain notice the whimsical name he gave himself in the credits his performance as the ruthless Bandit is quite menacing but in the end his soft spot is revealed the lovely Jean Harlow makes repeated photographic appearances as the film's running gag horns last project with Laurel and Hardy was their hilarious 1937 send-up of western movies Way Out West James horn left Roach studios for Columbia Pictures where he produced serials and second features until his death at age 60 the section west of the Great Mausoleum is called Whispering Pines it is at the junction where the old Forest Lawn Cemetery meets the new Memorial Park and here on this slope is the resting place of James Parrott he was the younger brother of comedian Charlie chase and in the early 20s under the name Paul parrot he starred in a series of short comedies produced by Hal Roach [Music] by 1927 he assumed a new role behind the camera as a gag writer and director parrot directed some of Laurel and Hardy's best-loved two wheelers including brats helpmates County Hospital and the oscar-winning masterpiece the music box despite his list of successes by 1939 he was out of work completely as a worsening dependency on drugs and alcohol put him beyond anyone's ability to help when he died on May 10th at age 41 the world lost a great comic mind [Music] not far from James Parrott is the grave of l frank Baum the author of The Wizard of Oz a 1925 adaptation of this children's classic featured Oliver Hardy in the roles of the farmhand and the Tin Woodsman [Music] for our next visit we make our way to the sunrise slope where we pass the resting place of Joey Brown the comic with the elastic face a short walk from Joe's grave is Charlie chase after Harold Lloyd departed Hal Roach studios in 1924 Charlie adopted his everyman persona and throughout the 20s appeared in a popular series of shorts becoming the studio's biggest star he made several brief appearances with Laurel & Hardy and such as in 1927 the call of the cuckoo but his most memorable cameo was in their 1933 classic feature the sons of the desert he plays an obnoxious convention air from Texas whose practical jokes make you love to hate him [Music] [Applause] [Music] [Applause] [Music] [Applause] thanks T hey I'll bet you don't grow flowers out there that smell like this [Laughter] [Music] Andy delivers one of the most risque double entendre to be heard in a pre-code Laurel and Hardy film when he says this tomb a bush in turn the boys also made a few surprise cameos in Charley's films such as on the wrong Trek in 1936 a couple of horse thieves to me high faces Charlie chases popularity went into decline after the arrival of the talkies but like his brother James he found a new life behind the camera under his given name Charles parrot he directed dozens of short comedies until the end of the 1930s after the death of his brother Charlie's own health began to deteriorate due to alcoholism he passed away thirteen months later at age 47 before leaving sunrise Slope let's pause briefly at the grave of a comedian whose brief career is almost entirely forgotten today edward ii jefferson known to everyone as teddy was Stan laurels kid brother he came to America in 1920 and a year later was in Hollywood making walk-on appearances in a few of Stan's early solo films in the lucky dog made in 1921 teddy plays a butler trying to swat a fly and in doing so collides with his brother as he's trying to impress Florence Gilbert the film is significant in that it captures Stan and Ollie's first on-screen pairing Teddy who was usually cast as a butler left the movie business after five films his sudden death in December 1933 dealt a severe blow to Stan who had only a few months earlier divorced his wife Lois these personal tragedies opened a dark chapter in the comics life that would last most of the decade for our last visit at Forest Lawn Glendale we climb high up the slope of the Eventide section and come to the grave of Charlie Hall who holds the record for being stan and Ollie's most frequent co-star he was usually cast as an extra or incidental player whatever the scene called for the Charlie could always be counted on to fill it that's the house up there right on top of the Sidhu but when the script called for stan and Ollie to lock horns with someone Charlie was there scrappiest Foyle sometimes the boys went spoiling for a fight like in busy bodies other times they were the victims like and laughingly when they cross a despotic dog hating landlord [Music] on a sidenote laughing gravy has one of the darkest endings of any Laurel and Hardy film I won't spoil it here but if you've seen it you know what I'm talking about Malden I can then but no matter the situation they were always up for a little harmless tit-for-tat and a 35 year career Charlie Hall had over 300 film and television credits but he will forever be remembered for the 47 appearances more than any other co-star he made with Laurel & Hardy [Music] now come on you young people a story I will tell it's about a gal they called the only wise ace was fair and handsome she is loved by everyone back in Randolph County now the clip is from the Hal Roach short the real McCoy made in 1930 it stars Charlie chase and Thelma Todd in the first of 12 films they would make together the song Charlie sings is called the Ballad of Naomi wise and it has eerie similarities to the life of his co-star [Music] good evening Thelma Todd the former beauty queen from Massachusetts made her first film for Hal Roach in 1929 it was with Laurel and Hardy and unaccustomed as we are she played all of her Hardy's friendly neighbor mrs. Kennedy the story includes a scenario where Thelma loses an article of clothing it was such a frequent occurrence in her early films that how Roach must have written it into her contract yes ma'am another memorable appearance with the boys was as lady Plumtree in another fine mess the best scene involves some infectious giggling with Stan who is impersonating a maid Thelma was cast in bit parts in many of the studios productions but Roach recognized a star when he saw one and between 1931 and 1935 she was featured in a series of two-reel errs teamed with zasu Pitts and later with Patsy Kelly Laurel and Hardy can be seen in a cameo in on the loose from 1931 Thelma was often referred to as the ice cream blonde or hot toddy a nickname she personally despised as well she should because it dehumanized an intelligent woman whose original dream was to be a teacher while still in her 20s Thelma was thinking of her life after the movies when she opened Thelma Todd's sidewalk cafe on Pacific Coast Highway she was often seen working in a restaurant that became a popular hangout for her many show business friends in late 1935 she completed work on her sixth and final Laurel and Hardy film the bohemian girl it would also be the last film she would ever make on the morning of December 16 1935 Thelma Todd was found dead behind the wheel of her car that was parked in the garage of a friend's house in the wake of the tragedy how roach cut most of her scenes from the Bohemian girl leaving only a brief musical number at the beginning although the cause of death was ruled to be accidental carbon monoxide poisoning tales of death threats extortion an angry boyfriend and an ex-husband with mob connections led many to speculate that she was murdered just like the girl in the Ballad of Naomi wise [Music] on the morning of Thelma Todd's funeral over 10,000 fans filed past her casket at Pierce brothers mortuary [Music] that afternoon hundreds more showed up at Forest Lawn Memorial Park in Glendale where the funeral was held at the wee Kirk of the Heather Chapel among the invited guests were Hal Roach who came with Todd's co-stars zasu Pitts and Charlie chase also in attendance were Stan Laurel and Oliver Hardy [Music] they came to pay last respects to a woman who when eulogy was praised as a friend to all Thelma Todd was cremated and her ashes laid to rest with her mother at Bellevue Cemetery in Lawrence Massachusetts grave explorations was unable to visit her however her memory and contributions to comedy deserve a place in this video you so far we've been lucky that the talented actors and crew members who made Laurel and Hardy's films have resting places where we can visit and pay our respects but there are some whose whereabouts are unknown however their contributions to Stan and Ali's work was so great that it demands we remember them here very little is known publicly about the life of Lillian Irene except that she was born in England in 1892 and that over a 20-year period she made almost 40 films usually cast as a nurse or a domestic in 1932 she made her first appearance in a Laurel and Hardy film as a not so sympathetic nursemaid in that same year she also made her last appearance with the boys playing the maternity nurse with the baby in County Hospital I want to see mr. Hardy oh he's in room 14 on the top floor from there Lily and joined MGM stock company where she kept busy but remained outside the spotlight in bit parts her final appearance on film was with Esther Williams and Victor Mature in million dollar mermaid after retiring from Hollywood Lillian went into private life she passed away on December 30th 1979 gene babe London's film career began in 1919 playing a seasick passenger opposite Charlie Chaplin in a day's pleasure the portly comedienne with the babyface worked with the best here she is a few years later getting into trouble with Buster Keaton in the balloon attack her first and sadly only appearance with Laurel and Hardy was in the sublime 1931 two-wheelers power life there's only one thing to do really low [Music] not until bogie and Bacall that Hollywood conceived a better match than babe Hardy and babe London goodbye ducky lover goodbye goodbye shortly after our wife was released babe London's doctor advised her to lose weight she noted later that as the pounds dropped off so did the work film producers were only interested in her talent if it came in a plump package although babe never officially retired she settled in the actors home in Woodland Hills California in 1960 where she was often visited by old friends it gave her time to practice her artistic skills and she painted a series of portraits of her old co-stars called The Vanishing era babe London died on November 29 1980 and left her body to medical science the combination of beauty and comic talent made Dorothy Granger a natural choice for producer Hal Roach who cast her in dozens of short films her career would include over 200 short films earning her the nickname the queen of the two wheelers her first credit for Roach studios was in Laurel and Hardy's 1930 classic hog-wild she plays Tilly the maid who gets caught in the middle of an argument over a missing hat you we see Dorothy again later this time from behind as she contemplates a flooded street and in the process distracts Stan from his driving you aside from her work for Hal Roach Dorothy co-starred with other comedy acts like The Three Stooges and Abbott and Costello in 1932 she appeared in WC Fields edgy pre-code classic the dentist [Music] Dorothy plays a patient with a toothache who catches fields at a bad time and she also suffers from a serious case of white coat syndrome 1932 was also to hear that Dorothy appeared in the chimp the last of her four films with Laurel and Hardy she is the wife of a jealous Billy Gilbert who somehow confuses her for a monkey Dorothy Granger retired from acting in the early 60s saying that Hollywood was an ulcer Factory she passed away in 1995 at age 83 the location of her final resting place is unknown our next visit brings us back to Forest Lawn Glendale where we passed the Masonic altar built in the same year that Laurel and Hardy released pardon us their first feature-length film it's a fitting place to stop as our subject was a lifelong Freemason nearby is the Acacia section which brings us to the grave of Emily Cora Gilbert she wasn't famous she never appeared in or worked on a Laurel and Hardy film or anybody else's for that matter in fact her only connection to show business was a brief marriage to one of the greatest comic foils of them all why are you sure you know these gentlemen why they're buddies of mine who is this man I don't know Marlene is an absolute stage of us isn't he he certainly is Who am I you a stranger Hey Oh tried to make out the don't know me but Scottish comedian James Finlayson is no stranger to Laurel and Hardy fans after a career on the stage he came to Hollywood and joined Mack Sennett stock company before making the move to Roach studios how Roche cast him as the lead in a series of short comedies but he failed to catch on instead he found his niche as a support player for Charlie chase the are gang kids and especially Laurel and Hardy he worked with Stan and babe both as solo performers and after their pairing in 1927 two years later he was cast as the dour homeowner seriously lacking Christmas spirit in the silent classic big business the story involves a situation that was reused in the duo's other films and can only be described as the slapstick version of mutually assured destruction big business was a big hit and it placed Jimmy Finlayson as the unofficial third member of the team there's always been my aim to give you the best entertainment that money can buy that'll slide off who said that everything about Finn from his wiry frame bald head and bombastic gestures were tailor-made for comedy he is a master of the double take that included his signature fadeaway and death squint [Music] and when faced with a ludicrous situation Finn produced a distinctive vocal utterance that might sound familiar even to those unacquainted with his work voice actor dan Castellaneta credits Finn as the inspiration for Homer Simpson's famous catchphrase whether cast in bit parts or co-starring was Finn's comic brilliance have audiences rolling in the aisles some might say he stole every scene but can it be considered seen stealing when you're making everyone around you funnier his long film career includes over 200 credits but he is best remembered for the 33 appearances he made with Laurel & Hardy his last outing with the boys was in 1940's a chump at Oxford Finn retired from acting in 1951 due to ill health and died on October 9th 1953 Phin died while stan and Ollie were on their final tour of the United Kingdom and in remembering his old friend Stan said that Finn was just as important to Laurel and Hardy's Fame and success as they themselves and he hoped that others would remember him with a toast so here's to Finn a true comic genius and a star if Finn was here now he would probably give us a one-eyed death squint for choosing the grave of his ex-wife to remember him but with all due respect to both he and miss Gilbert it's the closest we have as the location of his resting place is unknown Chapel of the Pines Crematory and Columbarium in the West Adams district of Los Angeles sits adjacent to historic Angeles Rosedale cemetery and is the resting place for several Laurel and Hardy co-stars among them is Stanley Sanford the heaviest of the heavies standing and imposing six feet five inches tall and weighing over 300 pounds he was given the antithetic nickname of tiny he was a favorite of Charlie Chaplin and appeared in such films as the gold rush the circus modern times and the Great Dictator he occasionally made the crossover from comedy to drama as when he was cast as Porthos one of the three musketeers in Douglas Fairbanks first talking picture the iron mask his career with Laurel and Hardy began in 1927 and lasted 10 years and 23 appearances tiny can be seen playing everything from a caveman in flying elephants to a high society host in from soup to nuts a circus strongman in the chimp and a waiter in their purple moment and blotto but when the film called for a brutish [ __ ] or prison guard it was usually tiny who got the part I always have a big fan club everything is under control very good right this way hey you all in clowning [Music] his last appearance with the boys was as the town sheriff in 1937 way out west but at the last minute he was replaced with another actor however a shot of him made the final cut of the film and if you're looking closely you can see tiny waiting for the arrival of the stage carrying stan and Ollie tiny Sandford retired from acting in 1940 but he remains a hulking presence in some of Hollywood's greatest comedies his remains have rested in an unmarked location within Chapel of the pines since his death in 1961 another of stan and Ollie supporting cast members residing in the chapel is Vivian Oakland born in San Francisco she began her showbusiness career on the vaudeville stage having a flair for comedy Vivian found her way to Hal Roach studios becoming a support Clare to many of the studio's stars her association with the boys began in 1927 when she played Stan's jealous wife in love him and weep on a sidenote love'em and weep was produced by Hal Roach and features Laurel & Hardy as well as regulars James Finlayson and Mae Bush however it isn't technically a Laurel and Hardy film four years later it would be remade as chickens come home Vivian would play Ali's jealous wife in two films and that's my wife she forces mr. Hardy to make a difficult choice that has serious financial repercussions as in any Laurel and Hardy domestic situation things like furniture crockery and houseplants don't stand a chance when there's an argument [Music] and after listening to her hubby try and explain his way out of a scandalous predicament and we fought down viv decides on a high caliber response that wakes up the neighborhood [Music] she made two other notable appearances with stan and Ollie demonstrating that the boys can get into just as much trouble with the ladies whether they're married to them or not after ending up in the wrong house and scram from 1932 they unknowingly serve Vivian liquor that leads to a contagious bit of laughter the only one not laughing is her husband they would meet again five years later in Way Out West this time Vivian plays a refined lady who is not taken by Ollie's innocent flirtations unbeknownst to Ollie she happens to be the wife of the town sheriff who also isn't very amused the next coach Vivian appeared in a range of films throughout the 30s and 40s such as the Floradora girl with Marion Davies and was frequently cast as Edgar Kennedy's wife in his average man series for RKO in 1940 she made her final film with Laurel & Hardy playing the receptionist at the employment office in a chump at Oxford goodbye she passed away in 1958 at age 63 her ashes are in an unmarked fault as we have seen Viviane Oakland was one of many talented actresses to play the boys wives but the greatest of all their better halves was the lovely and incomparable May Bush there's a scene in the 1950 classic Sunset Boulevard where Joe Gillis in meeting Norma Desmond says you used to be big prompting the smoldering reply I am big it's the pictures that got small the scene played over in my mind as I researched silent screen siren may Bush whose life and career has vague similarities to the fictional Norma Desmond born in Australia too theatrical parents she was brought to the United States at age nine and spent several years in a convent before entering show business May performed on both the stage and in film she honed her comic skills while working at Mack Sennett's Keystone studios here she is planting a haymaker on the chin of Chester Conklin in a one night stand from 1915 in 1919 she appeared in the Grimm game with magician turned film star Harry Houdini the movie gave me a chance to show off her talent for drama her work caught the eye of visionary filmmaker Erich von Stroheim who cast Mae in two films first in 1920 in the now lost devil's passkey and then in foolish wives in 1922 where she plays accomplice to a fake count who seduces and robs unsuspecting women of their wealth and virtue critics of the day praised Mae as the versatile vamp for her ability to alternate between villainous and sympathetic roles fame however cut both ways in 1922 the film community was rocked when an expose called the sins of Hollywood hit the streets the book featured a story about comedian Mabel Normand catching Mack Sennett her longtime lover and head of Keystone studios in bed with Mae the brawl that resulted ended with Mei sending Mabel to the hospital despite the books high lecturing tone the stories of sex and drugs described in its pages were considered so racy that its author was arrested on federal charges of sending pornographic material through the mail although Mays personal life was rocked by rumor innuendo and two divorces her career continued to blossom in 1925 she appeared with lon chaney in the unholy three her performance received glowing reviews but her fortune would soon start to fade the following year May became suddenly ill newspapers said she was suffering from peritonitis but others claimed her illness was a ploy to be released from her contract with MGM in a later interview she said that she was being exploited by studio head Louis B mayor's practice of loaning out his talent her ploy worked and she was let go but may found that being an independent was not as lucrative as she hoped spoiled by the wealth that came with stardom she spent lavishly and by the end of the decade she was broke and had very few prospects for major roles but like Norma Desmond once a star always a star and as doors closed others opened returning to her comic roots may found a new home where they could shine brighter than they ever had before and won't she be surprised to meet you she will be surprised oh [ __ ] if you were to compile a list of Oliver Harding's most kind-hearted understanding human loving on-screen wives may bush wouldn't be one of them she had an icy stare that can frost the most brazen heart her voice had all the tenderness of breaking glass and she could toss dishes with pinpoint accuracy combined it made her Laurel and Hardy's most formidable feminine foil she charged into the boys world like a one-woman blitzkrieg unaccustomed as we are the duo's first talking picture she took on the role she would be best remembered for her third and most famous go as all his spouse was in a 1933 's sons of the desert we get to see me in full maniacal splendor as she tries to prevent your hubby from attending his clubs annual convention now I let him go to convention he could have been having such a good time instead of being in that awful ship right and in the end when she finds out that she's been duped it results in one of the greatest blow ups in matrimonial history may could spoil the boys fun whether she was Ali's wife or not in Oliver the eighth she played a genuinely creepy serial killer who had a real problem with men named Oliver but Mae didn't always have it in for the boys in them bar Hills and its sequel tit for tat she played Charlie Hall's wife and is quite friendly to stan and Ollie but therein lies the trouble as a few unfortunate but innocent misunderstandings lead Charlie to suspect that the boys are up to no good with his wife Mae holds the record for the most appearances for an actress working in a Laurel and Hardy thug the number stands at 13 it should be noted that only four of the 13 whereas Ali's wife her last credit as mrs. Hardy was in the bohemian girl in 1936 it was also the last time she ever worked with the boys and may went out with just as much fight and venom as she came in well why didn't you tell me before because I didn't want her to know who her father was till she was old enough to spend the shop 1936 was the same year she married for the third and final time not to Oliver Hardy but to civil engineer Thomas Tate over the next 10 years she took small uncredited roles in both short and feature films she passed away on April 20th 1946 at age 54 May's ashes remained unclaimed at the motion picture country home until the 1970s when a dedicated group of Laurel and Hardy fans known as the sons of the desert had them properly laid to rest at the chapel of the pines columbarium her film career had both highs and lows but no matter the part she was in the greatest sense of the word a star and no matter how much time passes may Bush remains eternally lovely and ever popular [Music] you [Music] on a cool gray Friday in late February 1965 over 300 family and friends including entertainers from the past and present gathered here at the Church of the hills at Forest Lawn Memorial Park Hollywood Hills they came to bid farewell to Stan Laurel they mingled beneath the ivory steeple and the clock marking the passage of time each of them had a story to tell about Stan stories that fit together like pieces of a jigsaw puzzle forming a colorful picture of a life that began a long way from Hollywood in the north of England you know I kind of like you you do you bet I do you've got a kind face Stan was born Arthur Stanley Jefferson in over stood on the 16th of June 1890 his parents both had theatrical backgrounds and his own stage career began when he was 16 with a gift for pantomime Stan later joined Fred Carr nose comedy troupe where for a time he worked as Charlie Chaplin's understudy in 1912 he toured America with car nose troupe his name is found a few lines below Chaplin's on the ship's passenger list within a few years he was on his own and had relocated to the United States permanently working the vaudeville circuit he teamed with several acts the most successful of which was the Keystone trio that had stand impersonating Chaplin it was at this time he changed his name from Arthur Jefferson to Stan Laurel because the shorter name could be printed with larger type on the bill by 1918 he broke into motion pictures as a solo act one of his early films was the lucky dog made for Bronco Billy Anderson in 1921 in it stan plays a man evict advised landlord and is befriended by a stray dog which leads to many misadventures at one point he's robbed at gunpoint by a hulking bandit the film by itself is unremarkable its significance however is that it captures the very first pairing of Stan Laurel and Oliver Hardy [Music] well now that our troubles are over where do we go from here well I'd like to go back to the town where I was born where is that way down south are you from Assam sure I am well been Mara I'm from the south Norville Hardy was born in Harlem Georgia on the 18th of January 1892 unlike Stan he did not come from a theatrical family however he did claim to be a descendant of British Vice Admiral Sir Thomas Hardy to whom Admiral Nelson spoke his famous last words kiss me hardy and there might just be more than a passing resemblance wouldn't you say by the age of eight he was singing in minstrel shows across Georgia as a teenager he adopted the name Oliver in memory of his father who passed away when he was 10 months old when he was 18 he opened the first movie theatre in Milledgeville Georgia after watching the performances on screen Oliver decided he could do better he moved to Jacksonville Florida and went to work for Lubin Pictures it was while working for Lubin that people began calling him babe it was a nickname that stuck with him for the rest of his life because of his large build he was typically cast as the heavy in the style of Chaplin's Foyle Eric Campbell which can be seen in these early examples of his work with comedian and Chaplin impersonator Billy West after spending some time in Florida he drifted up to New York for a while then back to Florida before finding his permanent home way out west in Los Angeles they've worked as a freelance actor at different studios and it was at this time he made the lucky dog with Stan their paths would not cross again until 1924 when he went to work for Hal Roach as a bit player a year later he co-starred with Jimmy Finlayson in yes yes the net that were directed by Stan Laurel the stage was finally set for the greatest marriage of talent in comedy history [Music] the image of stan and Ollie is so indelibly fixed in our collective consciousness that it's hard to believe they didn't enter the world fully formed but according to biographer John McCabe neither of them anticipated or particularly desired becoming a team both followed their individual career paths but as members of Hal Roach is stock company it was only natural that they would work together from time to time separately stan and Ollie were good entertainers but when they played off one another they were brilliant and people took notice Hal Roach who had a sixth sense for talent also took notice and quickly capitalized on his actors he put the boys together more often and had their roles increased by 1930 the boys were international stars they built a connection with audiences who responded not only to the comedy but to the warmth that came from the characters and that warmth existed between the actors who had great respect admiration and trust in one another they rarely had professional differences their commitment was to make the best comedies and not to fuss over who got the laughs [Music] at a convention of the sons of the desert in the 1990s Stan's daughter Lois told a story about meeting her dad's new partner for the first time she was born in the same year that they were teamed up and literally grew up watching their films on her third birthday she visited her father on set and the home movie cameras were rolling at one point she's handed over to Ollie and instantly recoils from the large man she'd seen roughhouse her dad countless times on screen Lois's reaction gave Stan an idea for a story that would show that his character was not the timid victim of Ollie's oppression and that if necessary he could and would stand up to the bigger man the idea became one good turn [Music] released in 1931 the story begins with the boys accepting the kindness of an old widow played by Mary Carr later stan is wrongly accused of absconded of their mortgage money and is severely chastised by Ollie however when his innocence is revealed Stan gets even with his accuser by taking him to the woodshed Stan's idea paid off not only at the box office but with his young daughter who warmed up to his bombastic but vulnerable partner years later lois spoke of her uncle babe with the greatest affection and described him as a generous and kind-hearted man in 1932 the music box won the first Academy Award for Best live action short subject in comedy it served as a stamp of approval on the team's success as we have seen there were many talented artists involved in the making of Laurel and Hardy pictures but there is no dispute that Stan was the lead creative force behind the team although he didn't direct any of the films he was according to John McCabe the directors strong right arm and sometimes both arms babe on the other hand took a less active role preferring to come on set and play as scenes before dashing off to the golf course whenever someone inquired about their films he would invariably answer ask Stan it was a highly productive time and the boys popularity seemed endless but troubles both personal and professional were brewing and would soon threaten to derail their careers by the late 30s the number of Laurel and Hardy pictures hitting theaters had fallen sharply it was due in part to their switch to feature films only but much of the slowdown was the result of friction between Stan and Hal Roach it began over differences on the script of babes in toyland but the real issue was the team's contracts Stan and babe were eager to formalize their partnership to get more creative control over their pictures and make more money but how Roach was standing in their way he kept them on separate contracts that expired at different times making negotiations nearly impossible the dispute reached a boiling point in early 1937 Stan had virtually disappeared from the studio newspapers reported that he was on strike as contract negotiations stalled in August when he failed to appear for reshoots on blockheads Roach had had enough he sued Stan for breach of contract putting the comedian's career in jeopardy babe meanwhile still had two years on his contract and made Zenobia with harry Langdon the studio used the film to spread false rumors in the press that a new team of Hardy and Langdon was in the works but it was all a ploy to get Stan to negotiate the work stoppage couldn't have come at a worse time for both men by then Stan had two ex-wives and was working on a third he later joked that he and Hardy had different interests babe had horses and golf he said and you know my hobby I married them all babe too had financial woes during Stan's war with Roche he divorced his wife of 15 years and was dividing his time between Santa Anita and Del Mar racetracks where he racked up massive gambling losses after more than a year Stan reached an agreement with Hal Roach and work began on a chump at Oxford and saps at sea released in 1940 they were the last Laurel and Hardy pictures made by the studio that same year they left Roach studios and signed a six picture deal with 20th Century Fox followed by a two picture deal with MGM the bigger studios paid better but gone were the days of artistic freedom they were hired as actors only and expected to read their lines and play their parts whether they were funny or not and in most cases they were not and the boys knew it the one notable film during this period was tree in a test tube made by the Department of Agriculture in 1942 shot on the Fox back lot during a break in the filming of Jitterbugs it remains the only surviving professionally made film to show stan and Ollie in color there is no dialogue which allowed the boys to show off their skills in pantomime the way they had in their early film careers [Music] 1945 saw the release of two unremarkable Laurel and Hardy films by then they were tired of the treatment they were getting from the studios and walked away from Hollywood it was the end of an era but just because Stan and babe were done with Hollywood didn't mean their partnership was over or that they weren't going places [Music] you during the Second World War Laurel and Hardy traveled with the Hollywood victory caravan and the USO entertaining American servicemen the tours in support of the war effort would be a preview for the final act of their careers after the war they embarked on a tour of England and then Europe the live shows offered them a way to keep the characters alive and they were delighted and amazed by the enthusiasm and love that greeted them everywhere they went in 1950 the boys received an offer from a joint French and Italian film company to make their first movie in five years shooting commenced in France on of all days April 1st the production took a year and was fraught with problems that included creative differences with the director and serious health issues that sent the lead actors to the hospital the film was released in the United States in 1955 as a second feature with the title utopia critical reaction was a disaster and both Stan and babe disowned it entirely unfortunately utopia would stand as the ignominious end to the team's film career in late 1953 they set out on another tour of England the shows got off to a slow start but theater attendance eventually started to rise however advancing years and ill health made it difficult for them to keep up with the tour's grueling schedule after a performance in May 1954 babe suffered a mild heart attack forcing the cancellation of their remaining engagements exhausted and ailing they returned to America in late June after 30 years and over 100 films the boys put away their bowler hats for the final time and quietly retired in the summer of 1956 Stan and babe came together at the home of Stan's daughter Lois the visit was recorded in a brief home movie that gives us a look at two men in the twilight of their lives even though it had been over two years since their last performance when the camera was rolling they did what came naturally they went right into character Stan was still recovering from a stroke he suffered the year prior and babe is barely recognizable after dropping 160 pounds at the insistence of his doctor this footage captures what would be the last happy time they would spend together weeks later babe suffered a massive stroke that left him paralyzed and unable to speak for the next 11 months he lingered in that state until August 7th 1957 when Oliver Norvell Hardy closed his eyes for the last time he was 65 [Music] many old friends and colleagues attended his funeral but conspicuously absent was his old partner still ailing himself stands doctors advised him not to go instead his wife EDA and daughter Lois attended in his place privately Stan was devastated he confided to feeling completely lost without his partner who he said was like a brother [Music] babes remains were cremated and an earned in the Masonic garden of Hope at Valhalla Memorial Park in North Hollywood for 20 years his resting place was identified with only a humble marker dedicated to a beloved husband then in 1977 the sons of the desert placed this bronze plaque recognizing Oliver Hardy's great comedic talent nearby is Virginia who sealed Jones the script girl who captured babes heart and in 1940 became his third wife she remained at his side through good times and bad until death separated them [Music] after his partner's death Stan refused all offers of work and settled into a quiet retirement but he was far from idle with Laurel and Hardy films showing on television he was once again at the center of attention bags of fan mail poured into his Santa Monica apartment and ever the gentlemen he endeavored to personally answer them all he kept his number listed in the phone book and often invited callers for a visit many who came were among the new crop of entertainers they came to their Idol eager to learn all he knew about being funny how should I know he told them modestly all I knew was that I could make people laugh advancing years had no effect on his fertile mind he continued writing gags for Laurel and Hardy movies that would never be made his gift for making people laugh was recognized on April 17 1961 with a special Academy Award for creative pioneering in the field of comedy Stan did not attend the ceremony but said later that his only wish was that Babe could have shared in the honor [Music] in January 1965 Stan's health took a turn for the worse until February when he suffered a massive heart attack he hovered near death for days but even then his gift for humor was still intact one day he looked to his nurse and told her he would like to go skiing when she remarked that she didn't know he was a skier he replied I'm not but I would much rather be skiing than doing this soon after On February 23rd Stan Laurel took his final breath and was gone at age 74 on a cool gray Friday in February 1965 over 300 family and friends gathered here at the Church of the hills at Forest Lawn and Hollywood to remember Stan through tears and laughter each one shared a story and said goodbye not only to a man but to a bygone era that lives on in flickering black and white [Music] you [Music] afterward Stan laurels remains were cremated and brought here to the court of Liberty he was in earned below this marble plaque hailing him as a master of comedy he now rests with his fourth wife edik ateva with whom he'd been married nearly 20 years until death separated them she passed away on January 26th 1980 on her 81st birthday you you thank you for joining me on this look into the world of Stan Laurel and oliver hardy and their co-stars for me as i am sure it is for you they are friends who can be counted on again and again time is taken them away from us but even though they are gone the laughter lives on to all who bring happiness to a weary world through comedy and to all who love to laugh this video is dedicated now the hour has grown late and our better halves are probably waiting for our return hopefully not with a rolling pin in hand so let's conclude this exploration and carefully park the car in the garage now just drag it forward [Music] I would like to send thanks to our third arc of Hollywood graveyard for his generosity in this project if exploring famous graves is your thing and you haven't been to his channel you really need to check it out now his work is some of the best on YouTube and I have included a link in the description below tell him grave explorations sent you if you have a favorite Laurel and Hardy film or moment please share it in the comments if you enjoyed this video and want to see more like it please let me know by giving it a thumbs up and if you're not already subscribed to my channel please do so now and be sure to click the notification bell to receive future updates and I want to express my sincerest thanks to my patreon whose financial support helped make videos like this possible quite simply I couldn't do it without you thank you from the bottom of my heart finally thank you for watching I hope you'll join me in the next Grave explorations goodnight hobby [Music] [Music] [Applause] [Music]

Channel: Grave Explorations

Views: 311,578

Rating: 4.8964844 out of 5

Keywords: famous graves, stan and ollie

Id: 2VtWCZg-lqs

Length: 81min 2sec (4862 seconds)

Published: Sun Feb 02 2020