I start my day- first with a coffee- then it's straight to the Laurel and Hardy Forum! Keep up the good work. LOIS LAUREL - Daughter of Stan Laurel.
------------------------------------
The forum is a great place for friends to enjoy the innocent humour of our beloved boys, Laurel and Hardy JEAN DARLING - Our Gang star.
------------------------------------
Laurel and Hardy were the best. This forum is a great way to honour their memory. BOBBY BALL - Half of successful British comedy duo Cannon and Ball.
------------------------------------
A useful contact and information forum for anyone interested in Laurel and Hardy, handsomely presented. GLENN MITCHELL - Author of The Laurel and Hardy Encyclopedia.
------------------------------------
There's always something doing at the Laurel and Hardy Forum, and it's nice to see that the readers enjoy each other's comments as much as they enjoy Stan and Ollie. It's a great place to visit! SCOTT MacGILLIVRAY - Author of Laurel and Hardy - From The Forties Forward.
------------------------------------
Wow--the Forum is absolutely fantastic. I could easily spend several days going through all the wonders. I hope to contribute something semi-worthwhile. RANDY SKRETVEDT - Author of Laurel and Hardy, The Magic Behind The Movies.
------------------------------------
It's hard to imagine how we managed without the Laurel and Hardy forum. There is an enormous amount of information and a real feeling of fellowship. WILLIE MCINTYRE - Author of The Laurel and Hardy Digest.
------------------------------------
The forum is brilliant and to anyone who is a fan of Laurel and Hardy this place is a must. LEE MACDONALD - Zammo from BBC TV's Grange Hill.
------------------------------------
The comedy of Stan and Ollie is truly timeless. PAUL DANIELS - TV Magician.
------------------------------------
The Laurel and Hardy Forum is highly addictive. The members are such genuine and helpful people. MIKE QUINN - Producer/British Hollywood Actor.
------------------------------------
”The forum is a great place to meet buffs from around the world who can meet up and exchange views and share news.” ROB LEWIS - Editor of The Laurel and Hardy Magazine.
------------------------------------
The Laurel and Hardy Forum is swell. No flies or nothing. BRAM REIJNHOUDT - Editor of New Blotto and Blotto Online.
------------------------------------
The Laurel and Hardy Forum is a great place to come clean, pack up your troubles and leave em laughing. MARION GRAVE - The Laurel and Hardy Museum - ULVERSTON.
------------------------------------
The Laurel and Hardy forum is a must for all Stan and Ollie fans. RAY ALAN (and Lord Charles) - Dubbed 'the best ventriloquist in the world'.
------------------------------------
Anything to do with Laurel and Hardy is alright with me. Good luck with the forum. SIR NORMAN WISDOM OBE - Showbiz legend.
------------------------------------
The Laurel and Hardy Forum is a great way for enthusiasts to get together and learn more about the boys and the Sons of the Desert. DEL KEMPSTER - Intra-Tent Journal editorial team (UK branch).
------------------------------------
This is a great forum and just what we needed. Never let it be said that Laurel and Hardy have been forgotten. RAY ANDREW - Author of ''On The Trail Of Charlie Hall''.
------------------------------------
What a great Laurel and Hardy resource. We're fortunate in this day in age to have such a fine way of communicating our love for Stan and Ollie. Long may the forum live! ROGER L GORDON - Editor of the Intra Tent Journal (USA branch).
------------------------------------
Welcome
Created by Ross Owen, Neil Evans & Steve Foster on 25th January 2005.
The Laurel and Hardy Forum is the world's biggest online database of news, informative discussions, rarities and interactive topics dedicated to two of the most influencial comedy icons in cinematic history!
STAN LAUREL AND OLIVER HARDY
* OVER 85,000 ARTICLES * FULLY INTERACTIVE * CONTRIBUTIONS 24/7 * MEMBERS WORLDWIDE *
With the help of our loyal members and highly dedicated team of staff, our aim is to bring Laurel and Hardy fans throughout the world together, in an effort to keep the memory and the works of Laurel and Hardy alive and to give Stan and Ollie fans what they want out of a Laurel and Hardy forum. We strive to present you with all the latest Laurel and Hardy news and gossip from around the globe as it happens. The atmosphere of the forum is very friendly and very much in the spirit of 'the boys'. Don't let Laurel and Hardy be forgotten. Register today and show your support. Mingle with members of the International Laurel and Hardy Appreciation Society, the Sons Of The Desert.
We are primarily an English speaking forum, however, we now have Dutch, French, German, Spanish and Italian speaking areas. The foreign language areas will continue to expand as the forum grows.
If you have any comments, suggestions or would like your own private 'tent' area on the forum, contact a member of our staff via the forum private messaging system, alternatively you can simply post on the forum.
Registration is FREE! Don't forget to pop into the ''SALOON BAR'' and introduce yourself once you join!
OLLIE:
"...And now, ladies and gentlemen, if you don't mind--
Stanley would like to say a few words to you. Come Stanley.
STAN:
What'll I say?
OLLIE:
Just say, hello everybody! (irritated) But with your hat off!
STAN:
Hello, everybody--but with your hat off!"
OLLIE:
Ohhhh!
STAN:
What will I say?
OLLIE:
Just make a nice, long speech.
STAN:
But we haven't got time.
OLLIE:
What do you mean, we haven't got time?
STAN:
Well, we've got to get our new driver's licenses.
You know the old one perspires tomorrow.
OLLIE:
Oh, what ignorance! You mean transpire. But for once,
ladies and gentlemen, Stan is right. We do have to get
our new driver's licenses. Come Stanley...
William Seiter gives Laurel and Hardy final instructions before sending them on their "long ride" before the camera in a scene from Sons of the Desert.
Most people I know who grew up in small towns could not wait to depart when they came of age; anxious to shuffle off the constraints and intimacies of such close proximity, only to embrace the poignant memories of that same proximity when they were much older and worldly-wise. I am grateful to have wonderful memories of growing up in a typical small town that had a small park near the center of town, one grocery store, one high school, one toy store, one candy store, one music store, one mortuary, and of course, one motion picture theater. Some of my fondest boyhood memories are of sitting in the diminutive balcony of that old cinema house, sometimes for an entire day, watching the latest Hollywood feature or, as was the custom for many weekday matinees; comedy classics of the past. Sometimes, I would even skip school to catch a particularly rare or obscure celluloid treasure; thanks to my indulgent mother and an elderly but astute projectionist named Pete who shared my love for old films and always kept a watchful eye for the local truant officer. It was there, in that vintage, velvet-curtained sanctuary, that always smelled of must and popcorn, I readily encountered the outrageous world of Laurel & Hardy; living vividly and vicariously in their uproarious adventures; whether they were selling Christmas trees in the middle of July or sneaking out on the wives for a bit of bachelor debauchery.
For me, Laurel & Hardy was not a partnership. It was a team that included me as the silent member; wary but never reluctant to share in their silly shenanigans. Sometimes, when I could hear old Pete laughing from the tiny projection booth above me, it was a comedy committee! Mr. Laurel & Mr. Hardy not only entertained me for countless hours during my wonder years, they comforted me in some of my darker and lonelier times back then as well. The Boys were there for me when our family dog finally passed on and they made me laugh out loud in spite of the broken heart that resulted from my first high school crush. Stan and Babe were even there for my last day in that old cinema house—before the doors closed for good and the building was sold.
Recently, I acquired an old postcard that perfectly captures the ambiance of the small town I grew up in. Although a little more vintage than the era I grew up in, the atmosphere is precisely the same; projecting the proximity and intimacy I grew first to resent then, years later, to recall fondly. For me and countless others I know, Stan & Ollie were and always will be an essential part of our small town memories. For those of you who had a more urban adolescence, I thought you might enjoy seeing a “snapshot” from that collective scrapbook…
