Laurel and Hardy Central

letters to lhc from the recent past

stamp

EMAIL US!
lhcntrl@aol.com
Current Letters
 Letters from the Past 1
 Letters from the Past 2
 Letters from the Past 3

REWRITING HISTORY, ONE SCENE AT A TIME...

Nov., 2004

Dear JB/JL,

     Thanks for a great site - love the reviews! Although I think that Fox would have made a much *worse* ATOLL K(!)

     Just a few thoughts: I spend a good deal of time "re-writing" (in my head) L & H's post-'40s flicks - which gives you an idea of my current social life. Anyway, dealing with THE BIG NOISE: it was actually funny that Ollie would answer the phone at an office he and Stan are cleaning, but then something wierd happens - (as I recall) Stan runs the overly loud vacuum cleaner so Ollie can hardly hear the inventor guy. But it doesn't matter - Stan & Ollie are taking courses to be detectives so why not guard the invention?

     My point: the din should have set up a great gag where the Boys (as Cleaning crew workers *not* apprentice detectives) wind up guarding the thing because Ollie couldn't hear what the Inventor was actually saying. Ollie accepts a cleaning gig not a guard gig and so the comic possibilities of transporting "The Big Noise" are increased tenfold...

     Anyway, thanks for reading this message and thanks again for the reviews.

     P. Silver

CHECK US OUT!

Nov. 2004

     I have checked out your website for a while now.  It's very informative and a pleasure to always check out.

Tom-Tom and Bo Peep     I am 22 now, and I have enjoyed the "Boys" since I was 5.  I believe as a child, My favorite movie was, BABES IN TOYLAND (as I imagine most kids would say the same thing).  I have around 26 books that have been published about them over the years.  I also have around 45 of their films.  It will take me a long time to get most of them and I know that some of them are hard to get. 

     I am full-time college student at Kutztown university majoring in psychology; but, believe or not, I am also currently working on a book on Laurel and Hardy, which will probably take me a long time to finish.  No matter how many times I watch them, I always laugh and that will never change.  I wish they would put them back on tv again.  My favorite L&H film is OUR RELATIONS.  There is so much of their characteristics provided there, and what's more amazing is that they play twins, it's double the fun of laughter!! 

     Thanks for a neat site and I will always check out for new stuff. 

      Peace-------

     Frank

REMEMBERING MR. HARDY


August 8, 2004,

 Babe    Checked out your site again.  It's terrific.  Especially enjoyed the picture of Ms. Hatcher, and I didn't find a single link that doesn't work.  That's dedication!
 
     I saw that yesterday was the 47th anniversary of Mr. Hardy's death.  I remember buying a Chicago Tribune - not certain if it was the evening of the 7th or the 8th - and reading about it by the street lights as I walked home.  I believe the report was on the front page, but since I was in fourth grade I may have that confused.  These days, I'm confused most of the time.  Oh, well.
 
     Best wishes,

gatorMichael M. Bates
"My Side of the Swamp"
http://www.michaelmbates.com/

FINALLY!


August 6, 2004

Johns,

Teri Hatcher: SuperBabe    Thanks for the information provided on your great Web Site.  I've always been a big fan of the boys since I was a small kid in the early 70's.  My father would take us to the movies when L&H films would play nearby, as well as Chicago's Museum of Science and Industry-Nickelodeon Theater. 
   
    I think I've just read every word on your site and found out many new details I never knew...

    Can you tell me the name of the film (short?) where Ollie aggravates some big guy and while they are walking down many flights of stairs in an Apt building, Stan is telling everyone "There's going to be a fight!".  When they reach the ground for the fight, it seems the whole town is there to watch.  I remember that this scene made my Dad laugh so hard he practically hyperventilated while we were visiting his friends house.  Since my Dad has been dead many years I wanted to relive this film and show it to my kids. 

    I like the fact that Stan and Babe were friends off screen and was surprised to read on Wikipedia "By 1936 the relationship between Laurel and Hardy was under strain".  I thought that the only real friction was between Stan & Roach.  Also wondering if it is true that Stan didn't attend Babes funeral and any insight as to why not.  (Too emotional?)  

    As a big fan, I wanted to let you know that I can be contacted for any help needed for the Site...answering mail, doing research etc..  I would consider it an honor. 

Thanks,
Jim Dougherty

Editor's Note:  While we answered the questions in this letter privately through email, we felt compelled to share this great letter to the world, not only because Mr. Dougherty shared some nice thoughts about the Boys, but also because he is the first person in the six years of this site's existence to actually send us a picture of Teri Hatcher, as we have been facetiously requesting in the Tedious History section of our Site Guide since 1998. Coming off the four-season run of one of our favorite shows of all time, Lois and Clark, Ms. Hatcher was hot stuff in the late '90s, and trading pictures of her online was the only thing holding the Internet together during its formative years.  And in the 2004, several years after the (still-lamented) cancellation of Lois and Clark, Teri Hatcher once again became a hot commodity (as well as a hot tamale) with her hit show Desperate Housewives. But in good times and bad, Teri is always hot stuff to us.

THANK GOD IT WASN'T THE THREE STOOGES!

Ambulance     When I was a kid in the '70s, Laurel and Hardy brought me endless hours of enjoyment. However they were dangerous to my health! I was always trying to recreate their pratfalls and gags for my fellow 10 year old friends. Sometime between the second broken arm and the third broken plate over my head, my parents decided enough was enough and I was banned from their films for a while.

     About your site, I have to say that even though I know almost every scene and every word of their films by heart, I still find myself gravitating to L&H Central frequently. You've done a great job of organizing and categorizing the information. The pictures and reviews are much appreciated. My 'hat's off' to you! ( yeah, like you've never heard that one before.....)

Regards,

Steve Meadows
Vancouver , Canada


JUST FOR THE HALE OF IT

How d'you do?

     What a wonderful site!  A great mix of reference information and fan-fueled enthusiasm.  Your twin reviews of every film make it a special delight.  It's what makes Laurel and Hardy Central an engaging read, rather than a simple and cold collection of facts and lists.

     While I may not agree with every review, you offer consistent and well-argued points.  On many occasions, you also include insightful analysis.  One such moment is comparing the different treatments Laurel & Hardy (in "Men O'War") and Abbott & Costello (in "Keep 'Em Flying") used in serving the same comedic situation.  Very astute.

     And I share your awe in watching Stan eat an egg in "County Hospital".  It's been said a truly great comedian could make people laugh reading the phone book. I believe Stan could put us in hysterics by reading the phone book to himself, without saying a word.

     Your review of the radio sketch, "The Marriage of Stan Laurel", was also right on the mark.  Let me add that even though their characters are necessarily tweaked for a purely audio medium, they handled it well because of Stan's creative input.  This short and simple sketch towers over any movie they made after 1940.  It's well worth a listen.

     You might want to correct one item in your review of "Our Relations".  It features Alan Hale, not Alan Hale, Jr. [Editor's Note: We have corrected that error, and judging from the picture below, we don't know how we could have made that mistake!]

Hales Sr. and Jr.     However, that brings up a sore spot I've had for years.  Never once did I hear Alan Hale Jr. credit Oliver Hardy as an influence for his character of The Skipper on "Gilligan's Island".  It's so obvious!  His exasperated looks toward the camera easily give it away, but watch those exaggerated arm movements balanced by subtle finger twiddling.  It's a fine impersonation, but I've never heard it acknowledged in any interview or documentary by anyone.  Disrespect is all I can say.

     But let's not end this on a sour note.  We're all here to celebrate the comedic genius of two people who continue to bring the world happiness.  And I'm here to celebrate two more who are helping to spread that happiness.

     To you, I offer cheers and cocktails!

     Many thanks,

     Vincent Basilicato  


MEMORIES GLOWING BRIGHT


     Hello:

     I came upon your site while looking for some background info on The Boys' films (in particular the pie fight in B of the C). Love the site & your genuine enthusiasm for this marvellous, lovable pair. There is no-one to touch their humour or humanity. May their memories always glow bright - and with your support that is ensured.

Regards,
 
Ronny Nicholas
London, England


THE LAUREL AND HARDY SHOW

TV    I love your site! I'm only 17, but I've been a fan of The Boys since I was 1 (I'm sitting here typing watching SONS OF THE DESERT), when I watched "The Laurel and Hardy Show" on WWOR Ch. 9  from NYC on Sunday mornings. Having some of the episodes on tape of L&H's broadcast on Comedy Central from the early 90s, I have to say that the way that show was formatted was just great. I loved the opening credits, the cut to commercials, and the endings each week giving dedication to one of the members of the Hal Roach Stock Company. 

     Anyway, I was wondering what information you had on the show itself? As in, who was involved in the making of it or maybe if we may ever see it on TV again (does Hallmark own the rights to broadcast "The Show")? They haven't been seen in 10 years, and my generation missed out on their brilliance and now it seems that the now generation will be too. I miss L&H dearly, but if they were put on the air again I'd have to say it would work best in the L&H Show format. I watched it when AMC ran some of their shorts shortly after Comedy Central stopped, but it just didn't have that same feel to it. "The Laurel and Hardy Show" will always be *the* way to see The Boys in my heart.

     Any info is appreciated, and keep up on the great work on the site!

     Matt

Copyright © John Larrabee, John V. Brennan 2005. All Rights Reserved.

Laurel and Hardy Central

Main Menu