Yes, it's wonderful what a little bit of kindness will do. And the
following links were kindly compiled to take you a looong way into cyberspace. They
are bound to reward you with a wealth of knowledge and information about the Boys, their
times, and their fans.
(B.S. Please be so kind as to
report any dead links to
the webmaster .)
Are you going to the Convention or to
the mountains? We're sure you'll want to follow all the
other Sons to Amsterdam for the 16th International Convention from July 9th
through the 13th in 2008. Make your plans now! And if your
husband or wife wants you to go to the mountains in that time frame, just
conveniently come down with a case of "double canus delirus" and (wink-wink)
plan a trip to "Hawaii"... See you next year in the Netherlands!!!
http://www.tellmethatagain.info
Visit our fresh and updated website for Harlem's "Berthmarks"
Tent, Oasis #238 and find out what's happening in our neck of the woods.
http://www.berthmarks.org
Keep updated with all the goings off ... on ... in Babe's birthplace of
Harlem, Georgia.
http://www.harlemga.org
What kind of link page would this be without a
link to the Sons of the Desert, otherwise known as the International Laurel and Hardy
Appreciation Society?
http://sotd.org
If you are looking for pictures, pictures, and more
pictures of the Boys throughout their careers, "Silent Ladies & Gents" is
just the place to go.
http://silentgents.com/PLandH.html
You'll find the answers to many of your Laurel and
Hardy questions at this fun site. The creative webmasters even anticipated the
following query: Is the site's official name "Laurel and Hardy Central" or
is it "Hard-Boiled Eggs and Nuts"? Their response is a simple one in true
Stan and Ollie fashion: "Neither do I too." The site is chock
full of great essays about the Boys, tidbits about their co-stars, pictures,
downloads, a virtual museum, and more. Whatever the official name is, don't miss a
chance to visit this link today.
http://www.laurelandhardycentral.com
The Laurel and Hardy Magazine is a not-for-profit
publication printed quarterly by the Helpmates Tent of the United Kingdom .
Every issue is a feast of " the latest news in the World of
'Laurel and Hardy' whether it is news on video releases, a variety of available
merchandise, events, film fests, or what have you. This on-line version has an
equally tantalizing menu which includes a delightful sample of the
magazine's features - plus Laurel and Hardy galleries, recordings, and a "Juke
Box". Check out this cyber-zine, and, if you like what you see, send right away
for a membership to the real magazine; I guarantee you'll love it!
http://www.laurelandhardy.org/
'Blotto Online' is yet another delectable cyber-zine.
This publication hails from the Dutch Perfect Day Tent of the
International Laurel and Hardy Appreciation Society (the 'Sons of the Desert' to you
and me).
http://www.blotto.nl/index.php?/international/
The Boys knew implicitly
that laughter was the best medicine. And the ComedyCures Foundation
knows it just as well as they.
ComedyCures is a national non-profit organization that "brings joy,
laughter, and therapeutic humor programs to kids and grown-ups living with
illness, depression, trauma, and disabilities." Follow our
prescription and visit their site to "start the HA HA healing" for yourself
and others. Your body, mind, and spirit will thank you. I know
I'm feeling better already!
http://www.comedycures.org
Stan and Ollie don't seem to be televised as much as we would
like, but at least we can now know when they are. Check the listings at the
beginning of each month, keep your fingers crossed, and have a blank video tape
handy.
http://www.tv-now.com/stars/olhardy.html
The Boys' British
Connections
Our British counterpart, The Laurel and Hardy Museum is located in
Ulverston, Cumbria, England (the birthplace of Arthur Stanley Jefferson) and claims
fame to being the first museum ever devoted to it's native son and his long-time partner
from Harlem, Georgia, U.S.A. . So, if - and when - you find yourself near the Lake
District, make it a point to pay homage to the Boys at this marvelous museum.
http://www.laurel-and-hardy-museum.co.uk
http://www.laurel-and-hardy.com
The
Co-Stars
You remember Ethel the gorilla who danced with the Boys (and
tormented Ollie) in 'The Chimp", don't you? Or the ape in 'Swiss Miss' who
chased them across the suspension bridge? Both simian characters were played by
Charlie Gemora. Be sure to read this short article, "Hats Off to Charles Gemora
Hollywood's Favorite Ape" ... but, mind the monkey.
http://gammillustrations.bizland.com/monsterkid1/id2.html
www.ramseyltd.com/rascals/dorothy
"Jean Darling's
Homepage"
http://indigo.ie/~jdarling/
The Admiring Clowns
Buster rightly claimed,
"Comedy is a serious business." - and, yet, he
made it look so effortless.
http://www.busterkeaton.com/
http://www.haroldlloyd.com/home.asp
http://members.tripod.com/~jbotw/
http://www.crispy.com/benny/
Tativille Jacques Tati's creation of Monsieur Hulot ranks in
the untouchable heights beside Arthur Stanley Jefferson's and Norvell Hardy's
creation of Mr. Laurel and Mr. Hardy. This site is sheer delight - albeit a
bit tricky to navigate. It is well worth your time and patience to take a trip
through "Tativille".
http://www.tativille.com/
He is
silent yet eloquent, pale yet vivid, tragic yet comical. He makes
"the invisible visible."
He is a riddle. He is brilliance itself.
"There is," as Marceau himself will say,
"only one Marceau."
http://www.salon.com/people/bc/1999/07/27/marceau/
Scholarly Papers
No, you aren't seeing things ... this is
another link to the Official Laurel and Hardy Website. This one, in particular, will
lead you to a virtual filing cabinet crammed with scholarly papers for the Stan Laurel and
Oliver Hardy aficionado. As one of the pieces ("The Golliwog and the
Lobby-Watcher") reads: "their comedy appeals on many levels. Simple and direct
enough to send small children into gales of laughter, yet with enough genuine human truth
at its core to warrant study by scholars and egghead-types." So, whether you're
a serious-minded egghead-type or whether you're the silly type who loves to get
people in a 'the yolks on you' gag, these lovingly written pieces will appeal to you no
matter your nature.
http://laurelandhardycentral.com/essay.htm
"Laurel & Hardy vs
The Censors" Any loyal fan of
Laurel and Hardy will comment on the innocence of the characters and on how 'wholesome'
the duo's films were. Hmmm, judging by this interesting piece, the Motion Picture
Production Code Administration did not seem to hold them in such high esteem.
http://home.earthlink.net/~davidp_hayes/lnh/Censorship.html
"Through a Glass
Darkly: Reflections on Mr. Hardy's Camera Look", written by Peter Larsen, is a personal favorite of 'scholarly
papers' on Laurel and Hardy. In it, Larsen 'tried to describe the impact of the
look, the subtle ways in which it affects the relations between film and spectator.'
Mr. Hardy's camera look touches each of us for each of us has seen it looking back at us
from our own mirrors. We seem to understand him as only we can understand our
selves.
http://www.fou.uib.no/fd/1997/f/517001/
Looking for
L&H Films, L&H Books, and, well, L&H Anything?
The four above links are
rather self-explanatory. A click on the first three will take you to a search for
Laurel and Hardy products in all venues. A click on the Barnes & Noble
banner will take you only to the main page of their site. As far as favorites,
Half.com has my vote; it usually has a wide variety of merchandise at prices that can't be
beat. If you're a collector, however, head straight for ebay.com.
This site which will help you find "books
you thought you'd never find" is a treasure. But just make sure you know
specifically for which book you're looking.
http://www.alibris.com/
http://www.alibris.co.uk/
Stan and Ollie threw quite a lot of things - hats, pies,
anniversary cake, bricks, shoes, a clutch, building blocks, baked potatoes, a potted
flower, dishes, buckets, sandwiches,... You name it, they more than likely
threw it. And there were consequences to pay for their actions - usually paid in
full by our long-suffering Ollie. So, have a care if you decide to be like
them and throw things. Instead, try something safe like throwing your voice with
these marvelous ventriloquist puppets (the Laurel and Hardy ones, naturally).
http://www.throwthings.com/throwyourvoiceventriloquistpuppets.htm
Sites Related in
One Way or Another to Laurel and Hardy
The Costumer's Manifesto is the absolute dernier
cri when it comes to fashions of the Twenties, Thirties, Forties, and every other
era. In fact, "as far as cris go, it's about as dernier as
you can get"! Not only will you find the fashions worn by Laurel and Hardy's
co-starring ladies (and some worn in drag by Stan and Ollie themselves), you will also
discover menswear, haberdashers, shoes, and even glimpses into clothing catalogues of
their day. Visiting this tantalizing site is rather like eating a rich dessert, so
perk a fresh pot of steaming coffee and savor the experience unhurriedly. Magnifique!
http://www.costumes.org/history/100pages/costhistpage.htm
It's a bit wacky. It's a lot groovy. And that hat is
oh-so-cool. Let's face it, ever since our earliest recollection of seeing Stan
Laurel, Oliver Hardy, and Charley Chase donning fezzes in "Sons of the Desert" -
not to mention Boris Karloff in "The Mummy", Sydney Greenstreet in
"Casablanca", Vinnie the P in "The Raven", or even the organ grinder's
monkey in the 1937 version of "Heidi" - we just had to one day have a fez of our
very own. You'll just have to see this wild site for yourselves. Look in
Celebrity Fezzers for a picture of the Boys at the big convention.
http://members.tripod.com/~fezpage/
