All About OLLIE!

[Crooner]

I've heard on this ng every so often that Ollie was the funniest
man on the screen. While I have no qualms about that, I always
thought of L&H as a great team, but I never thought of Ollie as
a comedian as I think of Stan as one.

In the same way that George Burns never thought of Gracie
Allen as a comedienne. He always thought of her as a great
actress who could play a ditzy character. I think the
same can be said of Ollie -- that he was a great actor who
could really play a lovable, childlike adult AND get laughs
out of it.

As you know, Ollie didn't LIVE comedy like Stan did. Ollie would
rather go off to the golf course and relax, while diligent Stan
would spend all his non-work hours AT work -- such was his
dedication to making people laugh. And Ollie had a somewhat
checkered career before L&H as a straight character actor too.
So he didn't have that burning desire to make people laugh like
Stan did.

So again, of the two I think more of Stan as a comedian than I
do of Ollie. So I'm somewhat curious as to how some say he's
the funnier of the two.

~ Crooner

[BigStar303]

Crooner wrote:

This is a matter of personal preference. All you say about Stan and his
devotion to the craft of comedy is absolutely true, and there's no doubt that
one of the reasons Babe is so good onscreen is that Stan provided the setting
for him to be.

In the end, though, I personally feel that while Stan certainly had much about
him that was very funny, the Ollie character is simply richer and has more
depth. All of his wonderful little bits of business, the wide range of "takes"
and facial expressions, the very "human-ness" of the character are what does it
for me.

I think Stan is, by the nature of his character, somewhat more unreal...and one
of the many reasons we laugh at something -- whether it's a line from a
stand-up comedian or a character sketch -- is because we recognize how "true"
it is. Ollie gives vivid expression to the very same joys and the very same
frustrations each of us feels at one time or another.

And that's about as much "intellectualizing" as I care to do right now --
except to add that when Stan and Ollie are combined, the whole is so much
greater than the sum of its parts.

[JimNeibr]

Any time I have stated that Ollie makes me laugh more than does Stan, it is not
because I think less of Stan. I agree with any accolade ever placed upon Mr.
Laurel.

But since Stan lived comedy, as Lou suggests, the fact that Ollie was so funny
means, to me, that his talents were utterly natural. The quick side glances
Ollie makes to the camera while Stan is doing something funny make me laugh
more than whatever Stan is doing. And the fact that these glances blend with
the routine Stan is doing and never appear to be fly-catching, makes it that
much more endearing.

Sometimes Stan's off-screen genius will cause us to overlook Oliver's
contribution, since he came to the table with less than Stan (the British
"Sons" members who, in their devotion to Stan, had T-shirts made up stating
"Oliver Who?" are the most annoying example).

But I think Oliver is objectively every bit as much a genius as Stan.
Subjetively, I laugh more at Ollie.

Jim

PS -- always liked George better than Paul too

[BigStar303]

Extremely well-said, Jim. I agree with every word of this.

This is the first I've heard of the British Sons incident. In the best
tradition of "Chump at Oxford," if it were in my power I would have these
miscreants "sent down" for this gross offense.

[JVBGUY]

Jim wrote:

>...I think Oliver is objectively every bit as much a genius as Stan.

>Subjetively, I laugh more at Ollie.
>

>Jim
>
>PS -- always liked George better than Paul too

If you want an example of how Ollie is funny in and of himself, without Stan,
just watch Chickens Come Home, where, I believe, Ollie carries the whole short.
Stan, of course, is hilarious as usual, but this is so much an "Ollie" short.

There is also the scene at the beginning of Me and My Pal, where Ollie is
listening to the radio. His change of facial expression when the news story
turns from him to the opinions of one Mr. Laurel are priceless. And a simple
disgusted "Mr. Laurel says..." from Ollie is as funny as any mangled phrase
ever uttered by Stan.

I don't think it is a case of one being funnier than the other. I think it is
an example of two different comic styles, both equally great, blending together
instinctively.

Here's to both the Boys!

And by the way, I always like George better than Paul too.

John B.
Co-founder, Laurel and Hardy Central
http://members.aol.com/lhcentral/

[DSPB]

....Name one other performer in the entire history of motion pictures
that got as many laughs by simply saying "meticulous"

-Unka Denny

"Excuse me a minute, my ear is full of milk..."
-Oliver Hardy