Stan Laurel and Oliver Hardy first appeared on screen together over a century ago. History would reveal them to be among the most influential comedy teams in cinema, starring in more than 100 movies over several decades. While many of their contemporaries have long since been forgotten, Laurel & Hardy’s legacy remains strong in the U.S. and abroad, with admirers of all ages. And though they’ve been dead for more than 60 years, they have as loyal and dedicated a fan base as any living celebrity you could name.
And it’s because of those fans, in and out of the entertainment industry, that we have access to the wealth of Laurel & Hardy-related material that we do today. Thanks to their efforts behind the scenes, there has arguably never been a better time to revisit the team’s work or discover it for the first time. More recently, the many films of “the boys,” as they’re affectionately known, have been getting restored in high definition. By the end of this year alone, there will be three separate Laurel and Hardy Blu-ray collections released.
First on the list is Laurel & Hardy: The Definitive Restorations Volume 2, dropping on November 11. From Kit Parker Films, this follow-up to their 2020 volume features eight of Laurel and Hardy’s sound-era short films, including fan favorites like Blotto, Another Fine Mess, and Them Thar Hills. As a bonus, there’s recently rediscovered silent versions of a couple of shorts, rare interviews, commentary tracks, and much more. While the 2011 DVD release, Laurel & Hardy: The Essential Collection, remains vital for offering all of their sound shorts in one place, these HD upgrades are a welcome addition.
Next up is Flicker Alley’s Laurel & Hardy: Year Three, which gathers the last batch of silent shorts the team did before transitioning to sound. When the third and final volume in the series is released on November 18, it will mark the first time these long-unavailable shorts have been commercially released in the U.S. in decades. Among the nine shorts collected here are Liberty, Wrong Again, and Big Business (added to the National Film Registry in 1992). Bonus features on the two-disc set include three of their sound shorts and a dubbed version of one of the silents.
Then, on December 9, ClassicFlix will release Laurel & Hardy: The Restored Features Volume 1. The single-disc release will contain two of Laurel & Hardy’s earliest starring feature-length films, Pardon Us and Pack Up Your Troubles. Originally released in 1931, Pardon Us was restored by ClassicFlix. In contrast, the restoration of 1932’s Pack Up Your Troubles was done as part of UCLA’s ongoing preservation effort and funded by the Hobson/Lucas Foundation. This will be the first of five Blu-ray releases fans have to look forward to.
We haven’t even gotten to the books yet. One could theoretically fill up an entire bookshelf with all the books that have been written about Laurel & Hardy—and we’re just talking about the newer ones. In recent years, Laurel & Hardy expert Randy Skretvedt has released four books, including a newly expanded version of his impressive 1987 tome, Laurel & Hardy: The Magic Behind the Movies—a must-have companion piece to their films and the logical book to start your collection with. He’s also put out two volumes of The Laurel & Hardy Movie Scripts, in addition to March of the Wooden Soldiers: The Amazing Story of Laurel & Hardy’s ‘Babes in Toyland.’
Last year saw the release of two more well-received books, as well as a reissue of Stan and Ollie: The Roots of Comedy, Sam Louvish’s dual biography of the boys. Collecting Laurel & Hardy by Danny Bacher and Bernie Hogya offers an in-depth look at the wide array of Laurel & Hardy memorabilia released over the years, featuring over 1,000 pictures of everything from toys and games to comic books and beyond. There was also Volume 1 of Andreas Baum and Michael Ehret’s Laurel & Hardy: A True Love Story, a pictorial tribute to the team in the form of a large coffee table book—it was successfully funded on Kickstarter, receiving nearly double its pledge goal, and Volume 2 is due to be released in 2026.
And we got even more books this year. James L. Neibaur’s The Laurel & Hardy Films, a film-by-film breakdown of their movies, was released this past May. Another massive Kickstarter book, Laurel & Hardy: After the Laughter by Nico Cartenstadt, Michael Ehret, and Tyler St. Mark, followed in June, with a focus on Stan and Ollie’s later years. It’s 920 pages and comes with two bonus DVDs.
Not a bad output for two guys who haven’t been active in 75 years.
The post It’s a Great Time to Be a Laurel & Hardy Fan appeared first on VICE.
