Laurel and Hardy

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Laurel and Hardy were a double act from 1927 to 1955, consisting of Englishman Stan Laurel (1890–1965) and American Oliver Hardy (1892–1957). Starting their career as a team in the silent film era, they transitioned easily to the new talking pictures and became internationally famous for their slapstick comedy. Laurel's character was clumsy and childlike; Hardy's was domineering and genteel, but both were inseparable friends. Their theme song, known variously as "The Cuckoo Song", "Ku-Ku", or "The Dance of the Cuckoos" (by Hollywood composer T. Marvin Hatley) was heard over their films' opening credits, and became as identified with them as their derby hats. Before becoming a team, both had well-established film careers. Stan Laurel had been a vaudeville performer on European and American stages before joining the film industry in 1917; he was primarily a comedian but was also a talented writer and director. Oliver Hardy entered the film business as a theater projectionist, and became an...

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